Nosocomial infection in a neonatal unit - abstract

ABSTRACT

This study of nosocomial infection (NI) was conducted to obtain baseline data on NI between epidemics. All infants who were admitted to the Special Care Unit, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, and who stayed there for > 48 hours in the period June 1 to October 31, 1989, were enrolled in the study. NI was defined as an infection which was not present at birth or incubating in the mother and beginning 48 hours after birth, and was classified as major (meningitis and bacteraemia) and minor (all other infections). There were 28 NIs in 22 neonates with a mean age of 4.5 days, gestational ages ranged from 31 to 40 weeks, and birth weight from 1 to 5 kg. Conjunctivitis (50 per cent) and bacteraemia/meningitis (23 per cent), were the commonest NIs. Psuedomonas aeruginosa (21 per cent) was the commonest organism cultured. Four of six major NIs were due to gram-negative and the rest to gram-positive organisms. The NI rate was 10 per 100 discharges and no deaths from NI occurred. It is concluded that there is a high level of NI, mainly gram-negative organisms, in the neonatal unit, and a strong case exists for a larger improved unit, continuous surveillance and continuing education on prevention of NI (AU)