Health care associated infections and the risk factors at the surgical neonatal intensive care unit

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to investigate the infectious agents, risk factors and prevalance of the healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) in patients treated at surgical neonatal intensive care unit of Cukurova university faculty of medicine.Patients and Methods: Patients were examined for application date, sex, mode of delivery, birth weight, gestation age, age at admission, hospital stay, hospitalisation at another center, the provinces they come, surgery, developement of sepsis, use of TPN (Total parenteral nutrition), application of chest tube, endotracheal intubation, urinary catheter use, nasal or oral catheter use, application of abdominal drains, central catheter application, oral feeding time, laboratory parameters, degree of surgical stress and the nature of wounds. Distrubution of infections and infectious agents by years, antibiotic ressistance paterns were measured. Variables were compared by Mann-Whitney U and chi-square tests.Results: Totally 48 of 264 patient were excluded from study. 73 of the remaining 216 patients had HAIs and 143 patients didnot have HAIs.Low birth weight, prior hospitalisation at another center, high degree of surgical stres, TPN use and duration, chest tube application and duration, endotracheal intubation and duration, urinary catheterisation and duration, central cathetery, application of abdominal drains at surgery, duration of nasal-oral catheterisation and the duration of nonenteral feding were found as risc factors of HAIs. In patients with HAIs, CRP and PCT levels was high, hematocrite level was low and the most probable diagnosis was esophageal atresia. 40 (54.8%) of the HAIs patients and 16 (11.2%) of the noninfected patients died. Sepsis was detected at 57 of HAIs patients and 35 of them died. Duration of hospitalisation for HAIs patients was 47.2 days and 17.5 days for non-HAIs patients.Conclusion: Decreasing the number and duration of invasive procedures, shorten the duration of hospital stay, special measures for the epidemic microorganisms can reduce the HAIs and the related deaths.Key words: Surgical newborn, health care-associated infections, risk factors, infection, sepsis in surgical neonates.