[Risk factors and lethality associated with neonatal candidemia in a neonatal unit]

To identify the main risk factors associated with neonatal candidemia.

A retrospective paired case-control study was conducted from January 2014 to December 2016. The cases were patients with isolation in blood culture and/or cerebrospinal fluid of Candi da spp. after their first 48 hours in the hospital and the controls cases were neonates chosen from the statistical census of neonatology paired according to their admission date (30-day range), birth weight, gestational age, and discharge condition (alive or deceased). For each case, we select two controls. The risk factors evaluated were intrahospital stay over seven days, use of broad-spectrum antibiotics, mechanical ventilation, parenteral nutrition longer than five days, invasive procedures such as central venous access and abdominal and thoracic surgeries, necrotizing enterocolitis and growth of bacterial microorganisms in blood culture before candidemia.

During the study period, 141 patients developed candidemia. 49% of the cases corresponded to Candida parapsilosis with the highest associated lethality rate. The multivariate analysis identified as risk factors hospital stay longer than seven days (OR = 17.0, 95% CI = 2.36-122.4), use of umbilical lines (OR = 9.04, 95% CI = 1.55-52.5), abdominal and/or thoracic surgery (OR = 12.4, 95% CI = 1.76-87.3), and treatment with Meropenem (OR = 4.62, 95% CI = 1.34-15.9).

Prolonged intrahospital stay longer than seven days and thoracic and/or abdominal surgery were the most significant risk factors in this study for the development of neonatal candidemia.