[Nosocomial infection over three years in a neonatal intensive care unit. Multivariate study]

The Neonate Intensive Care Units (NICU) present high frequencies of hospital infections (HI) as well as patients with high intrinsic and extrinsic infection risks.

A prospective study of 3 years in a NICU was carried out. Six-hundred and five neonates with stays longer than 48 hours were included. A descriptive study and a predictive equation, by non-conditional logistic regression, were performed, including the principal HI risk factors.

The HI incidence was 25.8/1,000 patients-day, and it was most frequent in children with weight lower than 2,500 g. The main etiologic agents were Streptococcus epidermis and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The risk factors for HI in NICU were assisted respiration (odds ratio [OR] = 5.1; 95% CI, 2.3-11.5), low weight at birth (OR = 3.2; 95% CI, 1-1.08), transfusion (OR = 3.8; 95% CI, 1.4-10.1) and central venous catheter. Validation by ROC curve was satisfactory.

The incidence of HI in NICU is high, and depends on both disease features and instrumentation in NICU.