Nosocomial Infections in Non-COVID-19 Pediatric Patients Prior to and During the Pandemic in a Pediatric Intensive Care Unit.

BACKGROUND

Nosocomial infections are a global threat to human health worldwide.

AIM: This study aimed to investigate the change of nosocomial infection factors in equivalent historical periods in pediatric patients without COVID-19 before and during the pandemic in the pediatric intensive care unit.

METHOD: The study was planned retrospectively. Data on hospital infection rates, incidence densities, invasive device-associated infections, infectious agents, comorbid diseases, and invasive procedures in non-COVID-19 pediatric patients were obtained from the medical records for the periods of April-September 2019 and April-September 2020 in the pediatric intensive care unit. Hand hygiene compliance rates of healthcare workers were evaluated.

RESULTS

Prior to the pandemic, the number of patients was 332, comprising 2,377 patient days with a nosocomial infection rate of 5.12, and an incidence density of 7.15. During the pandemic, the number of patients was 221, comprising 2,260 patient days with a nosocomial infection rate of 4.52, and incidence density of 4.43. Prior to the pandemic, there were 28.80% cases of Klebsiella pneumoniae, 23.81% of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, 9.52% of Enterococcus faecium, and 4.76% of Enterococcus faecalis. During the pandemic, there were decreased 14.29% cases of Klebsiella pneumoniae while Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Enterococcus faecium, and Enterococcus faecalis was not seen. Prior to the pandemic, the hand hygiene compliance rate was 94.83%, and during the pandemic, it was found to be 99.44%.

CONCLUSION

This study showed that the spread of bacteria such as Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, vancomycin-resistant enterococci, and Stenotrophomonas maltophilia, which are a major public health threat, can be decreased by applying simple standard methods.