Affiliations: Maternity and Children's Hospital, Infectious Diseases
and Clinical Microbiology, Van, Turkey | Department of Neonatology, Division of Pediatrics,
Yüzüncü Yıl University Medicine School, Van, Turkey
Note: [] Correspondence: Oğuz Tuncer, Department of Neonatology,
Division of Pediatrics, Yüzüncü Yıl University Medicine
School, Van, Turkey. Tel.: +90 505 434 28 80; E-mail:
[email protected]
Abstract: The patients treated in the newborn intensive care units (NICUs) are
under high risk in terms of nosocomial infections. Despite the developments in
antibiotherapy, these infections are still causing high mortality and
morbidity. In this study, we aimed to determine the prevalence of nosocomial
infections, to detect the causing pathogens and resistance patterns of
antibiotics in patients in the NICU of Van Maternity and Children's Hospital.
For this purpose, 621 patients in the NICU were observed for nosocomial
infections between 01/09/2007 and 31/08/2008. A total of 63 nosocomial
infections developed in 54 patients. The nosocomial infection rate in the NICU
was found to be 8.7% by patient count and 10.1% by infection attack count.
Besides, the nosocomial infection incidence density was 12.8 by patient count
and 14.9 by infection attack count. Among these infections blood stream
infections were the most common by 44.4% and Klebsiella pneumoniae was the most
frequent pathogen. Fifteen of 20 isolated strains of K pneumoniae were positive
for extended spectrum beta lactamases (ESBL). We believe that this kind of
studies on NICUs would contribute to nosocomial infection control programs and
would be effective on treatment of nosocomial infections.
Keywords: Newborn intensive care unit, nosocomial infection, antibiotic resistance
