Late onset neonatal sepsis in an intensive care neonatal unit: Etiological agents and most frequent location

Abstract

Introduction: Nosocomial neonatal sepsis (NNS) is a frequent entity in intensive care units, causing great morbidity and mortality. The most frequent site is blood, followed by lungs and urine. Objective: To know the etiology and most frequent localization of infection in the NNS. Population, Material and Methods: Cross sectional study, from January to December 2015, performed in a teaching hospital. All newborns infants were included. Results: 70 patients were included, 88 episodes of NNS were analyzed. The most frequent localization was bacteremia in 40% of cases, followed by urinary tract infection and VAP in 25% respectively. The bacteria most frequently isolated were staphylococci of different types, followed by multiresistant Acinetobacter. The CNS involvement was 32%. Mortality was 34%, rising up to 50% with a second episode of NNS. The empirical therapy of choice was vancomycin and carbapenem, adjusting to antibiogram. Conclusions: The most frequent infection was bacteremia, mainly by staphylococci resistant to methicillin. CNS involvement was elevated, as well as mortality.