Description of pediatric patients with positive blood cultures from the pediatric intensive care unit at Hospital San José Bogotá, April 2012 to 2017

Abstract

Introduction. Blood culture is the method most used in the search for pediatric infections because it guides the antimicrobial therapy. Objective. To determine the incidence of positive blood cultures and their microbiological characterization in patients of the pediatric intensive care service of San José Hospital, Bogotá-Colombia. Materials and methods: Description of positive blood cultures in pediatric patients of the unit from April 2012 to 2017. The incidence of positive blood cultures was determined and the population studied and the isolated germs were described, including their antibiogram profile. Results: 1773 patients were admitted to the PICU, 241 patients (13.6%) were blood cultures, of which 80 (33.2%) were positive, but 50% of these were classified as contaminations. The median age was 21 months, with 64% male. 57% were ventilated and 45% had a central catheter. Mortality was 15.4%. The most frequent pathology was respiratory (75%). Of the non-polluting organisms, the most frequent isolate was Staphylococcus aureus (30%), followed by Klebsiella pneumoniae (17.5%) and Streptococcus pneumoniae (17.5%). The most frequent contaminant was Staphylococcus epidermidis (47.5%). Conclusion: The frequency of positive blood cultures is low and polluting organisms are often isolated. The pattern was similar to that reported by the GREBO network.