Clinical and microbiological profile of nosocomial infections in the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU).

This study was conducted in PICU of a teaching hospital to estimate the incidence of nosocomial infections, establish the clinical and bacteriological profile and identify probable exogenous source from the environment and personnel. 95 suspected cases of nosocomial infections were studied prospectively, identified as per the guidelines laid down by CDC. The rate of nosocomial infections was 27.3% with an incidence of 16.2 per 100 patient days. The incidence of urinary, respiratory and intravascular catheter related infections was 56.52%, 34.78%, 10.52% respectively. Klebsiella (33.33%) was the most common isolate with maximum sensitivity to amikacin. During the study, an outbreak of MRSA nosocomial infection was encountered and the source was traced to portable suction pump. The risk of nosocomial infection was directly related to the duration of stay in the PICU and duration of placement of indwelling catheters,tubes.