[Incidence and prognostic significance of positive blood cultures in neonatal and pediatric intensive care].

The incidence and prognostic importance of positive blood cultures were evaluated over a two-year period (1986/87) in 1371 admissions to a multi-disciplinary neonatal and pediatric intensive care unit (ICU). Blood cultures were performed in 439 patients of which 80 cultures were positive. Septicemia was confirmed in 70 cases, the 10 remaining cases being classified as contamination or bacteremia. The incidence of nosocomial, ICU-acquired septicemia was low (7/70). The major causative organisms of sepsis were those commonly encountered in neonatal and pediatric infections, including Haemophilus influenzae (37), Escherichia coli (11, Neisseria meningitidis (9) and group B streptococci (3). Typically nosocomial organisms were rare. In the group of 70 septicemic cases, multiple organ system failure was diagnosed in 23 patients. Nine died, most often due to irreversible septic shock (13% mortality). In order to avoid a selection bias, all admissions were examined for the presence of sepsis syndrome (clinical signs of sepsis with negative blood cultures). Out of 21 such patients, three died. The results suggest that in comparison to intensive care in adults the following conclusions may be drawn: (1) sepsis with positive blood cultures plays a minor role at our unit; (2) the rate of ICU-acquired septicemia is low (10% of all cases of sepsis with positive blood culture); and (3) the prognostic bearing of a positive blood culture in patients with septic signs is not too unfavourable (87% survival rate).