[Analysis of deaths of patients in a pediatric clinic--the role of infection].

At the Paediatric Clinic in Plzen in 1982-1984 257 hospitalized children died; 175 were infants under 7 days of age, their deaths were not analyzed. At the age under one year 54 infants died, 25 children were older than one year. Infections of different aetiology and localization were revealed on necropsy as the immediate cause of death in half the children who died. On necropsy no infection was detected in 17 infants under one year and in 8 of the older children. Among the infants who died there were none, with one exception who were born healthy by a normal delivery, were admitted later on account of disease not threatening life and died subsequently from a nosocomial infection. The older children were admitted with malignant or irreversible chronic disease and the infections were associated with the breakdown of the defence of the organism.