High risk of nosocomial infection in the pediatric critical care patient.

During this one-year prospective study, 61 (13.7%) of 444 patients admitted to the pediatric ICU at the University of Virginia Hospital developed nosocomial infections. By comparison, general medical/surgical ward patients had an overall 4.8% risk of acquiring an infection during their hospital stay. Patients who had prolonged ICU stays and those on plastic surgery, neurosurgery, and pediatric surgery services were more likely to become infected. The four bloodstream pathogens isolated in five episodes of hospital-acquired bacteremia were Staphylococcus epidermidis, S. aureus, Escherichia coli, and Serratia liquifaciens.