Evaluation of Healthcare-associated Nosocomial Infections in the Pediatric Cardiovascular Surgery Intensive Care Unit in Türkiye (2012–2021)

Objectives: The study evaluated the 10-year healthcare-associated infections (HCAI) data in the pediatric cardiovascular surgery intensive care unit (PCVS-ICU).
Methods: The electronic data of 106 patients with HCAI between 2012 and 2021 were retrospectively analyzed for the infection sites, isolated microorganisms, and antibiotic resistance.
Results: 3617 patients with 29155 patient days in our 12-bedded PCVS-ICU were evaluated. There were 64 HCAIs during 2012–2016, comprised of 17 (26.5%) bloodstream infections (BSI), 16 (25%) pneumonia, 13 (20.3%) urinary tract infections (UTI), 8 (12.5%) ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP), 7 (11.1%) surgical site infection (SSI), and 3 (4.6%) soft-tissue infection (STI). In contrast, 42 HCAIs were observed in 2017–2021, which included 17 (40.4%) BSI, 10 (23.8%) pneumonia, 7 (16.6%) VIP, 4 (9.6%) UTI, 3 (7.2%) SSI, and 1 (2.4%) STI. The most common pathogen was the Candida species. The ventilator usage rate was 2.8 per 8635 ventilator days and 0.42 per 6439 ventilator days in the first and second five years, respectively. The rate of central venous catheter (CVC) use was 2.04 and 0.96 in the first and second five years, respectively.
Conclusion: The most common HCAI was BSI, and the most common isolated pathogen was Candida species within ten years in our PCVS-ICU. The infection rate, CVC, and UC usage rates were decreased, with an increased compliance rate on hand hygiene in the second five years, indicating strict adherence to infection control measures.