585. Shifting Focus Toward Healthcare-Associated Bloodstream Infections: Need for More NICU-Specific NHSN Definitions

Background Healthcare-associated bloodstream infections (HABSIs) are a significant cause of mortality and morbidity in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) population. Our objectives were to review the epidemiology of HABSIs in our NICU and to examine the applicability of National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) definitions to the NICU population. Methods We performed a retrospective review of all neonates admitted to the 54-bed level IV NICU at Yale-New Haven Children’s Hospital with a HABSI between January 1, 2013 and December 31, 2018. HABSI was defined as a positive blood culture at >72 hours of life growing an organism not considered a contaminant. Clinical definitions per treating NICU team and NHSN site-specific definitions were compared for source attribution using McNemar’s Chi-square test. Results We identified 88 HABSIs with an incidence rate of 0.81 per 1,000 patient-days. Only 13% of these were central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs). Infants with a HABSI had median birth weight and gestational age of 830 grams and 26 weeks, respectively, with a high percentage requiring mechanical ventilation parenteral nutrition and vascular access (Table 1). Sepsis-related mortality was 24%. The majority of HABSIs were caused by gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria (Figure 1). Most were secondary to necrotizing enterocolitis, pneumonia or a source that was not identified (Table 2). NHSN definitions were less likely to identify a source compared with clinical definitions per NICU treating team (P < 0.001, Table 2). Fifty percent of patients without an identified source of infection by NHSN criteria were identified with a Mucosal Barrier Injury (MBI) organism, likely causing bacteremia from gut translocation. Conclusion HABSIs occur in premature babies with comorbidities, and are more prevalent than CLABSIs. Gut translocation with MBI organisms may be an important unidentified source of HABSIs in neonates. With the increasing focus on HABSI prevention, there is a need for better NHSN definitions for source attribution of bloodstream infections in neonates. Disclosures All authors: No reported disclosures.