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Septicaemia in an Austrian neonatal intensive care unit: a 7‐year analysis
Author(s) -
Berger A,
Salzer HR,
Weninger M,
Sageder B,
Aspöck C
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
acta pædiatrica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.772
H-Index - 115
eISSN - 1651-2227
pISSN - 0803-5253
DOI - 10.1111/j.1651-2227.1998.tb01415.x
Subject(s) - medicine , neonatal intensive care unit , pediatrics , intensive care medicine , intensive care unit
The results of blood cultures and clinical data of 101 neonates with 110 episodes of septicaemia during a 7‐y study period were reviewed. The overall incidence of culture‐proven sepsis within the study period was 6.0 per 100 neonatal intensive care unit admissions and the mortality rate was 14%. Three groups of pathogens accounted for 70% of all isolates: coagulase‐negative staphylococci (27%), aerobic Gram‐negative rods (24%) and Enterococcusfaecalis (19%). Group B streptococcus was the major pathogen of very early‐onset septicaemia (within 24 h of birth), whereas late‐onset infections were most commonly caused by coagulase‐negative staphylococci. Birthweight <1500g, gestational age <30 weeks of gestation and early onset of symptoms within the first week of life were associated with poor prognosis. In addition, the case fatality rate of episodes caused by Gram‐negative organisms was significantly higher than that of Gram‐positive bacteraemia.