Abstract

MAURY FERNANDEZ, Sdenka; MEJIA SALAS, Héctor  and  VELASCO, Victor Hugo. Nosocomial infections in the Hospital del Niño "Dr. Ovidio Aliaga Uria". Rev. bol. ped. [online]. 2003, vol.42, n.2, pp.93-96. ISSN 1024-0675.

Objective: to recognize the magnitude of the nosocomial infections in the hospital del Niño. Design: cohort prospective, retrospective study. Place: Hospital del Niño, a third-level hospital in La Paz, Bolivia. Patients: during the retrospective study 110 patients with nosocomial infections were enrolled and 1761 without nosocomial infections. In the prospective study 11 patients with nosocomial infections and 38 without infections were enrolled. Interventions: none. Measurement of main results: we found a rate of 2.7 to 31.3 per 100 episodes (depending of the retrospective and prospective phases respectively), the highest rates in both cases were in the burn unit. The most frequent nosocomial infections were found in the skin and soft tissues followed by the surgical wounds. Children under 5 years old, immunocompromised, undernourished with altered mental status (who underwent multiple invasive procedures), patients with catheter placement and closed urinary systems have had a greater risk of developing a nosocomial infection. Most of them developed only one infection and the microorganisms more frequently isolated were the Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureous and the Escherichia coli, which were most sensitive to the aminoglycosides, quinolones and third generation cephalosporines and more resistance to the beta-lactamics and sulphonamides . Conclusions: the most affected areas were those of chronic patients who presented the highest average hospital stay, nutritional and immunologic compromise, and most of them under 5 years of age.

Keywords : nosocomial infections; risk factors.