Experience with Hospital- Acquired Infections in Pediatric Wards of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital.

Abstract

From January 1994 to December 1995, patients in the out -born (NNU) neonatal wards, lying in wards (C2/C3), general pediatrics wards (D2/D3) and the pediatric surgical ward (E4) of the Lagos University Hospital were prospectively monitored for nosocomial infections (NI) using the surveillance techniques of the Centers for Disease Control National Nosocomial
Infections Surveillance system. Of a total of 4,981 admissions, 589 patients had 739
NI, representing an overall NI patients rate of 14.8%. Paediatrics surgical patients had the highest overall NI patient rate (45.8%), ward D1 came second with 33.4%, followed by NNU (15.1%), then D2/D3 (5%) and lastly C2/C3 (1%). Mortality in patients without NI was 5.5%. Sixty- six patients (1.3%) who acquired NI subsequently died during hospitalization. However, only 40 of these deaths were causally associated with NI. Predominant NI sites included the surgical site (28.7%), bloodstream (24.1%), eye (12.2%), cutaneous (11.8%) and urinary tract (11.4%). When the NI was causally- related to death, bloodstream infection
(79.1%) predominated. The most frequently encountered nosocomial pathogens were Klebsiella pneumoniae (22%), Staphylococcus aureus (16.7%) and Pseudomonas
aeruginosa (11.9%). Intensification of infection control measures in peadiatrics wards of this hospital should be accorded priority consideration.

Journal of the Nigerian Infection Control Association Vol. 1 No. 1 (Oct 1998): pp 14-20