Pattern of nosocomial infections in the special care baby unit of the Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital, Sagamu, Nigeria

Abstract

Background: Sepsis contributes significantly to newborn deaths in Nigeria. A significant proportion of severe infections in the newborn may be health care-related.
Objective: To determine the prevalence, types and risk factors for nosocomial infections in the Special Care Baby Unit of a Nigerian Tertiary Hospital.
Method: A cross-sectional survey of consecutively admitted infants aged 0 to 28 days with signs of infections or who developed signs of infection following admission. Infants with or without nosocomial infections were compared for the clinical and laboratory details.
Results: Out of 356 infants, 32 (8.9%) had between 1 and 3 nosocomial infections while 48 (13.5%) had community-acquired infections. Half of babies with nosocomial infections were preterm and weighed less than 2kg. A significantly higher proportion of babies with nosocomial infections were inborn (p < 0.000) and stayed longer than 7 days on admission (p = 0.034). Bacteraemia was significantly more frequent among babies with nosocomial infections (p = 0.014) while superficial skin and mucosal infections occurred to similar extents in both groups. Klebsiella and Proteus species were the leading isolates among babies with nosocomial infections. Nasogastric intubation was significantly more frequently performed among babies with nosocomial infections (p = 0.045).
Conclusion: The present study revealed that hospital acquired infection is an important cause of morbidity in the newborn unit.

Keywords: Bacteraemia; Hospital-acquired infections; invasive procedures;newborns