Unique epidemiology of nosocomial infection in a children's hospital
R. C. Welliver and S. McLaughlin
A prospective study of the epidemiology of nosocomial infections was
undertaken in a large pediatric hospital. Infections were identified during
a 12-month period with the use of medical record audits, indices
identifying high-risk patients, and analysis of positive cultures and rapid
diagnostic tests for viruses, fungi, and bacteria. The attack rate of the
entire hospital population surveyed was 4.1 nosocomial infections per 100
patients discharged. In contrast with studies of patients in general
hospitals that included comparatively few children, the most common sites
of nosocomial infections were the respiratory and gastrointestinal tracts.
Staphylococcus aureus was the most commonly isolated pathogen. However,
rotavirus was identified more frequently than Escherichia coli, and
documented viral infections were more common than infections caused by
gram-negative bacilli.
