OBJECTIVE: To analyze the hospital infection incidence rate and their etiologic profile among inborn and outborn infants admitted to a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). METHODS: This cohort study included newborns admitted to a NICU in 2002 and 2003. Hospital infection epidemiologic surveillance was conducted prospectively following the National Nosocomial Infections Surveillance System methodology. Clinical and demographic aspects, early and late hospital infection incidence rates, and the organisms isolated from newborns with late hospital infection were compared according to birth place. RESULTS: In this study, 426 (88%) inborn and 60 (12%) outborn infants were included. Early and late onset hospital infection incidence rate were 10% and 21% respectively, with no statistical difference between inborn and outborn infants for early (p=0.40) and late hospital infections (p=0.41). Among the microorganisms isolated in late hospital infections, 52% were Gram-positive organisms: coagulase-negative Staphylococcus was the predominant bacteria for outborn (33%) and inborn infants (41%). Among Gram-negative organisms, Pseudomonas spp. and Enterobacter spp. were more prevalent in outborn infants. Sepsis (54%) was the most frequent infection, followed by pneumonia (20%). CONCLUSIONS: No statistical difference was verified between inborn and outborn infants regarding early or late hospital infection incidence rates and the main etiologic agents isolated from infants with late hospital infection.
infant, newborn; cross infection; epidemiology; Intensive Care Unit
