A point prevalence survey of health care–associated infections in pediatric populations in major Canadian acute care hospitals

Gravel, Denise; Matlow, Anne; Ofner-Agostini, Marianna; Loeb, Mark; Johnston, Lynn; Bryce, Elizabeth; Sample, Mary Lu; Roth, Virginia R.; Goldman, Carol; Taylor, Geoff; the Canadian Nosocomial Infection Surveillance Program,

doi:10.1016/j.ajic.2006.06.006

« Previous Next »AJIC: American Journal of Infection Control
Volume 35, Issue 3 , Pages 157-162, April 2007

A point prevalence survey of health care–associated infections in pediatric populations in major Canadian acute care hospitals

Denise Gravel, BScN, MSc, CIC
- From the Centre for Infectious Disease Prevention and Control, Public Health Agency of Canada, Ottawa, ON
- Address correspondence to Denise Gravel, BScN, MSc, CIC, Nosocomial and Occupational Infections Section, Blood Safety and Surveillance, Health-Care Acquired Infections Division, Public Health Agency of Canada, Tunney's Pasture, PL 0601E2, Ottawa, Ontario, K1A 0L2, Canada.
Anne Matlow, MD
- Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON
Marianna Ofner-Agostini, RN, PhD
- From the Centre for Infectious Disease Prevention and Control, Public Health Agency of Canada, Ottawa, ON
Mark Loeb, MD
- Hamilton Health Sciences Corporation, Hamilton, ON
Lynn Johnston, MD
- QEII Health Sciences Centre, Halifax, NS
Elizabeth Bryce, MD
- Vancouver General Hospital, Vancouver, BC
Mary Lu Sample, RN, CIC
- The Ottawa Hospital, Ottawa, ON
Virginia R. Roth, MD
- The Ottawa Hospital, Ottawa, ON
Carol Goldman, RN, CIC
- Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON
Geoff Taylor, MD
- University of Alberta Hospital, Edmonton, AB, Canada
the Canadian Nosocomial Infection Surveillance Program

Ottawa, Toronto, Hamilton, Halifax, Vancouver, and Edmonton, Canada

Objective

To estimate the prevalence of pediatric health care–associated infections (HAI) in Canadian acute care hospitals.

Methods

A point-prevalence study conducted in February 2002 in 25 hospitals across Canada. Information on HAI, utilization of antimicrobial agents and invasive devices, isolation precautions, and microbial etiology was collected.

Results

Nine hundred ninety-seven children were surveyed. Ninety-one HAI were detected in 80 patients for a prevalence of 91 per 1000 patients surveyed. Bloodstream infections were the most common HAI (3% of patients; 34% of all HAI). The prevalence of patients with HAI was 8%, ranging from 0% in trauma/bum units to 19% in the pediatric intensive care units, and 27% in transplant units. By multivariate logistic regression analysis, having a central venous catheter (OR, 2.54; 95% CI, 1.46-4.40) or endotracheal tube with mechanical ventilation (OR, 2.59; 95% CI, 1.16-5.76) were independently associated with an HAI, as were being in isolation (OR, 2.90; 95% CI, 1.54-5.45), and receiving antimicrobial agents (OR, 9.27; 95% CI, 4.71-18.52).

Conclusion

In this first national point-prevalence study in Canada, the prevalence of HAI was similar to that reported in other industrialized countries. These data will also be useful to provide an estimate of the health burden of pediatric HAI in Canada.