Infections Acquired by Young Infants

Short antibiotic prophylaxis for bacterial infections in a neonatal intensive care unit: a randomized controlled trial

“…The patients at greatest risk for HAI are newborn infants, particularly those of very low birth weight (!1501 g); rates are as high as 33% in very-lowbirthweight infants, and overall rates in infants admitted to neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) range from 17% to 24%. 4,5 A possible reason for the high incidence of infection is the prolonged survival of extremely preterm infants, who are immunocompromised and require invasive procedures for monitoring, for respiratory support and for the administration of fluids, including lipids. Understanding the host and environmental factors that contribute to this vulnerability is therefore necessary to decrease HAI in NICUs.…”

Antibiotic Timing in Neonates With Suspected Hospital-Acquired Infections

“…[1][2][3] Neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) have developed extensive preventiv e strategies to eliminate infection, although rates continue to be as high as 33% in very-low-birth-weight (VLBW) infants (Ͻ1500 g; range, 17%-24%). [4][5][6] Immature, immunocompromised, VLBW infants often have interventions and invasive procedures during their NICU stay, increasing infection rates to 5 times that of hospitalized older children. 7,8 Premature and ill neonates are susceptible to infection, often presenting with nonspecific, subtle signs that delay the identification and early treatment of their illness.…”

Focal Bacterial Infections

“…The average annual NEC mortality rate is 13.1 per 100,000 live births; black infants, particularly boys, are three times more likely to die of NEC than white infants, and mortality rates are highest in the southern United States [280,[282][283][284][285][286][287][288][289][290][291]. NEC occurs in about 5% of infants admitted to NICUs; however, the incidence varies widely among centers and from year to year at the same institution [292][293][294][295][296][297][298][299][300][301][302][303][304][305]. NEC predominantly affects infants with birth weights less than 2000 g [282,284,298,213,[306][307][308][309][310][311][312]; in several series, the frequency in infants weighing less than 1500 g was 10% to 15%.…”