Main invasive medical devices and microbiological profile of patients with bacterial infections in a Pediatric ICU

Abstract

Objective: Identify the main invasive medical devices and the microbiological profile of patients affected by bacterial infections in the pediatric ICU of a University Hospital. Methods: Patient data were collected from the AGHUX system between August and December 2023. These data were stored in a database with the assistance of the R Studio software (R Core Team, 2024). Results: The sample was predominantly male (56.76%) with a mean age of 3.62 years (SD = 4.86). The most frequent infection sites in the studied population were bloodstream (40.54%), respiratory tract (37.84%), and urinary tract (21.62%). The main devices observed in patients were Central Venous Catheter (CVC) (89.19%), followed by Indwelling Urinary Catheter (IUC) (59.46%) and Orotracheal Tube (OTT) (51.35%). Gram-negative bacteria were more prevalent (56.14%), with Pseudomonas aeruginosa being the most common species, representing 19.30% of the total microorganisms, followed by Staphylococcus epidermidis (12.28%) and Stenotrophomonas maltophilia (10.53%). Conclusion: Despite the study's limitations, the results highlight the importance of establishing protocols to control the risks associated with healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) and the presence of resistant microorganisms.