Present or absent on admission: Results of changes in National Healthcare Safety Network surveillance definitions

Farrell, Lauren; Gilman, Margaret; Teszner, Eva; Coffin, Susan; Sammons, Julia Shaklee

doi:10.1016/j.ajic.2015.05.023

Cited by 3 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 4 publications

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“…5,20 Other studies have shown that NHSN definitions may overestimate CLABSIs by 30%. 31,32 For specific infections like skin softtissue infections, meningitis, and intra-abdominal infections, NHSN criteria could not be reliably applied to our NICU population. The NICU population includes a high percentage of premature infants, who may present with different physiologic norms and clinical signs of infection compared to healthy infants and in whom symptoms (eg, nausea) cannot be expressed.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Shifting focus toward healthcare-associated bloodstream infections: The need for neonatal intensive care unit–specific NHSN definitions

Advani

Murray

Murdzek

et al. 2019

Infect. Control Hosp. Epidemiol.

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Objective: Healthcare-associated bloodstream infections (HABSIs) are a significant cause of mortality and morbidity in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) population. Our objectives were to review the epidemiology of HABSIs in our NICU and to examine the applicability of National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) definitions to the NICU population. Methods: We performed a retrospective review of all neonates admitted to the 54-bed, level IV NICU at Yale-New Haven Children’s Hospital with a HABSI between January 1, 2013, and December 31, 2018. Clinical definitions per NICU team and NHSN site-specific definitions used for source identification were compared using the McNemar χ2 test. Results: We identified 86 HABSIs with an incidence rate of 0.80 per 1,000 patient days. Only 13% of these were CLABSIs. Both CLABSIs and non–catheter-related bloodstream infections occurred primarily in preterm neonates, but the latter were associated with a significantly higher incidence of comorbidities and the need for respiratory support. The NHSN definitions were less likely to identify a source compared to the clinical definitions agreed upon by our NICU treating team (P < .001). Furthermore, 50% of patients without an identified source of infection by NHSN definitions were bacteremic with a mucosal barrier injury organism, likely from gut translocation. Conclusions: HABSIs occur primarily in premature infants with comorbidities, and CLABSIs account for a small proportion of these infections. With the increasing focus on HABSI prevention, there is a need for better NHSN site-specific definitions for the NICU population to prevent misclassification and direct prevention efforts.

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