Nosocomial bacterial pneumonia in mechanically ventilated newborns: incidence and causative micro-organisms

ABSTRACT

This study was conducted on 120 mechanically ventilated newborns in two different neonatal ICU [NICU] at two different countries. The patients were classified into two groups Group [A] included 62 patients and group [B] included 58 patients. All newborns were mechanically ventilated for at lest 48 hours due to various indications and were subjected to full history, thorough clinical examination and routine laboratory investigations. Blood cultures and bronchial aspirates were done for all patients at time of onset of mechanical ventilation and repeated for those patients who developed clinical, radiographic and laboratory criteria of nosocomial pneumonia and subject to gram staining and culture sensitivity. It was found that the incidence of nosocomial bacterial pneumonia was high in both groups [16% in group A and 19% in group B]. Gram negative bacteria represented the most common causative organism in both groups [60% in group A and 72.2% in group B]. Klebsiella pneumonia was the most common gram negative bacteria in group A [40%], followed by Pseudomonas aeruginosa [20%]; while in group B, Pseudomonas aeruginosa was the commonest gram negative bacteria [45.45%], followed by Klebsiella [27.27%]. Staphylococcus aureus was common in group A [30%] which was not the case in group B [9.1%]