Korean J Pediatr Infect Dis.  2004 May;11(1):112-120. 10.14776/kjpid.2004.11.1.112.

A Study about Clinical Characteristics of Methicillin Resistant-Coagulase Negative Staphylococcus Infections in Neonatal Intensive Care Unit

• Yoon SH
• Sung TJ
• Shin SH
• Kim SK
• Lee KH
• Yoon HS

• KMID: 2440076
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.14776/kjpid.2004.11.1.112

Abstract

PURPOSE
Methicillin Resistant-Coagulase Negative Staphylococcus(MR-CNS) infection has become an increasingly important cause of morbidity in NICU infants. We investigated the c linical characteristics of MR-CNS sepsis.
METHODS
This study included 40 neonates with MR-CNS sepsis who were admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit of Kangnam Sacred Heart Hospital, Hallym University from January 1998 to July 2002. MR-CNS sepsis was defined as MR-CNS recovery from blood with clinical symptoms and signs of infection. Retrospective analyses of the medical records of patients with MR-CNS sepsis were performed. The analyses included demographic findings, clinical features, hospital courses, risk factors for infection including invasive procedures and mortality.
RESULTS
From 1998 to 2002, there were 40 cases of MR-CNS sepsis, comprising 17.7% of late onset infections in NICU of Kangnam Sacred Heart Hospital. The male/female ratio was 1.5 : 1. The mean gestational age of infected babies was 32.4±4.3 weeks at birth. And the first positive MR-CNS culture was done in the day 10.6±9.3 after birth. Clinical symptoms such as fever, dyspnea, cyanosis, grunting, bradycardia, vomiting and diarrhea were frequent in MR-CNS. Mechanical ventilation was applied in 12 cases and catheter was inserted in 11 cases. The mortality(12.5%) directly attributable to MR-CNS sepsis was similar to other late onset infections.
CONCLUSION
MR-CNS is a pathogen responsible for most late onset and nosocomial infections. And it will be life-threatening in high-risk neonate. Awareness of increasing infections due to MR-CNS in NICU is important not only for infection control but also placing a great limit in use of antibiotics and invasive procedures, especially in premature infants.

Keyword

Methicillin resistant-coagulase negative staphylococcus(MR-CNS); Neonatal sepsis; Clinical characteristics

MeSH Terms

Anti-Bacterial Agents
Bradycardia
Catheters
Cross Infection
Cyanosis
Diarrhea
Dyspnea
Fever
Gestational Age
Heart
Humans
Infant
Infant, Newborn
Infant, Premature
Infection Control
Intensive Care, Neonatal*
Medical Records
Methicillin*
Mortality
Parturition
Respiration, Artificial
Retrospective Studies
Risk Factors
Sepsis
Staphylococcus*
Vomiting
Anti-Bacterial Agents
Methicillin