title: Healthcare-associated infections in a neonatal intensive care unit.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Healthcare-associated infection is a common problem in patients from neonatal intensive care units and it is one of the leading causes of death in this group of patients. Healthcare-associated infections are associated with increases in mortality, morbidity, and prolonged length of hospital stay. The aim of the study was to assess the incidence, clinical presentation, mortality and aetiology of healthcare-associated infections in newborns in a neonatal intensive care unit between 2005 and 2010.
  
  
  METHODS
  The research involved documentation of 2610 neonates hospitalized in this period in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Dr Jan Biziel University Hospital No. 2 in Bydgoszcz. The incidence, clinical presentation, mortality and causative factors of healthcare-associated infections were assessed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The prevalence of healthcare-associated infections was 7.32%. The most frequent healthcare-associated infections were bloodstream infection (65.4%) and urinary tract infection (22.5%). The mortality rate was 2.1%. The most frequent pathogens were coagulase-negative staphylococci (36.1%) and Klebsiella pneumoniae (29.3%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The rate of healthcare-associated bloodstream infections in the analysed department is low, taking into consideration the specificity of the department. There is a necessity to establish convenient definitions of various kinds of healthcare-associated infecions in neonates, especially those born preterm.
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatric Nursing, Faculty of Health Science, Nicolaus Copernicus University, Ludwik Rydygier  Collegium Medicum , Bydgoszcz, Poland.
authors.forename: Iwona
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Sadowska-Krawczenko
authors.forename: Aldona
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Jankowska
authors.forename: Andrzej
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kurylak