Süleyman Demirel Üniversitesi Tıp Fakültesi, Çocuk Sağlığı ve Hastalıkları AD, Isparta

Nosocomial sepsis is still an important problem in neonatal intensive care units. To take essential precautions are necessary to decline in sepsis in very low birth weight (VLBW) infants. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of preventive measures to get decline in late onset neonatal sepsis incidence. The study consists of two periods. Period-1 was pre-educational era and period-2 was post-educational era. Annual patients number were similar in P1 and P2. A total of 75 culture-proved septic attacks were observed in 58 NICU patients. Sixty-two percent of the all septic infants, were VLBW infants and overall sepsis incidence in VLBW infants was 26.5% (36/136 VLBW infant). Infection per 1000-patient days was decreased from 13 to 6.9 in P2. Total mortality and sepsis-related mortality were also declined significantly in the second period (p<0.05). In VLBW infants, vast majority (65%) of the infections were caused by Gram-positive organisms. In conclusion, to decrease nosocomial sepsis frequency, education of staff personnel and the other preventive measures are very impontant. Patient to nurse ratio should be reduced to acceptable rate for further decrease of nosocomial sepsis.