Intra-hospital adenoviral infections in children seen at the Pereira Rossell Hospital Center, 2001-2006

Abstract

Introduction: nosocomia infections due to adenovirus in children are usually less severe than those acquired in the community. Since 1999 we implemented a strategy named Winter Plan, with the purpose of improving health care services provided to children hospitalized due to acute lower respiratory infections (ALRI) and preventing intra-hospital infections due to respiratory virus, especially adenovirus. In spite of this, cases of adenoviral intra-hospital infections continued to be reported the last year, at the Pereira Rossell Hospital, what encourages us to describe their characteristics from January 1, 2001 through December 31, 2006.
Method: we designed a retrospective descriptive study based on the review of medical histories, the hospital’s pediasia database - version 4.02M-, records by the Intra-Hospital Infections Commission and the Hospital’s Deceased Committee. The sample consisted of 58 patients older than 29 days of age and younger than 5 years old that met the criteria of intra-hospital viral acute lower respiratory infection, confirmed by the detection of adenovirus antigens in respiratory secretions through immuno-chromatographic technique or immunofluorescence.
Results: most patients were healthy boys, 55% of patients required hospitalization in the ICU, 10% presented pulmonary sequels upon discharge, and 19% of patients died. We found a decrease in the number of intra-hospital ALRI in the last two years (2005-2006), there being no deaths.