The Impact of Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infection (CA-UTI) in Critically Ill Children in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit

Catheter-associated urinary tract infection and urinary tract abnormalities in young children: A retrospective study

INTRODUCTION

Studies investigating the role of urinary tract abnormalities in the development of catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTI) in young children are limited. Thus, in the present study, we aimed to determine whether there is an association between CAUTI and urinary tract abnormalities.

METHODS

We performed abdominal imaging studies on all patients aged <6 years with CAUTI admitted to the pediatric intensive care units (PICU) and high care unit (HCU) at Keio university or Fukuoka Children's Hospital from April 1, 2018 to July 31, 2022. Among 40 children who developed CAUTI, 13 (33 %) had abnormal urogenital images. Further, two case-control studies were conducted before and after propensity score matching, and the groups were compared using multivariable logistic regression models to analyze the effects of various factors on CAUTI development.

RESULTS

In the multivariate logistic regression models, abnormal urogenital images (OR 5.30 [95 % CI, 2.40-11.7] and OR 3.44 [95 % CI, 1.16-9.93]) and duration of catheterization >10 days (OR 2.76 [95 % CI, 1.28-5.96] and OR 3.44 [95 % CI, 1.16-9.93]) were found to be significantly associated with development of CAUTI, both before (39 cases, 459 controls) and after propensity score matching (36 cases, 72 controls). Further, CAUTI in young children in the PICU or HCU was significantly associated with imaging abnormalities of the urinary tract.

CONCLUSIONS

These results suggest that not only the presence of catheters, but also urinary tract malformations may contribute to the development of CAUTI in young children.

Device-related infections in a pediatric intensive care unit: The Jordan University of Science and Technology experience

To estimate the prevalence of the most frequent infections related to device utilization and their antimicrobial sensitivity panel, and to investigate the overall incidence of device associated infection rates per 1000 device days, at the pediatric intensive care unit of the Jordan University of Science and Technology.This is a retrospective study from a single pediatric intensive care unit. Data were collected in relation to bloodstream infections associated with central venous catheters, pneumonia associated with ventilator endotracheal tubes, and urinary tract infections associated with Foley catheters, between January 2013 and December 2018, according to the center of disease control and prevention protocols.During the 5-year study, 3195 patients were admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit for a total of 16,487 days. Forty-six patients (1.4%) developed 55 infections, with a median incidence rate of 7.4, 3.7, and 0.7 per 1000 days for central line associated infections, ventilator associated pneumonia, and catheter associated infections, respectively. The commonest isolated microorganisms were gram-negative bacteria in 89.1% of cases, and fungi in 10.9% of cases. Among the resistant bacterial isolates, 59.2% were multidrug resistant, and 32.6% were extended spectrum beta lactamase producers Klebsiella pneumoniae and Eschericia coli. High infection rates were related to Acinetobacter baumannii and K pneumoniae, associated with high resistance to cephalosporins. Susceptibility was highest to tigecycline and imipenem at 42.9% and 32.7% respectively.Microbial isolates are commonly associated with healthcare device insertions in pediatric intensive care unit, invasive bacterial infections associated with critical morbidity and mortality. Further studies on device associated infections are recommended for regional profiling purposes.

Challenges of Antibiotic Stewardship in the Pediatric and Neonatal Intensive Care Units

The goals of antimicrobial stewardship programs (ASPs) are to optimize antimicrobial prescribing habits in order to improve patient outcomes, reduce antimicrobial resistance, and reduce hospital costs. Multiple society-endorsed guidelines and government policies reinforce the importance of ASP implementation. Effective antimicrobial stewardship can impact unique patients, hospitals, and societal antibiotic-resistance burden. The role and subsequent success of these programs has largely been reported in the adult population. Pediatric and neonatal intensive care units present unique challenges for traditional antimicrobial stewardship approaches. The purpose of this review article is to explore the challenges of appropriate antibiotic use in the pediatric and neonatal intensive care units and to summarize strategies ASPs can use to overcome these challenges. These problems include non-specific disease presentations, limited evidence for definitive treatment durations in many pediatric infections, fewer pediatric-trained infectious disease physicians, and applicability of intensive laboratory obtainment, collection, and interpretation. Additionally, many ASP implementation studies evaluating the efficacy of ASPs exclude the PICU and NICU. Areas of focus for pediatric ASPs should likely include appropriate antibiotic initiation, appropriate antibiotic duration, and appropriate antibiotic de-escalation.

Determinants of urinary catheter removal practices in the pediatric intensive care unit: A survey

BACKGROUND

Prolonged use of indwelling catheters is associated with hospital-acquired urinary tract infections (UTIs). Literature is scarce about the factors influencing urinary catheter removal and maintenance in children. This study aims to describe the determinants of urinary catheter removal in pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) patients.

METHODS

Cross-sectional survey of 171 physicians and nurses working at 2 tertiary PICUs in Montreal, Canada. We used focus groups and literature review to design the survey questions and 3 clinical scenarios. We analyzed our results using descriptive statistics and multivariate multinomial regression.

RESULTS

There were 131 (77%) participants who answered the survey. Factors prompting urinary catheter removal (P < .01) included recent extubation, superficial sedation level, fever, and history of previous UTI. Presence of shock (P < .01) and fluid overload (P < .05) were associated with maintenance of catheters. Physicians were more likely to remove urinary catheters than nurses in all scenarios.

CONCLUSIONS

We identified a consistent set of variables that drive the removal of indwelling catheters in PICUs. Studies are needed to determine whether incorporating these determinants into infection control interventions will reduce urinary catheter use and catheter-associated UTIs in critically ill children.

Impact of a Daily PICU Rounding Checklist on Urinary Catheter Utilization and Infection

INTRODUCTION

In critically ill children, inappropriate urinary catheter (UC) utilization is associated with increased morbidity, including catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs). Checklists are effective for reducing medical errors, but there is little data on their impact on device utilization in pediatric critical care. In this study, we evaluated UC utilization trends and CAUTI rate after implementing a daily rounding checklist.

METHODS

A retrospective review of our checklist database from 2006 through 2016 was performed. The study setting was a 36-bed pediatric intensive care unit in a quaternary-care pediatric hospital. Interventions included the "Daily QI Checklist" in 2006, ongoing education regarding device necessity, and a CAUTI prevention bundle in 2013. UC utilization and duration were assessed via auto-correlated time series models and Cochran-Armitage tests for trend. Changes in CAUTI rate were assessed via Poisson regression.

RESULTS

UC utilization decreased from 30% of patient-days in 2006 to 18% in 2016 (P < 0.0001, Cochran-Armitage trend test), while duration of UC use (median, 2.0 days; interquartile range, 1-4) did not change over time (P = 0.18). CAUTI rate declined from 9.49/1,000 UC-days in 2009 to 1.04 in 2016 (P = 0.0047).

CONCLUSIONS

Implementation of the checklist coincided with a sustained 40% reduction in UC utilization. The trend may be explained by a combination of more appropriate selection of patients for catheterization and improved timeliness of UC discontinuation. We also observed an 89% decline in CAUTI rate that occurred after stabilization of UC utilization. These findings underscore the potential impact of a checklist on incorporating best practices into daily care of critically ill children.