Healthcare-Associated Infections in the NICU: A Brief Review

The neonatal intensive care unit is a unique setting, with aspects of intensive care, long-term care facility, and ward care mixed together. Immaturity of innate defenses combined with a high requirement for supportive devices puts sick neonates at high risk for healthcare-associated infections. Increased awareness of nosocomial risk factors and close attention to care bundles have resulted in reduced incidence of late-onset infections, but increases in premature delivery and increased survival of the most preterm infants have led to increases in the number of at-risk infants. Therefore, prevention of healthcare-associated infections must remain a priority for NICUs. In this chapter, NICU-associated infections are presented, and prevention strategies, including features unique to the NICU setting, are discussed.