Consumer Reports Investigation Shows Pediatric ICUs Present More Risk of Infection

An analysis by the Consumer Reports Health Ratings Center revealed pediatric intensive care units frequently show higher infection rates than adult intensive care units, particularly rates of central line-associated bloodstream infections.

For their study, researchers researched infection control data publicly reported by 92 pediatric intensive care units across 31 states and Washington, D.C. Their analysis showed infection rates at some pediatric ICUs were 20 percent higher (1.8 bloodstream infection for every 1,000 central line days) than average infection rates for adult ICUs (1.5 bloodstream infection for every 1,000 central line days). Notably, some pediatric units demonstrated four-fold increases above the average infection rates for adult ICUs.

 



However, the Consumer Reports analysis also sheds light on the difficulty of comparing hospitals. The high-risk nature of certain patient populations, length of stay, type of procedure and other factors can influence infection rates.

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