Clinical and epidemiological characteristics, and factors associated with central venous catheter-related infections, in the pediatric population

Background: Central venous catheter associated bloodstream infection (CABI) represents a significant problem in the country, with an incidence of 8.8 per 1,000 catheter-days, which may be higher due to the influence of risk factors that must be identified in order to standardize therapeutic management. Objective: To describe the clinical and epidemiological characteristics of CABI in a tertiary care hospital. Material and methods: An observational, cross-sectional, descriptive study involving 134 patients with CABI. Clinical, demographic, and catheter-related variables were evaluated. Statistical analysis included percentages, median, interquartile range, and the χ2 test, with a significance level of p < 0.05. Results: The predominant characteristics were male gender (63.4%), age under 1 year (33.6%), jugular catheter (40.3%), tunneled catheter (68.7%), median catheter duration of 15.5 days, and isolation of Staphylococcus epidermidis (20.1%) or Klebsiella pneumoniae (14.2%). The number of catheter days showed significant differences for the isolation of more than one microorganism, with jugular catheters primarily associated with Gram-positive organisms and subclavian catheters with Gram-negative organisms. Conclusions: There are clinical and epidemiological factors that may influence the development of CABI, and it is important to understand these factors to guide therapeutic management.