Neonatal staff hits perfection in two-year project that identified source of infections    

PHILADELPHIA, March 10, 2008 — Hospitals are supposed to be places where the sick get well. That is why hospital nurses and doctors have devoted a great deal of energy to minimizing the risk that patients might get sick during their hospital stays. At St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children, attention to detail in the care and treatment of newborns with respiratory problems has minimized the incidence of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) among patients in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).            

The St. Christopher’s NICU staff achieved its goal of zero VAP infections for newborns on ventilators in June of last year after a two-year project that identified the source of pneumococcal infections and implemented practices to prevent those infections. Ventilator-associated pneumonia is one of the most common hospital-acquired infections. Those practices, known collectively as a “Pediatric VAP Prevention Bundle,” included:        

• Elevating the upper body to prevent the accumulation of fluids in the respiratory tract.
• Educating nurses in the proper techniques for inserting and removing ventilator tubes to prevent their accidental self-removal.
• Providing neonatal oral care kits to all NICU staff.
• Improving the sanitation of ventilator tubes and cables and changing them more often.
• Ensuring that all staff understood the components of the bundle and kept track of how well they followed them.            

 As a result, VAP cases in St. Christopher’s NICU fell from 3.9 per 1000 ventilator days in calendar year 2006 to 1.5 per 1000 ventilator days in calendar 2007. From June to December 2007, there were no VAP cases among NICU patients. While infection is always a potential risk of being on a ventilator, the hospital has taken every precaution to minimize that risk.            

“We achieved our goal of zero infections through research changes in practice, and education,” said Jane E. McGowan, M.D., Medical Director, NICU, St. Christopher’s. “We studied the research literature and networked with peer institutions to discover best practices in the field, then put together a package of practices shown to dramatically reduce infection rates. And through rigorous adherence to those practices, we have made our NICU a healthier place for newborns with serious illnesses.”            

For more information about St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children and the quality care it offers, visit www.stchristophershospital.com.  St. Christopher’s is one of the few freestanding children’s hospitals in the region affiliated with two major medical schools, Drexel University School of Medicine and Temple University School of Medicine.

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