Retrospective evaluation of candida infections in pediatric intensive care units

Abstract

Objective: Candida species are the most common infectious agents among the pathogens responsible for nosocomial fungal infections. Transmissions in intensive care units account for a significant proportion of the mortality and morbidity associated with candida infections. The present study evaluates the prevalence, type, treatment approach, underlying risk factors, and outcomes of candida infections in patients treated in a pediatric intensive care unit in Türkiye with a dense population of children who have fled the war in Syria. Methods: The study was conducted in the 14-bed tertiary pediatric intensive care unit of a city hospital between March 2018 and March 2019. Results: Candida species were reproduced in the studied samples of 28 (15.7%) of the 176 patients treated in the intensive care unit during the study period. Mortality occurred in six (21.4%) patients with invasive candidiasis of varying species, namely: C. lusitaniae (n=2); C. parapsilosis (n=2); C. krusei (n=1), and C. albicans (n=1), and candida was considered the cause of mortality in five of the six non-survivors. Resistance to liposomal amphotericin-B was observed in the Candida species isolated from the non-survivors. Conclusion: In the present study, a prolonged stay in the intensive care unit, a higher number of indwelling medical devices, the use of broad-spectrum antibiotics, the presence of an underlying condition, and renal failure were observed to increase incidence of candida infection.