[Risk of bacteremia associated with intravascular devices stratified by birth weight in born of a public hospital of high complexity: follow-up to seven years].

Introduction: Bacteremia associated to vascular catheters is the most frequent nosocomial infection in Neonatal Intensive Care Units and increases cost and mortality.

Objective: To know the risk of bacteremia related to vascular devices in hospitalized newborns, stratified by birth weight.

Method: A surveillance system was established considering birth weight and type of catheters in order to detect bacteremia and look for the risks associated to type of catheters and birth weight in the period 2005 to 2011, according to Chilean Ministry of Health's surveillance.

Results: We registered bacteremia associated to vascular devices in newborns considering birth weight between less than 1,000 g to more than 2,500 g from years 2005 and 2011. In the period, 4,704 patients were surveyed with 25,130 catheter days and 70 bacteremia were detected. The rates of bacteremia were 0.9 per 1,000 catheter days in peripheral catheters, 3.0 per 1000 catheter days in peripheral inserted central catheters and 9.6 per 1,000 catheter days in umbilical catheters (UC). On the other side the risk of bacteremia was 6.4% in newborns with birth weight less 1,000 g and 1.5% in newborns with birth weight over 2,500 g. Coagulase negative Staphylococcus was the most frequent isolate agents.

Conclusions: The risk of developing bacteremia is associated with lower birth weight and the use of UC independent of weight.