Objective: To determine the rate of contamination of intravenous solutions and injection ports in pediatric patients.
Material and methods: During non-epidemic periods, eight pediatric wards in Mexican hospitals were studied. Qualitative cultures were performed from the surface of injection ports and from intravenous solutions in use in pediatric patients younger than 2 years, culturing 750 infusion systems from 728 patients.
Results: The rate of contamination of intravenous solutions was 2.4% (18/750; CI 95%: 1.3% to 3.5%) and for injection ports it was 3.2% (24/750; CI 95%: 2.1% to 4.3%). Enterobacteriaceae predominated; in four cases the organisms isolated from the port and from the solutions were coincident (Klebsiella spp. and Enterobacter sp.). The rate of contamination for solutions mixed in the wards was 5.1%, against 1.3% of those not mixed (chi2 = 9.19, p < 0.01).
Discussion: Contamination of parenteral solutions is not a rare phenomenon and it could be related to inappropriate practices in the preparation of intravenous solutions and medications as well as the contamination of injection ports. In hospitals working with standards similar to those reported here, the monitoring of sterility of intravenous solutions could contribute to reduce the rate of nosocomial bacteremia.