Impact of a change in protected environment on the occurrence of severe bacterial and fungal infections in children undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation

Background Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (alloHSCT) is a procedure with a high infection risk. Strict isolation of patients is the rule to prevent such condition. Objective We compared the occurrence of severe infections (bacteremia and invasive fungal infection, IFI) in children undergoing alloHSCT before and after the move to a new protected unit with decreases in isolation methods. Methods The study was conducted over a 10‐year period. Unit 1 (2002–2007) consisted of laminar airflow rooms where caregivers were required to wear a sterile outfit (gown, gloves, hat, and mask). Unit 2 (2008–2012) included spacious positive air pressure rooms with HEPA filters where only a clean gown and mask were required to be worn. Results Two hundred eighty‐six alloHSCTs were performed (144 in Unit 1 and 142 in Unit 2). We reported a total incidence of 4.78 infections/1000 hospital‐days including 4.4 episodes of bacteremia and 0.38 episodes of IFI. There was no statistical difference in the incidence of infections: n = 4.98/1000 hospital‐days in Unit 1 vs. n = 4.6/1000 in Unit 2 (P = 0.63). Conclusion The lack of difference in the occurrence of severe infection supports our decision to decrease unnecessary high protection in alloHSCT units to improve children's daily life.