Morbidity and mortality of coagulase-negative staphylococcal sepsis in very-low-birth-weight infants

Background Coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS) are the most common cause of late-onset sepsis in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) and usually require vancomycin treatment. Our objective was to determine whether CoNS are associated with neonatal morbidity and mortality. Methods This was a retrospective cohort study of very-low-birth-weight (VLBW, ≤ 1500 g) infants from 1989 to 2015. Exclusion criteria were major congenital anomaly or death within 72 h. CoNS was considered a pathogen if recovered from ≥ 2 cultures, or 1 culture if treated for ≥ 5 days and signs of sepsis were present. Logistic regression was used to examine factors associated with morbidity and mortality. Results Of 2242 VLBW infants, 285 (12.7%) had late-onset sepsis. CoNS (125, 44%), Staphylococcus aureus (52, 18%), and Escherichia coli (36, 13%) were the most commonly recovered organisms. In multivariate analysis, CoNS sepsis was not associated with mortality [OR 0.6 (95% CI 0.2–2.6)), but sepsis with other organisms was [OR 4.5 (95% CI 2.6–8.0)]. CoNS sepsis was associated with longer hospitalization but not risk for bronchopulmonary dysplasia, intraventricular hemorrhage, or retinopathy of prematurity. Conclusion CoNS sepsis was not associated with mortality or morbidities other than length of stay. These findings support vancomycin-reduction strategies in the NICU.