title: Bacteremic superinfections of patients with bacteremia: occurrence, bacteriology, mortality, and duration of hospitalization at Boston City Hospital during 12 selected years between 1935 and 1972.
abstract: During the course of hospitalization of 6,414 patients with bacteremic infections identified at Boston City Hospital (Boston, Massachusetts) during 12 selected years between 1935 and 1972, 6.0% developed verified bacteremic superinfections with organisms not isolated or identified in the primary bacteremic infection. Analysis of these cases reemphasizes the increasing occurrence of serious hospital-acquired infections despite the successive introduction and intensive use of a large number of effective antibacterial agents. The bacteremic superinfections, like the primary hospital-acquired bacteremias, increased in incidence over the years, particularly since 1961; they were more frequent and were associated with a higher mortality rate and longer duration of hospital stay in the primary hospital-acquired cases than in the patients in whom bacteremia was considered to be community-acquired. The organisms in superinfections were similar to those in primary hospital-acquired bacteremias. Superinfection was more frequent among the patients who died than among the survivors.
mesh_terms: D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000401:mortality; D001900:Boston; D002177:Candidiasis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology; D003428:Cross Infection / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology / Q000401:mortality; D006773:Hospitals, Municipal; D006801:Humans; D007902:Length of Stay; D012008:Recurrence; D018805:Sepsis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000401:mortality; D014504:Urban Health