title: Septicemia in 980 patients at a university hospital in Berlin: prospective studies during 4 selected years between 1979 and 1989.
abstract: A total of 980 episodes of clinically and bacteriologically proven septicemia were included in four prospective 1-year studies at a 1,300-bed university hospital in Berlin between 1979 and 1989. The incidence was 8.1 per 1,000 admissions. The percentage of patients with severe underlying diseases increased significantly from 67% to 95% over the decade. Septicemia due to gram-positive bacteria decreased from 47.3% in 1979 to 43.7% in 1986 and increased again to 51.2% in 1989. Septicemia due to gram-negative organisms decreased constantly from 45.0% in 1979 to 39.8% in 1989. The most frequently isolated species were Escherichia coli (26.4%), Staphylococcus aureus (18.9%), coagulase-negative staphylococci (10.2%), enterococci (7.7%), viridans streptococci (6.4%), Klebsiella species (5.5%), and pneumococci (5.0%). The overall mortality rate decreased significantly from 33.6% in 1979 to 20.8% in 1989. Mortality for episodes of septicemia due to gram-positive bacteria (25.5%) was higher than that for septicemia due to gram-negative bacteria (18.3%). Mortality rates associated with polymicrobic and fungal septicemia were higher than the overall mortality rate.
authors.affiliation: Medical Department of Klinikum Steglitz, Freie Universität Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: H F
authors.initials: HF
authors.lastname: Geerdes
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ziegler
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Lode
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hund
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Loehr
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Fangmann
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wagner
mesh_terms: D016470:Bacteremia / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology / Q000401:mortality; D001604:Berlin / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006785:Hospitals, University; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D011446:Prospective Studies