title: Low mortality among patients with spinal cord injury and bacteremia.
abstract: We reviewed 103 episodes of bacteremia in 93 patients with spinal cord injury who had bacteremia during initial hospitalization (39 patients) or readmission (54 patients) during 1978-1988. Eighteen episodes (18%) were due to polymicrobial infections. Urinary tract infections (47%), infected pressure areas (19%), and pneumonia (9%) were the most frequent primary infections and sources of the bacteremia. The bacteria most frequently associated with urinary tract infections were enterococci (26%), Escherichia coli (26%), Pseudomonas species (20%), and Klebsiella pneumoniae (12%). Bacteria most frequently isolated from patients with infected pressure areas were anaerobes and Staphylococcus aureus. Bacteremia was the cause of death for 8 patients (9%). The urinary tract was identified only once as the source of gram-negative bacteremia in an immunocompetent patient who died. The reason for the low mortality in patients with spinal cord injury is unclear.
authors.affiliation: University of Southern California School of Medicine, Los Angeles.
authors.forename: J Z
authors.initials: JZ
authors.lastname: Montgomerie
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Chan
authors.forename: D S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Gilmore
authors.forename: H N
authors.initials: HN
authors.lastname: Canawati
authors.forename: F L
authors.initials: FL
authors.lastname: Sapico
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D016470:Bacteremia / Q000209:etiology / Q000401:mortality*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011014:Pneumonia / Q000150:complications*; D003668:Pressure Ulcer / Q000150:complications*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D013119:Spinal Cord Injuries / Q000150:complications*; D014552:Urinary Tract Infections / Q000150:complications*