Mortality of hospitalized patients with Candida endophthalmitis.
BACKGROUND
Candida is becoming an important nosocomial pathogen as the incidence of hospital-acquired candidemia is rising. Candida endophthalmitis is a good indicator of systemic candidiasis in hospitalized patients.


METHODS
Thirteen (17%) of 76 ophthalmologic consultations for Candida endophthalmitis in our institution had positive findings during a 12-month period. We studied these 13 patients with Candida endophthalmitis to evaluate their outcomes.


RESULTS
All 13 patients were admitted to a large tertiary care hospital, and 10 (77%) were in an intensive care unit. The overall mortality was 77% for all patients and 80% for the intensive care patients. This mortality was higher than the overall mortality for all patients in the surgical intensive care unit in our institution (17%), as well as the mortality for our patients with candidemia in the surgical intensive care unit (61%).


CONCLUSIONS
The strikingly high mortality in our group of patients with Candida endophthalmitis reflects the fact that they are a seriously ill group with multiple risk factors for Candida infection. This information suggests that the presence of Candida endophthalmitis is a good indicator of high mortality in seriously ill patients in intensive care units.
Menezes
A V
AV
Department of Ophthalmology, Toronto (Ontario), Hospital.
Sigesmund
D A
DA
Demajo
W A
WA
Devenyi
R G
RG
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000666:Amphotericin B / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002177:Candidiasis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000401:mortality*; D009877:Endophthalmitis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000401:mortality*; D015725:Fluconazole / Q000627:therapeutic use; D017052:Hospital Mortality; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D000666:Amphotericin B; D015725:Fluconazole