title: Bacteraemia following percutaneous dilational tracheostomy.
abstract: This study reports the incidence of bacteraemia following 106 consecutive bedside percutaneous tracheostomies. Post-tracheostomy blood culture results were compared with other blood cultures from the same population. The incidence of positive post-tracheostomy blood cultures was 10.4% (11/106), compared with 6.6% (7/106) for other blood cultures (odds ratio 1.64, 95% confidence interval 0.61-4.40, P = 0.46). Staphylococcus epidermidis was the most common organism cultured, 7/106 (6.6%) of post-tracheostomy cultures, compared with 3/106 (2.8%) for other cultures (odds ratio 2.43, 95% confidence interval 0.61-9.65, P = 0.33). The other four post-tracheostomy cultures grew an organism cultured from that patient's tracheal secretions. Seventy-four patients were receiving antibiotics at the time of tracheostomy, of these 7 (9.5%)-had positive blood cultures, a similar incidence (4 of 32, 12.5%) to those not receiving antibiotics (odds ratio 0.73, 95% confidence interval 0.20-2.70, P = 0.90). We conclude bacteraemia is a common complication of percutaneous tracheostomy; the causative organisms come from the patients' trachea or skin.
authors.affiliation: Intensive Therapy Unit, Royal North Shore Hospital, Sydney, N.S.W.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Teoh
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Parr
authors.forename: S R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Finfer
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D016470:Bacteremia / Q000209:etiology* / Q000382:microbiology; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D004106:Dilatation; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016017:Odds Ratio; D011677:Punctures / Q000009:adverse effects*; D012867:Skin / Q000382:microbiology; D013212:Staphylococcus epidermidis / Q000302:isolation & purification; D014132:Trachea / Q000382:microbiology; D014139:Tracheostomy / Q000009:adverse effects*
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents