title: Impact and pattern of gram-negative bacteraemia during 6 y at a large university hospital.
abstract: In order to characterize the impact and pattern of Gram-negative bacteraemia (GNB) at a Swiss University hospital and to assess the effect of multi-resistance on mortality, we conducted a 6-y retrospective cohort study using linear regression and multivariate Cox-proportional hazard analysis. 1766 patients had 1835 episodes of GNB; 61% were community-acquired. The incidence of GNB increased linearly (r2 = 0.90, p = 0.014) from 7.07 episodes to 8.32 episodes per 1000 admissions, but this trend was no longer significant after adjustment for the number of blood cultures drawn/y. The in-hospital mortality for patients with GNB decreased from 20% in 1989 to 16% in 1994 (r2 = 0.94, p = 0.005). The risk ratio for death remained unchanged over the study period and was 7-fold higher for patients with GNB than for patients without GNB. Factors independently associated with an increased hazard of death after GNB were: severity of illness as measured by exposure to intensive care (hazard ratio [HR], 1.5); age = 66-79 y (HR 1.8); GNB due to Klebsiella spp. (HR 1.7) or Pseudomonas aeruginosa (HR 1.6); and polymicrobial infection (HR 1.6). Multi-resistance was not associated with an increased risk of death (HR 1.0). Although the crude mortality of GNB decreased, the population-attributable risk ratio for death remained significant. These data suggest the absence of a major impact of multi-resistant GNB on patient mortality.
authors.affiliation: Infection Control Program, Geneva University Hospitals, Switzerland.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Harbarth
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Rohner
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Auckenthaler
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Safran
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Sudre
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Pittet
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D016470:Bacteremia / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology / Q000401:mortality*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D017714:Community-Acquired Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology; D003428:Cross Infection / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology; D004352:Drug Resistance, Microbial; D018432:Drug Resistance, Multiple; D005260:Female; D006090:Gram-Negative Bacteria / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D016905:Gram-Negative Bacterial Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology / Q000401:mortality*; D006785:Hospitals, University; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D008875:Middle Aged; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016019:Survival Analysis; D013557:Switzerland / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents