title: An analysis of hospital-acquired bacteraemia in intensive care unit patients in a university hospital in Kuwait.
abstract: An analysis of hospital-acquired bacteraemia among ICU patients was carried out over a two-year period in order to determine the incidence, associated mortality rate and susceptibility pattern of causative pathogens. There was a high incidence of bacteraemia, occurring in 127 (18.4%) of 692 patients. Mortality attributable to nosocomial bacteraemia was 52% of the total 79 deaths from all causes. The highest mortality rate (58.5%) occurred in patients with fungal infections, whilst death from Gram-negative bacteraemia was only 17%. Over 98% of patients had underlying disease. Nearly half (46.8%) of 267 organisms isolated were Gram-positive. In comparison, Gram-negative bacteria accounted for 36.6% and the rest (17.6%) were fungi (mainly Candida albicans). The majority of the bactereamic episodes were monomicrobial (90.2%). Coagulase-negative staphylococci (CNS) were the commonest pathogens isolated, representing 32.6% of all organisms. Inducible beta-lactamase producing organism (Enterobacter spp. 9.7%, Serratia marcescens 6.7%, Klebsiella pneumoniae 6% and Pseudomonas aeruginosa 6%) formed the bulk of Gram-negative bacteria. In contrast, Escherichia coli (7.5%) and K. pneumoniae (4%) were the commonest Gram-negative bacteria from hospital-acquired bacteraemia in the general hospital population. The majority (80%) of CNS were resistant to methicillin (MRSE) but susceptible to vancomycin; they were relatively resistant to erythromycin, clindamycin and beta-lactams antibiotics. Whilst Gram-negative organisms were relatively susceptible to imipenem (85%), ciprofloxacin (88%) and amikacin (87%), they had unacceptably low levels of susceptibility to cefuroxime (59.3%), cefotaxime (71%), ceftazidime (60.9%), and piperacillin (51.1%). This study shows that hospital-acquired bacteraemia in ICU patients carries a poor prognosis. Information regarding the infective agents and their susceptibility in the ICU setting is valuable for the selection of empirical therapy before culture and susceptibility results are known.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Department of Anesthesiology, Mubarak Al-Kabeer Hospital and Faculty of Medicine, P. O. Box 24923, Safat, 13110, Kuwait.
authors.forename: W Y
authors.initials: WY
authors.lastname: Jamal
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: El-Din
authors.forename: V O
authors.initials: VO
authors.lastname: Rotimi
authors.forename: T D
authors.initials: TD
authors.lastname: Chugh
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D016470:Bacteremia / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology; D001419:Bacteria / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D002175:Candida / Q000302:isolation & purification; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003428:Cross Infection / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology; D005260:Female; D016469:Fungemia / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007223:Infant; D007362:Intensive Care Units; D007730:Kuwait / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents