title: Association between resistance to vancomycin and death in cases of Enterococcus faecium bacteremia.
abstract: We conducted a retrospective cohort study to determine the association between resistance to vancomycin and mortality among hospitalized patients with Enterococcus faecium bacteremia. We compared outcomes for patients infected with vancomycin-resistant versus vancomycin-susceptible E. faecium among 69 patients with bacteremia defined according to the National Nosocomial Infections Surveillance system. The univariate odds ratio (OR) for death associated with vancomycin resistance was 2.1 (P=.172). After controlling for severity of illness, we found that vancomycin resistance was not associated with mortality (OR, 1.74; 95% confidence interval, 0.5-6.12; P=.39). Vancomycin resistance does not independently increase mortality among patients with E. faecium bacteremia.
authors.affiliation: Division of General Medical Sciences, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA. garbutt@osler.wustl.edu
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Garbutt
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ventrapragada
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Littenberg
authors.forename: L M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Mundy
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D016470:Bacteremia / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000401:mortality*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D016984:Enterococcus faecium / Q000187:drug effects*; D005260:Female; D016908:Gram-Positive Bacterial Infections / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000401:mortality*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014640:Vancomycin / Q000494:pharmacology; D020713:Vancomycin Resistance
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D014640:Vancomycin