Use of multiple antimicrobial drugs by clinical patients: a prognostic index of hospital mortality?
OBJECTIVE
To quantify the use of multiple and prolonged antibiotics and anti-infective drug therapy in clinical patients in a 144-bed hospital.


METHODS
Adult patients (2,790 patients with 3,706 admissions over a period of 19 months) were investigated prospectively regarding treatment with anti-infective agents. The mean age was 57.4 (range, 18.8-97 years), and 54.3% were females (2012).


RESULTS
Hospital stay was 5.5 (6.7 days (range, 2-226 days), with duration up to 10 days for 91.9% of the subjects. Antibiotics or other agents were administered to 1,166 subjects (31.5%), 325 (8.8%) required assistance in the ICU, and a total of 141 (3.8%) died. The association between anti-infective drug therapy and hospital mortality was statistically significant (P < .01) with a strong linear correlation (r = 0.902, P = .014). The quantity of prescribed antimicrobial drugs, age, and need for ICU assistance were independent variables for death by logistic regression analysis. The odds ratio for anti-infective drug therapy was 1.341 (1.043 to 1.725); for age, 1.042 ( 1.026 to 1.058); and for stay in the ICU, 11.226 ( 6.648 to 18.957).


CONCLUSIONS
1) The use of large amounts of anti-infective drug therapy was associated with higher hospital mortality according to both univariate and logistic regression analysis; 2) The adverse influence was less marked than that of hospitalization in ICU but of a similar order of magnitude as age; 3) Further studies should elucidate whether infectious foci, noninfectious morbidity, or drug effects underlie this undesirable concurrence.
Spiandorello
Wilson P
WP
Infection Control Committee, Hospital do Círculo, Caxias do Sul/RGS, Brazil. wilsonsp@terra.com.br
Faintuch
Joel
J
Ribeiro
Georgia T
GT
Karkow
Francisco J
FJ
Alvares
Jacqueline O
JO
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000890:Anti-Infective Agents / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004812:Epidemiologic Methods; D005260:Female; D017052:Hospital Mortality; D006801:Humans; D007362:Intensive Care Units; D007902:Length of Stay; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D012307:Risk Factors
D000890:Anti-Infective Agents