title: A 5-year epidemiological study of nosocomial bloodstream infections in a neurosurgery department.
abstract: The characteristics of nosocomial bloodstream infections (BSIs) in a neurosurgical department were studied over a 5-year period. The rate of nosocomial BSI was 3.0%. Gram-negative bacteria were the most commonly isolated pathogens (65.9% of isolates). For all the pathogens isolated, the rate of resistance to commonly used antimicrobial agents was high. Of the 101 patients with nosocomial BSI, 50 (49.5%) died during their stay at the Department of Neurosurgery. At the same time, overall mortality rate among neurosurgical inpatients without nosocomial BSI was 5.4% (ie, 175 of 3,216 patients died).
authors.affiliation: Second Department of Neurosurgery, the Infectious Diseases Unit, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece.
authors.forename: Parmenion P
authors.initials: PP
authors.lastname: Tsitsopoulos
authors.forename: Elias
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Iosifidis
authors.forename: Charalampos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Antachopoulos
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tsivitanidou
authors.forename: Ioannis
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Anagnostopoulos
authors.forename: Emmanuel
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Roilides
authors.forename: Philippos D
authors.initials: PD
authors.lastname: Tsitsopoulos
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D016470:Bacteremia / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology; D002175:Candida / Q000302:isolation & purification; D002177:Candidiasis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology; D003428:Cross Infection / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology; D005260:Female; D016469:Fungemia / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology; D006090:Gram-Negative Bacteria / Q000302:isolation & purification; D016905:Gram-Negative Bacterial Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology; D016908:Gram-Positive Bacterial Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology; D006095:Gram-Positive Cocci / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006115:Greece / Q000453:epidemiology; D006748:Hospital Departments / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009493:Neurosurgery; D019635:Neurosurgical Procedures / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011159:Population Surveillance / Q000379:methods; D055815:Young Adult