title: Long-Term Mortality After Pneumonia in Cardiac Surgery Patients: A Propensity-Matched Analysis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The role that intensive care unit (ICU)-acquired pneumonia plays in the long-term outcomes of cardiac surgery patients is not well known. This study examined the association of pneumonia with in-hospital mortality and long-term mortality after adult cardiac surgery.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 2750 patients admitted to our ICU after cardiac surgery from January 2003 to December 2009 are the basis for this observational study. Patients who developed ICU-acquired pneumonia were matched with patients without it in a 1:2 ratio. The matching criteria were age, urgent or scheduled surgery, surgical procedure, and the propensity score for pneumonia. Multiple regression analysis was used to find predictors of hospital mortality. The relationship between pneumonia and long-term survival was analyzed with Kaplan-Meier survival estimates and a risk-adjusted Cox proportional regression model for patients discharged alive from hospital.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Pneumonia was diagnosed in 32 (1.2%) patients and there were 19 cases per 1000 days of mechanical ventilation. Patients with pneumonia had a significantly higher hospital mortality rate (28% vs 6.2%, P = .003) and a higher mortality at the end of follow-up (53% vs 19%, P < .0001) than those without it. Regression analysis showed that pneumonia was a strong predictor of hospital mortality. Five-year survival was as follows: pneumonia, 62%; control, 81%; and cohort patients, 91%. The Cox model showed that, after adjusting for confounding factors, patients with pneumonia (hazard ratio = 3.96, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.41-11.14) had poorer long-term survival.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Pneumonia remains a serious complication in patients operated for cardiac surgery and is associated with increased hospital mortality and reduced long-term survival.
authors.affiliation: Intensive Care Unit, Son Espases University Hospital, Palma de Mallorca, Balearic Islands, Spain.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ibañez
authors.affiliation: Intensive Care Unit, Son Espases University Hospital, Palma de Mallorca, Balearic Islands, Spain rierasagrera@gmail.com.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Riera
authors.affiliation: Intensive Care Unit, Son Espases University Hospital, Palma de Mallorca, Balearic Islands, Spain.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Amezaga
authors.affiliation: Intensive Care Unit, Son Espases University Hospital, Palma de Mallorca, Balearic Islands, Spain.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Herrero
authors.affiliation: Intensive Care Unit, Son Espases University Hospital, Palma de Mallorca, Balearic Islands, Spain.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Colomar
authors.affiliation: Intensive Care Unit, Son Espases University Hospital, Palma de Mallorca, Balearic Islands, Spain.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Campillo-Artero
authors.affiliation: Cardiac Surgery Department, Son Espases University Hospital, Palma de Mallorca, Balearic Islands, Spain.
authors.forename: J I Saez
authors.initials: JI
authors.lastname: de Ibarra
authors.affiliation: Cardiac Surgery Department, Son Espases University Hospital, Palma de Mallorca, Balearic Islands, Spain.
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Bonnin
mesh_terms: D006348:Cardiac Surgical Procedures / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000401:mortality*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003428:Cross Infection; D017052:Hospital Mortality; D006801:Humans; D007362:Intensive Care Units; D053717:Pneumonia, Ventilator-Associated / Q000382:microbiology / Q000401:mortality*; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000209:etiology / Q000382:microbiology / Q000401:mortality*; D057216:Propensity Score; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D013030:Spain / Q000453:epidemiology; D016896:Treatment Outcome
keywords: lung infection; outcomes; postoperative care; statistic propensity matching; surgery complications