Occult Klebsiella pneumoniae bacteremia at emergency department: A single center experience.
OBJECTIVE
Patients with undetected bacteremia when discharged from a hospital are considered to have occult bacteremia. Klebsiella pneumoniae bacteremia (KPB) is endemic to Taiwan. Our purpose was to study the impact of occult KPB.


METHODS
We retrospectively reviewed the records of patients who were discharged from our emergency department (ED) and subsequently diagnosed with KPB (occult bacteremia), from January 2008 to March 2014. All patients are followed for at least 3 months after the index ED visit. The study group was compared to KPB patients who were directly hospitalized (DH) from ED in 2008. Thirty-day mortality was the primary endpoint.


RESULTS
A total of 913 patients were admitted to our ED with KPB, and 88 of these patients (9.6%) had occult KPB. Among them, 43 had second ED visit and 41 were admitted. The overall 30-day mortality was 2.3%. Relative to patients with occult KPB, DH patients had more respiratory tract infections (p < 0.001) but fewer other intra-abdominal infections (p = 0.015). Liver abscess was the major diagnosis for the second ED visit (37.2%). DH patients had significantly greater 30-day mortality than that of overall patients with KPB (19.2% vs.2.3%, p < 0.001).


CONCLUSIONS
Most patients with occult KPB had favorable outcomes, but about half of them required a second ED visit. Clinicians should aggressively follow patients with occult KPB and should seek to identify the focus of infection in this endemic area.
Department of Infectious Diseases, Internal Medicine, Far Eastern Memorial Hospital, New Taipei City, Taiwan.
Eileen Kevyn
EK
Chang
Department of Pediatrics, Far Eastern Memorial Hospital, New Taipei City, Taiwan.
Kai-Liang
KL
Kao
Department of Infectious Diseases, Internal Medicine, Far Eastern Memorial Hospital, New Taipei City, Taiwan.
Mao-Song
MS
Tsai
Department of Infectious Diseases, Internal Medicine, Far Eastern Memorial Hospital, New Taipei City, Taiwan; College of Medicine, Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan.
Chia-Jui
CJ
Yang
Department of Infectious Diseases, Internal Medicine, Far Eastern Memorial Hospital, New Taipei City, Taiwan.
Yu-Tsung
YT
Huang
Department of Infectious Diseases, Internal Medicine, Far Eastern Memorial Hospital, New Taipei City, Taiwan.
Chia-Ying
CY
Liu
Department of Pediatrics, Far Eastern Memorial Hospital, New Taipei City, Taiwan; College of Medicine, Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan. Electronic address: liaochunhsing@gmail.com.
Chun-Hsing
CH
Liao
D000658:Amoxicillin / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D058070:Asymptomatic Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000401:mortality; D016470:Bacteremia / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000401:mortality; D002511:Cephalosporins / Q000627:therapeutic use; D019818:Clavulanic Acid / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital; D005260:Female; D024841:Fluoroquinolones / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D007710:Klebsiella Infections / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000401:mortality; D007711:Klebsiella pneumoniae / Q000187:drug effects / Q000302:isolation & purification; D008297:Male; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D008875:Middle Aged; D010351:Patient Discharge; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013624:Taiwan / Q000453:epidemiology
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D002511:Cephalosporins; D024841:Fluoroquinolones; D019818:Clavulanic Acid; D000658:Amoxicillin
Klebsiella pneumoniae; emergency department; occult bacteremia