Hostname: page-component-848d4c4894-p2v8j Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-30T20:45:30.225Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

A one-year survey of nosocomial bacteraemia at a Danish university hospital

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 October 2009

K. Eliasen ,
P. B. Nielsen  and
F. Espersen
K. Eliasen
Affiliation:
Statens Seruminstitut, Department of Clinical Microbiology at Hvidovre Hospital, University of Copenhagen, DK-2650 Hvidovre, Denmark
P. B. Nielsen
Affiliation:
Statens Seruminstitut, Department of Clinical Microbiology at Hvidovre Hospital, University of Copenhagen, DK-2650 Hvidovre, Denmark
F. Espersen
Affiliation:
Statens Seruminstitut, Department of Clinical Microbiology at Hvidovre Hospital, University of Copenhagen, DK-2650 Hvidovre, Denmark
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Summary

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

A 1-year prospective study of nosocomial bacteraemia was performed at Hvidovre Hospital with special reference to frequency, focus of infection and prognosis. All patients were examined clinically in order to confirm the bacteraemia. In total, 98 hospital-acquired bacteraemias were observed, giving an incidence rate of 0·28%. Bacteraemia due to Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus epidermidis predominated. The overall mortality was 38%; 65% of the patients with S. aureus bacteraemia died, 25% due to the bacteraemia. The most common types of infection were urinary tract infections and intravenous catheter infections. Fifty-five of the bacteraemias were caused by foreign bodies, mostly urinary catheters and intravenous catheters, and in 14 cases the focus was unknown. The patient population was severely ill patients. We conclude that nosocomial bacteraemia occurs specially in severely ill patients often preceded by indwelling urinary or intravenous catheters. The patients seldom die due to the bacteraemia, but they die with concomitant bacteraemia.

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Hygiene , Volume 97 , Issue 3 , December 1986 , pp. 471 - 478
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1986

References

REFERENCES

Britt, M. R., Schleupner, C. J. & Matsumiya, S. (1978). Severity of underlying disease as a predictor of nosocomial infection. Journal of the American Medical Association 239, 1047–1051.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Center For Disease Control (1972). Outline for surveillance and control of nosocomial infections. U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, appendix II.Google Scholar
Friedman, L. E., Brown, A. E., Miller, D. R. & Armstrong, D. (1984). Staphylococcus epidermidis septicaemia in children with leukaemia and lymphoma. American Journal of Diseases of Children 138, 715–719.Google Scholar
Harris, L. F., Alford, R. H., Dan, B. D. & Savage, A. M. (1980). Bacteremia related to i.v. cannulation: variability of underlying venous infection. Southern Medical Journal 73, 719–722.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jepsen, O. B. & Korner, B. (1975). Bacteremia in a general hospital. A prospective study of 102 consecutive cases. Scandinavian Journal of Infectious Diseases 7, 179–184.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kluge, R. M. & DuPont, H. L. (1973). Factors affecting mortality of patients with bacteremia. Surgery, Gynecology and Obstetrics 137, 267–269.Google ScholarPubMed
McGowan, J. E., Barnes, M. W. & Finland, M. (1975). Bacteremia at Boston City Hospital: occurrence and mortality during 12 selected years (1935–1972), with special reference to hospital-acquired cases. Journal of Infectious Diseases 132, 316–335.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Maki, D. G. (1981). Nosocomial bacteremia. An epidemiologic overview. American Journal of Medicine 70, 719–732.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Report On The National Survey Of Infection In Hospitals, 1980 (1981). Journal of Hospital Infection 2, (suppl).Google Scholar
Rose, R., Hunting, K. J., Townsend, T. R. & Wenzel, R. P. (1977). Morbidity/mortality and economics of hospital-acquired blood-stream infectious: a controlled study. Southern Medical Joumal 70, 1267–1269.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Spengler, R. F., Greenough, W. B. & Stolley, P. D. (1978). A descriptive study of nosocomial bacteremias at the Johns Hopkins Hospital, 1968–1974. Johns Hopkins Medical Journal 142, 77–84.Google Scholar
Wenzel, R. P., Osterman, C. A., Donowitz, L. G., Hoyt, J. W., Sande, M. A., Martone, W. J., Placok, J. E., Levine, J. I. & Miller, G. B. (1981). Identification of procedure-related nosocomial infections in high-risk patients. Reviews of Infectious Diseases 3, 701–707.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed