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Nosocomial Bacteremia Clinical Significance of a Single Blood Culture Positive for Coagulase-Negative Staphylococci

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 June 2016

Benoît Favre ,
Stéphane Hugonnet ,
Luci Correa ,
Hugo Sax ,
Peter Rohner  and
Didier Pittet
Benoît Favre
Affiliation:
Infection Control Program, University of Geneva Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
Stéphane Hugonnet
Affiliation:
Infection Control Program, University of Geneva Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
Luci Correa
Affiliation:
Infection Control Program, University of Geneva Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland Division of Infectious Diseases, Federal University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
Hugo Sax
Affiliation:
Infection Control Program, University of Geneva Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
Peter Rohner*
Affiliation:
Infectious Diseases Division, University of Geneva Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
Didier Pittet
Affiliation:
Infection Control Program, University of Geneva Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
*
Infection Control Program, University of Geneva Hospitals, 1211 Geneva 14, Switzerland, didier.pittet@hcuge.ch
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Abstract

Objectives:

To describe the epidemiology of nosocomial coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS) bacteremia and to evaluate the clinical significance of a single blood culture positive for CoNS.

Design:

A 3-year retrospective cohort study based on data prospectively collected through hospital-wide surveillance. Bacteremia was defined according to CDC criteria, except that a single blood culture growing CoNS was not systematically considered as a contaminant. All clinically significant blood cultures positive for CoNS nosocomial bacteremia were considered for analysis.

Setting:

A large university teaching hospital in Geneva, Switzerland.

Results:

A total of 2,660 positive blood cultures were identified. Of these, 1,108 (41.7%) were nosocomial; CoNS were recovered from 411 nosocomial episodes (37.1%). Two hundred thirty-four episodes of CoNS bacteremia in the presence of signs of sepsis were considered clinically relevant and analyzed. Crude mortality and associated mortality were 24.4% and 12.8%, respectively. Associated mortality was similar among patients with one positive blood culture and those with two or more (16.2% vs 10.8%, respectively; P = .3). Mortality rates after bacteremia for patients with a single positive blood culture and for those with two or more were 15.3% and 7.0%, respectively, at day 14 (RR, 2.2; CI%, 0.87-5.46) and 20.8% and 11.3%, respectively, at day 28 (RR, 1.9; CI95, 0.9-3.8). On multivariate analysis, only age and a rapidly fatal disease were independently associated with death.

Conclusion:

CoNS bacteremia harbor a significant mortality and a single positive blood culture in the presence of signs of sepsis should be considered as clinically relevant.

Information

Type
Original Articles
Information
Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology , Volume 26 , Issue 8 , August 2005 , pp. 697 - 702
Copyright
Copyright © The Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America 2005

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