Table 3. Clinical characteristics of infected patients with single initial isolation of E. cloacae versus infected patients with serial isolation of E. cloacae.
| Characteristic, No. (%) | Patients with single initial E. cloacae isolation (N = 63) | Patients with serial E. cloacae isolation (N = 49) | Total Patients with E. cloacae isolation (N = 112) | p-value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age at injury, median (IQR) | 22 (21–27) | 24 (21–27) | 23 (21–27) | 0.343 |
| Male | 62 (98.4) | 49 (100) | 111 (99.1) | 1.000 |
| Branch of Service | 0.403 | |||
| Air Force and Navy | 2 (3.2) | 3 (6.1) | 5 (5.5) | |
| Army | 36 (57.1) | 32 (65.3) | 68 (60.7) | |
| Marine | 25 (39.7) | 14 (28.6) | 39 (34.8) | |
| Combat Theater | 0.441 | |||
| Afghanistan | 60 (95.2) | 48 (98.0) | 108 (96.4) | |
| Iraq | 3 (4.8) | 1 (2.0) | 4 (3.6) | |
| Combat Injury | 59 (93.6) | 49 (100) | 108 (96.4) | 0.073 |
| Mechanism of Injury | 0.166 | |||
| Blast | 54 (85.7) | 46 (93.9) | 100 (89.3) | |
| Non-blast | 9 (14.3) | 3 (6.1) | 12 (10.7) | |
| Blast Type | 1.00 | |||
| IED | 50 (79.4) | 43 (87.7) | 93 (83.0) | |
| Non-IED | 4 (6.3) | 3 (6.1) | 7 (6.2) | |
| Injured on foot patrol | 40 (63.5) | 36 (73.5) | 76 (67.9) | 0.322 |
| Burn | 10 (15.9) | 8 (16.3) | 18 (16.1) | 0.948 |
| 1st documented shock index, median (IQR) | 1.05 (0.70–1.48) | 1.16 (0.83–1.51) | 1.07 (0.74–1.49) | 0.246 |
| 1st 24 hour blood transfusion, median (IQR) | 15 (7–31) | 14 (10–31) | 15 (8–31) | 0.930 |
| Body Region of Injury | 0.109 | |||
| Lower extremity | 8 (12.7) | 13 (26.5) | 21 (18.7) | |
| Upper extremity | 6 (9.5) | 1 (2.0) | 7 (6.2) | |
| Both lower and upper extremity | 48 (76.2) | 34 (69.4) | 82 (73.2) | |
| Non extremity | 1 (1.6) | 1 (2.0) | 2 (1.8) | |
| Injury severity score, median (IQR) | 34 (22–45) | 36 (27–45) | 34.5 (24–45) | 0.516 |
| U.S. military hospital | 0.361 | |||
| BAMC | 19 (30.1) | 17 (34.7) | 36 (32.1) | |
| NCR | 41 (65.1) | 32 (65.3) | 73 (65.2) | |
| Both BAMC and NCR | 3 (4.8) | 0 (0) | 3 (2.7) | |
| Mechanical ventilation | 0.872 | |||
| LRMC only | 9 (14.3) | 7 (14.3) | 16 (14.3) | |
| LRMC & U.S. hospital ≤1 week | 32 (50.8) | 23 (46.9) | 55 (49.1) | |
| LRMC & U.S. hospital ≥ 2 weeks | 1 (1.6) | 2 (4.1) | 3 (2.7) | |
| None | 21 (33.3) | 17 (34.7) | 38 (33.9) | |
| ICU admission | 51 (81.0) | 39 (79.6) | 90 (80.4) | 1.000 |
| Number of operating room visits, median (IQR) | 5 (4–7) | 5 (4–6) | 5 (4–6) | 0.216 |
| Polymicrobial infectiona | 42 (66.7) | 42 (85.7) | 84 (75.0) | 0.021 |
| Hospitalization, median days (IQR) | 57 (39–88) | 57 (43–84) | 57 (40.5–84.5) | 0.904 |
| Death | 3 (4.8) | 2 (4.0) | 5 (4.5) | 1.000 |
BAMC–Brooke Army Medical Center; ICU–intensive care unit; IED–improvised explosive device; IQR–interquartile range; LRMC–Landstuhl Regional Medical Center; NCR–National Capital Region
a Polymicrobial infection defined as a positive culture collected within ±3 days of the E. cloacae culture from the same anatomical site. Organisms predominantly isolated from polymicrobial infections were P. aeruginosa, E. faecium, E. coli, Acinetobacter calcoaceticus baumannii complex, Enterococcus faecalis, Aspergillus spp. and coagulase-negative staphylococci.