TABLE 1.
Factors that varied significantly (P < 0.05) between patients with dedicated fungal blood culture results (cases) and those with routine blood culture results (controls)
| Variablea | Value for:
|
P value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Positive cases (n = 100) | Controls (n = 100) | ||
| Severity of illness | |||
| Mortality (%) | 24 | 3 | <0.01 |
| Mean stay (no. of days) | 35 | 19 | <0.01 |
| ICU (%) | 43 | 26 | 0.01 |
| SICU (%) | 22 | 5 | <0.01 |
| Comorbidity | |||
| Abdominal surgery (no. of cases) | 22 | 6 | <0.01 |
| HIV infection (no. of cases) | 35 | 5 | <0.01 |
| Fungemia risks | |||
| Central IV line (no. of cases) | 54 | 36 | <0.01 |
| Parenteral nutrition (no. of cases) | 19 | 1 | <0.01 |
| Fungal colonization (no. of cases) | 24 | 3 | <0.01 |
| Prior fungemia (no. of cases) | 6 | 0 | 0.03 |
| Diagnostic delay | |||
| Total no. of cultures | 7.4 | 5.1 | <0.01 |
| No. of days to collection of index BC | 13.2 | 6.6 | 0.02 |
| No. of prior BCs | 4.8 | 2.6 | <0.01 |
| Diagnostic uncertainty | |||
| AFB BC sent (%) | 31 | 1 | <0.01 |
| CMV test sent (no. of cases) | 18 | 3 | <0.01 |
a
Values represent the period prior to the date of collection of the index blood culture (BC) (except in cases of mortality). SICU, surgical ICU; HIV, human immunodeficiency virus; IV, intravenous; AFB, acid-fast bacillus; CMV, cytomegalovirus.