TABLE 1.
Baseline characteristics of patients colonized with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)
| Characteristic | Hospital protocol, n (%) | Other treatment, n (%) | No treatment, n (%) | Hospital protocol vs other treatment, P | Hospital protocol vs no treatment, P |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of patients (n=241) | 89 (37) | 98 (41) | 54 (22) | – | – |
| Female sex | 36 (40) | 48 (49) | 24 (44) | 0.527* | 0.158* |
| Age, years (mean ± SD) | 68.6±16.8 | 73.2±14.3 | 73.8±19.2 | 0.048* | 0.008* |
| Comorbidity (% of group)† | |||||
| Cardiac | 30 (34) | 28 (29) | 25 (46) | 0.527* | 0.034* |
| Diabetic | 16 (18) | 17 (17) | 7 (13) | 0.643* | 1.000* |
| Hepatic | 6 (7) | 3 (3) | 4 (7) | 0.246* | 0.313* |
| Oncological | 19 (21) | 21 (21) | 11 (20) | 1.000* | 1.000* |
| Renal | 12 (13) | 14 (14) | 6 (11) | 0.627* | 1.000* |
| Respiratory | 20 (22) | 24 (24) | 13 (24) | 1.000* | 0.863* |
| Vascular | 25 (28) | 21 (21) | 14 (26) | 0.551* | 0.312* |
| Neurological | 7 (8) | 6 (6) | 7 (13) | 0.224* | 0.776* |
| Charlson age-adjusted comorbidity index (mean ± SD) | 3.9±2.5 | 4.3±2.0 | 4.9±2.9 | 0.119‡ | 0.014‡ |
| Number of lines/tubes | |||||
| None | 10 (11) | 6 (6) | 18 (33) | – | – |
| 1 | 31 (35) | 42 (43) | 25 (47) | 0.319* | 0.0005* |
| 2 or more | 48 (54) | 50 (51) | 11 (20) | – | – |
| MRSA source† | |||||
| Nares | 54 (61) | 60 (61) | 33 (61) | 0.655* | 0.709* |
| Perirectal/rectal | 46 (52) | 52 (53) | 25 (46) | 0.883* | 0.858* |
| Wound | 27 (30) | 38 (39) | 11 (20) | 0.442* | 0.322* |
| Urine | 34 (38) | 11 (11) | 5 (9) | 0.007* | 0.027* |
| Devices | 17 (19) | 15 (15) | 3 (6) | 0.438* | 0.043* |
| Respiratory | 9 (10) | 6 (6) | 0 (0) | 0.290* | 0.026* |
| Nares only | 10 (11) | 18 (18) | 15 (28) | 0.305* | 0.010* |
| MRSA colonization at 2 or more sites | 63 (71) | 59 (60) | 20 (37) | 0.034* | <0.0001* |
*
Two-sided Fisher’s exact test, its generalization or χ2 test;
†
Total greater than 100% due to multiple classification;
‡
Two-sided Kruskal-Wallis test. vs Versus