Table 1.
Features of 801 episodes of bloodstream infections, according to adequate or inadequate empirical therapy
| Characteristic | Valuea |
P valueb | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inadequate empirical therapy (n = 199) | Adequate empirical therapy (n = 602) | ||
| Hospital-acquired infection | 142 (71.4) | 318 (52.8) | <0.001 |
| Male gender | 116 (58.3) | 357 (59.3) | 0.8 |
| Median age (yr) (interquartile range) | 67 (56–76) | 66 (51–75) | 0.3 |
| Tertiary hospital | 154 (77.4) | 483 (80.2) | 0.3 |
| ICU admission | 43 (21.6) | 1112 (18.6) | 0.3 |
| Median Charlson index (interquartile range) | 2 (1–4) | 2 (1–3) | 0.2 |
| Median Pitt score (interquartile range) | 1 (0–3) | 1 (0–3) | 0.9 |
| Cancer | 67 (33.7) | 160 (26.6) | 0.05 |
| Diabetes mellitus | 48 (24.1) | 159 (26.4) | 0.5 |
| Chronic pulmonary disease | 25 (12.6) | 80 (13.3) | 0.7 |
| Chronic renal insufficiency | 20 (10.1) | 70 (11.6) | 0.5 |
| Chronic liver disease | 18 (9) | 55 (9.1) | 0.9 |
| Neutropenia | 9 (4.5) | 37 (6.1) | 0.3 |
| Central venous catheter | 77 (38.7) | 168 (27.9) | 0.004 |
| Urinary catheter | 81 (40.7) | 195 (32.4) | 0.03 |
| Mechanical ventilation | 28 (14.1) | 66 (11) | 0.2 |
| Parenteral hyperalimentation | 18 (9) | 26 (4.3) | 0.01 |
| Previous antimicrobial use | 98 (49.2) | 231 (38.5) | 0.008 |
| Surgery | 39 (19.6) | 75 (12.5) | 0.01 |
| Source of bacteremia | 0.002 | ||
| Unknown | 55 (27.6) | 135 (22.4) | |
| Urinary tract | 23 (11.6) | 137 (22.8) | |
| Intra-abdominal infection | 29 (14.5) | 110 (18.2) | |
| Vascular catheter | 51 (25.6) | 82 (13.6) | |
| Respiratory tract | 25 (12.6) | 77 (12.8) | |
| Other source | 16 (8) | 61 (10.1) | |
| Etiology | <0.001 | ||
| Escherichia coli | 34 (17) | 188 (31.2) | |
| Coagulase-negative staphylococci | 60 (30.1) | 78 (12.9) | |
| Staphylococcus aureus | 24 (12) | 74 (12.2) | |
| Klebsiella pneumoniae | 13 (6.5) | 58 (9.6) | |
| Enterococcus spp. | 21 (10.5) | 38 (6.3) | |
| Streptococcus pneumoniae | 3 (1.5) | 36 (5.9) | |
| Pseudomonas aeruginosa | 11 (5.5) | 28 (4.6) | |
| Enterobacter spp. | 9 (4.5) | 18 (2.9) | |
| Acinetobacter baumannii | 13 (6.5) | 10 (1.6) | |
| Other | 34 (17) | 109 (18.1) | |
| Polymicrobial etiology | 23 (11.6) | 35 (5.8) | 0.007 |
| Severe sepsis or septic shock | 42 (21.1) | 165 (25.9) | 0.07 |
a
Data are expressed as numbers (percentages) of cases, except where specified.
b
P values were calculated using the chi-square test, except for age, Charlson index, and Pitt score (Mann-Whitney U test).