Table 2.
Demographic and clinical characteristics of 91 patients for whom empirical vancomycin was discontinued based on negative nasal and throat MRSA surveillance cultures
| Characteristic | Finding for group: |
||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 (n = 77) | 2 (n = 14) | 1 and 2 (n = 91) | |
| Median age (yr; range) | 84 (40–99) | 84.5 (48–101) | 84 (40–101) |
| Gender (no. [%]) | |||
| Male | 38 (49) | 6 (43) | 44 (48) |
| Female | 39 (51) | 8 (57) | 47 (52) |
| Location at the time of AMS recommendation (no. [%]) | |||
| ICU | 14 (18) | 0 | 14 (15) |
| Subacute unit | 21 (27) | 6 (43) | 27 (30) |
| General medical/surgical ward | 42 (55) | 8 (57) | 50 (55) |
| Sputum specimen (no. [%]) | |||
| Not obtained | 56 (73) | 12 (86) | 68 (75) |
| Poor quality | 21 (27) | 2 (14) | 23 (25) |
| Pulmonary infiltrate (no. [%]) | |||
| No infiltrate | 2 (2.6) | 0 | 2 (2) |
| Diffuse/patchy | 9 (11.7) | 3 (21) | 12 (13) |
| Localized | 66 (85.7) | 11 (79) | 77 (85) |
| Median maximum temp (°C; range) during 24 h before recommendation | 98.4 (95.5–101.6) | 98.2 (97.5–98.9) | 98.3 (95.5–101.6) |
| Median maximum WBC (×103; range) during 24 h before recommendation | 9.9 (3.0–29.9) | 8.75 (1.6–30.7) | 9.7 (1.6–30.7) |
| CPIS on day of AMS recommendation (no. [%]) | |||
| 1 | 1 (1.3) | 0 | 1 (1.1) |
| 2 | 32 (41.6) | 7 (50) | 39 (42.9) |
| 3 | 11(14.3) | 3 (21.4) | 14 (15.4) |
| 4 | 13 (16.9) | 3 (21.4) | 16 (17.6) |
| 5 | 12 (15.6) | 1 (7.1) | 13 (14.3) |
| 6 | 5 (6.5) | 0 | 5 (5.5) |
| 7 | 3 (3.9) | 0 | 3 (3.3) |
| Median | 3 | 2.5 | 3 |
| Died during admission (no. [%]) | 7 (9.1) | (7.7) | |
| Died during readmission within 30 days (no. [%]) | 2 | 0 | 2 (2.2) |
| Total deaths (no. [%]) | 9 (11.7) | 0 | 9 (9.9) |