Table 1.
Characteristics of patients colonised and not colonised with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus on admission
| Characteristic | MRSA positive | MRSA negative | P |
|---|---|---|---|
| ( n = 111) | ( n = 2,790) | ||
| Hospital | <.001 | ||
| Athens (n = 985) | 51 (5.2) | 934 (94.8) | |
| Barcelona (n = 510) | 9 (1.8) | 501 (98.2) | |
| Cremona (n = 817) | 20 (2.4) | 797 (97.6) | |
| Paris (n = 589) | 31 (5.3) | 558 (94.7) | |
| Age, mean (SD), years | 70.3 (16.5) | 64.5 (17.9) | <.001 |
| Female sex | 59 (53.2) | 1,358 (48.7) | .355 |
| Surgical subspecialty | .112 | ||
| General | 29 (26.1) | 639 (22.9) | |
| Vascular | 31 (27.9) | 779 (27.9) | |
| Neurosurgery | 7 (6.3) | 229 (8.2) | |
| Orthopaedics | 42 (37.8) | 910 (32.6) | |
| Cardiothoracic | 2 (1.8) | 233 (8.4) | |
| Comorbidities | |||
| Chronic renal failure | 8 (7.2) | 131 (4.7) | .224 |
| Haemodialysis | 1 (0.9) | 27 (1.0) | .944 |
| Cardiovascular disease | 69 (62.2) | 1,584 (56.8) | .261 |
| Cerebrovascular disease | 4 (3.6) | 33 (1.2) | .026 |
| Diabetes mellitus | 34 (30.6) | 471 (16.9) | <.001 |
| COPD | 19 (17.1) | 273 (9.8) | .012 |
| Solid organ malignancy | 18 (16.2) | 402 (14.4) | .596 |
| Haematological malignancy | 1 (0.9) | 10 (0.4) | .362 |
| Autoimmune disease | 1 (0.9) | 63 (2.3) | .340 |
| Liver cirrhosis | 4 (3.6) | 58 (2.1) | .276 |
| HIV infection | 0 (0.0) | 11 (0.4) | .507 |
| Trauma | 24 (21.6) | 554 (19.9) | .648 |
| Chronic skin disease | 12 (10.8) | 98 (3.5) | <.001 |
| Recent hospitalisation (<1 year) | 60 (54.1) | 862 (30.9) | <.001 |
| Recent surgery (<3 months) | 17 (15.3) | 277 (9.9) | .065 |
| Transfer from another ward or hospital | 8 (7.2) | 231 (8.3) | .687 |
| Nursing home resident | 11 (9.9) | 75 (2.7) | <.001 |
| Skin wound/ulcer | 26 (23.4) | 200 (7.2) | <.001 |
| Recent antibiotic use (<6 months) | 47 (42.3) | 674 (24.2) | <.001 |
| Indwelling devices | |||
| Long-term vascular catheter | 1 (0.9) | 22 (0.8) | .896 |
| Urinary catheter | 8 (7.2) | 42 (1.5) | <.001 |
| Tracheostomy | 3 (2.7) | 17 (0.6) | .009 |
| Other device | 2 (1.8) | 53 (1.9) | .941 |
Note. Data are no. (%) of patients unless otherwise indicated. COPD, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; HIV, human immunodeficiency virus; MRSA, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus; SD, standard deviation.