Table 1.
Patients’ characteristics. Values are numbers (percentages) unless stated otherwise
| Characteristic | Trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (n=135) | Vancomycin (n=117) | P value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mean (SD age, years | 64.8 (17) | 67 (17) | 0.324 |
| Functional capacity on admission: | 0.982 | ||
| Independent | 75 (56) | 66 (56) | |
| Dependent | 31 (23) | 27 (23) | |
| Bedridden | 29 (21) | 24 (21) | |
| Hospital acquired infection | 115 (85) | 103 (88.0) | 0.509 |
| McCabe score, no fatal disease | 104 (77) | 92 (79) | 0.761 |
| Mean (SD) Charlson score | 2.59 (2.04) | 2.65 (2.13) | 0.829 |
| Diabetes mellitus | 67 (50) | 54 (46) | 0.582 |
| Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease | 20 (15) | 15 (13) | 0.648 |
| Congestive heart failure, NYHA class III-IV | 29 (21) | 21 (18) | 0.483 |
| Chronic renal failure, creatinine >1.3 mg/dL | 16 (12) | 12 (10) | 0.688 |
| Surgery 30 days before | 64 (47) | 57 (49) | 0.835 |
| Source of MRSA infection: | 0.584 | ||
| Complicated SSTIs | 50 (37) | 38 (32) | |
| Bone or joint | 39 (29) | 32 (27) | |
| Endovascular | 10 (7) | 16 (14) | |
| Pneumonia | 14 (10) | 14 (12) | |
| Other | 10 (7) | 10 (9) | |
| Primary bacteraemia | 12 (9) | 7 (6) | |
| Bacteraemia | 41 (30) | 50 (43) | 0.042 |
| SOFA score at onset of infection: | 0.406 | ||
| 0 | 76 (56) | 56 (48) | |
| 1-3 | 46 (34) | 47 (40) | |
| >3 | 13 (10) | 14 (12) | |
| Mechanically ventilated at onset | 16 (12) | 11 (9) | 0.531 |
| Central venous catheter at onset | 17 (13) | 15 (12) | 0.957 |
| Mean (SD) creatinine at onset of infection, mg/dL | 1.01 (0.64) | 1.04 (0.71); (n=116) | 0.736 |
| Mean (SD) total leucocytes at onset of infection, K/mL3 | 11.6 (6) | 10.5 (4.6); (n=116) | 0.094 |
| Mean (SD) albumin at onset of infection, mg/dL | 2.86 (0.76); (n=108) | 2.78 (0.63); (m=102) | 0.392 |
| Polymicrobial infection | 53 (39) | 41 (35) | 0.49 |
| Appropriate empirical antibiotic treatment (within 48 h) | 13 (10) | 14 (12) | 0.524 |
| Surgery as part of infection management by day 7* | 52/71 (73) | 46/58 (79) | 0.422 |
| Foreign body or catheter removal by day 7† | 13/63 (21) | 15/55 (27) | 0.398 |
MRSA=meticillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus; NYHA=New York Heart Association; SOFA=Sequential Organ Failure Assessment; SSTI=skin and soft tissue infections.
*Denominator is patients in whom surgery was deemed necessary as part of treatment management; among all patients, rates were 52/135 (38.5%) versus 46/117 (39.3%), P=0.9.
†Denominator is patients with central vascular catheter or foreign body.