Table 3.
Descriptive statistics of patients seen by the SIRI Team.
| Variable* | Percent or median (IQR) |
|---|---|
| Age | 44 (39–48) |
| Female | 38% |
| Hispanic | 48% |
| Black race | 10% |
| Homeless | 81% |
| Phoneless | 52% |
| Uninsured | 48% |
| HIV | 29% |
| Chronic HCV infection** | 52% |
| Substances used | |
| Opioids | 100% |
| Cocaine or crack | 90% |
| MDMA | 19% |
| Methamphetamine | 14% |
| Benzodiazepines | 14% |
| Alcohol | 5% |
| Any stimulant | 95% |
| Infections*** | |
| Bacteraemia/fungemia | 33% |
| Endocarditis | 14% |
| Septic arthritis | 14% |
| Non-vertebral osteomyelitis | 14% |
| Vertebral osteomyelitis | 14% |
| Skin and soft tissue infection | 33% |
| Length of stay, days | 12 (7–20) |
| Days of antibiotics | 26 (16–42) |
| Post-discharge antibiotic route (n = 20) | |
| Oral | 85% |
| Intravenous | 5% |
| Long-acting IV | 10% |
| Oral + (intravenous or long-active IV) | 10% |
| None | 10% |
| Completed antibiotic course (n = 20) | 95% |
| Discharged on MOUD (n = 20) | 100% |
| Patient-directed discharge (n = 20) | 20% |
| Discharge location (n = 20) | |
| Home | 30% |
| Street/homelessness | 40% |
| Residential addiction facility | 20% |
| Salvation army medical respite | 5% |
| Nursing home | 5% |
HCV: hepatitis C virus; HIV: human immunodeficiency virus; IQR: inter-quartile range; IV: intravenous; MDMA: 3,4-methylenedioxy-methamphetamine; SIRI: severe injection-related infection.
*n = 21 unless otherwise stated.
**Chronic HCV infection defined as having a positive HCV antibody and detectable HCV viral load. No patients had suspected acute HCV infection.
***Other infections: orthopaedic hardware infection (1), lung abscess (2).