Table 1.
Baseline characteristics of the surgical inpatient cohort (n = 325).
| Characteristics * | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total number of patients enrolled | 182 | 143 | 325 |
| Age, mean ± SD | 36.0 ± 18.6 | 37.4 ± 20.3 | 36.6 ± 19.4 |
| Median (range) | 35.6 (1–83) | 30.4 (1–90) | 35.8 (1–90) |
| LOS, mean days ± SD | 33.9 ± 32.5 | 36.0 ± 40.3 | 34.8 ± 36.1 |
| Specialty affiliation of patients: | |||
| General Surgery | 12 (6.6) | 13 (9.1) | 25 (7.7) |
| Cardiothoracic surgery | 1 (0.5) | 2 (1.4) | 3 (1.0) |
| Abdominal surgery | 9 (4.9) | 18 (12.6) | 27 (8.3) |
| Plastic surgery | 25 (13.7) | 5 (3.5) | 30 (9.2) |
| Orthopedic surgery | 119 (65.4) | 77 (53.8) | 196 (60.3) |
| Urology | 7 (2.1) | 2 (1.4) | 9 (2.7) |
| Gynecology | - | 13 (9.0) | 13 (4.0) |
| Pediatric surgery | 8 (4.4) | 11 (7.7) | 19 (5.8) |
| Unspecified type of surgery | 1 (0.5) | 2 (1.4) | 3 (0.9) |
| No. of patients with S. aureus carriage within 48 h after admission | 45 (24.7) | 17 (11.9) | 62 (19.0) |
| No. of patients with MRSA carriage | 8 (4.4) | 4 (2.8) | 12 (3.7) |
| No. of patients with MSSA carriage | 37 (20.3) | 13 (9.0) | 50 (15.4) |
| No. of patients with PVL-positive S. aureus carriage: | 7 (3.8) | 4 (2.8) | 11 (3.4) |
| Of which PVL-positive MSSA carriage | 5 (2.7) | 3 (2.1) | 8 (2.5) |
| Of which PVL-positive MRSA carriage | 2 (1.1) | 1 (0.7) | 3 (0.9) |
| No. of patients without S. aureus carriage at screening | 136 (74.7) | 127 (88.8) | 263 (80.9) |
| Total no. of patients with co-morbid conditions | 153 (84.1) | 129 (90.2) | 279 (85.8) |
| McCabe score (at screening): Mean (Range) | 1.0 (1.0–2.0) | 1.1 (1.0–2.0) | 1.1 (1.0–2.0) |
| No. patients receiving antibiotics without activity against MRSA | 156 (85.7) | 106 (74.1) | 262 (80.6) |
| No. patients receiving antibiotic treatment active against MRSA | 1 (0.5) | 2 (1.4) | 3 (1.0) |
| No. of patients who underwent surgical procedures | 138 (75.8) | 98 (68.5) | 236 (72.6) |
| No. of patients with two or more surgical procedures | 56 (30.7) | 34 (23.7) | 90 (27.7) |
| Surgical procedures (CDC classification) | |||
| Clean | 26 (12.7) | 31 (22.8) | 57 (16.7) |
| Clean-Contaminated | 178 (87.3) | 106 (77.9) | 284 (83.3) |
| Emergency | 18 (8.8) | 15 (11.0) | 33 (9.7) |
| Elective | 186 (91.2) | 122 (88.9) | 308 (90.3) |
| Total number of surgical procedures | 204 (59.8) | 137 (40.2) | 341 (100) |
| Incomplete medical records | 9 (4.9) | 5 (3.5) | 14 (4.3) |
| Intravenous devices > 24 h | 99 (54.4) | 71 (49.6) | 170 (52.3) |
| Urinary catheters > 24 h | 52 (28.5) | 41 (28.6) | 93 (28.6) |
| Hemodialysis | 1 (0.5) | 0 (0.0) | 1 (0.31) |
| Total no. of inpatient-days | 6,137 | 5,155 | 11,292 |
* Data are no. (%) of patients, except indicated differently. (mean McCabe score (range): 1.1 (1.0–2.0). For all inpatients enrolled, an aggregate of 11,292 inpatient-days was accumulated during the period of the study.