Risk factors for hospital acquired infections in patients with decompensated liver cirrhosis / 대한내과학회지

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Infection is a frequent complication in patients with chronic liver disease, mainly during the advanced stages. This study was performed to investigate the risk factors for infections in hospitalized patients with decompensated liver cirrhosis. METHODS: We analyzed 108 decompensated hospitalized cirrhotic patients (34 cases with infection and 117 cases without infection) without clinical evidence of infection at the time of admission and during initial 72 hours after admission. RESULTS: Univariate and multivariate analysis revealed that patients who developed an infection were more likely to have a lower serum albumin levels. Gram-negative bacterial strains were detected most frequently, in 13 of the 18 strains isolated. There was no significant difference in etiology of disease, Child-Pugh classification, cirrhotic complications including upper G-I bleeding, hepatocelluar caricnoma, invasive procedure, diabetus mellitus, admission to ICU, duration of admission, survival rate and various parameters related to liver and renal function between patients with infection and without infection. CONCLUSION: The present study indicates that decompensated cirrhotic patient with low serum albumin levels have a higher risk of developing a hospital acquired infection, especially by gram negative bacteria.