Mortality and morbidity attributable to inadequate empirical antimicrobial therapy in patients admitted to the ICU with sepsis: a matched cohort study.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the attributable mortality and excess length of stay (LOS) associated with the use of inadequate empirical antimicrobial therapy in patients with sepsis at admission to the intensive care unit (ICU). METHODS: A retrospective matched cohort study was performed using a prospectively collected database at a 40 bed general ICU at a university public hospital. Patients who received inadequate antimicrobial therapy at admission to the ICU (exposed) were matched with controls (unexposed) on the basis of origin of sepsis, inflammatory response at admission, surgical or medical status, hospital- or community-acquired sepsis, APACHE II score (+/-2 points) and age (+/-10 years). Clinical outcome was assessed by in-hospital mortality, and this analysis was also performed in those pairs without nosocomial infection in the ICU. RESULTS: Eighty-seven pairs were successfully matched. Fifty-nine exposed patients died [67.8% mortality (95% CI, 58.0-77.6%)] and 25 unexposed controls died [28.7% mortality (95% CI, 19.2-38.2%)] (P < 0.001). Excess in-hospital mortality was estimated to be 39.1%. The rate of nosocomial infection was significantly higher in patients with inadequate empirical therapy (16.1%) than in those treated empirically with adequate antibiotics (3.4%) (P = 0.013). Excess in-hospital mortality was 31.4% after excluding those 17 pairs that developed a nosocomial infection in the ICU. Inadequate antimicrobial therapy was associated with a significant increment in duration of hospitalization (15 days in surviving pairs). CONCLUSIONS: Inadequate antimicrobial therapy at admission to the ICU with sepsis is associated with excess mortality and increases LOS.

Acinetobacter baumannii ventilator-associated pneumonia: epidemiological and clinical findings.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate prognostic factors and predictors of Acinetobacter baumannii isolation in ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP). We specifically analyzed these issues for imipenem-resistant episodes. DESIGN AND SETTING: All episodes of VAP are prospectively included in a database. Information about risk factors was retrieved retrospectively. PATIENTS: Eighty-one patients exhibiting microbiologically documented VAP: 41 by A. baumannii (26 by imipenem-resistant) and 40 by other pathogens. MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS: The following variables were noted: underlying diseases, severity of illness, duration of mechanical ventilation and of hospitalization before VAP, prior episode of sepsis, previous antibiotic, corticosteroid use, type of nutrition, renal replacement therapy, reintubation, transportation out of the ICU, micro-organisms involved in VAP, concomitant bacteremia, clinical presentation, Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) scale on the day of diagnosis, and adequacy of empirical antibiotic therapy. Prior antibiotic use was found to be associated with development of VAP by A. baumannii (OR 14). Prior imipenem exposure was associated with the isolation of imipenem-resistant strains (OR 4). SOFA score on the day of diagnosis was the only predictor of in-hospital mortality (OR 1.22); adequacy of empirical antibiotic therapy was a protective factor (OR 0.067). CONCLUSIONS: Our results confirm that prior exposure to antimicrobials is an independent predictor for the development of A. baumannii VAP, the prognosis of which is similar to that of infections caused by other pathogens. This study highlights the importance of initial antibiotic choice in VAP or whatever cause.