Clinical Characteristics and Associated Factors for Mortality in Patients with Carbapenem-Resistant Bloodstream Infection

Background: Bloodstream infection (BSI) caused by carbapenem-resistant (CRE) significantly influences patient morbidity and mortality. We aimed to identify the characteristics, outcomes, and risk factors of mortality in adult patients with CRE bacteremia and elucidate the differences between carbapenemase-producing (CP)-CRE BSI and non-CP-CRE BSI.

Methods: This retrospective study included 147 patients who developed CRE BSI between January 2016 and January 2019 at a large tertiary care hospital in South Korea. The patient demographic characteristics and clinical and microbiological data including the species and carbapenemase type were obtained and analyzed.

Results: was the most commonly detected pathogen (80.3%), followed by (15.0%). In total, 128 (87.1%) isolates were found to express carbapenemase, and most CP-CRE isolates harbored . The 14-day and 30-day mortality rates for CRE BSI were 34.0% and 42.2%, respectively. Higher body mass index (odds ratio (OR), 1.123; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.012-1.246; = 0.029), higher sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA) score (OR, 1.206; 95% CI, 1.073-1.356; = 0.002), and previous antibiotic use (OR, 0.163; 95% CI, 0.028-0.933; = 0.042) were independent risk factors for the 14-day mortality. A high SOFA score (OR, 1.208; 95% CI; 1.081-0.349; = 0.001) was the only independent risk factor for 30-day mortality. Carbapenemase production and appropriate antibiotic treatment were not associated with high 14- or 30-day mortality rates.

Conclusions: Mortality from CRE BSI was related to the severity of the infection rather than to carbapenemase production or antibiotic treatment, showing that efforts to prevent CRE acquisition rather than treatment following CRE BSI detection would be more effective at reducing mortality.