Bacteremic Superinfections of Patients with Bacteremia: Occurrence, Bacteriology, Mortality, and Duration of Hospitalization at Boston City Hospital during 12 Selected Years between 1935 and 1972
- 1 December 1978
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Oxford University Press (OUP) in The Journal of Infectious Diseases
- Vol. 138 (6) , 829-836
- https://doi.org/10.1093/infdis/138.6.829
Abstract
During the course of hospitalization of 6,414 patients with bacteremic infections identified at Boston City Hospital (Boston, Massachusetts) during 12 selected years between 1935 and 1972, 6.0% developed verified bacteremic superinfections with organisms not isolated or identified in the primary bacteremic infection. Analysis of these cases reemphasizes the increasing occurrence of serious hospital-acquired infections despite the successive introduction and intensive use of a large number of effective antibacterial agents. The bacteremic superinfections, like the primary hospital-acquired bacteremias, increased in incidence over the years, particularly since 1961; they were more frequent and were associated with a higher mortality rate and longer duration of hospital stay in the primary hospital-acquired cases than in the patients in whom bacteremia was considered to be community-acquired. The organisms in superinfections were similar to those in primary hospital-acquired bacteremias. Superinfection was more frequent among the patients who died than among the survivors.Keywords
This publication has 1 reference indexed in Scilit:
- Changing Ecology of Acute Bacterial Empyema: Occurrence and Mortality at Boston City Hospital during 12 Selected Years from 1935 to 1972The Journal of Infectious Diseases, 1978