Characteristics of Bacterial Species in Positive Blood Cultures among Hospitalized Patients in Three Wards in the Department of Internal Medicine: Retrospective Chart Review 1999-2008

Abstract

Objective This study aimed to establish the clinical significance of positive blood cultures during the past 10 years in Saga University Hospital. Methods All hospitalized patients with positive blood cultures in the gastroenterology, hepatology and respiratory wards in the Department of Internal Medicine, Saga University Hospital were evaluated by retrospective chart review between January 1999 and December 2008. The results were compared between period I (1999)(2000)(2001)(2002)(2003) and period II (2004II ( -2008. Results During the study, 2,680 isolates from 22,694 samples (11.8%) were detected in Saga University Hospital: 106 (13.1%) isolates from 812 samples were detected in the gastroenterology ward; 71 (7.8%) from 914 in the hepatology ward; and 160 (6.0%) from 2,671 in the respiratory ward. The number of positive blood cultures increased during period II compared with period I in all three wards. The ratio of Gramnegative rods increased in the gastroenterology ward during period II (p<0.05). The ratio of Gram-positive cocci was higher in the respiratory ward compared with the other two wards (p<0.05 in each). In contrast, the ratio of Gram-negative rods was higher in the gastroenterology and hepatology wards (p<0.05 in each). Fungemia increased in the gastroenterology and respiratory wards in period II (p<0.05 in each). Conclusion The trends in bacterial species in positive blood cultures differed between the gastroenterology, hepatology and respiratory wards. This could be important for decision making regarding antimicrobial therapy in the early therapeutic phase.

Infectious disease during hospitalization is the major causative factor for prolonged hospitalization: multivariate analysis of diagnosis procedure combination (DPC) data of 20,876 cases in Japan

“…Infectious diseases during hospitalization were caused by several factors including nosocomial infection and infection following intensive intervention including surgery. ( 13 , 14 ) The results of the present study suggest that infectious disease complications during hospitalization were linked to increased severity of the patient’s illness. This was demonstrated by the higher mortality rate in group II (the prolonged hospitalization group) of 1.49%, which was significantly higher than in group I (0.97%).…”

The €œNEW SETTLERS”: RESULTS OF a BACTERIOLOGICAL SURVEY DURING THE FIRST 6-Months OPERATION PERIOD OF AN INTERNAL MEDICINE WARD IN a TERTIARY HOSPITAL

“…A study conducted by Sato and his colleagues among internal medicine departments in Japan (Sato et al, 2012) shows a total isolation rate of only 11.8% from blood cultures taken. A similar study in Korea (Shin et al, 2011) reveals that the incidence of positive blood cultures was 10.1%, with 2.1% attributable to contamination by skin flora and the rest to true pathogens.…”