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Factors associated with positive blood cultures in outpatients with suspected bacteremia

Wildi, K. ; Tschudin-Sutter, S. ; Dell-Kuster, S. ; Frei, R. ; Bucher, H. ; Nüesch, R.

In: European Journal of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases, 2011, vol. 30, no. 12, p. 1615-1619

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    Title
    • Factors associated with positive blood cultures in outpatients with suspected bacteremia
    Author
    • Wildi, K.. Division of Internal Medicine, University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland
    • Tschudin-Sutter, S.. Division of Infectious Diseases, Hospital Hygiene, University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland
    • Dell-Kuster, S.. Basel Institute for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland
    • Frei, R.. Division of Clinical Microbiology, University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland
    • Bucher, H.. Basel Institute for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland
    • Nüesch, R.. Division of Internal Medicine, University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland
    Document Type
    • Postprint
    Language
    • English
    Published in
    • European Journal of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases, 2011, vol. 30, no. 12, p. 1615-1619. Springer-Verlag
    Other Version
    Classification
    • Health
    OAI-PMH Identifier
    • oai:doc.rero.ch:315406
    Summary
    Blood cultures are routinely taken in outpatients with fever and suspected bacterial infections. However, in the majority of cases, they are not informative and of limited value for clinical decision making. The aim of this study was therefore to investigate factors associated with positive blood cultures in outpatients presenting to an outpatient clinic and emergency room. This was a case-control study of all outpatients with positive blood cultures from January 1, 2006 to October 31, 2007 and matched control patients with negative blood cultures in the same time period. Microbiology results and medical charts were reviewed to determine factors associated with positive blood cultures. The presence of a systemic inflammation response syndrome (SIRS) (OR 2.7, 95% Cl 1.0-7.2) and increased C-reactive protein (CRP) (OR 1.1 per 10mg/l, 95% Cl 1.0-1.2) were the most powerful predictive values for the development of positive blood cultures. In positive cases serum albumin was lower (35mg/l versus 39mg/l) than in controls. SIRS, increasing CRP and low albumin were associated with positive blood cultures in outpatients. With simple clinical assessment and few laboratory tests indicative of infection, it is possible to define a group at higher risk for bacteremia in outpatients