Risk factors influencing clinical outcome in Staphylococcus aureus bacteraemia in a Turkish University Hospital

A total of 101 episodes of Staphylococcus aureus bacteraemia were evaluated for the factors influencing prognosis. The overall episode mortality rate and the mortality rate due to bacteraemia were 43.6 and 21.8%, respectively . Episodes with methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) bacteraemia had a si gnificantly higher overall mortality rate (58.7 vs. 30.9%, P < 0.01) and mo rtality rate due to bacteraemia (32.6 vs. 12.7%, P = 0.02) when compared wi th episodes caused by methicillin-sensitive S. aureus (MSSA). The multivari ate analysis revealed that the underlying disease, presence of infective en docarditis, septic shock and central intravascular catheter and methicillin resistance of S. aureus were the five independent risk factors associated with a higher mortality rate. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. and Internatio nal Society of Chemotherapy. All rights reserved.