Association between resistance to vancomycin and death in cases of Enterococcus faecium bacteremia

We conducted a retrospective cohort study to determine the association betw een resistance to vancomycin and mortality among hospitalized patients with Enterococcus faecium bacteremia. We compared outcomes for patients infecte d with vancomycin-resistant versus vancomycin-susceptible E. faecium among 69 patients with bacteremia defined according to the National Nosocomial In fections Surveillance system. The univariate odds ratio (OR) for death asso ciated with vancomycin resistance was 2.1 (P = .172). After controlling for severity of illness, we found that vancomycin resistance was not associate d with mortality (OR, 1.74; 95% confidence interval, 0.5-6.12; P = .39). Va ncomycin resistance does not independently increase mortality among patient s with E. faecium bacteremia.