[Bacteremias at a teaching hospital: etiology, antimicrobial susceptibility pattern and risk factors for mortality]

To evaluate the frequency and profile of bacteremia, its antimicrobial susceptibility and to analyze predictors of mortality in bloodstream infections (BSI) at this Teaching Hospital from January 1, 2000 to December 31, 2001.

retrospective cohort. Patients over one year old with clinically significant episodes of BSI which were microbiologically documented were included in the study. The Cox proportional hazards risk model was applied to identify prognostic factors related to death by bacteremia.

A total of 295 episodes of BSI were detected. The most common pathogen was S. aureus: 118 (40.0%), with 55.9% of MRSA. Mortality associated with bacteremia was 34.5%. Independent predictors of mortality were: inadequate initial therapy (HR adjusted 2.05 IC95%: 1.25-3.36) and severity of the clinical manifestations (HR adjusted 5.52 IC95%: 3.15-9.69).

This study disclosed high mortality rates due to BSI and a high frequency of MRSA. Inadequate initial therapy and severity of clinical manifestations were significantly and independently associated with mortality.