Predictors of mortality in surgical patients with Acinetobacter baumannii bacteremia

Acinetobacter baumannii has emerged as an important pathogen of nosocomial infection. The aim of this study was to evaluate the predictors of poor outcome in surgical patients with A baumannii bacteremia.

We retrospectively recruited a total of 50 patients who developed A baumannii bacteremia within 2 weeks after surgery during a 113-month period. The primary outcome for this study was all-cause 14-day mortality. Clinical and laboratory data, antimicrobial susceptibility, treatment, and Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score were evaluated as possible predictors of outcome.

The 14-day mortality was 20% and there was no association between type of surgery and mortality. The SOFA score was the only independent predictor of 14-day mortality after adjustment for other variables. The calibration was acceptable (Hosmer-Lemeshow χ(2) = 3.65, p = 0.72) and the discrimination was good (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve: 0.80 ± 0.07, 95% confidence interval, 0.67-0.94). We found that a SOFA score ≥ 7 was a significant predictor of 14-day mortality in surgical patients with A baumannii bacteremia.

The SOFA score assessed at the onset of bacteremia is a reliable tool for predicting 14-day mortality in surgical patients with A baumannii bacteremia.