Risk Factors for E₂SKAPE Infections and Mortality Among Liver Transplant Recipients

Infections caused by Enterococcus faecium, Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Acinetobacter baumannii, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Enterobacter spp (ESKAPE) plus Escherichia coli (E₂SKAPE), in particular multidrug-resistant (MDR) E₂SKAPE infections, occur frequently and pose a life-threatening to liver transplant (LT) recipients. To prevent E₂SKAPE infections and improve the prognosis of LT recipients, the identification of risk factors for E₂SKAPE infections and mortality is necessary.

E₂SKAPE pathogens were isolated and identified from clinical samples following standard microbiological procedures. All episodes of E₂SKAPE infections and mortality documented among LT recipients were analyzed.

A total of 83 episodes of E₂SKAPE infections, including 75 (90.4%) episodes of MDR-E₂SKAPE infections, occurred in 23.1% (53/229) of LT recipients. E. faecium was the dominant causative bacterium (37/83; 44.6%). The most common site of infections was the urinary tract (14/53; 26.4%). Sixteen (7%) patients died within 2 months after LT, and 7 deaths were E₂SKAPE infections-related. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that female sex [odds ratio (OR) = 3.665, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.614-8.321, P = 0.002], duration of surgery ≥ 400 min [OR = 2.328, 95%CI: 1.151-4.707, P = 0.019], intraoperative red blood cell (RBC) transfusion ≥ 12U [OR = 2.542, 95%CI: 1.218-5.306, P = 0.013] and indwelling urethral catheter use ≥ 3 days [OR = 3.96, 95%CI: 1.309-11.981, P = 0.015] were independent risk factors for E₂SKAPE infections after LT, and that only exposure to more than 2 intravenous antibiotics post-LT [OR = 0.318, 95%CI: 0.15-0.674, P = 0.003] was negatively associated with acquisition of E₂SKAPE infections. The predictors of crude mortality included female sex [OR = 4.822, 95%CI: 1.299-17.904, P = 0.019], creatinine on day 3 post-LT > 1.5 mg/dL [OR = 11.014, 95%CI: 2.985-40.637, P < 0.001], mechanical ventilation post-LT [OR = 10.724, 95%CI: 2.695-42.676, P = 0.001] and recipients with E₂SKAPE infections [OR = 4.112, 95%CI: 1.169-14.47, P = 0.028].

A high incidence of E₂SKAPE infections was noted in the early post-LT period. The most common infection site was the urinary tract, and the dominant pathogenic bacterium was E. faecium. Female sex, prolonged surgery time, massive RBC transfusion, or delayed urethral catheter removal were associated with E₂SKAPE infections. Only exposure to more than 2 intravenous antibiotics post-LT was negatively related to the acquisition of E₂SKAPE infections. The predictors of mortality included female sex, creatinine on day 3 post-LT>1.5 mg/dL, mechanical ventilation post-LT, and recipients with E₂SKAPE infections.