Recurrent sepsis in home parenteral nutrition patients: an analysis of risk factors

Septicemia is the major cause of morbidity in home parenteral nutrition patients, accounting for approximately 70% of rehospitalizations. To identify risk factors, the incidence of infection was examined in 41 current home parenteral nutrition patients, 30 with short-bowel syndrome (including 16 with inflammatory bowel disease and 11 with bowel infarction) and 11 with chronic obstructive disorders. Management, which was followed for a mean duration of 78.6 months (range, 1 to 15 1/2 years), was standardized by protocol. Ten patients never experienced infection during the average follow-up of 61 months (range, 14 to 174 months), whereas seven patients experienced frequent infections during the mean follow-up of 77 months (range, 24 to 180 months). Significant distinguishing features in the frequent-infection group were younger age (45 +/- 12 vs 66.9 +/- 14.3 years, p < .05), Crohn's disease (in five of seven vs zero of 10 subjects, p < .05), jejunostomies (in seven of seven vs one of 10 subjects, p < .0005), and central vein thrombosis (in five of seven vs zero of 10 subjects, p < .05). A greater proportion of the frequent-infection group had poor catheter-care technique and more were smokers. One hundred fifty septicemias were confirmed by blood culture, giving an average infection rate of one every 31 months, 52% caused by Gram-positive organisms (chiefly coagulase-negative staphylococci and Staphylococcus aureus), 30% caused by Gram-negative organisms, and 16% caused by fungus (chiefly Candida albicans).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)