Risk factors for negative blood cultures in adult medical inpatients - a retrospective analysis

Ehrenstein, Boris P. and Ehrenstein, Vera and Henke, Christine and Linde, Hans-Joerg and Salzberger, Bernd and Schoelmerich, Juergen and Glueck, Thomas (2008) Risk factors for negative blood cultures in adult medical inpatients - a retrospective analysis. BMC INFECTIOUS DISEASES, 8: 148. ISSN 1471-2334,

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Abstract

Background: The identification of clinical factors associated with negative blood cultures could help to avoid unnecessary blood cultures. C-reactive protein (CRP) is a well-established inflammation marker commonly used in the management of medical inpatients. Methods: We studied the association of clinical factors, CRP levels and changes of CRP documented prior to blood culture draws with the absence of bacteremia for hospitalized medical patients. Results: In the retrospective analysis of 710 blood cultures obtained from 310 medical inpatients of non-intensive-care wards during one year (admission blood cultures obtained in the emergency room were excluded), the following retrospectively available factors were the only independent predictors of blood cultures negative for obligate pathogens: a good clinical condition represented by the lowest of three general nursing categories (OR 4.2, 95% CI 1.8 - 9.5), a CRP rise > 50 mg/L documented before the blood culture draw (OR 2.0 95% CI 1.8 - 9.5) and any antibiotic treatment in the previous seven days (OR 2.0, 95% CI 1.1 - 3.5). Conclusion: Including the general clinical condition, antibiotic pre-treatment and a substantial rise of CRP into the decision, whether or not to obtain blood cultures from medical inpatients with a suspected infection, could improve the diagnostic yield.

Item Type: Article
Uncontrolled Keywords: C-REACTIVE PROTEIN; PREDICTING BACTEREMIA; CANCER-PATIENTS; INFLAMMATION; NEUTROPENIA; DIAGNOSIS; MARKERS; SEPSIS; MODEL; FEVER;
Subjects: 600 Technology > 610 Medical sciences Medicine
Divisions: Medicine > Lehrstuhl für Innere Medizin I
Medicine > Lehrstuhl für Medizinische Mikrobiologie und Hygiene
Depositing User: Dr. Gernot Deinzer
Date Deposited: 21 Oct 2020 09:40
Last Modified: 21 Oct 2020 09:40
URI: https://pred.uni-regensburg.de/id/eprint/30155

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