Haemodialysis catheter-related bloodstream infections at Universitas Academic Hospital, Bloemfontein: should we change our empiric antibiotics?

Abstract

Nosocomial bloodstream infections are only second to cardiovascular disease in causing mortality in patients with end-stage renal disease. The majority of these infections relate to haemodialysis catheters. Empiric antimicrobial treatment is instituted on the clinical suspicion of a catheter-related bloodstream infection (CRBSI) while awaiting the blood culture results. There is a paucity of local data on microbial resistance patterns to guide empiric antibiotic use. This prompted our study. A retrospective survey was performed of cultured organisms and their antibiograms from patients with haemodialysis catheters in the Nephrology Unit at Universitas Academic Hospital, Bloemfontein, between January and December 2012. A list of all blood cultures performed during 2012 at the nephrology unit was compiled from the National Health Laboratory Service's electronic record system. All positive blood cultures associated with CRBSI were included in this study. Duplicate cultures, as well as negative cultures, were...