Incidence of Bacteremia at the Time of ICU Admission and its Impact on Outcome

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Background: For patients admitted in ICU, if they are suspected with infection, at admission time, blood culture is taken. Aim: This study aimed to evaluate the bacteraemia incidence at the ICU admission time, and assess its impact on the outcome.Subjects and Methods:This is a retrospective study which was conducted in a tertiary hospital. At time of admission, data from all the ICU admissions with suspected sepsis were analysed over a period of July 2016 to June 2018. The positive blood culture group (Group A) consisted of patients with clinically significant BSI.Results:600 patients were selected in the study. 250 patients out of 600 patients (42%) were on antibiotics. 380 patients out of 600 patients (63%) were direct ICU admission from casualty, 70 patients from hospital wards (11%), 45 patients from other ICU’s in the hospital (8%) and 105 patients from other hospitals (18%). Blood cultures were positive only in 70 patients (11.6%) with significant BSI. ICU mortality was significantly higher in positive blood culture group (i.e. 30/70), when compared with negative blood culture group (i.e. 68/530). Mortality was higher in patients with pseudomonas aeruginosa (75%) though it was not statistically significant.Conclusion:In the ICU, only in minority of patients with suspected infection, blood cultures may be positive. Even though the patients are administered with antibiotics, prognosis of the patients with positive blood culture is worse.