MULTIPLEX PCR TO DIAGNOSE BLOODSTREAM INFECTIONS IN PATIENTS AFTER CARDIOTHORACIC SURGERY

K Pilarczyk,M Dürbeck,J Steinmann,J Benedik,P-M Rath,H Jakob,D Wendt,F Dusse

doi:10.1186/2197-425x-3-s1-a884

Abstract

Infectious complications and sepsis are major causes of mortality and morbidity after cardiac surgery. Early detection of the causing microorganisms and prompt initiation of adequate antimicrobial therapy are crucial for patient survival. However, blood culture (BC) as the current diagnostic gold standard suffers from low sensitivity, as well as a reporting delay of approximately 48-72 h. LightCycler SeptiFast (SF) is a real-time multiplex polymerase chain reaction test able to detect 25 common pathogens responsible for bloodstream infections within hours.

Highlights

Infectious complications and sepsis are major causes of mortality and morbidity after cardiac surgery
LightCycler SeptiFast (SF) is a real-time multiplex polymerase chain reaction test able to detect 25 common pathogens responsible for bloodstream infections within hours. This single-center retrospective study aimed to compare the performance of SF matched with conventional blood culture (BC) samples and identify predictors for positivity of SF in patients after cardiothoracic surgery
Overall, 279 blood samples from 168 individuals with suspected bloodstream infection were analyzed by both, SF and BC

Summary

Introduction

Infectious complications and sepsis are major causes of mortality and morbidity after cardiac surgery. Detection of the causing microorganisms and prompt initiation of adequate antimicrobial therapy are crucial for patient survival. Blood culture (BC) as the current diagnostic gold standard suffers from low sensitivity, as well as a reporting delay of approximately 48-72 h. LightCycler SeptiFast (SF) is a real-time multiplex polymerase chain reaction test able to detect 25 common pathogens responsible for bloodstream infections within hours

Objectives

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Results