ABSTRACT
Objective To review the clinical characteristics and risk factors of Pseudomonas aeruginosa bloodstream infections. Methods The clinical data of P. aeruginosa bloodstream infections in the First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University from January 2007 to December 2016 were analyzed retrospectively. Results Of the 251 patients identified, APACHE Ⅱ score on admission was 11.5±5.2. Majority (98.4％, 247/251) of the patients had fever. Leukopenia was found in 125 patients, leukocytosis in 87 patients, neutropenia in 122 patients, agranulocytosis in 113 patients, anemia in 193 patients, and hypoalbuminemia in 120 patients. Overall, 219 patients had at least one underlying disease, primarily hematological malignancy, or malignant solid tumor. Most (229) patients received invasive procedures such as deep venous catheter, urinary catheter, mechanical ventilation before blood sampling. P. aeruginosa was isolated from 108 of the 173 deep venous catheters. In addition, 130 patients received radiation or chemotherapy. Immunosuppressive agents were used in 124 patients. Among the 251 strains of P. aeruginosa, 87.3％ were susceptible to amikacin, followed by ciprofloxacin (85.7％) and cefepime (81.6％). Multidrug-resistant P. aeruginosa was isolated from 36 (14.3％) patients, and extensively drug resistant strain was isolated from 7 patients. All the 251 patients were treated withantimicrobial agents, mainly β-lactam/β-lactamase inhibitor combinations, carbapenems or fluoroquinolones. Overall, 20 (8.0％) of the 251 patients died, 37 (14.7％) refused further therapy due to worsening condition, and 194 (77.3％) improved. Binary logistic regression analysis showed that high APACHE Ⅱ score on admission, anemia and hypoalbuminemia were risk factors for poor outcome of bloodstream infectionscaused by P. aeruginosa. Conclusions P. aeruginosa bloodstream infection occurs more readily in immunocompromised patients. High APACHE Ⅱ score on admission, anemia and hypoalbuminemia are associated with poor prognosis. Appropriate empiric antimicrobial treatment as early as possible can improve the prognosis of P. aeruginosa bloodstream infection.