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  3. Mortality after Staphylococcus aureus bacteraemia in two hospitals in Oxfordshire, 1997-2003: cohort study
Research

Mortality after Staphylococcus aureus bacteraemia in two hospitals in Oxfordshire, 1997-2003: cohort study

BMJ 2006; 333 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.38834.421713.2F (Published 03 August 2006) Cite this as: BMJ 2006;333:281

This article has a correction. Please see:

  1. David H Wyllie (david.wyllie{at}ndcls.ox.ac.uk), clinical lecturer in microbiology1,
  2. Derrick W Crook, consultant microbiologist1,
  3. Tim E A Peto, professor of infectious diseases2
  1. 1 Nuffield Department of Clinical Laboratory Sciences, University of Oxford, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford OX3 9DU,
  2. 2 Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford
  1. Correspondence to: D Wyllie
  • Accepted 13 April 2006

Abstract

Objective To determine the incidence of methicillin resistant and methicillin sensitive Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA and MSSA) bacteraemia in inpatients and associated mortality within 30 days after diagnosis.

Design Anonymised record linkage study of data from hospital information systems and microbiology databases.

Setting Teaching hospital and district general hospital in Oxfordshire.

Participants Inpatients aged 18 or over admitted to a teaching hospital between 1 April 1997 and 31 March 2004 and to a district general hospital between 1 April 1999 and 31 March 2004. The main part of the study comprised 216 644 inpatients; patients admitted to haematology, nephrology, or oncology services were not included because most were managed as outpatients.

Outcome measures Nosocomial MSSA and MRSA bacteraemia; death in hospital within 30 days after bacteraemia.

Results Rates of S aureus bacteraemia rose between 1997 and 2003, and MRSA was responsible for this increase. Overall mortality 30 days after bacteraemia was 29%. The crude odds ratio for death after MRSA bacteraemia compared with MSSA bacteraemia was 1.49 (95% confidence interval 0.99 to 2.26).

Conclusion The spread of MRSA has greatly increased the overall number of cases of S aureus bacteraemia and has contributed to short term mortality after S aureus bacteraemia.

Footnotes

  • We thank the reviewers for their helpful comments.

  • Contributors DHW obtained and linked the data and wrote the paper. DHW and TEAP analysed the data. All authors contributed to the paper. DHW is guarantor.

  • Funding None.

  • Competing interests None declared.

  • Ethical approval Not needed.

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