Persistent Staphylococcus aureus Bacteremia

Prompt removal of central venous catheters or other foreign bodies during S. aureus bacteremia may help to decrease the risk for persistent infection.

Persistent Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia (SAB) is a major problem among hospitalized patients, yet the frequency of persistent SAB and the risk factors for persistence remain poorly understood. To investigate these issues, researchers conducted a retrospective analysis of all inpatients with SAB at a Chicago tertiary care center between January 2001 and September 2004. They matched each patient with persistent SAB (duration >7 days) to two control patients who had “nonpersistent” SAB (duration <3 days). Among 1028 episodes of SAB during the study period, 99 (10%) were persistent; 84 such episodes were included in the analysis.

In multivariate analysis, patients with persistent SAB were significantly more likely than those with nonpersiste…

Reviewing Author

Daniel J. Diekema, MD, MS