Multi-drug-resistant bacteremia after transrectal ultrasound guided prostate biopsies in hospital employees and their relatives.

OBJECTIVES

To evaluate the incidence of multi-drug-resistant (MDR) organisms causing bacteremia in hospital employees and their relatives after transrectal ultrasound (TRUS) guided prostate biopsies.

METHODS

We retrospectively reviewed all TRUS-guided prostate biopsies between November 2006 and November 2007. Of the 378 patients, we identified 4 cases of post-procedure bacteremia requiring hospital admission. All 4 of these patients had MDR organisms causing bacteremia. These patients were then contacted to determine whether they or their relatives were hospital employees.

RESULTS

We identified 4 patients among a total of 378 who developed MDR bacteremia after TRUS prostate biopsy (1.06%). Three of these patients or their relatives were hospital employees (75%). All 3 of these patients had bacteremia caused by Escherichia coli that was resistant to ciprofloxacin and levofloxacin, the perioperative antibiotic given.

CONCLUSIONS

In addition to the standard TRUS biopsy preoperative questions it is beneficial to ask patients whether they are hospital employees or live in the same household as hospital employees. This way, if patients return postoperatively with fever and chills, there is a higher index of suspicion that bacteremia may be caused by MDR organisms and empiric broad spectrum parenteral antibiotics can be started immediately.