Long term sepsis readmission, mortality and cause of death following Gram negative bloodstream infection: a propensity matched observational linkage study.

OBJECTIVES

Understand the long-term mortality, risk of readmission for sepsis and cause of death following a gram-negative bloodstream infection (GN-BSI).

METHODS

This was a propensity-matched study using data linkage of Queensland hospital data, Australia. GN-BSIs were collected from 2005 to 2010 and matched 1:1 to hospital admissions without BSI for age, gender, year of culture collection, frequency of admissions in the prior year and Charlson-Deyo Comorbidity score and each comorbidity within the Charlson-Deyo score. Readmissions for sepsis, mortality and causes of death were evaluated.

RESULTS

Cases of GN-BSI were propensity-matched 1:1 to culture-negative hospital admissions (n = 14016). Readmissions for sepsis were higher in the GN-BSI cohort from 91 to 365 days (P < 0.001) and in the four subsequent years (P < 0.001). The five-year survival in the GN-BSI cohort was 52% versus 65% in the culture-negative cases (P < 0.001). Infection was only a common underlying cause of death within the first 90 days. Sepsis was the most common contributing cause of death (CCOD) for the two years following index culture in the GN-BSI cohort.

CONCLUSIONS

Compared to a similarly vulnerable group of hospital attendees, GN-BSI had higher mortality and demonstrated a persistent long-term risk of readmission for sepsis and sepsis as a CCOD.