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Table 4 Characteristics of patients receiving adequate or inadequate empirical antibiotic treatment (univariate analysis).

From: Empirical use of antibiotics and adjustment of empirical antibiotic therapies in a university hospital: a prospective observational study

Characteristic

Patients (n) receiving adequate empirical antibiotic treatment

Patients (n) receiving inadequate empirical antibiotic treatment

p-value

OR (95% CI) for adequate therapy

Number of patients

418 (77.6%)

121 (22.4%)

  

Women

170 (70.2%)

72 (29.8%)

< 0.001

0.47 (0.31–0.70)

Age

    

   Median age and range (years)

67 [18–100]

72 [17–97]

0.038*

 

   < 40 years

74 (77.1%)

22 (22.9%)

0.904

0.97 (0.57–1.64)

   41 – 60 yr.

91 (87.5%)

13 (12.5%)

0.007

2.31 (1.12–4.30)

   > 60 years

253 (74.6%)

86 (25.4%)

0.034

0.62 (0.40–0.97)

Ward:

    

   Medicine/Geriatrics

281 (78.3%)

78 (21.7%)

0.399

1.19 (0.80–1.76)

   Surgery

135 (78.9%)

36 (21.1%)

0.733

1.09 (0.70–1.65)

   Medical and surgical intensive care

25 (71.4%)

10 (28.6%)

0.408

0.73 (0.34–1.55)

   Neurology

1 (25.0%)

3 (75.0%)

0.040†

0.10 (0.01–0.94)

Died in hospital

25 (80.6%)

6 (19.4%)

0.671

1.22 (0.49–3.04)

Charlson index:

    

   Charlson index total 0

110 (81.5%)

25 (18.5%)

0.206

1.37 (0.84–2.24)

   Charlson index total 1 – 5

264 (75.9%)

84 (24.1%)

0.205

0.76 (0.49–1.17)

   Charlson index total > 5

44 (78.6%)

12 (21.4%)

0.845

1.07 (0.55–2.10)

McCabe index:

    

   Not fatal

343 (77.4%)

100 (22.6%)

0.882

0.96 (0.56–1.64)

   Fatal (< 5 years)

52 (81.3%)

12 (18.8%)

0.450

1.29 (0.67–2.51)

   Fatal (< 6 months)

23 (71.9%)

9 (28.1%)

0.428

0.73 (0.33–1.61)

Number of microbiological exams performed:

    

   None

78 (77.2%)

23 (22.8%)

0.931

0.98 (0.58–1.64)

   One or more

340 (77.6%)

98 (22.4%)

0.931

1.02 (0.61–1.71)

Infectious diseases consultants involved:

    

   Within 24 hours

23 (62.2%)

14 (37.8%)

0.020

0.45 (0.22–0.89)

   Were involved

58 (69.0%)

26 (31.0%)

0.042

0.59 (0.35–0.99)

Therapy adjusted

128 (76.2%)

40 (23.8%)

0.611

0.89 (0.58–1.38)

Hepatic failure reported

1 (50.0%)

1 (50.0%)

0.399†

0.29 (0.02–4.64)

Renal failure reported

100 (69.0%)

45 (31.0%)

0.004

0.53 (0.35–0.82)

Received broad-spectrum antibiotics or vancomycin

62 (65.3%)

33 (34.7%)

0.002

0.46 (0.29–0.75)

Allergy to antibiotics reported

29 (70.1%)

12 (29.9%)

0.276

0.68 (0.33–1.37)

Diagnoses

    

   Biliary tract infections

19 (76.0%)

6 (24%)

0.849

0.91 (0.36–2.34)

   Bone and joint infections

12 (70.6%)

5 (29.4%)

0.553†

0.69 (0.24–1.99)

   Central nervous system infections

9 (81.8%)

2 (18.1%)

1.000†

1.31 (0.28–6.14)

   Ear, nose and throat infections

11 (73.3%)

4 (26.7%)

0.753†

0.79 (0.25–2.53)

   Gastrointestinal infections

59 (73.8%)

21 (26.3%)

0.377

0.78 (0.45–1.35)

   Neutropenic fever

10 (100%)

0 (0.00%)

0.127†

N/A

   No infectious disease

1 (25.0%)

3 (75.0%)

0.037†

0.09 (0.01–0.92)

   Respiratory tract infections

139 (82.2%)

30 (17.8%)

0.077

1.51 (0.95–2.39)

   Sepsis

19 (86.4%)

3 (13.6%)

0.436†

1.87 (0.55–6.44)

   Skin and soft tissue infections

48 (81.4%)

11 (18.6%)

0.458

1.30 (0.65–2.58)

   Suspected systemic infections without identified focus

19 (76.0%)

6 (24.0%)

0.849

0.91 (0.36–2.34)

   Urinary tract infections, prostatitis, epididimytis

83 (73.5%)

30 (26.6%)

0.240

0.75 (0.47–1.21)

   Other

11 (68.8%)

5 (31.3%)

0.371†

1.30 (0.21–1.84)

SIRS present

199 (77.7%)

57 (22.3%)

0.923

1.02 (0.68–1.53)

  1. Note: The adequacy of treatment was compared against the individual variables with the Chi-squared test with odds ratio production
  2. * Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney test
  3. † Fisher's Exact test