Table 5 Characteristics of patients receiving adequate or inadequate adjusted antibiotic treatment (univariate analysis)

Number of patients

121 (72.5%)

46 (27.5%)

Women

54 (70.1%)

23 (29.9%)

0.534

0.81 (0.41–1.59)

Age

   Median age and range (years)

65 [21–97]

70 [19–95]

0.115*

   < 40

22 (78.6%)

6 (21.4%)

0.427

1.48 (0.56–3.93)

   41 – 60

29 (80.6%)

7 (19.4%)

0.219

1.76 (0.71–4.35)

   > 60

70 (68.0%)

33 (32.0%)

0.099

0.54 (0.26–1.13)

Ward:

   Medicine/Geriatrics

85 (72.0%)

33 (28.0%)

0.472

0.77 (0.38–1.56)

   Surgery

36 (73.5%)

13 (26.5%)

0.955

0.98 (0.47–2.06)

   Medical and surgical intensive care

13 (86.7%)

2 (13.3%)

0.360†

2.45 (0.53–11.28)

   Neurology

0 (0.0%)

0 (0.0%)

N/A

N/A

Died in hospital

10 (90.9%)

1 (9.1%)

0.293†

4.05 (0.50–32.60)

Reason for switch:

   Switch due to bacterial lab results

58 (89.2%)

7 (10.7%)

< 0.001

5.13 (2.13–12.37)

   Switch due to other reason

43 (64.2%)

24 (35.8%)

0.050

0.51 (0.25–1.01)

Charlson Index:

   Charlson index total 0

26 (76.5%)

8 (23.5%)

0.557

1.30 (0.54–3.13)

   Charlson index total 1 – 5

84 (71.8%)

33 (28.2%)

0.770

0.89 (0.42–1.89)

   Charlson index total > 5

11 (68.8%)

5 (31.2%)

0.771†

0.82 (0.27–2.50)

McCabe index

   Not fatal

97 (74.0%)

34 (26.0%)

0.380

1.43 (0.64–3.16)

   Fatal (< 5 years)

18 (75.0%)

6 (25.0%)

0.763

1.17 (0.43–3.15)

   Fatal (< 6 months)

6 (50.0%)

6 (50.0%)

0.055†

0.35 (0.11–1.14)

Number of microbiological exams performed:

   None

13 (76.5%)

4 (23.5%)

0.783†

1.26 (0.39–4.10)

   One or more

108 (72%)

42 (28%)

0.783†

0.79 (0.24–2.57)

Infectious diseases consultants involved:

   Within 24 hours

22 (88.0%)

3 (12.0%)

0.059

3.19 (0.91–11.21)

   Were involved

52 (82.5%)

11 (17.5%)

0.023

2.40 (1.11–5.16)

Hepatic failure reported

1 (100.0%)

0 (0.0%)

1.000†

N/A

Renal failure reported

34 (70.8%)

14 (29.2%)

0.766

0.89 (0.43–1.88)

Received broad-spectrum antibiotics or vancomycin

37 (84.1%)

7 (15.9%)

0.520

1.28 (0.60–2.72)

Allergy to antibiotics reported

9 (64.3%)

5 (35.7%)

0.534†

0.66 (0.21–2.08)

Diagnoses

   Biliary tract infections

5 (83.3%)

1 (16.7%)

1.000†

1.94 (0.22–17.06)

   Bone and joint infections

10 (100.0%)

0 (0.0%)

0.063†

N/A

   CNS infections

3 (100.0%)

0 (0.0%)

0.562†

N/A

   Ear, nose and throat infections

0 (0.00%)

1 (100%)

0.275†

N/A

   Gastrointestinal infections

17 (63.0%)

10 (37.0%)

0.228

0.59 (0.25–1.40)

   Urinary tract infections, postatitis, epididimytis

21 (67.7%)

10 (32.3%)

0.52

0.76 (0.33–1.76)

   Neutropenic fever

6 (85.7%)

1 (14.3%)

0.675†

2.35 (0.28–20.05)

   Respiratory tract infections

34 (60.7%)

22 (39.3%)

0.016

0.43 (0.21–0.86)

   Sepsis

12 (92.3%)

1 (7.7%)

0.116†

4.95 (0.63–39.24)

   Skin and soft tissue infections

10 (71.4%)

4 (28.6%)

1.000†

0.95 (0.28–3.18)

   Suspected systemic infections without identified focus

5 (71.4%)

2 (28.6%)

1.000†

0.95 (0.18–5.07)

   Other

8 (88.9%)

1 (11.1%)

0.447†

3.19 (0.39–26.21)