Risk Factors For Acquisition Of Multi-Drug Resistant Acinetobacter Baumannii Among Cancer Patients

Background: Data regarding multidrug-resistant (MDR) Acinetobacter baumannii infections among cancer patients are limited. Methods: We conducted a case-control study to investigate the risk factors for acquisition of MDR A baumannii and the outcomes among cancer patients. Cases were inpatients with malignancy who had MDR A baumannii from any cultures between 2008 and 2011. Controls were inpatients with malignancy but no MDR A baumannii. Results: A total of 31 case patients were matched with 62 control patients. Hematologic malignancy (P=.036), need for dialysis (P=.01), admission for other reasons except elective surgery (P=.03), transfer from other health care facilities (P=.02), prolonged intensive care unit stay (P=.004), mechanical ventilation (P<.001), pressor use (P=.001), tube feeding (P<.001), transfusion (P=.009), and prior antimicrobial use (P<.001) were identified as significant risk factors in univariate analysis. Need for dialysis (odds ratio [OR], 18.23; P=.04) and prolonged intensive care unit stay (OR, 19.28; P=.01) remained significant in multivariate analysis. Lengths of stay were 28 days for the case patients and 10 days for the control patients (P=.001). The 90-day mortality rates were 41.9% and 29.0%, respectively (P=.20). Conclusions: Acquisition of MDR A baumannii among cancer patients appears to be associated with general nosocomial infection risk factors rather than underlying malignancies. Copyright (C) 2013 by the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.