Research Article

The Epidemiology and The Outcome of Bacteremia in Adult COVID-19 Patients: A Single-Center Study in Oman

Authors: Al Maskari Zaina, Al Zadjali Khadija, Murthi Sathiya, Al Habsi Warda, Al Tai Amal.

DOI: 10.33425/2639-9458.1227

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Abstract

Introduction: The rate of bloodstream infection is higher among COVID-19 patients who require ICU admission and is associated with worse outcomes. This study aims to describe the epidemiology of bacteremia among hospitalized COVID-19 patients and to analyze the effect of infection prevention and control measures on bacteremia incidence.

Method: A retrospective cohort analysis was conducted on all confirmed COVID-19 patients with positive blood cultures from May to October 2020. Data analysis was performed using IBM SPSS Statistics 29.0 software (IBM Corp., 2021). Statistical significance was defined as a p-value less than 0.05.

Result: During the study period, 767 blood cultures were collected, of which 212 (27.6%) were positive in 165 patients. The mean age of patients was 57.5 ± 14.7 years, and 70.3% were male. ICU admission occurred in 92% of cases, and hospital-acquired bacteremia developed a median of 12 days (interquartile range [IQR] 8–17) after admission. The cohort mortality rate was 45.5% (75/165). Univariate analysis identified age (p-value <0.001), diabetes mellitus (p-value 0.033), hypertension (p-value 0.035), chronic heart disease (p-value 0.001), femoral venous catheter (FVC) use (p-value 0.025), and internal jugular vein catheter (IJV) use (p-value 0.016) as significant risk factors for mortality. In multivariate analysis, age remained a significant independent risk factor for mortality (p-value < 0.001; CI: 1.056- 1.129). True bacteremia accounted for 125 cases (59.0%), while contamination was identified in 87 cases (41.0%). Central line-associated bloodstream infection (CLABSI) was the most frequent source of bacteremia (72 cases, 57.6%), followed by ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) (14 cases, 11.2%) and catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTI) (14 cases, 11.2%).

Conclusion: Bacteremia in critically ill COVID-19 patients is associated with an increased risk of mortality. Ongoing surveillance of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) and strict adherence to infection prevention practices are essential to mitigate adverse patient outcomes during the pandemic.

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