Abstract
Infection remains the second most common cause of death for dialysis populations in Japan. Especially, sepsis is strongly noted as requiring the utmost caution among infections since it is immediately life-threatening. In the present study, we analyzed the etiology, microbiology and outcome of sepsis in dialysis patients in our facility over 9 years. In total, 465 blood cultures were obtained from 205 patients, resulting in 110 (23.7%) positive cultures and 73 patients with a definitive clinical diagnosis. Diabetes and catheters in situ were supposed to be major triggers of infection, 63% and 64% each. With respect to bacterial species, approximately 80% were identified as cocci. The most common species was Staphylococcus, and the annual data showed a gradual increase in patients infected with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and methicillin-resistant coagulase-negative staphylococci (MRCNS). The total mortality rate was 52% during the course of sepsis. In addition, 63% of these deaths were caused by methicillin-resistant bacteria. Furthermore, multiple logistic regression disclosed that both CRP and thrombocytopenia had strong effects on the mortality rate.
