Clinical outcomes and costs due to Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia among patients receiving long-term hemodialysis

OBJECTIVE: To examine the clinical outcomes and costs associated with Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia among hemodialysis-dependent patients. DESIGN: Prospectively identified cohort study. SETTING: A tertiary-care university medical center in North Carolina. PATIENTS: Two hundred ten hemodialysis-dependent adults with end-stage renal disease hospitalized with S. aureus bacteremia. RESULTS: The majority of the patients (117; 55.7%) underwent dialysis via tunneled catheters, and 29.5% (62) underwent dialysis via synthetic arteriovenous fistulas. Vascular access was the suspected source of bacteremia in 185 patients (88.1%). Complications' occurred in 31.0% (65), and the overall 12-week mortality rate,was 19.0% (40). The mean cost of treating S. aureus bacteremia, including readmissions and outpatient costs, was $24,034 per episode. The mean initial hospitalization cost was significantly greater for patients with complicated versus uncomplicated S. aureus bacteremia ($32,462 vs $17,011; P = .002). CONCLUSION: Interventions to decrease the rate of S. aureus bacteremia are heeded in this high-risk, hemodialysisdependent population.