Multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii bacteraemia:: clinical features, antimicrobial therapy and outcome

Nosocomial infections caused by Acinetobacter baumannii have increased in recent years. Isolates of multidrug-resistant A. baumannii (MDRAB) have been recovered in Taiwan since 1999. The characteristics of 55 patients with MDRAB bacteraemia infections occurring between January 2003 and February 2005 were analysed retrospectively. The overall 30-day mortality rate was 49%. The portal of entry was identified in 80% of patients, with the respiratory tract being implicated most frequently. Among the different antimicrobial regimens prescribed, the combination of a carbapenem and ampicillin-sulbactam was associated with a better outcome than the combination of a carbapenem and amikacin, or a carbapenem alone.