A risk score for identifying methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in patients presenting to the hospital with pneumonia.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) represents an important pathogen in healthcare-associated pneumonia (HCAP). The concept of HCAP, though, may not perform well as a screening test for MRSA and can lead to overuse of antibiotics. We developed a risk score to identify patients presenting to the hospital with pneumonia unlikely to have MRSA.

Methods

We identified patients admitted with pneumonia (Apr 2005-Mar 2009) at 62 hospitals in the US. We only included patients with lab evidence of bacterial infection (e.g., positive respiratory secretions, blood, or pleural cultures or urinary antigen testing). We determined variables independently associated with the presence of MRSA based on logistic regression (two-thirds of cohort) and developed a risk pre

SUBMITTER: Shorr AF 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3681572 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature