Fungal infection in patients with serious disease. Risk analysis of fungal infection

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Candidemia is still a major source of high morbidity and mortality in severely disease patients. However, the etiology and risk factor is still unknown. Purpose: To evaluate the risk factor of fungal infection in intensive care patients. SUBJECTS AND METHOD: 505 patients who stayed in the intensive care unit of the Critical Care Center, Kyorin University more than 10 days between May 1, 1997 to June 31, 1998 were studied. They were divided into 7 groups: 1) trauma (injury severity score<10), 2) burn (burn index<10), 3) cerebro-vascular disease (unconsciousness <0.01). Length of stay in ICU and the length of respiratory days were significantly longer in the fungal infection group (p<0.001). CONCLUSION: The frequency of fungal infection onset was higher in patients with severe ISS of 16 or higher, those who used the ventilator, had inhalation injury, severe burns (BI>15), were in a coma, and had severe injury of lung parenchyme with chest AIS 3 or higher. In these serious patients, it is necessary to make a rapid diagnosis and treatment based on the surveillance culture and serological examination of sputum and urine for occult fungal infection.