The Impact of Methicillin Resistance in <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i> Bacteremia on Patient Outcomes: Mortality, Length of Stay, and Hospital Charges

TLDR

The study aimed to assess how methicillin resistance in Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia affects mortality, length of stay, and hospital costs. A retrospective cohort of 348 patients (96 MRSA) admitted to a 630‑bed Boston tertiary hospital between 1997 and 2000 was analyzed. MRSA bacteremia was linked to a 29 % longer stay and a 36 % higher charge than MSSA, with no mortality difference, and attributable increases of 2 days LOS and $6,916 in costs.

Abstract

To evaluate the impact of methicillin resistance in Staphylococcus aureus on mortality, length of hospitalization, and hospital charges.A cohort study of patients admitted to the hospital between July 1, 1997, and June 1, 2000, who had clinically significant S. aureus bloodstream infections.A 630-bed, urban, tertiary-care teaching hospital in Boston, Massachusetts.Three hundred forty-eight patients with S. aureus bacteremia were studied; 96 patients had methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA). Patients with methicillin-susceptible S. aureus (MSSA) and MRSA were similar regarding gender, percentage of nosocomial acquisition, length of hospitalization, ICU admission, and surgery before S. aureus bacteremia. They differed regarding age, comorbidities, and illness severity score.Similar numbers of MRSA and MSSA patients died (22.9% vs 19.8%; P = .53). Both the median length of hospitalization after S. aureus bacteremia for patients who survived and the median hospital charges after S. aureus bacteremia were significantly increased in MRSA patients (7 vs 9 days, P = .045; 19,212 dollars vs 26,424 dollars, P = .008). After multivariable analysis, compared with MSSA bacteremia, MRSA bacteremia remained associated with increased length of hospitalization (1.29 fold; P = .016) and hospital charges (1.36 fold; P = .017). MRSA bacteremia had a median attributable length of stay of 2 days and a median attributable hospital charge of 6916 dollars.Methicillin resistance in S. aureus bacteremia is associated with significant increases in length of hospitalization and hospital charges.