Table 2

Description of the blood stream infection episodes at the time of the first positive blood culture drawing according to the sepsis type (i.e. primary or secondary sepsis).

Mean (SD) or number (%)
Primary sepsis n = 117
Secondary sepsis n = 62
p

Time elapsed from ICU admission (N. of days)
2.0 (2.4)
15.6 (16.9)
< 0.0001

SOFA score
6.9 (4.1)
7.2 (3.9)
0.706

Platelet count (cell/mm3)
185,459 (118,375)
235,935 (183,485)
0.028

Creatininemia (μmol/L)
198.7 (168.5)
163.2 (129.2)
0.149

Prothrombin time (%)
58.8 (21.9)
62.8 (19.9)
0.248

Septic shock
60 (51.7)
31 (50.0)
0.302

Nosocomial sepsis ICU acquired sepsis
34 (35.8) 31 (26.5)
62 (100) 52 (83.9)
< 0.0001 < 0.0001

Infection source


0.002
Lung
30 (25.6)
12 (19.3)
0.447
Abdominal
23 (19.7)
18 (29.0)
0.217
Soft tissues
13 (11.1)
4 (6.4)
0.456
Urinary tract
24 (20.5)
2 (3.2)
0.004
Miscellaneous
9 (7.7)
5 (8.1)
0.480
Unknown
18 (15.4)
21 (33.9)
0.008

Involved pathogen bacteria
113 (95.6)
41 (64.4)
< 0.0001
Gram positive
51 (43.6)
20 (32.2)

Gram negative
62 (53.0)
21 (33.9)

fungi



Candida spp
4 (3.4)
21 (33.9)


Previous exposure to antibiotic therapy with in vitro activity against the involved pathogen
16 (13.7)
21 (33.9)
0.003

Previous exposure to steroids
9 (7.7)
23 (37.1)
< 0.0001

Time elapsed between bacteremia onset and PCT sampling (N. of minutes)



Mean (SD)
-169.7 (382.6)
6.3 (455.4)
0.011
Median [range]
-13.0 [-1072–720]
0.0 [-720–720]


ICU: Intensive Care Unit; SOFA: Sepsis-related Organ Failure Assessment.

Charles et al. BMC Infectious Diseases 2008 8:163   doi:10.1186/1471-2334-8-163