Risk factors for death in patients with candidemia.

Objective: To analyze possible risk factors for death among patients with nosocomial candidemia. To identify risk factors for death in patients with candidemia, we analyzed demographic, clinical, and microbiological data.

Setting: Six tertiary hospitals in Brazil.

Patients: A cohort of 145 patients with candidemia.

Design: 26 possible risk factors for death, including age, underlying disease, signs of deep-seated infection, neutropenia, number of positive blood cultures, removal of a central venous catheter, etiologic agent of the candidemia, susceptibility pattern of the isolate to amphotericin B, and antifungal treatment were evaluated by univariate stepwise logistic regression analysis.

Results: Non-albicans species accounted for 63.4% of the candidemias. Risk factors for death in univariate analysis were older age, catheter retention, poor performance status, candidemia due to species other than Candida parapsilosis, hypotension, candidemia due to species other than Candida parapsilosis, and no antifungal treatment. In multivariate analysis, older age and nonremoval of a central venous catheter were the only factors associated with an increased risk for death.

Conclusions: These data suggest that patients with candidemia and a central venous catheter should have the catheter removed.