Clinical and microbiological characteristics of diabetic foot infection by carbapenem-resistant bacteria in a hospital in southern Brazil

Abstract

Carbapenem-resistant bacteria are a major cause of diabetic foot (DF) infection. They are resistant to almost all available antimicrobial agents and lead to increased hospital costs. The clinical and microbiological characteristics of DF infection due to these microorganisms and the association of DF with outcomes such as mortality and amputation are not yet well established. This was a retrospective cohort study involving 60 vascular surgery patients who were admitted to Nossa Senhora da Conceição Hospital due to DF infection caused by carbapenem-resistant bacteria and who underwent debridement or amputation, and a control group with 60 randomly selected patients. The analyzed parameters were mortality and amputation rates and patients’ epidemiological and microbiological profiles. A significant association was observed between bacterial resistance and previous amputation, previous hospitalizations, and DF ulcer classification into ischemic and neuroischemic; however, there were no differences in mortality and amputation rates between the groups, even after using the Charlson comorbidity index. Although DF infections by carbapenem-resistant bacteria were not statistically associated with worse outcomes, their study is important given that there are few therapeutic options for treating these specific infections.