Outcomes of Carbapenem-Resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae Infection and the Impact of Antimicrobial and Adjunctive Therapies

Background. Carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae is an emerging healthcare-associated pathogen. Objective. To describe the epidemiology of and clinical outcomes associated with carbapenem-resistant K. pneumoniae infection and to identify risk factors associated with mortality among patients with this type of infection. Setting. Mount Sinai Hospital, a 1,171-bed tertiary care teaching hospital in New York City. Design. Two matched case-control studies. Methods. In the first matched case-control study, case patients with carbapenem-resistant K. pneumoniae infection were compared with control patients with carbapenem-susceptible K. pneumoniae infection. In the second case-control study, patients who survived carbapenem-resistant K. pneumoniae infection were compared with those who did not survive, to identify risk factors associated with mortality among patients with carbapenem-resistant K. pneumoniae infection. Results. There were 99 case patients and 99 control patients identified. Carbapenem-resistant K. pneumoniae infection was independently associated with recent organ or stem-cell transplantation ( P = .008), receipt of mechanical ventilation ( P = .04), longer length of stay before infection ( P = .01), and exposure to cephalosporins ( P = .02) and carbapenems ( P < .001). Case patients were more likely than control patients to die during hospitalization (48% vs 20%; P < .001) and to die from infection (38% vs 12%; P < .001). Removal of the focus of infection (ie, debridement) was independently associated with patient survival ( P = .002). The timely administration of antibiotics with in vitro activity against carbapenem-resistant K. pneumoniae was not associated with patient survival. Conclusions. Carbapenem-resistant K. pneumoniae infection is associated with numerous healthcare-related risk factors and with high mortality. The mortality rate associated with carbapenem-resistant K. pneumoniae infection and the limited antimicrobial options for treatment of carbapenem-resistant K. pneumoniae infection highlight the need for improved detection of carbapenem-resistant K. pneumoniae infection, identification of effective preventive measures, and development of novel agents with reliable clinical efficacy against carbapenem-resistant K. pneumoniae.