Community-onset urosepsis: incidence and risk factors for 30-day mortality – a retrospective cohort study

Abstract

Background

Urosepsis is a life-threatening condition that needs to be addressed without delay. Two critical issues in its management are: (1) Appropriate empirical antibiotic therapy, considering the patients general condition, comorbidity, and the pathogen expected; and (2) Timing of imaging to identify obstruction requiring decompression.

Objectives

To identify risk factors associated with 30-day mortality in patients with urosepsis.

Methods

From a cohort of 1,605 community-onset bloodstream infections (CO-BSI), 282 patients with urosepsis were identified in a Swedish county 2019–2020. Risk factors for mortality with crude and adjusted odds ratios were analysed using logistic regression.

Results

Urosepsis was found in 18% (n = 282) of all CO-BSIs. The 30-day all-cause mortality was 14% (n = 38). After multivariable analysis, radiologically detected urinary tract disorder was the predominant risk factor for mortality (OR = 4.63, 95% CI = 1.47–14.56), followed by microbiologically inappropriate empirical antibiotic therapy (OR = 4.19, 95% CI = 1.41–12.48). Time to radiological diagnosis and decompression of obstruction for source control were also important prognostic factors for survival. Interestingly, 15% of blood cultures showed gram-positive species associated with a high 30-day mortality rate of 33%.

Conclusion

The 30-day all-cause mortality from urosepsis was 14%. The two main risk factors for mortality were hydronephrosis caused by obstructive stone in the ureter and inappropriate empirical antibiotic therapy. Therefore, early detection of any urinary tract disorder by imaging followed by source control as required, and antibiotic coverage of both gram-negative pathogens and gram-positive species such as E. faecalis to optimise management, is likely to improve survival in patients with urosepsis.

Keywords:

• Urosepsis
• risk factors
• bloodstream infection
• community-onset
• empirical antibiotic therapy
• 30-day mortality
• urinary tract disorder
• urinary tract infection

Acknowledgements

Thanks to Peter Cox, consultant anaesthetist, for proof-reading the manuscript.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability statement

All relevant data are within the manuscript and its supplementary files.