Association Between Positive Cultures During Admission and 1-Year Mortality in Patients With Cancer Receiving Perioperative Intensive Care

The number of patients with cancer being admitted to intensive care units (ICUs) is increasing worldwide, and these patients are vulnerable to infection. This study aimed to address the long-term impact of positive cultures during admission on 1-year mortality among patients with cancer who received perioperative intensive care. This retrospective cohort study enrolled adult patients with cancer who were admitted to ICUs and received surgery during 2011 to 2016 at a tertiary hospital in central Taiwan. Cancer-related data were retrieved from the cancer registry, and data during ICU admissions were obtained from the electronic medical records. We compared the survival curves between patients with and without positive clinical cultures using log-rank test and used a multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression model to evaluate the influence of positive clinical cultures on 1-year mortality. A total of 638 patients were included for analyses, and 37.9% of them had positive cultures during the index admission. In-hospital mortality was 9.1%, while 1-year mortality was 21.0%. Compared with patients who survived, patients who died were significantly more likely to have positive cultures (59.7% vs 32.1%), to have a higher Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II scores (median 21.8 vs 19.0), and to receive mechanical ventilation (86.6% vs 77.4%). Survival analysis found that positive cultures of blood, the respiratory tract, the urinary tract, or the skin and soft tissue were associated with an increased 1-year mortality. Multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression analysis found that positive cultures of blood, the respiratory tract, the urinary tract, or the skin and soft tissue (hazard ratio: 1.621; 95% confidence interval: 1.087-2.419) were significantly associated with 62.1% increased hazards of death within 1 year after the ICU admission. A positive culture during admission was associated with a worsened long-term survival among patients with cancer who received perioperative intensive care. Further studies are needed to confirm this association.