Klebsiella pneumoniae carbapenemase-producing K. pneumoniae (KPC-KP) in brain and spinal cord injury patients: potential for prolonged colonization.

STUDY

DESIGN

Retrospective cohort study.

OBJECTIVES

To determine the prevalence of brain and spinal cord injury (BSCI) patients among all patients with Klebsiella pneumoniae carbapenemase-producing K. pneumoniae (KPC-KP) and to evaluate clinical characteristics and duration of colonization.

SETTING

Tertiary care academic medical center.

METHODS

Electronic medical records of BSCI patients with KPC-KP from February 2009 to December 2014 were reviewed to determine clinical characteristics. Patients with multiple KPC-KPs were defined as those with isolates in different calendar months, and patients with a single positive isolate were compared with those with repeatedly positive isolates. Variables with a P-value of ⩽0.05 were considered statistically significant. Two archived isolates recovered from separate cultures of the same patient were compared with pulsed-field gel electrophoresis to calculate the duration of colonization.

RESULTS

Of the 218 patients with KPC-KP, 86 (39%) had BSCI and 27 (31%) had multiple KPC-KPs. The KPC-KPs from 20 (74%) patients with multiple isolates were available for analysis. Patients with repeated positive isolates were more likely to be younger (P=0.05), African American (P=0.05), suffer gunshot injuries (P=0.01) and other trauma (P=0.03) and have decubitus ulcers (P=0.05). Of the 20 patients with multiple isolates for analysis, 13 (65%) patients were colonized with the same strain type over time, and the strain persisted on average 373 days.

CONCLUSION

BSCI patients comprise a significant percentage of our KPC-KP population. Owing to repeated hospitalizations and prolonged colonization, they represent a substantial reservoir for these multidrug-resistant pathogens.