Infect Chemother.  2017 Mar;49(1):22-30. 10.3947/ic.2017.49.1.22.

Usefulness of Blood Cultures and Radiologic Imaging Studies in the Management of Patients with Community-Acquired Acute Pyelonephritis

• Kim Y
• Seo MR
• Kim SJ
• Kim J
• Wie SH
• Cho YK
• Lim SK
• Lee JS
• Kwon KT
• Lee H
• Cheong HJ
• Park DW
• Ryu SY
• Chung MH
• Pai H

• KMID: 2375095
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3947/ic.2017.49.1.22

Abstract

BACKGROUND
The objective of this study was to examine the usefulness of blood cultures and radiologic imaging studies for developing therapeutic strategies in community-acquired acute pyelonephritis (CA-APN) patients.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
We prospectively collected the clinical data of CA-APN patients who visited 11 hospitals from March 2010 to February 2011.
RESULTS
Positive urine and blood cultures were obtained in 69.3% (568/820) and 42.7% (277/648), respectively, of a total of 827 CA-APN patients. Blood culture identified the urinary pathogen in 60 of 645 (9.3%) patients for whom both urine and blood cultures were performed; the organisms isolated from urine were inconsistent with those from blood in 11 and only blood cultures were positive in 49 patients. Final clinical failure was more common in the bacteremic patients than the non-bacteremic ones (8.0% vs. 2.7%, P = 0.003), as was hospital mortality (3.6% vs. 0.3%, P = 0.003). Likewise, durations of hospitalization and fever were significantly longer. Bacteremia was independent risk factor for mortality (OR 9.290, 1.145-75.392, P = 0.037). With regard to radiologic studies, the detection rate of APN was 84.4% (445/527) by abdominal computed tomography and 40% (72/180) by abdominal ultrasonography. Eighty-one of 683 patients (11.9%) were found to have renal abscess, perinephric abscess, urolithiasis, hydronephorosis/hydroureter or emphysematous cystitis, which could potentially impact on clinical management. Patients with Pitt score ≥ 1, flank pain or azotemia were significantly more likely to have such structural abnormalities.
CONCLUSION
Blood cultures are clinically useful for diagnosis of CA-APN, and bacteremia is predictive factor for hospital mortality. Early radiologic imaging studies should be considered for CA-APN patients with Pitt scores ≥1, flank pain or azotemia.

Keyword

Pyelonephritis; Blood culture; Diagnostic imaging; Tomography scanners X-ray computed; Ultrasonography

MeSH Terms

Abscess
Azotemia
Bacteremia
Cystitis
Diagnosis
Diagnostic Imaging
Fever
Flank Pain
Hospital Mortality
Hospitalization
Humans
Mortality
Prospective Studies
Pyelonephritis*
Risk Factors
Ultrasonography
Urolithiasis

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