Mycoses
-
Candidaemia is frequently a life-threatening complication in patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU). To assess the risk factors for candidaemia in critically ill patients with prolonged ICU stay, a total of 1765 adult patients admitted for at least 7 days to 73 medical-surgical ICUs of 70 tertiary care hospitals in Spain participated in a prospective cohort study. Candidaemia was defined as recovery of Candida spp. from blood culture. ⋯ In the multivariate analysis, independent factors significantly associated with candidaemia were Candida colonisation (OR = 4.12, 95% CI: 1.82-9.33), total parenteral nutrition (OR = 3.89, 95% CI: 1.73-8.78), elective surgery (OR = 2.75, 95% CI: 1.17-6.45) and haemofiltration procedures (OR = 1.96, 95% CI: 1.06-3.62). In the ICU setting in Spain and in patients who have stayed in units for >7 days, more than half of cases of candidaemia were caused by C. albicans. Risk factors for candidaemia identified included Candida colonisation, elective surgery, total parenteral nutrition and haemodialysis.