Abstract
Objective: To describe the incidence, risk factors, and outcomes of bloodstream infections (BSIs) in patients with coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19).Methods: This was a single-center retrospective cohort study of adults admitted for COVID-19 with BSIs. Data were collected by electronic medical record review. BSIs were defined as positive blood cultures (BCs) with a known pathogen in one or more BCs or the same commensal organism in two or more BCs. Results: Of 565 eligible patients, 290 (51.3%) had BCs done, with 39 (13.4%) having a positive result. In univariable analysis, male sex, black/African American race, admission from a facility, hemiplegia, altered mental status, and a higher Charlson Comorbidity Index were positively associated with a positive BC, whereas obesity and low systolic blood pressure (SBP) were negatively associated. Patients with positive BCs were more likely to have severe disease, be admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), require mechanical ventilation, have septic shock, and higher mortality. In multivariable logistic regression, factors that were independent predictors of a positive BC were male sex (OR=2.75, p=0.03), hypoalbuminemia (OR=3.3, p=0.01), ICU admission (OR=5.3, p<0.0001), SBP < 100 (OR=3.7, p=0.03) and having a procedure (OR=10.5, p<0.0001). Patients with an abnormal chest x-ray on admission were less likely to have a positive BC (OR=0.25, p=0.007). Conclusions: We found that independent predictors of BSIs in COVID-19 patients included male sex, abnormal chest x-ray, hypoalbuminemia, admission to ICU, low SBP, and having a procedure during hospital stay.