Next Article in Journal
Erratum: Wang, W.Y., et al. Accelerometer-Measured Physical Activity and Sedentary Behavior Patterns in Taiwanese Adolescents. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2019, 16, 4392
Previous Article in Journal
Assessing the Prevalence and Association of Pulp Stones with Cardiovascular Diseases and Diabetes Mellitus in the Saudi Arabian Population—A CBCT Based Study
 
 
Font Type:
Arial Georgia Verdana
Font Size:
Aa Aa Aa
Line Spacing:
Column Width:
Background:
Article

Clinical and Economic Impact of Third-Generation Cephalosporin-Resistant Infection or Colonization Caused by Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae: A Multicenter Study in China

1
Centre for Health Management and Policy Research, School of Public Health, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, (National Health Commission (NHC) Key Laboratory of Health Economics and Policy Research, Shandong University), Jinan 250012, China
2
Center for Health Policy Studies, School of Public Health, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310058, China
3
Department of Global Public Health, Karolinska Institutet, 17177 Stockholm, Sweden
4
College of Politics and Public Administration, Qingdao University, Qingdao 266061, China
5
The Fourth Affiliated Hospital Zhejiang University School of Medicine, No. N1, Shancheng Avenue, Yiwu 322000, China
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2020, 17(24), 9285; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17249285
Submission received: 3 November 2020 / Revised: 5 December 2020 / Accepted: 9 December 2020 / Published: 11 December 2020

Abstract

:
Quantifying economic and clinical outcomes for interventions could help to reduce third-generation cephalosporin resistance and Escherichia coli or Klebsiella pneumoniae. We aimed to compare the differences in clinical and economic burden between third-generation cephalosporin-resistant E. coli (3GCREC) and third-generation cephalosporin-susceptible E. coli (3GCSEC) cases, and between third-generation cephalosporin-resistant K. pneumoniae (3GCRKP) and third-generation cephalosporin-susceptible K. pneumoniae (3GCSKP) cases. A retrospective and multicenter study was conducted. We collected data from electronic medical records for patients who had clinical samples positive for E. coli or K. pneumoniae isolates during 2013 and 2015. Propensity score matching (PSM) was conducted to minimize the impact of potential confounding variables, including age, sex, insurance, number of diagnoses, Charlson comorbidity index, admission to intensive care unit, surgery, and comorbidities. We also repeated the PSM including length of stay (LOS) before culture. The main indicators included economic costs, LOS and hospital mortality. The proportions of 3GCREC and 3GCRKP in the sampled hospitals were 44.3% and 32.5%, respectively. In the two PSM methods, 1804 pairs and 1521 pairs were generated, and 1815 pairs and 1617 pairs were obtained, respectively. Compared with susceptible cases, those with 3GCREC and 3GCRKP were associated with significantly increased total hospital cost and excess LOS. Inpatients with 3GCRKP were significantly associated with higher hospital mortality compared with 3GCSKP cases, however, there was no significant difference between 3GCREC and 3GCSEC cases. Cost reduction and outcome improvement could be achieved through a preventative approach in terms of both antimicrobial stewardship and preventing the transmission of organisms.

1. Introduction

Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae, both species of the family Enterobacteriaceae, are the most prevalent gram-negative bacteria causing intra-abdominal infection, urinary tract infection, and bloodstream infection [1,2], and can be resistant to the widely used antibiotics, such as third-generation cephalosporins, namely third-generation cephalosporin-resistant E. coli (3GCREC) and third-generation cephalosporin-resistant K. pneumoniae (3GCRKP) [3,4]. The World Health Organization (WHO) classified 3GCREC and 3GCRKP as critical-priority bacteria [5]. Alvarez-Uria et al. (2018) pointed out that global resistant prevalence was 64.5% for 3GCREC and 66.9% for 3GCRKP by 2030 [6]. The China Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance System reported that the average proportion of 3GCREC and 3GCRKP in 2019 was 51.9% and 31.9%, respectively [7], which was higher than the levels in United Kingdom (11.0% and 13.0%) and in Sweden (8.3% and 5.5%) [8].
Third-generation cephalosporin resistance in E. coli or K. pneumoniae is a global concern [9,10]. Infections caused by 3GCREC and 3GCRKP were associated with higher mortality, longer length of stay (LOS), and more economic costs compared with susceptible cases [11,12,13]. de Kraker et al. (2011) showed that 15,183 episodes of 3GCREC were associated with 2712 excess deaths, 120,065 extra LOS, and €18.1 million increased costs in 31 European countries [13]. It was concluded that patients with third-generation cephalosporin-resistant Enterobacteriaceae contributed to 16.1% of hospital mortality, 4.9 days of LOS, and €320 of infection cost in one study by Stewardson et al. (2016) [14]. In addition, colonization of E. coli and K. pneumoniae, as the reservoir for infection with these organisms, was also a risk factor for higher mortality, longer LOS, and increased hospital costs [15,16].
Quantifying clinical and economic outcomes would facilitate strategies towards the containment of third-generation cephalosporin resistance and E. coli or K. pneumoniae. Resistance to third-generation cephalosporins by E. coli or K. pneumoniae, which represented the major mechanism of antimicrobial resistance, had been reported as independently associated with a poor outcome and increased use of healthcare resources [12,17]. However, no significant difference in hospital mortality between 3GCREC and third-generation cephalosporin-susceptible E. coli (3GCSEC) was reported [13,18]. In China, there was only one study exploring longer LOS and higher hospital costs attributable to extended spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)-positive intra-abdominal infection caused by E. coli or K. pneumoniae [19]. The clinical and economic outcomes of 3GCREC and 3GCRKP remained largely uninvestigated in China. In this study, we aimed to compare the clinical and economic difference between 3GCREC and 3GCSEC, and between 3GCRKP and third-generation cephalosporin-susceptible K. pneumoniae (3GCSKP), in China.

2. Materials and Methods

2.1. Study Site

We conducted this study in four tertiary hospitals in China; three in Zhejiang Province (Site 1, Site 3, and Site 4) are a general provincial hospital, general county hospital, and combined traditional Chinese and Western medicine provincial hospital, respectively, and one in Shandong Province (Site 2) is a general provincial hospital. There are 3200, 3500, 1727, 2100 of hospital beds and 170,000, 160,000, 80,000, 50,000 inpatients per year in these four hospitals, respectively.

2.2. Study Design and Patients

A retrospective and multicenter study was conducted. We collected data from electronic medical records (EMR) for patients who had clinical samples positive for E. coli or K. pneumoniae isolates, that were detected in any specimens (e.g., blood, stool, cervical, and urethral sources) between 2013 and 2015 [20]. Patients were defined as 3GCREC/3GCRKP cases if patients infected or colonized by E. coli or K. pneumoniae were resistant or intermediate to any third-generation cephalosporin or as 3GCSEC/3GCSKP cases if they were susceptible to all third-generation cephalosporins according to the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) definitions [15,21]. We only included the first episode for each patient to avoid duplication. The study was approved by the institutional review board of Zhejiang University School of Public Health, who waived the need for informed consent. All inpatients data were anonymized prior to analysis.

2.3. Data Collection

We collected patient characteristics from EMR. The data for each patient included demographics (age, sex, and insurance), comorbidities (disease diagnosis, and Charlson comorbidity index (CCI), hospital events (admitting service, surgical services, and date of hospital and intensive care unit (ICU) admission or discharge), microbiological data, clinical outcomes (discharged alive or death during hospitalization), and economic costs.

2.4. Propensity Score Matching

To minimize the impact of potential confounding variables, we performed propensity score matching (PSM) with 1:1 nearest-neighbor matching. PSM, widely used to control for confounding in observational studies, is a powerful statistical matching technique for reducing a set of confounding variables to a single propensity score in order to effectively control for all observed confounding bias [22]. There were two step-by-step rounds of PSM. First, we employed a logistic regression model with third-generation cephalosporin-resistant or-susceptible as dependent variables, and with age, sex, insurance, number of diagnoses, CCI, admission to ICU, surgery, and comorbidities as independent variables. Second, because LOS is the major contributor to additional economic cost, we repeated the PSM including LOS before culture as a potential confounding variable. The generated pairs matched with potential confounding variables were subjected to further analyses of economic costs, LOS and hospital mortality.

2.5. Indicators and Statistical Analyses

The main indicators included economic costs, LOS and hospital mortality. The economic costs comprised total hospital cost, medication cost (antibiotic cost), diagnostic cost, treatment cost, material cost, and other costs, and they covered out-of-pocket payment by patients themselves and payments by health insurers. All economic costs were presented in 2015 United States (US) dollars values according to purchasing power parities and the consumer price index of China [23,24].
The Wilcoxon rank-sum test and χ2 test were conducted to compare the main indicators between 3GCREC and 3GCSEC and between 3GCRKP and 3GCSKP for the quantitative and qualitative variables, respectively. Statistical analyses were performed using STATA. All p-values were two-tailed, and those less than 0.05 were considered statistically significant.

3. Results

The proportions of 3GCREC and 3GCRKP in the sampled hospitals were 44.3% and 32.5%, respectively. A total of 2056 inpatients infected or colonized with 3GCREC and 2588 with 3GCSEC, 1679 with 3GCRKP and 3485 with 3GCSKP were included during the study period. There were significant differences in sex, admission to ICU, surgery, and some comorbidities between the 3GCREC and 3GCSEC groups, and in age, number of diagnoses, admission to ICU, surgery, and some comorbidities between the 3GCRKP and 3GCSKP groups before PSM. Therefore, we conducted PSM to minimize the influencing of variables in two steps. First, excluding LOS before culture as a potential confounding variable, we obtained 1815 pairs and 1617 pairs, respectively. In addition, 1804 pairs and 1521 pairs were generated, respectively, after PSM for potential confounding variables including LOS before culture. There were no differences in patients’ characteristics between the two groups after PSM (Table 1).
After PSM for potential confounding variables excluding LOS before culture, inpatients with third-generation cephalosporin resistance were significantly associated with higher economic costs and LOS than susceptible cases. The median differences (95% certainty interval (CI)) in total hospital cost, antibiotic cost, medication cost, diagnostic cost, treatment cost, and material cost were $1366 ($1179–$1453), $152 ($146–$168), $627 ($577–$715), $81 ($57–$79), $363 ($324–$393), and $134 ($129–$143), respectively, for inpatients with 3GCREC (Table 2), and were $7671 ($7419–$7932), $881 ($809–$982), $4461 ($4168–$4658), $620 ($566–$708), $1612 ($1501–$1756), and $583 ($535–$641), respectively, for inpatients with 3GCRKP (Table 3). The median LOS of inpatients with 3GCREC and 3GCRKP were longer than those with 3GCSEC and 3GCSKP, with a difference of 4 days and 11 days, respectively (Table 4). In addition, there was no significant difference in hospital mortality between the 3GCREC and 3GCSEC groups (p = 0.281), however, a significant difference with 3.09% (2.78–3.39%) of hospital mortality was found between the 3GCRKP and 3GCSKP groups (p < 0.000) (Table 5).
After PSM for potential confounding variables including LOS before culture, the differences in economic costs, LOS and hospital mortality for inpatients with 3GCREC and 3GCRKP were lower than the results after PSM for variables excluding LOS before culture. The differences in total hospital cost, antibiotic cost, medication cost, diagnostic cost, treatment cost, and material cost between the 3GCREC and 3GCSEC groups and between the 3GCRKP and 3GCSKP groups were statistically significant, with median differences of $1140 ($942–$1227), $127 ($127–$147), $515 ($456–$592), $67 ($61–$85), $271 ($245–$296), and $107 ($101–$114), respectively, for inpatients with 3GCREC (Table 2), and with median differences of $4763 ($4340–$5024), $729 ($655–$814), $2998 ($2695–$3310), $445 ($380–$460), $952 ($989–$1015), and $340 ($299–$383), respectively, for inpatients with 3GCRKP (Table 3). The LOS of inpatients with 3GCREC or 3GCRKP was significantly longer than that of inpatients with 3GCSEC or 3GCSKP, with a median difference of 2.5 days and 7 days, respectively (Table 4). In addition, no significant difference in hospital mortality between the 3GCREC and 3GCSEC groups was found (p = 0.508), but significant difference existed between the 3GCRKP and 3GCSKP groups (p = 0.001) (Table 5).

4. Discussion

Previous studies mainly focused on antibiotic utilization and resistance mechanisms and the clinical and economic outcomes of 3GCREC and 3GCRKP in China remained largely uninvestigated. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to quantify the clinical and economic outcome of 3GCREC and 3GCRKP in mainland China using the PSM method with large sample size and multiple hospital settings. We focused on E. coli or K. pneumoniae, avoiding non-specific effects from a combination of bacteria [14,25]. In this study, we found that compared with third-generation cephalosporin-susceptible cases, those with 3GCREC and 3GCRKP were associated with significantly increased total hospital cost and excess LOS. In addition, inpatients with 3GCRKP were significantly associated with higher hospital mortality compared with 3GCSKP cases, however, there was no significant difference between the 3GCREC and 3GCSEC groups.
Conducting economic and clinical evaluation for interventions could help to reduce the transmission of 3GCREC or 3GCRKP in hospital settings [26]. It was demonstrated that third-generation cephalosporin resistance increased the economic costs and prolonged the LOS among inpatients with E. coli and K. pneumoniae [11,12,13,14,15,18,19,25,27,28,29,30,31,32]. For example, Hu et al. (2010) showed that ESBL-positive intra-abdominal infection led to attributable hospital costs and excess hospital stay in China [19]. MacVane et al. (2018) reported that urinary tract infection caused by ESBL-producing E. coli or K. pneumoniae was associated with significant hospital cost and hospital stay in the United States [31]. Meanwhile, one study explored the possibility that colonization with ESBL producing E. coli was associated with longer LOS and higher hospital costs as well [16].
In addition, inpatients with 3GCRKP were significantly associated with higher hospital mortality compared with those with 3GCSKP, which was consistent with other studies [2,32]. However, there was no significant difference in hospital mortality between 3GCREC and 3GCSEC in our study, which was different compared to other studies conducted in European countries [13,18]. Meanwhile, some studies also found there was no difference in hospital mortality between ESBL-producing E. coli cases and non-ESBL-producing cases [16,33]. Different conclusions might be associated with different study design, sample size, geography, resistant pattern, etc. Therefore, this finding needs to be further explored in the future. In addition, the manners in which the use of beta-lactams might affect prevalence of third-generation cephalosporin resistance remained to be fully elucidated [27].
LOS could increase daily bed cost, and might contribute to more treatment service and diagnostic service, therefore, LOS was the major contributor to economic costs [34]. In this study, we applied the PSM method using two step-by-step rounds [29,30,35]. Although the inclusion of LOS before culture as an independent variable in PSM could attenuate the effect of 3GCREC or 3GCRKP on economic costs, LOS and hospital mortality, the conclusion was unchanged when LOS before culture was excluded between the two groups.
This study is not without limitations. First, due to the retrospective nature of our study, it was difficult to distinguish infection or colonization. It was necessary to explore the burden of 3GCREC and 3GCRKP, either infection or colonization, because colonization was an important reservoir for organisms of infection. Prospective studies among patients with infections need to be conducted in the future. Second, PSM was used to balance potential confounding factors, however, some unmeasured variables might still be there. Third, as we had data from between 2013 and 2015 only, we were able to analyze only data corresponding to this study period. Although the study period did not influence the conclusions, future studies with updated data are warranted.

5. Conclusions

Third-generation cephalosporin resistance increased economic costs and prolonged LOS among inpatients with E. coli and K. pneumoniae. In addition, inpatients with 3GCRKP were significantly associated with higher hospital mortality compared with 3GCSKP cases, however, there was no significant difference in hospital mortality between the 3GCREC and 3GCSEC groups. Given the clinical and economic burden associated with 3GCREC and 3GCRKP that we have demonstrated, efforts to control the development and spread of third-generation cephalosporin resistance and E. coli and K. pneumoniae should be a priority. Cost reduction and outcome improvement could be achieved through a preventative approach in terms of both antimicrobial stewardship and preventing the transmission of organisms. In addition, proper assessment before the empirical use of third-generation cephalosporins is recommended to mitigate costs.

Author Contributions

Conceptualization, X.Z. and H.D.; methodology, X.Z., X.S. and H.D.; software, X.Z., X.S. and X.H.; validation, X.Z., X.S. and X.H.; formal analysis, X.Z., X.S. and X.H.; investigation, X.Z. and X.S.; resources, H.D.; data curation, X.Z., X.S. and X.H.; writing—original draft preparation, X.Z.; writing—review and editing, X.Z., C.S.L., X.S., X.H. and H.D.; visualization, X.Z. and H.D.; supervision, C.S.L. and H.D.; project administration, X.Z., C.S.L. and H.D.; funding acquisition, X.Z. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

Funding

This work was jointly supported by the Pfizer Investment Co. Ltd. (Burden of multi-drug resistant infections in China and associated risk factors), the Fundamental Research Funds of Shandong University, and the Joint Research Funds for Shandong University and Karolinska Institutet.

Acknowledgments

We want to thank the Center for Health Policy Studies, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University for the assistance in primary data collection. The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Abbreviations

3GCREC: third-generation cephalosporin-resistant Escherichia coli; 3GCRKP: third-generation cephalosporin-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae; WHO: World Health Organization; LOS: length of stay; 3GCSEC: third-generation cephalosporin-susceptible E. coli; ESBL: extended spectrum beta-lactamase; 3GCSKP: third-generation cephalosporin-susceptible K. pneumoniae; EMR: electronic medical record; CLSI: Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute; CCI: Charlson comorbidity index; ICU: intensive care unit; PSM: propensity score matching; CI: certainty interval.

References

  1. Olalekan, A.; Onwugamba, F.; Iwalokun, B.; Mellmann, A.; Becker, K.; Schaumburg, F. High proportion of carbapenemase-producing Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae among extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producers in Nigerian hospitals. J. Glob. Antimicrob. Resist. 2020, 21, 8–12. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  2. Kang, C.I.; Kim, S.H.; Park, W.B.; Lee, K.D.; Kim, H.B.; Kim, E.C.; Oh, M.D.; Choe, K.W. Bloodstream infections due to extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae: Risk factors for mortality and treatment outcome, with special emphasis on antimicrobial therapy. Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. 2004, 48, 4574–4581. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed] [Green Version]
  3. Pitout, J.D.D.; Laupland, K.B. Extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing enterobacteriaceae: An emerging public-health concern. Lancet Infect. Dis. 2008, 8, 159–166. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  4. Lee, S.; Han, S.W.; Kim, K.W.; Song, D.Y.; Kwon, K.T. Third-generation cephalosporin resistance of community-onset Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae bacteremia in a secondary hospital. Korean J. Intern. Med. 2014, 29, 49–56. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
  5. World Health Organization. Global Priority List of Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria to Guide Research, Discovery, and Development of New Antibiotics. 2017. Available online: https://www.who.int/medicines/publications/WHO-PPL-Short_Summary_25Feb-ET_NM_WHO.pdf (accessed on 6 February 2019).
  6. Alvarez-Uria, G.; Gandra, S.; Mandal, S.; Laxminarayan, R. Global forecast of antimicrobial resistance in invasive isolates of Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae. Int. J. Infect. Dis. 2018, 68, 50–53. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed] [Green Version]
  7. China Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance System. Annual Report of the China Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance. 2018. Available online: http://carss.cn/Report/Details?aId=648 (accessed on 1 July 2020).
  8. European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. Surveillance Atlas of Infectious Diseases. 2019. Available online: http://atlas.ecdc.europa.eu/public/index.aspx (accessed on 20 May 2020).
  9. Ranjan, D.N.; Albataineh, M.T.; Alhourani, N.; Khoudeir, A.M.; Ghanim, M.; Wasim, M.; Mahmoud, I. Community-acquired urinary tract infections due to extended-spectrum beta -lactamase-producing organisms in United Arab Emirates. Travel Med. Infect. Dis. 2018, 22, 46–50. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  10. Hyun, M.; Lee, J.Y.; Kim, H.A.; Ryu, S.Y. Comparison of Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae acute pyelonephritis in Korean Patients. Infect. Chemother. 2019, 51, 130–141. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  11. Schwaber, M.J.; Navon-Venezia, S.; Kaye, K.S.; Ben-Ami, R.; Schwartz, D.; Carmeli, Y. Clinical and economic impact of bacteremia with extended- spectrum-beta-lactamase-producing Enterobacteriaceae. Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. 2006, 50, 1257–1262. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [Green Version]
  12. Esteve-Palau, E.; Solande, G.; Sanchez, F.; Sorli, L.; Montero, M.; Guerri, R.; Villar, J.; Grau, S.; Horcajada, J.P. Clinical and economic impact of urinary tract infections caused by ESBL-producing Escherichia coli requiring hospitalization: A matched cohort study. J. Infect. 2015, 71, 667–674. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  13. De Kraker, M.E.; Davey, P.G.; Grundmann, H. Mortality and hospital stay associated with resistant Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli bacteremia: Estimating the burden of antibiotic resistance in Europe. PLoS Med. 2011, 8, e1001104. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [Green Version]
  14. Stewardson, A.J.; Allignol, A.; Beyersmann, J.; Graves, N.; Schumacher, M.; Meyer, R.; Tacconelli, E.; De Angelis, G.; Farina, C.; Pezzoli, F.; et al. The health and economic burden of bloodstream infections caused by antimicrobial-susceptible and non-susceptible Enterobacteriaceae and Staphylococcus aureus in European hospitals, 2010 and 2011: A multicentre retrospective cohort study. Euro Surveill. 2016, 21, 30319. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed] [Green Version]
  15. Hamprecht, A.; Rohde, A.M.; Behnke, M.; Feihl, S.; Gastmeier, P.; Gebhardt, F.; Kern, W.V.; Knobloch, J.K.; Mischnik, A.; Obermann, B.; et al. Colonization with third-generation cephalosporin-resistant Enterobacteriaceae on hospital admission: Prevalence and risk factors. J. Antimicrob. Chemother. 2016, 71, 2957–2963. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed] [Green Version]
  16. Cornejo-Juarez, P.; Suarez-Cuenca, J.A.; Volkow-Fernandez, P.; Silva-Sanchez, J.; Barrios-Camacho, H.; Najera-Leon, E.; Velazquez-Acosta, C.; Vilar-Compte, D. Fecal ESBL Escherichia coli carriage as a risk factor for bacteremia in patients with hematological malignancies. Support. Care Cancer 2016, 24, 253–259. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
  17. Trecarichi, E.M.; Giuliano, G.; Cattaneo, C.; Ballanti, S.; Criscuolo, M.; Candoni, A.; Marchesi, F.; Laurino, M.; Dargenio, M.; Fanci, R.; et al. Bloodstream infections caused by Escherichia coli in onco-haematological patients: Risk factors and mortality in an Italian prospective survey. PLoS ONE 2019, 14, e0224465. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  18. De Kraker, M.E.; Wolkewitz, M.; Davey, P.G.; Koller, W.; Berger, J.; Nagler, J.; Icket, C.; Kalenic, S.; Horvatic, J.; Seifert, H.; et al. Burden of antimicrobial resistance in European hospitals: Excess mortality and length of hospital stay associated with bloodstream infections due to Escherichia coli resistant to third-generation cephalosporins. J. Antimicrob. Chemother. 2011, 66, 398–407. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [Green Version]
  19. Hu, B.; Ye, H.; Xu, Y.; Ni, Y.; Hu, Y.; Yu, Y.; Huang, Z.; Ma, L. Clinical and economic outcomes associated with community-acquired intra-abdominal infections caused by extended spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) producing bacteria in China. Curr. Med Res. Opin. 2010, 26, 1443–1449. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  20. Zhen, X.; Chen, Y.; Hu, X.; Dong, P.; Gu, S.; Sheng, Y.Y.; Dong, H. The difference in medical costs between carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii and non-resistant groups: A case study from a hospital in Zhejiang province, China. Eur. J. Clin. Microbiol. Infect. Dis. 2017, 36, 1989–1994. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  21. Magiorakos, A.P.; Srinivasan, A.; Carey, R.B.; Carmeli, Y.; Falagas, M.E.; Giske, C.G.; Harbarth, S.; Hindler, J.F.; Kahlmeter, G.; Olsson-Liljequist, B.; et al. Multidrug-resistant, extensively drug-resistant and pandrug-resistant bacteria: An international expert proposal for interim standard definitions for acquired resistance. Clin. Microbiol. Infect. 2012, 18, 268–281. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [Green Version]
  22. Yang, J.Y.; Webster-Clark, M.; Lund, J.L.; Sandler, R.S.; Dellon, E.S.; Sturmer, T. Propensity score methods to control for confounding in observational cohort studies: A statistical primer and application to endoscopy research. Gastrointest. Endosc. 2019, 90, 360–369. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  23. Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. Purchasing Power Parities for GDP. 2019. Available online: https://stats.oecd.org/index.aspx?queryid=221# (accessed on 15 February 2019).
  24. Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. Consumer Price Indices. 2019. Available online: https://stats.oecd.org/index.aspx?queryid=221# (accessed on 15 February 2019).
  25. Long, Z. Clinical and Economic Impact of Carbapenem Resistance in Children’s Nonfermenters Sepsis; Shanghai Jiao Tong University: Shanghai, China, 2015. [Google Scholar]
  26. Coast, J.; Smith, R.; Karcher, A.M.; Wilton, P.; Millar, M. Superbugs II: How should economic evaluation be conducted for interventions which aim to contain antimicrobial resistance? Health Econ. 2002, 11, 637–647. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  27. Cosgrove, S.E.; Kaye, K.S.; Eliopoulous, G.M.; Carmeli, Y. Health and economic outcomes of the emergence of third-generation cephalosporin resistance in Enterobacter species. Arch. Intern. Med. 2002, 162, 185–190. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
  28. Giske, C.G.; Monnet, D.L.; Cars, O.; Carmeli, Y. Clinical and economic impact of common multidrug-resistant gram-negative bacilli. Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. 2008, 52, 813–821. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed] [Green Version]
  29. Huang, W.; Qiao, F.; Zhang, Y.; Huang, J.; Deng, Y.; Li, J.; Zong, Z. In-hospital medical costs of infections caused by carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae. Clin. Infect. Dis. 2018, 67, S225–S230. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
  30. Klein, E.Y.; Jiang, W.; Mojica, N.; Tseng, K.K.; McNeill, R.; Cosgrove, S.E.; Perl, T.M. National costs associated with methicillin-susceptible and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus hospitalizations in the United States, 2010–2014. Clin. Infect. Dis. 2019, 68, 22–28. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
  31. MacVane, S.H.; Tuttle, L.O.; Nicolau, D.P. Impact of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing organisms on clinical and economic outcomes in patients with urinary tract infection. J. Hosp. Med. 2014, 9, 232–238. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed] [Green Version]
  32. Song, K.H.; Jeon, J.H.; Park, W.B.; Park, S.W.; Kim, H.B.; Oh, M.D.; Lee, H.S.; Kim, N.J.; Choe, K.W. Clinical outcomes of spontaneous bacterial peritonitis due to extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing Escherichia coli and Klebsiella species: A retrospective matched case-control study. BMC Infect. Dis. 2009, 9, 41. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [Green Version]
  33. Ortega, M.; Marco, F.; Soriano, A.; Almela, M.; Martinez, J.A.; Munoz, A.; Mensa, J. Analysis of 4758 Escherichia coli bacteraemia episodes: Predictive factors for isolation of an antibiotic-resistant strain and their impact on the outcome. J. Antimicrob. Chemother. 2009, 63, 568–574. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  34. Matsui, K.; Goldman, L.; Johnson, P.A.; Kuntz, K.M.; Cook, E.F.; Lee, T.H. Comorbidity as a correlate of length of stay for hospitalized patients with acute chest pain. J. Gen. Intern. Med. 1996, 11, 262–268. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
  35. Hemmige, V.; David, M.Z. Effects of including variables such as length of stay in a propensity score analysis with costs as outcome. Clin. Infect. Dis. 2019, 69, 2039–2040. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
Table 1. Characteristics of patients with 3GCREC and 3GCSEC and with 3GCRKP and 3GCSKP before PSM and after PSM.
Table 1. Characteristics of patients with 3GCREC and 3GCSEC and with 3GCRKP and 3GCSKP before PSM and after PSM.
Before PSMAfter PSM for Potential Confounding Variables Excluding LOS Before CultureAfter PSM for Potential Confounding Variables Including LOS Before Culture
Baseline Characteristics3GCSEC3GCRECp Value3GCSKP3GCRKPP Value3GCSEC3GCRECp Value3GCSKP3GCRKPp Value3GCSEC3GCRECP Value3GCSKP3GCRKPp Value
Number of inpatient, n25882056 34851679 18151815 16171617 18041804 15211521
Age in years,
median (range)
73 (0–100)72 (0–100)0.19672 (0–100)74 (0–99)<0.000 72 (0–100)72 (0–100)0.23371 (0–100)74 (0–99)0.46572 (0–100)73 (0–100)0.84373 (0–99)70 (0–99)0.396
Sex male, n (%)1174 (45.36)600 (29.18)<0.0002357 (67.63)1163 (69.27)0.238585 (32.23)600 (33.06)0.5951123 (69.45)1113 (68.83)0.703600 (33.26)582 (32.26)0.5231052 (69.17)1072 (70.48)0.43
Insurance, n (%)2262 (87.40)1799 (87.50)0.9212859 (82.04)1374 (81.83)0.8591583 (87.22)1590 (87.60)0.7261305 (80.71)1320 (81.63)0.51582 (87.69)1567 (86.86)0.4541241 (81.59)1224 (80.47)0.432
Number of diagnoses,
median (range)
6 (1–23)6 (1–20)0.4526 (1–30)7 (1–23)<0.000 6 (1–23)6 (1–20)0.877 (1–30)6 (1–21)0.3536 (1–20)6 (1–23)0.7537 (1–23)6 (1–30)0.687
Charlson comorbidity index,
median (range)
5 (1–29)5 (1–37)0.6545 (1–34)5 (1–30)0.6035 (1–29)5 (1–37)0.7225 (1–34)5 (1–30)0.6545 (1–37)5 (1–28)0.9025 (1–30)5 (1–27)0.180
Admission to ICU, n (%)175 (6.76)87 (4.23)<0.000420 (12.05)404 (24.06)<0.00088 (4.85)87 (4.79)0.938348 (21.52)357 (22.08)0.70187 (4.82)90 (4.99)0.817317 (20.84)332 (21.83)0.507
Surgery, n (%)770 (29.75)451 (21.94)<0.000868 (24.91)514 (30.61)<0.000464 (25.56)447 (24.63)0.515498 (30.80)490 (30.30)0.76448 (24.83)445 (24.67)0.908459 (30.18)496 (32.61)0.148
Myocardial
infarction, n (%)
63 (2.43)47 (2.29)0.741102 (2.93)41 (2.44)0.3244 (2.42)43 (2.37)0.91440 (2.47)41 (2.54)0.9144 (2.44)37 (2.05)0.43134 (2.24)41 (2.70)0.413
Congestive heart
failure, n (%)
439 (16.96)296 (14.40)0.017627 (17.99)258 (15.37)0.019283 (15.59)293 (16.14)0.65229 (14.16)248 (15.34)0.346296 (16.41)279 (15.47)0.439235 (15.45)220 (14.46)0.446
Peripheral vascular
disease, n (%)
19 (0.73)14 (0.68)0.8347 (1.35)18 (1.07)0.40413 (0.72)14 (0.77)0.84718 (1.11)18 (1.11)114 (0.78)18 (1.00)0.47818 (1.18)21 (1.38)0.629
Cerebrovascular
diseases, n (%)
1077 (41.62)960 (46.69)0.0011786 (51.25)881 (52.47)0.41783 (43.14)813 (44.79)0.316840 (51.95)845 (52.26)0.86794 (44.01)785 (43.51)0.763790 (51.94)787 (51.74)0.913
Dementia, n (%)91 (3.52)74 (3.60)0.87981 (2.32)73 (4.35)<0.00062 (3.42)68 (3.75)0.59269 (4.27)67 (4.14)0.86167 (3.71)67 (3.71)161 (4.01)65 (4.27)0.716
Chronic pulmonary
disease, n (%)
442 (17.08)261 (12.69)<0.000891 (25.57)351 (20.91)<0.000266 (14.66)259 (14.27)0.741328 (20.28)344 (21.27)0.488260 (14.41)264 (14.63)0.85323 (21.24)303 (19.92)0.37
Connective tissue
disease, n (%)
84 (3.25)88 (4.28)0.06462 (1.78)29 (1.73)0.89473 (4.02)74 (4.08)0.93330 (1.86)28 (1.73)0.79177 (4.27)73 (4.05)0.73928 (1.84)29 (1.91)0.894
Mild liver disease, n (%)121 (4.68)114 (5.54)0.179124 (3.56)65 (3.87)0.57492 (5.07)88 (4.85)0.7663 (3.90)64 (3.96)0.92891 (5.04)94 (5.21)0.82158 (3.81)67 (4.40)0.411
Peptic ulcer disease, n (%)62 (2.40)57 (2.77)0.42105 (3.01)55 (3.28)0.6148 (2.64)45 (2.48)0.75353 (3.28)52 (3.22)0.92148 (2.66)49 (2.72)0.91849 (3.22)53 (3.48)0.687
Diabetes mellitus, n (%)894 (34.54)706 (34.34)0.884952 (27.32)448 (26.68)0.631628 (34.60)630 (34.71)0.944401 (24.80)434 (26.84)0.185633 (35.09)625 (34.65)0.78411 (27.02)409 (26.89)0.935
Diabetes mellitus with
chronic complications, n (%)
132 (5.10)167 (8.12)<0.000115 (3.30)63 (3.75)0.404119 (6.56)93 (5.12)0.06659 (3.65)61 (3.77)0.85297 (5.38)121 (6.71)0.09457 (3.75)55 (3.62)0.847
Moderate to severe chronic kidney disease, n (%)232 (8.96)188 (9.14)0.832235 (6.74)189 (11.26)<0.000171 (9.42)166 (9.15)0.775176 (10.88)165 (10.20)0.529166 (9.20)167 (9.26)0.954153 (10.06)165 (10.85)0.477
Hemiplegia, n (%)33 (1.28)22 (1.07)0.52124 (0.69)22 (1.31)0.02618 (0.99)21 (1.16)0.62924 (1.48)20 (1.24)0.54421 (1.16)19 (1.05)0.7518 (1.18)20 (1.31)0.744
Solid tumor without metastases, n (%)316 (12.21)207 (10.07)0.022224 (6.43)126 (7.50)0.149198 (10.91)204 (11.24)0.751128 (7.92)124 (7.67)0.793206 (11.42)197 (10.92)0.634121 (7.96)126 (8.28)0.74
Leukemia, n (%)40 (1.55)21 (1.02)0.11951 (1.46)40 (2.38)0.01922 (1.21)21 (1.16)0.87843 (2.66)38 (2.35)0.57421 (1.16)19 (1.05)0.7535 (2.30)39 (2.56)0.638
Malignant lymphoma, n (%)34 (1.31)12 (0.58)0.01333 (0.95)28 (1.67)0.0258 (0.44)12 (0.66)0.3727 (1.67)25 (1.55)0.7812 (0.67)13 (0.72)0.84124 (1.58)30 (1.97)0.41
Severe liver disease, n (%)52 (2.01)33 (1.61)0.30745 (1.29)26 (1.55)0.45729 (1.60)32 (1.76)0.69827 (1.67)26 (1.61)0.8932 (1.77)33 (1.83)0.923 (1.51)23 (1.51)1.000
Metastatic tumor, n (%)129 (4.98)112 (5.45)0.48206 (5.91)59 (3.51)<0.00099 (5.45)88 (4.85)0.40970 (4.33)59 (3.65)0.32391 (5.04)97 (5.38)0.65358 (3.81)40 (2.63)0.065
3GCREC: third-generation cephalosporin-resistant Escherichia coli; 3GCSEC: third-generation cephalosporin-susceptible E. coli; 3GCSKP: third-generation cephalosporin-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae; PSM: propensity score matching; LOS: length of stay; ICU: intensive care unit.
Table 2. Economic costs of patients with 3GCREC and 3GCSEC for potential confounding variables.
Table 2. Economic costs of patients with 3GCREC and 3GCSEC for potential confounding variables.
Confounding VariablesHospital Cost ($)3GCSEC3GCRECDifferencep Value
Median95% CIMedian95% CIMedian95% CI
Excluding LOS before cultureTotal hospital cost386735584185523347375638136611791453<0.000
Antibiotic cost12699143278246311152146168<0.000
Medication cost141812861563204518632279627577715<0.000
Diagnostic cost873844914955901992815779<0.000
Treatment cost778719858114210431250363324393<0.000
Material cost187160225321289368134129143<0.000
Other costs88998101010.003
Including LOS before cultureTotal hospital cost40573791443551974733566211409421227<0.000
Antibiotic cost132108150260235297127127147<0.000
Medication cost152213851689203718402281515456592<0.000
Diagnostic cost8868489169539091002676185<0.000
Treatment cost84177393411111018712271245296<0.000
Material cost199172238306273352107101114<0.000
Other costs87998101110.0213
3GCREC: third-generation cephalosporin-resistant Escherichia coli; 3GCSEC: third-generation cephalosporin-susceptible E. coli; LOS: length of stay; CI: certainty interval.
Table 3. Economic costs of patients with 3GCRKP and 3GCSKP for potential confounding variables.
Table 3. Economic costs of patients with 3GCRKP and 3GCSKP for potential confounding variables.
Potential Confounding VariablesHospital Cost ($)3GCSKP3GCRKPDifferencep Value
Median95% CIMedian95% CIMedian95% CI
Excluding LOS before cultureTotal hospital cost80847380902915,75414,79916,961767174197932<0.000
Antibiotic cost490430538137212391521881809982<0.000
Medication cost346131223781792372908439446141684658<0.000
Diagnostic cost139713321472201718982180620566708<0.000
Treatment cost163714911768324929923524161215011756<0.000
Material cost47241953610559541177583535641<0.000
Other costs1412161715203340.079
Including LOS before cultureTotal hospital cost9699908910,53714,46313,42815,561476343405025<0.000
Antibiotic cost526467590125511221404729655814<0.000
Medication cost416638114571716465067881299826953310<0.000
Diagnostic cost145213801554189617612014445380460<0.000
Treatment cost2043183122402995282032559529891015<0.000
Material cost6235666899638661071340299383<0.000
Other costs1614181614190110.4680
3GCRKP: third-generation cephalosporin-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae; 3GCSKP: third-generation cephalosporin-susceptible K. pneumoniae; LOS: length of stay; CI: certainty interval.
Table 4. Length of stay of patients with 3GCREC and 3GCSEC and with 3GCRKP and 3GCSKP for potential confounding variables.
Table 4. Length of stay of patients with 3GCREC and 3GCSEC and with 3GCRKP and 3GCSKP for potential confounding variables.
Potential Confounding VariablesLOS (Days)Third-Generation Cephalosporins-SusceptibleThird-Generation Cephalosporins-ResistantDifferencep Value
Median95% CIMedian95% CIMedian95% CI
Excluding LOS before culture3GCREC vs. 3GCSEC161617201921434<0.000
3GCRKP vs. 3GCSKP201921313032111111<0.000
Including LOS before culture3GCREC vs. 3GCSEC17161719.518212.524<0.000
3GCRKP vs. 3GCSKP232224302931777<0.000
3GCREC: third-generation cephalosporin-resistant Escherichia coli; 3GCSEC: third-generation cephalosporin-susceptible E. coli; 3GCRKP: third-generation cephalosporin-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae; 3GCSKP: third-generation cephalosporin-susceptible K. pneumoniae; LOS: length of stay; CI: certainty interval.
Table 5. Hospital mortality of patients with 3GCREC and 3GCSEC and with 3GCRKP and 3GCSKP for potential confounding variables.
Table 5. Hospital mortality of patients with 3GCREC and 3GCSEC and with 3GCRKP and 3GCSKP for potential confounding variables.
Potential Confounding VariablesMortality Rate (%)Third-Generation
Cephalosporins-Susceptible
Third-Generation
Cephalosporins-Resistant
Differencep Value
Rate95% CIRate95% CIRate95% CI
Excluding LOS before culture3GCREC vs. 3GCSEC2.151.582.932.72.053.550.550.470.620.281
3GCRKP vs. 3GCSKP3.652.844.686.745.628.073.092.783.39<0.000
Including LOS before culture3GCREC vs. 3GCSEC2.161.582.942.491.873.320.330.290.380.508
3GCRKP vs. 3GCSKP3.812.964.896.515.357.92.72.393.010.001
3GCREC: third-generation cephalosporin-resistant Escherichia coli; 3GCSEC: third-generation cephalosporin-susceptible E. coli; 3GCRKP: third-generation cephalosporin-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae; 3GCSKP: third-generation cephalosporin-susceptible K. pneumoniae; LOS: length of stay; CI: certainty interval.
Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Share and Cite

MDPI and ACS Style

Zhen, X.; Stålsby Lundborg, C.; Sun, X.; Hu, X.; Dong, H. Clinical and Economic Impact of Third-Generation Cephalosporin-Resistant Infection or Colonization Caused by Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae: A Multicenter Study in China. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2020, 17, 9285. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17249285

AMA Style

Zhen X, Stålsby Lundborg C, Sun X, Hu X, Dong H. Clinical and Economic Impact of Third-Generation Cephalosporin-Resistant Infection or Colonization Caused by Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae: A Multicenter Study in China. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2020; 17(24):9285. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17249285

Chicago/Turabian Style

Zhen, Xuemei, Cecilia Stålsby Lundborg, Xueshan Sun, Xiaoqian Hu, and Hengjin Dong. 2020. "Clinical and Economic Impact of Third-Generation Cephalosporin-Resistant Infection or Colonization Caused by Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae: A Multicenter Study in China" International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 17, no. 24: 9285. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17249285

Note that from the first issue of 2016, this journal uses article numbers instead of page numbers. See further details here.

Article Metrics

Back to TopTop