One-year mortality and years of potential life lost following bloodstream infection among adults: A nation-wide population based study

Background: Limited data exist on long-term consequences of bloodstream infections (BSIs). We aimed to examine incidence, 1-year mortality, and years of potential life lost (YPLL) following BSI. We estimated the relative contribution of hospital-onset BSI (HO-BSI) and antibiotic-resistant BSI to incidence, mortality and YPLL. Methods: We used data from Israel's national BSI surveillance system (covering eight sentinel bacteria, comprising 70% of all BSIs) and the national death registry. Adults with BSI between January 2018 and December 2019 were included. The outcomes were all-cause 30-day and 1-year mortality, with no adjustment for co-morbidities. We calculated the age-standardized mortality rate and YPLL using the Global Burden of Disease reference population and life expectancy tables. Findings: In total, 25,376 BSIs occurred over 2 years (mean adult population: 6,068,580). The annual incidence was 209·1 BSIs (95% CI 206·5–211·7) per 100,000 population. The case fatality rate was 25·6% (95% CI 25·0-26·2) at 30 days and 46·4% (95% CI 45·5-47·2) at 1 year. The hazard of death increased by 30% for each decade of age (HR=1·3 [95% CI 1·2-1·3]). The annual age-standardized mortality rate and YPLL per 100,000 were 50·8 (95% CI 49·7-51·9) and 1,012·6 (95% CI 986·9-1,038·3), respectively. HO-BSI (6,962 events) represented 27·4% (95% CI 26·9-28·0) of BSIs, 33·9% (95% CI 32·6-35·0) of deaths and 39·9% (95% CI 39·5-40·2) of YPLL. HO-BSI by drug-resistant bacteria (3,072 events) represented 12·1% (95% CI 11·7-12·5) of BSIs, 15·6% (95% CI 14·7-16·5) of deaths, and 18·4% (95% CI 18·1-18·7) of YPLL. Interpretation: One-year mortality following BSI is high. The burden of BSI is similar to that of ischemic stroke. HO-BSI and drug-resistant BSI contribute disproportionately to BSI mortality and YPLL. Funding: None.