Clinical Characteristics and Microbiological Profile of Septic and Septic Shock Patients Admitted to the Intensive Care Department: A Single-Center Review

Objectives The study objectives include determining the incidence of different microbial isolates and the prevalence of multidrug-resistant microbes retrieved from the blood of septic and septic shock patients. Design and setting A retrospective observational study was conducted to explore the clinical and bloodstream microbiological characteristics of all sepsis and septic shock patients who required critical care services in Hatta Hospital - Dubai Health between January 2018 and December 2023. The primary focus was to characterize the microbiological profile of septic patients and identify their characteristics in relation to a short-term (28 days) outcome. Patients above the age of 13 admitted to Hatta Hospital intensive care services with clinical suspected sepsis or septic shock were enrolled. A total of 246 patients were enrolled. The study population age ranged from 13 to 112 years, with a median of 81 years; there were 108 females (43.9%) and 138 males (56.1%). Results The blood culture was positive in 53 (21.5%) of patients, but negative-culture sepsis was reported in 193 (78.5%) patients. The most common isolated species were gram-negative bacteria, including <i>Escherichia coli</i>, <i>Klebsiella pneumonia,</i> and <i>Pseudomonas aeruginosa</i>. With regard to the early 28-day mortality, the survivors were 178 (72.4%) and the nonsurvivors were 68 (27.6%). Fifty-eight (85.3%) of the recorded early mortality was noted in blood culture-negative patients, while ten (14.7%) recorded early mortality was noted in blood culture-positive patients. Conclusions Blood culture-negative sepsis and septic shock demonstrated a higher early mortality compared to blood culture-positive patients.