Prevalence of and Risk Factors for Multidrug-Resistant Bacteria in Urine Cultures of Spinal Cord Injury Patients

OBJECTIVE To identify the prevalence of multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria and identify their specific risk factors in routine urine specimens of spinal cord injury (SCI) patients. METHODS This study was designed in a retrospective manner, reviewing the medical records of SCI patients who were admitted to a specialized SCI unit between January 2001 and December 2013. Patients were investigated for age, gender, American Spinal Injury Association impairment scale, SCI level, duration after injury, bladder management method, and hospitalization history within four weeks prior to visiting our unit. The results of routine urine cultures including presence of MDR organisms were analyzed. RESULTS Among the total 2,629 urine samples from the newly admitted SCI patients, significant bacteriuria was identified in 1,929 (73.4%), and MDR organisms were isolated in 29 (1.1%) cultures. There was an increasing trend of MDR organism prevalence from 2001 to 2013 (p