Skin infections: clinical and microbiological characteristics in a fourth level hospital
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Abstract
Introduction: skin and soft tissue infections are a common cause of medical consultations. The growing resistance to Staphylococcus aureus represents a significant therapeutic challenge.
Objective: to describe the clinical and microbiological characteristics in patients with skin and soft tissue infections admitted to the Hospital Nacional during 2024.
Methodology: a descriptive, analytical, retrospective, cross-sectional observational study was conducted using data from clinical records.
Results: 224 medical records were evaluated, with a diagnosis of skin and soft tissue infection. Males predominated in 71 %. The mean age was 54±16 years. The most frequent comorbidity was high blood pressure (48 %). Cellulitis was the most frequent skin and soft tissue infection (63 %). Isolations from cutaneous sources and blood cultures were 66 % and 47 %, respectively. The most frequently isolated germs were Staphylococcus aureus (29 %), coagulase-negative Staphylococcus (26.6 %), and Klebsiella pneumoniae (16.1 %). S. aureus showed a resistance of (58 %) to oxacillin and erythromycin (52 %). Sepsis occurred in 7 % of cases and was associated with older age, female sex, type 2 diabetes mellitus, and chronic kidney disease. Mortality was 9 % with a strong
association with sepsis.
Conclusions: SSTIs mostly affect men; however, in this series, female gender was associated with higher mortality. The high resistance of S. aureus to oxacillin emphasizes the need to update empirical treatment protocols in Paraguay.
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