Previous hospital care and pneumococcal bacteremia. Importance for pneumococcal immunization.

At the University of Chicago Hospitals and Clinics (UCHC), 60% of 126 patients who survived, and 70% of 40 patients who died with pneumococcal bacteremia had been discharged at least once within the previous five years. The experience of 39 patients with bacteremia at the Mary Imogene Bassett Hospital, Cooperstown, NY, was similar. There were 144 UCHC patients with high-risk conditions. In 69%, these conditions were evident on an earlier hospital admission. In contrast, only two of 22 UCHC patients without high-risk conditions had been previously discharged. In addition to age and underlying medical condition, previous hospital care can help to define high-risk individuals for pneumococcal immunization. The results also suggest that hospitals should assume a major role in the prevention of serious pneumococcal infections.