How is bacteremia treated?

As the name suggests, bacteremia is a disease caused by the continuous reproduction of bacteria in the blood. The harm of bacteremia is very serious, so everyone should take it seriously. You can learn more about the treatment of bacteremia. In addition to the treatment methods, you also need to know how to prevent this disease.

treat

Transient bacteremia associated with surgery or indwelling intravenous or urinary catheters is often undetectable and generally does not require treatment. However, if the patient has valvular heart disease, intravascular prostheses, or is receiving immunosuppressants, prophylactic antibiotics should be used to prevent endocarditis.

The prognosis of more serious bacteremia depends on two determining factors: first, it depends on the rapid and thorough identification of the source of infection; second, it depends on the original disease and its accompanying functional disorders. Traumatic implants, especially intravenous and urinary catheters, should be removed promptly. Antibiotic therapy should be started empirically immediately after obtaining laboratory specimens such as Gram stain and bacterial culture. Some cases (such as ruptured internal organs, myometrial abscess, intestinal or gallbladder gangrene) must be treated surgically. Large abscesses must be incised and drained, and necrotic tissue should be removed. Patients with persistent bacteremia due to pulmonary, biliary, or urinary tract infection are usually successfully treated with antibiotics if there is no obstruction or abscess formation. If there is multiple organ failure, multiple bacteria are often found (polyspecies bacteremia), and the prognosis is poor. The mortality rate increases significantly when antibiotic treatment or surgical treatment is delayed.

prevention

If all obvious or hidden purulent lesions can be cleared early, the occurrence of bacteremia can be reduced. Common infectious diseases in children such as measles, influenza, whooping cough, etc. are often prone to secondary severe respiratory bacterial infections, resulting in bacteremia. We must strengthen protection for these children. No matter how minor the skin injury is, it must be taken seriously and treated appropriately as soon as possible. With the continuous improvement of environmental hygiene, personal hygiene, nutritional status and pediatric health care, the incidence of bacteremia will inevitably decrease.