Temporal Trends of Fungal Infections in Cirrhotic Patients: A Retrospective Cohort Study 2016-2020.

Abstract

Background: Patients with cirrhosis are susceptible to infections due to abnormalities in humoral and cell-mediated immunity. Fungal infections are associated with delayed diagnosis and high mortality rates, emphasizing the importance of performing fungal cultures and maintaining elevated levels of suspicion in this patient population.

Methods: This retrospective cohort study analyzes cirrhotic patients readmitted with bacterial and fungal infections and investigates outcomes, including in-hospital mortality and hospital resource utilization. Data was acquired from the Nationwide Readmission Database (NRD) from 2016 to 2020. Total hospital costs were calculated using HCUP Cost-to-Charge Ratio files and adjusted for inflation based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for medical care services in the U.S., with 2020 as the reference year. The NRD dataset lacks details like ascitic fluid cell counts, antifungal/antibacterial drugs used, and treatment responses, limiting the clinical insights that can be derived.

Results: The study analyzed 393,195 index hospitalizations. Among these, 102,505 account for 30-day and 157,079 account for 90-day readmissions. The 30-day and 90-day readmissions for spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (SBP) are 8478 and 15,690 respectively. The 30-day and 90-day readmissions for spontaneous fungal peritonitis (SFP) are 3106 and 5798 respectively. The mean age of patients was 57.9 years (standard deviation between 57.7 and 58.1). The mean length of stay (LOS) for SBP at 30 days is 9.4 days, while SFP has ranged from 14.9 to 32.3 days for various fungal infections. Aspergilloses have the longest LOS among SFP. There is an increased rate of mortality as well as hospital charges with SFP compared to SBP (P < 0.001). The 30-day index admission total charges for SBP are $42,258 and SFP are $51,739. The 30-day readmission total charges for SBP are 64, 266 and for SFP 89,913.

Conclusions: There is increased mortality, LOS, and hospital costs for SFP compared to SBP. It is important to consider SFP in the diagnostic workup for patients who do not respond to antibiotics. Early recognition and administration of antifungals can be associated with improved outcomes.