Clinical features and development of Sepsis in Klebsiella pneumoniae infected liver abscess patients: a retrospective analysis of 135 cases

Klebsiella pneumoniae is a primary pathogen of pyogenic liver abscess (PLA). However, little data are available on combination with sepsis. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the clinical characteristics and prognostic differences of PLA patients with sepsis.

This retrospective cohort study was conducted to investigate 135 patients with confirmed Klebsiella pneumoniae-caused liver abscesses (KPLA) from a tertiary teaching hospital, from 2013 to 2019. The patients were divided into two groups, KPLA with sepsis and KPLA without sepsis. The demographic characteristics, clinical features as well as laboratory and microbiologic findings were analyzed.

A total of 135 patients with KPLA were analyzed. The mean age of patients was 60.9 ± 12.7 years, and the percentage of men was 59.3%. Among them, 37/135 (27.4%) of patients had sepsis and the mortality rate was 1.5%. The most common symptom was fever (91.1%). KPLA patients with sepsis had a significantly higher proportion of frailty, diarrhea, fatty liver, chronic renal insufficiency, and hepatic dysfunction compared to KPLA patients without sepsis (p < 0.05). Antibiotic therapy and percutaneous drainage were most frequently therapeutic strategy. Furthermore, the incidences of sepsis shock and acute respiratory distress syndrome were higher in the sepsis group compared to the non-sepsis group. As for metastatic infections, the lung was the most common site. In addition, KPLA patients with sepsis showed respiratory symptoms in 11 patients, endophthalmitis in 4 patients, and meningitis in 1 patient.