Mortality due to KPC carbapenemase-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae infections: Systematic review and meta-analysis: Mortality due to KPC Klebsiella pneumoniae infections.

INTRODUCTION: KPC carbapenemase-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae (KPC-KP) has become a major public health challenge. Accordingly, this study sought to use a systematic review of the scientific literature to ascertain the mortality of KPC-KP infection, and analyze such mortality by country, year of publication, hospital ward, and type of interpretation used to define carbapenem resistance.

METHODOLOGY: A search without language restrictions was made of the MEDLINE, CENTRAL, EBSCO, LILACS and EMBASE databases from 1996 through June 2017, to locate all studies which had determined the existence of KPC-KP infection. We then performed a meta-analysis of all studies that reported KPC-KP infection-related mortality, and analyzed mortality by subgroup in accordance with standard methodology.

RESULTS: A total of 51 papers were included in the systematic review. From 2005 through 2017, data on KPC-KP infection were reported in 5124 patients, with an average of 465 patients per year. The most widely studied type of infection was bacteremia (28∙0%). The meta-analysis showed that overall mortality for the 37 studies was 41.0% (95%CI 37.0-44.0), with the highest mortality rates being observed in oncology patients, 56.0% (95%CI 38.1-73.0), and Brazil, 51.3% (95%CI 43.0-60.0).

CONCLUSION: KPC-KP infection-related mortality is high, is manifested differently in some countries, and is highest among oncology patients.