Abstract
Background: Klebsiella pneumoniae (KP) is commonly found in human intestinal and respiratory tracts. Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the clinical characteristics and risk factors associated with mortality in children suffering from carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (CRKP)-induced bloodstream infections. Methods: We collected clinical data from 160 children diagnosed with CRKP-induced bloodstream infections. These children were divided into two groups based on their outcomes 30 days post-infection: A death group (n = 61) and a survival group (n = 99). Clinical symptoms and outcomes were meticulously documented. Results: The death group experienced a significantly shorter hospital stay than the survival group. Additionally, higher incidence rates of sepsis, malignant tumors, renal diseases, infectious shock, surgical site infections, higher acute physiology and chronic health evaluation II (APACHE II) scores, and elevated procalcitonin levels were observed in the death group (P < 0.05). These factors were all identified as independent risk factors for mortality among children with CRKP-induced bloodstream infections (P < 0.05). The areas under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves for the length of hospital stay, presence of malignant tumors, sepsis, renal diseases, APACHE II score, procalcitonin levels, infectious shock, and surgical site infections all exceeded 0.700, indicating their high predictive value for mortality. Conclusions: The mortality rate among children with CRKP-induced bloodstream infections is high. Factors such as a brief hospital stay, presence of malignant tumors, sepsis, renal diseases, infectious shock, elevated APACHE II score, and high procalcitonin levels significantly contribute to the risk of death.