CLINICAL, LABORATORY AND MICROBIOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS, AND ANTIMICROBIAL SUSCEPTIBILITY OF BACTERIAL ISOLATES FROM PATIENTS WITH CULTURE-POSITIVE SEPSIS AT VIET TIEP FRIENDSHIP HOSPITAL, 2022–2023

Objectives: To describe the clinical and laboratory characteristics and antimicrobial resistance patterns of patients with culture-positive sepsis at Viet Tiep Friendship Hospital. Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted among 277 hospitalized patients with culture-positive sepsis admitted to clinical departments at Viet Tiep Friendship Hospital from December 2022 to December 2023. Results: Fever was present in 91.1% of patients on admission, and 69% had leukocytosis. Elevated blood lactate levels were observed in 69.6% of patients. Gram-negative bacteria predominated, accounting for 68% of isolates. The most frequently isolated pathogens were Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Klebsiella pneumoniae, accounting for 48%, 22%, and 13.4%, respectively. E. coli showed a high resistance rate to ciprofloxacin (63.2%), while retaining high in vitro susceptibility to amikacin (94.5%), piperacillin/tazobactam (89.6%), and fosfomycin (97.3%). Carbapenems also showed high in vitro susceptibility among E. coli (96.0%–98.4%) and K. pneumoniae (75.0%–87.1%). Conclusions: Culture-positive sepsis predominantly occurred in older patients with underlying comorbidities. Gram-negative bacteria, particularly E. coli, were the predominant causative pathogens. E. coli showed high resistance to ciprofloxacin but retained high in vitro susceptibility to amikacin, piperacillin/tazobactam, fosfomycin, and carbapenems. These findings describe the antimicrobial susceptibility patterns of the bacterial isolates and should not be interpreted as evidence of clinical treatment effectiveness.