Incidence and mortality of bacteremia in a public hospital in SantiagoBackground: The incidence of bacteremia has increased over the last decade due to the aging of the population and the wide implementation of invasive nosocomial procedures and wide-spectrum antimicrobial treatments.Aim: To assess the epidemiology of hospital and ambulatory bacteremias in a public hospital in Santiago.Material and Methods: A prospective longitudinal cohort study of laboratory-confi rmed adult patients with bacteremia was undertaken at a public hospital in Santiago, between June 1, 2007 and April 30, 2008.Demographic, clinical, and laboratory data was collected into a standardized study-specifi c form.Results: In the study period, 253 cases of true bacteremia were identifi ed, with an incidence of 11 per 1,000 patient discharges (63.6% nosocomial, 36.7% fatal).Only 2/3 of the cohort was alive at day 28 of hospitalization.Variables associated with mortality were age with a hazard ratio (HR) of 2.31; (95% confi dence intervals (CI) 1.42-3.77);female gender (HR, 1.70; 95% CI 1.06-2.71);shock (HR, 3.24; 95%CI 2.01-5.22);and C reactive protein (HR, 2.10; 95% CI 1.17-3.78).The variable associated with lower mortality was surgery (HR, 0.43; 95% CI 0.25-0.75).Selective empiric treatment did not improve survival.Conclusions: Besides age and gender, survival can be infl uenced by modifi able variables such as presence of shock and surgical intervention, which may provide an opportunity to improve outcomes.(