ICU stewardship program tied to drop in antibiotics, bloodstream infection
An interrupted time series analysis conducted in two Italian intensive care units (ICUs) demonstrated a substantial reduction in antibiotic consumption and bloodstream infections (BSIs) caused by multidrug-resistant (MDR) gram-negative bacteria after the teaching hospital instituted an antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) program, with no change in mortality or length of stay, according to a study yesterday in Clinical Microbiology and Infection.
The analysis spanned January 2017 through 2018 to assess the effects of prospective audit and feedback in the ICUs. Primary outcomes were differences in antibiotic consumption and the incidence of BSIs caused by MDR organisms, while secondary outcomes included mortality rate, mean length of stay, and antibiotic expense.
During the study, hospital staff performed 231 audits that evaluated 693 antibiotic prescriptions. The AMS program was tied to a global reduction in antibiotic consumption, with an overall drop of 324.8 daily defined doses (DDD) per 100 patient-days (PD; P = 0.04), particularly in the use of fluoroquinolone (-63.5 DDD/100 PD, P < 0.001). The authors noted non-significant declines of carbapenems and third- and fourth-generation cephalosporins.
In addition, they noted a drop of 5.8 events of BSI/100 PD (P = 0.026) and in BSI caused by gram-negative MDR bacteria (-2.96 events/100 PD, P = 0.043). The researchers observed no change in hospital mortality or length of stay.
Oct 30 Clin Microbiol Infect abstract
BARDA funds development of rapid sepsis test, digital diagnostic tool
The Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) announced that it will provide Cytovale of San Francisco an initial $3.4 million, with an option for an additional $4.17 million, to advance development of the company's sepsis test, which may be able to diagnose the blood infection in less than 10 minutes.
"We need faster diagnostics to reduce the health burden of sepsis in our country and save lives," said BARDA Director Rick Bright, PhD. "Like so many threats, speed of diagnosis is critical to improving outcomes for sepsis patients. Through this and other projects, our Solving Sepsis program continues to focus on catalyzing technology to address sepsis."
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, sepsis kills about 270,000 Americans annually. Sepsis occurs during a faulty immune response to an infection, and can cause tissue damage, organ failure, and even death.
Earlier this week, BARDA also announced it will provide Beckman Coulter Diagnostics, of Brea, California, with an initial $1.25 million, with an option for an additional $6.5 million, to develop a machine-learning algorithm-based diagnostic for sepsis.
According to Beckman Coulter, the digital diagnostic tool combines clinical data from laboratory tests and patient data from electronic health records to create a predictive machine-learning algorithm expected to more accurately detect sepsis in clinical settings.
Both Cytovale's and Beckman Coulter's projects are part of BARDA DRIVe's Solving Sepsis program, which aims to reduce the incidence, morbidity, mortality, and cost associated with sepsis. BARDA operates under the US Department of Health and Human Services's Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response.
Oct 29 BARDA press releases
Study notes UTI antibiotic prescribing problems in Aussie nursing homes
An antimicrobial prescribing survey of Australian nursing homes found that antibiotics for urinary tract infection (UTIs) often didn't follow guidelines, researchers reported yesterday in the American Journal of Infection Control.
The analysis is based on data from the country's Aged Care National Antimicrobial Prescribing Survey, which has been collecting data since 2015. For the study, the team looked at 2016 and 2017 survey data, comparing antibiotic prescribing for UTIs with national guidelines. The study included 662 antibiotic prescriptions from 247 nursing homes.
For all prophylactic antibiotics for UTIs, 51.8% were prescribed for longer than 6 months, which doesn't follow guidelines.
Most (71.6%) of the antibiotics that doctors prescribed were for cystitis. Cefalexin was most frequently prescribed for the condition, but only 10.4% aligned with recommendations. Prescribing extra daily doses of the drug occurred in 63.2% of the prescriptions.
Researchers said the longer duration findings suggest that many nursing home residents aren't reviewed and tested without antibiotic prophylaxis as often as they should be; however, they note that the study couldn't assess the clinical appropriateness of starting prophylactic therapy, a topic that would be worthy of more detailed study.
They said the reasons for prescribing extra doses of cefalexin for cystitis is unclear, but factors may include that clinicians often prescribe it for other indications, including skin and soft-tissue infections, they may be confused about the higher number of doses recommended for pyelonephritis and lower number recommended for cystitis, or they may believe extra doses are needed for nursing home residents.
Researchers concluded that antimicrobial stewardship activities that target UTI prophylaxis for longer than 6 months and excessive use of cefalexin for cystitis could significantly reduce unnecessary antibiotic prescribing in Australian nursing home residents.
Oct 30 Am J Infect Control abstract