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The article reports on antibiotic prescriptions in outpatient antibiotic stewardship in the U.S. It is said that outpatient antibiotic stewardship reduces antimicrobial resistance rates, costs and adverse events. Recent studies have examined inappropriate use of antibiotics in the outpatient setting., which found that 30% of antibiotic prescriptions written in ambulatory care settings were inappropriate.

The article discusses the properties and efficacy of the antibiotics dalbavancin, oritavancin, and tedizolid in acute bacterial skin and skin structure infections (ABSSSIs). Topics discussed include advances in labeling by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for skin infections, dosages and safety outcomes of the said antibiotics, and pharmacoeconomic considerations.

Objectives: Preliminary data suggest that antibiotic discontinuation in patients with negative quantitative bronchoscopy and symptom resolution will not increase mortality. Because our hospital algorithm for antibiotic discontinuation rules out ventilator-associated pneumonia in the setting of negative quantitative bronchoscopy cultures, we compared antibiotic utilization and mortality in empirically treated, culture-negative ventilator-associated pneumonia patients whose antibiotic discontinuation was early versus late. Design: Retrospective, observational cohort study. Setting: Eight hundred sixty-seven bed, tertiary care, teaching hospital in Hartford, CT. Patients: Eighty-nine patients with clinically suspected ventilator-associated pneumonia and a negative (<104 colony forming units/mL) quantitative bronchoscopy culture between January 2009 and March 2012. Early discontinuation patients (n = 40) were defined as those who had all antibiotic therapy stopped within one day of final negative culture report, whereas late discontinuation patients (n = 49) had antibiotics stopped later than one day. Measurements: Univariate analyses assessed mortality, antibiotic duration, and frequency of superinfections. Multivariate logistic regression was performed to assess the effect of early discontinuation on hospital mortality. Results: Patients had a mean ± SD Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II score of 26.0±6.0. Mortality was not different between early discontinuation (25.0%) and late discontinuation (30.6%) patients (p = 0.642). Antibiotic duration (days) was also not different for patients who died vs. those who survived (Median [interquartile range]: 3 [1-7.5] vs. 3 [1.75-6.25], respectively, p = 0.87), and when controlling for baseline characteristics and symptom resolution, only Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II score was associated with hospital mortality on multivariate analyses. There were fewer superinfections (22.5% vs. 42.9%, p = 0.008), respiratory superinfections (10.0% vs. 28.6%, p = 0.036), and multidrug resistant superinfections (7.5% vs. 35.7%, p = 0.003), in early discontinuation compared with late discontinuation patients. Conclusions: In this severely ill population with clinically suspected ventilator-associated pneumonia and negative quantitative bronchoalveolar lavage cultures, early discontinuation of antibiotics did not affect mortality and was associated with a lower frequency of MDR superinfections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Study Objective To assess the impact of noncompliance with a ventilator-associated pneumonia ( VAP) computerized clinical pathway ( CCP) on antibiotic use after removal of prospective antibiotic stewardship resources. Design Retrospective, observational, quasi-experimental study. Setting Three intensive care units (medical, surgical, and neurotrauma) in a large, tertiary care hospital. Patients A total of 136 patients with culture-positive VAP; 72 were treated from September 2006- August 2007 (period 1), during which use of the CCP was mandatory along with aggressive stewardship support, and 64 were treated from September 2009- April 2010 (period 2), during which use of the CCP was voluntary. Measurements and Main Results Compliance with use of the CCP was 100% during period 1 and 44% (28/64 patients) during period 2. For the 36 patients (56%) whose antibiotic selection did not comply with the CCP, empiric antibiotics were selected by provider discretion. Most patients had late-onset VAP and were similar with respect to age, sex, and comorbidities between the two periods. Staphylococcus aureus (11-17% methicillin-resistant S. aureus) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa were the most common pathogens during both periods. The proportion of patients with appropriate antibiotics within 24 hours of VAP identification was not significantly different between period 1 (70.8%) and period 2 (56.3%, p=0.112). During period 2, patients who were treated according to the CCP were more likely to receive appropriate antibiotic therapy compared with patients treated according to provider discretion (82.1% vs 36.1%, p≤0.001). Time to appropriate therapy was also shorter for patients treated according to the CCP (mean ± SD 0.43 ± 1.14 vs 1.29 ± 1.36 days, p=0.003). Treatment with the CCP was the only variable significantly associated with appropriate antibiotic therapy (odds ratio 4.8, 95% confidence interval 2.1-10.9). Mortality was not significantly different between period 1 and period 2, and only Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II score and admission with a head injury were predictive of death. Finally, a greater proportion of patients treated with the CCP were de-escalated from anti- Pseudomonas β-lactams (85.0% vs 33.3%, p=0.006) when they were not necessary. Conclusion These data highlight the importance of continued stewardship resources after CCP implementation to ensure compliance and to maximize antibiotic stewardship outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Organism susceptibilities for trauma-associated pneumonia (TAP) differ from those in other groups of patients, including the critically ill. The purpose of this study was to identify common organisms and their susceptibilities in the respiratory isolates of trauma patients diagnosed with pneumonia within the first 7 days of hospital admission, and to create a disease-state antibiogram specific to TAP to guide empiric antibiotic therapy in this patient population. Methods This study was an IRB-approved, retrospective chart review of adult trauma patients with pneumonia admitted between September 1, 2015 and August 31, 2018 were evaluated. Patients included were diagnosed with and treated for pneumonia, with respiratory cultures drawn within the first 7 days of admission; both culture-positive and culture-negative patients were included. Subgroup antibiograms were made for a diagnosis made on days 1–3, 4–5, and 6–7. Results There were 131 patients included with a median age of 45; 85% were male, and 31% were illicit drug users. The majority of patients (63%) had ventilator-associated pneumonia, and most respiratory samples (77%) were obtained via bronchiolar lavage. Cultures were positive in 109 patients and negative in 22. There were 144 total isolates; 54% were Gram-negative bacteria. The most common Gram-negative pathogens were Haemophilus influenzae (16%) and Klebsiella pneumoniae (15%). The most common Gram-positive pathogen was Staphylococcus aureus ; 9% of all patients grew methicillin-resistant S. aureus. With culture-negative patients counted as susceptible, ceftriaxone monotherapy and ceftriaxone + vancomycin susceptibility were 85% and 94% of patients, respectively. Susceptibilities to cefazolin, ampicillin/sulbactam, cefepime, piperacillin/tazobactam, and levofloxacin were 49%, 69%, 91%, 90%, and 92%, respectively. Illicit drug use and day of pneumonia diagnosis did not appreciably affect antibiotic susceptibilities. Conclusion For TAP diagnosed within the first 7 days of hospital admission, ceftriaxone monotherapy is adequate as empiric therapy, including in ventilated patients. The addition of vancomycin can be considered in patients with MRSA risk factors or who are critically ill. Disclosures All authors: No reported disclosures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Acute bacterial skin and skin structure infections (ABSSSIs) are a frequent cause of emergency department (ED) visits. Providers in the ED have many decisions to make during the initial treatment of ABSSSI. There are limited data on the patient factors that influence these provider decisions. Methods An anonymous survey was administered to providers at 6 EDs across the United States. The survey presented patient cases with ABSSSIs ≥75 cm2and escalating clinical scenarios including relapse, controlled diabetes, and sepsis. For each case, participants were queried on their decision for admission vs discharge and antibiotic therapy (intravenous, oral, or both) and to rank the factors that influenced their antibiotic decision. Results The survey was completed by 130 providers. For simple ABSSSI, the majority of providers chose an oral antibiotic and discharged patients home. The presence of recurrence or controlled diabetes resulted in more variation in responses. Thirty-four (40%) and 51 (60%) providers chose intravenous followed by oral antibiotics and discharged the recurrence and diabetes cases, respectively. Presentation with sepsis resulted in initiation with intravenous antibiotics (122, 95.3%) and admission (125, 96.1%) in most responses. Conclusions Variability in responses to certain patient scenarios suggests opportunities for education of providers in the ED and the development of an ABSSSI clinical pathway to help guide treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]