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AbstractWe developed a prediction model for cefotaxime resistance in patients with K. pneumoniae bacteremia. Adult patients with K. pneumoniae bacteremia were grouped into derivation (from March 2018 to December 2019) and validation (from January 2020 to August 2020) cohorts. The prediction scoring system was based on factors associated with cefotaxime resistance identified by the logistic regression model. A total of 358 patients were enrolled (256 for derivation, 102 for validation). In the multivariable analysis, age ≥65 years, hospital-acquired infection, prior antimicrobial use, and an updated Charlson comorbidity index ≥3 points were associated with cefotaxime resistance in the derivation cohort. When each variable was counted as 1 point, the values of the area under the curve were 0.761 in the derivation and 0.781 in the validation cohorts. The best cutoff value using the Youden index was ≥2 with 73.6% sensitivity and 67.5% specificity. Our simple scoring system favorably predicted cefotaxime resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The appropriate use of carbapenem is a critical concern for patient safety and public health, and is a national priority. We investigated the nationwide status of carbapenem prescription in patients within their last 14 days of life to guide judicious-use protocols from the previous study comprised of 1350 decedents. Carbapenem use was universally controlled through computerised authorisation system at all centres during the study period. Carbapenem prescribing patterns and their optimality were evaluated. A total of 1201 patients received antimicrobial agents within the last two weeks of their lives, of whom 533 (44.4%) received at least one carbapenem. The median carbapenem treatment duration was seven days. Of the 533 patients receiving carbapenems, 510 (95.7%) patients had microbiological samples drawn and 196 (36.8%) yielded carbapenem-resistant pathogens. A total of 200 (37.5%) patients were referred to infectious disease (ID) specialists. Of the 333 patients (62.5%) who did not have ID consultations, 194 (58.2%) were assessed as "not optimal", 79 (23.7%) required escalation, 100 (30.0%) required de-escalation, and 15 (4.5%) were discontinued. Notwithstanding the existing antibiotic restriction program system, carbapenems are commonly prescribed to patients in their last days of life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Clostridioides difficile infection is a leading cause of healthcare-associated diarrhea. The epidemiology and characteristics of C. difficile vary geographically. We performed toxin enzyme immunoassay (EIA), toxigenic gene analysis, antimicrobial susceptibility tests (AST), and PCR ribotyping to elucidate the characteristics of C. difficile in Korea. Methods Between July 2017 and June 2018, C. difficile was prospectively isolated in 128 specimens from the culture of 1,182 unduplicated specimens. Seventy-five stool specimens with a positive toxin EIA between July 2016 and June 2017 were also included. We performed PCR for the tcdA and tcdB genes on these isolates, and AST and PCR ribotyping on the isolates with a positive toxin EIA. Results Older patients tended to have a higher rate of positive toxin EIA and positive cultures than did younger patients. Ribotype 018 was predominantly identified (48.6%), followed by ribotype 014/020 (9.9%), and ribotype 002 (8.3%). All of A-B+ isolates were either ribotype 017 or B-2. Ribotypes 017, 018, and B-2 showed high resistance to various antibiotics. In contrast, ribotypes 002, 014/020 and C-4 demonstrated low resistance rates, except that to moxifloxacin in ribotype 002. Clindamycin and erythromycin showed a positive correlation. Most of the isolates resistant to rifampicin or tetracycline showed a high MIC to both erythromycin and clindamycin. Conclusion Ribotype 018, which is highly transmissible and resistant to various antimicrobial agents, is predominant in Korea. Ribotype 002 has also been increasing in prevalence in Korea. Disclosures All authors: No reported disclosures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to investigate the diverse clinical manifestations and simple early biomarkers predicting mortality of COVID-19 patients admitted to the emergency department (ED). A total of 710 patients with COVID-19 were enrolled from 6,896 patients presenting to the ED between January 2022 and March 2022. During the study period, a total of 478 patients tested positive for COVID-19, among whom 222 (46.4%) presented with extrapulmonary manifestations of COVID-19; 49 (10.3%) patients displayed gastrointestinal manifestations, followed by neurological (n = 41; 8.6%) and cardiac manifestations (n = 31; 6.5%). In total, 54 (11.3%) patients died. A Cox proportional hazards model revealed that old age, acute kidney injury at presentation, increased total leukocyte counts, low platelet counts, decreased albumin levels, and increased LDH levels were the independent predictors of mortality. The albumin levels exhibited the highest area under the curve in receiver operating characteristic analysis, with a value of 0.860 (95% confidence interval, 0.796-0.875). The study showed the diverse clinical presentations and simple-to-measure prognostic markers in COVID-19 patients presenting to the ED. Serum albumin levels can serve as a novel and simple early biomarker to identify COVID-19 patients at high risk of death.