Days Of Antibiotic Therapy Research Articles

Antibiotic Use and Presumptive Pathogens in the Veterans Affairs Healthcare System.

Empirical antibiotic use is common in the hospital. Here, we characterize patterns of antibiotic use, infectious diagnoses, and microbiological laboratory results among hospitalized patients and aim to quantify the proportion of antibiotic use that is potentially attributable to specific bacterial pathogens. We conducted an observational study using electronic health records from acute care facilities in the US Veterans Affairs Healthcare System. From October 2017 to September 2018, 482 381 hospitalizations for 332 657 unique patients that met all criteria were included. At least 1 antibiotic was administered at 202 037 (41.9%) of included hospital stays. We measured frequency of antibiotic use, microbiological specimen collection, and bacterial isolation by diagnosis category and antibiotic group. A tiered system based on specimen collection sites and diagnoses was used to attribute antibiotic use to presumptive causative organisms. Specimens were collected at 130 012 (64.4%) hospitalizations with any antibiotic use, and at least 1 bacterial organism was isolated at 35.1% of these stays. Frequency of bacterial isolation varied widely by diagnosis category and antibiotic group. Under increasingly lenient criteria, 10.2%-31.4% of 974 733 antibiotic days of therapy could be linked to a potential bacterial pathogen. Overall, the vast majority of antibiotic use could be linked to either an infectious diagnosis or microbiological specimen. Nearly one-half of antibiotic use occurred when there was a specimen collected but no bacterial organism identified, underscoring the need for rapid and improved diagnostics to optimize antibiotic use.

Impact of BioFire FilmArray respiratory panel results on antibiotic days of therapy in different clinical settings.

The BioFire FilmArray Respiratory Panel (RFA) has been proposed as a tool that can aid in the timely diagnosis and treatment of respiratory tract infections but its effect on antibiotic prescribing among adult patients has varied. We evaluated the impact of RFA result on antibiotic days of therapy (DOTs) in 2 distinct cohorts: hospitalized patients and patients discharged from the emergency department (ED). Retrospective cohort study. The study was conducted in 3 community hospitals in Des Moines, Iowa, from March 3 to March 16, 2019. Adults aged >18 years. Potential outcome means and average treatment effects for RFA results on antibiotic DOTs were estimated. Inverse probability of treatment weighting with regression adjustment was used. We identified 243 patients each in the hospitalized and ED-discharged cohorts. Among hospitalized patients, RFA results did not affect antibiotic DOTs. Among patients discharged from the ED, we found that if all patients had had influenza detected, the average DOTs would have been 2.3 DOTs (-3.2 to -1.4) less than the average observed if all the patients had had a negative RFA (P < .0001); no differences in DOTs were observed when comparing an RFA with a noninfluenza virus detected compared to an RFA with negative results. The impact of RFA results on antibiotic DOTs varies by clinical setting, and reductions were observed only among patients discharged from the ED who had influenza A or B detected.

199. Evaluating long-term care pharmacy dispense data to monitor antibiotic use in U.S. nursing homes

BackgroundAutomated reporting of antibiotic use (AU) in nursing homes (NHs) may help to identify opportunities to improve antibiotic prescribing practices and inform implementation of stewardship activities. The majority of U.S. NHs contract with long-term care (LTC) pharmacies to dispense prescriptions and provide medication monitoring and reviews. We investigated the feasibility of leveraging LTC pharmacy electronic dispensing data to describe AU in NHs.MethodsWe analyzed all NH antibiotic dispenses and monthly resident-days in 2017 reported by a large LTC pharmacy. The dispense-level data included facility and resident identifiers, antibiotic class and agent, dispense date and days of therapy (DOT) dispensed. We identified NH antibiotic courses, inclusive of both antibiotic starts and continuations from hospital-initiated courses, by collapsing dispenses of the same drug to the same resident if the subsequent dispense was within three days of the preceding end date. The course duration was the sum of DOT for all dispenses in the course. The AU rate was reported as DOT and courses per 1,000 resident-days.ResultsAU was described in 326,713 residents admitted to 1,348 NHs (9% of U.S. NHs), covering 38.1 million resident-days. There were 576,228 dispenses for a total of 3.3 million antibiotic DOT at a rate of 86 DOT/1,000 resident-days. After collapsing dispenses, 324,306 antibiotic courses were defined at a rate of 9 courses/1,000 resident-days. During the year, 45% of residents received an antibiotic. The most frequently prescribed classes by DOT and courses were cephalosporins, penicillins, urinary anti-infectives and quinolones (Fig. 1). The top agents by DOT were levofloxacin (12%), sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim (12%) and cephalexin (11%). Most course durations were 1–7 days (54%) or 8–14 days (35%) (Fig. 2). Long-term antibiotic courses (> 30 days) contributed to 5% of courses and 30% of overall DOT. The mean duration per course was 7.5 days when courses > 30 days were excluded.Figure 1. Distribution of antibiotic courses and days of therapy by antibiotic class for 324,306 antibiotic courses and 3.3 million days of antibiotic therapy dispensed to 1,348 nursing homes from a long-term care pharmacy in 2017 Figure 2. Distribution of antibiotic course duration and cumulative percent of total antibiotic days of therapy for 324,306 antibiotic courses dispensed to 1,348 nursing homes from a long-term care pharmacy in 2017 ConclusionLTC pharmacy dispenses may be an accessible data source to report NH AU rates and prescribing patterns by antibiotic class and agent. Further evaluation of data sources for facility- and national-level AU reporting in NHs is needed to support stewardship implementation.Disclosures All Authors: No reported disclosures

92. Successful Scale-up of an Intervention to Decrease Unnecessary Urine Cultures Led to Improvements in Antibiotic Use

BackgroundWe previously conducted a successful single-site intervention to improve compliance with antibiotic stewardship guidelines for asymptomatic bacteriuria (ASB). In this dissemination project we explored whether we could facilitate antibiotic stewardship for ASB at a distance, in four distant VA medical centers.MethodsEach site champion received a decision-aid algorithm, interactive teaching based on actual cases, and support with data collection. The focus of the intervention was on teaching providers in acute and long-term care to avoid ordering unnecessary urine cultures. We measured DOT (days of antibiotic therapy), LOT (length of antibiotic therapy) and urine cultures ordered per 1,000 bed-days monthly in the intervention sites and four matched control sites. Both DOT and LOT captured all systemic antibiotics initiated on day -1 to +2 of a urine culture order. We conducted segmented regression analyses for the three outcomes for the intervention and control sites separately, and difference in differences analysis for urine cultures.ResultsOver the baseline and intervention years, 12,260 urine cultures were ordered in 6823 unique patients in the acute and long-term care wards at the 8 sites. During the baseline year, the average urine-culture related DOT was 45.1 and LOT was 34.7, per 1000 bed-days. Both DOT and LOT decreased significantly over the intervention period in the intervention sites (p < 0.05 for both); a significant decrease was not seen in the control sites (Figures 1 and 2). For urine cultures, at baseline the average number of cultures ordered per month per 1000 bed-days was 13.6. Both intervention and control sites saw a significant decrease in urine cultures over the baseline year. In the intervention year, urine cultures continued to decrease in the intervention sites (p=0.001) but increased in the control sites (Figure 3).Figure 1. Days of Therapy (DOT) per 1,000 bed-days, for antibiotics started within -1 to +2 days of a urine culture Figure 2. Length of Therapy (LOT) per 1,000 bed-days, for antibiotics started within -1 to +2 days of a urine culture Figure 3. Urine Cultures per 1,000 bed-days ConclusionOur externally-facilitated intervention significantly decreased local antibiotic use (both DOT and LOT) and urine cultures. Unnecessary urine cultures are a major driver of unnecessary antibiotic use for ASB, and our focus on diagnostic stewardship for urine cultures led to antibiotic stewardship. Our next step will be to further disseminate our intervention to other VA facilities.Disclosures All Authors: No reported disclosures

112. Impact of Respiratory Viral PCR Panels (RVP) and Serum Procalcitonin (PCT) on Antibiotic Days of Therapy (DOT) in Patients Admitted with Lower Respiratory Tract Infections (LRTI)

BackgroundIDSA advocates for the use of RVP and PCT to reduce inappropriate antibiotic use. These assays were implemented in our health system without formal antimicrobial stewardship intervention. Herein, we evaluated assay utilization and impact on antibiotic DOT in patients admitted with LRTI.MethodsRecords of patients admitted to our health system in January 2019 with a diagnosis of LRTI (ICD 10 codes: J13-22, J44, or J85) were reviewed. Patients < 18 years old, receiving active treatment at time of admission for a concurrent infection, or had a RVP or initial PCT ordered > 48 hours from admission were excluded. Patients were cohorted based on at least one test ordered (VPPC) vs neither (CTRL). The primary endpoint was total antibiotic DOT, including inpatient and outpatient. Secondary endpoints were hospital length of stay (LOS), 30 day readmission (30DR), and all cause mortality (ACM). Multivariate linear regression was used to determine variables associated with DOT.ResultsOf 294 patients included, 15 (5.1%), 84 (28.6%), and 43 (14.6%) had RVP alone, PCT alone, or both ordered, respectively, resulting in 142 (48.3%) patients in the VPPC group. Providers modified therapy based on PCT and RVP results in 39.4% (50/127) and 33.3% (7/21) of patients, respectively. Median (IQR) DOT was similar between VPPC and CTRL groups (7 [5–9] vs 7 [3–8] days; p=0.159), respectively. Inpatient DOT (4 [2–5] vs 3 [2–4] days; p=0.001) and LOS (99.5 vs 81.7 hours; p=0.001) were longer in the VPPC group. VPPC patients were more likely to receive anti-pseudomonal B-lactams (anti-PSA) (26.8 vs 16.4%; p=0.044) and anti-MRSA antibiotics (45.1 vs 34.9%; p=0.096). No difference in 30DR (13.4 vs 15.1%; p=0.793) or ACM (2.1 vs 3.3%; p=0.794) was observed. Variables significantly associated with increased DOT were non-ICU admission, positive chest X-ray, LOS, younger age, and receipt of anti-MRSA or anti-PSA antibiotics.ConclusionOver one month, RVP or PCT was ordered in nearly half of admitted LRTI patients in our health system, but modification of therapy based on results was infrequent. The unrestricted use of these tests without stewardship intervention did not impact overall antibiotic DOT, LOS, 30DR, or ACM. These data emphasize the need for additional intervention to enhance the clinical utility of these tests.Disclosures Joseph L. Kuti, PharmD, Allergan (Speaker’s Bureau)bioMérieux (Research Grant or Support, Other Financial or Material Support, Speaker Honorarium)Melinta (Research Grant or Support)Merck & Co., Inc. (Research Grant or Support)Paratek (Speaker’s Bureau)Summit (Other Financial or Material Support, Research funding (clinical trials))

1346. Implementation of a Multidisciplinary 48 Hour Antibiotic Timeout in a Pediatric Population

BackgroundTo meet the core elements required for antimicrobial stewardship programs, our institution implemented a pharmacy-led antibiotic timeout (ATO) process in 2017 and a multidisciplinary ATO process in 2019. An antibiotic timeout is a discussion and review of the need for ongoing empirical antibiotics 2-4 days after initiation. This study sought to evaluate both the multidisciplinary ATO and the pharmacy-led ATO in a pediatric population, compare the impact of each intervention on antibiotic days of therapy (DOT) to a pre-intervention group without an ATO, and to then compare the impact of the pharmacy-led ATO versus multidisciplinary ATO on antibiotic days of therapy (DOT).MethodsThis was a retrospective, pre-post, quasi-experimental study of pediatric patients comparing antibiotic DOT prior to ATO implementation (pre-ATO), during the pharmacy-led ATO (pharm-ATO), and during the multidisciplinary ATO (multi-ATO). The pre-ATO group was a patient sample from February-September 2016, prior to the initiation of a formal ATO. The pharmacy-led ATO was implemented from February-September 2018. This was followed by a multidisciplinary ATO led by pediatric residents and nurses from February-September 2019. Both the pharm-ATO and the multi-ATO were implemented as an active non-interruptive alert added to the electronic health record patient list. This alert triggered when new antibiotics had been administered to the patient for 48 hours, at which time, the responsible clinician would discuss the antibiotic and document their decision via the alert workspace. Pediatric patients receiving IV or PO antibiotics administered for at least 48 hours were included. The primary outcome was DOT. Secondary outcomes included length of stay (LOS) and mortality.Results1284 unique antibiotic orders (n= 572 patients) were reviewed in the pre-ATO group, 868 (n= 323 patients) in the pharm-ATO and 949 (n= 305 patients) in the multi-ATO groups. Average DOT was not significantly different pre vs post intervention for either methodology (Table 1). Mortality was similar between groups, but LOS was longer for both intervention groups (Table 1).Impact of an ATO on DOT, Mortality and LOS ConclusionAn ATO had no impact on average antibiotic DOT in a pediatric population, regardless of the ATO methodology.Disclosures All Authors: No reported disclosures

181. Antimicrobial Use in the Time of COVID-19 – Data from 84 VA Facilities

BackgroundThe VA initiated an antimicrobial stewardship program in 2011, which includes participation in the Center for Disease Control (CDC) Antimicrobial Use Option, educational webinars, training programs for antimicrobial stewards, required staffing & reporting, and quality improvement initiatives, that has led to ongoing decreases in antimicrobial therapy nationwide. With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, however, there are several factors that may contribute increases in antimicrobial use (increased presentations of lower respiratory tract infection, concern for bacterial co-infection with SARS-CoV-2, etc.). We sought to compare patterns of antibacterial use in the VA from January – May 2020 with corresponding time periods in prior years.MethodsData on antibacterial use from 2015 – 2020 were extracted from the VA Corporate Data Warehouse for acute inpatient care units in 84 VA facilities (facilities which provide limited acute inpatient services were excluded). To control for seasonal effects, only data from January to May for each year were included in the analysis. Days of therapy (DOT) per 1000 days-present (DP) were calculated and stratified by CDC-defined antibiotic classes.ResultsFrom 2015 – 2019, total antibiotic use from January to May decreased by a mean of 9.1 DOT/1000 DP per year. In contrast, from 2019 to 2020, antibiotic use over the same months increased by 26.4 DOT/1000 DP (Table). Increases were observed in all drug classes except for a decrease in narrow spectrum ß-lactam antibiotics. Total antibiotic DOT in 2020 increased by 27.9 and 7.3 DOT/1000 DP in facilities in the highest and lowest terciles of use in 2019 (Figure).Table – Trends in Yearly Antibiotic Use by CDC Drug Class, 2015 to 2019 versus 2019 to 2020 Figure – Facility Specific Total Antibiotic Use in 2019 and Change in Use from 2019 to 2020 ConclusionWe observed a broad increase in antibacterial use during the initial surge of COVID-19 cases in VA facilities that abruptly reversed steady reductions in use over the prior 4 years. The degree to which this increase reflects potentially appropriate use in the setting of increased patient vulnerability and provider uncertainty, inappropriately decreased provider thresholds for initiating or continuing therapy, or stresses on the structure and staffing of antimicrobial stewardship programs requires further study.Disclosures All Authors: No reported disclosures

139. association of Physician Orders for Life-sustaining Treatment (POLST) with Antimicrobial Use at End of Life in Cancer Patients: An Antimicrobial Stewardship Opportunity

BackgroundIDSA/SHEA guidelines recommend that antimicrobial stewardship programs support providers in antibiotic decisions for end of life care. Washington State Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment (POLST) forms allow patients to indicate antimicrobial use preferences. We sought to characterize antimicrobial use in the last 30 days of life for cancer patients by presence of a POLST and antimicrobial use preferences.MethodsWe performed a single-center, retrospective cohort study of cancer patient deaths from January 1, 2016 - June 30, 3018. Patient demographics, clinical characteristics, POLST, and antimicrobial use within 30 days before death were extracted from electronic records. To test for an association between POLST completed at least 30 days before death and inpatient antimicrobial days of therapy (DOT) in the 30 days before death, we used negative binomial models adjusted for age, sex, race, and service line (hematologic versus solid malignancy); model estimates are presented as incidence rate ratios (IRR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI)ResultsOf 1796 patients, 406 (23%) had a POLST. 177/406 (44%) were completed less than 30 days before death, and 58/177 (32.8%) specified limited antibiotic use; 40/177 (23%) did not specify any antimicrobial use preference (Fig 1). Of 1295 patients with at least 1 inpatient day in the 30 days before death, 1070 (83%) received at least 1 inpatient antimicrobial with median DOT of 1077 per 1000 inpatient days (Tab 1). There was no difference in DOT among patients with and without a POLST > /= 30 days before death (IRR 0.92, CI 0.77, 1.10). Patients with a POLST specifying limited antibiotic use had significantly lower inpatient IV antimicrobial DOT compared to those without a POLST (IRR 0.64, CI 0.42–0.97) (Fig 2).Figure 1. Classification of Patients by Presence of POLST, Timing, and Antimicrobial Preference Content of POLST. Numbers shown represent the number of patients (percentage). Full antibiotic use refers to the selection “Use antibiotics for prolongation of life.” Limited antibiotic use refers to the selection “Do not use antibiotics except when needed for symptom management.” Table 1: Antimicrobial use for all patients and by advance directive group Figure 2. Forest plot of model estimates, represented as incidence rate ratios (IRR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI), for associations between POLST antimicrobial specifications completed at least 30 days before death and inpatient antibiotic days of therapy (DOT) in the 30 days before death. Estimates represent comparisons between each POLST category and no POLST completed at least 30 days before death. Dots represent the IRR and brackets extend to the lower and upper limit of the 95% CI. Blue estimates are for the inpatient antibiotic DOT outcome and red estimates are for the inpatient IV antibiotic DOT outcome. ConclusionPOLST completion is rare > /= 30 days before death, with few POLSTs specifying antimicrobial use. Compared to those with no POLST in this time frame, patients who indicated that antibiotics should be used only for symptom management received significantly fewer inpatient IV antimicrobials. Early discussion of advance directives including POLST with specification of antimicrobial use preferences may promote more thoughtful use of antimicrobials near the end of life in a compassionate, patient-centered way.Disclosures Steven A. Pergam, MD, MPH, Chimerix, Inc (Scientific Research Study Investigator)Global Life Technologies, Inc. (Research Grant or Support)Merck & Co. (Scientific Research Study Investigator)Sanofi-Aventis (Other Financial or Material Support, Participate in clinical trial sponsored by NIAID (U01-AI132004); vaccines for this trial are provided by Sanofi-Aventis)

14. Outcomes from the AHRQ Safety Program for Improving Antibiotic Use Across 439 Long-term Care Facilities

BackgroundImplementing effective antibiotic stewardship programs (ASPs) in long-term care (LTC) settings is challenging. We present the results of an intervention intended to change the culture of antibiotic prescribing in 439 United States LTC facilities (LTCF).MethodsThe LTC Safety Program assisted LTCFs with establishing and implementing ASPs from 12/2018 to 11/2019. Through webinars held 1–2 times per month and other educational content, the Safety Program emphasized 1) the science of safety to improve teamwork and identify antibiotic-associated harm and 2) clinical best practices in making antibiotic treatment decisions. Content was organized using the Four Moments of Antibiotic Decision Making Framework (Figure 1). All staff (e.g., physicians, nurses, nurse assistants) were encouraged to participate. LTCFs submitted monthly antibiotic days of therapy (DOT), numbers of new antibiotic starts, urine cultures (UCX) ordered, Clostridioides difficile LabID events, and census data. Generalized linear mixed effects models were used to calculate pre-post intervention changes at bi-monthly intervals for antibiotic DOT, antibiotic starts and UCX, each per 1,000 resident-days (RD), and C. difficile LabID events per 10,000 RD, comparing the beginning (1/2019 and 2/2019) and end (11/2019 and 12/2019) of the Safety Program.Figure 1. Four Moments of Antibiotic Decision Making in the Long-Term Care SettingResultsOf 439 LTCFs who completed the Safety program, the majority were mid-sized (75–149 beds; 229, 52.2%), most were non-hospital based and owned by a larger system (246, 56.0%), with similar distributions between urban and rural settings. Of these, 348 (79%) submitted both baseline and end-of-intervention data. Antibiotic starts decreased from 7.89 to 7.48 starts/1000 RD; P = 0.02). Days of therapy for all antibiotics decreased from 64.1 to 61.0 DOT/1,000 RD; P = 0.068) and for fluoroquinolones (an antibiotic targeted in the Safety Program) from 1.49 to 1.28 DOT/1,000RD; P=0.002. UCX decreased from 3.01 to 2.63 orders/1000 RD; P = 0.001). There were no significant differences in C. difficile LabID events Table 1. Table 1. Changes from baseline (Jan-Feb, 2019) to the end (Nov-Dec, 2019) of the AHRQ Safety Program ConclusionBy targeting both antibiotic prescribing culture and knowledge of best practices, the AHRQ Safety Program led to significant reductions in antibiotic use across a large cohort of LTCFs.Disclosures Morgan Katz, MD, MHS, AHRQ (Research Grant or Support)FutureCare Health Systems (Consultant)Roche (Advisor or Review Panel member) Robin Jump, MD, PhD, Accelerate (Grant/Research Support)Merck (Grant/Research Support)Pfizer (Grant/Research Support, Advisor or Review Panel member)Roche (Advisor or Review Panel member)

Impact of reflex fosfomycin susceptibility testing on the utilization of carbapenems for definitive extended-spectrum β-lactamase Escherichia coli urinary tract infection treatment

A protocol was started within a large health system to automatically test all confirmed extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)-producing Escherichia coli urine isolates for susceptibility to fosfomycin, an antibiotic not routinely included in such testing in most institutions. This study assessed the effectiveness of the protocol at reducing carbapenem use for the definitive treatment of ESBL E. coli urinary tract infection (UTI) through several endpoints. Eighty and 99 patients were compared pre- and postintervention, respectively. The primary outcome was the proportion of patients who received definitive carbapenem therapy. Key secondary outcomes included median total carbapenem days of therapy (DOT), discharge on intravenous UTI antibiotics, and median total antibiotic DOT. Preprotocol vs postprotocol definitive carbapenem use was seen in 59 of 80 patients (73.8%) and 71 of 99 patients (71.7%) (95% confidence interval [CI] for difference, -11.1% to 15.1%; P = 0.76). The rates of step-down to oral agents pre- and postintervention were 15 of 59 (25.4%) and 35 of 71 (49.3%) (P = 0.004). Median carbapenem DOT in those receiving carbapenems decreased from 8 to 4 days (95% CI, -5 to -1 days; P = 0.001). Median total DOT decreased from 10 to 8 days (95% CI, -3 to -1 days; P = 0.002). Implementation of a laboratory policy to automatically test ESBL positive E. coli for fosfomycin susceptibility did not reduce the percentage of patients receiving at least 1 dose of carbapenem treatment. It did result in a larger percentage reduction in step-down use of intravenous antibiotics for UTI prior to discharge, reduction in carbapenem DOT, and reduction in total antibiotic DOT.

Evaluation of a Pharmacist-Driven Procalcitonin Protocol for Lower Respiratory Tract Infections Using a Clinical Decision Support System.

Purpose: Procalcitonin (PCT) may be an effective biomarker in the management of lower respiratory tract infections (LRTI) when combined with antimicrobial stewardship support. We assessed the impact of a PCT protocol with clinical pharmacy support for LRTI using a clinical decision support system (CDSS) for monitoring. Methods: This was a single-center retrospective cohort study conducted at a large, nonteaching hospital in Nashville, TN. All patients who met eligibility requirements and were initiated on the PCT protocol for a suspected LRTI between February and March 2018 were included and matched to historical control patients from 2016 to 2017 on a 1:1 basis based on antibiotics, indication, and time of year. Results: During this 2-month period, a total of 126 patients met eligibility requirements for inclusion in the PCT group and were matched to historical control patients. Patients in the PCT group received decreased median antibiotic days of therapy (DOT) compared to controls (11 vs 14, P = .004). There was no change in median length of stay (LOS) between groups. The acceptance rate for patient-specific antibiotic de-escalation recommendations from the clinical pharmacist was 62.5%. Conclusion: PCT protocols that utilize clinical pharmacist interpretation and a CDSS may be an effective intervention of the antimicrobial stewardship program (ASP) for decreasing antibiotic DOT for LRTI.

Reduced Antibiotic Exposure by Serial Physical Examinations in Term Neonates at Risk of Early-onset Sepsis.

Suspected early-onset sepsis (EOS) results in antibiotic treatment of a substantial number of neonates who are uninfected. We evaluated if an approach using serial physical examinations (SPEs) can reduce antibiotic exposure for suspected EOS in term neonates during the first 3 days of life, without affecting safety. Within a quality-improvement framework, SPEs for 24-48 hours for neonates with suspected EOS was implemented in the neonatal intensive care unit, Stavanger, Norway. The proportion of neonates ≥37 weeks gestation exposed to antibiotics, antibiotic therapy-days and the safety outcome time from birth to start antibiotics were compared between a baseline period (April 2014-February 2016), when a risk factor based approach was used, and a post-SPE-implementation period (January 2017-November 2018). We included all term live born neonates (n = 17,242) in the 2 periods. There was a 57% relative reduction in neonates exposed to antibiotics; 2.9% in the baseline and 1.3% in the post-implementation period, P < 0.001. There was a 60% relative reduction in mean antibiotic therapy-days/1000 patient-days; from 320 to 129, P < 0.001, and a 50% relative reduction in time to initiate antibiotics in suspected EOS-cases, from median (interquartile range) 14 (5-28) to 7 (3-17) hours, P = 0.003. The incidence of culture-positive EOS remained unchanged. There were no infection-attributable deaths. Implementing SPE to guide empiric antibiotic therapy in term neonates with suspected EOS more than halved the burden of antibiotic exposure, without delay of antibiotic treatment of infected neonates or increased sepsis-related mortality.

Using clinical decision support to improve urine culture diagnostic stewardship, antimicrobial stewardship, and financial cost: A multicenter experience.

Despite evidence to the contrary, many practitioners continue to inappropriately screen for and treat bacteria in the urine of clinically asymptomatic patients. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of a new order set on the number of urine culture performed, antibiotic days of therapy (DOT), catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTI), and associated financial impact. A quasi-experimental before-and-after intervention. We conducted this study at 5 Catholic Health Initiative (CHI) hospitals in Texas that use the same electronic health record (EHR) system. The study populations included adult patients who had urine culture performed from June 2017 to June 2019. The intervention (implemented June 25, 2018) was the addition of a new order set in the electronic health record that required practitioners to choose an indication for the type of urine study. The primary outcome was number of urine cultures performed adjusted for the number of total patient days. Following implementation of the new order set, the number of urine cultures performed among the 5 sites decreased from 1,175.8 tests per 10,000 patient days before the intervention to 701.4 after the intervention (40.4% reduction; P < .01). Antibiotic DOT for patients with a urinary tract infection indication decreased from 102.5 to 86.9 per 1,000 patient days (15.2% reduction; P < .01). The CAUTI standardized infection ratio was 1.0 before the intervention and 0.8 after the intervention (P = .23). The estimated yearly savings following the intervention was US$535,181. The addition of a new order set resulted in decreases in the number of urine cultures performed and the antibiotic DOT, as well as substantial financial savings.

Reducing Fluoroquinolone Use and Clostridioides difficile Infections in Community Nursing Homes Through Hospital–Nursing Home Collaboration

ObjectiveNursing homes (NHs) are an important target for antibiotic stewardship (AS). We describe a collaborative model to reduce Clostridioides difficile infections (CDIs) in NHs through optimization of antibiotic use including a reduction in high-risk antibiotics such as fluoroquinolones. DesignQuasi-experimental, pre- and post-intervention study. Setting and participantsSix NHs in Monroe County, NY. MethodsA hospital-based AS expert team assisted NHs in identifying targets for improving antibiotic use. Interventions included (1) collaboration with a medical director advisory group to develop NH consensus guidelines for testing and treatment of 2 syndromes (urinary tract infections and pneumonia) for which fluoroquinolone use is common, (2) provision of multifaceted NH staff education on these guidelines and education of residents and family members on the judicious use of antibiotics, and (3) sharing facility-specific and comparative antibiotic and CDI data. We used Poisson regression to estimate antibiotic use per 1000 resident days (RD) and CDIs per 10,000 RD, pre- and post-intervention. Segmented regression analysis was used to estimate changes in fluoroquinolone and total antibiotic rates over time. ResultsPostintervention, the monthly rate of fluoroquinolone days of therapy (DOT) per 1000 RD significantly decreased by 39% [rate ratio (RR) 0.61, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.59-0.62, P < .001] across all NHs and the total antibiotic DOT decreased by 9% (RR 0.91, 95% CI 0.90-0.92, P < .001). Interrupted time series analysis of fluoroquinolone and total DOT rates confirmed these changes. The quarterly CDI rate decreased by 18% (RR 0.82, 95% CI 0.68-0.99, P = .042). Conclusions and implicationsA hospital-NH partnership with a medical director advisory group achieved a significant reduction in total antibiotic and fluoroquinolone use and contributed to a reduction in CDI incidence. This approach offers one way for NHs to gain access to AS expertise and resources and to standardize practices within the local community.

2891. Trends in Inpatient Antibiotic Use in US Hospitals, 2012–2017

BackgroundThe National Action Plan for Combating Antibiotic-resistant Bacteria calls for monitoring inpatient antibiotic use to inform stewardship efforts. We estimated national trends in inpatient antibiotic usage from 2012 to 2017 in a large cohort of US hospitals.MethodsWe utilized the Premier Healthcare Database, containing detailed administrative records available by census region, including inpatient drug utilization data based on billing records, for all patients discharged from a convenience sample of over 700 US hospitals annually, approximately 20% of US inpatient discharges. We retrospectively estimated days of therapy (DOT)/1,000 patient-days (PDs) by year overall and by antibiotic class. To examine trends over time, we created multivariable models adjusting for hospital-specific location of antibiotic use (ICU vs. other) and hospital-specific summary measures including average patient age, average co-morbidity score, case mix index, number of hospital beds, teaching status, urban/rural location, US census division, proportion of discharges with a surgical diagnosis-related code, and proportion of PDs with an infectious disease primary ICD-9/10-CM discharge code. Estimates and models were weighted to be nationally representative using projected weights from the database.Results58% of patients had at least one antibiotic DOT, and the overall DOT for all hospitals was 810 DOT/1,000 PDs (interquartile range 701 to 913 DOT/1,000 PDs). Glycopeptides and third-/fourth-generation cephalosporins were the most common antibiotic classes (Figure 1). Overall antibiotic DOT did not change significantly over time, P = 0.9133. However, class-specific DOT varied with large decreases in fluoroquinolones from 2012 to 2017 (55% decrease, P < 0.0001), and large increases in third-/fourth-generation cephalosporins and tetracyclines (32% and 49% increase, respectively, P < 0.0001) (Figure 2). Overall antibiotic DOT significantly varied among US census divisions (Figure 3).ConclusionEstimated overall inpatient antibiotic DOT did not change in US hospitals from 2012 to 2017, but there were significant class-specific changes. The large decrease in fluoroquinolone use may reflect increased awareness of adverse events. Disclosures All Authors: No reported Disclosures.

2102. Does Monitoring Procalcitonin Levels in Septic and Septic Shock Patients Decrease the Use of Antibiotics and Predict Length of Hospital Stay?

BackgroundElevated levels of procalcitonin (PCT) reflect systemic inflammation associated with bacterial infection (BI). Compared with other acute-phase reactants, PCT levels more rapidly rise with BI and decline quickly as BI improves. A PCT protocol was implemented at University Medical Center New Orleans (UMCNO) in November 2017 that guided discontinuation of antimicrobial therapy in septic and septic shock patients if clinically improving with declining levels of PCT.MethodsWe performed a retrospective chart review of UMCNO patients 18+ years with a diagnosis of sepsis and a PCT level between January 1st, 2018 to July 31st, 2018 compared with those with sepsis and no PCT level. ICD-9/10 codes were used for diagnoses of sepsis and septic shock. The baseline characteristics including age, gender, body mass index, race and Charlston Comorbidity Index (CCI) data were collected. The primary objective was to compare the total days of antibiotic therapy (DOT) between the two groups. Secondary outcomes were broad-spectrum antibiotic DOT, patient length of stay (LOS), and all-cause 28-day mortality. SPSS was used for data analysis. P < 0.05 indicated statistical significance.ResultsThere were 44 patients in the PCT group (PCTg) and 35 in the non-PCT group (nPCTg). The demographics are outlined in Table. The mean DOT was 6.25 days in PCTg and 10.74 days in nPCTg (P = 0.006). LOS was 7.5 days in PCTg and 14 in nPCTg (P = 0.006). The mean CCI was 2.4 in PCTg and 4 in nPCTg (P = 0.007). The all-cause 28-day mortality was 11% in PCTg and 23% in nPCTg (OR 0.4; 95% CI 0.128–1.466). On bivariate analysis, LOS was significantly associated with CCI (P < 0.05) and total DOT (P = 0.000). On multivariate analysis, LOS was only significantly associated with age (P = 0.015) and total DOT (P = 0.000) but not CCI (P = 0.811) nor PCTg (P = 0.250).ConclusionDOT was significantly shorter in the PCTg than in nPCTg. The LOS was 50% less in PCTg than in nPCTg; however, PCT monitoring did not contribute to LOS in multivariate analysis. Although the nPCTg were sicker, CCI did not correlate with LOS either. However, age and total DOT therapy remained positive predictors of LOS. Monitoring PCT levels decreased antibiotic use in septic patients. LOS, however, was not significantly affected by PCT monitoring. Disclosures All authors: No reported disclosures.

2087. Electronic Capture and Feedback of Standardized Antibiotic Clinical Indications Data Among Community Hospitals

BackgroundAntibiotic clinical indications allow stewardship programs to assess therapy appropriateness; however, many hospitals that require antibiotic indications upon order entry lack standardized mapping of indications leading to variability in entered values. Electronic capture and feedback of standardized antibiotic clinical indications data may allow hospitals to more effectively compare indication-specific prescribing trends among facilities.MethodsWe collected antibiotic indications from electronic medication orders for 6 DASON hospitals. These indications were mapped to a list of 15 standardized indication categories created by consensus of the DASON stewardship team. To demonstrate the feasibility and utility of standardized clinical indications mapping, we evaluated agents given for the indication C. difficile infection (CDI) in 2018. Differences between the hospitals were compared with highlight the added benefit of standardized indication data in evaluating antibiotic use and adoption of local guidelines.ResultsFor 249,916 antibiotic days of therapy (DOT) with an indication available, a total of 125 unique indications were reported. Of note, 3 facilities allowed more than one indication to be entered at prescriber discretion. The distribution of antibiotic DOT mapped to the standardized indication list can be seen in Figure 1. The most common indication was the other category (19.5%). These were primarily other, no additional information (47%) or empiric therapy for an unknown source of infection (17%). Additional indications in the other category included chronic obstructive pulmonary disease exacerbations and sexually transmitted infections (< 5% each). Figure 2 depicts the agents used for CDI indication between facilities. Despite universal adoption of local guidelines where oral vancomycin is the drug of choice for treating CDI, there was variability seen in vancomycin CDI DOT (range: 60 – 80% of CDI DOT).ConclusionStewardship programs can implement standardized antimicrobial indications to facilitate electronic capture, feedback, and comparison and efficiently identify stewardship targets. Additionally, hospitals may use these data to explore the appropriateness of antibiotic use. Disclosures All authors: No reported disclosures.

1423. Antibiotic Utilization and Outcomes in Patients with Sacral Osteomyelitis and Decubitus Ulcers

BackgroundOsteomyelitis is a common complication of advanced stage pressure ulcers and known to be associated with increased mortality, length of stay (LOS), and treatment costs. However, limited data and lack of guidelines regarding appropriate diagnosis and treatment result in variability in management. We sought to investigate whether microbiology data are associated with reduced antibiotic utilization in patients with osteomyelitis secondary to decubitus ulcers.MethodsThis retrospective cohort study included hospitalized patients from 2007 to 2015 with an advanced stage (IV or unstageable) sacral decubitus ulcer and clinical concern for osteomyelitis. The exposure group was those who underwent tissue culture (superficial swab, deep bedside or surgical tissue, or bone biopsy). The primary outcome was antibiotic days of therapy (DOT). Additional secondary outcomes including clinical characteristics at presentation, LOS, readmission rates, and antibiotic-related complications were evaluated using Fisher’s exact or Wilcoxon-Mann–Whitney test for continuous variables.ResultsA total of 220 cases of advanced-stage decubitus ulcer with clinical concern for osteomyelitis were identified. Data abstracted from 40 cases show that tissue cultures were obtained in 22 (55%). Bacterial growth was identified from 100% of samples sent for culture. Antibiotic use prior to admission was the most significant predictor of failure to obtain tissue cultures (P = 0.0002). MRI was performed in 15% of abstracted cases, with radiographic evidence of osteomyelitis noted in 100%. Bone biopsy was performed in 4 cases; bone pathology was not sent in any of these instances. Median antibiotic DOT was 84 days in both groups. ConclusionIn cases of sacral osteomyelitis secondary to decubitus ulcers, antibiotic use prior to admission was inversely related to the likelihood of obtaining a tissue culture. When tissue cultures were obtained, they were uniformly positive; however, in our preliminary analysis of 40 cases, this did not appear to influence antibiotic utilization as determined by DOT. Bone biopsy was rarely performed, and when done, was not sent for pathology despite this being recognized as the gold standard in the diagnosis of osteomyelitis. Disclosures All authors: No reported disclosures.

Use of antibiotics among end-of-life hospitalized patients with advanced directives: Status examination and association with infectious disease consultation and physician burnout

Overuse of antibiotics in end-of-life patients with advanced directives increases bacterial resistance and causes morbidity and mortality. Consultations with infectious disease (ID) physicians and burnout, which can affect antibiotic days of therapy (DOT) prescribed by physicians, have not been examined so far. To assess antibiotic use by physicians in end-of-life (EOL) patients with advanced directives and to investigate the association between ID consultations, physician burnout, and antibiotic DOT in those patients. A descriptive correlational study. Acute-care and post-acute-care hospitals. The study included 213 physicians and 932 their hospitalized patients in the last 2 weeks of life. We distributed questionnaires and analyzed the data collected regarding ID consultation, EOL antibiotics prescription with and without an advanced directive, and physician burnout to 278 physicians, and 213 were completed (response rate 76%). Of the 932 deaths, 435 of 664 (>50%) were EOL patients with advanced directives. Of these patients, 74% received antibiotics, 29.9% had bacterial resistance cultures, and antibiotics were discontinued in only 5%. Half of the physicians lacked knowledge concerning antibiotics use issues and had significantly fewer consultations with ID physicians in EOL patients with advanced directives (mean rate, 0.27) than those without advanced directives (mean rate, 0.47). ID physicians reported significantly higher emotional exhaustion levels (mean rate, 29) than other medical specialties (mean rate, 19.2). Antibiotic DOT was significantly higher when patients had ID consultations (mean rate, 21.6) than in patients who did not (mean rate, 16.2). In post-acute-care hospitals and/or geriatric wards, antibiotic DOT was significantly higher than in other types of hospitals and/or wards. Depersonalization level was negatively related to antibiotic DOT (P < .05). Antibiotics are overused in EOL patients with advanced directives. ID physician burnout and impact of ID consultation should be further assessed.

Introduction of Procalcitonin Testing and Antibiotic Utilization for Acute Exacerbations of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.

Background:The majority of acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD) are triggered by nonbacterial causes, yet most patients receive antibiotics. Treatment guided by procalcitonin (PCT), a sensitive biomarker of bacterial infection, safely decreases antibiotic use in many controlled trials. We evaluated PCT implementation for inpatients with AECOPD at a large academic hospital.Methods:All patients admitted for AECOPD during the first 6 months of PCT-guided therapy were eligible for inclusion in this retrospective cohort study. Patients with PCT performed were compared with those without PCT. The primary outcome was antibiotic days of therapy (DOT). Secondary outcomes included 30-day readmission and mortality.Results:Of the 238 AECOPD admissions, 73 (31%) had PCT performed. Procalcitonin-tested patients were more likely to meet systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) criteria, require intensive care unit (ICU)-level care, and have a longer length of stay (LOS) compared with those without PCT. Even after adjustment for these factors, PCT-tested patients received more inpatient DOT and there was no difference in total DOT. However, a low PCT value (<0.25 ng/mL) was associated with a 25.5% (P ⩽ .001) decrease in intravenous (IV) antibiotic DOT. Guideline-recommended follow-up testing was rare (12%). Procalcitonin measurement had no effect on 30-day readmission or mortality.Conclusions:In this real-world analysis of inpatients with AECOPD, PCT-guided therapy was poorly adopted by providers and was not associated with a decrease in total antibiotic DOT. However, a low PCT level was associated with a 25.5% decrease in IV antibiotic DOT, suggesting increased comfort stepping down from IV to PO therapy.