Antibiotic Therapy For Community-acquired Pneumonia Research Articles

The effect of the antibiotic stewardship program (ASP) on community-acquired pneumonia (CAP): a before-after study.

Background: Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is one of the leading causes of death worldwide. Antibiotic stewardship program (ASP) has been implemented to improve rational and responsible antibiotic use by encouraging guideline adherence. Objective: This retrospective observational before-after study aimed to evaluate whether the ASP may improve guideline adherence, antibiotic exposure, and clinical outcomes in patients hospitalized due to CAP in Hungary. Methods: The study was conducted at a pulmonology department of a tertiary care medical center in Hungary. The ASP implementation consisted of written and published guidelines available to all professionals, continuous supervision, and counseling services on antibiotic therapies at an individual level, with the aim of ensuring compliance with CAP guidelines. Overall guideline adherence (agent selection, route of administration, and dose), clinical outcomes (length of stay and 30-day mortality), antibiotic exposure, and direct costs were compared between the two periods. Fisher's exact test and t-test were applied to compare categorical and continuous variables, respectively. P-values below 0.05 were defined as significant. Results: Significant improvement in overall CAP guideline adherence (30.2%), sequential therapy (10.5%), and a significant reduction in the total duration of antibiotic therapy (13.5%) were observed. Guideline non-adherent combination therapies with metronidazole decreased significantly by 28.1%. Antibiotic exposure decreased by 7.2%, leading to a significant decrease in direct costs (23.6%). Moreover, the ASP had benefits for clinical outcomes, and length of stay decreased by 13.5%. Conclusion: The ASP may play an important role in optimizing empirical antibiotic therapy in CAP having a sustained long-term effect.

Evaluation of Serial Procalcitonin Levels for the Optimization of Antibiotic Use in Non-Critically Ill COVID-19 Patients.

Procalcitonin (PCT) has been used as a biomarker to guide antibiotic therapy in various patient populations. However, its role in optimizing antibiotic use in COVID-19 patients has not been well studied to date. Thus, we aimed to evaluate the use of serial PCT monitoring as an antimicrobial stewardship tool for COVID-19 patients. This retrospective study included 240 COVID-19 patients who were admitted to a tertiary medical institution in Saudi Arabia between January 2020 and February 2022. Patients who received empiric antibiotic therapy for community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) and had serial procalcitonin levels were included. The patients were divided into two groups: the normal procalcitonin arm (PCT level < 0.5 ng/mL) and the elevated PCT arm (PCT level > 0.5 ng/mL). The primary and secondary outcomes were the effect of PCT monitoring on the duration of antibiotic exposure and the length of hospital stay, respectively. To measure the accuracy of PCT, the receiver-operating characteristic area under the curve (ROC-AUC) was determined. Among the included patients, 142 were in the normal procalcitonin arm (median PCT, 0.12 ng/mL), and 78 were in the elevated PCT arm (median PCT, 4.04 ng/mL). The baseline characteristics were similar between the two arms, except for the higher prevalence of kidney disease in the elevated PCT arm. There was no statistically significant difference in the duration of antibiotic exposure between the normal and elevated PCT arms (median duration: 7 days in both arms). However, the length of hospital stay was significantly shorter in the normal PCT arm (median stay, 9 days) than in the elevated PCT arm (median stay, 13 days; p = 0.028). The ROC-AUC value was 0.54 (95% CI: 0.503-0.595). Serial PCT monitoring did not lead to a reduction in the duration of antibiotic exposure in COVID-19 patients. However, it was associated with a shorter hospital stay. These findings suggest that PCT monitoring may be useful for optimizing antibiotic use and improving outcomes in COVID-19 patients. While PCT-guided algorithms have the potential to enable antibiotic stewardship, their role in the context of COVID-19 treatment requires further investigation.

A National Quality Improvement Collaborative to Improve Antibiotic Use in Pediatric Infections.

Nearly 25% of antibiotics prescribed to children are inappropriate or unnecessary, subjecting patients to avoidable adverse medication effects and cost. We conducted a quality improvement initiative across 118 hospitals participating in the American Academy of Pediatrics Value in Inpatient Pediatrics Network 2020 to 2022. We aimed to increase the proportion of children receiving appropriate: (1) empirical, (2) definitive, and (3) duration of antibiotic therapy for community-acquired pneumonia, skin and soft tissue infections, and urinary tract infections to ≥85% by Jan 1, 2022. Sites reviewed encounters of children >60 days old evaluated in the emergency department or hospital. Interventions included monthly audit with feedback, educational webinars, peer coaching, order sets, and a mobile app containing site-specific, antibiogram-based treatment recommendations. Sites submitted 18 months of baseline, 2-months washout, and 10 months intervention data. We performed interrupted time series (analyses for each measure. Sites reviewed 43 916 encounters (30 799 preintervention, 13 117 post). Overall median [interquartile range] adherence to empirical, definitive, and duration of antibiotic therapy was 67% [65% to 70%]; 74% [72% to 75%] and 61% [58% to 65%], respectively at baseline and was 72% [71% to 72%]; 79% [79% to 80%] and 71% [69% to 73%], respectively, during the intervention period. Interrupted time series revealed a 13% (95% confidence interval: 1% to 26%) intercept change at intervention for empirical therapy and a 1.1% (95% confidence interval: 0.4% to 1.9%) monthly increase in adherence per month for antibiotic duration above baseline rates. Balancing measures of care escalation and revisit or readmission did not increase. This multisite collaborative increased appropriate antibiotic use for community-acquired pneumonia, skin and soft tissue infections, and urinary tract infection among diverse hospitals.

Retrospective pharmacoeconomic study of antibiotic therapy in community-acquired pneumonia

Background. The global recommendations for the treatment strategy of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) include the empirical prescription of antibiotic therapy (ABT) – beta-lactams, fluoroquinolones, macrolides until the results of laboratory tests are obtained to identify the etiological agent responsible for CAP to determine etiotropic therapy. According to the national Russian clinical guidelines, macrolides, fluoroquinolones, cephalosporins and aminopenicillins are recommended for empirical prescription. Meta-analyses found better outcomes in patients treated with a combination of macrolides with beta-lactam compared to beta-lactam alone. At the same time, the clinical benefit of adding macrolides to beta-lactams for the empirical treatment of moderate CAP remains controversial, since the difference in the results of therapy may depend on the age and comorbid conditions of patients.Objective: to analyze the costs of treating CAP with various ABT strategies in order to optimize the cost structure of a medical organization and plan the budget of local healthcare systems.Material and methods. A retrospective epidemiological analysis of extracts from 157 medical records of middle-aged patients in accordance with the World Health Organization classification treated in multidisciplinary medical organizations was carried out. The methods included frequency analysis, cost of illness analysis, cost minimization analysis, and cost-effectiveness analysis. Depth of research was 2 years.Results. Frequency analysis revealed that the initial strategy of ceftriaxone and azithromycin combination (n=74; 47%) prevailed in prescriptions. In terms of the rate of prescriptions, ceftriaxone monotherapy (n=37; 24%) was in the second place. The analysis of the effectiveness of the selected ABT strategies showed that, in general, 113 (72%) of prescriptions were effective. Standard therapy strategies were equivalent in absolute costs and had a similar cost structure.Conclusion. Doctors’ adherence to national clinical guidelines for CAP treatment was found when prescribing the initial empirical ABT, the dominant strategies were identified. Cost of illness analysis demonstrated that the applied strategies were optimal in terms of cost minimization, and cost-effectiveness ratio. The costs structure in therapy with various ABT strategies did not have significant differences. In medical organizations, they adhere to the most rational and cost-effective strategy for CAP treatment and prescribe ABT regimens in each individual case based on risk factors, as well as the results of studies of CAP pathogens sensitivity.

Community-Acquired, Bacteraemic Acinetobacter Baumannii Pneumonia: A Retrospective Review of Cases in Tropical Queensland, Australia.

Community-acquired Acinetobacter pneumonia (CAAP) typically presents with rapid progression to fulminant disease and is complicated by high mortality. Australian epidemiological studies are few. We conducted a retrospective study on bacteraemic cases of CAAP over twenty years (2000-2019) in North Queensland. Cases were selected on microbiologic, clinical, and radiographic parameters. Data on patient demographics were obtained, along with microbial, antibiotic, mortality and climatic data. 28 cases of CAAP were included. Nineteen (67.9%) were male, twenty-three (82.1%) were Indigenous Australians, and the mean age was 45.9 years. Most presentations were of moderate to severe pneumonia (25/28 (89.3%)). Furthermore, 90% of cases had two or more risk factors. The strongest risk factors for CAAP were alcohol excess and tobacco use. No statistically significant difference in presenting severity, ICU admission or mortality was seen between dry- and wet-season disease. Dry-season disease accounted for 35.7% of cases. Overall mortality was 28.6%. Early use of meropenem or gentamicin reduced mortality irrespective of presenting severity (mortality 17.6%) Non-targeted antibiotic therapy was associated with a non-significant difference in mortality of 44.4%. Early administration of targeted antibiotics can mitigate a high mortality rate. The choice of antibiotic therapy for community-acquired pneumonia should be based on severity, risk factors and clinical suspicion of CAAP rather than seasonality.

Short-course antibiotic therapy of 5 days in community-acquired pneumonia (CAP5): study protocol for a randomised controlled trial

IntroductionThe optimal duration of antibiotic therapy for community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is unsettled. Short-course therapy has proved successful in clinical trials but is not yet implemented in everyday clinical practice. Validation...

Defining effective durations of antibiotic therapy for community-acquired pneumonia and urinary tract infections in hospitalized children.

Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) and urinary tract infections (UTI) are two common childhood infections often leading to hospital admission. National guidelines for CAP and UTI in children recommend durations of antibiotic therapy of 10 days and 7-14 days, respectively. Due to concerns of rising antimicrobial resistance and an increased awareness of harms associated with prolonged courses of antibiotics, there is a renewed emphasis on reevaluating commonly prescribed durations of antibiotic therapy across bacterial infections. We describe recent clinical trials and observational studies evaluating durations of therapy for CAP and UTI in adults and children and translate the findings to our suggested approach for selecting durations of antibiotic therapy in hospitalized children. There is a growing body of evidence, primarily in adults, that shorter durations of therapy than are commonly prescribed are just as effective as longer durations for CAP and UTIs. Combining clinical trial data from adults with available data in children, we believe it is reasonable to consider 5 days of therapy for CAP, 3-5 days of therapy for cystitis, and 7 days of therapy for pyelonephritis for most hospitalized children with uncomplicated infections.

Evaluation of the Efficacy and Safety of Initial Empirical Antibiotic Therapy for Community-Acquired Pneumonia in Middle-Aged People

β-lactam antibiotics, including cephalosporins, are the drugs of choice for empirical antibiotic therapy (ABT) in patients with community-acquired pneumonia. Unreasonable and irrational use of antibiotics leads to an increased risk of adverse reactions, contributes to the growth of antibiotic resistance.The aim of the study was to analyse data on the efficacy and safety of initial empirical ABT using cephalosporins for community-acquired pneumonia in middle-aged patients of multidisciplinary hospitals in Moscow.Materials and methods: the authors analysed 177 archived medical records of the patients admitted to three multidisciplinary hospitals (I.V. Davydovsky City Clinical Hospital, City Clinical Hospital 52 and City Clinical Hospital 4) in Moscow from 2017 to 2019 and prescribed mono- and/or combination therapy including a cephalosporin antibiotic as a starting therapy for community-acquired pneumonia. The initial ABT was considered effective if a patient’s body temperature normalised within 48–72 h following initiation of treatment and safe if no adverse reactions developed during the period of inpatient treatment.Results: the combination of ceftriaxone and azithromycin was the most frequently prescribed ABT regimen; its effectiveness was 71.9%. Ceftriaxone monotherapy was the second in frequency of prescription; its effectiveness amounted to 77.2%. The third regimen included cefotaxime and azithromycin and was effective in 70% of cases. The patients who needed a change in initial ABT had a significantly higher incidence of developing severe community-acquired pneumonia and complications. The study results indicate that the structure of comorbidity did not affect the effectiveness of initial empirical ABT. Streptococcus pneumoniae was found to be the most common causative agent of community-acquired pneumonia in the studied population (44.8% of cases). Only 13% of the patients faced adverse reactions associated with the use of antibiotics as part of the initial empirical ABT; the most common were leukopenia and diarrhoea.Сonclusions: the results of the study indicate the feasibility of mono- and/or combination ABT including a cephalosporin antibiotic as a starting empirical therapy for community-acquired pneumonia due to its effectiveness and favourable safety profile.

Short- vs Standard-Course Outpatient Antibiotic Therapy for Community-Acquired Pneumonia in Children

Childhood community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is usually treated with 10 days of antibiotics. Shorter courses may be effective with fewer adverse effects and decreased potential for antibiotic resistance. To compare a short (5-day) vs standard (10-day) antibiotic treatment strategy for CAP in young children. Randomized double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial in outpatient clinic, urgent care, or emergency settings in 8 US cities. A total of 380 healthy children aged 6 to 71 months with nonsevere CAP demonstrating early clinical improvement were enrolled from December 2, 2016, to December 16, 2019. Data were analyzed from January to September 2020. On day 6 of their originally prescribed therapy, participants were randomized 1:1 to receive 5 days of matching placebo or 5 additional days of the same antibiotic. The primary end point was the end-of-treatment response adjusted for duration of antibiotic risk (RADAR), a composite end point that ranks each child's clinical response, resolution of symptoms, and antibiotic-associated adverse effects in an ordinal desirability of outcome ranking (DOOR). Within each DOOR rank, participants were further ranked by the number of antibiotic days, assuming that shorter antibiotic durations were more desirable. Using RADAR, the probability of a more desirable outcome was estimated for the short- vs standard-course strategy. In a subset of children, throat swabs were collected between study days 19 and 25 to quantify antibiotic resistance genes in oropharyngeal flora. A total of 380 children (189 randomized to short course and 191 randomized to standard course) made up the study population. The mean (SD) age was 35.7 (17.2) months, and 194 participants (51%) were male. Of the included children, 8 were Asian, 99 were Black or African American, 234 were White, 32 were multiracial, and 7 were of unknown or unreported race; 33 were Hispanic or Latino, 344 were not Hispanic or Latino, and 3 were of unknown or unreported ethnicity. There were no differences between strategies in the DOOR or its individual components. Fewer than 10% of children in either strategy had an inadequate clinical response. The short-course strategy had a 69% (95% CI, 63-75) probability of a more desirable RADAR outcome compared with the standard-course strategy. A total of 171 children were included in the resistome analysis. The median (range) number of antibiotic resistance genes per prokaryotic cell (RGPC) was significantly lower in the short-course strategy compared with the standard-course strategy for total RGPC (1.17 [0.35-2.43] vs 1.33 [0.46-11.08]; P = .01) and β-lactamase RGPC (0.55 [0.18-1.24] vs 0.60 [0.21-2.45]; P = .03). In this study, among children responding to initial treatment for outpatient CAP, a 5-day antibiotic strategy was superior to a 10-day strategy. The shortened approach resulted in similar clinical response and antibiotic-associated adverse effects, while reducing antibiotic exposure and resistance. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02891915.

The Tension Between Pragmatism and Rigor in Choosing Wisely.

The Tension Between Pragmatism and Rigor in Choosing Wisely.

Choosing Wisely in Pediatric Hospital Medicine: 5 New Recommendations to Improve Value.

The health care system faces ongoing challenges due to low-value care. Building on the first pediatric hospital medicine contribution to the American Board of Internal Medicine Foundation Choosing Wisely Campaign, a working group was convened to identify additional priorities for improving health care value for hospitalized children. A study team composed of nominees from national pediatric medical professional societies was convened, including pediatric hospitalists with expertise in clinical care, hospital leadership, and research. The study team surveyed national pediatric hospitalist LISTSERVs for suggestions, condensed similar responses, and performed a literature search of articles published in the previous 10 years. Using a modified Delphi process, the team completed a series of structured ratings of feasibility and validity and facilitated group discussion. The sum of final mean validity and feasibility scores was used to identify the 5 highest priority recommendations. Two hundred seven respondents suggested 397 preliminary recommendations, yielding 74 unique recommendations that underwent evidence review and rating. The 5 highest-scoring recommendations had a focus on the following aspects of hospital care: (1) length of intravenous antibiotic therapy before transition to oral antibiotics, (2) length of stay for febrile infants evaluated for serious bacterial infection, (3) phototherapy for neonatal hyperbilirubinemia, (4) antibiotic therapy for community-acquired pneumonia, and (5) initiation of intravenous antibiotics in infants with maternal risk factors for sepsis. We propose that pediatric hospitalists can use this list to prioritize quality improvement and scholarly work focused on improving the value and quality of patient care for hospitalized children.

Современные аспекты антибиотикотерапии внебольничной пневмонии у детей раннего и дошкольного возраста (обзор литературы)

В статье проанализирована текущая ситуация с антибиотикорезистентностью S.pneumoniae. Представлены локальные (региональные) данные о чувствительности пневмококка к аминопенициллинам, макролидам, цефалоспоринам, традиционно используемым в схемах эмпирической антибиотикотерапии внебольничной пневмонии у детей в возрасте до 5 лет. Изложены основные принципы рациональной антибиотикотерапии, основанные на анализе современных отечественных и зарубежных руководств по лечению внебольничной пневмонии. Отмечены незначительные отличия в схемах эмпирической антибиотикотерапии, обусловленные особенностями локальной резистентности S.pneumoniae в разных государствах. Обсуждается корректность некоторых положений эмпирической антибиотикотерапии внебольничных пневмоний у детей раннего и дошкольного возраста.

Диагностика и лечение внебольничной пневмонии у детей

На практике, особенно в амбулаторных условиях, серьезными проблемами педиатрии являются ранняя диагностика и рациональная терапия пневмонии у детей. Наиболее распространенными возбудителями при внебольничной пневмонии являются Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae и другие микроорганизмы, в том числе вирусы и грибы. Следует уточнить, что этиология заболеваний нижнего респираторного тракта резко отличается в разных возрастных группах. Самой частой причиной внебольничной пневмонии (до 50 %) является S.pneumoniae, реже встречаются такие палочки, как E.сoli, Klebsiella spp., C.trachomatis, Mycoplasma, Ureаplasma. У детей старше 5 лет в этиологической структуре внебольничной пневмонии наряду с S.рneumoniae возрастает значимость Mycoplasma рneumoniae. Резистентность возбудителей инфекции к антибактериальным препаратам — нарастающая глобальная проблема. Алгоритм диагностики внебольничной пневмонии включает фебрильную температуру продолжительностью &gt; 3 дней, цианоз, одышку при отсутствии признаков бронхиальной обструкции, кашель. Тахипноэ является одним из лучших предикторов пневмонии у детей всех возрастов. При физикальном обследовании — наличие укорочения перкуторного звука в зоне поражения, бронхиальное или ослабленное дыхание, звучные мелкопузырчатые или крепитирующие хрипы. Для диагностики нетяжелых внебольничных пневмоний вполне достаточно ограничиться клиническими симптомами, рентгенографией легких, общим анализом крови. Начальная антибиотикотерапия внебольничной пневмонии проводится эмпирическим путем. При лечении нетяжелых внебольничных пневмоний у детей от 2 мес. до 5 лет препаратом выбора является амоксициллин перорально. Макролиды — препараты выбора у детей от 5 до 16 лет. При тяжелой пневмонии препаратами выбора являются амоксициллин/клавуланат, цефалоспорины II, III, IV поколения. В целом продолжительность антибиотикотерапии при внебольничной пневмонии, вызванной типичными бактериями, составляет 7–10 дней, атипичными бактериями — 10–14 дней. В реальной клинической практике при проведении антибактериальной терапии нередко наблюдаются ошибки, связанные с выбором препарата, пути введения, дозировки, режима применения, длительности курса.

Personalized ß-lactam dosing in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and pneumonia: A retrospective analysis on pharmacokinetics and pharmacokinetic target attainment.

Pathophysiological changes are important risk factors for critically ill patients with pneumonia manifesting sub-therapeutic antibiotic exposures during empirical treatment. The effect of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on antibiotic dosing requirements is uncertain. We aimed to determine the effect of COVID-19 on ß-lactam pharmacokinetics (PK) and PK target attainment in critically ill patients with a personalized dosing strategy.Retrospective, single-center analysis of COVID-19 ± critically ill patients with pneumonia (community-acquired pneumonia or hospital-acquired pneumonia) who received continuous infusion of a ß-lactam antibiotic with dosing personalized through dosing software and therapeutic drug monitoring. A therapeutic exposure was defined as serum concentration between (css) 4 to 8 times the EUCAST non-species related breakpoint).Data from 58 patients with pneumonia was analyzed. Nineteen patients were tested COVID-19-positive before the start of the antibiotic therapy for community-acquired pneumonia or hospital-acquired pneumonia. Therapeutic exposure was achieved in 71% of COVID-19 patients (68% considering all patients). All patients demonstrated css above the non–species-related breakpoint. Twenty percent exceeded css above the target range (24% of all patients). The median ß-lactam clearance was 49% compared to ß-lactam clearance in a standard patient without a significant difference regarding antibiotic, time of sampling or present COVID-19 infection. Median daily doses were 50% lower compared to standard bolus dosing.COVID-19 did not significantly affect ß-lactam pharmacokinetics in critically ill patients. Personalized ß-lactam dosing strategies were safe in critically ill patients and lead to high PK target attainment with less resources.

Pneumonia and Other Pulmonary Infections

Pulmonary infections span a wide spectrum, ranging from self-limited to life threatening. Pneumonia refers to infection of lung parenchyma, specifically the alveolar or gas-exchanging portions of the lung. Taken together, pneumonia and influenza rank as the sixth leading cause of death in the United States and the leading infectious cause of death in the United States and the world. Tuberculosis (TB) is a bacterial disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis. TB, historically a leading cause of death worldwide, remains an enormous global public health epidemic in much of the developing world. Rates of coinfection with HIV are high, and HIV increases the morbidity and mortality associated with TB. This review details the pathophysiology, epidemiology, clinical presentation, and treatment of pulmonary infection, including pneumonia, empyema, pulmonary abscess, and tuberculosis (TB). Figures show chest radiographs of reactivation pulmonary tuberculosis, HIV-infected patients with proven culture-confirmed tuberculosis, prominent hilar adenopathy with clear lung fields, and bilateral interstitial changes; and treatment of drug-susceptible pulmonary tuberculosis. Tables list major causes of pulmonary infection, host defence mechanisms against pulmonary infection, initial empirical antibiotic therapy in patients with suspected community-acquired pneumonia, initial antibiotic therapy for community-acquired pneumonia in outpatients, initial antibiotic therapy for community-acquired pneumonia in patients who require hospitalization, antibiotic choices for aspiration pneumonia, pneumonia severity index scoring, and mortality by pneumonia severity index point score. This review contains 2 figures, 9 tables, and 87 references Key words: Pulmonary infections; Pneumonia; Tuberculosis; Lung infection; Mycobacteria; Community-acquired pneumonia; Health care-associated pneumonia; Aspiration pneumonia; Empyema; Legionnaires disease

Pneumonia and Other Pulmonary Infections

Pulmonary infections span a wide spectrum, ranging from self-limited to life threatening. Pneumonia refers to infection of lung parenchyma, specifically the alveolar or gas-exchanging portions of the lung. Taken together, pneumonia and influenza rank as the sixth leading cause of death in the United States and the leading infectious cause of death in the United States and the world. Tuberculosis (TB) is a bacterial disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis. TB, historically a leading cause of death worldwide, remains an enormous global public health epidemic in much of the developing world. Rates of coinfection with HIV are high, and HIV increases the morbidity and mortality associated with TB. This review details the pathophysiology, epidemiology, clinical presentation, and treatment of pulmonary infection, including pneumonia, empyema, pulmonary abscess, and tuberculosis (TB). Figures show chest radiographs of reactivation pulmonary tuberculosis, HIV-infected patients with proven culture-confirmed tuberculosis, prominent hilar adenopathy with clear lung fields, and bilateral interstitial changes; and treatment of drug-susceptible pulmonary tuberculosis. Tables list major causes of pulmonary infection, host defence mechanisms against pulmonary infection, initial empirical antibiotic therapy in patients with suspected community-acquired pneumonia, initial antibiotic therapy for community-acquired pneumonia in outpatients, initial antibiotic therapy for community-acquired pneumonia in patients who require hospitalization, antibiotic choices for aspiration pneumonia, pneumonia severity index scoring, and mortality by pneumonia severity index point score. This review contains 2 figures, 9 tables, and 87 references Key words: Pulmonary infections; Pneumonia; Tuberculosis; Lung infection; Mycobacteria; Community-acquired pneumonia; Health care-associated pneumonia; Aspiration pneumonia; Empyema; Legionnaires disease

Management of critically ill patients with COVID-19: suggestions and instructions from the coordination of intensive care units of Lombardy.

With 63,098 confirmed cases on 17 April 2020 and 11,384 deaths, Lombardy has been the most affected region in Italy by coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). To cope with this emergency, the COVID-19 Lombardy intensive care units (ICU) network was created. The network identified the need of defining a list of clinical recommendations to standardize treatment of patients with COVID-19 admitted to Intensive Care Unit (ICU). Three core topics were identified: 1) rational use of intensive care resources; 2) ventilation strategies; 3) non-ventilatory interventions. Identification of patients who may benefit from ICU treatment is challenging. Clinicians should consider baseline performance and frailty status and they should adopt disease-specific staging tools. Continuous positive airway pressure, mainly delivered through a helmet as elective method, should be considered as initial treatment for all patients with respiratory failure associated with COVID-19. In case of persisting dyspnea and/or desaturation despite 4-6 hours of noninvasive ventilation, endotracheal intubation and invasive mechanical ventilation should be considered. In the early phase, muscle relaxant use and volume-controlled ventilation is recommended. Prone position should be performed in patients with PaO<inf>2</inf>/FiO<inf>2</inf>≤100 mmHg. For patients admitted to ICU with COVID-19 interstitial pneumonia, we do not recommend empiric antibiotic therapy for community-acquired pneumonia. Consultation of an infectious disease specialist is suggested before start of any antiviral therapy. In conclusion, the COVID-19 Lombardy ICU Network identified a list of best practice statements supported by the available evidence and clinical experience or identified as panel members expert opinions for the management of critically ill patients with COVID-19.

Analysis of the consumption of antibacterial medications in community-acquired pneumonia in children

Objective: The study objective is to analyze the efficacy of antibacterial medication selection to treat community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) in children in an out-patient clinic and in a pulmonology department of an in-patient hospital.Methods: Retrospective descriptive study for 2009–2017 in day-patient departments of pediatric clinics and pediatric pulmonology departments of in-patient hospitals of Primorskiy territory (760 cases).Results: 50 % of children took antibiotics at pre-hospital stage (self-treatment). Penicillins were the most popular – 50.1 % (218 prescriptions), cephalosporins were used in 129 (29.7 %), macrolides – in 86 (18.8 %) of cases. The average duration of antibacterial treatment course of CAP was 10 days at pre-hospital stage. Both in the out-patient clinic and in the in-patient hospital, cephalosporins (58.4 and 58.3 %), macrolides (34.8 and 37.4 %) and aminoglycosides (6.3 and 3.4 %) were used more often.Conclusions: The positive dynamics in the protocols of antibiotic therapy of CAP should be noted. The improvement of regulatory framework has led to the increase of rational prescriptions. It is necessary to continue improving of clinical guidelines and implementing pulmonology hospitals of microbiological monitoring that will allow improving the quality of antibacterial treatment.

Community-acquired pneumonia. Diagnosis, treatment approaches

The article presents current data on the prevalence and etiology of community-acquired pneumonia, shows the contribution of each of the possible pathogens to the structure of the disease. The diagnostic criteria for pneumonia are given. The main algorithms for assessing the severity of pneumonia and the prognosis of the disease using different scales: CURB-65 / CRB-65, PORT (PSI), are described. The purpose of the test is to determine the place of treatment: outpatient or in the in-patient department, in the general department or in the intensive care unit. The criteria for IDSA / ATS (American Thoracic Society / American Society of Infectious Diseases), as well as the SMART-COP / SMRCO scale to determine the need for hospitalized patients in the intensive care unit, are reviewed. The Aliberti and PES scales are given, assessing the risk of the presence of resistant pathogens in community-acquired pneumonia. Modern recommendations on the empirical choice of antibacterial drugs depending on individual patient factors are presented: anamnestic indications for treatment with antimicrobials during the preceding three months, hospitalization within six months before the onset of pneumonia, the presence of comorbidities, the severity of the disease, the risk of resistant pathogens. The average therapeutic doses of antibacterial drugs for the treatment of community-acquired pneumonia in patients with normal renal function are indicated. The questions of the optimal duration of treatment of pneumonia depending on the etiology are considered, the criteria of sufficiency of antibacterial therapy are presented. The reasons for the possible ineffectiveness of the empirical antibiotic therapy of community-acquired pneumonia are described. The importance of identifying a particular form of community-acquired pneumonia – severe community-acquired pneumonia is emphasized. Described drugs for the treatment of severe community-acquired pneumonia. The issues of prevention of pneumonia were discussed, its importance in the strategy of reducing mortality according to the World Health Organization was emphasized.

747. Antibiotic Therapy for Community-Acquired Pneumonia: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-Analysis of Randomized Trials

BackgroundCommunity-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is one of the top causes of life-years lost globally. The optimal empiric antibiotic therapy regimen is uncertain. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) provide useful information about relative antibiotic effectiveness.MethodsWe systematically searched Medline, EMBASE, and CENTRAL for RCTs comparing at least two empiric antibiotic regimens in patients with CAP, to March 17, 2017. We performed a systematic review and network meta-analysis and network meta-regression using a Bayesian framework. We used GRADE to assess certainty in the effect estimates.ResultsFrom 18,056 citations, we included 303 RCTs. Most studies (69.9%) were not blinded. All networks had low global heterogeneity (I2 0%). There were 26,423 participants included in the analysis of mortality and 30,559 for treatment failure. Seven hundred and twenty-six (2.9%) participants died. Patients randomized to third generation cephalosporins alone had higher mortality than those randomized to early generation fluoroquinolones (risk ratio [RR] 2.08, 95% credible interval 1.17–3.90), later generation fluoroquinolones (RR 2.32, 1.44–4.26), and cephalosporin-fluoroquinolone combinations (RR 3.21, 0.99–12.49). Participants who were randomized to a cephalosporin plus macrolide were less likely to die than those who received a third generation cephalosporin alone (RR 0.47, 0.21–0.99). The evidence was similar for treatment failure. Β-lactam plus β-lactamase inhibitors (e.g., piperacillin–tazobactam), early generation cephalosporins, and daptomycin appeared to confer a higher risk of mortality and/or treatment failure than most other antibiotic regimens including third-generation cephalosporins alone. For key comparisons, the GRADE quality of evidence was low or moderate.ConclusionIn patients with CAP, an antibiotic regimen that includes a fluoroquinolone (and possibly a macrolide) may reduce mortality by ~1–2% compared with β-lactams (with or without a β-lactamase inhibitor) and cephalosporins alone. High quality, blinded and pragmatic randomized evidence would be helpful to increase certainty in the evidence.Disclosures All authors: No reported disclosures.