Prophylaxis Guidelines Research Articles

Dentists' practice and compliance with current guidelines of infective endocarditis prophylaxis- National survey study.

BackgroundThe objective of this study was to assess the attitude, practice, and knowledge of Croatian dentists regarding infective endocarditis (IE) prophylaxis. Material and MethodsA cross-sectional, self-reporting questionnaire survey was conducted with the participation of 348 Croatian dentists. The questionnaire was designed to collect information on participants’ work experience, place of work, their attitudes related to the treatment of IE-risk patients, knowledge and adherence to IE antibiotic prophylaxis guidelines. ResultsKnowledge and adherence to the current guidelines decreased with the higher years of experience. Compliance with the current guidelines varied, mostly because of respondents’ insecurity regarding which guidelines to follow. AHA guidelines have been most frequently the first choice (25% participants). Surprisingly, 23% of dentists didn’t follow any of the official guidelines. The majority of participants (68%) have declared a lack of preparedness or willingness to treat the patients at risk of IE. Dentists with specialty or working at university/hospital have shown a higher level of knowledge and preparedness to treat IE-risk patients. ConclusionsThe lack of knowledge of guidelines and consequent inconsistencies in IE antibiotic prophylaxis in Croatian dental practice indicates the need for urgent improvement. Key words:Antibiotic prophylaxis, dentistry, infective endocarditis.

Adherence to Surgical Antibiotic Prophylaxis in Surgery: A Prospective Study

Background: Pre-operative antibiotic prophylaxis is crucial to reduce the risk of post-operative infections at surgical sites, thereby minimizing patient burden, prolonged hospital stays, and additional medication needs. Guidelines recommend administering prophylactic antibiotics 30-60 minutes before incision to achieve optimal outcomes. This study aimed to evaluate adherence to these guidelines in a hospital setting. Methods: A prospective observational study was conducted over two months, including 685 surgical cases from various departments such as gynecology, orthopedics, urology, and pediatrics. Cardiac cases were excluded. A clinical pharmacist monitored the administration of antibiotics from the receiving room to the recovery room. If surgery exceeded four hours, a second antibiotic dose was administered. Post-surgery, cases were monitored for surgical site infections (SSIs). Compliance with hospital guidelines on prophylactic antibiotic administration was evaluated. Data were analyzed using Microsoft Excel. Results: Of the 685 cases, 629 (91.82%) received appropriate antibiotics per hospital guidelines, while 8.18% deviated from the protocol. The most commonly used antibiotics were Cefuroxime axetil (30%), followed by Ceftazidime (15%) and Cefoperazone (15%). Ciprofloxacin was the least used (1%). Antibiotics were administered within the specified time frame in 86% of cases. Compliance rates varied by department and type of surgery, with elective surgeries showing higher adherence than emergency surgeries. Conclusion: The study highlights the need for improved compliance with antibiotic prophylaxis guidelines, specifically ensuring administration within 60 minutes of incision to prevent SSIs and hospital-acquired infections. Adherence to hospital antibiotic policies is essential for optimal surgical outcomes and best practices in the operating theatre.

INTENSIVE CARE UNIT PRESCRIPTIONS MUST FIT RISK FACTORS TO PREVENT STRESS ULCER BLEEDING.

ABSTRACT Background:The physiological stress of critically ill patients can trigger several complications, including digestive bleeding due to stress ulcers (DBSU). The use of acid secretion suppressants to reduce their incidence has become widely used, but with the current understanding of the risks of these drugs, their use, as prophylaxis in critically ill patients, is limited to the patients with established risk factors. Aim:To determine the appropriateness of the use of prophylaxis for stress ulcer bleeding in acutely ill patients admitted to intensive care units and to analyze the association of risk factors with adherence to the prophylaxis guideline. Methods:Retrospective, analytical study carried out in three general adult intensive care units. Electronic medical records were analyzed for epidemiological data, risk factors for DBSU, use of stress ulcer prophylaxis, occurrence of any digestive bleeding and confirmed DBSU. The daily analysis of risk factors and prophylaxis use were in accordance with criteria based on the Guidelines of the Portuguese Society of Intensive Care for stress ulcer prophylaxis. Results:One hundred and five patients were included. Of the patient days with the opportunity to prescribe prophylaxis, compliance was observed in 95.1%. Of the prescription days, 82.35% were considered to be of appropriate use. Overt digestive bleeding occurred in 3.81% of those included. The occurrence of confirmed DBSU was identified at 0.95%. Multivariate analysis by logistic regression did not identify risk factors independently associated with adherence to the guideline, but identified risk factors with a negative association, which were spinal cord injury (OR 0.02 p <0.01) and shock (OR 0.36 p=0.024). Conclusion:The present study showed a high rate of adherence to stress ulcer prophylaxis, but with inappropriate use still significant. In the indication of prophylaxis, attention should be paid to patients with spinal cord injury and in shock.

Current Status of Antimicrobial Stewardship Programs in São Paulo Hospitals

OBJECTIVES:Antimicrobial stewardship programs (ASPs) comprise coordinated interventions designed to improve antimicrobial use. Understanding the current structure of ASP hospitals will support interventions for the improvement of these programs. This study aimed to describe the status of ASPs in hospitals in São Paulo, Brazil.METHODS:A cross-sectional survey was conducted on the ASPs of hospitals in the state of São Paulo from March to July 2018. Through interviews by telephone or e-mail, we queried which components of the Infectious Diseases Society of America/Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines were implemented.RESULTS:The response rate was 30% (28/93 hospitals), and 26 hospitals (85%) reported having a formal ASP. The most frequently implemented strategies were antimicrobial surgical prophylaxis guidelines (100%), empiric sepsis guidelines (93%), and the presence of ASP team members during bedside rounds (96%). The least commonly implemented strategies included prior authorization for all antimicrobials (11%), pharmacokinetic monitoring, and an adjustment program for patients on IV aminoglycosides (3%). Regarding the metrics of the ASP, the most common indicator was the rate of antimicrobial resistance (77%). Eighteen hospitals evaluated antimicrobial consumption using defined daily dose, and only 29% evaluated the days of therapy; 61% of hospitals reported their results to the hospital administration and 39% to the prescribers.CONCLUSIONS:Most hospitals have a formal and active ASP, but with timely actions. We observed inconsistencies between what program leaders understand as the main objective of ASP and the metrics used to evaluate it. Part of the effort for the next few years should be to improve program evaluation metrics and to provide feedback to physicians and hospital leadership.

Antibiotic Prescribing Knowledge, Awareness, and Attitude of Dental Surgeons Practicing in the Urban Indian Population.

Background:Studies have reported that dental procedures may serve as a portal of entry for bacteria into the blood circulation, commonly termed as bacteremia which may inhabitate the heart and joints subjected to repair and replacement by prosthesis and may lead to complications in immunocompromised patients. Dental procedure may play a pivotal role in the development of infective endocarditis and infection around the prosthetic joint. Antibiotic use is suggested for all dental procedures requiring gingival manipulation or of the periapical region of teeth or mucosal incision in these patients.Objective:The present study has been conducted to inspect the antibiotic prescribing practices of general dentists among 250 dental practitioners.Methods:The study was conducted on 250 dental surgeons practicing in the urban Indian population of various parts of the country. A validated questionnaire was developed by a multidisciplinary dental and medical team and was circulated on the subject of the basic knowledge and awareness about antibiotic prophylaxis in susceptible patients. The data from the participants were collected, collated, and statistically analyzed.Results:The present study comprised 250 dental surgeons; 178 out of 250 were male, whereas 72 were female. Antibiotic prophylaxis guidelines were followed by 169 practitioners (67.60%), whereas 81 (32.40%) dentists did not follow any guidelines. Out of 169, 67 followed the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) guidelines (39.64%), 58 followed American Heart Association (AHA) guidelines (34.30%), whereas 44 followed general physician's guidelines (26.03%). On screening the underlying conditions for which antibiotic cover was prescribed, it was shown that majority of the dental surgeons did the same for patients with cardiac valve repair or replacement (230; 92%), followed by infective endocarditis (212; 84.80%); organ transplant (212; 84.405); diabetes (189; 75.60%); prosthetic joint replacement (150; 60%); and congenital heart defect (110; 44%).Conclusion:Patients should then be trained to perform meticulous oral hygiene and advised to schedule regular dental checkups to maintain optimal dental health. Dentists should use antibiotic prophylaxis in only conditions associated with a valid scientific basis and should follow the standard protocols recommended by the American Dental Association, AHA, or AAOS.

69. Impact of antimicrobial stewardship interventions on post-elective caesarean antibiotic prophylaxis and surgical site infections

BackgroundAntimicrobial stewardship programs (ASP) aim to improve appropriate antimicrobial use. This study aims to evaluate the impact of ASP interventions on post-elective caesarean (eLSCS) oral antibiotic prophylaxis use. In a subgroup of those without surgical site infection (SSI) risk factors, 30-day SSI rates was compared in those who received post-eLSCS oral antibiotics vs. those without.MethodsThis pre-post quasi-experimental study was conducted over 9 months (2 months pre- and 7 months post-intervention) in all women admitted for eLSCS in our institution. Interventions included eLSCS surgical prophylaxis guideline dissemination, where a single antibiotic dose within 60 minutes before skin incision was recommended. Post-eLSCS oral antibiotics was discouraged in those without SSI risk factors (e.g. obesity). This was followed by ASP intervention notes (phase 1) for 3 months, and an additional phone call to the ward team for the next 4 months (phase 2).ResultsA total of 894 women were reviewed. There were 244 women in the pre-intervention phase, 274 in post-intervention phase 1 and 376 in phase 2. Pre-intervention post-eLSCS antibiotic prescribing rates was 82% (200), compared to 54% (148) in phase 1 and 49% (180) in phase 2 (p< 0.001). There were 560 women without SSI risk factors. Of these, only 4 of 301 (1.3%) who received oral antibiotics, and 3 of 259 (1.2%) without oral antibiotics developed post-op SSI (p=1.000).ConclusionASP can reduce post-eLSCS antibiotic prophylaxis. In those without SSI risk factors, use of post-eLSCS oral antibiotics did not impact SSI rates.Disclosures All Authors: No reported disclosures

A Review of Guidelines for Antibiotic Prophylaxis before Invasive Dental Treatments

Bacteraemia associated with invasive dental treatments can propagate infective endocarditis in high-risk cardiac patients. Over the past decade, antibiotic prophylaxis before dental treatment has been questioned. This review aims to compare the variations between the UK, European and American antibiotic prophylaxis guidelines before dental treatments. Antibiotic prophylaxis guidelines by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE)—Clinical Guideline 64, Scottish Dental Clinical Effectiveness Programme (SDCEP), American Heart Association (AHA), European Society of Cardiology (ESC), European Society of Endodontology (ESE) and Belgian Health Care Knowledge Centre (KCE) position statements were compared regarding the indications, high-risk patients and prophylaxis regimens before dental treatments. In the United Kingdom, the NICE—Clinical Guideline 64 and SDCEP—Implementation Advice do not advise the prescription of prophylactic antibiotics for the majority of high-risk cardiac patients undergoing routine dental treatments. On the contrary, the AHA, ESC and KEC recommend the prescription of antibiotics prior to invasive dental procedures in high-risk cardiac individuals. The ESE also indicates prophylaxis before endodontic procedures for patients with other conditions, including impaired immunologic function, prosthetic joint replacement, high-dose jaw irradiation and intravenous bisphosphonates. Among these guidelines, there are variations in antibiotic prophylaxis regimens. There are variations regarding the indications and antibiotic prophylaxis regimens before invasive dental treatments among these available guidelines.

A Implementation of Antibiotic Prophylaxis Program for Cesarean Section at Thai Nguyen National Hospital

This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of the use of antibiotic prophylaxis in cesarean section at Thai Nguyen National Hospital as a first pilot activity of a surgical prophylaxis program. In the study, a randomized controlled trial was designed with two groups: intervention group and control group. Patients characteristics and effectiveness of prophylactic antibiotics for caesarean section were compared. The study results show that the patients’ ages ranged from 18 to 44 years; most of the patients had ASA score of 1; and mean hospital length of stay was statistically significant between the two groups (p&lt;0.05). Regarding the indication of caesarean section, the reason of genital tract abnormalities accounted for the highest proportion. The percentage of the patients switching from prophylactic antibiotic regimens to therapeutic antibiotics in the intervention group was 2%. There was no patient with superficial and/or deep incisional surgical site infections in both groups. The difference in mean number of injections in the two groups was statistically significant (p&lt;0.05). The average cost of antibiotics for each patient in the intervention group and control group were 267.720 VND and 543.871 VND, respectively. The study concludes that the effectiveness of antibiotics prophylaxis for caesarean section: 99% of the patients were without wound infection; hospital length of stay in the intervention group was shorter than the control group; and using prophylactic antibiotics was not only more economical but could also reduce the workload of medical staff, costs of antibiotics and medical supplies.&#x0D; Keywords&#x0D; Antibiotics prophylaxis, caesarean section, Thai Nguyen National Hospital.&#x0D; References&#x0D; [1] Viet Nam Ministry of Health, National guideline on prevention of surgical site infection, issued with Decision No. 3671/QD-BYT, September 27, 2012 of Viet Nam Ministry of Health, Ha Noi, 2012 (in Vietnamese).[2] Viet Nam Ministry of Health, National guideline on antibiotics use, issued with Decision No.708/QD-BYT, March 2, 2015 of Viet Nam Ministry of Health, Ha Noi, 2015 (in Vietnamese).[3] D.W. Bratzler, K.M. Olsen, et al., Clinical Practice Guidelines for Antimicrobial Prophylaxis in Surgery, American Journal of Health-System Pharmacy 70 (2013) 195 – 283. https://doi.org/10.2146/ajhp120568.[4] R.F. Lamont, J.D. Sobel, et al., Current debate on the use of antibiotic prophylaxis for caesarean section, BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics &amp; Gynaecology 118 (2011) 193-201. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.14710528.2010.02729.x.[5] T.V. Khai, Infection rate of surgical incisions and associated factors on women after cesarean section at Dong Nai General Hospital, Scientific Research Project of Dong Nai Hospital, 2015 (in Vietnamese).[6] N.H. Tuan, Study on the use of cefazolin to prevent infection after cesarean section or uterine fibroids surgery at the Institute of maternal and neonatal protection, Master’s thesis, Hanoi University of Pharmacy, 2002 (in Vietnamese).[7] F.M. Smaill, R.M. Grivell, Antibiotic prophylaxis versus no prophylaxis for preventing infection after cesarean section, Cochrane Database Syst Rev 10 (2014) CD007482. https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.cd007482.pub3.&#x0D; &#x0D;

Standardization of post-operative antimicrobials reduced exposure while maintaining good outcomes in pediatric liver transplant recipients.

Infections following orthotopic liver transplant (OLT) result in significant morbidity and mortality, warranting careful consideration of risks associated with antibiotic overuse and benefits of infection prevention. In the absence of specific guidelines for antimicrobial prophylaxis in pediatric OLT, we developed a standardized approach to post-operative (post-op) antimicrobial therapy including 48hours of antibiotics, no vancomycin for post-op fever within the first 48hours, and caspofungin only for certain situations. The goal was to reduce antimicrobial utilization and adverse outcomes associated with longer duration of and broader treatment while maintaining good outcomes. The impact of this standardization on antimicrobial utilization and clinical outcomes at the largest pediatric liver transplant center in the United States is described. All individuals receiving an OLT from 1/1/17-9/30/17 (N=38) and 3/14/18-12/13/18 (N=27) were included in the pre-intervention (PreI) and post-intervention (PostI) groups, respectively. The intervention resulted in a significant reduction in individuals receiving post-op broad-spectrum gram-negative antibiotics for >48hours (76% PreI vs 44% PostI OLT recipients, P=.01) and post-op vancomycin use (50% PreI, vs 7.4% PostI, P<.001). There were no statistically significant differences between groups for post-op fever, positive pre-/post-operative cultures, receipt of massive transfusion, or hospital length of stay. In conclusion, following the implementation of a standardized approach to post-op prophylaxis, antimicrobial exposure was significantly reduced without affecting OLT recipient outcomes.

Venous Thromboembolism Prophylaxis and Thrombotic Risk Stratification in the Varicose Veins Surgery-Prospective Observational Study.

Background: An invasive phlebological treatment is still not free from complications such as thrombosis. As in other surgical populations, not only the treatment modality, but also patient condition-related venous thromboembolism (VTE) risk factors matter. The current protocols used in varicose vein surgery centers are based mostly on individual risk assessment as well as on an implementation and extrapolation of general surgery VTE prophylaxis guidelines. In the presented study, the efficacy of routine VTE pharmacological thromboprophylaxis in patients undergoing saphenous varicose vein surgery was prospectively evaluated. In the result assessment, VTE risk factor evaluation and Caprini score results were included; however, due to the limited size of the projected study group, as well as expected limited deep vein thrombosis (DVT) prevalence in this clinical scenario, it was not possible to perform the validation of the Caprini model efficacy in the projected study model. Methods: In the study, 141 patients undergoing saphenous vein stripping and miniphlebectomy in spinal anesthesia were included. In all of the patients, VTE risk factors (including Caprini score evaluation) were assessed, and the routine thromboprophylaxis with enoxaparin 40 mg for 10 days was used. The venous ultrasounds were undertaken before the surgery and on the 10th and 30th day after surgery. The study endpoint was the presence of symptomatic or asymptomatic DVT confirmed in the imaging study. The study safety endpoint was major bleeding occurrence intraoperatively or within 30 days after surgery. Results: The presence of a postoperative DVT was diagnosed in five cases (3.5%) In all of these cases, only distal DVT was confirmed. Despite extensive saphenous varicose vein surgery with stripping and miniphlebectomy performed in nontumescent but spinal anesthesia, no proximal lower leg episode was diagnosed. Three out of five DVT cases were diagnosed on day 10 postoperative control, while a further two were confirmed in the ultrasound examination performed 30 days after procedure. No clinically documented pulmonaly embolism (PE) as well as no bleeding episodes were noticed. Among the factors related to the statistically significant higher DVT occurrence, the results of the Caprini score were identified with odds ratio (OR) = 2.04 (95% CI = (0.998; 4.18)). Another factor that became statistically significant in terms of the higher postoperative DVT prevalence was the reported Venous Clinical Severity Score (VCSS) results (OR = 1.98; 95% CI (1.19; 3.26)). In the multiple logistic regression analysis, the patient age (OR = 0.86; 95% CI (0.75–0.99)), Caprini score evaluation results (OR = 4.04; 95% CI (1.26–12.9)) and VCSS results (OR = 2.4; 95% CI (1.23–4.7)) were of statistical significance as predictors for postoperative DVT occurrence, with a p value of 0.029 for age, and p = 0.017 and p = 0.009 for Caprini score results and VCSS results, respectively. Due to the confirmed limited number of the DVT events in our study cohort, as well as the descriptive and explorative nature of the achieved results, the final clinical potential and significance of the identified parameters, including Caprini score rate and VCSS rate, should be interpreted with caution and studied in the further trials in these clinical settings. Conclusion: All the patients undergoing varicose vein surgery should undergo VTE risk evaluation based on the individual assessment. In VTE risk evaluation, patient and surgical procedure characteristics based on the factors included into the Caprini score but also on specific chronic venous disease-related factors should be taken into consideration. Further studies are needed to propose an objective and validated VTE risk assessment model, as well as a validated antithrombotic prophylaxis protocol in this particular patient group.

Quality appraisal of clinical guidelines for venous thromboembolism prophylaxis in patients undergoing hip and knee arthroplasty: a systematic review

IntroductionVenous thromboembolism (VTE) occurs in up to 40%–80% of patients after hip and knee arthroplasty. Clinical decision-making aided by guidelines is the most effective strategy to reduce the burden of...

Evaluation of the Current Knowledge About Bacterial Endocarditis Prevention Among General Dentists in the City of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.

Infective endocarditis (IE) is a life-threatening disease caused by bacterial adherence to the lining of the heart and heart valve, and it can be caused by bacterial contamination of the bloodstream during invasive dental procedures. The American Heart Association (AHA) recommended guidelines for antibiotic prophylaxis in 2008 before invasive dental procedures; however, in the Dominican Republic, no official guidelines or regulations on this topic have been yet established. This study aimed to evaluate the current knowledge about bacterial endocarditis prevention among dentists in Santo Domingo. The study participants were dentists who attended a conference organized by Universidad Federico Henríquez y Carvajal (n = 95), of which 74 responded to the questionnaire survey. Seventy-eight percentage of the participants responded that an indication of antibiotics is recommended in cases of prophylaxis for IE. The prescription of antibiotics was applied to patients with prosthetic valves (78.4%), presented a history of previous IE (77%) among others. Among all the interventions in which the respondents would prescribe antibiotics, tooth extraction (70.7%) was the most frequent. Amoxicillin was the preferred drug choice (63.5%) and clindamycin was the antibiotic of choice in allergic patients (55.4%). Even though the choice of antibiotics were according to AHA guidelines (2008), majority of the dentists (58.82 and 55.4%) were not aware of the correct dosage and timing of administration of azithromycin and clindamycin in drugs in patients allergic to penicillin.

Two-dose emtricitabine/tenofovir alafenamide plus bictegravir prophylaxis protects macaques against SHIV infection.

ObjectivesCurrent prophylaxis options for people at risk for HIV infection include two US FDA-approved daily pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) regimens and guidelines for a 2-1-1 event-driven course specifically for men who have sex with men. Despite this, PrEP use rates remain suboptimal, and additional PrEP options may help to improve uptake among diverse populations. Here, we evaluated protective efficacy of two-dose PrEP and two-dose postexposure prophylaxis (PEP) schedules with emtricitabine (FTC)/tenofovir alafenamide (TAF) with or without bictegravir (BIC) in an SHIV macaque model.MethodsMacaques received one oral dose of 200 mg emtricitabine, 25 mg tenofovir alafenamide and 25-100 mg of bictegravir to establish pharmacokinetic profiles of each drug either in the plasma or the peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Protective efficacy of multiple two-dose PrEP and PEP schedules with FTC/TAF with or without bictegravir was then assessed in two repeat low-dose rectal SHIV challenge studies.ResultsThe data revealed over 95% per-exposure risk reduction with FTC/TAF PrEP initiated 2 h before the exposure, but a loss of significant protection with treatment initiation postexposure. In contrast, FTC/TAF plus BIC offered complete protection as PrEP and greater than 80% per-exposure risk reduction with treatment initiation up to 24 h postexposure.ConclusionsTogether, these results demonstrate that two-dose schedules can protect macaques against SHIV acquisition and highlight the protective advantage of adding the integrase inhibitor bictegravir to the reverse transcriptase inhibitors emtricitabine and tenofovir alafenamide as part of event-driven prophylaxis.

The Choice of Anticoagulation Among Internal Medicine Residents to Treat/Prevent Venous Thromboembolism in Cancer Patients

Introduction: Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is the second most common cause of death in cancer patients next to disease progression. The patients with cancer are not only at increased risk to develop VTE but are also at increased risk of recurrence and bleeding complications from treatment. Hence, anticoagulation is of utmost importance in this population. The International Society of Thrombosis and Hemostasis (ISTH) and American Society of clinical oncology (ASCO) propose guidelines for treatment and prophylaxis of VTE in cancer patients frequently. We aimed to assess the choice and ease among internal medicine residents at different levels of postgraduate training in a teaching community hospital regarding the use of anticoagulation for the prevention and treatment of VTE in medical cancer patients. This study also determines the awareness of the 2019 guidelines of ISTH and ASCO among these residents. Methods: A Cross-sectional study including a web-based survey of five clinical scenarios was designed to determine the anticoagulation of choice as per the 2019 ASCO and ISTH guidelines. The scenarios consisted of non-gastrointestinal cancer patients with a diagnosis of VTE with and without normal kidney function, upper gastrointestinal cancer patents with recent VTE, and VTE prophylaxis in hospitalized and ambulatory cancer patients. Also, four questions were included to determine the ease of residents to start anticoagulation in cancer patients and to assess the difference in choices based on their postgraduate year (PGY) level making a total of nine questions. Results: 58 (77%) of the total residents (75) responded to the questionnaire who included, 18 PGY-1, 18 PGY-2, and 22 PGY-3. The average correct answers were 1.9 (Mean 39%; SD 21%) out of the five questions that were scored i.e the clinical scenario questions based on guidelines. In the scenario of VTE in non-gastrointestinal cancer, the majority of residents chose Lower Molecular Weight Heparin (LMWH) (60.34%), followed by rivaroxaban (24.14%). For a patient with impaired renal function, although a majority of residents preferred warfarin (41.38%), quite a few picked LMWH (29.31%). For upper gastrointestinal cancer, LMWH was the favored option (41.38%) and apixaban was second (31.03%). For VTE prophylaxis, LMWH had 63.16% of preference vs 35.09% of other options. In an ambulatory, fully functional patient with cancer, only 26% of residents believed anticoagulation is not required. 87.72% of the residents said they were unaware of the current guidelines and a total of 65.38% PGY-3 residents did not feel very comfortable starting anticoagulants on their patients without guidance. For the individual answers based on the PGY level see Figure 1. Conclusion: Most of the internal medicine residents preferred LMWH for cancer patients over direct oral anticoagulants. However, they picked the wrong choices in other common scenarios; such as one third preferred to start apixaban in a gastrointestinal cancer patient, or the majority would give prophylactic anticoagulation to ambulatory patients, which is not required per guidelines. These mistakes were supported by the majority of them saying that they were unaware of the treatment recommendations for VTE in cancer patients. Also more than half of the PGY-3 residents are not very comfortable initiating anticoagulants on their own. Based on the above study, we concluded that all residents should be educated on current VTE guidelines on cancer patients, and emphasis should be on including them in the Internal Medicine curriculum. This action will help the residents be more confident and highlight the importance of keeping up with new guidelines. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Examining patient characteristics and HIV-related risks among women with syphilis as indicators for pre-exposure prophylaxis in a nurse-led program (PrEP-RN).

Current HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) guidelines primarily target men who have sex with men (MSM) as candidates for HIV prevention; however, such recommendations often come at the expense of other ethnic and gender minorities, including women. To address barriers to PrEP care among non-MSM, we developed and implemented the first nurse-led PrEP program in Canada, known as PrEP-RN. As part of PrEP-RN, patients who meet objective indicators of HIV risk are offered a referral for PrEP, regardless of sexual orientation. One such measure is syphilis, which has increased in incidence among various population groups and is known to cause biological vulnerabilities to HIV. To better understand HIV-related risks and assess intentions for PrEP use among women, we undertook an 18-month retrospective review of syphilis diagnoses within this group in Ottawa, Canada. As part of this review, we examined 23 patient files, noting their unique characteristics, socio-behavioural risk factors, and noted barriers to PrEP uptake. While none of the women diagnosed with syphilis were diagnosed with HIV, the findings raise some important considerations to facilitate opportunities for HIV prevention among non-MSM, which must take into consideration individual risk practices, sexual health histories, and population groups.

Prescribing antibiotics by dentists in Colombia: Toward a conscientious prescription.

Inappropriate prescription of antibiotics contributes to antibiotic resistance. Therefore, the objective of this study was to determine the awareness, attitudes, and intention to practice of dentists prescribing antibiotics in Colombia in order to design a virtual learning environment on this subject. In a descriptive study across seven cities, 700 dentists from different Colombian cities were requested to complete a validated questionnaire containing five sections: general information, awareness on antibiotic effectiveness and antibiotic resistance, attitudes regarding prescription decision, intention to practice concerning clinical cases, and complementary information. The level of awareness, attitudes, and intention to practice was determined and Chi-square test was used to determine the existence of significant differences among cities. The majority of dentists showed a medium level regarding the number of correct answers on awareness (62.4percent) and attitudes (88.7percent) and a high level on intention to practice (91.7percent). Common errors within the awareness section included the meaning of the term "antibiotic resistance" (35percent) and most dentists were not convinced that such resistance could be derived from prescription of antibiotics (51.2percent). In the attitudes section, only 45percent declared that they prescribe antibiotics based mainly on symptoms, and the intention to practice section showed a significant percentage of unnecessary prescription (51percent for pacemaker users) or absence of prescription (53.9percent for ventricular septal defect) in antibiotic prophylaxis for infectious endocarditis (IE). The dentists interviewed should be trained and made aware of antibiotic resistance, microbiological and clinical foundations, and current antibiotic prophylaxis guidelines.

Underutilization of Peptic Ulcer Disease Prophylaxis Among Elderly Users of Antiplatelets and Anticoagulants.

Peptic ulcer disease (PUD) develops in approximately 25% of chronic users of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). The incidence of uncomplicated PUD has been declining over the past 3 decades unlike that of complicated PUD in the elderly. An expert consensus document published jointly in 2008 by the American College of Gastroenterology (ACG), the American College of Cardiology Foundation (ACCF), and the American Heart Association (AHA) provided recommendations on prevention of PUD among users of antiplatelets and anticoagulants. This work aimed to evaluate physicians' compliance with these guidelines in a tertiary academic setting. We examined our medical record database for the 9month period extending from April 2018 until December 2018. Using this database, we identified elderly patients (> 64years old) who were chronic (> 3months) users of low dose aspirin (81mg once daily) and had an indication for PUD prophylaxis as per the ACG-ACCF-AHA guideline document. We performed a retrospective chart review of patients included in this study. Descriptive statistics were compared using χ2 and independent sample t tests. A total of 852 patients were included in this study. The mean age was 75years old, and 43% of patients were females. In addition to aspirin, patients were prescribed P2Y12 inhibitors (45.5%), direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) (23%), warfarin (12%), steroids (9%) or enoxaparin (1%). Users of DOACs were most commonly prescribed apixaban (16%), followed by rivaroxaban (6%) and dabigatran (1%). Overall, only 40% of patients with an indication for PUD prophylaxis received a proton pump inhibitor. PUD prophylaxis may be underutilized in elderly patients. This finding, along with increasing rates of NSAID use and an aging population, may help explain the increased incidence of complicated PUD in the elderly. Efforts are needed to raise physician awareness of PUD prophylaxis guidelines.

Establishing essential metrics for antifungal stewardship in hospitals: the results of an international Delphi survey.

Guidance on assessment of the quantity and appropriateness of antifungal prescribing is required to assist hospitals to interpret data effectively and structure quality improvement programmes. To achieve expert consensus on a core set of antifungal stewardship (AFS) metrics and to determine their feasibility for implementation. A literature review was undertaken to develop a list of candidate metrics. International experts were invited to participate in sequential web-based surveys to evaluate the importance and feasibility of metrics in the area of AFS using Delphi methodology. Three surveys were completed. Consensus was predefined as ≥80% agreement on the importance of each metric. Eighty-two experts consented to participate from 17 different countries. Response rate for each survey was >80%. The panel included adult and paediatric physicians, microbiologists and pharmacists with diverse content expertise. Consensus was achieved for 38 metrics considered important to routinely include in AFS programmes, and related to antifungal consumption (n = 5), quality of antifungal prescribing and management of invasive fungal infection (IFI) (n = 24), and clinical outcomes (n = 9). Twenty-one consensus metrics were considered to have moderate to high feasibility for routine collection. The identified core AFS metrics will provide a framework to comprehensively assess the quantity and quality of antifungal prescribing within hospitals to develop quality improvement programmes aimed at improving IFI prevention, management and patient-centred outcomes. A standardized approach will support collaboration and benchmarking to monitor the efficacy of current prophylaxis and treatment guidelines, and will provide important feedback to guideline developers.

A comparison of pregnancy-specific risk scoring systems for venous thromboembolic pharmacoprophylaxis in hospitalized maternity patients

Objective Venous thromboembolism (VTE) remains a leading cause of maternal mortality. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) and the Royal College of Obstetricians & Gynecologists (RCOG) have proposed pregnancy-specific risk scoring guidelines for antepartum (AP) and postpartum (PP) thromboprophylaxis. We compared the impact of scoring thresholds and their potential preventative effect. Study design We conducted a retrospective cohort study of hospitalized maternity patients over a 4-month period. Patients were assigned an AP and PP risk score using each guideline. Hospitalization-associated VTE was accessed over a 6-year period. Comparison was by Fischer’s exact and Chi Square tests. Results 638 women were included. Of AP patients, 20% met pharmacoprophylaxis criteria for baseline characteristics and 100% for length of stay using RCOG, and 12% met phrarmacoprophylaxis criteria using ACOG (p < .001). For PP patients, 53% met criteria for RCOG compared to 24% using ACOG (p < .001). If pharmacoprophylaxis were performed at a threshold 1 point above recommendation, 7% of AP patients and 11% of PP women would meet ACOG criteria. This increased ACOG threshold captured all cases of VTE following hospitalization. Conclusion In our population, using ACOG prophylaxis guidelines at an increased threshold would have potentially prevented all hospitalization related VTE without excessive anti-coagulation.

Stroke and Thromboprophylaxis in the Era of COVID-19

Stroke and Thromboprophylaxis in the Era of COVID-19