Use Of Antibiotics In Patients Research Articles

1742. Antibiotic Use in the Podiatry Clinic: Antimicrobial Stewardship Setting Foot in Uncharted Territory

Abstract Background Podiatrists independently manage diabetic foot ulcers (DFU), often complicated by diabetic foot infections (DFIs). The prevalence of DFU is 40 - 60% and guidelines vary in their recommendations for DFI, creating a target for antimicrobial stewardship. However, the prevalence and appropriateness of antibiotics prescribed by podiatrists has not been reported. We describe both variables among patients with DFU in a podiatry clinic. Methods We conducted a retrospective chart review of all consecutive patients > 18 years of age with DFUs, infected or not, who had at least one visit to the UPMC Mercy Wound Clinic (Pittsburgh, PA) in 2020. We defined severity of infection using the PEDIS score and diagnosis of osteomyelitis (OM) (Figure 1). We collected data on antibiotics prescribed by podiatry in the clinic or by any provider during a hospitalization for DFI. Figure 2 shows our appropriateness criteria. Figure 1:Stratification of Severity of Diabetic Foot InfectionFigure 2:Criteria for Appropriateness of Antibiotic Use in Diabetic Foot Ulcers Results Of 72 patients with DFU, 32 (44.4%) received an antibiotic. Compared to those who did not receive antibiotics, patients who did were more likely male (86.2% vs. 63.6%), had a higher PEDIS score (2.03 vs. 1.49), and were more frequently diagnosed with OM (71.9% vs. 26.8%). (Table 1). Table 2 shows the most common antibiotics. Among the five patients with no to mild infection, none received appropriate treatment (Table 3). Two patients in that category received IV antibiotics (when hospitalized for DFI), and neither received an Infectious Diseases (ID) consult. The other three were considered inappropriate due to durations > 7 days. The mean length of treatment for patients with mild infection was 12.6 (4.56). The two patients with moderate infection who received antibiotics had “inappropriate” courses; however, both had complicated Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia, and therefore 4-6 weeks courses were justified. All 12 inappropriate courses in severe infections were due to courses > 42 days. Conclusion Prescription of antibiotics among patients with DFU was common. Our findings suggest potential targets for antimicrobial stewardship: unnecessarily long courses an IV antibiotic use in patients with mild or no infection. Our criteria can be refined to recognize situations in which prolonged therapy may be justified, and larger studies are warranted. Disclosures All Authors: No reported disclosures.

165. Biofire pneumonia panel use in severe pneumonia and antibiotic treatment in COVID-19 patients

Abstract Background Hospitalized COVID-19 patients with severe pneumonia are commonly treated for secondary bacterial pneumonia. The Biofire pneumonia panel, a rapid molecular diagnostic tool with 18 bacterial, 8 viral and 7 resistance gene targets, was made available to critical care and infectious disease clinicians in May 2020 at our institution. We sought to describe its utilization and influence on antibiotic use in patients hospitalized with COVID-19 lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI). Methods Eligible patients with COVID-19 LRTI (positive PCR test and abnormal chest imaging) had sputum or bronchoalveolar lavage pneumonia panel (PNP) paired with a respiratory tract culture between May 4 and Dec. 8, 2020, were included. Demographics, comorbidities, clinical data including microbiologic testing, PNP indication(s), and antibiotic use after testing were abstracted through chart review. Descriptive statistics were utilized. Results Characteristics of 133 patients are provided in Table 1. Median age was 61 years, 93 (70%) were male, 93 (70%) were mechanically ventilated, and 68 (51%) died within 30 days on PNP testing. PNP results, including culture results are listed in Table 2. No target was identified in 63 (47%) patients. Staphylococcus aureus was the most common bacterial isolate identified (MSSA in 32 [24%], MRSA in 8 [6%]) with culture growth in 21 specimens. More than 1 target was identified in 29 patients (22%). Empiric antibiotics and subsequent modifications within 24h hours of pneumonia panel are provided in Table 3. Vancomycin and cefepime were most frequently prescribed. Antibiotic modifications were made in 71/133 patients. Cessation of the anti-MRSA agent occurred in 39/72 (54%) of eligible patients and the anti-Pseudomonal agent in 21/78 (27%). Conclusion The PNP is a useful tool to evaluate secondary bacterial pneumonia in critically ill COVID-19 patients and may assist clinicians and antimicrobial stewardship programs in expedited antibiotic discontinuation or de-escalation particularly where rates of secondary bacterial infection are low, such as COVID-19 LRTI. Disclosures Erica J. Stohs, MD, MPH, bioMerieux: Grant/Research Support Paul D. Fey, PhD, BioFire: Advisor/Consultant|BioFire: Grant/Research Support|Merck: Grant/Research Support Trevor C. Van Schooneveld, MD, bioMerieux: Advisor/Consultant|bioMerieux: Grant/Research Support|Insmed: Grant/Research Support|Merck: Grant/Research Support|Thermo-Fischer: Advisor/Consultant.

The Relationship between Fear of COVID-19 and Self-Medication and the Rate of Antibiotic Use in Patients Referred to COVID-19.

The coronavirus pandemic can cause anxiety and stress among people, which can make them practice self-medication. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between fear of corona and self-medication and antibiotics use. In a convenience sampling method, 250 people referring to COVID-19 centers including 16-hour comprehensive health services in Kermanshah, Iran, who tested positive and were not hospitalized were extracted from the SIB system. Data collection tools include three questionnaires including corona fear questionnaire, self-medication questionnaire, and self-medication by antibiotic questionnaire and an information form including demographic characteristics. Data were analyzed by SPSS version 25. The prevalence of self-medication was 59.6%. There was a significant correlation between self-medication and gender (P value <0.05) and education level (P value <0.05); the most common reason for self-medication was easy access to medicines through pharmacy drug stores. The mean score of fear of corona was higher in women and those who were not in a good financial position due to a lack of suitable economic status to see a doctor. There was a direct and significant relationship between self-medication and self-medication by antibiotics. 59.6% of the participants used medicines themselves, buying over-the-counter in pharmacies. Also, there was a statistically significant difference between the mean score of corona fear in terms of not having a suitable economic status to see a doctor. This indicates that the lack of proper economic status among people with the coronavirus positive test to see a doctor increases the fear of the disease.

The Effect of Ciprofloxacin on Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA)

Increased PSA levels can be caused by prostate cancer, prostate infection, and BPH. Several studies report that the use of antibiotics can affect PSA levels. This study aims to determine the effect of ciprofloxacin administration in patients with prostate-specific antigen values ??of 4-10 ng/mL. This was an analytical study with a prospective cohort design. This study was conducted at Dr. M. Djamil Hospital, Padang starting from July 2022 until October 2022. The sampling technique used non-probability sampling with consecutive sampling method. The patient was given the antibiotic ciprofloxacin 2x500 mg for 2 weeks. PSA measurements were carried out before and after administration of antibiotics. There were 20 subject with an average age of 62.65 years (52-79). The mean of initial PSA value was 6.53 ng/mL and the final PSA value was 5.76 ng/mL. There was a significant difference between PSA levels before and after administration of ciprofloxacin (p=0.000). The use of antibiotics in patients with PSA levels of 4-10 ng/ml can reduce PSA levels.

Antibiotic prophylaxis to prevent complications in endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

The prophylactic use of antibiotics in endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) is still controversial. To assess whether antibiotic prophylaxis reduces the rates of complications in patients undergoing elective ERCP. This systematic review and meta-analysis were performed following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis guidelines. A comprehensive search of multiple electronic databases was performed. Only randomized controlled trials were included. The outcomes analyzed included bacteremia, cholangitis, sepsis, pancreatitis, and mortality. The risk of bias was assessed by the Cochrane revised Risk-of-Bias tool for randomized controlled trials. The quality of evidence was assessed by the Grading of Recommendation Assessment, Development, and Evaluation. Meta-analysis was performed using the Review Manager 5.4 software. Ten randomized controlled trials with a total of 1757 patients that compared the use of antibiotic and non-antibiotic prophylaxis in patients undergoing elective ERCP were included. There was no significant difference between groups regarding incidence of cholangitis after ERCP [risk difference (RD) = -0.02, 95% confidence interval (CI): -0.05, 0.02, P = 0.32], cholangitis in patients with suspected biliary obstruction (RD = 0.02, 95%CI: -0.08 to 0.13, P = 0.66), cholangitis on intravenous antibiotic prophylaxis (RD = -0.02, 95%CI: -0.05 to 0.01, P = 0.25), septicemia (RD = -0.02, 95%CI: -0.06 to 0.01, P = 0.25), pancreatitis (RD = -0.02, 95%CI: -0.06 to 0.01, P = 0.19), and all-cause mortality (RD = 0.00, 95%CI: -0.01 to 0.01, P = 0.71]. However, the antibiotic prophylaxis group presented a 7% risk reduction in the incidence of bacteremia (RD= -0.07, 95%CI: -0.14 to -0.01, P = 0.03). The prophylactic use of antibiotics in patients undergoing elective ERCP reduces the risk of bacteremia but does not appear to have an impact on the rates of cholangitis, septicemia, pancreatitis, and mortality.

Factors Impacting the Yield of Image-Guided Biopsy in Native Vertebral Osteomyelitis: A 10-Year Retrospective Study.

Image-guided biopsies in patients with suspected native vertebral osteomyelitis (NVO) are recommended to establish the microbiological diagnosis and guide antibiotic therapy. Despite recent advances, the microbiological yield of this procedure remains between 48% and 52%. A better understanding of factors associated with this low yield may lead to improved microbiological diagnosis. We retrospectively identified patients with suspected NVO undergoing image-guided biopsies from January 2011 to June 2021 at our institution. Two hundred nine patients undergoing 248 percutaneous biopsies were included. Demographic data, biopsy and microbiologic techniques, clinical characteristics, and antibiotic use were collected. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was conducted to determine factors associated with microbiological yield. A total of 110 of 209 (52.6%) initial image-guided biopsies revealed positive microbiological results. This number increased to 121 of 209 (57.9%) when repeat image-guided biopsies were included. In multivariable analysis, aspiration of fluid was associated with a 3-fold increased odds of yielding a positive result (odds ratio [OR], 3.13; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.39-7.04; P = .006), whereas prior antibiotic use was associated with a 3-fold decreased yield (OR, 0.32; 95% CI, .16-.65; P = .002). A univariate subgroup analysis revealed a significant association between the length of the antibiotic-free period and microbiological yield, with the lowest rates of pathogen detection at 0-3 days and higher rates as duration increased (P = .017). Prior antibiotic use in patients with suspected NVO was associated with a decrease in the microbiological yield of image-guided biopsies. An antibiotic-free period of at least 4 days is suggested to maximize yield. Successful fluid aspiration during the procedure also increases microbiological yield.

Point-of-Care Procalcitonin to Guide the Discontinuation of Antibiotic Treatment in the Intensive Care Unit: A Malaysian Randomised Controlled Trial

Introduction: This work aims to establish the practicality of simple point-of-care (POC) measurements of procalcitonin (PCT) coupled with the standard PCT-guided antibiotic treatment discontinuation algorithm to guide the cessation of antibiotic treatment in intensive care unit (ICU). Methods: In this randomised-controlled trial, 80 adult patients with suspected bacterial infections were randomised to either the POC PCT-guided arm (n = 40) or the standard-of-care arm (n = 40). The decision to discontinue antibiotic treatment in the POC PCT-guided arm was based on the POC PCT-guided antibiotic-treatment discontinuation strategy, which states that discontinuation is urged once the PCT concentration has reduced by ≥ 80% or to &lt; 0.5 ng/mL. In the standard-of-care arm, the antibiotic-treatment duration followed the local guidelines. Results: The median duration of antibiotic treatment was 6.5 [IQR = 5.0-7.0] days in the POC PCT-guided antibiotic-treatment arm versus 7.5 [IQR = 5.0-14.0] days in the standard-of-care arm (p = 0.010). The mean antibiotic-free days in the first 30 days after study inclusion was 20.7 (SD = 5.3) days in the POC PCT-guided antibiotic-treatment arm versus 16.4 (SD = 7.4) days in the standard-of-care arm (p = 0.004). The number of patients who took an antibiotic for more than 10 days was 2 (5%) in the POC PCT-guided antibiotic-treatment arm versus 13 (32.5%) in the standard-of-care arm (p = 0.002). Conclusion: Antibiotic use in patients with symptoms of bacterial infections in the ICU was substantially minimised with the installation of a POC PCT-guided antibiotic-treatment cessation.

Antibiotic Stewardship und chronische Lungenerkrankungen

HintergrundDie Therapie akuter Exazerbationen von Patienten mit chronischen Lungenerkrankungen ist häufig mit der Gabe von Antibiotika vergesellschaftet. Wiederholte stationäre Aufenthalte, hohe Antibiotikaverbräuche sowie die Gefahr des Auftretens multiresistenter Keime stellen eine Belastung für das Gesundheitssystem dar.Ziel dieser ArbeitZiel dieser Arbeit ist es, einen Überblick über Antibiotic-Stewardship-Strategien für das Management von Patienten mit chronischen Lungenerkrankungen mit besonderem Fokus auf COPD („chronic obstructive pulmonary disease“) sowie Bronchiektasien und zystischer Fibrose (CF) zu geben.Material und MethodenDie Übersichtsarbeit basiert auf einer Literaturrecherche in PubMed.Ergebnisse und DiskussionPoint-of-Care-Tests (POCT) zum schnelleren Erregernachweis ergaben uneinheitliche Ergebnisse in Bezug auf die Reduktion antibiotischer Therapien. Als relativ einfaches Verfahren konnte mittels POCT C‑reaktives Protein (CRP) („cut off“ < 20 bzw. ≥ 40 mg/l) die Anwendung von Antibiotika bei Patienten mit exazerbierter COPD reduzieren, ohne die Sicherheit zu gefährden. Die Rolle von Procalcitonin bleibt unklar. Bei nichtpurulentem Sputum und einer leichten bis mittelschweren COPD-Exazerbation kann Leitliniengerecht auf eine Antibiotikatherapie verzichtet werden. Der Einsatz von Makroliden führt zu einer zunehmenden Resistenzentwicklung und birgt die Gefahr v. a. kardiovaskulärer Nebenwirkungen, sodass eine Dauertherapie bei Patienten trotz häufiger COPD-Exazerbationen kritisch gesehen werden muss. Bei der CF hat sich durch den Einsatz von CFTR(„cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator“)-Modulatoren das Management der Grunderkrankung so verbessert, dass weniger Antibiotikatherapien gebraucht wurden. Auch bei den Bronchiektasen gibt es Anlass zur Hoffnung, dass durch neue Therapien, wie z. B. Inhibitoren der neutrophilen Elastase, Antibiotika eingespart werden können. Jeder Einsatz von Antibiotika bei chronischen Lungenerkrankungen sollte leitliniengerecht erfolgen.

ASSESSMENT OF RATIONAL USE OF ANTIMICROBIAL IN ORTHOPAEDIC PROCEDURE

Background: From a clinical perspective, proper use of antimicrobial experts is essential. Current anti-microbial drugs play a vital role in both the prevention and treatment of irresistible illnesses, making them one of the most important agents for therapeutic evaluation. Without a doubt, there is a problem with their abuse globally, with underdeveloped countries experiencing it to a greater extent.Objective: evaluation of the therapeutic and preventive use of antibiotics in patients who have had orthopaedic surgery.Methodology: On 150 clinical records of orthopaedic patients who underwent medical procedure, an immediate and observational review was done.Result: This study included information from 150 people, including 80 men and 70 women who had orthopaedic surgery. Cephalosporins (73.36%) and cefuroxime (62.62%) were found to be the antimicrobial classes most frequently utilised for prophylaxis and therapy, respectively. Nearly 50% of prophylactic cases were found to be unsuitable, whilst approximately 70% of antibiotic treatments failed to adhere to recommendations.Conclusion: This study includes the maximum number of patients from total hip replacement surgery and open reduction internal fixation (ORIF), respectively. The study's findings showed that some surgical prophylaxis during orthopedic operations was somewhat improper.

Measuring Adherence to Antibiotic Use Guidelines in Managing Mandible Fractures

There is documented variability in the use of antibiotics in patients with isolated mandibular fractures in terms of dosing and frequency, which may be attributable to the complexity in assessing mandibular injury, including number of fractures, displacement, involvement of teeth and surrounding soft tissue, and impact on occlusion.1 To address disparate practice patterns in the management of patients with facial fractures, the Surgical Infection Society’s Therapeutics and Guidelines Committee (SIS) released guidelines in June 2020 concerning antibiotic use in the treatment of patients with facial fractures.

Use of antibiotics in patients who were attacked by animals that can transmit rabies.

Animal bites have a high probability of becoming infected. In high-risk wounds, the use of antibiotics that kill the associated microorganisms is recommended. The aim of this study was to determine the use of inappropriate antibiotics in patients in different regions of Colombia who were attacked in 2020 by animals that can transmit rabies. This was a retrospective follow-up study of a cohort of patients with wounds caused by animals; the patients were affiliated with the Colombian Health System. Sociodemographic, clinical and pharmacological data were collected. A total of 280 patients were analysed. The median age was 28.0 years, and 52.1% were men. The attacks were attributed to dogs (85.0%) and cats (15.0%), and 9.6% were classified as severe exposure. Antibiotics were used in 71.1% of cases for prophylaxis and in 4.3% of the cases for the treatment of superinfection; cephalexin (37.5%), amoxicillin/clavulanic acid (15.7%) and dicloxacillin (10.4%) were the predominant antibiotics used. A total of 72.0% of patients who received antibiotics received inadequate prescriptions, and 49.2% had no indication to receive prophylaxis. Being treated in the Caribbean region (OR: 4.09; 95% CI: 1.79-9.30) and receiving analgesics (OR: 3.15; 95% CI: 1.25-7.94) were associated with a greater probability of being prescribed antibiotics inadequately; attacks resulting in severe exposure were associated with a lower probability (OR: 0.40; 95% CI: 0.16-0.98). A significant proportion of patients had no indication for prophylactic antibiotics or was prescribed antibiotics not recommended by clinical practice guidelines. There was a low prevalence of prescriptions for amoxicillin/clavulanic acid, the most recommended antibiotic.

Patient profile and antibiotic use in a dedicated upper respiratory tract infection clinic based in a primary healthcare setting during COVID-19 pandemic in Malaysia: A cross sectional study.

Upper respiratory tract infection (URTI) is commonly encountered at the primary care level. Its management is particularly challenging due to the similarity of its symptoms to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection. Our study evaluated the profiles and antibiotic use of patients seeking care from a dedicated community-based URTI clinic during the COVID-19 pandemic. A cross-sectional study was conducted. Data were obtained from the medical records of patients visiting the URTI clinic at the Alor Setar Primary Healthcare Centre between March and April 2020. Overall, 587/4388 (13.3%) patients received treatment at the URTI clinic. Most patients were male (60.6%) and aged between 20 and 39 years (35.5%). Their most common symptoms were cough (68.4%), fever (31.6%), runny nose (24.6%), and sore throat (24.1%). Most patients were diagnosed with acute nasopharyngitis (52.5%), acute pharyngitis (18.6%), or acute tonsillitis (5.3%). The symptomatic medication prescription rate was 96.5%. Only 26 of the 435 patients diagnosed with URTI received antibiotics, yielding an antibiotic use rate of only 6.0% for URTI relative to overall drug use. Acute tonsillitis was more common in children <12 years old (p<0.001), while a cough and runny nose were more commonly indicative of acute nasopharyngitis than other conditions (p<0.001). Sore throat was more likely to be a symptom of acute pharyngitis (p<0.001) and acute tonsillitis (p<0.001). Despite the challenges faced during the COVID-19 pandemic, the findings suggest that patients with URTI-like symptoms were properly managed, and the rate of antibiotic usage remained reasonable.

Antibiotic resistance rates and penicillin MIC distribution in patients with streptococcal pneumonia between 2013-2019, and use of antibiotics in clinical practice

PurposeThe purpose of the present study is to investigate the antibiotic resistance rates and use of antibiotics in patients with streptococcal pneumonia in a reference tertiary care hospital for pulmonary diseases in Izmir, Turkey. MethodsA total of 1224 cases with streptococcal pneumonia between 2013 and 2019 were included in the study, retrospectively. Drug susceptibility testing for penicillin and other antibiotics were performed according to the recommendations of EUCAST criteria. Clinical data and general characteristics were collected and evaluated for each patient in accordance with the susceptibility testing report. ResultsTotally, resistance rates for trimethophrim-sulfamethoxazole, penicillin (oxacillin), erythromycin, tetracycline, clindamycin and levofloxacin resistance were 63.5%, 39.8%, 37.7%, 37.6%, 28.8%, and 4.8%, respectively. Antibiotic resistance was not detected against vancomycin,teicoplanin and linezolid. Multidrug resistance rate was found to be 27.1%. It was observed that there was a statistically significant decrease in trimethophrim-sulfamethoxazole, penicillin (oxacillin), erythromycin, clindamycin and levofloxacin resistance rates by years (p: 0.000, 0.004, 0.000, 0.001, 0.010, respectively). The penicillin MIC distribution was higher at the range of 0.12–2 ​μg/mL and there was statistical difference among the ranges of MIC values for the representative years (p:0.033). Among the antibiotics investigated, the most commonly used antibiotic was moxifloxacin. ConclusionsTrimethophrim-sulfamethoxazole resistance rate has been found higher than other antibiotics. As penicillin MIC values were at the range of 0.12–2 ​μg/mL frequently, high doses of penicillin treatment might be required in some patients. It is noteworthy that significant decrease in resistance rates in penicillin, erythromycin, clindamycin and tetracycline could be due to the vaccination programme carried out since 2008 in Turkey. As the empiric use of quinolones is high it would be more appropriate to use it according to the susceptibility testing. It is important to determine the regional antimicrobial susceptibility for Streptococcus pneumoniae to select appropriate empirical antimicrobials in the clinical practice.

Evaluating the Role of Antibiotics in Patients Admitted to Hospital With Decompensated Cirrhosis: Lessons From the ATTIRE Trial.

Hospital-acquired infections (HAI) are common in cirrhosis with antibiotics frequently used to prevent infections, but their efficacy for this role is unknown. To investigate this, we used Albumin to Prevent Infection in Chronic Liver Failure (ATTIRE) data to evaluate whether antibiotic use in patients without infection prevented HAI. In ATTIRE patients without infection at baseline grouped by antibiotic prescription or not, we studied HAI during trial treatment period and mortality, with propensity score matching to account for differences in disease severity. Two hundred three of 408 patients prescribed antibiotics at enrollment did not have infection and they were more unwell than noninfected patients not given antibiotics. There were no differences in subsequent HAI comparing antibiotic treated (39/203, 19.2%) to nonantibiotic treated (73/360, 20.3%; P = 0.83). Twenty-eight-day mortality was higher in antibiotic-treated patients ( P = 0.004) likely reflecting increased disease severity. Matching groups using propensity scoring revealed no differences in HAI or mortality. In noninfected patients at enrollment treated with/without rifaximin, there were no differences in HAI ( P = 0.16) or mortality, confirmed with propensity matching. Patients given long-term antibiotic prophylaxis at discharge had no differences in 6-month mortality compared with nonantibiotic patients, although antibiotic-treated patients had more infections at trial entry, with numbers too small for matching. Half of antibiotics at study entry were given to patients without an infection diagnosis which did not reduce the overall risk of HAI or improve mortality. This supports prompt de-escalation or discontinuation of antibiotics guided by culture sensitivities at 24-48 hours after commencement if no infection and the patient is improving.

SP3.1.2 Antibiotics therapy may not be required in patients with CT proven uncomplicated acute diverticulitis: A systematic review

Abstract Aims Acute diverticulitis (AD) is one of the major acute surgical conditions which need either hospital admission or a dedicated ambulatory care services in order to provide conventional antibiotics therapy. Regular use of antibiotics for all cases of acute diverticulitis has recently been challenged. The aim is to evaluate the necessity of antibiotics in patients presenting with CT proven uncomplicated AD. Method A systematic search was undertaken and relevant published randomized controlled trials (RCT) were shortlisted according to the inclusion criteria. Summated outcomes, including failure to response to intervention, recurrence rates and surgery during the acute admission, were analyzed using the principles of meta-analysis on RevMan 5 statistical software. Result Four RCTs on 1756 patients who presented with CT-proven uncomplicated diverticulitis were included in this review. There were 879 patients in the antibiotics group (AG) and 877 patients in the no-antibiotics group (NAG). The failure to response to intervention (use of intravenous antibiotics) was not statistically significant between the two groups, however slight statistical favour was observed in AG [OR 0.49, 95% CI (0.22–1.06), z=1.81, p=0.07]. There was no statistical difference related to recurrence rates of acute diverticulitis between the two groups. Finally, the need of surgical intervention following both interventions was also statistically similar [OR 0.63, 95% CI (0.29–1.36), z=1.18, p=0.24]. Conclusion The use of antibiotics in patients with CT proven uncomplicated AD does not seem to improve the short-term outcomes; therefore it can be carefully omitted in selected patients. More RCTs of robust quality are required to validate these findings.

Use of antimicrobial agents in actively dying inpatients after suspension of life-sustaining treatments: Suggestion for antimicrobial stewardship.

The role of antimicrobial treatment in end-of-life care has been controversial, whether antibiotics have beneficial effects on comfort and prolonged survival or long-term harmful effects on increasing antimicrobial resistance. We assessed the use of antimicrobial agents and factors associated with de-escalation in inpatients who suspended life-sustaining treatments (SLST) and immediately died. We included 1296 (74.7%) inpatients who died within 7 days after SLST out of 1734 patients who consented to SLST on their own or family's initiative following a decision by two physicians, observing the "Life-sustaining Treatment Decision Act" between January 2020 and December 2020at two teaching hospitals. De-escalation was defined as changing to narrower spectrum anti-bacterial drugs or stopping≥one antibiotic of combined treatment. 90.6% of total patients received anti-bacterial agents, particularly a combination treatment in 60.1% and use of ≥ three drugs in 18.2% of them. Antifungal and antiviral drugs were administered to 12.6% and 3.3% of the patients on SLST, respectively. Antibacterial and antifungal agents were withdrawn in only 8.3% and 1.3% of the patients after SLST, respectively. Anti-bacterial de-escalation was performed in 17.0% of patients, but 43.6% of them received more or broad-spectrum antibiotics after SLST. In multivariate regression, longer hospital stays before SLST, initiation of SLST in the intensive care unit, and cardiovascular diseases were independently associated with anti-bacterial de-escalation after SLST. The intervention for substantial antibiotic use in patients on SLST should be carefully considered as antimicrobial stewardship after decision by the will of the patient and proxy.

Analysis of an Antibiotic Stewardship Program for Asymptomatic Bacteriuria in the Veterans Affairs Health Care System

Antibiotic stewardship for asymptomatic bacteriuria (ASB) is an important quality improvement target. Understanding how to implement successful antibiotic stewardship interventions is limited. To evaluate the effectiveness of a quality improvement stewardship intervention on reducing unnecessary urine cultures and antibiotic use in patients with ASB. This interrupted time series quality improvement study was performed at the acute inpatient medical and long-term care units of 4 intervention sites and 4 comparison sites in the Veterans Affairs (VA) health care system from October 1, 2017, through April 30, 2020. Participants included the clinicians who order or collect urine cultures and who order, dispense, or administer antibiotics. Clinical outcomes were measured in all patients in a study unit during the study period. Data were analyzed from July 6, 2020, to May 24, 2021. Case-based teaching on how to apply an evidence-based algorithm to distinguish urinary tract infection and ASB. The intervention was implemented through external facilitation by a centralized coordinating center, with a site champion at each intervention site serving as an internal facilitator. Urine culture orders and days of antibiotic therapy (DOT) and length of antibiotic therapy in days (LOT) associated with urine cultures, standardized by 1000 bed-days, were obtained from the VA's Corporate Data Warehouse. Of 11 299 patients included, 10 703 (94.7%) were men, with a mean (SD) age of 72.6 (11.8) years. The decrease in urine cultures before and after the intervention was not significant in intervention sites per segmented regression analysis (-0.04 [95% CI, -0.17 to 0.09]; P = .56). However, difference-in-differences analysis comparing intervention with comparison sites found a significant reduction in the number of urine cultures ordered by 3.24 urine cultures per 1000 bed-days (P = .003). In the segmented regression analyses, the relative percentage decrease of DOT in the postintervention period at the intervention sites was 21.7% (P = .007), from 46.1 (95% CI, 28.8-63.4) to 37.0 (95% CI, 22.6-51.4) per 1000 bed-days. The relative percentage decrease of LOT in the postintervention period at the intervention sites was 21.0% (P = .001), from 36.7 (95% CI, 23.2-50.2) to 29.6 (95% CI, 18.2-41.0) per 1000 bed-days. The findings of this quality improvement study suggest that an individualized intervention for antibiotic stewardship for ASB was associated with a decrease in urine cultures and antibiotic use when implemented at multiple sites via external and internal facilitation. The electronic health record database-derived outcome measures and centralized facilitation approach are both suitable for dissemination.

The Value of Smoothing

<h3>Introduction</h3> Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) continues to be a major health problem worldwide and is one of the main reasons for prescribing antibiotics. However, the causative agent is often not identified, resulting in antibiotic overtreatment, which is a key driver of antimicrobial resistance and adverse events. We aim to test the hypothesis that comprehensive molecular testing, compared with routine microbiological testing, would be effective in reducing antibiotic use in patients with CAP. <h3>Methods and analysis</h3> We will perform a randomised, controlled, open-label clinical trial with two parallel groups (1:1) at two tertiary hospitals between 2020 and 2022. Non-severely immunosuppressed adults hospitalised for CAP will be considered eligible. Patients will be randomly assigned to receive either the experimental diagnosis (comprehensive molecular testing plus routine microbiological testing) or standard diagnosis (only microbiological routine testing). The primary endpoint will be antibiotic consumption measured as days of antibiotic therapy per 1000 patient-days. Secondary endpoints will be de-escalation to narrower antibiotic treatment, time to switch from intravenous to oral antibiotics, days to reaching an aetiological diagnosis, antibiotic-related side effects, length of stay, days to clinical stability, intensive care unit admission, days of mechanical ventilation, hospital readmission up to 30 days after randomisation and death from any cause by 48 hours and 30 days after randomisation. We will need to include 440 subjects to be able to reject the null hypothesis that both groups have equal days of antibiotic therapy per 1000 patient-days with a probability &gt;0.8. <h3>Ethics and dissemination</h3> Ethical approval has been obtained from the Ethics Committee of Bellvitge Hospital (AC028/19) and from the Spanish Medicines and Medical Devices Agency, and it is valid for all participating centres under existing Spanish legislation. Results will be presented at international meetings and will be made available to patients, their caregivers and funders. <h3>Trial registration number</h3> ClinicalTrials: NCT04158492. EudraCT: 2018-004880-29.

A procalcitonin-based algorithm to guide antibiotic use in patients with acute pancreatitis (PROCAP): a single-centre, patient-blinded, randomised controlled trial

Differentiating inflammation from bacterial infection in patients with acute pancreatitis can be difficult. Procalcitonin can distinguish infection from inflammation, and algorithms based on procalcitonin measurement can differentiate bacterial sepsis from a systemic inflammatory response. We aimed to test the hypothesis that a procalcitonin-based algorithm to guide initiation, continuation, and discontinuation of antibiotics could lead to reduced antibiotic use without an adverse effect on outcome in acute pancreatitis. PROCAP was a single-centre, patient-blinded, randomised controlled trial done at the Manchester Royal Infirmary (Manchester, UK). Eligible participants were aged 18 years or older and had a clinical diagnosis of acute pancreatitis. Participants were randomly assigned (1:1) to procalcitonin-guided care or usual care using web-based randomisation software. The randomisation sequence was stratified by disease severity and admission pathway, using variable block sizes of 4, 6, or 8. Patients, but not clinicians, were masked to group assignment. In the procalcitonin-guided care group, procalcitonin testing was conducted on days 0, 4, 7, and weekly thereafter. Guidance was to stop or not start antibiotics following a test value of less than 1·0 ng/mL and to start or continue antibiotics following a test value of 1·0 ng/mL or more. In the intervention group, any empirical clinical decision to use antibiotics was preceded by measurement of procalcitonin. Otherwise, both groups received standard care. The primary outcome was use of antibiotics during the index admission to hospital. All analyses were done in the intention-to-treat population. This study was registered with the International Standard Randomised Controlled Trial registry, ISRCTN 50584992. Between July 29, 2018, and Nov 13, 2020, 369 patients were screened, of whom 260 were enrolled and randomly assigned to a treatment group (132 to procalcitonin-guided care and 128 to usual care). 59 (45%) of patients in the procalcitonin-guided care group were prescribed antibiotics compared with 79 (63%) in the usual care group (adjusted risk difference -15·6% [95% CI -27·0 to -4·2]; p=0·0071). The odds ratio for the treatment effect was 0·49 (95% CI 0·29 to 0·83; p=0·0077). There was no significant difference between groups in terms of the number of clinical infections or hospital-acquired infections per patient. Four (3%) patients in the procalcitonin-guided care group and three (2%) patients in the usual care group died; all deaths were related to underlying severe pancreatitis. There was no difference in adverse events between the groups. Our findings suggest that procalcitonin-guided care can reduce antibiotic use without increasing infection or harm in patients with acute pancreatitis. Procalcitonin-based algorithms to guide antibiotic use should be considered in the care of this group of patients and be incorporated into future guidelines on the management of acute pancreatitis. None.

Efficacy of Postoperative Oral Antibiotics in Foot and Ankle Surgery.

Preoperative oral antibiotic use in patients undergoing foot and ankle surgery is standard practice, but no consensus has been reached regarding the efficacy of postoperative oral antibiotics. The purpose of this study was to determine whether postoperative oral antibiotics reduce the rate of surgical site infections (SSIs) in patients, with and without comorbidities, undergoing foot and ankle surgery. A retrospective chart review was conducted identifying patients who underwent foot and ankle surgery by 4 fellowship-trained, foot and ankle orthopaedic surgeons between January 1, 2015, and January 1, 2019. Patients were divided into 2 groups: those who received postoperative oral antibiotics (group 1) and those who did not (group 2). Two surgeons routinely prescribed postoperative oral antibiotics, and 2 did not. Demographics, comorbidities, and procedure complexity based on surgical site and Current Procedural Terminology code were recorded from the charts. The primary outcome was postoperative infection (superficial or deep) within 6 months after surgery. Patients with antibiotic use prior to surgery, preoperative infection, or lack of follow-up >6 weeks were excluded. Multivariate logistic regression modeling was used to analyze differences in infection rate and severity. Chart review identified 3631 patients, 1227 of whom did not receive postoperative oral antibiotics whereas 2394 patients did. Routine postoperative oral antibiotic use did not significantly affect postoperative infection rates or severity. However, all covariates studied (diabetes, hypertension, obesity, tobacco use, alcohol use, rheumatoid conditions, and age) influenced postoperative infection rates and severity. The results of this study indicate that postoperative oral antibiotics are not associated with differences in infection rates or severity. We do not recommend routine use in foot and ankle surgery.