Assessing the appropriateness of antimicrobial therapy in patients with sepsis at a Vietnamese national hospital

Objectives To assess the appropriateness of empirical antimicrobial therapy for sepsis and septic shock and determine factors associated with patient treatment outcomes at a Vietnamese national hospital. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted on 134 patients diagnosed with sepsis and/or septic shock at Thong-Nhat Hospital, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, from January 2018 to June 2018. Appropriateness of antimicrobial therapy was defined as physician adherence to antimicrobial guidelines using the Sanford Guide to Antimicrobial Therapy and the Vietnam national guidelines. Bayesian model averaging technique was used to identify the related factors associated with patient treatment outcomes. Results The median age of patients was 70 years. Organisms were identified in 54.5% of cases and predominated by Escherichia coli and staphylococci. Appropriate empirical antimicrobial agents were initiated in 56.6% (n = 73) of all cases. Of these patients, 31 cases (42.5%) and 61 cases (83.6%) received the antimicrobials in accordance with recommendations related to dosage and route of administration, respectively, bringing the overall rate of appropriate empirical antimicrobial therapy down to 23.3%. Patients who progressed to septic shock, received inappropriate antimicrobial therapy and required ICU admission were more likely to suffer treatment failure. Conclusions The study findings suggest that clinicians should appropriately adhere to antimicrobial guidelines, especially in patients with septic shock and those who require ICU care, to improve treatment outcomes.

Prognosis and effectiveness of antibacterial treatment of endometritis after cesarian section with isolating drug-resistent ESKAPE pathohens

Purpose. The purpose of this study was to determine the frequency of isolation of drug-resistant ESKAPE pathogens isolation in endometritis after cesarean section; to assess the prognosis of the disease and the effectiveness of initial empirical antimicrobial therapy for isolating multiresistant pathogens. Methods. A retrospective analysis of all the cases of endometritis after cesarean section in St. Petersburg was performed. The study period: September 2008 September 2019. Results. 68 (26.7%) out of 255 cases of endometritis after cesarean section were caused by pathogens of the rESKAPE group. In puerperas with endometritis caused by rESKAPE pathogens, the following are more often observed: clinical failures in prescribing initial empirical antimicrobial therapy compared with endometritis of another etiology (p = 0.0012); severe course of infectious process with the risk of its generalization and hysterectomy (p 0.05). Conclusions. Endometritis after abdominal delivery caused by rESKAPE pathogens is associated with an unfavorable prognosis of the disease and a high risk of ineffective antimicrobial therapy.

Impact of systematic screening for AmpC-hyperproducing Enterobacterales intestinal carriage in intensive care unit patients

Background Empirical antimicrobial therapy (EAT) is a challenge for community-acquired, hospital-acquired and ventilator-associated pneumonia, particularly in the context of the increasing occurrence of third-generation cephalosporin-resistant Enterobacterales (3GCR-E), including extended-spectrum beta-lactamase Enterobacterales (ESBL-E) and high-level expressed AmpC cephalosporinase-producing Enterobacterales (HLAC-E). To prevent the overuse of broad-spectrum antimicrobial therapies, such as carbapenems, we assessed the performance of screening for intestinal carriage of HLAC-E in addition to ESBL-E to predict 3GCR-E (ESBL-E and/or HLAC-E) presence or absence in respiratory samples in ICU, and to evaluate its potential impact on carbapenem prescription. Materials and methods This monocentric retrospective observational study was performed in a surgical ICU during a 4-year period (January 2013–December 2016). Patients were included if they had a positive culture on a respiratory sample and a previous intestinal carriage screening performed by rectal swabbing within 21 days. Sensitivity, specificity, positive (PPV) and negative (NPV) predictive values and likelihood ratios were calculated for the screening for intestinal carriage of ESBL-E, HLAC-E and 3GCR-E (ESBL-E and/or HLAC-E) as predictor of their absence/presence in respiratory samples. Impact of HLAC-E and ESBL-E reporting on EAT was also studied. Results 765 respiratory samples, retrieved from 468 patients, were analyzed. ESBL-E prevalence was 23.8% in rectal swab and 4.4% in respiratory samples. HLAC-E prevalence was 9.0% in rectal swabs and 3.7% in respiratory samples. Overall, the 3GCR-E prevalence was 31.8% in rectal swabs and 7.7% in respiratory samples. NPVs were 98.8%, 98.0% and 96.6% for ESBL-E, HLAC-E and 3GCR-E, respectively. Over the study period, empirical antimicrobial therapy was initiated for 315 episodes of respiratory infections: 228/315 (72.4%) were associated with negative intestinal carriage screening for both HLAC-E and ESBL-E, of whom 28/228 (12.3%) were treated with carbapenems. Of 23/315 (7.3%) cases with screening for positive intestinal carriage with HLAC-E alone, 10/23 (43.5%) were treated with carbapenems. Conclusion Systematic screening and reporting of HLAC-E in addition to ESBL-E in intestinal carriage screening could help to predict the absence of 3GCR-E in respiratory samples of severe surgical ICU patients. This could improve the appropriateness of EAT in ICU patients with HAP and may prevent the overuse of carbapenems.

Improvement of Adequacy of Empirical Antimicrobial Therapy in Escherichia coli Bacteremia of Urinary Source in Catalonia (VINCat-PROA)

Background: The antibiotic use optimization program (PROA) in Catalonia (Spain) is part of the surveillance program for nosocomial infections in hospitals in Catalonia (VINCat). Despite the existence of guidelines for the treatment of urinary tract infections in hospitals, adherence to them is not guaranteed. Objective: Our objective was to evaluate the adequacy of empirical antimicrobial therapy to local guidelines in bacteremia caused by Escherichia coli of urinary source within the PROA-VINCat program during a 3-year period. The impact of a voluntary survey asking for evaluating local results and implementing correction measures was also analyzed. Methods: Multicentric prospective observational study including all episodes of E. coli bacteremia of urinary source between May 2017 and September 2019, in adult hospitalized patients in 45 Catalan hospitals. Adequacy of the empirical therapy to local guidelines was one of the prospectively recorded items. A survey evaluating local results of 2017–2018 and asking for possible correcting measures was sent to the participating centers at the end of 2018. Percentages of adequacy of empirical antimicrobial therapy in 2017, 2018, and 2019 were compared by means of χ2 test. Results: Overall, 3,804 episodes of bacteremia were recorded: 845 in 2017, 1,861 in 2018 and 1,098 until September 30, 2019. Globally, adequacy of empirical therapy to guidelines increased from 73.7% in 2017 to 78.2% in 2019 (P = .06). Interestingly, in the 24 hospitals that responded to the voluntary survey, the adequacy of empirical therapy increased significantly from 72.9% in 2017 to 79.9% in 2019 (P = .009). In hospitals that did not respond, adequacy remained the same over the years (76.7% in 2017, 75.1% in 2019; P = .90). Correction measures applied were: meeting with the antimicrobial stewardship team to evaluate the results (100%), review of local resistance rates (62%), review of local guidelines (58.3%), improving guidelines dissemination (75%), sessions for improving guidelines adherence (58%), and analysis of adherence to guidelines after education (65%). Conclusions: In the empirical treatment of E. coli bacteremia of urinary source, adequacy to local antimicrobial therapy guidelines improved from 2017 to 2019, but only in hospitals answering a voluntary survey regarding correcting measures for improving adequacy. Adherence to antimicrobial stewardship proposals improves indicators at local and regional level.Funding: NoneDisclosures: Juan Pablo Horcajada reports consulting fees from MSD, Pfizer, and Menarini and speaker honoraria from MSD, Pfizer, and Zambon.

Characteristics and Risk Factors Associated with Early Mortality in Patients with Polymicrobial Bloodstream Infection: A Retrospective Clinical Study

Background and Objective Polymicrobial bloodstream infections (PBSI) in hospitalized patients are associated with increased mortality, while few studies have characterized the clinical features in this population. This study aimed to assess the risk factors and short-term prognosis of PBSI in hospitalized patients.Materials and Methods 4066 patients with culture-positive blood were included between January 1, 2015 and December 31, 2017 in the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine (Hangzhou, China) in our study. 218 patients were diagnosed as PBSI. The patients were divided into two groups according to the outcome after 30-day follow-up. The number of survival group were 129, while the number of non-survival group were 89. The clinical data, identified microorganisms and severity models were compared between the two groups. A cox regression model was used to identify the risk factors of 30-day mortality in PBSI patients. Five prediction models were compared by Z-test to test the value of these models to predict outcome of PBSI.Results The patients in the non-survival group were more likely to receive inappropriate antibiotic therapy at the time of PBSI and showed more severe in systemic inflammatory. They were more likely to develop to be septic shock and to be admitted in ICU than the patients in the survival group. Inappropriate initial empirical antimicrobial therapy (HR=1.713 95% CI: 1.063-2.760, p=0.027), white blood cell (HR=1.740 95% CI: 1.002-3.020, p=0.049) and platelet (HR=2.940 95% CI: 1.754-4.930, p<0.001) were independent risk factors for 30-day mortality in PBSI patients. SOFA (AUROC=0.882, 95% CI=0.832-0.922) scores was a good prognostic scoring system for predicting short-term mortality in PBSI patients. The SOFA score was more valuable than the other four models in predicting the outcome of PBSI according to the Z-test (p<0.05).Discussion and Conclusions Inappropriate initial empirical antimicrobial therapy, white blood cell and platelet were closely associated with short-term mortality.

Tolerance and microbiological efficacy of cefepime or piperacillin/tazobactam in combination with vancomycin as empirical antimicrobial therapy of prosthetic joint infection: a propensity-matched cohort study

Background The use of piperacillin/tazobactam with vancomycin as empirical antimicrobial therapy (EAT) for prosthetic joint infection (PJI) has been associated with an increased risk of acute kidney injury (AKI), leading us to propose cefepime as an alternative since 2017 in our reference centre. Objectives To compare microbiological efficacy and tolerance of these two EAT strategies. Methods All adult patients with PJI empirically treated with vancomycin+cefepime (n = 89) were enrolled in a prospective observational study and matched with vancomycin+piperacillin/tazobactam-treated historical controls (n = 89) according to a propensity score including age, baseline renal function and concomitant use of other nephrotoxic agents. The two groups were compared using Kaplan–Meier curve analysis, and non-parametric tests regarding the proportion of efficacious empirical regimen and the incidence of empirical therapy-related adverse events (AE). Results Among 146 (82.0%) documented infections, the EAT was considered efficacious in 77 (98.7%) and 65 (98.5%) of the piperacillin/tazobactam- and cefepime-treated patients, respectively (P = 1.000). The rate of AE, particularly AKI, was significantly higher in the vancomycin+piperacillin/tazobactam group [n = 27 (30.3%) for all AE and 23 (25.8%) for AKI] compared with the vancomycin+cefepime [n = 13 (14.6%) and 6 (6.7%)] group (P = 0.019 and &lt;0.001, respectively), leading to premature EAT discontinuation in 20 (22.5%) and 5 (5.6%) patients (P = 0.002). The two groups were not significantly different regarding their comorbidities, and AKI incidence was not related to vancomycin plasma overexposure. Conclusions Based on the susceptibility profile of bacterial isolates from included patients, microbiological efficacy of both strategies was expected to be similar, but vancomycin + cefepime was associated with a significantly lower incidence of AKI.