251. Poor Outcomes in the Treatment of Coagulase-Negative Staphylococci Periprosthetic Joint Infections

Background Coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS) are a common skin flora often considered lab contaminants, but these pathogens can also be the cause of periprosthetic joint infections (PJIs). The role of these organisms in PJIs is not well characterized, with little data relating to treatment outcomes. We sought to evaluate success at one year for patients undergoing treatment for a CoNS PJI. Methods This is a retrospective cohort study of adults at a tertiary academic center from 2009 to 2020 with CoNS PJI. An institutional database was queried to identify potential patients and manually reviewed by two infectious disease specialists to confirm inclusion. Variables included sex, follow-up time, procedure type, age, race, Elixhauser score, success at one year, failure organism, and revisions. Both univariate and descriptive statistics were used to assess findings. Results We identified 61 patients with a CoNS PJI. The cohort was 50.8% male, with 49 patients identifying as Caucasian (80.3%), and 10 as African American (16.4%). The median age was 65.0 years old, the median Elixhauser score was 3.0, and the average follow-up time was 24.4 months. Of the 61 patients in the cohort, 24 underwent successful treatment (39.3%) at one year, and 37 failed treatment (60.7%). Within the failure group, 19 experienced persistence of the same organism (51.4%), 11 were infected by another organism (29.7%), and 28 underwent a revision surgery secondary to failure (76.9%). When stratified by treatment procedure after initial PJI, 26 (41.7%) received debridement, antibiotics, and implant retention (DAIR) whereas 35 (58.3%) underwent resection. Treatment success was not significantly different between the two procedures (p=0.964). Summary of Treatment Success for CoNS PJI Conclusion These results indicate that the success rate of treatment for CoNS PJI is less than for other organisms, such as coagulase-positive staphylocci. These results provide a focus for future research and clinical management of PJIs resulting from CoNS. Disclosures William Jiranek, MD, Depuy Synthes (Other Financial or Material Support, Royalty/Licensing) Michael Bolognesi, MD, Heron Therapeutics, Inc. (Consultant)Total Joint Orthopedics, Inc. (Other Financial or Material Support, Royalty/Licensing)Zimmer Biomet Holdings, Inc. (Other Financial or Material Support, Royalty/Licensing) Thorsten Seyler, MD/PhD, Depuy Synthes (Other Financial or Material Support, Resident Educational Support)Extrel Therapeutics (Board Member, Shareholder)Heraeus Medical (Consultant)MiCare Path (Board Member, Shareholder)OREF (Grant/Research Support)Pattern health (Board Member)Restor3D (Other Financial or Material Support, Royalties)Smith+Nephew, Inc. (Grant/Research Support, Speaker’s Bureau)Stryker (Other Financial or Material Support, Resident Educational Support)Total Joint Orthopedics, Inc. (Consultant)Wolters Kluwer Health (Other Financial or Material Support, Royalties)Zimmer Biomet (Grant/Research Support)

P.166 Assessment of External Ventricular Catheter Associated Infections at the Ottawa Hospital: Literature Review and Quality Improvement Initiative

Background: External ventricular drains are a lifesaving intervention in the management of acute hydrocephalus. EVD associated infections vary significantly, and expert panels recommend reviewing institutional policies if infection rates exceed 10%. The audit aims to identify the infection rate at our institution, whereas the literature review aims to synthesize a new institutional EVD best practice guideline. Methods: An audit of EVD catheters inserted in the time period between 07/01/2019 and 10/25/2020 was conducted. Statistical analysis to calculate absolute incidence, infections per 1000 days of catheter use. A literature review to identify best practices for the insertion and management of EVDs was conducted. Results: 75 patients required a total of 105 EVD catheters. There were 16 (15.3%) EVD related infections, equating to 14.3 infections per 1000 days. Fifty percent of patients developed an EVD related infection within 9 days of insertion. Most infections were induced by skin flora (87.5%). A comprehensive step-by-step EVD insertion and management protocol was developed aiming to reduce the risk of infection. Conclusions: The incidence of EVD associated infections at the Ottawa Hospital is significantly higher than acceptable rates as suggested by expert panels. A new evidence-based best practice guidelines should be implemented. A follow-up audit is necessary.

Meta-analysis of the efficacy of preoperative skin preparation with alcoholic chlorhexidine compared to povidone iodine in orthopedic surgery

Preoperative skin preparation is an effective method to prevent surgical site infections (SSI). Alcoholic chlorhexidine (CHG) and povidone iodine (PV-I) are the most widely used antiseptic agents. This meta-analysis aims to determine their efficacy in reducing natural bacterial skin flora in clean orthopedic surgery. A systematic search was conducted through current literature up to June 2021 to identify clinical randomized trials that compared the efficacy of alcoholic chlorhexidine and povidone iodine in reducing bacterial skin colonization after preoperative skin preparation. A meta-analysis was conducted. Of 235 screened articles, 8 randomized controlled trials were included. The results of the meta-analysis demonstrate a significantly lower positive culture rate in the chlorhexidine group than in the povidone iodine group (RR = 0.53, 95% Cl: 0.32–0.88). The present data show the superiority of chlorhexidine in reducing the normal bacterial flora compared to povidone iodine in clean orthopedic surgery.

Prevention and management of moisture-associated skin damage

Disruption to the integrity of the skin can reduce patient wellbeing and quality of life. A major cause of skin breakdown is prolonged exposure to moisture, but this is often overlooked. When skin is wet, it becomes more susceptible to damage from friction and shearing forces, and skin flora can penetrate the disrupted barrier, causing further irritation and inflammation. If untreated, moisture-associated skin damage (MASD) can rapidly lead to excoriation and skin breakdown. MASD includes incontinence-associated dermatitis (IAD), which is caused by prolonged skin exposure to urine and stool, particularly liquid stool. For patients at a high risk of developing IAD, preventive measures should be instituted as soon as possible. The main one is to prevent excessive contact of the skin with moisture. Optimal skin care should be provided to patients with any form of MASD. It should be based on a structured regimen and include the use of a gentle skin cleanser, a barrier product and moisturiser. Derma Protective Plus is a liquid barrier that gives long-lasting protection against chafing or ingress of urine and stool into the skin. This product is less greasy than others, and provides a barrier and a healing environment, with resistance to further maceration from IAD or persistent loose stools.

Transportation protocols for accurate assessment of microbial burden classification using molecular methods

Point-of-care testing is cost-effective, rapid, and could assist in avoiding hospital visits during a pandemic. However, they present some significant risks that current technologies cannot fully address. Skin flora contamination and insufficient specimen volume are two major limitations preventing self-collection microbiological testing outside of hospital settings. We are developing a hybrid testing procedure to bridge the laboratory test with patient-side specimen collection and transportation for molecular microbial classification of causative bacterial infection and early identification of microbial susceptibility profiles directly from whole blood or urine specimens collected patient-side by health care workers such as phlebotomists in nursing homes or family clinics. This feasibility study presents our initial development efforts, in which we tested various transportation conditions (tubes, temperature, duration) for direct-from-specimen viable pathogen detection to determine the ideal conditions that allowed for differentiation between contaminant and causative bacteria in urine specimens and optimal growth for low-concentration blood specimens after transportation. For direct-from-urine assays, the viable pathogen at the clinical cutoff of 105 CFU/mL was detected after transportation with molecular assays while contaminants (≤ 104 CFU/mL) were not. For direct-from-blood assays, contrived blood samples as low as 0.8 CFU/mL were reported positive after transportation without the need for blood culture.

A Retrospective Study: Risk Factor Analysis of Secondary Bacterial Infection in Pediatric Atopic Dermatitis Patients

Background: Atopic Dermatitis (AD) is a complex multifactorial disease that includes defects in skin architecture, immune dysregulation, and changes of skin flora, and it predominantly occurs in infancy and childhood. The defects in skin barrier structures are mentioned as one of the factors that facilitates bacterial colonization. Bacterial infection in AD can worsen the inflammation. It requires treatment with antibiotics, which takes longer therapy time, higher costs, and ultimately affects the patient’s quality of life and his/her family members. Purpose: To find out the epidemiology, diagnosis, management of AD, and analyze the risk factors of secondary bacterial infection in new AD patients at the Pediatric Dermatology Division, Dermatovenereology Outpatient Clinic, Dr. Soetomo General Academic Hospital. Methods: This was a retrospective study with a total sampling method. The research data were medical records of new AD patients at the Pediatric Dermatology Division, Dermatovenereology Outpatient Clinic, Dr. Soetomo General Academic Hospital Surabaya from January 2012 to December 2018. Result: There were 404 new patients with AD at the Pediatric Dermatology Division from January 2012 to December 2018, and 210 of them were accompanied by secondary bacterial infection. There was a correlation between a history of dry skin (p=0.000) with the incidence of secondary bacterial infection in AD patients. Conclusion: In this study, AD patients with a history of dry skin had a risk of complication such as bacterial secondary infection.

Glycan-Dependent Corneocyte Adherence of Staphylococcus epidermidis Mediated by the Lectin Subdomain of Aap

Staphylococcus aureus is the most significant cause of skin and soft tissue infections yet it rarely colonizes the skin of healthy individuals. This is believed to be due, in part, to inhibition of colonization via toxic substances produced by normal skin flora, including by S. epidermidis .

COVID-19 global pandemic planning: Presence of SARS-CoV-2 fomites in a university hospital setting

As severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has surged across the globe, great effort has been expended to understand mechanisms of transmission and spread. From a hospital perspective, this topic is critical to limit and prevent SARS-CoV-2 iatrogenic transmission within the healthcare environment. Currently, the virus is believed to be transmitted primarily through respiratory droplets, but a growing body of evidence suggests that spread is also possible through aerosolized particles and fomites. Amidst a growing volume of patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), the purpose of this study was to evaluate the potential for SARS-CoV-2 transmission through fomites. Samples collected from the exposed skin of clinicians (n = 42) and high-touch surfaces (n = 40) were collected before and after encounters with COVID-19 patients. Samples were analyzed using two assays: the CDC 2019-nCoV Real-Time Reverse Transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) assay, and a SYBR Green assay that targeted a 121 bp region within the S-gene of SARS-CoV-2. None of the samples tested positive with the CDC assay, while two high-touch surface areas tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 using the Spike assay. However, viral culture did not reveal viable SARS-CoV-2 from the positive samples. Overall, the results from this study suggest that SARS-CoV-2 RNA were not widely present either on exposed skin flora or high-touch surface areas in the hospital locations tested. The inability to recover viable virus from samples that tested positive by the molecular assays, however, does not rule out the possibility of SARS-CoV-2 transmission through fomites.

The impact of a ‘milking the COW’ campaign in a regional hospital in Singapore

Background Computerisation of various processes in hospitals and reliance on electronic devices raises the concern of contamination of these devices from the patient environment. We undertook this study to determine if an attached hand hygiene device that unlocks the screen of a computer on wheels (COW) on usage can be effective in decreasing the microbiological burden on computer keyboards. Methods An electronic hand sanitizer was integrated onto the COW. A prospective cohort study with a crossover design involving 2 control and 2 intervention wards was used. The study end point was the number of colony forming units found on the keyboards. Bacteria were classified into 4 main groups; pathogenic, skin flora, from the environment or those thought to be commensals in healthy individuals. We then used a mixed effects model for the statistical analysis to determine if there were any differences before and after the intervention. Results Thirty-nine keyboards were swabbed at baseline, day 7 and 14, with 234 keyboards cultured, colony forming units (CFUs) counted and organisms isolated. By mixed model analysis, the difference of mean bacteria count between intervention and control for week 1 was 32.74 (− 32.74, CI − 94.29 to 28.75, p = 0.29), for week 2 by 155.86 (− 155.86, CI − 227.45 to − 83.53, p < 0.0001), and after the 2-week period by 157.04 (− 157.04, CI − 231.53 to − 82.67, p < 0.0001). In the sub-analysis, there were significant differences of pathogenic bacteria counts for the Intervention as compared to the Control in contrast with commensal counts. Conclusion A hand hygiene device attached to a COW may be effective in decreasing the microbiological burden on computer keyboards.