The Impact of Adding a 2-Way Video Monitoring System on Falls and Costs for High-Risk Inpatients.

OBJECTIVES: We aimed to investigate the value of adding a video monitoring (VM) system with falls and costs for patients at high risk. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective, historically controlled study of adults (≥18 y old) at high risk of fall admitted at the University of Miami Hospital and Clinics from January 1 to November 30, 2020 (pre-VM) and January 1 to November 30, 2021 (post-VM); in-person sitters were available in both periods. Fall risk assessment was conducted on admission and at every nursing shift; we defined patients as high risk if their Morse Fall Scale was ≥60. We conducted a multivariable logistic regression model to evaluate the association of period (pre- versus post-VM) with falls and performed a cost analysis. RESULTS: Our primary cohort consisted of 9,034 patients at high risk of falls, 4,207 (46.6%) in the pre-VM and 4,827 (53.4%) in the post-VM period. Fall rates were higher in the pre- than the post-VM periods (3.5% versus 2.7%, P = 0.043). After adjustment, being admitted during the post-VM period was associated with a lower odds of fall (odds ratio [95% confidence interval], 0.49 [0.37-0.64], P < 0.001). The median adjusted hospital cost (in 2020 dollars) was $1,969 more for patients who fell than for patients who did not (interquartile range, $880-$2,273). Considering start-up and ongoing costs, we estimate VM implementation to partly replace in-person monitoring has potential annual cost savings of >$800,000 for a hospital similar to ours. CONCLUSIONS: Video monitoring to augment in-person sitters is an effective fall prevention initiative for patients at high risk of falls, which is likely also cost-effective.

Wastewater based surveillance can be used to reduce clinical testing intensity on a university campus.

Clinical testing has been a vital part of the response to and suppression of the COVID-19 pandemic; however, testing imposes significant burdens on a population. College students had to contend with clinical testing while simultaneously dealing with health risks and the academic pressures brought on by quarantines, changes to virtual platforms, and other disruptions to daily life. The objective of this study was to analyze whether wastewater surveillance can be used to decrease the intensity of clinical testing while maintaining reliable measurements of diseases incidence on campus. Twelve months of human health and wastewater surveillance data for eight residential buildings on a university campus were analyzed to establish how SARS-CoV-2 levels in the wastewater can be used to minimize clinical testing burden on students. Wastewater SARS-CoV-2 levels were used to create multiple scenarios, each with differing levels of testing intensity, which were compared to the actual testing volumes implemented by the university. We found that scenarios in which testing intensity fluctuations matched rise and falls in SARS-CoV-2 wastewater levels had stronger correlations between SARS-CoV-2 levels and recorded clinical positives. In addition to stronger correlations, most scenarios resulted in overall fewer weekly clinical tests performed. We suggest the use of wastewater surveillance to guide COVID-19 testing as it can significantly increase the efficacy of COVID-19 surveillance while reducing the burden placed on college students during a pandemic. Future efforts should be made to integrate wastewater surveillance into clinical testing strategies implemented on college campuses.

Persistent colonization of Candida auris among inpatients rescreened as part of a weekly surveillance program.

We established a surveillance program to evaluate persistence of C. auris colonization among hospitalized patients. Overall, 17 patients (34%) had ≥1 negative result followed by a positive test, and 7 (41%) of these patients had ≥2 consecutive negative tests.

Operational impact of decreased turnaround times for Candida auris screening tests in a tertiary academic medical center.

Objective: Assess turnaround time (TAT) and cost-benefit of on-site C. auris screening and its impact on length of stay (LOS) and costs compared to reference laboratories. Design: Before-and-after retrospective cohort study. Setting: Large-tertiary medical center. Methods: We validated an on-site polymerase chain reaction-based testing platform for C. auris and retrospectively reviewed hospitalized adults who screened negative before and after platform implementation. We constructed multivariable models to assess the association of screening negative with hospital LOS/cost in the pre and postimplementation periods. We adjusted for confounders such as demographics and indwelling device use, and compared TATs for all samples tested. Results: The sensitivity and specificity of the testing platform were 100% and 98.11%, respectively, compared to send-out testing. The clinical cohort included 287 adults in the pre and 1,266 postimplementation period. The TAT was reduced by more than 2 days (3 (interquartile range (IQR): 2.0, 7.0) vs 0.42 (IQR: 0.24, 0.81), p < 0.001). Median LOS was significantly lower in the postimplementation period; however, this was no longer evident after adjustment. In relation to total cost, the time period had an effect of $6,965 (95% CI: -$481, $14,412); p = 0.067) on reducing the cost. The median adjusted total cost per patient was $7,045 (IQR: $3,805, $13,924) less in the post vs the preimplementation period. Conclusions: Our assessment did not find a statistically significant change in LOS, nevertheless, on-site testing was not cost-prohibitive for the institution. The value of on-site testing may be supported if an institutional C. auris reduction strategy emphasizes faster TATs.

Geospatially-resolved public-health surveillance via wastewater sequencing.

Wastewater, which contains everything from pathogens to pollutants, is a geospatially-and temporally-linked microbial fingerprint of a given population. As a result, it can be leveraged for monitoring multiple dimensions of public health across locales and time. Here, we integrate targeted and bulk RNA sequencing (n=1,419 samples) to track the viral, bacterial, and functional content over geospatially distinct areas within Miami Dade County from 2020-2022. First, we used targeted amplicon sequencing (n=966) to track diverse SARS-CoV-2 variants across space and time, and we found a tight correspondence with clinical caseloads from University students (N = 1,503) and Miami-Dade County hospital patients (N = 3,939 patients), as well as an 8-day earlier detection of the Delta variant in wastewater vs. in patients. Additionally, in 453 metatranscriptomic samples, we demonstrate that different wastewater sampling locations have clinically and public-health-relevant microbiota that vary as a function of the size of the human population they represent. Through assembly, alignment-based, and phylogenetic approaches, we also detect multiple clinically important viruses (e.g., norovirus ) and describe geospatial and temporal variation in microbial functional genes that indicate the presence of pollutants. Moreover, we found distinct profiles of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) genes and virulence factors across campus buildings, dorms, and hospitals, with hospital wastewater containing a significant increase in AMR abundance. Overall, this effort lays the groundwork for systematic characterization of wastewater to improve public health decision making and a broad platform to detect emerging pathogens.

Detection of the clinically persistent, pathogenic yeast spp. Candida auris from hospital and municipal wastewater in Miami-Dade County, Florida.

The use of wastewater-based surveillance (WBS) for detecting pathogens within communities has been growing since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic with early efforts investigating severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) RNA in wastewater. Recent efforts have shed light on the utilization of WBS for alternative targets, such as fungal pathogens, like Candida auris, in efforts to expand the technology to assess non-viral targets. The objective of this study was to extend workflows developed for SARS-CoV-2 quantification to evaluate whether C. auris can be recovered from wastewater, inclusive of effluent from a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) and from a hospital with known numbers of patients colonized with C. auris. Measurements of C. auris in wastewater focused on culture-based methods and quantitative PCR (qPCR). Results showed that C. auris can be cultured from wastewater and that levels detected by qPCR were higher in the hospital wastewater compared to the wastewater from the WWTP, suggesting either dilution or degradation of this pathogenic yeast at downstream collection points. The results from this study illustrate that WBS can extend beyond SARS-CoV-2 monitoring to evaluate additional non-viral pathogenic targets and demonstrates that C. auris isolated from wastewater is competent to replicate in vitro using fungal-specific culture media.

Monkeypox viral nucleic acids detected using both DNA and RNA extraction workflows.

Molecular methods have been used to detect human pathogens in wastewater with sampling typically performed at wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) and upstream locations within the sewer system. A wastewater-based surveillance (WBS) program was established at the University of Miami (UM) in 2020, which included measurements of SARS-CoV-2 levels in wastewater from its hospital and within the regional WWTP. In addition to the development of a SARS-CoV-2 quantitative PCR (qPCR) assay, qPCR assays to detect other human pathogens of interest were also developed at UM. Here we report on the use of a modified set of reagents published by the CDC to detect nucleic acids of Monkeypox virus (MPXV) which emerged during May of 2022 to become a concern worldwide. Samples collected from the University hospital and from the regional WWTP were processed through DNA and RNA workflows and analyzed by qPCR to detect a segment of the MPXV CrmB gene. Results show positive detections of MPXV nucleic acids in the hospital and wastewater treatment plant wastewater which coincided with clinical cases in the community and mirrored the overall trend of nationwide MPXV cases reported to the CDC. We recommend the expansion of current WBS programs' methods to detect a broader range of pathogens of concern in wastewater and present evidence that viral RNA in human cells infected by a DNA virus can be detected in wastewater.

Combined Use of RT-qPCR and NGS for Identification and Surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 Variants of Concern in Residual Clinical Laboratory Samples in Miami-Dade County, Florida.

Over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VOCs) with increased transmissibility and immune escape capabilities, such as Delta and Omicron, have triggered waves of new COVID-19 infections worldwide, and Omicron subvariants continue to represent a global health concern. Tracking the prevalence and dynamics of VOCs has clinical and epidemiological significance and is essential for modeling the progression and evolution of the COVID-19 pandemic. Next generation sequencing (NGS) is recognized as the gold standard for genomic characterization of SARS-CoV-2 variants, but it is labor and cost intensive and not amenable to rapid lineage identification. Here we describe a two-pronged approach for rapid, cost-effective surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 VOCs by combining reverse-transcriptase quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) and periodic NGS with the ARTIC sequencing method. Variant surveillance by RT-qPCR included the commercially available TaqPath COVID-19 Combo Kit to track S-gene target failure (SGTF) associated with the spike protein deletion H69-V70, as well as two internally designed and validated RT-qPCR assays targeting two N-terminal-domain (NTD) spike gene deletions, NTD156-7 and NTD25-7. The NTD156-7 RT-qPCR assay facilitated tracking of the Delta variant, while the NTD25-7 RT-qPCR assay was used for tracking Omicron variants, including the BA.2, BA.4, and BA.5 lineages. In silico validation of the NTD156-7 and NTD25-7 primers and probes compared with publicly available SARS-CoV-2 genome databases showed low variability in regions corresponding to oligonucleotide binding sites. Similarly, in vitro validation with NGS-confirmed samples showed excellent correlation. RT-qPCR assays allow for near-real-time monitoring of circulating and emerging variants allowing for ongoing surveillance of variant dynamics in a local population. By performing periodic sequencing of variant surveillance by RT-qPCR methods, we were able to provide ongoing validation of the results obtained by RT-qPCR screening. Rapid SARS-CoV-2 variant identification and surveillance by this combined approach served to inform clinical decisions in a timely manner and permitted better utilization of sequencing resources.

Predicting COVID-19 cases using SARS-CoV-2 RNA in air, surface swab and wastewater samples.

Genomic footprints of pathogens shed by infected individuals can be traced in environmental samples, which can serve as a noninvasive method of infectious disease surveillance. The research evaluates the efficacy of environmental monitoring of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in air, surface swabs and wastewater to predict COVID-19 cases. Using a prospective experimental design, air, surface swabs, and wastewater samples were collected from a college dormitory housing roughly 500 students from March to May 2021 at the University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL. Students were randomly screened for COVID-19 during the study period. SARS-CoV-2 concentration in environmental samples was quantified using Volcano 2nd Generation-qPCR. Descriptive analyses were conducted to examine the associations between time-lagged SARS-CoV-2 in environmental samples and COVID-19 cases. SARS-CoV-2 was detected in air, surface swab and wastewater samples on 52 (63.4 %), 40 (50.0 %) and 57 (68.6 %) days, respectively. On 19 (24 %) of 78 days SARS-CoV-2 was detected in all three sample types. COVID-19 cases were reported on 11 days during the study period and SARS-CoV-2 was also detected two days before the case diagnosis on all 11 (100 %), 9 (81.8 %) and 8 (72.7 %) days in air, surface swab and wastewater samples, respectively. SARS-CoV-2 detection in environmental samples was an indicator of the presence of local COVID-19 cases and a 3-day lead indicator for a potential outbreak at the dormitory building scale. Proactive environmental surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 or other pathogens in multiple environmental media has potential to guide targeted measures to contain and/or mitigate infectious disease outbreaks within communities.

Prospective Cohort Study of Incidence and Risk Factors for Catheter-associated Urinary Tract Infections in 212 Intensive Care Units of Nine Middle Eastern Countries.

Objectives: To identify urinary catheter (UC)-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTI) incidence and risk factors (RF) in nine Middle Eastern countries. Methods: We conducted a prospective cohort study between 1 January 2014 and 2 December 2022 in 212 intensive care units (ICUs) of 67 hospitals in 38 cities in nine Middle Eastern countries (Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and the UAE). To estimate CAUTI incidence, we used the number of UC days as denominator and the number of CAUTIs as numerator. To estimate CAUTI RFs, we analyzed the following 10 variables using multiple logistic regression: patient sex, age, length of stay (LOS) before CAUTI acquisition, UC-days before CAUTI acquisition, UC-device utilization (DU) ratio, hospitalization type, ICU type, facility-ownership, country income level classified by World Bank, and time period. Results: Among 50 637 patients hospitalized for 434 523 patient days, there were 580 cases of acquired CAUTIs. The pooled CAUTI rate per 1000 UC days was 1.84. The following variables were independently associated with CAUTI: age, rising risk 1.0% yearly (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 1.01, 95% CI: 1.01-1.02; p < 0.0001); female sex (aOR = 1.31, 95% CI: 1.09-1.56; p < 0.0001); LOS before CAUTI acquisition, rising risk 6.0% daily (aOR = 1.06, 95% CI: 1.05-1.06; p < 0.0001); and UC/DU ratio (aOR = 1.11, 95% CI: 1.06-1.14; p < 0.0001). Patients from lower-middle-income countries (aOR = 4.11, 95% CI: 2.49-6.76; p < 0.0001) had a similar CAUTI risk to the upper-middle countries (aOR = 3.75, 95% CI: 1.83-7.68; p < 0.0001). The type of ICU with the highest risk for CAUTI was neurologic ICU (aOR = 27.35, 95% CI: 23.03-33.12; p < 0.0001), followed by medical ICU (aOR = 6.18, 95% CI: 2.07-18.53; p < 0.0001) when compared to cardiothoracic ICU. The periods 2014-2016 (aOR = 7.36, 95% CI: 5.48-23.96; p < 0.001) and 2017-2019 (aOR = 1.15, 95% CI: 3.46-15.61; p < 0.001) had a similar risk to each other, but a higher risk compared to 2020-2022. Conclusions: The following CAUTI RFs are unlikely to change: age, sex, ICU type, and country income level. Based on these findings, it is suggested to focus on reducing LOS, UC/DU ratio, and implementing evidence-based CAUTI prevention recommendations.

Correlative analysis of wastewater trends with clinical cases and hospitalizations through five dominant variant waves of COVID-19.

Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) has been utilized to track community infections of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) by detecting RNA of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), within samples collected from wastewater. The correlations between community infections and wastewater measurements of the RNA can potentially change as SARS-CoV-2 evolves into new variations by mutating. This study analyzed SARS-CoV-2 RNA, and indicators of human waste in wastewater from two sewersheds of different scales (University of Miami (UM) campus and Miami-Dade County Central District wastewater treatment plant (CDWWTP)) during five internally defined COVID-19 variant dominant periods (Initial, Pre-Delta, Delta, Omicron and Post-Omicron wave). SARS-CoV-2 RNA quantities were compared against COVID-19 clinical cases and hospitalizations to evaluate correlations with wastewater SARS-CoV-2 RNA. Although correlations between documented clinical cases and hospitalizations were high, prevalence for a given wastewater SARS-CoV-2 level varied depending upon the variant analyzed. The correlative relationship was significantly steeper (more cases per level found in wastewater) for the Omicron-dominated period. For hospitalization, the relationships were steepest for the Initial wave, followed by the Delta wave with flatter slopes during all other waves. Overall results were interpreted in the context of SARS-CoV-2 virulence and vaccination rates among the community.

The clinical effectiveness of REGEN-COV in SARS-CoV-2 infection with Omicron versus Delta variants.

BACKGROUND: In vitro studies suggesting that REGEN-COV (casirivimab plus imdevimab monoclonal antibodies) had poor efficacy against Omicron-variant SARS-CoV-2 infection led to amendment of REGEN-COV's Emergency Use Authorization to recommend use only in regions without high Omicron prevalence. REGEN-COV's relative clinical effectiveness for Omicron is unknown. METHODS AND FINDINGS: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of non-hospitalized adults who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 by polymerase chain reaction at the University of Miami Health System from July 19 -November 21, 2021 (Delta period) and December 6, 2021 -January 7, 2022 (Omicron period). Subjects were stratified be REGEN-COV receipt within 72h of test positivity and by time period of infection. We constructed multivariable logistic regression models to assess the differential association of REGEN-COV receipt with hospitalization within 30 days (primary outcome) and ED presentation; all models included three exposure terms (REGEN-COV receipt, Omicron vs Delta period, interaction of REGEN-COV with time period) and potential confounders (vaccination status, vaccine boosting, cancer diagnosis). Our cohort consisted of 2,083 adults in the Delta period (213 [10.2%] received REGEN-COV) and 4,201 in the Omicron period (156 [3.7%] received REGEN-COV). Hospitalization was less common during the Omicron period than during Delta (0.9% vs 1.7%, p = 0.78) and more common for patients receiving REGEN-COV than not (5.7% vs 0.9%, p<0.001). After adjustment, we found no differential association of REGEN-COV use during Omicron vs Delta with hospitalization within 30d (adjusted odds ratio [95% confidence interval] for the interaction term: 2.31 [0.76-6.92], p = 0.13). Similarly, we found no differential association for hospitalization within 15d (2.45 [0.63-9.59], p = 0.20) or emergency department presentation within 30d (1.43 [0.57-3.51], p = 0.40) or within 15d (1.79 [0.65-4.82], p = 0.30). CONCLUSIONS: Within the limitations of this study's power to detect a difference, we identified no differential effectiveness of REGEN-COV in the context of Omicron vs Delta SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Relationships between SARS-CoV-2 in Wastewater and COVID-19 Clinical Cases and Hospitalizations, with and without Normalization against Indicators of Human Waste.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) in wastewater has been used to track community infections of coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19), providing critical information for public health interventions. Since levels in wastewater are dependent upon human inputs, we hypothesize that tracking infections can be improved by normalizing wastewater concentrations against indicators of human waste [Pepper Mild Mottle Virus (PMMoV), ß-2 Microglobulin (B2M), and fecal coliform]. In this study, we analyzed SARS-CoV-2 and indicators of human waste in wastewater from two sewersheds of different scales: a University campus and a wastewater treatment plant. Wastewater data were combined with complementary COVID-19 case tracking to evaluate the efficiency of wastewater surveillance for forecasting new COVID-19 cases and, for the larger scale, hospitalizations. Results show that the normalization of SARS-CoV-2 levels by PMMoV and B2M resulted in improved correlations with COVID-19 cases for campus data using volcano second generation (V2G)-qPCR chemistry (r s = 0.69 without normalization, r s = 0.73 with normalization). Mixed results were obtained for normalization by PMMoV for samples collected at the community scale. Overall benefits from normalizing with measures of human waste depend upon qPCR chemistry and improves with smaller sewershed scale. We recommend further studies that evaluate the efficacy of additional normalization targets.

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

Importance: Antibiotic stewardship for asymptomatic bacteriuria (ASB) is an important quality improvement target. Understanding how to implement successful antibiotic stewardship interventions is limited. Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of a quality improvement stewardship intervention on reducing unnecessary urine cultures and antibiotic use in patients with ASB. Design, Setting, and Participants: 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. Intervention: 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. Main Outcomes and Measures: 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. Results: 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. Conclusions and Relevance: 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.

COVID-19 Prediction using Genomic Footprint of SARS-CoV-2 in Air, Surface Swab and Wastewater Samples.

Importance: Genomic footprints of pathogens shed by infected individuals can be traced in environmental samples. Analysis of these samples can be employed for noninvasive surveillance of infectious diseases. Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of environmental surveillance of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) for predicting COVID-19 cases in a college dormitory. Design: Using a prospective experimental design, air, surface swabs, and wastewater samples were collected from a college dormitory from March to May 2021. Students were randomly screened for COVID-19 during the study period. SARS-CoV-2 in environmental samples was concentrated with electronegative filtration and quantified using Volcano 2 nd Generation-qPCR. Descriptive analyses were conducted to examine the associations between time-lagged SARS-CoV-2 in environmental samples and clinically diagnosed COVID-19 cases. Setting: This study was conducted in a residential dormitory at the University of Miami, Coral Gables campus, FL, USA. The dormitory housed about 500 students. Participants: Students from the dormitory were randomly screened, for COVID-19 for 2-3 days / week while entering or exiting the dormitory. Main Outcome: Clinically diagnosed COVID-19 cases were of our main interest. We hypothesized that SARS-CoV-2 detection in environmental samples was an indicator of the presence of local COVID-19 cases in the dormitory, and SARS-CoV-2 can be detected in the environmental samples several days prior to the clinical diagnosis of COVID-19 cases. Results: SARS-CoV-2 genomic footprints were detected in air, surface swab and wastewater samples on 52 (63.4%), 40 (50.0%) and 57 (68.6%) days, respectively, during the study period. On 19 (24%) of 78 days SARS-CoV-2 was detected in all three sample types. Clinically diagnosed COVID-19 cases were reported on 11 days during the study period and SARS-CoV-2 was also detected two days before the case diagnosis on all 11 (100%), 9 (81.8%) and 8 (72.7%) days in air, surface swab and wastewater samples, respectively. Conclusion: Proactive environmental surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 or other pathogens in a community/public setting has potential to guide targeted measures to contain and/or mitigate infectious disease outbreaks. Key Points: Question: How effective is environmental surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 in public places for early detection of COVID-19 cases in a community?Findings: All clinically confirmed COVID-19 cases were predicted with the aid of 2 day lagged SARS-CoV-2 in environmental samples in a college dormitory. However, the prediction efficiency varied by sample type: best prediction by air samples, followed by wastewater and surface swab samples. SARS-CoV-2 was also detected in these samples even on days without any reported cases of COVID-19, suggesting underreporting of COVID-19 cases.Meaning: SARS-CoV-2 can be detected in environmental samples several days prior to clinical reporting of COVID-19 cases. Thus, proactive environmental surveillance of microbiome in public places can serve as a mean for early detection of location-time specific outbreaks of infectious diseases. It can also be used for underreporting of infectious diseases.

Identification of novel factors associated with inappropriate treatment of asymptomatic bacteriuria in acute and long-term care.

BACKGROUND: Chart reviews often fall short of determining what drove antibiotic treatment of asymptomatic bacteriuria (ASB). To overcome this shortcoming, we searched providers' free-text for documentation of their decision-making and for misleading signs and symptoms that may trigger unnecessary treatment of ASB. METHODS: We reviewed a random sample of 10 positive urine cultures per month, per facility, from patients in acute or long-term care wards at 8 Veterans Affairs facilities. Cultures were classified as urinary tract infection (UTI) or ASB, and as treated or untreated. Charts were searched for 13 potentially misleading symptoms, and free-text documentation of providers' decision-making was classified into 5 categories. We used generalized estimating equations logistic regression to identify factors associated with ASB treatment. RESULTS: One hundred fifty-eight (27.5%) of 575 ASB cases were inappropriately treated with antibiotics. Significant factors associated with inappropriate treatment included: abdominal pain, falls, decreased urine output, urine characteristics, abnormal vital signs, laboratory values, and voiding issues. Providers prescribed an average of 1.4 antimicrobials to patients with ASB, with cephalosporins (41%) and fluoroquinolones (21%) being the most common classes prescribed. CONCLUSIONS: Chart reviews of providers' decision-making highlighted new factors associated with inappropriate ASB treatment. These findings can help design antibiotic stewardship interventions for ASB.

Real world SARS-COV-2 vaccine effectiveness in a Miami academic institution.

BACKGROUND: To assess the effectiveness of messenger RNA vaccines against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-COV-2) in preventing emergency department (ED) presentations for acute respiratory illness. BASIC PROCEDURES: We conducted a retrospective study assessing adult presentations (age ≥ 18) to the University of Miami Hospital's ED from January 1st through August 25th, 2021, with a SARS-COV-2 PCR test and acute respiratory infection symptoms. Vaccine effectiveness was calculated using a test-negative design. Both univariable and multivariable (adjusted for age, gender, race, insurance status, imputed body mass index [BMI], vaccine type, week of presentation) regression analyses were conducted for the full cohort and subgroups. MAIN FINDINGS: The cohort consisted of 13,203 ED presentations-3134 (23.7%) fully vaccinated and SARS-COV-2 negative, 108 (0.8%) fully vaccinated and SARS-COV-2 positive, 8817 (66.8%) unvaccinated and SARS-COV-2 negative, and 1144 (8.7%) unvaccinated and SARS-COV-2 positive. Unadjusted vaccination effectiveness was 73.4% (95% confidence interval: 67.5%,78.3%) and, after adjustment, 73.8% (66.2%,79.7%). The Moderna vaccine's effectiveness was numerically higher (unadjusted: 78.2% [68.8%, 84.7%]; adjusted: 78.0% [68.1%, 84.9%]) than the Pfizer vaccine's (unadjusted: 70.8% [62.9%, 76.9%]; adjusted: 73.9% [66.3%,79.8%]). We found a significant difference in adjusted vaccine effectiveness across categories was BMI (p < 0.001)-BMI <25: 66.3% (45.3%,79.2%); BMI 25-29: 71.3% (56.1%, 81.2%); BMI 30-34: 84.5% (71.7%, 91.5%); and BMI ≥35: 72.7% (50.5%, 84.9%). PRINCIPAL CONCLUSIONS: We demonstrated excellent real-world effectiveness of mRNA vaccines in preventing ED presentation for SARS-COV-2 in a diverse U.S. COHORT: Notably, vaccine effectiveness improved with increasing BMI (until class 2 obesity).

Association of care by a non-medical intensive care unit provider team with outcomes of medically critically ill patients.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the association of boarding of critically ill medical patients on non-medical intensive care unit (ICU) provider teams with outcomes. DESIGN: A retrospective cohort study. SETTING: ICUs in a tertiary academic medical center. PATIENTS: Patients with medical critical illness. INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENT AND MAIN RESULTS: We compared outcomes for critically ill medical patients admitted to a non-medical specialty ICU team (April 1 - August 30, 2020) with those admitted to the medical ICU team (January 1, 2018 - March 31, 2020). The primary outcome was hospital mortality; secondary outcomes were hospital length of stay (LOS) and hospital disposition for survivors. Our cohort consisted of 1241 patients admitted to the medical ICU team and 230 admitted to non-medical ICU teams. Unadjusted hospital mortality (medical ICU, 38.8% vs non-medical ICU, 42.2%, p = 0.33) and hospital LOS (7.4 vs 7.4 days, p = 0.96) were similar between teams. Among survivors, more non-medical ICU team patients were discharged home (72.6% vs 82.0%, p = 0.024). After multivariable adjustment, we found no difference in mortality, LOS, or home discharge between teams. However, among hospital survivors, admission to a non-medical ICU team was associated with a longer LOS (regression coefficient [95% CI] for log-transformed hospital LOS: 0.23 [0.05,0.40], p = 0.022). Certain subgroups-patients aged 50-64 years (odds-ratio [95% CI]: 4.22 [1.84,9.65], p = 0.001), with ≤10 comorbidities (0-5: 2.78 (1.11,6.95], p = 0.029; 6-10: 6.61 [1.38,31.71], p = 0.018), without acute respiratory failure (1.97 [1.20,3.23], p = 0.008)-had higher mortality when admitted to non-medical ICU teams. CONCLUSIONS: We found no association between admission to non-medical ICU team and mortality for medically critically ill patients. However, survivors experienced longer hospital LOS when admitted to non-medical ICU teams. Middle-aged patients, those with low comorbidity burden, and those without respiratory failure had higher mortality when admitted to non-medical ICU teams.

Predictive Value of Sequential Organ Failure Assessment Score across Patients with and without COVID-19 Infection.

Rationale: Sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA) scores are commonly used in crisis standards of care policies to assist in resource allocation. The relative predictive value of SOFA by coronavirus disease (COVID-19) infection status and among racial and ethnic subgroups within patients infected with COVID-19 is unknown. Objectives: To evaluate the accuracy and calibration of SOFA in predicting hospital mortality by COVID-19 infection status and across racial and ethnic subgroups. Methods: We performed a retrospective cohort study of adult admissions to the University of Miami Hospital and Clinics inpatient wards (July 1, 2020-April 1, 2021). We primarily considered maximum SOFA within 48 hours of hospitalization. We assessed accuracy using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) and created calibration belts. Considered subgroups were defined by COVID-19 infection status (by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 polymerase chain reaction testing) and prevalent racial and ethnic minorities. Comparisons across subgroups were made with DeLong testing for discriminative accuracy and visualization of calibration belts. Results: Our primary cohort consisted of 20,045 hospitalizations, of which 1,894 (9.5%) were COVID-19 positive. SOFA was similarly accurate for COVID-19-positive (AUROC, 0.835) and COVID-19-negative (AUROC, 0.810; P = 0.15) admissions but was slightly better calibrated in patients who were positive for COVID-19. For those with critical illness, maximum SOFA score accuracy at critical illness onset also did not differ by COVID-19 status (AUROC, COVID-19 positive vs. negative: intensive care unit admissions, 0.751 vs. 0.775; P = 0.46; mechanically ventilated, 0.713 vs. 0.792, P = 0.13), and calibration was again better for patients positive for COVID-19. Among patients with COVID-19, SOFA accuracy was similar between the non-Hispanic White population (AUROC, 0.894) and racial and ethnic minorities (Hispanic White population: AUROC, 0.824 [P vs. non-Hispanic White = 0.05]; non-Hispanic Black population: AUROC, 0.800 [P = 0.12]; Hispanic Black population: AUROC, 0.948 [P = 0.31]). This similar accuracy was also found for those without COVID-19 (non-Hispanic White population: AUROC, 0.829; Hispanic White population: AUROC, 0.811 [P = 0.37]; Hispanic Black population: AUROC, 0.828 [P = 0.97]; non-Hispanic Black population: AUROC, 0.867 [P = 0.46]). SOFA was well calibrated for all racial and ethnic groups with COVID-19 but estimated mortality more variably and performed less well across races and ethnicities without COVID-19. Conclusions: SOFA accuracy does not differ by COVID-19 status and is similar among racial and ethnic groups both with and without COVID-19. Calibration is better for COVID-19-infected patients and, among those without COVID-19, varies by race and ethnicity.