A Quality Improvement Project to Increase Compliance With a Facility Protocol on Surgical Antimicrobial Prophylaxis.

Surgical site infections (SSIs) contribute to negative outcomes for patients and health care organizations. Compliance with clinical practice guidelines likely can help prevent SSIs. An interdisciplinary team at a regional referral center in Michigan sought to reduce SSIs by improving compliance with the facility's preoperative antibiotic selection, dosing, timing, and redosing protocol. The interventions for the quality improvement project included adding the preprocedural antibiotics and doses to the master OR schedule; holding an education session for all preoperative nurses, intraoperative nurses, and anesthesia professionals; and posting a reference guide in the preoperative and intraoperative areas. Compliance with the facility's protocol for antibiotic selection, dosing, and timing significantly improved. However, SSI rates and compliance with redosing recommendations did not change significantly. The team decided to add the antibiotic order information to the master OR schedule permanently. The team plans to consider providing education sessions on administering preprocedural antibiotics outside the OR.

Surgical antimicrobial prophylaxis in Japanese hospitals: Real status and challenges.

BACKGROUND: Information regarding the status of surgical antimicrobial prophylaxis (SAP) in Japanese hospitals is lacking. This study aimed to explore the status of SAP prescriptions for surgeries and adherence to Japanese SAP guidelines. METHODS: From February to July 2020, a 1-day multicentre point prevalent survey was conducted at 27 hospitals in Aichi Prefecture, Japan. Patients prescribed SAP were included in this study. The appropriateness of the SAP was evaluated based on the guidelines for selection of antimicrobials and their duration. Surgery was defined as appropriate when all the items were appropriate. RESULTS: A total of 728 patients (7.1 %; 728/10,199) received antimicrobials for SAP. Among them, 557 patients (76.5 %, 557/728) underwent the surgeries described in the guidelines. The overall appropriateness of all surgeries was 33.9 % (189/557). The appropriate selection of antimicrobial before/during and after surgery and their durations were 67.5 % (376/557), 67.5 % (376/557), and 43.3 % (241/557), respectively. The overall appropriateness ranged from 0 % (0/37, oral and maxillofacial surgery) to 58.7 % (88/150, orthopaedic surgery) and 27.7 % (36/130, community hospitals with 400-599 beds) to 47.2 % (17/36, specific hospitals). Cefazolin was the most prevalent antimicrobial prescribed before/during (55.5 %, 299/539), and after (45.1 %, 249/552) surgery. In total, 101 oral antimicrobials were prescribed postoperatively. CONCLUSIONS: SAP adherence by specific surgical fields and hospitals was shown in this study. Intensive intervention and repeated surveillance are necessary to improve SAP prescriptions in Japanese hospitals.

Prophylactic antibiotics has no benefit for outcome in clean myringoplasty-A register-based cohort study from SwedEar.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate if prophylactic antibiotics (PA) in conjunction with myringoplasty of clean and uninfected ears entails a reduction of postoperative infections within 6 weeks after surgery, and whether it affects the healing rate of the tympanic membrane (TM) at follow-up, 6-24 months after surgery. DESIGN: A retrospective cohort study of prospectively collected data. SETTING: Data extracted from The Swedish Quality Register for Ear Surgery (SwedEar), the years 2013-2019. PARTICIPANTS: All patients in SwedEar with a registered clean conventional myringoplasty (tympanoplasty type I) including a follow-up visit. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The effect of PA use on TM healing rate at follow-up and postoperative infection within 6 weeks of surgery. RESULTS: In the study group (n = 1665) 86.2% had a healed TM at follow-up. There was no significant difference between the groups that had PA administered (87.2%) or not (86.1%). A total of 8.0% had a postoperative infection within 6 weeks. Postoperative infection occurred in 10.2% of the group that received PA (n = 187) compared with 7.7% of the group that did not receive PA. However, this difference was not statistically significant. Postoperative infection within 6 weeks significantly lowered the frequency of healed TMs. CONCLUSION: PA administered during clean conventional myringoplasty does not improve the chance of having a healed TM at follow up, nor decrease the risk of having a postoperative infection within 6 weeks after surgery.

Finding the missing children for TB care and prevention in Kenya.

SETTING: One hundred high TB burden facilities in nine counties in Kenya.OBJECTIVES: 1) To increase uptake of TB preventive therapy (TPT) among child contacts aged <5 years, and 2) to increase TB diagnosis in children aged <15 years presenting to health facilities for routine care.DESIGN: For objective 1, a clinic-based child contact management strategy incorporating transport/healthcare cost reimbursement, monitoring and evaluation tools, and healthcare worker education was utilized. For objective 2, community health screeners were established in pediatric outpatient departments to perform verbal screening, flagging symptomatic children for further evaluation.RESULTS: Over 15 months, identification of 8,060 individuals diagnosed with bacteriologically confirmed TB led to 2,022 child contacts. Of these, 1,848 (91%) were evaluated; 149 (8%) were diagnosed with TB disease, leaving 1,699 (92%) eligible for TPT; 1,613 (95%) initiated TPT and 1,335 (83%) completed TPT. In outpatient settings, 140,444 children were screened; 54,236 (39%) had at least two TB symptoms; 2,395 (4%) were diagnosed with TB diseaseCONCLUSION: Health system strengthening supporting a clinic-based child contact management program increased the number of children initiating TPT. Systematic screening in outpatient clinics can lead to increased TB case notifications; however, optimal screening tools and clearer diagnostic pathways for the evaluation of these children are needed.

Postoperative Rather Than Preoperative Neutropenia Is Associated With Early Catheter-related Bloodstream Infections in Newly Diagnosed Pediatric Cancer Patients.

BACKGROUND: The relationship of early catheter-related bloodstream infections (CRBSIs) with perioperative neutropenia and antibiotic prophylaxis is not well established. We sought to evaluate perioperative factors associated with early CRBSIs in newly diagnosed pediatric cancer patients, particularly hematologic indices and antibiotic use. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed national registry records of newly diagnosed pediatric cancer patients with port-a-caths inserted using standardized perioperative protocols where only antibiotic use was not regulated. Thirty-day postoperative CRBSI incidence was correlated with preoperative factors using logistic regression and with postoperative blood counts using linear trend analysis. RESULTS: Among 243 patients, 17 CRBSIs (7.0%) occurred at median 14 (range, 8-28) postoperative days. Early CRBSIs were significantly associated with cancer type [acute myeloid leukemia and other leukemias (AML/OLs) vs. solid tumors and lymphomas (STLs): odds ratio (OR), 5.09; P = 0.0036; acute lymphoblastic leukemia vs. STL: OR 0.83; P = 0.0446] but not preoperative antibiotics, absolute neutrophil counts and white blood cell counts. Thirty-day postoperative absolute neutrophil counts and white blood cell trends differed significantly between patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia and STLs (OR 0.83, P < 0.05) and between AML/OLs and STLs (OR 5.09, P < 0.005), with AML/OL patients having the most protracted neutropenia during this period. CONCLUSIONS: Contrary to common belief, low preoperative absolute neutrophil counts and lack of preoperative antibiotics were not associated with higher early CRBSI rates. Instead, AML/OL patients, particularly those with prolonged neutropenia during the first 30 postoperative days, were at increased risk. Our findings do not support the use of empirical preoperative antibiotics and instead identify prolonged postoperative neutropenia as a major contributing factor for early CRBSI.

Adherence to Guidelines for the Administration of Intraoperative Antibiotics in a Nationwide US Sample.

Importance: Despite widespread adherence to Surgical Care Improvement Project antibiotic measures, prevention of surgical site infections (SSIs) remains a clinical challenge. Several components of perioperative antibiotic prophylaxis guidelines are incompletely monitored and reported within the Surgical Care Improvement Project program. Objectives: To describe adherence to each component of perioperative antibiotic prophylaxis guidelines in regard to procedure-specific antibiotic choice, weight-adjusted dosing, and timing of first and subsequent administrations in a nationwide, multicenter cohort of patients undergoing noncardiac surgery. Design, Setting, and Participants: This cohort study included adult patients undergoing general, urological, orthopedic, and gynecological surgical procedures involving skin incision between January 1, 2014, and December 31, 2018, across 31 academic and community hospitals identified within the Multicenter Perioperative Outcomes Group registry. Data were analyzed between April 2 and April 21, 2021. Main Outcomes and Measures: The primary end point was overall adherence to Infectious Diseases Society of America guidelines, including (1) appropriateness of antibiotic choice, (2) weight-based dose adjustment, (3) timing of administration with respect to surgical incision, and (4) timing of redosing when indicated. Data were analyzed using mixed-effects regression to investigate patient, clinician, and institutional factors associated with guideline adherence. Results: In the final cohort of 414 851 encounters across 31 institutions, 51.8% of patients were women, the mean (SD) age was 57.5 (15.7) years, 1.2% of patients were of Hispanic ethnicity, and 10.2% were Black. In this cohort, 148 804 encounters (35.9%) did not adhere to guidelines: 19.7% for antibiotic choice, 17.1% for weight-adjusted dosing, 0.6% for timing of first dose, and 26.8% for redosing. In adjusted analyses, overall nonadherence was associated with emergency surgery (odds ratio [OR], 1.35; 95% CI, 1.29-1.41; P < .001), surgery requiring blood transfusions (OR, 1.30; 95% CI, 1.25-1.36; P < .001), off-hours procedures (OR, 1.08; 95% CI, 1.04-1.13; P < .001), and procedures staffed by a certified registered nurse anesthetist (OR, 1.14; 95% CI, 1.11-1.17; P < .001). Overall adherence to guidelines for antibiotic administration improved over the study period from 53.1% (95% CI, 52.7%-53.5%) in 2014 to 70.2% (95% CI, 69.8%-70.6%) in 2018 (P < .001). Conclusions and Relevance: In this cohort study, although adherence to perioperative antibiotic administration guidelines improved over the study period, more than one-third of surgical encounters remained discordant with Infectious Diseases Society of America recommendations. Future quality improvement efforts targeting gaps in practice in relation to guidelines may lead to improved adherence and possibly decreased SSIs.

Colorectal surgery surgical site infection prevention practices in British Columbia.

Surgical site infections (SSI) pose significant morbidity after colorectal surgery. We sought to document current practices in colorectal surgery SSI prevention in British Columbia (BC). Reporting the current provincial landscape on SSI prevention helps to understand the foundation upon which improvements can take place. We surveyed all BC surgeons performing elective colon and rectal resections, and 97 surveys were completed (60% response rate). Eighty-six per cent of respondent hospitals tracked SSI rates. The reported superficial SSI was less than 5% and the anastomotic leak/organ space rate was less than 10%. All respondents gave preoperative prophylactic antibiotics, with 24% continuing antibiotics postoperatively; 62% are using oral antibiotics (OAB) and mechanical bowel preparation (MBP) and 29% use MBP without OAB. Areas for improvement include OAB with MBP and discontinuing prophylactic antibiotics postoperatively, as recommended by the World Health Organization.

Selective digestive decontamination, a seemingly effective regimen with individual benefit or a flawed concept with population harm?

Selective digestive decontamination (SDD) regimens, variously constituted with topical antibiotic prophylaxis (TAP) and protocolized parenteral antibiotic prophylaxis (PPAP), appear highly effective for preventing ICU-acquired infections but only within randomized concurrent control trials (RCCT's). Confusingly, SDD is also a concept which, if true, implies population benefit. The SDD concept can finally be reified  in humans using the broad accumulated evidence base, including studies of TAP and PPAP that used non-concurrent controls (NCC), as a natural experiment. However, this test implicates overall population harm with higher event rates associated with SDD use within the ICU context.

What Is the Impact of Postoperative Antibiotic Prophylaxis on Tissue Expander Infection Rates in Pediatric Patients?

BACKGROUND: Tissue expansion in the pediatric population can be complicated by high rates of infection and extrusion. The aim of this study was to examine the impact of postoperative antibiotic prophylaxis on infectious complications. METHODS: A retrospective study of all pediatric patients who underwent tissue expander insertion at a children's hospital over a 12-year period was performed. Predictor variables included age, sex, race, indication, anatomical location, number of expanders inserted, serial expansion, history of infection or extrusion, and postoperative antibiotics. Outcome variables included infection and extrusion. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were performed to identify factors associated with infection and/or extrusion. RESULTS: A total of 180 patients who underwent 317 operations for tissue expander insertion were included in this study. Postoperative infection and/or extrusion occurred after 73 operations (23 percent). Postoperative prophylactic antibiotics were prescribed after 232 operations (75 percent), and only perioperative (≤24 hours) antibiotics were administered in 85 cases (25 percent). There were no significant differences in the rate of infection (12.1 percent versus 8.9 percent; p = 0.46), extrusion (16.8 percent versus 17.7 percent; p = 0.88), or infection and/or extrusion (23.7 percent versus 24.1 percent; p = 0.95) between these two groups. Multivariate analysis revealed that postoperative antibiotics did not have a significant association with infection and/or extrusion (OR, 0.84; 95 percent CI, 0.44 to 1.63; p = 0.61). CONCLUSIONS: The rates of infection/extrusion were similar between pediatric patients who received only perioperative antibiotics (≤24 hours) and those who were prescribed a course of postoperative antibiotics. Based on these results, a course of postoperative prophylactic antibiotics may be unnecessary after insertion of tissue expanders in pediatric patients. CLINICAL QUESTION/LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Therapeutic, III.

The Impact of Cefazolin Shortage on Surgical Site Infection Following Spine Surgery in Japan.

STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective study using prospectively collected data. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate the effect of alternative antimicrobial prophylaxis agents on surgical site infections (SSIs) after spine surgery. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Although the use of alternative antimicrobial prophylaxis agents might have a negative effect on SSI prevention, their association with SSI risk in spine surgery remains unclear. METHODS: We used the registry data of consecutive patients undergoing spine surgery from April 2017 to January 2020 in four institutions participating in the University of Tokyo Spine Group. Before March 2019, all institutions used cefazolin for antimicrobial prophylaxis. After March 2019, the institutions used broad-spectrum beta-lactam agents as an alternative due to a cefazolin shortage in Japan. RESULTS: Among the 3841 enrolled patients (2289 males), 2024 received cefazolin and 1117 received alternative agents. The risk of reoperation for deep SSI within 30 days of spine surgery was significantly higher in the alternative antimicrobial prophylaxis agent group (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 1.96; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.15-3.35; P = 0.014). In subgroup analyses, the SSI risk was significantly higher in the thoracolumbar surgery group (aOR 1.98; 95% CI, 1.06-3.73; P = 0.03). A nonsignificant consistent trend was found in all other subgroups: posterior decompression (aOR 1.91; 95% CI, 0.86-4.21; P = 0.11); posterior fixation (aOR 2.05; 95% CI, 0.99-4.24; P = 0.05); and cervical spine surgery (aOR 2.30; 95% CI, 0.82-6.46; P = 0.11). CONCLUSION: Alternative antimicrobial prophylaxis agents increased the risk of reoperation for SSI after spine surgery compared with cefazolin. Our study supports the current practice of using first-generation cephalosporins as first-line antimicrobial prophylaxis agents in spine surgery as recommended in multiple guidelines.Level of Evidence: 3.

The Impact of Surgical Site Infection on Patient Outcomes After Open Posterior Instrumented Thoracolumbar Surgery for Degenerative Disorders.

BACKGROUND: Few reports in the literature have described the long-term outcome of postoperative infection from the patient perspective. The aim of the present study was to determine if complicated surgical site infection (SSI) affects functional recovery and surgical outcomes up to 2 years after posterior instrumented thoracolumbar surgery for the treatment of degenerative disorders. METHODS: This retrospective cohort study involved patients who had been enrolled in a previous randomized controlled trial that examined antibiotic use for open posterior multilevel thoracolumbar or lumbar instrumented fusion procedures. In the present study, patients who had SSI (n = 79) were compared with those who did not (n = 456). Patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) included the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), leg and back pain scores on a numeric rating scale, Short Form-12 (SF-12) summary scores, and satisfaction with treatment at 1.5, 3, 6, 12, and 24 months. Surgical outcomes included adverse events, readmissions, and additional surgery. RESULTS: The median time to infection was 15 days. Of the 535 patients, 31 (5.8%) had complicated infections and 48 (9.0%) had superficial infections. Patients with an infection had a higher body mass index (BMI) (p = 0.001), had more commonly received preoperative vancomycin (p = 0.050), were more likely to have had a revision as the index procedure (p = 0.004), had worse preoperative mental functioning (mental component summary score, 40.7 ± 1.6 versus 44.1 ± 0.6), had more operatively treated levels (p = 0.024), and had a higher rate of additional surgery (p = 0.001). At 6 months after surgery, patients who developed an infection scored worse on the ODI by 5.3 points (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.4 to 10.1 points) and had worse physical functioning by -4.0 points (95% CI, -6.8 to -1.2 points). Comparison between the groups at 1 and 2 years showed no difference in functional outcomes, satisfaction with treatment, or the likelihood of achieving the minimum clinically important difference (MCID) for the ODI. CONCLUSIONS: SSI more than doubled the post-discharge emergency room visit and additional surgery rates. Patients with SSI initially (6 months) had poorer overall physical function representing the delay to recovery; however, the negative impact resolved by the first postoperative year. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Prognostic Level III. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.

Clinical characteristics, treatment, and prognosis of 74 2019 novel coronavirus disease patients in Hefei: A single-center retrospective study.

ABSTRACT: Since December 2019, pneumonia caused by a novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2), namely 2019 novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), has rapidly spread from Wuhan city to other cities across China. The present study was designed to describe the epidemiology, clinical characteristics, treatment, and prognosis of 74 hospitalized patients with COVID-19.Clinical data of 74 COVID-19 patients were collected to analyze the epidemiological, demographic, laboratory, radiological, and treatment data. Thirty-two patients were followed up and tested for the presence of the viral nucleic acid and by pulmonary computed tomography (CT) scan at 7 and 14 days after they were discharged.Among all COVID-19 patients, the median incubation period for patients and the median period from symptom onset to admission was all 6 days; the median length of hospitalization was 13 days. Fever symptoms were presented in 83.78% of the patients, and the second most common symptom was cough (74.32%), followed by fatigue and expectoration (27.03%). Inflammatory indicators, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), and C-reactive protein (CRP) of the intensive care unit (ICU) patients were significantly higher than that of the non-ICU patients (P < .05). However, 50.00% of the ICU patients had their the ratio of T helper cells to cytotoxic T cells (CD4/CD8) ratio lower than 1.1, whose proportion is much higher than that in non-ICU patients (P < .01).Compared with patients in Wuhan, COVID-19 patients in Anhui Province seemed to have milder symptoms of infection, suggesting that there may be some regional differences in the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 between different cities.

Long-term macrolide therapy for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a population-based time series analysis.

BACKGROUND: Macrolides are recommended as an adjunctive treatment for patients with moderate to severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) who experience recurrent exacerbations. The objective of this study was to examine temporal trends in the provision of long-term macrolide therapy, specifically before and after publication of the landmark MACRO trial in August 2011 showing efficacy of macrolides for this indication. METHODS: We performed an interrupted time series analysis using population-level health administrative data. The study cohort consisted of all Ontario residents who had COPD, were using at least 1 long-acting inhaler, and were aged 65 years and older between Apr. 1, 2004, and Mar. 31, 2018. We compared the baseline characteristics of eligible patients before and after publication of the MACRO trial. Our primary outcome was overall prevalence of long-term macrolide therapy; secondary outcomes were incidence of COPD-related hospitalizations, emergency department visits and outpatient exacerbations requiring high-dose steroids in each quarter. We performed an interrupted time series analysis to assess for changes in the incidence of macrolide prophylaxis by quarter-year over the study period. RESULTS: The rate of long-term macrolide use increased from 0.8 per 1000 people in 2004 to 13.8 per 1000 people in 2018 (in the severe COPD group, the rate increased from 1.3 to 32.3 per 1000 people). The interrupted time series analysis showed that, before 2011, the prevalence of macrolide prophylaxis increased at a rate of 0.44 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.39-0.50) per 1000 people per year; after 2011, the rate of increase grew by 1.18 (95% CI 1.07-1.29) per 1000 people to 1.63 (95% CI 1.56-1.69) per 1000 people per year. The seasonal pattern of COPD-related health care visits remained stable over the study period, and there was no detectable reduction in hospitalizations or emergency department visits at the population level. INTERPRETATION: In the past decade, there has been a significant rise in the use of long-term macrolide therapy for patients with COPD. As this practice becomes increasingly common, it will be important to monitor its potential benefits on COPD exacerbations but also its potential effects on adverse events and antimicrobial resistance patterns.

Comparison of invasive fungal diseases between patients with acute myeloid leukemia receiving posaconazole prophylaxis and those not receiving prophylaxis: A single-center, observational, case-control study in South Korea.

ABSTRACT: Posaconazole prophylaxis is effective in decreasing the incidence of invasive fungal diseases (IFDs) in patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). However, the use of antifungal prophylaxis varies in real-life practice, and only a small number of studies have compared the incidence of IFDs between those receiving posaconazole prophylaxis and those without prophylaxis. We compared the clinical characteristics and outcomes of IFDs between patients with AML who received posaconazole prophylaxis and those without antifungal prophylaxis.We reviewed the medical records of adult AML patients who underwent induction chemotherapy between June 2016 and October 2019 at Asan Medical Center (Seoul, South Korea), where posaconazole prophylaxis is not administered in patients with gastrointestinal symptoms that may hinder sufficient absorption of oral prophylactic agents, and in patients with abnormal liver functions considering the possible exacerbation of adverse events. Patients who received posaconazole prophylaxis for ≥7 days were included in the prophylaxis group. Clinical characteristics and outcomes including the incidence of IFDs were compared between the 2 groups.Of the 247 patients with AML who underwent induction chemotherapy, 162 (66%) received posaconazole prophylaxis and 85 (34%) did not receive any prophylaxis. The incidence of proven/probable IFD was significantly higher in the no prophylaxis group than in the prophylaxis group (9.4% [8/85] vs 2.5% [4/162], P = .03). Of the 8 cases of IFDs in the no prophylaxis group, 7 were mold infections and 1 was invasive candidiasis. Of the 4 cases of IFDs in the prophylaxis group, 3 were mold infections and 1 was invasive candidiasis. Patients with posaconazole prophylaxis less frequently received therapeutic antifungal therapy (2.5% vs 9.4%, P = .03) and had a longer median, duration from chemotherapy to antifungal therapy compared with the no prophylaxis group (18 vs 11 days, P < .01). The rate of IFD-related mortality was similar between the 2 groups (0.6% vs 0%, P > .99).Patients with AML who received posaconazole prophylaxis had a lower incidence of breakthrough IFDs compared with those who did not receive any prophylaxis. Invasive mold infection was the most common IFD regardless of antifungal prophylaxis.

Bacterial infections in patients with acute variceal bleeding in the era of antibiotic prophylaxis.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Antibiotic prophylaxis reduces the risk of infection and mortality in patients with cirrhosis and acute variceal bleeding (AVB). This study examines the incidence of, and risk factors for, bacterial infections during hospitalization in patients with AVB on antibiotic prophylaxis. METHODS: A post hoc analysis was performed using the database of an international, multicenter, observational study designed to examine the role of pre-emptive transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunts in patients with cirrhosis and AVB. Data were collected on patients with cirrhosis hospitalized for AVB (n = 2,138) from a prospective cohort (October 2013-May 2015) at 34 referral centers, and a retrospective cohort (October 2011-September 2013) at 19 of these centers. The primary outcome was incidence of bacterial infection during hospitalization. RESULTS: A total of 1,656 patients out of 1,770 (93.6%) received antibiotic prophylaxis; third-generation cephalosporins (76.2%) and quinolones (19.0%) were used most frequently. Of the patients on antibiotic prophylaxis, 320 patients developed bacterial infection during hospitalization. Respiratory infection accounted for 43.6% of infections and for 49.7% of infected patients, and occurred early after admission (median 3 days, IQR 1-6). On multivariate analysis, respiratory infection was independently associated with Child-Pugh C (odds ratio [OR] 3.1; 95% CI 1.4-6.7), grade III-IV encephalopathy (OR 2.8; 95% CI 1.8-4.4), orotracheal intubation for endoscopy (OR 2.6; 95% CI 1.8-3.8), nasogastric tube placement (OR 1.7; 95% CI 1.2-2.4) or esophageal balloon tamponade (OR 2.4; 95% CI 1.2-4.9). CONCLUSION: Bacterial infections develop in almost one-fifth of patients with AVB despite antibiotic prophylaxis. Respiratory infection is the most frequent, is an early event after admission, and is associated with advanced liver failure, severe hepatic encephalopathy and use of nasogastric tube, orotracheal intubation for endoscopy or esophageal balloon tamponade. LAY SUMMARY: Bacterial infections develop during hospitalization in close to 20% of patients with acute variceal bleeding despite antibiotic prophylaxis. Respiratory bacterial infections are the most frequent and occur early after admission. Respiratory infection is associated with advanced liver disease, severe hepatic encephalopathy and a need for a nasogastric tube, orotracheal intubation for endoscopy or esophageal balloon tamponade.

The Duration of Antibiotics Prophylaxis at the Time of Catheter Removal after Radical Prostatectomy: Clinically Integrated, Cluster, Randomized Trial.

PURPOSE: Prophylactic antibiotics are routinely given at the time of catheter removal post-radical prostatectomy (RP). The low rate of infectious complications entails that large sample sizes are required for randomized controlled trials, a challenge given the cost of standard randomized controlled trials. We evaluated infectious complications associated with 1 vs 3 days of prophylactic antibiotics at the time of catheter removal post-RP using a novel, clinically integrated trial with randomization at the surgeon level. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Surgeons were cluster randomized for periods of 3 months to prescribe 1-day vs 3-day regimen of prophylactic antibiotics at the time of catheter removal. The primary end point was an infectious complication as routinely captured by nursing phone call within 10 days of catheter removal and defined as positive urine cultures (≥105 CFU) and at least 1 of the following symptoms: fever (>38°C), urgency, frequency, dysuria or suprapubic tenderness. RESULTS: A total of 824 patients were consented and underwent RP with, respectively, 389 and 435 allocated to 1-day and 3-day antibiotics, predominantly ciprofloxacin. Accrual was achieved within 3 years: 95% vs 88% of patients received the allocated 3-day vs 1-day antibiotic regimen. There were 0 urinary tract infections (0%) in the 1-day regimen and 3 urinary tract infections (0.7%) in the 3-day regimen, meeting our prespecified criterion for declaring the 1-day regimen to be noninferior. CONCLUSIONS: A clinically integrated trial using cluster randomization accrued rapidly with no important logistical problems and negligible burden on surgeons. If surgeons choose to prescribe empiric prophylactic antibiotics after catheter removal following RP, then the duration should not exceed 1 day.

Determining the Electronic Signature of Infection in Electronic Health Record Data.

OBJECTIVES: Recent sepsis studies have defined patients as "infected" using a combination of culture and antibiotic orders rather than billing data. However, the accuracy of these definitions is unclear. We aimed to compare the accuracy of different established criteria for identifying infected patients using detailed chart review. DESIGN: Retrospective observational study. SETTING: Six hospitals from three health systems in Illinois. PATIENTS: Adult admissions with blood culture or antibiotic orders, or Angus International Classification of Diseases infection codes and death were eligible for study inclusion as potentially infected patients. Nine-hundred to 1,000 of these admissions were randomly selected from each health system for chart review, and a proportional number of patients who did not meet chart review eligibility criteria were also included and deemed not infected. INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: The accuracy of published billing code criteria by Angus et al and electronic health record criteria by Rhee et al and Seymour et al (Sepsis-3) was determined using the manual chart review results as the gold standard. A total of 5,215 patients were included, with 2,874 encounters analyzed via chart review and a proportional 2,341 added who did not meet chart review eligibility criteria. In the study cohort, 27.5% of admissions had at least one infection. This was most similar to the percentage of admissions with blood culture orders (26.8%), Angus infection criteria (28.7%), and the Sepsis-3 criteria (30.4%). Sepsis-3 criteria was the most sensitive (81%), followed by Angus (77%) and Rhee (52%), while Rhee (97%) and Angus (90%) were more specific than the Sepsis-3 criteria (89%). Results were similar for patients with organ dysfunction during their admission. CONCLUSIONS: Published criteria have a wide range of accuracy for identifying infected patients, with the Sepsis-3 criteria being the most sensitive and Rhee criteria being the most specific. These findings have important implications for studies investigating the burden of sepsis on a local and national level.

Prophylaxis With Trimethoprim/Sulfamethoxazole Is Not Necessary in Children With Solid Tumors Treated With Low-medium Intensity Chemotherapy.

Prophylaxis of Pneumocystis jiroveci pneumonia (PJP) with trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole is a standard of care for children with hematologic malignancies, while its use in solid tumor patients is still debated. A retrospective study focusing on the use of PJP prophylaxis in patients with solid tumors was performed among 16 AIEOP centers: 1046/2863 patients did not receive prophylaxis and no cases of PJP were reported.

Eliminating Use of Home Oral Antibiotics in Pediatric Complicated Appendicitis.

BACKGROUND: Postoperative oral antibiotic management at discharge for perforated appendicitis varies by institution. A prior study at our institution led to a decrease in antibiotic therapy in patients without leukocytosis. A subsequent protocol change eliminated the white blood cell count check and oral antibiotics if discharge criteria were met by postoperative day seven. We hypothesized this change could be made without an increase in abscess or readmission rates. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective review of patients with perforated appendicitis over two 1-year periods after institutional review board approval (262061). In the pre-protocol group, a white blood cell count was checked at discharge and patients with leukocytosis were prescribed oral antibiotics to complete a total of 7 d. In the post-protocol group, no white blood cell count was checked and patients were discharged home without antibiotics. RESULTS: There were a total of 174 patients with complicated appendicitis in the two 1-year periods with 129 (74%) patients with perforated appendicitis discharged before postoperative day seven. The pre-protocol group included 71 children, and post-protocol included 58 children. There were no differences between mean postoperative days to discharge (2.57 versus 3, P = 0.0896), postoperative abscess rate (12.7% versus 12.1%, P = 1.0000), or readmission rate (12.7% versus 17.2%, P = 0.6184). None of the patients in the post-protocol group were discharged home with oral antibiotics compared with 22.5% in the pre-protocol group (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: For pediatric patients with perforated appendicitis discharged before postoperative day seven, stopping antibiotics at the time of discharge significantly decreased our home antibiotic use without an increase in postoperative morbidity.

Antimicrobial prophylaxis in patients with immune thrombocytopenia treated with rituximab: a retrospective multicenter analysis.

The primary aim of this study was to describe the use of primary anti-infective prophylaxis (AP) in common clinical practice in patients affected by immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) and treated with RTX. Population studied consisted of patients affected by ITP (age ≥ 18 years) who had received at least one dose of RTX from January 2008 to June 2018. Five Italian haematology centres participated in the current study. Data were retrospectively collected: demographic data (age, gender), concomitant comorbidities and previous therapies for ITP, characteristics of AP, the occurrence of infections and their management. The ITP cohort consisted of 67 patients sub-grouped into two categories according to the administration of AP: (1) treated with AP (N= 34; 51%) and (2) not treated with AP (N=33, 49%). AP consisted of combined trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (TMP/SMX) and acyclovir (AC) in half of patients. TPM/SMX as a single agent was adopted in 32% patients and one patient received only AC. Overall, infections were experienced in 15% of patients during follow-up with a similar proportion in the 2 groups (treated and not treated) of patients (14.7% vs 15%). Clinical course of infections was however, less severe in patients treated with AP, where all infections were grade 2 and did not require hospitalization. In neither group of patients was reported Pneumocystis pneumonia. In conclusion, despite the absence of clear evidence, our analysis shows that AP in patients with ITP receiving RTX is frequently adopted, even if in the absence of well-defined criteria. Prophylaxis administration is quite consistent within the same haematological Center; thus, it seems related to clinicians' experience.