Accelerating learning healthcare system development through embedded research: Career trajectories, training needs, and strategies for managing and supporting embedded researchers.

BACKGROUND: Health systems and organizations seeking to achieve learning healthcare system principles are increasingly relying on embedded research teams to optimize delivery of evidence-based, high-quality care that improves patient and staff experience alike. However, building organizational capacity to conduct and benefit from embedded research may be challenging in the absence of clearer guidance on career pathways and training, as well as strategies for managing and supporting this unique workforce. METHODS: In February 2018, 115 attendees from multiple agencies, institutions and professional societies participated in a conference to accelerate development of learning healthcare systems through embedded research. Workgroups engaged in structured brainstorming discussions of key domains; 21 diverse members focused on strengthening the embedded research community through more explicit development and support of multilevel career trajectories. RESULTS: Emphasis emerged on the need for training that goes beyond traditional curricula in rigorous scientific methods to include leadership, communication, and other organizational and business skills rarely offered in research training programs. These skills are required for effective engagement of multilevel stakeholders supporting evidence-based changes in routine care. Improving readiness of other stakeholders to effectively act on evidence was noted as equally crucial, as was creation of mid-career development opportunities for researchers and implementers. CONCLUSIONS: Further development and support of the embedded research workforce will require explicit attention to novel training programs and support of researchers and the stakeholders in the systems they aim to improve. IMPLICATIONS: Strategies for improving career entry and mastery of skills that foster effective multilevel stakeholder engagement hold promise for strengthening the embedded research community and their contributions to systematic improvements in health and health care.

Nurse-Administered Propofol Continuous Infusion Sedation: A New Paradigm for Gastrointestinal Procedural Sedation.

INTRODUCTION: Nurse-Administered Propofol Continuous Infusion Sedation (NAPCIS) is a new nonanesthesia propofol delivery method for gastrointestinal endoscopy. NAPCIS is adopted from the computer-assisted propofol sedation (CAPS) protocol. We evaluated the effectiveness, efficiency, and safety of NAPCIS in low-risk subjects. METHODS: Between December 2016 and July 2017, patients who underwent esophagogastroduodenoscopy or colonoscopy with NAPCIS at our center were compared against 2 historical control groups of similar patients who had undergone procedures with CAPS or midazolam and fentanyl (MF) sedation. RESULTS: The mean age of the NAPCIS cohort (N = 3,331) was 55.2 years (45.8% male) for 945 esophagogastroduodenoscopies and 57.8 years (48.7% male) for 2,386 colonoscopies. The procedural success rates with NAPCIS were high (99.1%-99.2%) and similar to those seen in 3,603 CAPS (98.8%-99.0%) and 3,809 MF (99.0%-99.3%) controls. NAPCIS recovery times were shorter than both CAPS and MF (24.8 vs 31.7 and 52.4 minutes, respectively; P < 0.001). On arrival at the recovery unit, 86.6% of NAPCIS subjects were recorded as "Awake" compared with 82.8% of CAPS and 40.8% of MF controls (P < 0.001). Validated clinician and patient satisfaction scores were generally higher for NAPCIS compared with CAPS and MF subjects. For NAPCIS, there were only 4 cases of oxygen desaturation requiring transient mask ventilation and no serious sedation-related complications. These low complication rates were similar to those seen with CAPS (8 cases of mask ventilation) and MF (3 cases). DISCUSSION: NAPCIS seems to be a safe, effective, and efficient means of providing moderate sedation for upper endoscopy and colonoscopy in low-risk patients.

Conserved IFN Signature between Adult and Pediatric Eosinophilic Esophagitis.

Eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) is an allergic inflammatory disease of the esophagus that occurs in both children and adults. Previous studies of affected tissue from pediatric cohorts have identified prominent signatures of eosinophilia and type 2 inflammation. However, the details of the immune response in adults with EoE are still being elucidated. To determine whether EoE in adults shares inflammatory profiles with those observed in children, we performed RNA sequencing of paired human esophageal biopsies and blood samples from adults with EoE or gastroesophageal reflux disease. Unbiased analysis of differentially expressed genes in tissue revealed a strong IFN signature that was significantly enriched in EoE patients as compared with patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease. Both type I and type II IFN-responsive genes were upregulated in adult biopsies, but not in blood. A similar increase in expression of IFN gene sets was observed in pediatric EoE biopsies as compared with non-EoE samples, and in public pediatric and adult RNA-sequencing data. Finally, we found that human peripheral CD4+ T cells from children with EoE produce IFN-γ upon activation with EoE-causal allergens. Together, this work identifies a conserved IFN signature in pediatric and adult EoE, highlighting a role for non-type 2 inflammatory networks in the disease process in humans.

Nurse-Administered Propofol Continuous Infusion Sedation for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy in Patients Who Are Difficult to Sedate.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Patients who chronically use alcohol, marijuana, or opioids, or suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), can be difficult to sedate with midazolam and fentanyl, and often are referred for monitored anesthesia care during endoscopy. Nurse-administered propofol continuous infusion sedation (NAPCIS), which confers the benefit of propofol-based sedation without the added expense of anesthesia, is effective and safe for sedation of healthy patients. We investigated whether NAPCIS also is effective for patients who are difficult to sedate. METHODS: We performed a retrospective study of patients who underwent upper endoscopy or colonoscopy with NAPCIS at a single center from January 2018 through April 2018. We reviewed records from patients who were heavy users of alcohol (n = 105), daily users of marijuana (n = 267) or opioids (n = 178), had a diagnosis of PTSD (n = 91), or were none of these (controls, n = 786). We compared mean fentanyl and propofol doses (adjusted for body weight), procedure and recovery times, procedure success rates, and adverse events. RESULTS: Compared with the controls, the marijuana group required higher mean adjusted sedative doses for colonoscopies (0.6 vs 0.4 mcg/kg fentanyl and 5.0 vs 4.7 mg/kg propofol; P ≤ .025 for both) and upper endoscopies (0.8 vs 0.3 mcg/kg fentanyl and 3.7 vs 3.2 mg/kg propofol; P ≤ .021 for both), the PTSD group required a higher dose of fentanyl for colonoscopies (0.6 vs 0.4 mcg/kg; P = .009), and the alcohol group required a higher dose of fentanyl for upper endoscopies (0.7 vs 0.3 mcg/kg; P < .001). Procedure success rates were high (95.1%-100%) and did not differ significantly between the difficult-to-sedate groups and controls; mean procedure times (7.0-9.0 minutes for upper endoscopies, 21.1-22.9 minutes for colonoscopies) and recovery times (22.5-29.6 minutes) also were similar among groups. Upper endoscopies were associated with lower sedative doses and shorter procedure and recovery times than colonoscopies. Sedation-related adverse events were rare in all groups (only 26 cases total), and there were no serious complications or deaths. CONCLUSIONS: NAPCIS seems to be a safe and effective means of providing sedation for endoscopy to patients who may be difficult to sedate owing to alcohol, marijuana, or opioid use, or PTSD.

Incidence and Significance of Biliary Stricture in Chronic Pancreatitis Patients Undergoing Extracorporeal Shock Wave Lithotripsy for Obstructing Pancreatic Duct Stones.

Background/Aims: This study assessed the significance of biliary stricture in symptomatic chronic pancreatitis patients requiring extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL) and endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) to remove obstructing pancreatic calculi. Methods: A total of 97 patients underwent ESWL followed by ERCP to remove pancreatic calculi between October 2014 and October 2017 at Virginia Mason Medical Center. Significant biliary stricture (SBS) was defined as a stricture with upstream dilation on computed tomography scan or magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography scans accompanied by cholestasis and/or cholangitis. SBS was initially managed by either a plastic stent or fully covered self-expandable metallic stent (fcSEMS). If the stricture did not resolve, the stent was replaced with either multiple plastic stents or another fcSEMS. Data were collected by retrospectively reviewing the medical records. Results: Biliary strictures were noted in approximately one-third of patients (34/97, 35%) undergoing ESWL for pancreatic calculi. Approximately one-third of the biliary strictures (11/34, 32%) were SBS. Pseudocysts were more frequently found in those with SBS (36% vs 8%, p=0.02), and all pseudocysts in the SBS group were located in the pancreatic head. The initial stricture resolution rates with fcSEMSs and plastic prostheses were 75% and 29%, respectively. The overall success rate for stricture resolution was 73% (8/11), and the recurrence rate after initial stricture resolution was 25% (2/8). Conclusions: Although periductal fibrosis is the main mechanism underlying biliary stricture development in chronic pancreatitis, inflammation induced by obstructing pancreatic calculi, including pseudocysts, is an important contributing factor to SBS formation during the acute phase.

Long-Term Outcomes of Endoscopic Papillectomy for Ampullary Adenomas.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Endoscopic papillectomy is a safe and effective treatment for ampullary adenomas and has mostly replaced surgical local resection. Recent data have discussed the role of endoscopic removal of laterally spreading adenomas associated with ampullary adenomas. We evaluated our long-term results of endoscopic papillectomy for ampullary adenomas. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed patients who underwent endoscopic papillectomy of biopsy-proven adenomas at our tertiary center between 1994 and 2017. Clinical success was defined as complete excision of an adenoma with no evidence of recurrence during follow-up, no evidence of cancer, and without the need for surgery. RESULTS: A total of 161 patients (73M/88F) with a mean age of 61 (range 19-93) were included. Mean adenoma size was 20 mm (range 5-70). In total, 114/161 patients continued endoscopic surveillance for a minimum of 6 months with a median follow-up of 30 months (range 6-283). Recurrent adenomas were diagnosed in 8 patients (7%) after a median of 36 months (range 12-138). Clinical success was 83%; 35 laterally spreading adenomas were treated, which were larger than adenomas confined to the papilla (mean size 38 mm vs 15 mm, P < 0.05) and required more piecemeal resections (77% vs 15%, P < 0.05). However, no difference was found in recurrence rates between the two groups (8% vs 4%, P = 0.26); 24/161 (15%) of patients had adverse events including bleeding (6%) and pancreatitis (7%). CONCLUSIONS: Endoscopic papillectomy is a safe and effective treatment for ampullary adenomas, including laterally spreading ones. Long-term surveillance demonstrates low recurrence rates at expert centers.

Primary and metastatic melanoma of the GI tract: clinical presentation, endoscopic findings, and patient outcomes.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Melanoma incidence has increased worldwide with a concurrent rise in both primary and metastatic melanomas of the gastrointestinal tract. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This retrospective single-center case series includes patients with histopathology-confirmed primary or metastatic melanoma of the GI tract between 1998 and 2018. RESULTS: Thirty-four patients were identified for inclusion, of whom 7 were primary and 27 were metastatic cases of gastrointestinal melanoma. For both primary and metastatic cases, the majority of patients presented with frank or occult GI bleeding (57.1% and 70.4%). Primary and metastatic lesions were predominantly diagnosed endoscopically (100% and 63.0%), with 71.4% of primary lesions found at the anorectal junction and 51.9% of metastatic lesions in the small bowel. Endoscopically diagnosed lesions were either polypoid (50%) or a luminal mass (37.5%) in the majority of cases. Common features included: amelanotic (83%), ulcerated (50%), and friable (33.3%). All primary patients were treated with surgical excision or resection. Of the metastatic patients, 56% were resected. The median interval between initial primary and gastrointestinal metastases was 65 months (ranging from 1 month to 24 years). At the time of data analysis, 85.7% of primary and 29.6% of metastatic patients remained alive. CONCLUSIONS: The majority of patients in this series were diagnosed endoscopically while investigating a source of gastrointestinal blood loss. Heightened clinical suspicion and recognition of the endoscopic features of gastrointestinal melanoma during evaluation of GI symptoms in a patient with a personal history of primary melanoma are advised.

Changes in Lower Gastrointestinal Bleeding Presentation, Management, and Outcomes Over a 10-Year Span.

BACKGROUND: There are only limited data available on changes in the etiology, management, and clinical outcomes in patients with lower gastrointestinal bleeding over the past decade. STUDY: We compared 2 groups of consecutive patients hospitalized with lower gastrointestinal bleeding during 2 time periods: 2005 to 2007 (301 patients) and 2015 to 2017 (249 patients). RESULTS: Compared with the 2005 to 2007 group, the mean Charlson comorbidity index in the 2015 to 2017 group was higher (5.0±2.6 vs. 6.0±3.0, P=0.028), whereas the use of computerized tomographic angiography and small bowel capsule endoscopy was more common (12.9% vs. 58.1%, P<0.001, and 28.8% vs. 69.0%, P=0.031, respectively). In 2005 to 2007, ischemic colitis (12.0%) was the most common confirmed etiology of bleeding and diverticular bleeding the second most common (8.6%), whereas in 2015 to 2017, diverticular bleeding was the most common etiology (10.4%), followed by angiodysplasia (8.4%). Small bowel bleeding sources were confirmed more often in the 2015 to 2017 group (P=0.017). Endoscopic treatment was attempted in 16.6% of patients in 2005 to 2007 versus 25.3% in 2015 to 2017 (P=0.015). Higher rebleeding rates, longer hospitalization durations (4.6±4.3 vs. 5.5±3.4 d, P=0.019), and a higher proportion of patients needing a transfusion (62.0% vs. 78.4%, P=0.016) were noted in 2015 to 2017. CONCLUSIONS: Over a 10-year span, there were several notable changes: (1) more comorbidities in patients hospitalized for lower gastrointestinal bleeding; (2) marked increase in the use of computerized tomographic angiography and capsule endoscopy for diagnostic evaluation; and (3) longer hospitalization durations and greater need for blood transfusion, possibly reflecting the selection of sicker patients for in-patient management in 2015 to 2017.

Computer-Assisted Propofol Sedation for Esophagogastroduodenoscopy Is Effective, Efficient, and Safe.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Computer-assisted propofol sedation (CAPS) allows non-anesthesiologists to administer propofol for gastrointestinal procedures in relatively healthy patients. As the first US medical center to adopt CAPS technology for routine clinical use, we report our 1-year experience with CAPS for esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD). METHODS: Between September 2014 and August 2015, 926 outpatients underwent elective EGDs with CAPS at our center. All EGDs were performed by 1 of 17 gastroenterologists certified in the use of CAPS. Procedural success rates, procedure times, and recovery times were compared against corresponding historical controls done with midazolam and fentanyl sedation from September 2013 to August 2014. Adverse events in CAPS patients were recorded. RESULTS: The mean age of the CAPS cohort was 56.7 years (45% male); 16.2% of the EGDs were for variceal screening or Barrett's surveillance and 83.8% for symptoms. The procedural success rates were similar to that of historical controls (99.0% vs. 99.3%; p = 0.532); procedure times were also similar (6.6 vs. 7.4 min; p = 0.280), but recovery time was markedly shorter (31.7 vs. 52.4 min; p < 0.001). There were 11 (1.2%) cases of mild transient oxygen desaturation (< 90%), 15 (1.6%) cases of marked agitation due to undersedation, and 1 case of asymptomatic hypotension. In addition, there were six (0.6%) patients with more pronounced desaturation episodes that required brief (< 1 min) mask ventilation. There were no other serious adverse events. CONCLUSIONS: CAPS appears to be a safe, effective, and efficient means of providing sedation for EGD in healthy patients. Recovery times were much shorter than historical controls.

Reducing Cost and Complexity of Fecal Microbiota Transplantation Using Universal Donors for Recurrent Clostridium difficile Infection.

INTRODUCTION: Fecal microbiota transplantation resolves recurrent Clostridium difficile infections in greater than 82% of patients. Highly screened, processed universal donor fecal material is available. We compared cost and scheduling efficiency of fecal microbiota transplantation by universal donors to patient-directed donors. METHODS: Medical records from a prospectively maintained database of recurrent C. difficile patients who underwent fecal microbiota transplantation between 2012 and 2017 were reviewed retrospectively. Patient-directed donor stool was prepared in our microbiology laboratory using protocol-based screening. We transitioned to purchasing and using universal donor fecal material in 2015. Clinical outcomes, adverse events, time between consult to infusion, consultation fees, and material costs were compared. This was a retrospective comparison of two historical cohorts. RESULTS: A total of 111 fecal microbiota transplantations were performed on 105 patients (56 from patient-directed donors and 55 from universal donors). Median recipient age was 66 years (18-96) with male to female ratio of 1:2.7, equivalent in both cohorts. Total consultation fees were significantly lower in the universal donor group owing to fewer infectious disease consultations. Costs for donor screening and stool preparation were lower in the universal donor cohort ($485.0 vs. $1189.90 ± 541.4, p < 0.001, 95% CI 559.9-849.9). Time from consultations to infusion was shorter in the universal donor cohort (18.9 ± 19.1 vs. 36.4 ± 23.3 days, p < 0.001, 95% CI 9.521-25.591). Recurrences within 8 weeks after fecal microbiota transplantation were equivalent (p = 0.354). Adverse events were equivalent. CONCLUSIONS: Fecal microbiota transplantation using universal donors versus patient-directed donors for recurrent C. difficile showed comparable efficacy and short-term complications. The use of universal donors resulted in significant cost savings and scheduling efficiency.

Fecal Microbiota Transplantation: An Update on Clinical Practice.

Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) is an infusion in the colon, or the delivery through the upper gastrointestinal tract, of stool from a healthy donor to a recipient with a disease believed to be related to an unhealthy gut microbiome. FMT has been successfully used to treat recurrent Clostridium difficile infection (rCDI). The short-term success of FMT in rCDI has led to investigations of its application to other gastrointestinal disorders and extra-intestinal diseases with presumed gut dysbiosis. Despite the promising results of FMT in these conditions, several barriers remain, including determining the characteristics of a healthy microbiome, ensuring the safety of the recipient with respect to long-term outcomes, adequate monitoring of the recipient of fecal material, achieving high-quality control, and maintaining reasonable costs. For these reasons, establishing uniform protocols for stool preparation, finding the best modes of FMT administration, maintaining large databases of donors and recipients, and assuring that oral ingestion is equivalent to the more widely accepted colonoscopic infusion are issues that need to be addressed.

Outcomes of Infected versus Symptomatic Sterile Walled-Off Pancreatic Necrosis Treated with a Minimally Invasive Therapy.

Background/Aims: Acute pancreatitis complicated by walled-off necrosis (WON) is associated with high morbidity and mortality, and if infected, typically necessitates intervention. Clinical outcomes of infected WON have been described as poorer than those of symptomatic sterile WON. With the evolution of minimally invasive therapy, we sought to compare outcomes of infected to symptomatic sterile WON. Methods: We performed a retrospective cohort study examining patients who were undergoing dual-modality drainage as minimally invasive therapy for WON at a high-volume tertiary pancreatic center. The main outcome measures included mortality with a drain in place, length of hospital stay, admission to intensive care unit, and development of pancreatic fistulae. Results: Of the 211 patients in our analysis, 98 had infected WON. The overall mortality rate was 2.4%. Patients with infected WON trended toward higher mortality although not statistically significant (4.1% vs 0.9%, p=0.19). Patients with infected WON had longer length of hospitalization (29.8 days vs 17.3 days, p<0.01), and developed more spontaneous pancreatic fistulae (23.5% vs 7.8%, p<0.01). Multivariate analysis showed that infected WON was associated with higher odds of spontaneous pancreatic fistula formation (odds ratio, 2.65; 95% confidence interval, 1.20 to 5.85). Conclusions: This study confirms that infected WON has worse outcomes than sterile WON but also demonstrates that WON, once considered a significant cause of death, can be treated with good outcomes using minimally invasive therapy.

The ASGE grading system for ERCP can predict success and complication rates in a tertiary referral hospital.

BACKGROUND: The utility of the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE) grading scale assessing complexity of endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) has not been evaluated in clinical practice. METHODS: Patients that underwent ERCP between January 2015 and December 2015 were included. Procedural difficulty was graded according to the grading system proposed by the ASGE workshop. Technical success rates and complications were recorded. RESULTS: A total of 1355 ERCPs were performed on 934 patients. Patients were equally divided with respect to gender and had a mean age of 58 years (range 29-86). 391 cases were grade 1, 2 (29%), 695 were grade 3 (51%), and 269 were grade 4 (20%). Altered anatomy was observed in 88% of grade 4 patients. Cannulation was achieved in 98% of cases graded 1-3 and in 88% of cases graded 4 (p < 0.05). Complications were recorded in 10% of all cases with post-ERCP pancreatitis (5.4%) and procedure-related bleeding (1.5%) being the more common ones. No statistically significant difference was noted between the groups with regard to complications. Three perforations were seen in grade 1-3 cases (0.3%) compared to 4 cases in grade 4 cases (1.5%), (p = 0.01). CONCLUSION: The grading system proposed by the ASGE workshop can aid in predicting cannulation success and perforation rates in ERCP. Based on this retrospective study, the most complex ERCP procedures can be achieved with encouraging rates of success. There is a need to validate our study with prospective ones performed in other high-volume centers.

Process improvement for a complex dual medical procedure.

Pancreatic extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy followed by endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography is accepted worldwide as a treatment for a large, symptomatic, obstructing pancreatic stones. However, timely completion of the combined process requires coordination of equipment and personnel from two different complex procedures. We used Lean management tools in a week-long event to redesign the process around the patient. Using idea-generated Plan Do Study Act cycles to refine the process, from scheduling to postprocedure recovery, equipment and personnel were aligned to allow these two procedures to occur in immediate succession. The redesigned process resulted in all patients receiving both procedures without delay. This eliminated over 8 hours of wait time. Standard work and a newly created complex scheduler improved flow. We reduced the number of anaesthetics for patients without prolonging the procedure length.

Young patients with sporadic colorectal adenomas: current endoscopic surveillance practices and outcomes.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: For young individuals (age <40 years) without strong family histories that would put them at risk for genetic colorectal cancer syndromes, it is unclear if national Multi-Society Task Force surveillance recommendations apply or if endoscopists follow these guideline recommendations when such patients are incidentally found to have adenoma(s) on colonoscopy. METHODS: We reviewed records on young (age <40 years) patients, with either no family history or only a moderate family history (1 first-degree family member with colorectal cancer at age ≥50), who were found to have neoplastic polyp(s) on their index colonoscopy. We assessed the pattern of endoscopist surveillance recommendations, whether endoscopist recommendations complied with national guidelines, and compliance with surveillance recommendations. RESULTS: One hundred forty-one subjects were included, of whom 19 (13.5%) had a moderate family history of colorectal cancer. For patients with non-high-risk findings, 27.7% were asked to repeat their colonoscopy in ≤3 years and 99.0% within 5 years. Endoscopist surveillance recommendation compliance rates with national guidelines were >65.0% for low-risk neoplasia but lower for high-risk (40.0%), nonpolypoid (44.2%), and serrated neoplasia (54.2%, P < .001 for all). Subjects whose endoscopist recommendations were noncompliant with guidelines were usually recalled too early (96%). Only 24.7% of subjects were actually compliant with endoscopist surveillance recommendations. CONCLUSIONS: For young patients with neoplastic polyp(s) but no strong family history, most endoscopists complied with national guidelines and recommended repeat colonoscopy in 3 to 5 years. However, relatively few patients were compliant with repeat colonoscopy recommendations. For most cases that were noncompliant with guidelines, patients were recalled too early as opposed to too late.

The microbiology of infected pancreatic necrosis in the era of minimally invasive therapy.

We aimed to determine the microbiology of infected walled-off pancreatic necrosis (WON) in an era of minimally invasive treatment, since current knowledge is based on surgical specimens performed over two decades ago. We retrospectively analyzed a prospectively maintained database of patients who were treated for symptomatic WON using combined endoscopic and percutaneous drainage between 2008 and 2017. Aspirates from WON at initial treatment were evaluated. One hundred eighty-two patients were included with a mean age of 56 of whom 67% were male. Culture results were obtained at a median of 45 days from onset of acute pancreatitis of which 41% were infected. Candida spp. accounted for 27%; yet, multidrug-resistant organisms were found in only five patients. Approximately 64% were transferred to our institution for continuation of care. Of those, 55% were infected, most frequently with Candida spp., Enterococcus spp., and coagulase-negative Staphylococcus. Patients seen and admitted initially at our institution had milder forms of pancreatitis, fewer comorbidities, and 85% had symptomatic sterile WON. Empiric antibiotic use successfully predicted infection 70% of the time. Multivariate analysis demonstrated that elderly age, severity of pancreatitis, and prior use of antibiotics were indicators of infection. Necrotic pancreatic tissue remains sterile in the majority of cases treated with minimally invasive therapy, enabling judicious selection of antibiotics. Candida and Enterococcus spp. were common. Patients at highest risk for infection were previously treated with antibiotics and those transferred from outside institutions.

Optimizing duodenoscope reprocessing: rigorous assessment of a culture and quarantine protocol.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Iatrogenic infections related to duodenoscopes remain a top concern for medical centers where ERCP is performed. We assessed the long-term results and impact of key interventions in the optimization of a rigorous "culture and quarantine" program for duodenoscope reprocessing. METHODS: We reviewed a prospectively collected, quality assurance database of all duodenoscope cultures (n = 4307) obtained for the initial 3-year duration of culture and quarantine from 2014 to 2017 in a single U.S.-based, high-volume endoscopy center. All duodenoscopes were subject to manual cleaning and automated reprocessing and drying, followed by sampling using a modified protocol developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Duodenoscopes were cultured per-use. RESULTS: A total of 4307 duodenoscope cultures were obtained during the study period. High-concern organisms were isolated from 33 of these cultures, resulting in a .697% high-level disinfection defect rate. Statistically significant interventions included withdrawal of a high-frequency culture-positive duodenoscope (scope A) from clinical service in addition to implementation of new manufacturer-recommended cleaning protocols. Withdrawal of a second high-frequency culture-positive duodenoscope (scope B) and a mandatory device retrofit had no effect on the observed rate of positive duodenoscope cultures. CONCLUSIONS: Withdrawal of duodenoscopes with a high rate of culture positivity and optimizing manual cleaning practices have contributed to an overall decline in the high-level disinfection defect rate. A stringent culture and quarantine protocol allowed identification of the culprit endoscopes. There remains a much-needed role for an inexpensive and highly reliable method to check on the adequacy of reprocessing given the inherent complexity of these tasks.

Duration of antibiotic treatment after endoscopic ultrasound-guided drainage of walled-off pancreatic necrosis not affecting outcomes.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Although society guidelines recommend a short course of antibiotics after drainage of walled-off necrosis (WON), the exact duration is unclear. METHODS: This is a retrospective review of patients with no prior antibiotic exposure who underwent dual-modality drainage (DMD) for sterile WON from 2008 to 2017. Patients were grouped into short duration (SD, ≤5 days) versus long duration (LD, >5 days). The main outcome was the frequency of recurrent infections. RESULTS: Sixty-one patients (25 in the SD group and 36 in the LD group) were included. Patients in the two groups had comparable age, comorbidities, and severity of disease (P = 0.89). Patients in the SD group were treated with antibiotics for a median of 3 days compared with 8.5 days in the LD group. There were no differences in recurrent febrile episodes within 30 days of procedure-44% of SD group versus 39% of LD (P = 0.69). There was also no difference in time to resolution of WON (64 days for both groups, P = 0.72) or duration of hospitalization post-DMD (SD 7.7 days versus LD 7.5 days, P = 0.42). Three cases of Clostridium difficile colitis were observed in the LD group. CONCLUSIONS: Longer course of antibiotics seems to have similar outcomes compared with shorter courses in patients with WON treated with DMD. Prolonged-course therapy may predispose to secondary infections like C. difficile colitis. A randomized controlled trial is needed to evaluate the role and duration of peri-procedural antibiotics after drainage of sterile WON.