[Economic evaluation of the Alfred 60/AST device implantation for bacterial growth detection with automatic sewing machine]. / Evaluación económica de la implantación del autoanalizador Alfred 60/AST de detección de crecimiento bacteriano con sembrador automático.

OBJECTIVE: It is becoming increasingly necessary to automatize screening of urine samples to culture at Microbiology laboratories. Our objective was to estimate the budget threshold from which the Alfred 60/AST device would be profitable for our hospital. METHODS: Cost minimization study by decision trees, carried out in a General Hospital. The cost of traditional urine culture and urine processing using Alfred-60/AST were compared. Traditional processing involves the culture of all urine specimens received onto blood and MacConkey agar, and identification of every microorganism isolated by Vitek-2 system. The autoanalyzer would only inoculate the positive urines onto a chromogenic media, directly identifying the Escherichia coli isolates. RESULTS: The variables with the greatest economic impact in the model were the probability of obtaining a positive culture, the prevalence of E. coli in the urine cultures and the cost per sample using Alfred-60/AST. The multivariate sensitivity analysis showed that the model was solid. The bivariate sensitivity analysis showed that the model is suceptible to cost modification, mainly of the automatic device. At a threshold value of 1.40 euros/determination, the automatic processing would decrease the annual costs in 2,879 euros. CONCLUSIONS: The introduction of the Alfred-60/AST device in our laboratory at 1.40 euros/determination would reduce urine processing workload, saving time and costs.

[Monoclonal spread of multi-drug resistant CTX-M-15-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae. Impact of measures to control the outbreak]. / Diseminación monoclonal de Klebsiella pneumoniae productora de CTX-M-15 multirresistente. Impacto de las medidas para controlar el brote.

OBJECTIVE: To describe an outbreak of multi-drug resistant extended-spectrum ß-lactamases-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae (MDR-ESBL-KPN) and the impact of measures for its control. METHODS: We reviewed the patients´ clinical records with MDR-ESBL-KPN isolation during 2013-2016 with resistance to fluoroquinolones, aminoglycosides, fosfomycin, and nitrofurantoin; susceptible to imipenem, meropenem, colistin, and tigecycline and variable to ertapenem and cotrimoxazole (Vitek-2). The genetic relationship between 35 isolates was established by PFGE and MLST. Control measures were put in place in January 2016. RESULTS: We detected 269 patients colonized and/or infected by KPN-ESBL-MDR with a common resistance phenotype; the strains studied carried the blaCTX-M-15 gene and formed a single cluster belonging to ST11. The outbreak was detected at the end of 2015, although it began in 2013 in an elderly center. The acquisition source of the strains was: 6% community-acquired, 37% hospital-acquired (76% in internal medicine) and 57% related to long health care facilities (78% of hospitalizations in the last year). Ninety-four percent of patients had at least one underlying disease, 90% received antibiotics previously and 49% had some invasive devices. After the introduction of control measures, the incidence of cases in the quarter was reduced from 29 to 15. CONCLUSIONS: We detected a monoclonal outbreak of MDR-CTX-M-15-KPN in 2015, with predominance of health-care associated cases. The success in the rapid spread of the outbreak was due to the delay in its detection and to the fact that most of the patients had previously received antibiotics. The control measures reduced the number of isolates by 50%.

[Results of the implementation of an Antimicrobial Stewardship Program in the "Gerencia de Atención Integrada" of Alcazar de San Juan (Castilla La Mancha)]. / Resultados de la implantación de un Programa de Optimización de Antimicrobianos en la Gerencia de Atención Integrada de Alcázar de San Juan (Castilla La Mancha).

OBJECTIVE: Our aim was to evaluate the efficiency of an ASP after its implementation in 2016 in a Spanish hospital quality system. METHODS: Efficiency of the ASP was measured by process and outcome indicators at the level of the patient's quality of life, antimicrobial consumption and percentage of resistance to them during the 2016-2017 period. In 2017, the failures mode and effects analysis (FMEA) methodology was applied. An annual satisfaction survey was conducted. RESULTS: The clinical indicators were within the threshold of acceptability, as well as the empirical prescription of antimicrobials, the consumption of antibiotics (reduction of 77 DDD in the first semester of 2016 to 26 in the second semester of 2017) and the renal (gentamicin) and neurological (carbapenems) toxicity. The FMEA identified as a main risk the lack of adequacy of the empirical treatment once the antibiogram was obtained; thus, a corrective action was taken in 2017. Regarding the microbiological indicators, the incidence of multi-drug resistant and carbapenemase-producing enterobacteria, and that of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, were reduced. Eighty-three percent of the counselling activities carried out were accepted. The surveys revealed a good acceptance and spread of the program, the need for protocols and training in the use of antibiotics. CONCLUSIONS: The implementation of the ASP in the quality system was efficient. The consumption of antibiotics and the adverse effects derived from their use were reduced, improving the quality of life of patients, and reducing health costs.