Association between antibiotic pressure and the risk of colonization/infection by multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii complex: a time series analysis.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the association between antibiotic pressure and the risk of colonization/infection by Acinetobacter baumannii complex (AB), evaluating both the individual and general prescriptions of antibiotics. METHODS: This is an analytical, observational, case-control study on patients admitted to an Intensive Care Unit (ICU) during an AB outbreak (14 months). A five-year time series was constructed with the monthly incidence of cases of infection/colonization with strains of AB resistant to each antibiotic administered and with the monthly consumption of these antibiotics in the ICU. RESULTS: We identified 40 patients either infected (23) or colonized (17) by AB and 73 controls. We found an epidemic multidrug-resistant clone of AB in 75% of cases. Risk factors associated with the development of AB infection/colonization were: greater use of medical instruments, the presence of a tracheostomy, cutaneous ulcers, surgical lesions and prior antibiotic therapies. The regression analysis of individual use of antibiotics showed that prior treatment with ceftazidime, ceftriaxone, amoxicillin/clavulanate, imipenem, levofloxacin, linezolid, and vancomycin was a risk factor for acquiring AB. ARIMA models showed that the relationship were greatest and statistically significant when the treatment occurred between 6 months (ceftazidime) and 9 months (imipenem and levofloxacin) prior. CONCLUSIONS: The dynamic and aggregate relationship between the incidence of infection/colonization by multidrug-resistant strains of AB and prior antibiotic treatment was statistically significant for intervals of 6 to 9 months.

[Study of rituximab efficacy, cost, safety, and compliance of its package leaflet in a tertiary hospital]. / Estudio de adecuación a la ficha técnica, efectividad, seguridad y coste del rituximab en un hospital de tercer nivel.

INTRODUCTION: The appearance of monoclonal antibodies, and specifically, rituximab, has provided a new approach to treating non-Hodgkin's lymphomas and rheumatoid arthritis. The purpose of this study is to analyse whether this drug is used according to its package leaflet in clinical practice, evaluate the treatment's efficacy and determine its cost. METHODS: Ambispective, observational single-centre study of medication use set up as a prescription evaluation for the indication of rituximab in a tertiary hospital between March 2003 and 31 December 2007. RESULTS: 82 of the 221 patients who were treated (37.1 %) received the drug for a condition that does not appear in the package leaflet. 51.1 % and 27.5 % of response and progression were registered for approved diagnoses and 34.9 % and 47 % for non-approved diagnoses; the death rate was 25.3 % and 41.5 % respectively. The mean cost per treatment episode was the highest for idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (11,683 euro), whilst the highest treatment cost per patient was associated with follicular lymphoma (15,940 euro). DISCUSSION: We found that the main cause of the high rate of non-compliance with the package leaflet is patient lack of response to standard treatments, together with clinical practice guides that support the use of rituximab for conditions other than those for which it is indicated. Nevertheless, most of the clinical trials evaluating the efficacy of rituximab for these unauthorized diagnostic profiles have poor methodology, are in phase II, are open studies, have low patient numbers, or in some cases, are not comparative.

[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.

[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%.