Lack of association of post-discharge prophylactic antibiotics with decreased risk of surgical site infection following spinal fusion.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the prevalence and factors associated with post-discharge prophylactic antibiotic use after spinal fusion and whether use was associated with decreased risk of surgical site infection (SSI). METHODS: Persons aged 10-64 years undergoing spinal fusion between 1 January 2010 and 30 June 2015 were identified in the MarketScan Commercial Database. Complicated patients and those coded for infection from 30 days before to 2 days after the surgical admission were excluded. Outpatient oral antibiotics were identified within 2 days of surgical discharge. SSI was defined using ICD-9-CM diagnosis codes within 90 days of surgery. Generalized linear models were used to determine factors associated with post-discharge prophylactic antibiotic use and with SSI. RESULTS: The cohort included 156 446 fusion procedures, with post-discharge prophylactic antibiotics used in 9223 (5.9%) surgeries. SSIs occurred after 2557 (1.6%) procedures. Factors significantly associated with post-discharge prophylactic antibiotics included history of lymphoma, diabetes, 3-7 versus 1-2 vertebral levels fused, and non-infectious postoperative complications. In multivariable analysis, post-discharge prophylactic antibiotic use was not associated with SSI risk after spinal fusion (relative risk 0.98; 95% CI 0.84-1.14). CONCLUSIONS: Post-discharge prophylactic oral antibiotics after spinal fusion were used more commonly in patients with major medical comorbidities, more complex surgeries and those with postoperative complications during the surgical admission. After adjusting for surgical complexity and infection risk factors, post-discharge prophylactic antibiotic use was not associated with decreased SSI risk. These results suggest that prolonged prophylactic antibiotic use should be avoided after spine surgery, given the lack of benefit and potential for harm.

Individualized Risk Prediction Tool for Serious Wound Complications After Mastectomy With and Without Immediate Reconstruction.

BACKGROUND: A greater proportion of patients with surgical risk factors are undergoing immediate breast reconstruction after mastectomy, resulting in the need for better risk prediction to inform decisions about the procedure. The objective of this study was to leverage clinical data to restructure a previously developed risk model to predict serious infectious and noninfectious wound complications after mastectomy alone and mastectomy plus immediate reconstruction for use during a surgical consultation. METHODS: The study established a cohort of women age 21 years or older treated with mastectomy from 1 July 2010 to 31 December 2015 using electronic health records from two hospitals. Serious infectious and non-infectious wound complications, defined as surgical-site infection, dehiscence, tissue necrosis, fat necrosis requiring hospitalization, or surgical treatment, were identified within 180 days after surgery. Risk factors for serious wound complications were determined using modified Poisson regression, with discrimination and calibration measures. Bootstrap validation was performed to correct for overfitting. RESULTS: Among 2159 mastectomy procedures, 1410 (65.3%) included immediate implant or flap reconstruction. Serious wound complications were identified after 237 (16.8%) mastectomy-plus-reconstruction and 30 (4.0%) mastectomy-only procedures. Independent risk factors for serious wound complications included immediate reconstruction, bilateral mastectomy, higher body mass index, depression, and smoking. The optimism-corrected C statistic of the risk prediction model was 0.735. CONCLUSIONS: Immediate reconstruction, bilateral mastectomy, obesity, depression, and smoking were significant risk factors for serious wound complications in this population of women undergoing mastectomy. Our risk prediction model can be used to counsel women before surgery concerning their individual risk of serious wound complications after mastectomy.

Impact of Baseline Characteristics on Future Episodes of Bloodstream Infections: Multistate Model in Septic Patients With Bloodstream Infections.

BACKGROUND: Looking only at the index infection, studies have described risk factors for infections caused by resistant bacteria. We hypothesized that septic patients with bloodstream infections may transition across states characterized by different microbiology and that their trajectory is not uniform. We also hypothesized that baseline risk factors may influence subsequent blood culture results. METHODS: All adult septic patients with positive blood cultures over a 7-year period were included in the study. Baseline risk factors were recorded. We followed all survivors longitudinally and recorded subsequent blood culture results. We separated states into bacteremia caused by gram-positive cocci, susceptible gram-negative bacilli (sGNB), resistant GNB (rGNB), and Candida spp. Detrimental transitions were considered when transitioning to a culture with a higher mortality risk (rGNB and Candida spp.). A multistate Markov-like model was used to determine risk factors associated with detrimental transitions. RESULTS: A total of 990 patients survived and experienced at least 1 transition, with a total of 4282 transitions. Inappropriate antibiotics, previous antibiotic exposure, and index bloodstream infection caused by either rGNB or Candida spp. were associated with detrimental transitions. Double antibiotic therapy (beta-lactam plus either an aminoglycoside or a fluoroquinolone) protected against detrimental transitions. CONCLUSION: Baseline characteristics that include prescribed antibiotics can identify patients at risk for subsequent bloodstream infections caused by resistant bacteria. By altering the initial treatment, we could potentially influence future bacteremic states.

Frequency of Instrument, Environment, and Laboratory Technologist Contamination during Routine Diagnostic Testing of Infectious Specimens.

Laboratory testing to support the care of patients with highly infectious diseases may pose a risk for laboratory workers. However, data on the risk of virus transmission during routine laboratory testing conducted using standard personal protective equipment (PPE) are sparse. Our objective was to measure laboratory contamination during routine analysis of patient specimens. Remnant specimens were spiked with the nonpathogenic bacteriophage MS2 at 1.0 × 107 PFU/ml, and contamination was assessed using reverse transcriptase PCR (RT-PCR) for MS2. Specimen containers were exteriorly coated with a fluorescent powder to enable the visualization of gross contamination using UV light. Testing was performed by two experienced laboratory technologists using standard laboratory PPE and sample-to-answer instrumentation. Fluorescence was noted on the gloves, bare hands, and laboratory coat cuffs of the laboratory technologist in 36/36 (100%), 13/36 (36%), and 4/36 (11%) tests performed, respectively. Fluorescence was observed in the biosafety cabinet (BSC) in 8/36 (22%) tests, on test cartridges/devices in 14/32 (44%) tests, and on testing accessory items in 29/32 (91%) tests. Fluorescence was not observed on or in laboratory instrumentation or adjacent surfaces. In contrast to fluorescence detection, MS2 detection was infrequent (3/286 instances [1%]) and occurred during test setup for the FilmArray instrument and on FilmArray accessory equipment. The information from this study may provide opportunities for the improvement of clinical laboratory safety practices so as to reduce the risk of pathogen transmission to laboratory workers.

Use of Quantile Regression to Determine the Impact on Total Health Care Costs of Surgical Site Infections Following Common Ambulatory Procedures.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the impact of surgical site infections (SSIs) on health care costs following common ambulatory surgical procedures throughout the cost distribution. BACKGROUND: Data on costs of SSIs following ambulatory surgery are sparse, particularly variation beyond just mean costs. METHODS: We performed a retrospective cohort study of persons undergoing cholecystectomy, breast-conserving surgery, anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction, and hernia repair from December 31, 2004 to December 31, 2010 using commercial insurer claims data. SSIs within 90 days post-procedure were identified; infections during a hospitalization or requiring surgery were considered serious. We used quantile regression, controlling for patient, operative, and postoperative factors to examine the impact of SSIs on 180-day health care costs throughout the cost distribution. RESULTS: The incidence of serious and nonserious SSIs was 0.8% and 0.2%, respectively, after 21,062 anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction, 0.5% and 0.3% after 57,750 cholecystectomy, 0.6% and 0.5% after 60,681 hernia, and 0.8% and 0.8% after 42,489 breast-conserving surgery procedures. Serious SSIs were associated with significantly higher costs than nonserious SSIs for all 4 procedures throughout the cost distribution. The attributable cost of serious SSIs increased for both cholecystectomy and hernia repair as the quantile of total costs increased ($38,410 for cholecystectomy with serious SSI vs no SSI at the 70th percentile of costs, up to $89,371 at the 90th percentile). CONCLUSIONS: SSIs, particularly serious infections resulting in hospitalization or surgical treatment, were associated with significantly increased health care costs after 4 common surgical procedures. Quantile regression illustrated the differential effect of serious SSIs on health care costs at the upper end of the cost distribution.

Longitudinal Study of the Effects of Bacteremia and Sepsis on 5-year Risk of Cardiovascular Events.

BACKGROUND: The long-term and cumulative effect of multiple episodes of bacteremia and sepsis across multiple hospitalizations on the development of cardiovascular (CV) events is uncertain. METHODS: We conducted a longitudinal study of 156 380 hospitalizations in 47 009 patients (≥18 years old) who had at least 2 inpatient admissions at an academic tertiary care center in St Louis, Missouri, from 1 January 2008 through 31 December 2012. We used marginal structural models, estimated by inverse probability weighting (IPW) of bacteremia or sepsis and IPW of censoring, to estimate the marginal causal effects of bacteremia and sepsis on developing the first observed incident CV event, including stroke, transient ischemic attack, and myocardial infarction (MI), during the study period. RESULTS: Bacteremia and sepsis occurred during 4923 (3.1%) and 5544 (3.5%) hospitalizations among 3932 (8.4%) and 4474 (9.5%) patients, respectively. CV events occurred in 414 (10.5%) and 538 (12.0%) patients with prior episodes of bacteremia or sepsis, respectively, vs 3087 (7.2%) and 2963 (7.0%) patients without prior episodes of bacteremia or sepsis. The causal odds of experiencing a CV event was 1.52-fold (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.21- to 1.90-fold) and 2.39-fold (95% CI, 1.88- to 3.03-fold) higher in patients with prior instances of bacteremia or sepsis, respectively, compared to those without. Prior instances of septic shock resulted in a 6.91-fold (95% CI, 5.34- to 8.93-fold) increase in the odds of MI. CONCLUSIONS: Prior instances of bacteremia and sepsis substantially increase the 5-year risk of CV events.

Targeted versus universal decolonization to prevent ICU infection.

BACKGROUND: Both targeted decolonization and universal decolonization of patients in intensive care units (ICUs) are candidate strategies to prevent health care-associated infections, particularly those caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). METHODS: We conducted a pragmatic, cluster-randomized trial. Hospitals were randomly assigned to one of three strategies, with all adult ICUs in a given hospital assigned to the same strategy. Group 1 implemented MRSA screening and isolation; group 2, targeted decolonization (i.e., screening, isolation, and decolonization of MRSA carriers); and group 3, universal decolonization (i.e., no screening, and decolonization of all patients). Proportional-hazards models were used to assess differences in infection reductions across the study groups, with clustering according to hospital. RESULTS: A total of 43 hospitals (including 74 ICUs and 74,256 patients during the intervention period) underwent randomization. In the intervention period versus the baseline period, modeled hazard ratios for MRSA clinical isolates were 0.92 for screening and isolation (crude rate, 3.2 vs. 3.4 isolates per 1000 days), 0.75 for targeted decolonization (3.2 vs. 4.3 isolates per 1000 days), and 0.63 for universal decolonization (2.1 vs. 3.4 isolates per 1000 days) (P=0.01 for test of all groups being equal). In the intervention versus baseline periods, hazard ratios for bloodstream infection with any pathogen in the three groups were 0.99 (crude rate, 4.1 vs. 4.2 infections per 1000 days), 0.78 (3.7 vs. 4.8 infections per 1000 days), and 0.56 (3.6 vs. 6.1 infections per 1000 days), respectively (P<0.001 for test of all groups being equal). Universal decolonization resulted in a significantly greater reduction in the rate of all bloodstream infections than either targeted decolonization or screening and isolation. One bloodstream infection was prevented per 54 patients who underwent decolonization. The reductions in rates of MRSA bloodstream infection were similar to those of all bloodstream infections, but the difference was not significant. Adverse events, which occurred in 7 patients, were mild and related to chlorhexidine. CONCLUSIONS: In routine ICU practice, universal decolonization was more effective than targeted decolonization or screening and isolation in reducing rates of MRSA clinical isolates and bloodstream infection from any pathogen. (Funded by the Agency for Healthcare Research and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; REDUCE MRSA ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT00980980).

Development of a Risk Prediction Model to Individualize Risk Factors for Surgical Site Infection After Mastectomy.

BACKGROUND: Little data are available regarding individual patients' risk of surgical site infection (SSI) following mastectomy with or without immediate reconstruction. Our objective was to develop a risk prediction model for mastectomy-related SSI. METHODS: Using commercial claims data, we established a cohort of women <65 years of age who underwent a mastectomy from 1 January 2004-31 December 2011. International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification diagnosis codes were used to identify SSI within 180 days after surgery. SSI risk factors were determined with multivariable logistic regression using derivation data from 2004-2008 and validated with 2009-2011 data using discrimination and calibration measures. RESULTS: In the derivation cohort, 595 SSIs were identified in 7607 (7.8 %) women, and 396 SSIs were coded in 4366 (9.1 %) women in the validation cohort. Independent risk factors for SSIs included rural residence, rheumatologic disease, depression, diabetes, hypertension, liver disease, obesity, pre-existing pneumonia or urinary tract infection, tobacco use disorder, smoking-related diseases, bilateral mastectomy, and immediate reconstruction. Receipt of home healthcare was associated with lower risk. The model performed equally in the validation cohort per discrimination (C-statistics 0.657 and 0.649) and calibration (Hosmer-Lemeshow p = 0.091 and 0.462 for derivation and validation, respectively). Three risk strata were created based on predicted SSI risk, which demonstrated good correlation with the proportion of observed infections in the strata. CONCLUSIONS: We developed and internally validated an SSI risk prediction model that can be used to counsel women with regard to their individual risk of SSI post-mastectomy. Immediate reconstruction, diabetes, and smoking-related diseases were important risk factors for SSI in this non-elderly population of women undergoing mastectomy.

Pharmacoepidemiology of cytomegalovirus prophylaxis in a large retrospective cohort of kidney transplant recipients with Medicare Part D coverage.

We assembled a cohort of 21 117 kidney transplant patients from July 2006 to June 2011 with Medicare Part D coverage using US Renal Database System data to determine real-world use of cytomegalovirus (CMV) prophylaxis. CMV prophylaxis was defined as filled prescriptions for daily oral valganciclovir (≤900 mg), ganciclovir (≤3 g), or valacyclovir (6-8 g) within 28 d of transplant. Multilevel logistic regression analyses were performed to determine factors associated with CMV prophylaxis. CMV prophylaxis (97% valganciclovir) was identified in 61% of kidney transplant recipients (median duration, 64 d); 71% of seronegative recipients of kidneys from seropositive donors (D+/R-); 63% of R+ patients; 60% of patients with unknown serostatus; and 34% of D-/R- patients. Variability in usage of prophylaxis among transplant centers was greater than variability within transplant centers. One in four transplant centers prescribed CMV prophylaxis to >60% of their D-/R- patients. CMV donor/recipient serostatus, lymphocyte-depleting agents for induction and mycophenolate for maintenance were associated with CMV prophylaxis. CMV prophylaxis was commonly used among kidney transplant recipients. Routine prescription of CMV prophylaxis to D-/R- patients may have occurred in some transplant centers. Limiting unnecessary use of CMV prophylaxis may decrease healthcare costs and drug-related harms.

Bayesian estimation of the accuracy of ICD-9-CM- and CPT-4-based algorithms to identify cholecystectomy procedures in administrative data without a reference standard.

PURPOSE: To estimate the accuracy of two algorithms to identify cholecystectomy procedures using International Classification of Diseases, 9th Edition, Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM) and Current Procedural Terminology (CPT-4) codes in administrative data. METHODS: Private insurer medical claims for 30 853 patients 18-64 years with an inpatient hospitalization between 2006 and 2010, as indicated by providers/facilities place of service in addition to room and board charges, were cross-classified according to the presence of codes for cholecystectomy. The accuracy of ICD-9-CM- and CPT-4-based algorithms was estimated using a Bayesian latent class model. RESULTS: The sensitivity and specificity were 0.92 [probability interval (PI): 0.92, 0.92] and 0.99 (PI: 0.97, 0.99) for ICD-9-CM-, and 0.93 (PI: 0.92, 0.93) and 0.99 (PI: 0.97, 0.99) for CPT-4-based algorithms, respectively. The parallel-joint scheme, where positivity of either algorithm was considered a positive outcome, yielded a sensitivity and specificity of 0.99 (PI: 0.99, 0.99) and 0.97 (PI: 0.95, 0.99), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Both ICD-9-CM- and CPT-4-based algorithms had high sensitivity to identify cholecystectomy procedures in administrative data when used individually and especially in a parallel-joint approach.

THE EPIDEMIOLOGY AND OUTCOMES OF BREAST CANCER SURGERY.

We studied women after breast-conserving surgery and mastectomy with immediate (IR) and delayed reconstruction to determine the risk of surgical site infections (SSIs). The SSI rate was 1.3% for BCS, 5.2% for mastectomy, and 10.3% for mastectomy plus IR with flap. SSI risk was higher for mastectomy and IR with implantation versus delayed reconstruction with implantation (8.8% versus 5.9%, P = 0.039) or staged reconstruction with implantation (3.3%, P <0.001). Women with SSI had more SSIs after second-staged reconstruction and implantation compared to those without SSI (10.9% versus 2.7%, P <0.001). SSI was first coded 2 to 30 days postoperatively in 50.3%, and 23% between 31 and 60 days postoperatively. The noninfectious wound complication rate was 10.8%. The noninfectious wound complication rate was 5.8% after mastectomy, 13.4% after mastectomy with implantation, 18.7% after mastectomy with flap, and 15.2% with mastectomy flap and implantation (P <0.001). Implants were removed within 60 days in 6% of mastectomies with implantation.

The preventability of ventilator-associated events. The CDC Prevention Epicenters Wake Up and Breathe Collaborative.

RATIONALE: The CDC introduced ventilator-associated event (VAE) definitions in January 2013. Little is known about VAE prevention. We hypothesized that daily, coordinated spontaneous awakening trials (SATs) and spontaneous breathing trials (SBTs) might prevent VAEs. OBJECTIVES: To assess the preventability of VAEs. METHODS: We nested a multicenter quality improvement collaborative within a prospective study of VAE surveillance among 20 intensive care units between November 2011 and May 2013. Twelve units joined the collaborative and implemented an opt-out protocol for nurses and respiratory therapists to perform paired daily SATs and SBTs. The remaining eight units conducted surveillance alone. We measured temporal trends in VAEs using generalized mixed effects regression models adjusted for patient-level unit, age, sex, reason for intubation, Sequential Organ Failure Assessment score, and comorbidity index. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: We tracked 5,164 consecutive episodes of mechanical ventilation: 3,425 in collaborative units and 1,739 in surveillance-only units. Within collaborative units, significant increases in SATs, SBTs, and percentage of SBTs performed without sedation were mirrored by significant decreases in duration of mechanical ventilation and hospital length-of-stay. There was no change in VAE risk per ventilator day but significant decreases in VAE risk per episode of mechanical ventilation (odds ratio [OR], 0.63; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.42-0.97) and infection-related ventilator-associated complications (OR, 0.35; 95% CI, 0.17-0.71) but not pneumonias (OR, 0.51; 95% CI, 0.19-1.3). Within surveillance-only units, there were no significant changes in SAT, SBT, or VAE rates. CONCLUSIONS: Enhanced performance of paired, daily SATs and SBTs is associated with lower VAE rates. Clinical trial registered with www.clinicaltrials.gov (NCT 01583413).

Modification of claims-based measures improves identification of comorbidities in non-elderly women undergoing mastectomy for breast cancer: a retrospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Accurate identification of underlying health conditions is important to fully adjust for confounders in studies using insurer claims data. Our objective was to evaluate the ability of four modifications to a standard claims-based measure to estimate the prevalence of select comorbid conditions compared with national prevalence estimates. METHODS: In a cohort of 11,973 privately insured women aged 18-64 years with mastectomy from 1/04-12/11 in the HealthCore Integrated Research Database, we identified diabetes, hypertension, deficiency anemia, smoking, and obesity from inpatient and outpatient claims for the year prior to surgery using four different algorithms. The standard comorbidity measure was compared to revised algorithms which included outpatient medications for diabetes, hypertension and smoking; an expanded timeframe encompassing the mastectomy admission; and an adjusted time interval and number of required outpatient claims. A χ2 test of proportions was used to compare prevalence estimates for 5 conditions in the mastectomy population to national health survey datasets (Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System and the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey). Medical record review was conducted for a sample of women to validate the identification of smoking and obesity. RESULTS: Compared to the standard claims algorithm, use of the modified algorithms increased prevalence from 4.79 to 6.79 % for diabetes, 14.75 to 24.87 % for hypertension, 4.23 to 6.65 % for deficiency anemia, 1.78 to 12.87 % for smoking, and 1.14 to 6.31 % for obesity. The revised estimates were more similar, but not statistically equivalent, to nationally reported prevalence estimates. Medical record review revealed low sensitivity (17.86 %) to capture obesity in the claims, moderate negative predictive value (NPV, 71.78 %) and high specificity (99.15 %) and positive predictive value (PPV, 90.91 %); the claims algorithm for current smoking had relatively low sensitivity (62.50 %) and PPV (50.00 %), but high specificity (92.19 %) and NPV (95.16 %). CONCLUSIONS: Modifications to a standard comorbidity measure resulted in prevalence estimates that were closer to expected estimates for non-elderly women than the standard measure. Adjustment of the standard claims algorithm to identify underlying comorbid conditions should be considered depending on the specific conditions and the patient population studied.

Delayed-onset cytomegalovirus disease coded during hospital readmission in a multicenter, retrospective cohort of liver transplant recipients.

Delayed-onset cytomegalovirus (CMV) disease can occur among liver transplant recipients after CMV prophylaxis is stopped. We hypothesized that delayed-onset CMV disease (>100 days after transplant) occurs more commonly than early-onset CMV disease and is associated with clinical sepsis and death. Using 2004-2010 International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification billing data from 4 Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project state inpatient databases, we assembled a large and more representative cohort of 7229 adult liver transplant recipients from 26 transplant centers, and we identified demographics, comorbidities, CMV disease, and clinical sepsis coded during readmission and inpatient death. Multivariate analysis was performed with Cox proportional hazards models. Delayed-onset CMV disease occurred in 4.3% (n = 309), whereas early-onset CMV disease occurred in 2% (n = 142). Delayed-onset CMV disease was associated with previous transplant failure or rejection [adjusted hazard ratio (aHR), 1.4; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.1-1.7]. Clinical sepsis > 100 days after transplant was associated with previous CMV disease (aHR, 1.3; 95% CI; 1.0-1.7), previous transplant failure or rejection (aHR, 2.1; 95% CI; 1.8-2.4), female sex (aHR, 1.3; 95% CI; 1.1-1.5), and several comorbidities. Death > 100 days after transplant was associated with delayed-onset CMV disease (aHR, 2.0; 95% CI; 1.6-2.6), transplant failure or rejection (aHR, 4.3; 95% CI; 3.4-5.5), increasing age by decade (aHR, 1.1; 95% CI; 1.0-1.2), and some comorbidities. In conclusion, delayed-onset CMV disease is more common than early-onset CMV disease among liver transplant recipients. Previous CMV disease may be a risk factor for clinical sepsis > 100 days after transplant, and delayed-onset CMV disease may be a risk factor for death > 100 days after transplant.

Increased Risk of Surgical Site Infection Among Breast-Conserving Surgery Re-excisions.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to determine the risk of surgical site infection (SSI) after primary breast-conserving surgery (BCS) versus re-excision among women with carcinoma in situ or invasive breast cancer. METHODS: We established a retrospective cohort of women aged 18-64 years with International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM) procedure or Current Procedural Terminology, 4th edition (CPT-4) codes for BCS from 29 June 2004 to 31 December 2010. Prior insurance plan enrollment of at least 180 days was required to establish the index BCS; subsequent re-excisions within 180 days were identified. SSIs occurring 2-90 days after BCS were identified by ICD-9-CM diagnosis codes. The attributable surgery was defined based on SSI onset compared with the BCS date(s). A χ (2) test and generalized estimating equations model were used to compare the incidence of SSI after index and re-excision BCS procedures. RESULTS: Overall, 23,001 women with 28,827 BCSs were identified; 23.2 % of women had more than one BCS. The incidence of SSI was 1.82 % (418/23,001) for the index BCS and 2.44 % (142/5,826) for re-excision BCS (p = 0.002). The risk of SSI after re-excision remained significantly higher after accounting for multiple procedures within a woman (odds ratio 1.34, 95 % confidence interval 1.07-1.68). CONCLUSIONS: Surgeons need to be aware of the increased risk of SSI after re-excision BCS compared with the initial procedure. Our results suggest that risk adjustment of SSI rates for re-excision would allow for better comparison of BCS SSI rates between institutions.

Temporal trends in the systemic inflammatory response syndrome, sepsis, and medical coding of sepsis.

BACKGROUND: Recent reports using administrative claims data suggest the incidence of community- and hospital-onset sepsis is increasing. Whether this reflects changing epidemiology, more effective diagnostic methods, or changes in physician documentation and medical coding practices is unclear. METHODS: We performed a temporal-trend study from 2008 to 2012 using administrative claims data and patient-level clinical data of adult patients admitted to Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis, Missouri. Temporal-trend and annual percent change were estimated using regression models with autoregressive integrated moving average errors. RESULTS: We analyzed 62,261 inpatient admissions during the 5-year study period. 'Any SIRS' (i.e., SIRS on a single calendar day during the hospitalization) and 'multi-day SIRS' (i.e., SIRS on 3 or more calendar days), which both use patient-level data, and medical coding for sepsis (i.e., ICD-9-CM discharge diagnosis codes 995.91, 995.92, or 785.52) were present in 35.3 %, 17.3 %, and 3.3 % of admissions, respectively. The incidence of admissions coded for sepsis increased 9.7 % (95 % CI: 6.1, 13.4) per year, while the patient data-defined events of 'any SIRS' decreased by 1.8 % (95 % CI: -3.2, -0.5) and 'multi-day SIRS' did not change significantly over the study period. Clinically-defined sepsis (defined as SIRS plus bacteremia) and severe sepsis (defined as SIRS plus hypotension and bacteremia) decreased at statistically significant rates of 5.7 % (95 % CI: -9.0, -2.4) and 8.6 % (95 % CI: -4.4, -12.6) annually. All-cause mortality, SIRS mortality, and SIRS and clinically-defined sepsis case fatality did not change significantly during the study period. Sepsis mortality, based on ICD-9-CM codes, however, increased by 8.8 % (95 % CI: 1.9, 16.2) annually. CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of sepsis, defined by ICD-9-CM codes, and sepsis mortality increased steadily without a concomitant increase in SIRS or clinically-defined sepsis. Our results highlight the need to develop strategies to integrate clinical patient-level data with administrative data to draw more accurate conclusions about the epidemiology of sepsis.

Rates and timing of central venous cannulation among patients with sepsis and respiratory arrest admitted by the emergency department*.

OBJECTIVES: Clinical guidelines for the acute management of emergency department patients with severe sepsis encourage the placement of central venous catheters. Data examining the timing of central venous catheter insertion among critically ill patients admitted from the emergency department are limited. We examined the hypothesis that prompt central venous catheter insertion during hospitalization among patients admitted from the emergency department acts as a surrogate marker for early aggressive care in the management of critically ill patients. DESIGN: Retrospective cross-sectional analysis of emergency department visits using 2003-2006 discharge data from California, State Inpatient Databases, Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. SETTING: General medical or general surgical hospitals (n = 310). PATIENTS: Patient hospitalizations beginning in the emergency department with the two most common diagnoses associated with central venous catheter (sepsis and respiratory arrest). INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: We identified the occurrence and timing of central venous catheter using International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision, Clinical Modifications procedure codes. The primary outcomes measured were annual central venous catheters per 1,000 hospitalizations that began in the emergency department occurring emergently (procedure day 0), urgently (procedure day 1-2), or late (procedure day 3 or later). A total of 129,288 hospital discharges had evidence of central venous catheter. In 2003, 5,759 central venous catheters were placed emergently compared with 10,469 in 2006. The rate of emergent central venous catheter/1,000 increased annually from 228 in 2003, 239 in 2004, 257 in 2005, up to 269 in 2006. Urgent and late central venous catheter rates trended down (p < 0.001). In a multilevel model, the odds of undergoing emergent central venous catheter relative to 2003 increased annually: 1.08 (95% CI, 1.03-1.12) in 2004, 1.19 (95% CI, 1.14-1.23) in 2005, and 1.28 (95% CI, 1.23-1.33) in 2006. CONCLUSIONS: Central venous catheters are inserted earlier and more frequently among critically ill patients admitted from the emergency department. Earlier central venous catheter insertion may require systematic changes to meet increasing utilization and enhanced mechanisms to measure central venous catheter outcomes.

Impact of Gram-Negative Bacilli Resistance Rates on Risk of Death in Septic Shock and Pneumonia.

Background: Sepsis is a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. When selecting empiric antibiotics for sepsis, clinicians are encouraged to use local resistance rates, but their impact on individual outcomes is unknown. Improved methods to predict outcomes are needed to optimize treatment selection and improve antibiotic stewardship. Methods: We expanded on a previously developed theoretical model to estimate the excess risk of death in gram-negative bacilli (GNB) sepsis due to discordant antibiotics using 3 factors: the prevalence of GNB in sepsis, the rate of antibiotic resistance in GNB, and the mortality difference between discordant and concordant antibiotic treatments. We focused on ceftriaxone, cefepime, and meropenem as the anti-GNB treatment backbone in sepsis, pneumonia, and urinary tract infections. We analyzed both publicly available data and data from a large urban hospital. Results: Publicly available data were weighted toward culture-positive cases. Excess risk of death with discordant antibiotics was highest in septic shock and pneumonia. In septic shock, excess risk of death was 4.53% (95% confidence interval [CI], 4.04%-5.01%), 0.6% (95% CI, .55%-.66%), and 0.19% (95% CI, .16%-.21%) when considering resistance to ceftriaxone, cefepime, and meropenem, respectively. Results were similar in pneumonia. Local data, which included culture-negative cases, showed an excess risk of death in septic shock of 0.75% (95% CI, .57%-.93%) for treatment with discordant antibiotics in ceftriaxone-resistant infections and 0.18% (95% CI, .16%-.21%) for cefepime-resistant infections. Conclusions: Estimating the excess risk of death for specific sepsis phenotypes in the context of local resistance rates, rather than relying on population resistance data, may be more informative in deciding empiric antibiotics in GNB infections.