Urinary tract infections in a university hospital: pathogens and antibiotic susceptibility.

BACKGROUND: A substantial group of patients visit the emergency department (ED) with complaints of urinary tract infections (UTI). Treatment advice is based on national and local public health surveillance data. It is unclear whether this advice is adequate for hospitals with selected patient populations, such as university hospitals. METHODS: We performed a retrospective study on patients visiting the ED of the Erasmus University Medical Center (Erasmus MC) in the Netherlands from January 1st, 2013 until December 31st, 2014 with a suspected complicated UTI (cUTI) and positive urinary cultures. Patient data, data concerning the ED visit and microbiological data were analysed. RESULTS: 439 patients visited the ED, of whom 429 had a cUTI. Our results were compared with NethMap data. Distribution of uropathogens was comparable with the overall distribution in the Netherlands. Antibiotic susceptibility was comparable for intravenous antibiotics, but was lower for oral antibiotics. Susceptibility for empiric antibiotic therapy (i.e., cefuroxime and gentamyicin) was 96.2%. Pathogens differed from the index culture in 56.2% 104/185) of the urinary cultures available from the previous year. Using logistic regression, we found that a shorter time between last admission to the initiated antibiotic regimen was associated with lower susceptibility of cultured uropathogens. CONCLUSION: The distribution and antibiotic susceptibility of uropathogens for intravenous antibiotics in a Dutch university hospital is comparable with overall distribution in the Netherlands. Empiric antibiotic therapy in our local guideline appears to be an adequate antibiotic regimen for cUTI and we therefore recommend treating patients accordingly. Extension of the chosen regimen based on earlier cultured pathogens is advised, and narrowing of the antibiotic regimen strongly discouraged.

Clinical Interpretation of Urine Drug Tests: What Clinicians Need to Know About Urine Drug Screens.

Urine drug testing is frequently used in clinical, employment, educational, and legal settings and misinterpretation of test results can result in significant adverse consequences for the individual who is being tested. Advances in drug testing technology combined with a rise in the number of novel misused substances present challenges to clinicians to appropriately interpret urine drug test results. Authors searched PubMed and Google Scholar to identify published literature written in English between 1946 and 2016, using urine drug test, screen, false-positive, false-negative, abuse, and individual drugs of abuse as key words. Cited references were also used to identify the relevant literature. In this report, we review technical information related to detection methods of urine drug tests that are commonly used and provide an overview of false-positive/false-negative data for commonly misused substances in the following categories: cannabinoids, central nervous system (CNS) depressants, CNS stimulants, hallucinogens, designer drugs, and herbal drugs of abuse. We also present brief discussions of alcohol and tricyclic antidepressants as related to urine drug tests, for completeness. The goal of this review was to provide a useful tool for clinicians when interpreting urine drug test results and making appropriate clinical decisions on the basis of the information presented.

Urine drug testing results and paired oral fluid comparison from patients enrolled in long-term medication-assisted treatment in Tennessee.

Urine drug testing is recommended for individuals receiving medication-assisted treatment. It provides objective information for practitioners to consider and may serve as a protective factor against drug-related mortality. The primary objective of our study was to describe urine drug testing results for patients undergoing long-term medication-assisted treatment (≥6months). The secondary objective was to provide further evidence to establish oral fluid as a reliable alternative to urine. All subjects (n=639) included in the study were enrolled in one of five treatment centers in the state of Tennessee, and all urine specimens were positive for either methadone or buprenorphine. Nicotine (87%), caffeine (70%), marijuana (15%), alcohol (14%) and gabapentin (10%) were the most prevalent substances identified through urine drug testing. The presence of non-maintenance opioids (prescription and/or heroin) may represent relapse; these drugs were present in 10% of specimens tested. Evidence of illicit drug use (cocaine, heroin, marijuana and/or methamphetamine) was detected in 19% specimens. For 126 of the 639 subjects included in the study, paired oral fluid and urine test results were compared for agreement. Of the total paired urine and oral fluid tests, approximately 7% were positive for a drug in both specimen types and 91% were negative in both, resulting in an overall agreement of 98%. The study demonstrates continued use of illicit and commercially available medications in a medication-assisted treatment population undergoing long-term treatment. The results affirm the reliability of oral fluid as an alternative specimen type for compliance testing in this population.

Using Client's Routine Urinalysis Records From Multiple Treatment Systems to Model Five-Year Opioid Substitution Treatment Outcomes.

BACKGROUND: At global, national, and local level, the need for ongoing, timely and cost efficient, comprehensive drug treatment monitoring, and evaluation systems have clearly been well recognized. OBJECTIVES: To test the feasibility of linking laboratory data and client intake data and its usefulness for modeling retrospectively, for the first time, 5-year longitudinal drug treatment outcomes in an Irish opiate treatment setting. METHODS: A multisite, retrospective, longitudinal cohort study was implemented to evaluate outcomes for opiate users based on 1.7 million routine urinalysis results collected from 4,518 individuals presenting for opioid substitution treatment in Ireland from January 2006 to December 2010. RESULTS: Analysis of opiates, cocaine, benzodiazepine, and cannabis use at treatment intake, 6 months and at 1-5 year follow-ups revealed differences in urinalysis protocols; significant differences in age of first drug use between those using and not using opiates at 5 years; significant decreases in opiate use; increases in benzodiazepine use and significant increasing effects of concurrent cocaine and benzodiazepine use on the odds of using opiates. Time series analysis of weekly proportions opiate positive predicted 16% (95% confidence interval: 7%-25%) of clients would be opiate positive 5 years postinitial intake. CONCLUSIONS IMPORTANCE: Underutilized urinalysis data can be used to address the need for cost effective, efficient evidence of drug-treatment outcomes across time, place, and systems. Linking and matching the cross-sectional data across sites and times also revealed where improvements in electronic records could be made.

Larger differences in utilization of rarely requested tests in primary care in Spain.

INTRODUCTION: The study was performed to compare and analyze the inter-departmental variability in the request of rarely requested laboratory tests in primary care, as opposed to other more common and highly requested tests. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Data from production statistics for the year 2012 from 76 Spanish laboratories was used. The number of antinuclear antibodies, antistreptolysin O, creatinine, cyclic citrullinated peptide antibodies, deaminated peptide gliadine IgA antibodies, glucose, protein electrophoresis, rheumatoid factor, transglutaminase IgA antibodies, urinalysis and uric acid tests requested was collected. The number of test requests per 1000 inhabitants was calculated. In order to explore the variability the coefficient of quartile dispersion was calculated. RESULTS: The smallest variation was seen for creatinine, glucose, uric acid and urinalysis; the most requested tests. The tests that were least requested showed the greatest variability. CONCLUSION: Our study shows through a very simplified approach, in a population close to twenty million inhabitants, how in primary care, the variability in the request of laboratory tests is inversely proportional to the request rate.

Childhood urinary tract infection in primary care: a prospective observational study of prevalence, diagnosis, treatment, and recovery.

BACKGROUND: The prevalence of targeted and serendipitous treatment for, and associated recovery from, urinary tract infection (UTI) in pre-school children is unknown. AIM: To determine the frequency and suspicion of UTI in children who are acutely ill, along with details of antibiotic prescribing, its appropriateness, and whether that appropriateness impacted on symptom improvement and recovery. DESIGN AND SETTING: Prospective observational cohort study in primary care sites in urban and rural areas in England and Wales. METHOD: Systematic urine sampling from children aged <5 years presenting in primary care with acute illness with culture in NHS laboratories. RESULTS: Of 6079 children's urine samples, 339 (5.6%) met laboratory criteria for UTI and 162 (47.9%) were prescribed antibiotics at the initial consultation. In total, 576/7101 (8.1%) children were suspected of having a UTI prior to urine sampling, including 107 of the 338 with a UTI (clinician sensitivity 31.7%). Children with a laboratory-diagnosed UTI were more likely to be prescribed antibiotics when UTI was clinically suspected than when it was not (86.0% versus 30.3%, P<0.001). Of 231 children with unsuspected UTI, 70 (30.3%) received serendipitous antibiotics (that is, antibiotics prescribed for a different reason). Overall, 176 (52.1%) children with confirmed UTI did not receive any initial antibiotic. Organism sensitivity to the prescribed antibiotic was higher when UTI was suspected than when treated serendipitously (77.1% versus 26.0%; P<0.001). Children with UTI prescribed appropriate antibiotics at the initial consultation improved a little sooner than those with a UTI who were not prescribed appropriate antibiotics initially (3.5 days versus 4.0 days; P = 0.005). CONCLUSION: Over half of children with UTI on culture were not prescribed antibiotics at first presentation. Serendipitous UTI treatment was relatively common, but often inappropriate to the organism's sensitivity. Methods for improved targeting of antibiotic treatment in children who are acutely unwell are urgently needed.

Clinical significance of routine urinary bacterial culture after transurethral surgery: results of a prospective multicenter study.

OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to evaluate the prevalence and the clinical outcomes of asymptomatic postoperative bacteriuria after transurethral operations, along with the need for postoperative urinalysis. METHODS: A prospective study of 456 patients who underwent transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) or transurethral resection of the bladder (TURB) at 2 urological centers in France, between January 2008 and March 2009. All patients had urine cultures preoperatively, on the day of catheter removal, and at 1 month postoperatively. Only patients with symptoms suggesting a urinary tract infection were treated. Univariate logistic regression and multiple logistic regression were used to estimate the odds ratios and P values. RESULTS: TURP was performed in 217 patients, and TURB was performed in 239 patients. A total of 35 patients (7.6%) had positive postoperative urine cultures. Only 9 patients (1.9%) were treated. Patient age and postoperative catheterization duration were identified as risk factors for postoperative bacteriuria (OR = 1; 95% CI = 1.0-1.1; P = .03 and OR = 3.6; 95% CI = 2.3-5.7; P = .0001, respectively), and preoperative bacteriuria was not risk factor for postoperative bacteriuria (OR = 0.9; 95% CI = 0.3-1.4; P = .8). A total of 45 patients had a positive urinalysis at 1 month, and 29 presented an infectious complication during follow-up. A positive postoperative urinalysis was not a risk factor either for a positive urinalysis at 1 month or for an infectious complication during follow-up (OR = 3.2; 95% CI = 0.4-22.4, P = .2 and OR = 1.4; 95% CI = 0.4-4.9, P = .5, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Based on our study findings, postoperative bacteriuria is not a risk factor for infectious postoperative complications. Therefore, routine postoperative urinalysis should be advocated only in symptomatic patients.

Weight, age and coefficients of variation in renal solute excretion.

BACKGROUND: Homoscedasticity (constant variance over axes or among statistical factors) is an integral assumption of most statistical analyses. However, a number of empirical studies in model organisms and humans demonstrate significant differences in residual variance (that component of phenotype unexplained by known factors) or intra-individual variation among genotypes. Our work suggests that renal traits may be particularly susceptible to randomization by genetic and non-genetic factors, including endogenous variables like age and weight. METHODS: We tested associations between age, weight and intra-individual variation in urinary calcium, citrate, chloride, creatinine, potassium, magnesium, sodium, ammonium, oxalate, phosphorus, sulfate, uric acid and urea nitrogen in 9,024 male and 6,758 female kidney stone patients. Coefficients of variation (CVs) were calculated for each individual for each solute from paired 24-hour urines. Analysis of CVs was corrected for inter-measurement collection variance in creatinine and urine volume. CVs for sodium and urea nitrogen were included to correct for dietary salt and protein. RESULTS: Age was positively associated with individual CVs for calcium and negatively associated with CVs for potassium, ammonium and phosphorus (p(FDR) < 0.01). Weight was associated with CVs for creatinine, magnesium and uric acid, and negatively associated with CVs for calcium, potassium and oxalate (p(FDR) < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Intra-individual variation changes over age and weight axes for numerous urinary solutes. Changing residual variance over age and weight could cause bias in the detection or estimation of genetic or environmental effects. New methodologies may need to account for such residual unpredictability, especially in diverse collections.

Substance use disorders in a primary care sample receiving daily opioid therapy.

UNLABELLED: The primary goal of this paper was to present a comprehensive picture of substance use disorders in a sample of patients receiving opioid therapy from their primary care physician. A second goal was to determine the relation of positive urine screens and aberrant drug behaviors to opioid use disorders. The study recruited 801 adults receiving daily opioid therapy from the primary care practices of 235 family physicians and internists in 6 health care systems in Wisconsin. The 6 most common pain diagnoses were degenerative arthritis, low back pain, migraine headaches, neuropathy, and fibromyalgia. The point prevalence of current (DSM-IV criteria in the past 30 days) substance abuse and/or dependence was 9.7% (n=78) and 3.8% (30) for an opioid use disorder. A logistic regression model found that current substance use disorders were associated with age between 18 and 30 (OR=6.17: 1.99 to 19.12), severity of lifetime psychiatric disorders (OR=6.17; 1.99 to 19.12), a positive toxicology test for cocaine (OR=5.92; 2.60 to 13.50) or marijuana (OR=3.52; 1.85 to 6.73), and 4 aberrant drug behaviors (OR=11.48; 6.13 to 21.48). The final model for opioid use disorders was limited to aberrant behaviors (OR=48.27; 13.63 to 171.04) as the other variables dropped out of the model. PERSPECTIVE: This study found that the frequency of opioid use disorders was 4 times higher in patients receiving opioid therapy compared with general population samples (3.8% vs 0.9%). The study also provides quantitative data linking aberrant drug behaviors to opioid use disorders.

Adherence monitoring and drug surveillance in chronic opioid therapy.

Monitoring adherence with chronic opioid therapies is a critical yet often difficult task. Because chronic opioid therapy is often fraught with complex pharmacological, psychological, social, and legal issues, its application is often controversial or altogether avoided. Improved drug monitoring and surveillance may help reduce some of the reluctance to use chronic opioid therapy in patients with chronic pain states. We review the literature on patient adherence/compliance with chronic administration of opioids as well as novel methods by which adherence with opioid therapy can be measured.

Seasonal variations in urinary risk factors among patients with nephrolithiasis.

Twenty-four hour urine specimens from 5,677 stone-forming patients throughout the United States were analyzed for seasonal variations in urinary risk factors for nephrolithiasis. Determinations were performed for urine volume, pH, calcium, oxalate, phosphorus, sodium, magnesium, citrate, sulfate, uric acid, and the relative supersaturation (RS) of calcium oxalate, brushite, monosodium urate, and uric acid. Criteria for significant seasonal variation included a significant difference in monthly means of risk factors, seasonal grouping of the data by the Student-Newman-Keuls multiple range test, consistent year-to-year trends and a physiologically significant range. Minimum urine volume of 1.54 +/- 0.70 SD L/day occurred in October while a maximum urine volume of 1.76 +/- 0.78 SD L/day was observed during February. Minimum urine pH of 5.94 +/- 0.64 SD was observed during July and August while a maximum pH of 6.18 +/- 0.61 SD was observed during February. Daily urinary excretion of sodium was lowest during August, 158 +/- 74 SD mEq/day and highest during February 177 +/- 70 SD mEq/day. The RS of brushite and uric acid were found to display significant pH-dependent seasonal variation with a maximum RS of uric acid 2.26 +/- 1.98 SD in June and a low of 1.48 +/- 1.30 SD in February. Maximum RS of brushite 2.75 +/- 2.58 was observed during February. Minimum RS of brushite 1.93 +/- 1.70 SD was observed in June. Phosphorus excretion displayed seasonal variation about a spring-fall axis with a maximum value 1042 +/- 373 SD mg/day in April and a minimum value of 895 +/- 289 SD mg/day. Urine volume, sodium, and pH were significantly lower during the summer (June, July, August) than in the winter (December, January, February). The RS of uric acid was higher, but that of brushite and monosodium urate was lower in the summer than in the winter. The seasonal changes observed in urine volume, pH, sodium, and the RS of brushite and uric acid are consistent with summertime sweating and increased physical activity. Seasonal variations in phosphorus excretion are probably dietary in origin. The summertime was characterized by an increased propensity for the crystallization of uric acid but not of calcium oxalate or calcium phosphate.

Similarity of urinary risk factors among stone-forming patients in five regions of the United States.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To compare urinary biochemical risk factors among stone-forming patients in the Southeast (SE) or "stone belt" versus four other regions of the United States. DESIGN: Prospective biochemical survey for regional comparisons. SETTING: Referral-based nephrolithiasis clinics, urologists, nephrologists, and family practitioners. PATIENTS: Consecutive sample of 3473 stone-forming patients who submitted 24-hour urine collections for biochemical analyses of stone-forming risk factors. INTERVENTIONS: None. Subjects taking medication known to interfere with stone-forming risk factors were deleted from the final data compilation. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Overall, the mean values for each urinary parameter spanned a narrow range without significant difference between the five regions. Among "metabolic" factors, 40% in the SE had hypercalciuria (> 6.25 mmol/d), compared to 35%-43% in other regions, and hyperuricosuria (> 4.2 mmol/d) was found in 16% in the SE versus 17%-19% elsewhere. Among "environmental" factors, low urine volume ( < 2 L/d) was found in 77% patients in the SE compared to 69%-78% elsewhere, and high sodium was encountered in 27% in the SE versus 24%-29% elsewhere. No differences were noted in occurrence of other abnormal risk factors: hyperoxaluria, hypocitraturia, low pH, high sulfate, high phosphorus, or low magnesium. CONCLUSIONS: Despite expected regional differences in nutritional and environmental influences, the results of this study showed a striking similarity in urinary biochemical risk factor profiles of stone-formers in all five regions of the United States.