Phototherapy for atopic dermatitis: A survey of European practice.

BACKGROUND: Phototherapy is used to treat atopic dermatitis (AD). Evidence for its efficacy, impact on quality of life, cost-effectiveness and short- and long-term safety with real-life usage is weak. OBJECTIVES: We established a taskforce to examine how phototherapy is currently being used as a treatment for AD across the United Kingdom and Europe to inform our understanding and guide future research into management of patients with AD using UV-based phototherapies. METHODS: An anonymous electronic multiple-response survey exploring phototherapy prescribing practices and experience of phototherapy modalities was developed by the study authors and sent to members of phototherapy networks from the United Kingdom and Europe. Responses were received between February and July 2021. RESULTS: About 144 respondents from 27 European countries completed the survey. NBUVB was the most widely used [n = 138 (96%)]. Home-based NBUVB was available in 8/27 countries (25/144 respondents, 17%). Oral psoralen-UVA (PUVA) was more widely available than bath PUVA (n = 106, 74% vs. n = 60, 42%) and used mainly in adult patients. 49/144 (34%) of respondents had access to UVA1. Phototherapy would be considered instead of systemic treatment in 96% of adults and 82% of children for NBUVB, versus 40% of adults and 3% of children for PUVA. Starting doses, standard dosing increments, length of treatment courses, lifetime limits for treatments and thresholds for performing annual skin assessments varied between responders. CONCLUSIONS: NBUVB was the most widely used phototherapy for AD in adult and paediatric patients, while PUVA and UVA1 were less used. Prescribing practices varied considerably, highlighting the lack of consensus practice in many different aspects of phototherapy for the treatment of AD in children and adults. This indicates that further studies are required to determine optimal phototherapeutic regimens for AD and informs our understanding of parameters that should be included in future high-quality randomized controlled trials (RCT) of phototherapy.

Spray Cryotherapy for Benign Large Airway Stenosis: A Multicenter Retrospective Cohort Study of Safety and Practice Patterns.

BACKGROUND: Benign airway stenosis (BAS) represents a significant burden on patients, providers, and healthcare systems. Spray cryotherapy (SCT) has been proposed as an adjunctive treatment to reduce BAS recurrence. We sought to examine safety and practice variations of the latest SCT system when used for BAS. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective multicenter cohort study in seven academic institutions within the Interventional Pulmonary Outcomes Group. All patients who underwent at least one SCT session with a diagnosis of BAS at the time of procedure at these institutions were included. Demographics, procedure characteristics, and adverse events were captured through each center's procedural database and electronic health record. RESULTS: A total of 102 patients underwent 165 procedures involving SCT from 2013 to 2022. The most frequent etiology of BAS was iatrogenic (n = 36, 35%). In most cases, SCT was used prior to other standard BAS interventions (n = 125; 75%). The most frequent SCT actuation time per cycle was five seconds. Pneumothorax complicated four procedures, requiring tube thoracostomy in two. Significant post-SCT hypoxemia was noted in one case, with recovery by case conclusion and no long-term effects. There were no instances of air embolism, hemodynamic compromise, or procedural or in-hospital mortality. CONCLUSION: SCT as an adjunctive treatment for BAS was associated with a low rate of complications in this retrospective multicenter cohort study. SCT-related procedural aspects varied widely in examined cases, including actuation duration, number of actuations, and timing of actuations relative to other interventions.

Gender differences in PTSD severity and pain outcomes: baseline results from the LAMP trial.

Background: Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and chronic pain are highly prevalent comorbid conditions. Veterans dually burdened by PTSD and chronic pain experience more severe outcomes compared to either disorder alone. Few studies have enrolled enough women Veterans to test gender differences in pain outcomes [catastrophizing, intensity, interference] by the severity of PTSD. Aim: Examine gender differences in the association between PTSD symptoms and pain outcomes among Veterans enrolled in a chronic pain clinical trial. Methods: Participants were 421 men and 386 women Veterans with chronic pain who provided complete data on PTSD symptoms and pain outcomes. We used hierarchical linear regression models to examine gender differences in pain outcomes by PTSD symptoms. Results: Adjusted multivariable models indicated that PTSD symptoms were associated with higher levels of pain catastrophizing (0.57, 95% CI [0.51, 0.63]), pain intensity (0.30, 95% CI [0.24, 0.37]), and pain interference (0.46, 95% CI [0.39, 0.52]). No evidence suggesting differences in this association were found in either the crude or adjusted models (all interaction p-values<0.05). Conclusion: These findings may reflect the underlying mutual maintenance of these conditions whereby the sensation of pain could trigger PTSD symptoms, particularly if the trauma and pain are associated with the same event. Clinical implications and opportunities testing relevant treatments that may benefit both chronic pain and PTSD are discussed.

The correlation between occupation type and fibromyalgia severity.

BACKGROUND: Fibromyalgia (FM) is a chronic pain disorder associated with financial burden, decreased work productivity and absenteeism. Occupational stressors and specific employment factors may contribute to the severity of FM. AIMS: To determine if occupation type or employment status correlates with FM diagnostic and severity parameters, as assessed via validated instruments including tender points (TP), Widespread Pain Index (WPI), Symptom Severity (SS) and pain regions. METHODS: We performed a cross-sectional study of 200 adult patients diagnosed with FM at a single-centre FM clinic. Demographic and clinical data were extracted from the electronic medical records. Occupations were manually grouped in an iterative modified-Delphi approach and participants were grouped by employment status (Working, Not Working/Disabled or Retired) for analysis. RESULTS: In our cohort, 61% were employed and 24% were not working/disabled, while the remainder were students, homemakers or retired. SS score was significantly higher (P < 0.001) in not working/disabled patients compared to those employed. Business owners had the lowest TP count (median = 14) and the lowest median SS score (median = 7). WPI was highest for Others (Arts/Entertainment, Driver/Delivery and Housekeeper/Custodian workers; median=16) and the lowest for Retail/Sales/Wait Staff (median = 11). CONCLUSIONS: Work-related factors, occupation type and employment status correlate with diagnostic and severity parameters of FM. Employed participants had significantly lower SS scores suggesting that work loss correlates with SS. Participants employed in entry-level jobs or jobs with higher physical or financial stressors may experience greater FM symptoms. Further studies are required to explore work-related factors and their impact on the diagnostic and severity parameters of FM.

VRE acquisition in hospital and its association with hospital antimicrobial usage -a non-linear analysis of an extended time series.

BACKGROUND: Vancomycin resistant enterococci (VRE) have become endemic pathogens in many Australian hospitals causing significant morbidity. There are few observational studies that have evaluated the effect of antibiotic usage on VRE acquisition. This study examined VRE acquisition and its association with antimicrobial use. The setting was a NSW tertiary hospital with 800 beds over a 63 month period up to March 2020, straddling piperacillin-tazobactam (PT) shortages that occurred from in September 2017. METHODS: The primary outcome was monthly inpatient hospital onset Vancomycin-resistant Enterococci (VRE) acquisitions. Multivariate adaptive regression splines (MARS) were used to estimate hypothetical thresholds, where antimicrobial use above threshold is associated with increased incidence of hospital onset VRE acquisition. Specific antimicrobials and categorised usage (broad, less broad and narrow spectrum) were modelled. RESULTS: There were 846 hospital onset VRE detections over the study period. Hospital onset vanB and vanA VRE acquisitions fell significantly by 64% and 36% respectively after the PT shortage. MARS modelling indicated that PT usage was the only antibiotic found to exhibit a meaningful threshold. PT usage greater than 17.4 defined daily doses/1000 occupied bed-days (95%C I: 13.4, 20.5) was associated with higher onset of hospital VRE. CONCLUSIONS: This paper highlights the large, sustained impact that reduced broad spectrum antimicrobial use had on VRE acquisition and showed that PT use in particular was a major driver with a relatively low threshold. It raises the question as to whether hospitals should be determining local antimicrobial usage targets based on direct evidence from local data analysed with non-linear methods.

Safety and Feasibility of Photodynamic Therapy for Ablation of Peripheral Lung Tumors.

BACKGROUND: Newer navigational bronchoscopy technologies render peripheral lung lesions accessible for biopsy and potential treatment. We investigated whether photodynamic therapy (PDT) delivered via navigational bronchoscopy is feasible and safe for ablation of peripheral lung tumors. METHODS: Two studies evaluated PDT in patients with solid peripheral lung tumors followed by clinical follow-up (nonresection study, N=5) or lobectomy (resection study, N=10). Porfimer sodium injection was administered 40 to 50 hours before navigational bronchoscopy. Lesion location was confirmed by radial probe endobronchial ultrasonography. An optical fiber diffuser was placed within or adjacent to the tumor under fluoroscopic guidance; laser light (630 nm wavelength) was applied at 200 J/cm of diffuser length for 500 seconds. Tumor response was assessed by modified Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors at 3 and 6 months postprocedure (nonresection study) and pathologically (resection study). RESULTS: There were no deaths, discontinuations for adverse events, or serious or grade ≥3 adverse events related to study treatments. Photosensitivity reactions occurred in 8 of 15 patients: 6 mild, 1 moderate, 1 severe (elevated porphyrins noted in blood after treatment). Among 5 patients with clinical follow-up, 1 had complete response, 3 had stable disease, and 1 had progressive disease at 6 months follow-up. Among 10 patients who underwent lobectomy, 1 had no evidence of tumor at resection (complete response), 3 had 40% to 50% tumor cell necrosis, 2 had 20% to 35%, and 4 had 5% to 10%. CONCLUSION: PDT for nonthermal ablation of peripheral lung tumors was feasible and safe in this small study. Further study is warranted to evaluate efficacy and corroborate the safety profile.

A Multicenter Study Assessing Interventional Pulmonary Fellow Competency in Electromagnetic Navigation Bronchoscopy.

Background: Current medical society guidelines recommend a procedural number for obtaining electromagnetic navigational bronchoscopy (ENB) competency and for institutional volume for training. Objective: To assess learning curves and estimate the number of ENB procedures for interventional pulmonology (IP) fellows to reach competency. Methods: We conducted a prospective multicenter study of IP fellows in the United States learning ENB. A tool previously validated in a similar population was used to assess IP fellows by their local faculty and two blinded independent reviewers using virtual recording of the procedure. Competency was determined by performing three consecutive procedures with a competency score on the assessment tool. Procedural time, faculty global rating scale, and periprocedural complications were also recorded. Results: A total of 184 ENB procedures were available for review with assessment of 26 IP fellows at 16 medical centers. There was a high correlation between the two blinded independent observers (rho = 0.8776). There was substantial agreement for determination of procedural competency between the faculty assessment and blinded reviewers (kappa = 0.7074; confidence interval, 0.5667-0.8482). The number of procedures for reaching competency for ENB bronchoscopy was determined (median, 4; mean, 5; standard deviation, 3.83). There was a wide variation in the number of procedures to reach competency, ranging from 2 to 15 procedures. There were six periprocedural complications reported, four (one pneumomediastinum, three pneumothorax) of which occurred before reaching competence and two pneumothoraces after achieving competence. Conclusion: There is a wide variation in acquiring competency for ENB among IP fellows. Virtual competency assessment has a potential role but needs further studies.

Photodynamic therapy to a primary cancer of the peripheral lung: Case report.

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is an FDA approved treatment for lung cancer. In the United States the photosensitizer porfimer sodium (Photofrin®, Pinnacle Biologics) is intravenously introduced at 2mg/kg. After approximately 48 h, illumination to activate the photosensitizer is initiated, with 630nm red light at 200J/cm, delivered by fiber-optic catheter, brought to the tumor endo- bronchially, and delivered for 500 s. This will create, in the presence of oxygen, a Type II Photodynamic Reaction (PDR) which generates singlet oxygen species that are tumor ablative. Classically, PDT for lung cancer has been employed for symptomatic central and obstructing tumors with great success. This case report describes an innovative approach to treat a peripheral, early stage lung cancer employing magnetic navigation and endobronchial treatment. We report on a 79 year old male with numerous comorbidities including pulmonary fibrosis, who was found to have a biopsy proven peripheral and solitary non-small cell cancer. Due to prior SBRT (stereotactic body radiation therapy) with dose levels causing radiation fibrosis, he was not a candidate for repeat SBRT, and he was not a surgical candidate due to comorbidities. Tumor control with PDT was achieved without treatment related morbidity. This report details our findings.

NCCN Guidelines® Insights: Lung Cancer Screening, Version 1.2022.

The NCCN Guidelines for Lung Cancer Screening recommend criteria for selecting individuals for screening and provide recommendations for evaluation and follow-up of lung nodules found during initial and subsequent screening. These NCCN Guidelines Insights focus on recent updates to the NCCN Guidelines for Lung Cancer Screening.

Outcomes of normothermic machine perfusion of liver grafts in repeat liver transplantation (NAPLES initiative).

BACKGROUND: Retransplantation candidates are disadvantaged owing to lack of good-quality liver grafts. Strategies that can facilitate transplantation of suboptimal grafts into retransplant candidates require investigation. The aim was to determine whether late liver retransplantation can be performed safely with suboptimal grafts, following normothermic machine perfusion. METHODS: A prospectively enrolled group of patients who required liver retransplantation received a suboptimal graft preserved via normothermic machine perfusion. This group was compared with both historical and contemporaneous cohorts of patient who received grafts preserved by cold storage. The primary outcome was 6-month graft and patient survival. RESULTS: The normothermic machine perfusion group comprised 26 patients. The historical (cold storage 1) and contemporaneous (cold storage 2) groups comprised 31 and 25 patients respectively. The 6-month graft survival rate did not differ between groups (cold storage 1, 27 of 31, cold storage 2, 22 of 25; normothermic machine perfusion, 22 of 26; P = 0.934). This was despite the normothermic machine perfusion group having significantly more steatotic grafts (8 of 31, 7 of 25, and 14 of 26 respectively; P = 0.006) and grafts previously declined by at least one other transplant centre (5 of 31, 9 of 25, and 21 of 26; P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: In liver retransplantation, normothermic machine perfusion can safely expand graft options without compromising short-term outcomes.

Liver transplantation is a life-saving procedure for many different diseases. In the UK, one in 10 patients awaiting transplant have had a previous liver transplant. These retransplant operations are complex, and the general belief is that a good-quality donor liver graft is required for best outcomes. However, there is a significant shortage of good-quality organs for liver transplantation, so many patients awaiting retransplantation spend longer on the waiting list. This study investigated whether a new technology, called normothermic machine perfusion, could be used to preserve lower-quality donor livers and have successful outcomes for patients undergoing retransplantation. Traditionally, good-quality livers are preserved in an ice box and the study compared the outcomes of these two different approaches. The aim was to prove that normothermic machine perfusion improves access to transplantation for this group of patients, without compromising outcomes. A group of patients who underwent retransplantation and received a lesser-quality liver preserved with normothermic machine perfusion was compared with two groups of patients who had received a transplant with traditional ice-box preservation. The complications, graft, and patient survival of the former group was compared with those in the latter two groups who underwent liver retransplantation with better-quality liver grafts. The rate of survival and adverse surgical outcomes were comparable between the groups of patients who received a liver preserved via traditional ice-box preservation, and those who received a lesser-quality liver preserved via normothermic machine perfusion. Normothermic machine perfusion can potentially expand the number of suitable donor livers available for retransplant candidates.

Cefazolin susceptibility of coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS) causing late-onset neonatal bacteraemia.

BACKGROUND: CoNS bacteraemia causes significant neonatal morbidity. Previous work has suggested that ß-lactam antibiotics vary in their binding affinity to PBP2a (produced by the mecA gene) present in most CoNS. OBJECTIVES: We evaluated cefazolin MICs for CoNS isolated in an Australian neonatal ICU (NICU) and correlated them with isolate genotype and phenotype. METHODS: Significant blood isolates from 2009 to 2017 were speciated and underwent broth microdilution testing for cefazolin, cefoxitin, oxacillin and flucloxacillin. Correlation with mecA presence and PBP2a expression was evaluated. A selection of Staphylococcus capitis isolates underwent WGS. RESULTS: The CoNS (n = 99) isolates were confirmed as S. capitis (n = 57), Staphylococcus epidermidis (n = 32), Staphylococcus haemolyticus (n = 2) and Staphylococcus warneri (n = 8). The MIC of cefazolin was ≤2 mg/L for 30% of isolates and 75% had an MIC of ≤8 mg/L (MIC90 = 16 mg/L). This contrasted with MIC90s of cefoxitin, oxacillin and flucloxacillin, which were all ≥32 mg/L. WGS found a number of S. capitis isolates closely related to the globally established NRCS-A clone. CONCLUSIONS: CoNS displayed distinctly lower MIC values of cefazolin than of other agents tested. MIC variation may be related to binding affinity of PBP2a or regulation of expression of mecA by mecR1-mecI functional genes. Further, NRCS-A S. capitis strains were present in this Australian NICU before and after the unit underwent physical relocation, which raised questions about a common environmental source. It is considered justified to conduct a randomized clinical trial that assesses cefazolin versus vancomycin for management of late-onset neonatal sepsis.

Bronchial Thermoplasty in Patients With Severe Asthma at 5 Years: The Post-FDA Approval Clinical Trial Evaluating Bronchial Thermoplasty in Severe Persistent Asthma Study.

BACKGROUND: Bronchial thermoplasty is a device-based treatment for subjects ≥ 18 years of age with severe asthma poorly controlled with inhaled corticosteroids and long-acting beta-agonists. The Post-FDA Approval Clinical Trial Evaluating Bronchial Thermoplasty in Severe Persistent Asthma (PAS2) study collected data on patients with severe asthma undergoing this procedure. RESEARCH QUESTION: What are the 5-year efficacy and safety results in patients with severe asthma who have undergone bronchial thermoplasty? STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: This was a prospective, open-label, observational, multicenter study conducted in the United States and Canada. Subjects 18 to 65 years of age who were taking inhaled corticosteroids ≥ 1,000 µg/d (beclomethasone or equivalent) and long-acting beta-agonists ≥ 80 µg/d (salmeterol or equivalent) were included. Severe exacerbations, hospitalization, ED visits, and medication usage were evaluated for the 12 months prior to and at years 1 through 5 posttreatment. Spirometry was evaluated at baseline and at years 1 through 5 posttreatment. RESULTS: A total of 284 subjects were enrolled at 27 centers; 227 subjects (80%) completed 5 years of follow-up. By year 5 posttreatment, the proportion of subjects with severe exacerbations, ED visits, and hospitalizations was 42.7%, 7.9%, and 4.8%, respectively, compared with 77.8%, 29.4%, and 16.1% in the 12 months prior to treatment. The proportion of subjects on maintenance oral corticosteroids decreased from 19.4% at baseline to 9.7% at 5 years. Analyses of subgroups based on baseline clinical and biomarker characteristics revealed a statistically significant clinical improvement among all subgroups. INTERPRETATION: Five years after treatment, subjects experienced decreases in severe exacerbations, hospitalizations, ED visits, and corticosteroid exposure. All subgroups demonstrated clinically significant improvement, suggesting that bronchial thermoplasty improves asthma control in different asthma phenotypes. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov; No.: NCT01350336; URL: www. CLINICALTRIALS: gov.

Photodiagnostic services in the UK and Republic of Ireland: a British Photodermatology Group Workshop Report.

BACKGROUND: Photodiagnostic investigations are essential for the accurate diagnosis of abnormal cutaneous photosensitivity and provide important information for the management of patients with photodermatoses (cutaneous photosensitivity disorders). Although photodiagnosis has been undertaken since the early 1970s, specialist services in the United Kingdom (UK) and Republic of Ireland are limited and there is no formal guidance on diagnostic approach. Indeed, there is a limited literature in this area of methodology and diagnostic practice. OBJECTIVES: The primary objective was to undertake a British Photodermatology Group Workshop to review the role and activities of specialist centres in the UK and Republic of Ireland in order to ascertain whether there were consensus practices. Secondary objectives were to identify key priorities for service, training and research. METHODS: An initial detailed survey review of current activities was undertaken prior to the Workshop and data from this survey were used to inform discussion at the Workshop, which was attended by key photodermatology experts from the UK and Republic of Ireland. RESULTS/CONCLUSIONS: We have undertaken a detailed review of current Photodiagnostic Services in the UK and Republic of Ireland and report on our findings from the 12 centres and we have identified key areas of consensus practice. This is an important step in the process of standardising and optimising procedures and protocols and defining minimum clinical standards for photodiagnostic investigations, which are of such diagnostic importance in Dermatology.

Reference Protocol to Assess Analytical Performance of Higher Order Structural Analysis Measurements: Results from an Interlaboratory Comparison.

Measurements of protein higher order structure (HOS) provide important information on stability, potency, efficacy, immunogenicity, and biosimilarity of biopharmaceuticals, with a significant number of techniques and methods available to perform these measurements. The comparison of the analytical performance of HOS methods and the standardization of the results is, however, not a trivial task, due to the lack of reference protocols and reference measurement procedures. Here, we developed a protocol to structurally alter and compare samples of somatropin, a recombinant biotherapeutic, and describe the results obtained by using a number of techniques, methods and in different laboratories. This, with the final aim to provide tools and generate a pool of data to compare and benchmark analytical platforms and define method sensitivity to structural changes. Changes in somatropin HOS, induced by the presence of zinc at increasing concentrations, were observed, both globally and at more localized resolution, across many of the methods utilized in this study and with different sensitivities, suggesting the suitability of the protocol to improve understanding of inter- and cross-platform measurement comparability and assess analytical performance as appropriate.

Comparison of Efficacy and Detection of Clethodim and Glyphosate Applied with Dicamba and 2,4-D through Tank Mixture and Sequential Applications.

Greenhouse studies were planted at the R.R. Foil Plant Science Research Center in Starkville, MS. In the efficacy trial, pots were seeded with barnyardgrass (Echinochloa crus-galli), broadleaf signalgrass (Urochloa platyphylla), and giant foxtail (Setaria faberi). In the lab detection trial, only barnyardgrass was seeded. Both studies consisted of 16 treatments with four replications per treatment. The treatments consisted of clethodim, glyphosate, dicamba, and 2,4-D applied singularly and in combination with each other. Each herbicide combination was applied with three application methods: tank mixture, sequential applications where the synthetic auxin was applied first (auxin applied first), and sequential applications where glyphosate or clethodim was applied first (auxin applied second). The auxin applied second method had higher visual estimations of control ratings and lower biomass weights compared to the other two methods. The auxin applied second method had more glyphosate and clethodim detected with the use of liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry.

A randomized trial of intravenous acetaminophen versus indomethacin for treatment of hemodynamically significant PDAs in VLBW infants.

Objective was to compare the rate of successful treatment of hsPDA based on echocardiogram criteria after use of IV acetaminophen or IV indomethacin in very low-birthweight infants. The study was a multi-center, randomized controlled trial. Infants born prior to 32 weeks with birthweight ≤ 1500 g were included if PDA treatment was indicated within the 21 days after birth. hsPDA was defined by strict echocardiogram criteria. Eligible infants were randomized to treatment with either IV acetaminophen or IV indomethacin. Of 86 eligible infants, 17 infants were randomized to acetaminophen and 20 to indomethacin. One (5.9%) hsPDA in the acetaminophen group had successful treatment compared to 11 (55%) in the indomethacin group (p = 0.002). Eight (47%) in the acetaminophen group and 3 (15%) in the indomethacin group received transcatheter PDA closure (p = 0.07). IV indomethacin was more effective than IV acetaminophen for treatment of hsPDAs. More infants in the acetaminophen group received transcatheter closure.

How accurately is hospital acquired pneumonia documented for the correct assignment of a hospital acquired complication (HAC)?

BACKGROUND: In 2016, the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Healthcare (ACSQHC) released a list of 16 categories of potentially preventable, high impact hospital-acquired complications (HAC) identified by using administrative coded data (ACD). An important category are hospital-acquired infections (HAI). Within this category, hospital-acquired pneumonia (HAP) is among the most frequent complications documented. There are no published studies concerning the current ACSQHC approach to HAI surveillance using ACD and no pneumonia-specific ACD studies reported from Australia. Published work indicates that ACD detection of HAP has low a sensitivity and positive predictive value (PPV). The current study was designed to examine whether coders correctly reflected the documentation of HAP that was present in the medical record and also evaluated the medical documentation that was present. METHODS: One hundred patients with ACD encoded HAP were selected for review, drawn from admissions to 2 Hunter New England Health hospitals during 2017. Patient records and the eMR were reviewed by two medical officers to assess medical and radiological documentation of pneumonia. The district coding manager reviewed the accuracy of coding of a subset of 23 cases where medical review had not located documented evidence of HAP. RESULTS: Of the 100 reviewed cases, the median patient age was 75 years (range 0-95 years) with 3% under 16 years of age. Twenty one were intensive care-associated of which 13 were associated with ventilation. In 23 cases the documentation was disputed and a secondary review took place - the coding manager confirmed coding changes in 14 of these 23 cases. CONCLUSIONS: This study found that administrative coded data of HAP, utilizing the ACSQHC method reliably reflected the available documentation with a PPV of 86% (95% binomial exact confidence interval 77-92%), much higher than documented by previous ACD studies. The actual documentation of pneumonia by medical staff frequently used the non-specific term 'lower respiratory infection (LRTI)' which we recommend to be avoided. Radiological confirmation was absent in one third of cases. We recommend the adoption of a medical note template checklist for HAP to prompt clinicians with the accepted diagnostic criteria. We also recommend documenting a reason as to why any antibiotic has been commenced in a hospitalized patient in accord with the ACSQHC Antimicrobial Stewardship Clinical Care Standard.