Vancomycin use in surrounding patients during critical illness and risk for persistent colonization with vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus.

The optimal duration of contact precautions for vancomycin-resistant enterococcus (VRE)-colonized patients is uncertain and individual patient characteristics alone may not predict risk of prolonged colonization. Using a cohort of adult patients who underwent testing for VRE at intensive care unit (ICU) admission, we tested the association between local (unit-level) vancomycin use and persistent colonization with VRE. Higher unit-level vancomycin use significantly prolonged VRE colonization (P=0.03) independent of patient-level vancomycin use and unit VRE density.

Relationship between remote cholecystectomy and incident Clostridioides difficile infection.

OBJECTIVES: Cholecystectomy (CCY) is associated with increased faecal levels of secondary bile acids. Secondary bile acids confer resistance to Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI, formerly Clostridium difficile infection) in animal studies. This study tested the hypothesis that CCY confers protection against CDI by increasing gut levels of secondary bile acids. METHODS: This was a retrospective case-control study. Adults hospitalized between January 2010 and June 2017 at our institution were included. CDI cases were defined as a positive stool PCR followed by anti-CDI treatment and were matched 1:1:1 with two control groups (those who tested negative for CDI and those who were not tested for CDI) by sex, age group, body mass index (BMI), and exposure to antibiotics. CCY was defined as a history of CCY at least 6 months prior to the index C. difficile test or the index admission date in the untested controls. Conditional logistic regression modelling was used to estimate the relationship between remote CCY and risk for CDI. RESULTS: The final study population was 7077 (2359 CDI cases, 2359 matched controls without CDI, and 2359 matched controls not tested for CDI). Rates of remote CCY did not differ among the three groups (14.4% vs. 15.5% vs. 14.2%) and this result was unchanged after adjusting for additional clinical factors (adjusted OR 0.90, 95% CI 0.76-1.06 comparing CDI cases vs. matched controls without CDI; adjusted OR 1.04, 95% CI 0.78-1.39 comparing CDI cases vs. matched controls not tested for CDI). CONCLUSIONS: There was no association between remote CCY and risk for CDI.

The local hospital milieu and healthcare-associated vancomycin-resistant enterococcus acquisition.

BACKGROUND: Vancomycin-resistant enterococcus (VRE) causes 4% of all healthcare-associated infections in the USA. The process by which the local hospital milieu contributes to VRE acquisition is not fully understood. AIM: To determine the importance of specific factors within the local hospital environment for healthcare-associated VRE acquisition. METHODS: This retrospective cohort study included patients admitted to six intensive care units at an academic medical centre from January 2012 to December 2016 with negative rectal VRE cultures on admission. VRE acquisition was defined as a positive surveillance swab performed at any time after the initial negative swab during the index hospitalization. The exposures of interest were VRE colonization pressure, VRE importation pressure, and use of vancomycin. Multivariable Cox proportional hazards modelling was performed, with patients followed until VRE acquisition, death, or for up to 30 days. FINDINGS: Of 8485 patients who were initially VRE negative, 161 patients acquired VRE. On univariate analysis, patients with VRE acquisition were more likely to have received vancomycin, to have had a neighbouring patient who received vancomycin, to have high VRE importation pressure, or to have high VRE colonization pressure. On multivariable analysis, only high VRE colonization pressure was an independent predictor of VRE acquisition (adjusted hazard ratio: 1.79; 95% confidence interval: 1.19-2.70). CONCLUSION: VRE colonization pressure was the most important risk factor for healthcare-associated VRE acquisition, regardless of VRE importation pressure. Interventions seeking to reduce VRE acquisition should focus on minimizing transmission between patients with known VRE and the local hospital environment.

Use of proton pump inhibitors is associated with fractures in young adults: a population-based study.

UNLABELLED: Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) are associated with risk for fracture in osteoporotic adults. In this population-based study, we found a significant association between PPIs and fracture in young adults, with evidence of a dose-response effect. Young adults who use PPIs should be cautioned regarding risk for fracture. INTRODUCTION: Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) are associated with fracture in adults with osteoporosis. Because PPI therapy may interfere with bone accrual and attainment of peak bone mineral density, we studied the association between use of PPIs and fracture in children and young adults. METHODS: We conducted a population-based, case-control study nested within records from general medical practices from 1994 to 2013. Participants were 4-29 years old with ≥ 1 year of follow-up who lacked chronic conditions associated with use of long-term acid suppression. Cases of fracture were defined as the first incident fracture at any site. Using incidence density sampling, cases were matched with up to five controls by age, sex, medical practice, and start of follow-up. PPI exposure was defined as 180 or more cumulative doses of PPIs. Conditional logistic regression was used to estimate the odds ratio and confidence interval for use of PPIs and fracture. RESULTS: We identified 124,799 cases and 605,643 controls. The adjusted odds ratio for the risk of fracture associated with PPI exposure was 1.13 (95% CI 0.92 to 1.39) among children aged < 18 years old and 1.39 (95% CI 1.26 to 1.53) among young adults aged 18-29 years old. In young adults but not children, we observed a dose-response effect with increased total exposure to PPIs (p for trend <0.001). CONCLUSIONS: PPI use was associated with fracture in young adults, but overall evidence did not support a PPI-fracture relationship in children. Young adults who use PPIs should be cautioned regarding potentially increased risk for fracture, even if they lack traditional fracture risk factors.