Impact of antibiotic exposure on antibiotic-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii isolation in intensive care unit patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Acinetobacter baumannii (AB) poses a significant threat to critically ill patients in intensive care units (ICUs). Although an association between antibiotic exposure and resistant AB is reported in the literature, a synthesis of evidence in ICU patients is still lacking. AIM: To summarize the evidence on the association between prior antibiotic exposure and the occurrence of resistant AB in ICU patients. METHODS: Online databases were searched for cohort and case-control studies providing data on the association of interest. Carbapenem/multidrug-resistant AB isolation was compared with non-isolation; carbapenem/multidrug-resistant AB was compared with carbapenem/antibiotic-susceptible AB; and extensively drug-resistant AB isolation was compared with non-isolation. Each comparison was subjected to a restricted maximum likelihood random-effects meta-analysis per antibiotic class, estimating pooled ORs. Stratified meta-analyses were performed by study design, outcome type and association-measure adjustment. FINDINGS: Overall, 25 high-quality studies were retrieved. Meta-analyses showed that carbapenem/multidrug-resistant AB isolation was associated with previous exposure to aminoglycosides, carbapenems, third-generation cephalosporines, glycylcyclines, and nitroimidazoles. Increased risk of isolation of carbapenem/multidrug-resistant AB isolation vs carbapenem/antibiotic-susceptible AB was shown for prior exposure to aminoglycosides, antipseudomonal penicillins, carbapenems, fluoroquinolones, glycopeptides, and penicillins. Third-generation cephalosporin exposure increased the risk of extensively drug-resistant AB isolation vs non-isolation. CONCLUSION: This systematic review clarifies the role of antibiotic use in antibiotic-resistant AB spread in ICUs, although for some antibiotic classes the evidence is still uncertain due to the small number of adjusted analyses, methodological and reporting issues, and limited number of studies. Future studies need to be carried out with standardized methods and appropriate reporting of multivariable models.

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on healthcare-associated infections in intensive care unit patients: a retrospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: During the intensive care units' (ICUs) reorganization that was forced by the COVID-19 emergency, attention to traditional infection control measures may have been reduced. Nevertheless, evidence on the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) is still limited and mixed. In this study, we estimated the pandemic impact on HAI incidence and investigated the HAI type occurring in COVID-19 patients. METHODS: Patients admitted to the main ICU of the Umberto I teaching hospital of Rome from March 1st and April 4th 2020 were compared with patients hospitalized in 2019. We assessed the association of risk factors and time-to-first event through multivariable Fine and Grey's regression models, that consider the competitive risk of death on the development of HAI (Model 1) or device related-HAI (dr-HAI, Model 2) and provide estimates of the sub-distribution hazard ratio (SHR) and its associated confidence interval (CI). A subgroup analysis was performed on the 2020 cohort. RESULTS: Data from 104 patients were retrieved. Overall, 59 HAIs were recorded, 32 of which occurred in the COVID-19 group. Patients admitted in 2020 were found to be positively associated with both HAI and dr-HAI onset (SHR: 2.66, 95% CI 1.31-5.38, and SHR: 10.0, 95% CI 1.84-54.41, respectively). Despite being not confirmed at the multivariable analysis, a greater proportion of dr-HAIs seemed to occur in COVID-19 patients, especially ventilator-associated pneumonia, and catheter-related urinary tract infections. CONCLUSIONS: We observed an increase in the incidence of patients with HAIs, especially dr-HAIs, mainly sustained by COVID-19 patients. A greater susceptibility of these patients to device-related infections was hypothesized, but further studies are needed.

What is the Prevalence of Low Health Literacy in European Union Member States? A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Many studies have shown that low health literacy (HL) is associated with several adverse outcomes. In this study, we systematically reviewed the prevalence of low HL in Europe. METHODS: PubMed, Embase, and Scopus were searched. Cross-sectional studies conducted in the European Union (EU), published from 2000, investigating the prevalence of low HL in adults using a reliable tool, were included. Quality was assessed with the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. Inverse-variance random effects methods were used to produce pooled prevalence estimates. A meta-regression analysis was performed to assess the association between low HL and the characteristics of the studies. RESULTS: The pooled prevalence of low HL ranged from of 27% (95% CI: 18-38%) to 48% (95% CI: 41-55%), depending on the literacy assessment method applied. Southern, Western, and Eastern EU countries had lower HL compared to northern Europe (ß: 0.87, 95% CI: 0.40-1.35; ß: 0.59, 95% CI: 0.25-0.93; and ß: 0.72, 95% CI: 0.06-1.37, respectively). The assessment method significantly influenced the pooled estimate: compared to word recognition items, using self-reported comprehensions items (ß: 0.61, 95% CI: 0.15-1.08), reading or numeracy comprehensions items (ß: 0.77, 95% CI: 0.24-1.31), or a mixed method (ß: 0.66, 95% CI: 0.01-1.33) found higher rates of low HL. Refugees had the lowest HL (ß: 1.59, 95% CI: 0.26-2.92). Finally, lower quality studies reported higher rates of low HL (ß: 0.56, 95% CI: 0.06-1.07). DISCUSSION: We found that low HL is a public health challenge throughout Europe, where one in every three to almost one in every two Europeans may not be able to understand essential health-related material. Additional research is needed to investigate the underlying causes and to develop remedies. PROSPERO REGISTRATION: CRD42019133377.

Multimodal surveillance of healthcare associated infections in an intensive care unit of a large teaching hospital

BACKGROUND: Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs), or nosocomial infections, represent a significant burden in terms of mortality, morbidity, length of stay and costs for patients hospitalized in intensive care units (ICUs). Surveillance systems are recommended by national and international institutions to gather data on HAIs in order to develop and evaluate interventions that reduce the risk of HAIs. STUDY DESIGN: Here we describe the methodology and the results of the surveillance system implemented in the ICU of the Policlinico Umberto I, a large teaching hospital in Rome, from April 2016 to October 2018. METHODS: The multimodal infection surveillance system integrates four different approaches: i) active surveillance of inpatients; ii) environmental microbiological surveillance; iii) surveillance of isolated microorganisms; and iv) behavioral surveillance of healthcare personnel. Data were collected on catheter-related bloodstream infections, ventilation-associated pneumonia, catheter-associated urinary tract infections and primary bloodstream infections that developed in patients after 48 h in the ICU. For environmental surveillance 14 points were selected for sampling (i.e. bed edges, medication carts, PC keyboards, sink faucets). The system of active surveillance of HAIs also included surveillance of microorganisms, consisting of the molecular genotyping of bacterial isolates by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). From 1 November 2016, monitoring of compliance with guidelines for hand hygiene (HH) and proper glove or gown use by healthcare personnel was included in the surveillance system. After the first six months (baseline phase), a multimodal intervention to improve adherence to guidelines by healthcare personnel was conducted with the ICU staff. RESULTS: Overall, 773 patients were included in the active surveillance. The overall incidence rate of device-related HAIs was 14.1 (95% CI: 12.2-16.3) per 1000 patient-days. The monthly device-related HAI incident rate showed a decreasing trend over time, with peaks of incidence becoming progressively lower. The most common bacterial isolates were Klebsiella pneumoniae (20.7%), Acinetobacter baumannii (17.2%), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (13.4%) and Staphylococcus aureus (5.4%). Acinetobacter baumannii and Klebsiella pneumoniae showed the highest proportion of isolates with a multidrug-resistant profile. A total of 819 environmental samples were collected, from which 305 bacterial isolates were retrieved. The most frequent bacterial isolates were Acinetobacter baumannii (27.2%), Staphylococcus aureus (12.1%), Enterococcus faecalis (11.1%), Klebsiella pneumoniae (5.2%) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (4.7%). All Acinetobacter baumannii, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Klebsiella pneumoniae environmental isolates were at least multidrug-resistant. Genotyping showed a limited number of major PFGE patterns for both clinical and environmental isolates of Klebsiella pneumoniae and Acinetobacter baumannii. Behavioral compliance rates significantly improved from baseline to post-intervention phase. CONCLUSIONS: By integrating information gathered from active surveillance, environmental microbiological surveillance, surveillance of bacterial isolates and behavioral surveillance of healthcare personnel, the multimodal infection surveillance system returned a precise and detailed view of the infectious risk and microbial ecology of the ICU.

Prevalence survey of healthcare-associated infections in a large teaching hospital.

BACKGROUND: Healthcare-associated infection (HAI) is the most frequent adverse event in healthcare settings. It is associated with increased mortality and antimicrobial resistance, leading to prolonged hospital stays and consistent financial loss for healthcare systems. The objective of this study was to estimate the burden of HAIs and antimicrobial use in the Teaching Hospital Policlinico Umberto I (THPUI) of Rome and to identify the most critical areas for intervention. METHODS: Data were collected according to the most recent ECDC point prevalence survey protocol in November 2018. Descriptive statistics for all variables were calculated. Univariate analysis was used to assess possible associations between variables and HAIs. Variables with a significance level of p<0.25 were included in a multiple logistic regression model. RESULTS: A total of 799 patients were included in the analysis; of these, 13.3% presented with at least one HAI. Bloodstream infection was the most common, accounting for 30.9% of total infections. Overall, 125 microorganisms were isolated, with Enterobacteriaceae being the most frequent (32%). At the time of the survey, 49.1% patients were receiving antimicrobial therapy. The multivariate analysis showed a significant association between HAI and use of medical devices (OR=34.30; 95% CI:3.69-318.66), length of stay (OR=1.01; 95% CI:1.00-1.02) and exposure to prophylactic antimicrobial therapy (OR=0.23; 95% CI:0.11-0.47). CONCLUSIONS: The ECDC methodology proved to be applicable to THPUI, where HAI prevalence was higher than the European standard (6.7%). This highlights the need to implement targeted measures to prevent and control HAIs, including continuous monitoring to evaluate the effectiveness of such interventions.

Long-term outcomes in survivors of acute respiratory distress syndrome ventilated in supine or prone position.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study is to examine long-term pulmonary function and quality of life in survivors of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) previously enrolled in a randomized multicenter trial testing prone compared with supine positioning (PSII study) at five Italian centers. DESIGN: Observational prospective study. SUBJECTS AND MEASUREMENTS: Pulmonary function [spirometric test, gas exchange, carbon monoxide diffusion capacity (DLCO)], high-resolution computed tomography (CT) scan, and health-related quality of life [Short Form-36 (SF-36) and St. George's Respiratory Questionnaire] were evaluated at 12 months. RESULTS: Twenty-six patients (13 in each group, mean age 54.1 ± 2.8 years, body mass index 24.5 ± 1.4 kg/m(2), PaO(2)/FiO(2) 117 ± 49 mmHg) were evaluated. There were no significant differences in demographic data, illness severity, or outcome between the prone and supine groups. The overall survival rate was 40%. Pulmonary function was in the normal range without any differences between the two groups. Quantitative lung CT scan analysis showed similar amounts for not aerated (8.1 ± 3.2% versus 7.3 ± 3.4%), poorly aerated (15.3 ± 3.6% versus 17.1 ± 4.9%), and well-aerated (64.0% ± 8.4 versus 70.2 ± 8.4%) lung regions, while overaerated lung region was slightly higher in the prone compared with the supine group (12.5 ± 6.5% versus 5.3 ± 5.5%). Health-related quality of life was similar to in healthy population. However, these patients showed reduction in daily activity specifically due to pulmonary disease as measured by the St. George's Respiratory Questionnaire. CONCLUSIONS: No differences in pulmonary function or quality of life were observed in this small group of ARDS survivor patients treated in prone versus supine position.

Characteristics and prognostic value of morning dipping of peak expiratory flow rate in stable asthmatic subjects.

Characteristics and prognostic relevance of morning dip of peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR) were evaluated in stable asthmatic subjects. Among 246 outpatients monitored four times daily for two weeks, 38 (group A) showed a significant difference between morning reading of PEFR and each of the others; they were compared to 38 randomly selected patients (group B) not showing morning dip in PEFR. Less frequent seasonal course, extrinsic pathogenesis, and sensitization to mites characterized group A; starting airflow limitation was more severe in those with morning dip, but no significant difference between mean PEFR measured throughout two weeks was found. At 6 to 12 weeks, morning dip was not found in 19 of 38 subjects in group A and appeared in seven of 38 subjects in group B, with no clearcut relationship to treatment being evident. At 25 to 104 weeks, no significant difference between therapeutic requirements and the forced expiratory volume in one second was detected; therefore, unlike the short-term, morning dip is not a risk factor for worse long-term prognosis.

Applicability of a simple nasal provocation test in etiologic diagnosis of bronchial asthma.

The applicability of nasal challenge for etiologic diagnosis of extrinsic asthma was evaluated by assessing easiness of performance, precision, and cost of a standardized test by metered nebulizer in 20 asthmatics with and without concurrent rhinitis submitted also to skin prick tests and RAST. Although less sensitive than in the group with rhinitis (where precision was 90.4%), the nasal provocation test proved to be an easy, inexpensive, and specific (82.3%) means for contributing to the identification of allergic sensitization in patients affected by asthma alone.