Selective decontamination of the digestive tract in a burns unit reduces the incidence of hospital-acquired infections: A retrospective before-and-after cohort study.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of selective decontamination of the digestive tract (SDD) on hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) in patients with acute burn injury requiring admission to a Burns Unit (BU). DESIGN: Retrospective before-and-after cohort study, between January 2017 and June 2023. SDD was implemented in March 2019, dividing patients into two groups. SETTING: Four-bed BU, in a referral University Hospital in Spain. PATIENTS: All the patients admitted during the study period were eligible for analysis. Patients who died or were discharged within 48hours of admission, and patients with an estimated survival less than 10% not considered for full escalation of therapy were excluded. INTERVENTION: SDD comprised the administration of a 4-day course of an intravenous antibiotic, and an oral suspension and oral topical paste of non-absorbable antibiotics during the stay in the BU. MAIN VARIABLE OF INTEREST: Incidence of HAIs during the stay in the BU. SECONDARY OUTCOMES: incidence of specific types of infections by site (bacteremia, pneumonia, skin and soft tissue infection) and microorganism (Gram-positive, Gram-negative, fungi), and safety endpoints. RESULTS: We analyzed 72 patients: 27 did not receive SDD, and 45 received SDD. The number of patients who developed HAIs were 21 (77.8%) and 21 (46.7%) in the non-SDD and the SDD groups, respectively (p=0.009). The number of hospital-acquired infectious episodes were 2.52 (1.21-3.82) and 1.13 (0.54-1.73), respectively (p=0.029). CONCLUSIONS: SDD was associated with a reduced incidence of bacterial HAIs and a decrease in the number of infectious episodes per patient.

Programa de optimización del uso de antimicrobianos en un Servicio de Medicina Intensiva: análisis retrospectivo observacional de los resultados 15 meses después de su implementación / Antimicrobial stewardship program in an Intensive Care Unit: A retrospective observational analysis of the results 15 months after its implementation

Objetivo. Determinar el grado de aceptación de un Pro grama de Optimización del Uso de Antimicrobianos (PROA) en un Servicio de Medicina Intensiva (SMI), y evaluar su efecto sobre el consumo de antibióticos, indicadores de calidad y re sultados clínicos. Pacientes y métodos. Descripción retrospectiva de las intervenciones propuestas por un PROA. Comparación de uso de antimicrobianos, indicadores de calidad y seguridad frente a un periodo sin PROA. Se realizó en un SMI polivalente de un Hospital Universitario mediano (600 camas). Se estudió a pacientes ingresados por cualquier causa en el SMI durante el periodo PROA en los que se hubiera obtenido una muestra di rigida al diagnóstico de una potencial infección, o se hubieran iniciado antimicrobianos. Se elaboraron recomendaciones no impositivas para mejorar la prescripción antimicrobiana (es tructura audit and feedback) y se procedió a su registro du rante periodo PROA (15 meses, octubre 2018–diciembre 2019). Comparación de indicadores en un periodo con PROA (abril– junio 2019) y sin PROA (abril–junio 2018). Resultados. Se emitieron 241 recomendaciones sobre 117 pacientes, el 67% de ellas de tipo desescalada terapéutica. La aceptación de las recomendaciones fue elevada (96.3%). En el periodo PROA se redujo el número medio de antibióticos por paciente (3.3±4.1 vs 2.4±1.7, p=0.04) y los días de tratamiento (155 DOT/100 PD vs 94 DOT/100 PD, p <0.01) (AU)

Objective. We aim to evaluate the adherence rate to an Antimicrobial Stewardship Program (ASP) in an Intensive Care Unit (ICU), and to assess its effect on the use of antibiotics, quality indicators and clinical outcomes. Patients and methods. Retrospective description of the interventions proposed by the ASP. We compared antimi crobial use, quality and safety indicators in an ASP versus a non-ASP period. The study was performed in a polyvalent ICU of a medium-size University Hospital (600 beds). We studied patients admitted to the ICU for any cause during the ASP pe riod, provided that a microbiological sample aiming to diag nose a potential infection has been drawn, or antibiotics have been started. We elaborated and registered of non-mandatory recommendations to improve antimicrobial prescription (audit and feedback structure) and its registry during the ASP peri od (15 months, October 2018-December 2019). We compared indicators in a period with ASP (April-June 2019) and without ASP (April-June 2018). Results. We issued 241 recommendations on 117 pa tients, 67% of them classified as de-escalation type. The rate of adherence to the recommendations was high (96.3%). In the ASP period, the mean number of antibiotics per patient (3.3±4.1 vs 2.4±1.7, p=0.04) and the days of treatment (155 DOT/100 PD vs 94 DOT/100 PD, p <0.01) (AU)

Cause-specific death in hospitalized individuals infected with SARS-CoV-2: more than just acute respiratory failure or thromboembolic events.

Infection with SARS-CoV-2 is becoming the leading cause of death in most countries during the 2020 pandemic. The objective of this study is to assess the association between COVID-19 and cause-specific death. The design is retrospective cohort study. We included data from inpatients diagnosed with COVID-19 between March 18 and April 21, 2020, who died during their hospital stay. Demographic, clinical and management data were collected. Causes of death were ascertained by review of medical records. The sample included 128 individuals. The median age was 84 (IQR 75-89), 57% were men. In 109 patients, the death was caused by SARS-CoV-2 infection, whereas in 19 (14.8%, 95 CI 10-22%), the infection acted only as a precipitating factor to decompensate other pathologies. This second group of patients was older (88y vs 82, p < 0.001). In age-adjusted analysis, they had a greater likelihood of heart failure (OR 3.61 95% CI 1.15-11.32), dependency in activities of daily living (OR 12.07 95% CI 1.40-103.86), frailty (OR 8.73 95% CI 1.37-55.46). The presence of X-ray infiltrates was uncommon (OR 0.07, 95% CI 0.02-0.25). A higher percentage of patient deaths from causes unrelated to COVID-19 complications occurred during the two first weeks of the pandemic. Fifteen percent of patients with COVID-19 infection died from decompensation of other pathologies and the cause of death was unrelated to COVID-19 severe complications. Most of these patients had more comorbidities and were frail and elderly. These findings can partially explain the excess mortality in older people.