A "resistance calculator": Simple stewardship intervention for refining empiric practices of antimicrobials in acute-care hospitals.

OBJECTIVE: In the era of widespread resistance, there are 2 time points at which most empiric prescription errors occur among hospitalized adults: (1) upon admission (UA) when treating patients at risk of multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs) and (2) during hospitalization, when treating patients at risk of extensively drug-resistant organisms (XDROs). These errors adversely influence patient outcomes and the hospital's ecology. DESIGN AND SETTING: Retrospective cohort study, Shamir Medical Center, Israel, 2016. PATIENTS: Adult patients (aged >18 years) hospitalized with sepsis. METHODS: Logistic regressions were used to develop predictive models for (1) MDRO UA and (2) nosocomial XDRO. Their performances on the derivation data sets, and on 7 other validation data sets, were assessed using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC AUC). RESULTS: In total, 4,114 patients were included: 2,472 patients with sepsis UA and 1,642 with nosocomial sepsis. The MDRO UA score included 10 parameters, and with a cutoff of ≥22 points, it had an ROC AUC of 0.85. The nosocomial XDRO score included 7 parameters, and with a cutoff of ≥36 points, it had an ROC AUC of 0.87. The range of ROC AUCs for the validation data sets was 0.7-0.88 for the MDRO UA score and was 0.66-0.75 for nosocomial XDRO score. We created a free web calculator (https://assafharofe.azurewebsites.net). CONCLUSIONS: A simple electronic calculator could aid with empiric prescription during an encounter with a septic patient. Future implementation studies are needed to evaluate its utility in improving patient outcomes and in reducing overall resistances.

Associated factors and clinical outcomes of bloodstream infection due to extended-spectrum ß-lactamase-producing Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae during febrile neutropenia.

Patients with neutropenia are vulnerable to serious infections. During the last decade, increased prevalence of extended-spectrum ß-lactamase (ESBL)-producing Enterobacteriaceae has affected immunocompromised patients. We conducted a single-center case-control study to evaluate factors associated with ESBL-positive bacteremia among neutropenic patients, and its clinical impact. The study included adult patients with hematologic or oncologic diseases diagnosed with ESBL-positive and ESBL-negative Escherichia coli or Klebsiella pneumoniae bacteremia during febrile neutropenia between January 2010 and October 2017 at the Shaare Zedek Medical Center, Jerusalem, Israel. Analyses included risk factors for ESBL-positive bacteremia, appropriateness of empiric antibiotics, mortality, length of stay, and intensive care unit (ICU) admission. Univariate and multivariate models were constructed. The cohort (80 patients), consisted of 54 ESBL-negative and 26 ESBL-positive Gram-negative bacteremia. Multivariate analysis suggested ESBL-positive bacteremia to be associated with long-term central venous catheter (CVC) (odds ratio (OR), 8.7; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.6-48.1; P=0.01], index culture obtained 48 h post-admission (OR, 3.6; 95% CI, 1-12.3; P=0.04), and exposure to previous antimicrobial therapy (OR, 12.6; 95% CI, 2.1-74; P<0.01). There were no significant differences between groups with regard to length of stay, ICU admission, or mortality rates. Mortality was associated with high Pitt bacteremia score but not inappropriate empirical therapy. Previous antimicrobial therapy, long-term CVC, and hospital-acquired bacteremia were associated with ESBL bacteremia. Neutropenic patients with ESBL bacteremia have increased morality due to other factors than ESBL status. These findings should be validated in other centers and with larger populations.