How to 'SAVE' antibiotics: effectiveness and sustainability of a new model of antibiotic stewardship intervention in the internal medicine area.

BACKGROUND: Antibiotic stewardship (AS) is a cornerstone of the fight against antimicrobial resistance; however, evidence on the best practice to improve antibiotic prescription in various hospital settings is still scarce. This study aimed to measure the efficacy of a non-restrictive AS intervention in the internal medicine area of a tertiary-care hospital across a 3-year period. METHODS: The intervention comprised a 3-month 'intensive phase' based on education and guidelines provision, followed by 9 months of audits and feedback activities. The primary outcome was the overall antibiotic consumption measured as days of therapy (DOTs) and defined daily doses (DDDs). Secondary outcomes were carbapenem and fluoroquinolone consumption, all-cause in-hospital mortality, length of stay, incidence of Clostridioides difficile and carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales bloodstream infections (CRE-BSIs). All outcomes were measured in the intervention wards comparing the pre-phase with the post-phase using an interrupted time-series model. RESULTS: A total of 145 337 patient days (PDs) and 14 159 admissions were included in the analysis. The intervention was associated with reduced DOTs*1000PDs (-162.2/P = 0.005) and DDDs*1000PDs (-183.6/P ≤ 0.001). A sustained decrease in ward-related antibiotic consumption was also detected during the post-intervention phase and in the carbapenem/fluoroquinolone classes. The intervention was associated with an immediate reduction in length of stay (-1.72 days/P < 0.001) and all-cause mortality (-3.71 deaths*100 admissions/P = 0.002), with a decreasing trend over time. Rates of Clostridioides difficile infections and CRE-BSIs were not significantly impacted by the intervention. CONCLUSIONS: The AS intervention was effective and safe in decreasing antibiotic consumption and length of stay in the internal medicine area. Enabling prescribers to judicious use of antimicrobials through active participation in AS initiatives is key to reach sustained results over time.

Can we reliably predict the level of anticoagulation after enoxaparin injection in elderly patients with renal failure?

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to evaluate the activity of anti-activated factor X (anti-Xa) in patients with different degrees of chronic renal failure (CRF), treated with therapeutic doses of low molecular weight heparin. DESIGN: This prospective study evaluated the effect of age, renal function, BMI, gender, in determining the efficacy and safety of treatment with enoxaparin, evaluated by assessing the anti-Xa. The therapeutic anticoagulant range was set between 0.20 and 0.70 U/mL. SETTING: Two hospital geriatric units. PARTICIPANTS: 98 patients (64 men, 34 women, mean age 82 years) with CRF, treated with enoxaparin at therapeutic dosage, for deep vein thrombosis or acute coronary syndrome. MEASUREMENTS: Anti-Xa was assessed 4 h after the third administration of LMWH using Chromogenix test. Renal function was assessed by calculating creatinine clearance according to Cockcroft formula. RESULTS: The dose of enoxaparin ranged between 53 and 200 U/kg; total 4000-16000 U/day. The mean anti-Xa was 0.41 U/mL (95% CI 0.36-0.45). Multiple regression analysis selected only the dose of enoxaparin, but not age, creatinine clearance, BMI, gender, as a predictor of anti-Xa serum levels. In seven patients anti-Xa was above the range but none of them received more than 150 U/Kg enoxaparin (100 U/kg if creatinine clearance <30 mL/min). Ten patients (eight men, two women) showed suboptimal levels of anti-Xa, regardless enoxaparin dose or creatinine clearance. CONCLUSION: Enoxaparin dose reduction according to renal function decreases the risk of overdosing and potentially the risk of bleeding. The risk of under dosing seems less predictable; therefore, anti-Xa assay may be useful in severe clinical situations that require higher anticoagulant activity.