Infections Associated with Medtronic Duet External Ventricular Drains - Rhode Island Hospital, Providence, Rhode Island, January 2023-January 2024.

External ventricular drains (EVDs) are medical devices that are inserted into the ventricles of the brain to drain excess fluid, manage intracranial hypertension, monitor intracranial pressure, and administer medications. Unintentional disconnections and breaks or fractures (breaks) of EVDs or associated drainage system components can result in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leakage and increased risk for EVD-associated infections. After replacement of Integra Life Sciences EVD systems with Medtronic Duet EVD systems at Rhode Island Hospital in mid-September 2023, a threefold increase was observed in the prevalence of positive CSF cultures, from 2.8 per 1,000 days with an EVD in place (EVD days) during January-September 2023 to 11.4 per 1,000 EVD days during October 2023-January 2024 (rate ratio [RR] = 5.7; 95% CI = 1.5-22.0; p = 0.01) and an eightfold increase in the prevalence of infections, from 0.7 to 6.5 per 1,000 EVD days (RR = 9.8; 95% CI = 1.1-87.3; p = 0.04). An investigation by Rhode Island Hospital Infection Control during December 2023-January 2024 identified frequent reports of disconnections and breaks of the Medtronic Duet EVD system. A search of the Food and Drug Administration Manufacturer and User Facility Device Experience database identified 326 reports nationwide of disconnection and breaks of components of the Duet EVD system, including 175 during 2023. A Medical Product Safety Network report was filed. The Duet EVD product was ultimately recalled in January 2024, citing disconnections of the EVD system and reports of CSF leakage and infection. Given the widespread use of EVD systems by neurosurgery centers and the risk for EVD-associated infections, a strategy for future consideration by hospital infection prevention and control programs might be inclusion of EVD-associated infections in hospital surveillance programs to rapidly identify increases in these events and determine factors related to such infections to prevent additional infections.

The V-BRCH Project: Strengthening HIV Research Capacity in Nigeria through Intensive Workshops in Implementation Science and Grant Writing.

As persons with HIV live longer as the result of antiretroviral therapy, morbidity from HIV-associated noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) is increasing. The Vanderbilt-Nigeria Building Research Capacity in HIV and Noncommunicable Diseases program is a training platform created with the goal of training a cohort of successful Nigerian investigators to become leaders in HIV-associated NCD research. We describe survey findings from two week-long workshops in Kano, Nigeria, where trainees received instruction in implementation science and grant writing. Surveys assessed participants' self-perceived knowledge and confidence in topics taught during these workshops. Thirty-seven participants (all assistant professors) attended the implementation science workshop; 30 attended the grant-writing workshop. Response rates for the implementation science workshop were 89.2% for the preworkshop survey and 91.9% for the postworkshop survey. For the grant-writing workshop, these values were 88.2% and 85.3%, respectively. Improvement in participant knowledge and confidence was observed in every domain measured for both workshops. On average, a 101.4% increase in knowledge and a 118.0% increase in confidence was observed across measured domains among participants in the implementation science workshop. For the grant-writing workshop, there was a 68.8% increase in knowledge and a 70.3% increase in confidence observed. Participants rated the workshops and instructors as effective for both workshops. These workshops improved participants' knowledge and competence in implementation science and grant writing, and provide a model for training programs that aim to provide physician scientists with the skills needed to compete for independent funding, conduct locally relevant research, and disseminate research findings.

Geographic disparities in late HIV diagnoses in Tennessee: Opportunities for interventions in the rural Southeast.

PURPOSE: Incident HIV remains an important public health issue in the US South, the region leading the nation in HIV incidence, rural HIV cases, and HIV-related deaths. Late diagnoses drive incident HIV and understanding factors driving late diagnoses is critical for developing locally relevant HIV testing and prevention interventions, decreasing HIV transmission, and ending the HIV epidemic. METHODS: Retrospective cohort study utilizing Tennessee Department of Health (TDH) surveillance data and US Census Bureau data. Adults of ≥18-year old with a new HIV diagnosis between January 1, 2015 and December 31, 2019 identified in the TDH electronic HIV/AIDS Reporting System were included. Individuals were followed from initial HIV diagnosis until death, 90 days of follow-up for outcome assessment, or administrative censoring 90 days after study enrollment closed. FINDINGS: We included 3652 newly HIV-diagnosed individuals; median age was 31 years (IQR: 25, 42), 2909 (79.7%) were male, 2057 (56.3%) were Black, 246 (6.7%) were Hispanic, 408 (11.2%) were residing in majority-rural areas at diagnosis, and 642 (17.6%) individuals received a late HIV diagnosis. Residents of majority-rural counties (adjusted risk ratios [aRR] = 1.39, 95% confidence intervals [CI]: 1.16-1.67) and Hispanic individuals (aRR = 1.87, 95% CI: 1.50-2.33) had an increased likelihood of receiving a late diagnosis after controlling for race/ethnicity, age, and year of HIV diagnosis. CONCLUSIONS: Rural residence and Hispanic ethnicity were associated with an increased risk of receiving a late HIV diagnosis in Tennessee. Future HIV testing and prevention efforts should be adapted to the needs of these vulnerable populations.

Two-drug regimens for HIV treatment.

Combination therapy with three antiretroviral agents has been integral to successful HIV-1 treatment since 1996. Although the efficacy, adverse effects, and toxicities of contemporary three-drug regimens have improved, even the newest therapies have potential adverse effects. The use of two-drug regimens is one way to reduce lifetime exposure to antiretroviral drugs while maintaining the benefits of viral suppression. Multiple large, randomised trials have shown the virological non-inferiority of certain two-drug regimens versus three-drug comparators, including adverse effect differences that reflect known profiles of the antiretroviral drugs in the respective regimens. Two-drug combinations are now recommended in treatment guidelines and include the first long-acting antiretroviral regimen for the treatment of HIV-1. Recommended two-drug regimens differ in their risks for, and factors associated with, virological failure and emergent resistance. The tolerability, safety, metabolic profiles, and drug interactions of two-drug regimens also vary by the constituent drugs. No current two-drug regimen is recommended for people with chronic hepatitis B virus as none include tenofovir. Two-drug regimens have increased options for individualised care.

Update on HIV Preexposure Prophylaxis: Effectiveness, Drug Resistance, and Risk Compensation.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: In 2019, the US government launched an initiative to decrease new HIV infections by 90% over the next decade. Studies have demonstrated the efficacy of HIV preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for high-risk populations, and the United States Preventative Services Task Force has issued a grade A recommendation for PrEP, indicating substantial net benefit. However, questions have been raised about the effectiveness of PrEP in clinical settings and whether PrEP use might promote antiretroviral drug resistance and increased sexual risk behaviors, which could increase transmission of bacterial sexually transmitted infections. In this narrative review, we summarize recent evidence of the effectiveness of PrEP when provided in clinical and community settings, the emergence of antiretroviral drug resistance during PrEP use, and associations between PrEP use and increased sexual risk behaviors. We also review novel PrEP modalities that are being developed to optimize PrEP acceptability, adherence, and effectiveness. RECENT FINDINGS: Studies suggest that PrEP is effective when provided in clinical settings. However, PrEP uptake and impact have been limited in the USA thus far, and major disparities in access to PrEP exist. In addition, there is evidence that drug resistance can occur with PrEP use, particularly with inadvertent PrEP use during undiagnosed acute HIV infection. Risk compensation can also occur with PrEP use and has been associated with increased sexually transmitted infections. Promising new modalities for PrEP could expand options. PrEP has strong potential to decrease HIV incidence. However, disparities in access must be addressed to ensure equity and impact for PrEP. While drug resistance and risk compensation can occur with PrEP use, these are not valid reasons to withhold PrEP from patients given its substantial protective benefits.

Drug Resistance During HIV Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis.

Clinical studies have demonstrated that use of tenofovir disoproxil fumarate with or without emtricitabine as antiretroviral pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) can decrease the risk of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) acquisition when medication adherence is high. However, the potential for PrEP to promote antiretroviral resistance remains an important public health consideration. We performed a search of the medical literature to identify studies that address HIV drug resistance during PrEP use. In this review, we summarize findings about emergent drug resistance during clinical trials of PrEP, case reports of seroconversions in patients adherent to PrEP, and animal studies of PrEP effectiveness against drug-resistant viral strains. We also discuss the potential utility of novel PrEP formulations for protection against drug-resistant HIV, the impact of drug resistance on HIV treatment options, and mathematical models that estimate the potential contribution of PrEP to population-level drug resistance. Evidence suggests that selection for HIV drug resistance with PrEP use is infrequent and most likely to occur when PrEP is used during undiagnosed acute HIV infection. Breakthrough infections during PrEP use with high adherence are possible, but appear to be rare. The prevalence of drug-resistant HIV strains needs to be monitored as PrEP is scaled up. However, the benefit of a decreased HIV incidence with wider PrEP use is likely to outweigh the risk of harms from possible increases in the prevalence of HIV drug resistance.