[Programs for optimizing the use of antibiotics (PROA) in Spanish hospitals: GEIH-SEIMC, SEFH and SEMPSPH consensus document]

Agreement between pharmacists and physicians on the assessment of appropriateness of antimicrobial prescribing

INTRODUCTION

Audits for monitoring the quality of antimicrobial prescribing are a main tool in antimicrobial stewardship programs; however, interobserver reliability has not been conclusively assessed. Our objective was to measure the level of agreement between pharmacists and physicians on the appropriateness of antimicrobials prescribing in hospitals.

METHODS

A national multicenter, cross-sectional study was conducted of patients who were receiving antimicrobials one day of April 2021. Hospital participation was voluntary, and the study population was randomly selected. Pharmacists and physicians performed a simultaneous, independent assessment of the quality of antimicrobial prescriptions. The observers used an assessment method by which all indicators of the quality of antimicrobial use were considered. Finally, an algorithm was used to rate overall antimicrobial prescribing as appropriate, suboptimal, inappropriate, or not assessable. Gwet's AC1 coefficient was used to assess interobserver agreement.

RESULTS

In total, 101 hospitals participated, and 411 hospital antimicrobial prescriptions were reviewed. The strength of agreement was moderate regarding the overall quality of prescribing (AC1=0.51; 95%CI=[0.44-0.58]). A very good level of agreement (AC1>0.80) was observed between pharmacists and physicians in all indicators of the quality, except for duration of treatment, rated as good (AC1=0.79; 95%CI=[0.75-0.83]), and registration on the medical record, rated as fair (AC1=0.34; 95%CI=[0.26-0.43]). The agreement was greater in critical care, onco-hematology, and pediatric units than in medical and surgery units.

CONCLUSIONS

In this point prevalence study, a moderate level of agreement was observed between pharmacists and physicians in the evaluation of the appropriateness of antimicrobials prescribing in hospitals.

Five-Year Evaluation of the PROA-NEN Pediatric Antimicrobial Stewardship Program in a Spanish Tertiary Hospital

Introduction: Actions to reduce and optimize antimicrobial use are crucial in the management of infectious diseases to counteract the emergence of short- and long-term resistance. This is particularly important for pediatric patients due to the increasing incidence of serious infections caused by resistant bacteria in this population. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of a pediatric antimicrobial stewardship program (PROA-NEN) implemented in a Spanish tertiary hospital by assessing the use of systemic antimicrobials, clinical indicators, antimicrobial resistance, and costs. Methods: In this quasi-experimental, single-center study, we included pediatric patients (0-18 years) admitted to specialized pediatric medical and surgical units, as well as pediatric and neonatal intensive care units, from January 2015 to December 2019. The impact of the PROA-NEN program was assessed using process (consumption trends and prescription quality) and outcome indicators (clinical and microbiological). Antibiotic prescription quality was determined using quarterly point prevalence cross-sectional analyses. Results: Total antimicrobial consumption decreased during the initial three years of the PROA-NEN program, followed by a slight rebound in 2019. This decrease was particularly evident in intensive care and surgical units. Antibiotic use, according to the WHO Access, Watch and Reserve (AWaRe) classification, remained stable during the study period. The overall rate of appropriate prescription was 83.2%, with a significant increase over the study period. Clinical indicators did not substantially change over the study period. Direct antimicrobial expenses decreased by 27.3% from 2015 to 2019. Conclusions: The PROA-NEN program was associated with reduced antimicrobial consumption, improved appropriate use, and decreased costs without compromising clinical and/or microbiological outcomes in patients.

Impact of a prospective audit and feedback antimicrobial stewardship programme on carbapenem consumption: a quasi-experimental study (IPANEMA study)

OBJECTIVES

To test the hypothesis that a prospective audit and feedback (PAF) intervention combined with electronic tools will reduce carbapenem use without negatively affecting patient outcomes.

METHODS

A quasi-experimental, pre-intervention and intervention study was performed conducted in the urology department of a university hospital. The intervention involved implementing a PAF within an antimicrobial stewardship programme with the aid of an electronic tool. The primary outcome was carbapenem use, assessed by DDD/100 patient-days (PD). Secondary outcomes included evaluating the effect of the intervention on overall antibiotic use measured by DDD/100 PD and days of therapy (DOT)/100 PD, as well as patient safety. The chi-squared test or t-test was used, and the Poisson model was employed to assess the association between the intervention and outcomes.

RESULTS

A 9% decrease in carbapenem DDD/100 PD was observed during the intervention period (IR = 0.91; 95% CI = 0.85-0.97, P = 0.007). The proportion of patients who received carbapenem treatment dropped from 17.8% to 16.5% [incidence ratio (IR) = 0.95; 95% CI = 0.86-2.05, P = 0.31]. Carbapenem DOT/100 PD decreased from 12.4 to 11.0 (IR = 0.89; 95% CI = 0.83-0.94, P < 0.001). Overall antibiotic DDD/100 PD decreased by 3% (IR = 0.97; 95% CI = 0.94-0.99, P = 0.001) and DOT/100 PD by 7% (IR = 0.93; 95% CI = 0.91-0.95, P < 0.001). The incidence of infections caused by carbapenemase-producing microorganisms, Enterococcus faecium bacteraemia and Clostridioides difficile-associated diarrhoea episodes was similar in the pre-intervention and intervention periods. ESBL incidence rate decreased, but the differences were not statistically significant (3.94/1000 PD versus 2.88/1000 PD, P = 0.111). Length of hospital stay, in-hospital all-cause mortality, and 30 day readmission incidence remained unchanged.

CONCLUSIONS

The implementation of PAF combined with an electronic tool was an effective and safe intervention for reducing carbapenem use.

Antibiotic desensitization as a potential tool in antimicrobial stewardship programs: retrospective data analysis and systematic literature review

OBJECTIVES

Antibiotic allergy labels (AAL) are related to worse therapeutic results. Strategies to improve the management of these patients, such as the implementation of antibiotic desensitization, are essential for Antimicrobial Stewardship Programs (ASP). The aim of our study is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of antibiotic desensitization procedures for the management of patients with AAL.

METHODS

A retrospective study from 2015 to 2022 was performed to describe all antibiotic desensitization conducted in our institution, within the framework of ASP. A systematic literature review using electronic databases, such as PubMed, was also done to identify studies describing antibiotic desensitization between 2000 and 2022.

RESULTS

Sixteen antibiotic desensitization protocols were carried out in our institution. In fourteen cases, the desensitization was successfully completed, and the antibiotic could be used to treat the infection. In the systematic review, twenty-two studies were included, with a total of 202 desensitization episodes . In 97% of them, the desensitization was completed successfully. No desensitization-related mortality was observed neither in our cohort nor in literature review.

CONCLUSIONS

Antibiotic desensitization strategies should be considered a safe and effective tool that can be included in ASP for patients with a high risk of or confirmed allergy to penicillin.

Antimicrobial management in community acquired pneumonia in hospital at home: Is there room for improvement?

INTRODUCTION

Community Acquired Pneumonia (CAP) is common disease that can be treated in Hospital At Home (HAH). In this paper we evaluate the room of improvement in the use of antibiotics in CAP in HH.

METHODS

Patients with CAP were retrospectively recruited in two Spanish hospitals from 1/1/18 to 10/30/19. Demographic, clinical and quality of antibiotic prescription variables were recorded. Subsequently, we created a new variable that collected six quality of care indicator, categorizing and comparing patients into two groups: good quality of care (4 or more indicators performed) or poor quality of care (3 or less indicators performed).

RESULTS

We recruited 260 patients. The request for diagnostic tests and the adequacy to Clinical Practice Guidelines were 85.4% and 85.8% respectively. Percentages of de-escalation (53.7%) and sequential therapy (57.7%) when indicated were low. The average length of treatment was 7.3 days for intravenous and 9.5 days for total. Quality of prescription was good in 134 (63.2%) patients, being more frequent in those who were admitted directly to HAD from the emergency room. It was also associated with less readmission at 30 days.

CONCLUSION

There is a wide room for improvement in some fields of antimicrobials use in HAH that could stimulate the implementation of Antimicrobial Stewardship Programs.

Co-Infections in Critically Ill Patients with or without COVID-19: A Comparison of Clinical Microbial Culture Findings

Co-infections in critically ill patients hospitalized for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection have an important impact on the outcome of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). We compared the microbial isolations found in COVID-19 patients hospitalized in an intensive care unit (ICU) with those in a non-COVID-19 ICU from 22 February to 30 April 2020 and in the same period of 2019. We considered blood, urine or respiratory specimens obtained with bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) or bronchial aspirate (BASP), collected from all patients admitted in ICUs with or without COVID-19 infection. We found a higher frequency of infections due to methicillin-resistant (MR) staphylococci, vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium, carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii and Candida parapsilosis in COVID-19-positive patients admitted in ICUs compared to those who were COVID-19 negative. Carbapenem-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa was more frequently isolated from patients admitted in non-COVID-19 ICUs. Several conditions favor the increased frequency of these infections by antibiotic-resistant microorganisms. Among all, the severity of the respiratory tracts was definitely decisive, which required assisted ventilation with invasive procedures. The turnover in the ICU of a large number of patients in a very short time requiring urgent invasive interventions has favored the not always suitable execution of assistance procedures. No less important is the increased exposure to infectious risk from bacteria and fungi in patients with severe impairment due to ventilation. The highest costs for antifungal drugs were shown in the ICU-COVID group.

Post-operative fever (POF) after cardiac surgery in a low- and middle-income-country: 7-year institutional experience

BACKGROUND

Post-operative fever (POF) after cardiac surgery in a developing country is of great concern because of the associated morbidity and mortality. In our country, we experience this complication more because of a high rate of malaria infestations, gastroenteritis, and malnutrition. We also experience a low yield of positive diagnostic tests when POF develops; this is partly due to expense and the prioritisation of other essential items in our poorly equipped cardiac ICU.

AIMS/OBJECTIVE

To assess the causes of POF after cardiac surgery and determine its impact on the outcome on patients.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

International Cardiac Surgery Mission teams visited our centre for 7 years (2013-2019). During this period, a significant number of cardiac surgeries were performed. A retrospective study of patients with POF was performed with data from our hospital's database, and included standard demographics; types of surgery performed, and management protocols being used in the peri-operative care.

RESULTS

A total of 242 patients were treated during the study period and underwent 266 surgeries. Of these, 151 (56.8%) and 115 (43.2%) were adult and paediatric cases respectively. Ages ranged between 0 and 90 years; 34 (14.1%) had POF. When we evaluated the clinical and associated laboratory findings, pyrexia (temp >38.0 °C) and elevated white blood cell count with differential neutrophilia were present in 10 patients (29.4%). The time of onset and duration of POF were between <24 and >144 hours. In the invasive procedure related to POF, sternotomy infections were present in seven patients (18.4%). Malaria infestations and breach in sterility protocol were predominant.

CONCLUSION

The management of POF in the cardiac ICU was complicated by the requirement of co-operation from a larger number of specialties than is usually required in advanced centres with special expertise in malaria confirmation. We, therefore, introduced structured clinical, laboratory, and appropriate interventions to treat POF more aggressively. We found that more careful attention to peri-operative details to ensure strict observation of sterility protocol with anti-malaria prophylaxis led to improvements in our centre's outcomes.

Impact of sink removal from intensive care unit rooms on the consumption of antibiotics and on results of Zero Resistance Project

INTRODUCTION

Due to the favourable impact of removing the sinks on isolations in bronchoaspirate samples of patients with mechanical ventilation, we now evaluate the impact on the consumption of antibiotics as well as on the results of the Zero Resistance Project (ZRP).

PATIENTS AND METHODS

All the patients admitted to the unit in a quasi-experimental before-after study with a pre-intervention period between 2014 and 2016 and a post-intervention period from 2016 to 2017, to evaluate antibiotic consumption in defined daily doses, and until 2018, to evaluate the ZRP indicators. The intervention was the removal of the sinks from the rooms of the ICU. We evaluated antibiotic consumption densities and their ratios, grouped as Enterobacteriaceae and non-fermenting gram-negative bacilli (NFGNB) according to their antibiograms; the absolute number of 'antibiotic days', 'hospitalised days', 'isolation days', and 'multi-resistant bacteria (MRB) days'; as well as their incidence densities per 1000 hospitalised days and the ratio between the two years prior to and the two years after the intervention.

RESULTS

Post-intervention antibiotic use was 1.61-fold (1.60-1.62) and 2.24-fold (2.10-2.37) lower for antibiotics used against Enterobacteriaceae and NFGNB, respectively. There were also reductions in the number of days of antibiotic use by 1.29-fold (1.22-1.36), number of MRB days by 1.84-fold (1.63-2.08), and number of patient isolation days by 1.51-fold (1.38-1.66).

DISCUSSION

The results suggest that the intervention had a favourable impact on the consumption of antibiotics, as well as on the number of days on antibiotics, MRB, and isolation.

Antifungal stewardship in a tertiary care paediatric hospital: the PROAFUNGI study

BACKGROUND

The increasing use of antifungal drugs (AF) in children and the concern for related adverse events and costs has led to the development of specific AF stewardship programmes (AFS). Studies in adult patients have shown improvements in AF prescription and usage after implementation, but paediatric data are scant. The aim of this PROAFUNGI study was to describe the use and appropriateness of AF in a high complexity paediatric centre.

METHODS

Observational, prospective, single-centre, modified point-prevalence study (11 surveys, July-October 2018), including paediatric (< 18 years) patients receiving at least one systemic AF. Prescriptions were evaluated by the AFS team.

RESULTS

The study included 119 prescriptions in 55 patients (53% males, median age 8.7 years [IQR 2.4-13.8]). The main underlying condition was cancer (45.5% of patients; HSCT in 60% of them); and the first indication for AF was prophylaxis (75 prescriptions, 63.2%). Liposomal amphotericin B was used most commonly (46% prescriptions), mainly as prophylaxis (75%). Among the 219 evaluations, 195 (89%) were considered optimal. The reason for non-optimal prescriptions was mostly lack of indication (14/24), especially in critical patients with ventricular assist devices. The use of AF without paediatric approval accounted for 8/24 inappropriate prescriptions.

CONCLUSIONS

A high rate of AF appropriateness was found for the children's hospital as a whole, in relation with a well-established AFS. Nonetheless, the identification of specific areas of improvement should guide future actions of the AFS team, which will focus mainly on prophylaxis in critically ill patients receiving circulatory assistance and the use of non-approved drugs in children.

Antimicrobial management in community acquired pneumonia in hospital at home: Is there room for improvement?

INTRODUCTION

Community Acquired Pneumonia (CAP) is common disease that can be treated in Hospital At Home (HAH). In this paper we evaluate the room of improvement in the use of antibiotics in CAP in HH.

METHODS

Patients with CAP were retrospectively recruited in two Spanish hospitals from 1/1/18 to 10/30/19. Demographic, clinical and quality of antibiotic prescription variables were recorded. Subsequently, we created a new variable that collected six quality of care indicator, categorizing and comparing patients into two groups: good quality of care (4 or more indicators performed) or poor quality of care (3 or less indicators performed).

RESULTS

We recruited 260 patients. The request for diagnostic tests and the adequacy to Clinical Practice Guidelines were 85.4% and 85.8% respectively. Percentages of de-escalation (53.7%) and sequential therapy (57.7%) when indicated were low. The average length of treatment was 7.3 days for intravenous and 9.5 days for total. Quality of prescription was good in 134 (63.2%) patients, being more frequent in those who were admitted directly to HAD from the emergency room. It was also associated with less readmission at 30 days.

CONCLUSION

There is a wide room for improvement in some fields of antimicrobials use in HAH that could stimulate the implementation of Antimicrobial Stewardship Programs.

Benefits of a Pediatric Antimicrobial Stewardship Program in Antimicrobial Use and Quality of Prescriptions in a Referral Children's Hospital

OBJECTIVES

To evaluate the results of the first 24 months of a postprescription review with feedback-based antimicrobial stewardship program in a European referral children's hospital.

STUDY DESIGN

We performed a pre-post study comparing antimicrobial use between the control (2015-2016) and the intervention periods (2017-2018) expressed in days of therapy/100 days present. Quality of prescriptions was evaluated by quarterly cross-sectional point-prevalence surveys. Length of stay, readmission rates, in-hospital mortality rates, cost of systemic antimicrobial agents, and antimicrobial resistance rates were included as complementary outcomes.

RESULTS

Total antimicrobial use and antibacterial use significantly decreased during the intervention period (P = .002 and P = .001 respectively), and total antifungal use remained stable. A significant decline in parenteral antimicrobial use was also observed (P < .001). In 8 quarterly point-prevalence surveys (938 prescriptions evaluated), the mean prevalence of use of any antimicrobial among inpatients was 39%. An increasing trend in the rate of optimal prescriptions was observed after the first point-prevalence survey (P = .0898). Nonoptimal prescriptions were more common in surgical than in medical departments, in antibacterial prescriptions with prophylactic intention, and in empirical more than in targeted treatments. No significant differences were observed in terms of mortality or readmission rates. Only minor changes in antimicrobial resistance rates were noted.

CONCLUSIONS

Our antimicrobial stewardship program safely decreased antimicrobial use and expenditure, and a trend toward improvement in quality of prescription was also observed.

Impact of a pharmacist-driven antimicrobial stewardship program in a private hospital in Costa Rica

Objective.

To measure the impact generated by the implementation of the pharmacy-driven antimicrobial stewardship program of the Clínica Bíblica Hospital.

Methods.

This is a retrospective observational study that evaluates the consumption of antibiotics for the periods before and during implementation of the Clínica Bíblica Hospital antimicrobial stewardship program, calculated by means of defined daily dose per 1 000 patient-days and days of therapy per 1 000 patient-days. In addition, bacterial resistance patterns for the periods 2014–2015 and 2016–2017 were compared.

Results.

Consumption of most-used antibiotics was calculated, looking for trends that might be associated with the activities implemented by the Clínica Bíblica Hospital antimicrobial stewardship program. Comparing some of the antibiotics with the highest consumption in periods I and II, use of levofloxacin and ceftriaxone showed a decrease of 54.0% (p < 0.001) and 14.6% (p = 0.003), respectively, whereas there was an increase in the use of cefazolin of 4 539.3% (p < 0.001). Regarding percentage of bacterial resistance, in most bacterial isolates no statistically significant changes were observed between the two periods.

Conclusions.

A reduction in the overall consumption of antibiotics has been achieved over time, most likely attributable to the antimicrobial stewardship program. However, this trend was not observed for all the antibiotics studied. The pattern of resistance among the commonly isolated microorganisms did not vary greatly between the periods studied, which suggests that either the antimicrobial stewardship program may have prevented an increase in bacterial resistance since its implementation, or that it is too soon to see impact on bacterial resistance.

[Assessment of outcomes of implementing the Sepsis Code in the emergency department of a tertiary hospital]

INTRODUCTION

A Sepsis Code (CS) is a comprehensive multidisciplinary system which has the aim of optimising the identification and intervention times of patients with sepsis, as well as improving their monitoring and treatment adjustments in order to reduce their mortality.

OBJECTIVES

To present the outcomes of the first year of introducing the CS in the emergency department of a tertiary hospital.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

A single-centre retrospective descriptive observational study was conducted on all patients in whom the CS was activated in the emergency department of a tertiary hospital during the first year of implementation. The variables included: demographics, CS activation, comorbidities, focus of infection, microbiology, antibiotic treatment, and mortality.

RESULTS

CS was activated in 555 patients, of which 302 (54.4%) had a definitive diagnosis of sepsis or septic shock on discharge from the emergency department. The degree of completion of the protocol variables was variable (41.8-95%).The large majority (86.1%) of the patients received antibiotics in the first hour, and in 76.2% blood cultures were collected prior to the antibiotic. Of the blood cultures performed, 13.3% of the isolated germs were multi-resistant and the level of contamination of blood cultures was 9.1%. All patients received empirical treatment and recommendations were followed in patients with septic shock in 28.3%. During follow-up, 64.4% the antibiotic treatment was targeted, and 39.5% received sequential therapy. In-hospital mortality was 32.2%.

CONCLUSIONS

Areas of improvement in the completion of the variables, contamination of blood cultures, and empirical treatment received were detected, with the strong points being the early administration of the antibiotic and the collection of blood cultures.

Effectiveness of Electronic Guidelines (GERH®) to Improve the Clinical Use of Antibiotics in An Intensive Care Unit

The objective of the study was to evaluate the capacity of GERH^®-derived local resistance maps (LRMs) to predict antibiotic susceptibility profiles and recommend the appropriate empirical treatment for ICU patients with nosocomial infection. Data gathered between 2007 and 2016 were retrospectively studied to compare susceptibility information from antibiograms of microorganisms isolated in blood cultures, lower respiratory tract samples, and urine samples from all ICU patients meeting clinical criteria for infection with the susceptibility mapped by LRMs for these bacterial species. Susceptibility described by LRMs was concordant with in vitro study results in 73.9% of cases. The LRM-predicted outcome agreed with the antibiogram result in >90% of cases infected with the bacteria for which GERH^® offers data on susceptibility to daptomycin, vancomycin, teicoplanin, linezolid, and rifampicin. Full adherence to LRM recommendations would have improved the percentage adequacy of empirical prescriptions by 2.2% for lower respiratory tract infections (p = 0.018), 3.1% for bacteremia (p = 0.07), and 5.3% for urinary tract infections (p = 0.142). LRMs may moderately improve the adequacy of empirical antibiotic therapy, especially for lower respiratory tract infections. LRMs recommend appropriate prescriptions in approximately 50% of cases but are less useful in patients with bacteremia or urinary tract infection.

Observación e intervención educativa para modificar la prescripción de antibióticos en un instituto social de la ciudad de Corrientes, Argentina

Objetivo: analizar y mejorar las prescripciones de antibióticos por parte de odontólogos, a través de una intervención educativa. Método: se realizó un estudio analizando las recetas de prescripción de medicamentos antes y después de la intervención educativa, en el Instituto de Servicios Sociales de la Universidad Nacional del Nordeste. El estudio comprendió tres etapas; en la etapa A se identificaron problemas de prescripción, que fueron socializados con los profesionales durante la intervención educativa como parte de la etapa B, cuya modalidad consistió en dos entrevistas presenciales, con talleres de discusión y debate. En esta se trabajó, además, con el informe de los resultados obtenidos en el análisis de situación de la etapa A. En la etapa C se analizó el impacto de la intervención educativa. Resultados: en la etapa A se observaron 417 recetas con 202 prescripciones de antibióticos, los más indicados fueron azitromicina (31%), amoxicilina con clavulánico (10%) y amoxicilina (8%). La adecuación de prescripción en relación a la indicación fue del 26%. En la etapa C, de un total de 191 recetas, se analizaron 107 recetas con prescripción de antibióticos. La amoxicilina fue el medicamento más prescripto (37%); la prescripción de azitromicina disminuyó a 14% y su adecuación fue del 46%. Ello evidenció una mejoría del 20%, la cual fue validada a través del test chi2 (p=0,00). Conclusión: por medio de la intervención educativa presencial es posible mejorar las prescripciones de antibióticos, no obstante se desconoce si el cambio de conducta prescriptiva se mantiene en el tiempo.El estudio comprendió tres etapas, la primera para identificar problemas de prescripción a fin de ser socializado con los profesionales durante la intervención educativa, que incluía procedimientos educativos presenciales. En la última etapa se analizó el impacto de la intervención educativa. Resultados: Etapa A: se observaron 417 recetas con 202 prescripciones de antibióticos, los más indicados fueron azitromicina (31%); amoxicilina con clavulánico (10%) y amoxicilina (8%).  La adecuación de prescripción en relación a la indicación fue del 26%; la etapa B correspondió a la intervención educativa, a través de discusión y análisis de la situación. En la etapa C se analizaron 107 recetas con prescripción de antibióticos, se observó que el más prescrito fue amoxicilina (37%) y la prescripción de azitromicina disminuyó a 14%. La adecuación fue del 46%, evidenciándose una mejoría del 20%, validado a través del test chi2 (p=0,00). En conclusión se observó que a través de una intervención educativa con los profesionales prescriptores, se pudo mejorar las prescripciones de antibióticos, no obstante se desconoce si el cambio de conducta prescriptiva se mantiene en el tiempo.

The safety of antimicrobials for the treatment of community-acquired pneumonia

Introduction: Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, and its prevalence continues to increase. Despite the efficacy of antimicrobials, their safety and tolerability remain topics of interest and concern for clinicians and patients alike.Areas covered: This review outlines the main antimicrobial classes recommended for the empirical treatment of CAP in current guidelines, together with a potential new class. Each pharmacological group underwent a safety evaluation based on all available data about drug-related toxicities. The authors also present their mechanisms of action, their pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic properties, and the main clinical studies.Expert opinion: Overall, antimicrobials currently marketed for the treatment of CAP are well tolerated and generally safe. However, unusual and sometimes serious adverse effects can occur in susceptible populations. Attention should be paid to identifying patients at risk of developing drug-related toxicities because, although most effects are transient, some could be disabling, permanent, or even fatal. Post-marketing surveillance remains crucial for gathering data to overcome the limitations of preclinical and clinical studies in estimating the true prevalence of drug-related adverse events.

Effect of an intervention to improve the prescription of antifungals in pediatric hematology-oncology

BACKGROUND

The use of antifungals has expanded in pediatric hematology-oncology, and the need to develop pediatric-based surveillance and education activities is becoming crucial. The aims of this study were to evaluate the impact of a multidisciplinary protocol on the adequacy of antifungal prescription in a pediatric hematology-oncology unit and to assess the effect of an educational intervention to improve the knowledge of prescribing pediatricians over time.

METHODS

A multidisciplinary team established a protocol for the management of invasive fungal disease (IFD). The use of antifungals before (January 2012-May 2013) and after the protocol (June 2013-December 2015) was evaluated. Prescribing pediatricians attended a training course on IFD and were evaluated before 0, 6, and 12 months after the intervention.

RESULTS

During the study period, antifungal agents were used in 185 episodes (56 children, 39.3% females), and were administered as prophylaxis (58.9%), empiric (34.6%), or targeted therapy (6.5%). Antifungal prescriptions were inadequate in 7% of the episodes, related to drug selection (53.8%), dosage (38.5%) and route of administration (7.7%). After protocol implementation, inadequate prescriptions decreased 9.9% (15.2% vs 5.3%; P = .04). Following the educational activity, the percentage of adequate responses to the questionnaire improved significantly compared to baseline, and persisted over time (19.7% improvement at 0 months [P < .0001]; 21.1% at 6 months [P < .0001]; 16.6% at 12 months [P = .002]).

CONCLUSIONS

The establishment of multidisciplinary protocols and education activities improved the quality of antifungal prescription and the knowledge of prescribers regarding antifungal therapy. Therefore, these activities may be important for the implementation of antifungal stewardship programs in pediatrics.

Antimicrobial defined daily dose adjusted by weight: a proposal for antibiotic consumption measurement in children

INTRODUCTION

Antimicrobial defined daily dose (DDD), has limitations for antimicrobial consumption measurement in paediatrics. An alternative DDD design applicable for children is proposed.

METHODS

Children (<16 years-old) from 10 Spanish hospitals during a 12-months period were included. Weight for age (50th percentile) was calculated for the median age of the cohort using standardized World Health Organization tables. DDD (g) for each antimicrobial was calculated by multiplying the obtained weight times the recommended dose (mg/kg) of the antimicrobial for the most common infectious indication.

RESULTS

A total of 40,575 children were included. Median age was 4.17 (IQR: 1.36-8.98) and 4.81 (IQR: 1.42-9.60) years for boys and girls, respectively. Mean weight for this age was 17.08kg. Standardized DDD for representative antimicrobials were calculated.

CONCLUSIONS

A useful method for antimicrobial DDD measurement in paediatrics has been proposed and should be validated in future studies for its use in paediatric antimicrobial stewardship programmes.

Auditing and Improving Surgical Antibiotic Prophylaxis

BACKGROUND

There is extensive evidence of the efficacy of anti-microbial drugs in preventing infections from surgical efforts. Our objective was to describe the results obtained in our annual surgical antibiotic prophylaxis (SAP) audit in the years 2013-2017.

METHODS

This was a retrospective observational study of SAP in surgical procedures carried out between 2013 and 2017 in a tertiary-level hospital. We examined the results from the services of general surgery, vascular surgery, neurosurgery, the breast unit, otolaryngology, maxillofacial surgery, traumatology, urology, pediatric surgery, gynecology, and plastic surgery.

RESULTS

Establishment of six process quality indicators and their evaluation in the annual audit were carried out by the pharmacy service for approximately 500 operations. The indicators that had a high percentage of compliance were indication for SAP, choice of anti-microbial agent, dose and route of administration, and administration of an intra-operative dose when this was appropriate. In contrast, time of administration of the first dose and duration of prophylaxis had a worse percentage of compliance.

CONCLUSIONS

Compliance with the SAP protocols in our hospital is high. We consider that these better results are attributable to the establishment of quality indicators of SAP and to the annual audit that evaluates said indicators. Communication of the results obtained in the audit to the surgical services, which have as part of their objectives included in their management contracts compliance with said SAP protocols, encourages improvement. The use of prophylaxis kits is an improvement strategy that facilitates the correct choice of anti-microbial agent and prevents SAP from being prolonged inappropriately.

Impact of the PROVAUR stewardship programme on linezolid resistance in a tertiary university hospital: a before-and-after interventional study

BACKGROUND

There is little evidence of the impact of antimicrobial stewardship programmes on antimicrobial resistance.

OBJECTIVES

To study the efficacy and safety of a package of educational and interventional measures to optimize linezolid use and its impact on bacterial resistance.

METHODS

A quasi-experimental study was designed and carried out before and after implementation of a stewardship programme in hospitalized patients with Gram-positive infections treated with linezolid.

RESULTS

The intervention reduced linezolid consumption by 76%. The risk of linezolid-resistant CoNS isolates (OR = 0.37; 95% CI = 0.27-0.49; P < 0.001) and Enterococcus faecalis (OR = 0.44; 95% CI = 0.21-0.90; P = 0.03) during the intervention period was lower than in the pre-intervention period.

CONCLUSIONS

A programme to optimize linezolid use can contribute to reducing the resistance rate of CoNS and E. faecalis to this antibiotic.