Guidance for prevention and management of COVID-19 in children and adolescents: A consensus statement from the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society Pediatric COVID-19 Therapies Taskforce

BACKGROUND

Since November 2019, the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has created challenges for preventing and managing COVID-19 in children and adolescents. Most research to develop new therapeutic interventions or to repurpose existing ones has been undertaken in adults, and although most cases of infection in pediatric populations are mild, there have been many cases of critical and fatal infection. Understanding the risk factors for severe illness and the evidence for safety, efficacy, and effectiveness of therapies for COVID-19 in children is necessary to optimize therapy.

METHODS

A panel of experts in pediatric infectious diseases, pediatric infectious diseases pharmacology, and pediatric intensive care medicine from 21 geographically diverse North American institutions was re-convened. Through a series of teleconferences and web-based surveys and a systematic review with meta-analysis of data for risk factors, a guidance statement comprising a series of recommendations for risk stratification, treatment, and prevention of COVID-19 was developed and refined based on expert consensus.

RESULTS

There are identifiable clinical characteristics that enable risk stratification for patients at risk for severe COVID-19. These risk factors can be used to guide the treatment of hospitalized and non-hospitalized children and adolescents with COVID-19 and to guide preventative therapy where options remain available.

Monoclonal Antibody Use for Coronavirus Disease 2019 in Pediatric Patients: A Multicenter Retrospective Study

Monoclonal antibodies for COVID-19 are authorized in high-risk patients aged ≥12 years, but evidence in pediatric patients is limited. In our cohort of 142 patients treated at seven pediatric hospitals between 12/1/20 and 7/31/21, 9% developed adverse events, 6% were admitted for COVID-19 within 30 days, and none received ventilatory support or died.

1746. Electronic medical record-embedded clinical decision support decreases inappropriate duration of antibiotics for outpatient pediatric skin and soft tissue infections

Background

Most antibiotics are prescribed outside of the hospital, and up to 50% are unnecessary or inappropriate. Studies of ambulatory stewardship interventions have primarily targeted respiratory infections. We investigated the impact of an electronic medical record (EMR)-embedded clinical decision support tool on antibiotic duration for outpatient pediatric skin and soft tissue infection (SSTI).

Methods

Institutional SSTI treatment guidelines for pediatric and adult patients were developed in 7/2019, followed in 5/2020 by dedicated education for primary care pediatricians. In 12/2020, a SmartSet (EMR-embedded tool with a templated progress note and antibiotic guidance) was created for pediatrics only. In this quasi-experimental pre-post study, we included adult and pediatric patients who were prescribed antibiotics for SSTI at a primary care or surgery clinic (in person, virtual, or phone) from 7/2019 to 12/2021. Inappropriate pediatric antibiotic duration ( >7 days) was compared pre- and post-intervention with interrupted time series (ITS) analysis of aggregate quarterly data. The trend in adult antibiotic duration was modeled with linear regression.

Results

We included 3,786 (948 pediatric and 2,838 adult) pre-intervention and 2,122 (469 pediatric and 1,653 adult) post-intervention visits. Pre-intervention, the percentage of inappropriate duration for pediatric patients was decreasing 1.6 percentage points per quarter (p < 0.01). After SmartSet implementation, there was an immediate decrease of 10.3 percentage points (p < 0.01), a relative decrease of 40% from the modeled percentage just prior to intervention (Figure 1). Inappropriate antibiotic duration for adults averaged 22.9% over the same period and did not change (p = 0.88). Figure 1Figure 1. Raw and modeled percentages of inappropriate antibiotic duration for skin and soft tissue infection before (quarters -6 to 0, encompassing Q3 2019 through Q4 2020) and after (quarters 0 to 4, encompassing Q1 2021 through Q4 2021) implementation of an EMR-embedded clinical decision support tool for pediatric patients. Time is represented in 3-month intervals, with quarter 0 being indicating the intervention at the end of December 2020.

Conclusion

Following guideline implementation and education, inappropriate antibiotic duration for ambulatory pediatric SSTI declined only modestly. An EMR-embedded clinical decision support tool was associated with an additional relative decrease of 40% in inappropriate antibiotic duration. In the same health system with comparable adult SSTI guidelines, the percentage of inappropriate antibiotic duration for adults was unchanged, suggesting timely EMR nudges can provide additional benefit over guidelines alone.

Disclosures

All Authors: No reported disclosures.

Antimicrobial Stewardship in Cystic Fibrosis

The chronic airway infection and inflammation characteristic of cystic fibrosis (CF) ultimately leads to progressive lung disease, the primary cause of death in persons with CF (pwCF). Despite many recent advances in CF clinical care, efforts to preserve lung function in many pwCF still necessitate frequent antimicrobial use. Incorporating antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) principles into management of pulmonary exacerbations (PEx) would facilitate development of best practices for antimicrobial utilization at CF care centers. However, AMS can be challenging in CF given the unique aspects of chronic, polymicrobial infection in the CF airways, lack of evidence-based guidelines for managing PEx, limited utility for antimicrobial susceptibility testing, and increased frequency of adverse drug events in pwCF. This article describes current evidence-based antimicrobial treatment strategies for pwCF, highlights the potential for AMS to beneficially impact CF care, and provides practical strategies for integrating AMS programs into the management of PEx in pwCF.

Updated Guidance on Use and Prioritization of Monoclonal Antibody Therapy for Treatment of COVID-19 in Adolescents

BACKGROUND

Starting in November 2020, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued Emergency Use Authorizations (EUAs) for multiple novel virus-neutralizing monoclonal antibody therapies, including bamlanivimab monotherapy (now revoked), bamlanivimab and etesivimab, casirivimab and imdevimab (REGEN-COV), and sotrovimab, for treatment or postexposure prophylaxis of Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in adolescents (≥12 years of age) and adults with certain high-risk conditions. Previous guidance is now updated based on new evidence and clinical experience.

METHODS

A panel of experts in pediatric infectious diseases, pediatric infectious diseases pharmacotherapy, and pediatric critical care medicine from 18 geographically diverse US institutions was convened. Through a series of teleconferences and web-based surveys, a guidance statement was developed and refined based on a review of the best available evidence and expert opinion.

RESULTS

The course of COVID-19 in children and adolescents is typically mild, though more severe disease is occasionally observed. Evidence supporting risk stratification is incomplete. Randomized controlled trials have demonstrated the benefit of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2)-specific monoclonal antibody therapies in adults, but data on safety and efficacy in children or adolescents are limited. Potential harms associated with infusion reactions or anaphylaxis are reportedly low in adults.

CONCLUSIONS

Based on evidence available as of August 31, 2021, the panel suggests a risk-based approach to administration of SARS-CoV-2 monoclonal antibody therapy. Therapy is suggested for the treatment of mild to moderate COVID-19 in adolescents (≥12 years of age) at the highest risk of progression to hospitalization or severe disease. Therapeutic decision-making about those at moderate risk of severe disease should be individualized. Use as postexposure prophylaxis could be considered for those at the highest risk who have a high-risk exposure but are not yet diagnosed with COVID-19. Clinicians and health systems should ensure safe and timely implementation of these therapeutics that does not exacerbate existing healthcare disparities.

Impact of a Best Practice Advisory for Pediatric Patients With Staphylococcus aureus Bacteremia

BACKGROUND

Infectious diseases (ID) consultation and optimal antibiotic therapy improve outcomes in Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia (SAB). Data on strategies to improve adherence to these practices in children are limited.

METHODS

This was a quasi-experimental study evaluating the impact of an electronic medical record (EMR)-based best practice advisory (BPA) for SAB, recommending ID consult and optimal antibiotic therapy based on rapid mecA gene detection. Inpatients < 21 years old with SAB before (January 2015-July 2017) and after (August 2017-December 2018) BPA implementation were included. Primary outcome was receipt of ID consult. Secondary outcomes included receipt of optimal therapy, time to ID consult and optimal therapy, recurrent SAB, and 30-day all-cause mortality. ID consultation rates pre- and postimplementation were compared using interrupted time series (ITS) analysis. Hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for time to optimal therapy were calculated using Cox regression.

RESULTS

We included 99 SAB episodes (70 preintervention, 29 postintervention). Preintervention, 48 (68.6%) patients received an ID consult compared to 27 (93.1%) postintervention, but this was not statistically significant on ITS analysis due to a preexisting trend of increasing consultation. Median hours to optimal therapy decreased from 26.1 to 5.5 (P = .03), most notably in patients with methicillin-sensitive S. aureus (MSSA) (42.2 to 10.8; P < .01). On Cox regression, BPA implementation was associated with faster time to optimal therapy (HR, 3.22 [95% CI, 1.04-10.01]).

CONCLUSIONS

Implementation of an EMR-based BPA for SAB resulted in faster time to optimal antibiotic therapy, particularly for patients with MSSA. ID consultation increased throughout the study period and was not significantly impacted by the BPA.

1124. Impact of a Best Practice Advisory for Pediatric Patients with Staphylococcus aureus Bloodstream Infection

Background

Infectious diseases (ID) consultation and use of optimal antibiotic therapy have been shown to improve outcomes of patients with Staphylococcus aureus bloodstream infection (SA-BSI). We investigated the ability of an electronic medical record (EMR)-based best practice advisory (BPA) to enhance adherence to these practices for pediatric patients with SA-BSI.

Methods

An EMR-based BPA for SA-BSI (Figure 1) was implemented on 8/1/2017, recommending ID consultation and optimal therapy based on mecA gene rapid testing (vancomycin if mecA-positive; cefazolin or nafcillin if mecA-negative). We conducted a quasi-experimental pre/post study to evaluate impact of the BPA. Patients <21 years old admitted to C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital with SA-BSI during the pre- (1/2015 – 7/2017) and post-intervention (8/2017 – December 2018) periods were included. Demographic and clinical data were collected via chart review. Receipt of ID consult and optimal therapy before and after intervention were compared using interrupted time series (ITS) analysis with segmented regression. Time to optimal therapy was compared with segmented Cox regression.

Results

We included 99 SA-BSI episodes (70.7% pre-intervention and 29.3% post-intervention). Pre-intervention, 68.6% of patients received an ID consult compared with 93.1% post-intervention, but this was not significant with ITS analysis (Figure 2). The proportion of patients receiving optimal therapy did not significantly increase following the intervention, but time to optimal therapy significantly decreased (Figure 3). The median time to optimal therapy decreased from 26.1 hours to 5.5 hours. Cox regression showed both an immediate decrease in time to optimal therapy (HR 3.9, P = 0.009), followed by a continued decrease over time.

Conclusion

Following implementation of a novel EMR-based intervention, ID consultation for SA-BSI increased, although this was not statistically significant due to a pre-existing trend of increasing ID consults over time. Implementation of the BPA was associated with a significant decrease in time to optimal therapy, likely due to a combination of increasing ID consultation and antibiotic guidance provided by the BPA.

Disclosures

All authors: No reported disclosures

How extreme dieting becomes compulsive: A novel hypothesis for the role of anxiety in the development and maintenance of anorexia nervosa

The US National Institute of Mental Health's Research Domain Criteria (NIMH RDoC) advocates the study of features common to psychiatric conditions. This transdiagnostic approach has recently been adopted into the study of anorexia nervosa (AN), an illness that can be considered compulsive in nature. This has led to the development of an account of AN that identifies key roles for the heightened reinforcement of starvation, leading to its excessive repetition, and goal-directed system dysfunction. Considering models of illness in other compulsive disorders, we extend the existing account to explain the emergence of reinforcement and goal-directed system abnormalities in AN, proposing that anxiety is central to both processes. As such we emphasise the particular importance of the anxiolytic effects of starvation, over other reinforcing outcomes, in encouraging the continuation of starvation within a model that proposes a number of mechanisms by which anxiety operates in the development and maintenance of AN. We suggest the psychopathology of AN mediates the relationship between the anxiolytic effects of starvation and excessive repetition of starvation, and that compulsive starvation has reciprocal effects on its determinants. We thus account for the emergence of symptoms of AN other than compulsive starvation, and for the relationship between different features of the disorder. By extending and adapting an existing explanation of AN, we provide a richer aetiological model that invites new research questions and could inform novel approaches to prevention and treatment.