Introduction to Antibiotic Stewardship Principles for the Perioperative Nurse

Since 1942, health care personnel have administered antibiotics in the United States to prevent and treat a variety of infections, including surgical site infections. Bacteria can mutate and develop resistance after frequent and repeated antibiotic exposure, thus limiting the antibiotic's effectiveness. Because antibiotic resistance can be passed from one bacterium to another, antibiotics are the only class of medications where use in one patient may negatively affect clinical outcomes in another. Antibiotic stewardship (AS) focuses on appropriate antibiotic selection, dosing, route, and duration of therapy; it seeks to minimize unplanned consequences, such as resistance and toxicity. Although there is a lack of literature on AS specific to perioperative nurses, general nursing practice includes AS activities (eg, assessing patient allergies, adhering to antibiotic administration recommendations). Perioperative nurses should participate in AS activities and use evidence-based strategies to communicate effectively with health care team members when advocating for appropriate antibiotic use.

Implementation of A Year-Long Antimicrobial Stewardship Program in A 227-Bed Community Hospital in Southern Italy

BACKGROUND

Healthcare-Acquired Infections (HAIs) are serious healthcare complications affecting hospital stay, in-hospital mortality, and costs. Root cause analysis has identified the inappropriate use of antibiotics as the main causative factor in the expansion of multi-drug-resistant organisms (MDRO) in our hospital. An Antimicrobial Stewardship (AMS) program was implemented to optimize antibiotic use, limit the development of resistance, improve therapeutic efficacy and clinical outcomes, and reduce costs.

METHODS

The stewardship strategies were: antimicrobial oversight on "critical" antibiotics; the development of hospital guidelines on antibiotic selection with the production of a consensus document; the implementation of clinical and management control algorithms with visual impact and Business Intelligence methods; training and updating; and the monitoring of outcome measures and process indicators.

RESULTS

Clinical outcomes: length of stay reduced by 0.23 days, hospital readmission/first month rates decreased by 19%, and mortality for infections reduced by 8.8%. Microbiological Outcomes: Clostridium Difficile colitis incidence reduced by 9.1%.Economic Outcomes: Reduction in antimicrobial costs by 35% on average fee/discharged patient.

CONCLUSIONS

The systematic application of the AMS program in a small hospital led to multiple improvements in clinical, microbiological, and economic outcome measures. The analysis of the core indicators for our hospital AMS program showed a significant adherence to the model and hospital recommendations.

The Role of the Perioperative Nurse in Implementing Contact Precautions to Prevent Transmission of Multidrug-Resistant Organisms

The World Health Organization and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention consider the global increase in multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs) to be one of the greatest modern threats to public health. Limited treatment options exist for microorganisms such as carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales and Candida auris; as a result, infected patients may experience poor outcomes. Perioperative nurses should use infection prevention measures (eg, contact precautions) to prevent the spread of emerging MDROs when transporting patients to and from procedures, caring for patients during procedures, and completing between-procedure cleaning. Because nurses are involved with all phases of perioperative care, they are well-positioned to serve as infection prevention champions and provide education to personnel, patients, and caregivers. This article describes actions and steps the perioperative nurse should take during implementation of contact precautions to prevent the transmission of MDROs-specifically, emerging pathogens carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales and C auris.

Observational study over 8-year period evaluating microbiological characteristics and risk factor for isolation of multidrug-resistant organisms (MDRO) in patients with healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) hospitalized in a urology ward

Objective: To analyze, in a urology ward, the prevalence and characteristics of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) due to multidrug-resistant organisms (MDRO). Methods: We carried out an observational study from 2012 to 2019, evaluating MDRO among patients with HAIs, who were hospitalized in the urology ward. MDRO include Pseudomonas spp., resistant to at least three antibiotic groups, extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) producing Enterobacteriaceae or those resistant to carbapenems, and Enterococcus spp. resistant to vancomycin. Results: Among patients with HAIs, MDRO were isolated in 100 out of 438 (22.8%) positive cultures. Univariate and multivariate analyses reported that prior urinary tract infection (UTI) [OR 2.45; 95% CI 1.14-5.36; p=0.021] and immunosuppression [OR 2.13; 95% CI 1.11-4.10; p=0.023] were risk factors for MDRO. A high prevalence of MRDO was found in patients with a catheter in the upper urinary tract; 27.6% for double J stent, 29.6% in those with a nephrostomy tube, and 50% in those with a percutaneous internal/external nephroureteral (PCNU) stent. MDRO were isolated in 28.4% of cultures with Enterobacteriaceae (23.8% and 44.7% in those with E. coli and Klebsiella spp.); 7% of Enterobacteriaceae showed resistance to carbapenems (1.3% and 10% for E. coli and Klebsiella spp., respectively). Three out of 80 Enterococcus spp. were vancomycin-resistant. The rate of Pseudomonas aeruginosa resistant to at least three antibiotic groups was 36.3%. Conclusions: The isolation of MDRO, in up to 25% of positive cultures in a urology ward, constitutes a challenge for the selection of antibiotics. MDRO are more common in immunosuppressed patients, those with previous UTIs, and those with a catheter in the upper urinary tract.

Clinical features of multidrug-resistant organism infections in early postoperative solid organ transplantation in a single center

BACKGROUND

The increasing occurrence of multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs) infections has posed major challenge to solid organ transplantation (SOT). For SOT recipients, high-dose immunosuppressants and broad-spectrum antibiotics can markedly increase the risk of early postoperative MDRO infections and thus have adverse effects on the outcomes of SOT. Here, we analyzed the incidence and clinical features of early MDRO infections after SOT, in an attempt to provide new evidence for the control and treatment of early MDROs.

METHODS

The clinical data of 133 patients with MDRO infections after SOT in our department from 2017 to 2020 were retrospectively collected, and clinical features including incidence, etiologies, infection sites, and complications, were analyzed.

RESULTS

The incidence of MDRO infections after SOT was 9.9%. Simultaneous liver and kidney transplantation patients had the highest incidence of MDRO infections, followed by the recipients of liver transplantation and simultaneous pancreas-kidney transplantation; patients undergoing renal transplantation had the lowest incidence of MDRO infections. The most common pathogen was extended spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)-producing organisms (n=88, 66.2%), the most common infection site was the urinary system (n=58, 43.6%), and the main postoperative complications were urinary tract infections (n=44, 33.1%) and lung infections (n=41, 30.8%). MDRO infections were cured in most cases.

CONCLUSIONS

A sound knowledge of the clinical features of MDRO infection after SOT is important for the successful prevention and treatment of these infections.

Opportunities to Improve Antibiotic Prescribing in Outpatient Hemodialysis Facilities: A Report From the American Society of Nephrology and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Antibiotic Stewardship White Paper Writing Group

Antibiotic use is necessary in the outpatient hemodialysis setting because patients receiving hemodialysis are at increased risk for infections and sepsis. However, inappropriate antibiotic use can lead to adverse drug events, including adverse drug reactions and infections with Clostridioides difficile and antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Optimizing antibiotic use can decrease adverse events and improve infection cure rates and patient outcomes. The American Society of Nephrology and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention created the Antibiotic Stewardship in Hemodialysis White Paper Writing Group, comprising experts in antibiotic stewardship, infectious diseases, nephrology, and public health, to highlight strategies that can improve antibiotic prescribing for patients receiving maintenance hemodialysis. Based on existing evidence and the unique patient and clinical setting characteristics, the following strategies for improving antibiotic use are reviewed: expanding infection and sepsis prevention activities, standardizing blood culture collection processes, treating methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus infections with β-lactams, optimizing communication between nurses and prescribing providers, and improving data sharing across transitions of care. Collaboration among the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; American Society of Nephrology; other professional societies such as infectious diseases, hospital medicine, and vascular surgery societies; and dialysis provider organizations can improve antibiotic use and the quality of care for patients receiving maintenance hemodialysis.

Ability of serum procalcitonin to distinguish focus of infection and pathogen types in patients with bloodstream infection

Background

Serum procalcitonin (PCT) is a widely recognized inflammatory marker which can distinguish systemic bacterial infection from other types of infections. The ability of PCT levels to distinguish different pathogens from different focus of infection is contradictory.

Methods

This study included 551 patients with bloodstream infection (BSI) diagnosed with positive blood culture (BC) during Jan 2013 and May 2018. The patients were divided into two groups with or without definite focus of infection. In this study, we analyzed PCT levels induced by Gram-positive bacteria, Gram-negative bacteria and fungal infection. Relationship of time between PCT peak and BC collection, and the impact of antibiotics usage on PCT peak distribution were examined.

Results

For patients without definite focus of infection, the serum PCT values of Gram-negative bacteria were higher than that of Gram-positive bacteria (P<0.05). A cut-off value of 7.54 ng/mL for PCT showed a sensitivity of 88.3%. For patients with definite focus of infection, the serum PCT values of Gram-negative bacteria were significantly higher than Gram-positive bacteria in patients with lower respiratory tract (P=0.003), abdominal (P=0.039), urinary tract infection (P=0.025), but not in patients with upper respiratory tract infection (P=0.664). The PCT values between multidrug-resistant organism (MDRO) and sensitive bacteria were not statistically significant (P>0.05) among all patients. Moreover, among patients who use antibiotics before BC collection, the longer antibiotics used, the higher trend of the proportion for PCT peak distribution after BC collection. The higher proportion of antibiotics combined before BC collection, the lower proportion of PCT peak distribution appeared before BC collection, and the higher the proportion of PCT peak distribution appeared after BC collection.

Conclusions

PCT value is determined by many factors. PCT value is related to not only Gram-positive bacteria or Gram-negative bacteria, but also related to specific pathogens, and specific of infection sites etc. The use of Antibiotics is also an important factor of PCT value.