Study finds ID consultation helps patients with S aureus bacteremia
Adding infectious disease consultation to antimicrobial stewardship review in the management of patients with Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia (SAB) can ensure adherence to recommended treatment and improve clinical outcomes, according to a study yesterday in the American Journal of Infection Control.
In the retrospective cohort study, investigators at University of Chicago Medicine, an academic medical center, evaluated adult patients with SAB who were admitted for treatment from December 2012 through October 2014. The investigators were looking to see whether the inclusion of ID consultation (IDC) in the management of SAB, which has been shown to improve cure rates and reduce rates of recurrence in previous studies, would have an impact in a setting where SAB patients are already evaluated by an antimicrobial stewardship program (ASP).
The primary end point of the study was the incidence of complete adherence to a composite of SAB treatment guidelines from the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA). The composite included at least one echocardiogram, daily blood cultures until at least 72 hours of negative cultures, removal of prosthetic devices, initiation of appropriate antibiotics with activity against methicillin-resistant S aureus (MRSA) if necessary, and de-escalation to beta-lactams if MRSA was not present. Secondary outcomes included length of stay, recurrence of SAB within 8 weeks, and all-cause mortality.
Of the 154 patients included in the study, 115 received IDC, and 39 did not. The investigators found that adherence to the composite of IDSA guidelines was 78% in the patients who received IDC, compared with 46% in the patients who received no consultation, with significantly more IDC patients receiving echocardiograms (91% vs. 67%) and daily blood cultures (92% vs. 64%) than non-IDC patients. In addition, mortality was much lower in the IDC group than in the non-IDC patients (5% vs. 23%).
Although there were no differences in initiation of appropriate antimicrobial therapy or de-escalation, the authors of the study say that finding is likely a result of the hospital's ASP, which already provides recommendations on antimicrobial therapy.
"These results provide supporting evidence for requiring automatic consult with ID specialist physicians for patients with SAB," the authors write.
Apr 18 Am J Infect Control study
Oral steroid without antibiotic might aid in sore throat relief
In a JAMA study yesterday that has potential antibiotic-sparing implications, a single dose of the oral steroid dexamethasone provided symptom relief for sore throat in 48 hours but not within 24 hours, and the difference between the drug and placebo was modest.
The clinical trial involved 565 UK adults who visited acute care clinics with sore throats that did not require immediate antibiotics. Of the total, 293 patients received 10 milligrams of dexamethasone and 283 received a placebo, with the patients and physicians not knowing which they received. Sore throat imposes a substantial burden on primary care and is a frequent source of inappropriate antibiotic prescribing.
Twenty-four hours after taking the pills, 65 patients in the treatment group (22.6%) and 49 in the placebo group (17.7%) reported complete resolution of symptoms, a statistically non-significant difference. At 48 hours, however, the percentages rose to 35.4% and 27.1%, respectively, which reflected a statistically significant difference.
The rate of complete symptom relief was about 31% higher in the dexamethasone group after 48 hours, and the difference was seen whether the patients were offered a delayed antibiotic prescription or not.
Apr 18 JAMA study
Study details MRSA glove, gown contamination in VA nursing homes
A study involving seven Veterans Administration (VA) nursing homes in four states and Washington, DC, found a 20% rate of MRSA glove contamination and an 11% rate of gown contamination in healthcare workers, with certain high-risk activities increasing the odds of gown contamination.
VA researchers in Maryland, New York, Massachusetts, Texas, and Washington, DC, enrolled 200 residents in the study, which was published yesterday in the American Journal of Infection Control. Of those residents, 94 (46%) were found to be colonized with MRSA.
The team then determined that 20% of healthcare workers contacting the colonized patients had glove contamination, compared with 11% for gown contamination, with transmission varying from 7% to 37% for gloves and from 0% to 19% for gowns. The authors identified changing wound dressing, providing hygiene such as brushing teeth, and bathing as high-risk activities for gown transmission.
The authors conclude, "Transmission to gloves varies by type of care, but all care had a risk of contamination, demonstrating the importance of hand hygiene after all care. . . . Optimizing gown and glove use by targeting high-risk care activities could improve resident-centered care."
Apr 18 Am J Infect Control study
Daily ICU chlorhexidine baths tied to low rates of MDR microbes
Daily chlorhexidine bathing in the intensive care unit (ICU) was associated with low levels of multidrug-resistant (MDR) organisms, according to a third study yesterday in the American Journal of Infection Control.
Although patients colonized with MDR microbes can spread worrisome disease, few studies have examined the effect of daily chlorhexidine gluconate (CHG) bathing as part of routine care, the authors, from the University of Wisconsin, said. From May 2010 through January 2011, they screened patients admitted to a 24-bed ICU for MRSA, vancomycin-resistant enterococci, and fluoroquinolone-resistant gram-negative bacilli. They then plotted the monthly incidence and prevalence of colonization of these MDR pathogens.
The scientists found that prevalence of the pathogens decreased immediately after implementing daily CHG bathing and generally remained at that level throughout the study period. Monthly prevalence of colonization with the three MDR organisms ranged from 1.9% to 27.9%.
Apr 18 Am J Infect Control study
Candida bloodstream infections in Peru at times resistant, often deadly
A multicenter study of Candida bloodstream infections in Lima, Peru, yesterday discovered a very high proportion of non-albicans Candida species, a 13% incidence of decreased susceptibility or resistance to fluconazole, and high mortality.
Reporting in PLoS One, Peruvian investigators analyzed data from 158 Candida isolates obtained from 157 patients in three hospitals in Lima from November 2013 to January 2015. Candidemia, or bloodstream infections involving Candida yeast, have been increasing in developing countries, and US officials have recently warned about C auris, an often-resistant and potentially deadly strain that has been increasingly detected.
In the current study, patients' median age was 55, and 24% of infections were in children. Although C albicans typically causes more than half of invasive Candida infections, 72.1% of candidemia in this study was caused by non-albicans strains. Frequency was as follows: C albicans (27.8%), C parapsilosis (25.3%), C tropicalis (24.7%), and C glabrata (9.5%).
Only 4 isolates were resistant to fluconazole and 17 had reduced susceptibility, for a total of 13.3%.
The researchers also noted that only 28% of patients received appropriate antifungal treatment within 72 hours of diagnosis. The 30-day survival rate was only 60.4%, with treated subjects reaching a 67.4% survival rate and untreated patients a 50.9% rate.
The authors wrote, "It is possible, that the delay in initiating antifungal treatment contributed to the elevated mortality rate, in spite of low antifungal resistance."
Apr 13 PLoS One report