Scoring system identifies infants at risk of invasive bacterial infections
A nationwide team of pediatric infectious disease and emergency medicine specialists has developed a new scoring system to identify febrile infants with a low probability of invasive bacterial infection (IBI), according to a paper yesterday in Pediatrics.
The team conducted a case-control study of febrile infants less than 60 days old who presented to 11 US emergency departments (EDs) from July 2011 through June 2016. Infants with IBI, which is defined by growth of a pathogen in blood or cerebrospinal fluid, were matched to two patients at the same hospital who did not have IBI. For each case and control patient, the researchers extracted medical record data on variables that could be associated with the presence of IBI. Using multiple logistics regression, they then identified predictors of IBI and developed a scoring system based on those predictors.
Of the 394 infants with IBI who presented to the 11 EDs over the 5-year study period, 181 met the inclusion criteria and were matched to 362 control patients. Among the 181 infants with IBI, 155 had bacteremia without meningitis and 26 had bacterial meningitis.
Four predictors were associated with the presence of IBI and incorporated into the scoring system: age of less than 21 days (1 point), maximum temperature recorded in the ED 100.4°F to 101.1°F (2 points) or higher than 101.3°F (4 points), abnormal urinalysis results (3 points), and absolute neutrophil count (ANC) of more than 5,185 cells per microliter. Infants with a score of less than 2—fever by history only, normal urinalysis, and an ANC of fewer than 5,185 cells per microliter—were considered a low risk for IBI.
Assessment of the scoring system in the 492 infants with available data found that an IBI score of 2 or higher had a sensitivity of 98.8% (95% confidence interval [CI], 95.7% to 99.9%) and a specificity of 31.3% (95% CI, 26.3% to 36.6%). Moderate-risk score of 3 or higher or 4 or higher had higher specificity (52.0% and 53.7%, respectively) but lower sensitivity (92.9% and 88.2%, respectively). All 26 infants with meningitis had scores of 2 or higher.
The authors of the study say the IBI score could be used to potentially avoid lumbar punctures, some antibiotics, and hospitalization in low-risk infants. But because of the limitations of the case-control design, they say external validation of the scoring system is needed.
Jun 5 Pediatrics abstract
Stewardship survey finds prescribers prefer education over restriction
A survey of French hospitals indicates French prescribers prefer antibiotic stewardship interventions that aim to improve their ability to make appropriate decisions about antibiotic prescribing over those that challenge their clinical authority, according to a study yesterday in the Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy.
The cross-sectional survey was sent to all prescribers in 27 French hospitals from September 2016 through July 2017. All 27 hospitals had an antibiotic stewardship program (ASP) and an appointed antibiotic advisor (AA). Of the 1,963 questionnaires distributed, 920 (46.9%) were completed; the respondents were mainly attending physicians (71.7%) and medical specialists (61.3%).
The respondents identified two main objectives of their hospital's ASP: to limit the spread of antibiotic resistance in the hospital (77.8%) and to improve the care and prognosis of infected patients (76.1%). But only 36% thought the ASP aimed to prevent resistance in their patients. Most respondents acknowledged an AA's usefulness on therapeutic issues, such as choosing the appropriate antibiotic for a patient (84.7%) and adapting the antibiotic treatment to specific clinical situations (89.6%), but far fewer saw the AA as useful during the diagnostic process (31.4%).
When asked about the usefulness of different ASP interventions, 74% of respondents approved of information sessions for senior physicians, 73% approved of training sessions for residents, and 70% approved of staff meetings to discuss clinical cases. But far fewer approved of automatic stop orders (26.8%), removal of antibiotics from ward stocks (23.4%), or pre-approval from the AA (28.8%).
The authors of the paper conclude that for French ASPs to have a bigger impact on prescribing, they need to move beyond the current approach, where clinicians seek advice when they think they need it and confrontation with non-compliant prescribers is rare. They describe a need for restrictive measures alongside audits and individualized feedback and more educational outreach.
Jun 5 J Antimicrob Chemother abstract