Barry C. Fox

Infectious Disease Consultation and Microbiologic Surveillance for Intensive Care Unit Trauma Patients: A Pilot Study

Infection remains a major cause of posttrauma morbidity. We retrospectively reviewed 2 cohorts of trauma patients admitted to a regional trauma center before and after a policy change integrating prospective microbiologic surveillance and infectious disease (ID) consultation into management of trauma admissions. Primary interests were effects of this policy change on antimicrobial use and diagnostic precision (particularly differentiation of infection from colonization). Associated costs, microflora, survival, and disability were also compared. Patients were stratified for risk of infection. ID consultation was associated with a 49% increased odds that an infection diagnosis was microbiologically based (P=.006) and 57% reduction of antibiotics costs per hospitalized day (P=.0008). Costs of consultation and an 86% increase (P<10(-6)) in total cultures combined to minimally exceed that financial saving. The observed improvements in diagnostic precision and antimicrobial usage, however, suggest consideration of prospective microbiologic surveillance and multidisciplinary physician teams including ID physicians for high-risk trauma patients.

Top 1% of Inpatients Administered Antimicrobial Agents Comprising 50% of Expenditures: A Descriptive Study and Opportunities for Stewardship Intervention.

OBJECTIVE To characterize the top 1% of inpatients who contributed to the 6-month antimicrobial budget in a tertiary, academic medical center and identify cost-effective intervention opportunities targeting high-cost antimicrobial utilization. DESIGN Retrospective cohort study. PATIENTS Top 1% of the antimicrobial budget from July 1 through December 31, 2014. METHODS Patients were identified through a pharmacy billing database. Baseline characteristics were collected through a retrospective medical chart review. Patients were presented to the antimicrobial stewardship team to determine appropriate utilization of high-cost antimicrobials and potential intervention opportunities. Appropriate use was defined as antimicrobial therapy that was effective, safe, and most cost-effective compared with alternative agents. RESULTS A total of 10,460 patients received antimicrobials in 6 months; 106 patients accounted for

In vitro evaluation of meropenem-vaborbactam against clinical CRE isolates at a tertiary care center with low KPC-mediated carbapenem resistance

889,543 (47.2%) of the antimicrobial budget with an antimicrobial cost per day of

Optimizing Inpatient Urine Culture Ordering Practices Using the Electronic Medical Record: A Pilot Study.

219±

Outbreak of serogroup C meningococcal disease associated with campus bar patronage

192 and antimicrobial cost per admission of

Meningococcal carriage, alcohol consumption, and campus bar patronage in a serogroup C meningococcal disease outbreak.

4,733±

“Curbside” Consultation and Informal Communication in Medical Practice: A Medicolegal Perspective

7,614. Most patients were immunocompromised (75%) and were followed by the infectious disease consult service (80%). The most commonly prescribed antimicrobials for treatment were daptomycin, micafungin, liposomal amphotericin B, and meropenem. Posaconazole and valganciclovir accounted for most of the prophylactic therapy. Cost-effective opportunities (n=71) were present in 57 (54%) of 106 patients, which included dose optimization, de-escalation, dosage form conversion, and improvement in transitions of care. CONCLUSION Antimicrobial stewardship oversight is important in implementing cost-effective strategies, especially in complex and immunocompromised patients who require the use of high-cost antimicrobials. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2017;38:259-265.

Community-Associated Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus: Review of an Emerging Public Health Concern

The in vitro activity of meropenem-vaborbactam was examined against clinical carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae isolates collected over 3 years at our medical center. Only 3 KPC-producers were identified. Susceptibility to meropenem-vaborbactam was noted in 15/16 (94%) isolates (MIC90 2 mg/L) that were nonsusceptible to meropenem. Meropenem-vaborbactam may have utility at centers where non-KPC-producers are more frequent.

Cat-scratch disease mimicking rhabdomyosarcoma

A prospective quasi-experimental before-and-after study of an electronic medical record-anchored intervention of embedded education on appropriate urine culture indications and indication selection reduced the number of urine cultures ordered for catheterized patients at an academic medical center. This intervention could be a component of CAUTI-reduction bundles. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2017;38:486-488.