Daniela Moreno

Evaluation of contact precautions for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus

HighlightsThere remain limited data on the use of contact precautions (CPs) and its effect on hospital‐acquired infections (HAIs) of resistant organisms, including methicillin‐resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and vancomycin‐resistant Enterococcus (VRE).Our study demonstrates the effect of discontinuing CPs for MRSA and VRE on HAI rates.Discontinuing CPs did not adversely affect the endemic MRSA and VRE HAI rates in our institution. Background: There are limited controlled data demonstrating contact precautions (CPs) prevent methicillin‐resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and vancomycin‐resistant Enterococcus (VRE) infections in endemic settings. We evaluated changes in hospital‐acquired MRSA and VRE infections after discontinuing CPs for these organisms. Methods: This is a retrospective study done at an 800‐bed teaching hospital in urban Detroit. CPs for MRSA and VRE were discontinued hospital‐wide in 2013. Data on MRSA and VRE catheter‐associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs), ventilator‐associated pneumonia (VAP), central line–associated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs), surgical site infections (SSIs), and hospital‐acquired MRSA bacteremia (HA‐MRSAB) rates were compared before and after CPs discontinuation. Results: There were 36,907 and 40,439 patients hospitalized during the two 12‐month periods: CPs and no CPs. Infection rates in the CPs and no‐CPs periods were as follows: (1) MRSA infections: VAP, 0.13 versus 0.11 (P = .84); CLABSI, 0.11 versus 0.19 (P = .45); SSI, 0 versus 0.14 (P = .50); and CAUTI, 0.025 versus 0.033 (P = .84); (2) VRE infections: CAUTI, 0.27 versus 0.13 (P = .19) and CLABSI, 0.29 versus 0.3 (P = .94); and (3) HA‐MRSAB rates: 0.14 versus 0.11 (P = .55), respectively. Conclusions: Discontinuation of CPs did not adversely impact endemic MRSA and VRE infection rates.

Risk Factors for 30-Day Mortality in Patients with Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Bloodstream Infections

OBJECTIVESnMethicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) blood stream infections (BSI) are a major health care problem accounting for a large percentage of nosocomial infections. The aim of this study was to identify risk factors associated with 30-day mortality in patients with MRSA BSI.nnnMETHODSnThis was a retrospective study performed in Southeast Michigan. Over a 9- year period, a total of 1,168 patients were identified with MRSA BSI. Patient demographics and clinical data were retrieved and evaluated using electronic medical health records.nnnRESULTSn30-day mortality during the 9-year study period was 16%. Significant risk factors for 30-day mortality were age, cancer, heart disease, neurologic disease, nursing home residence and Charlson score >3 with Odds Ratio (OR) of 1.03 (CI 1.02-1.04), 2.29 (CI 1.40-3.75), 1.78 (CI 1.20-2.63), 1.65 (CI 1.08-2.25), 1.66 (CI 1.02 - 2.70) and 1.86 (CI 1.18 - 2.95) correspondingly. Diabetes mellitus, peripheral vascular disease (PVD), and readmission were protective factors for 30-day mortality with OR of 0.53 (CI 0.36-0.78), 0.46 (CI 0.26-0.84) and 0.13 (CI0.05 - 0.32) respectively.nnnCONCLUSIONSnOur study identified significant risk factors for 30-day mortality in patients with MRSA BSI. Interestingly, diabetes mellitus, PVD and readmission were protective effects on 30-day mortality. There was no statistically significant variability in 30-day mortality over the 9-year study period.

“You need to be an advocate for yourself”: Factors associated with decision-making regarding influenza and pneumococcal vaccine use among US older adults from within a large metropolitan health system

ABSTRACT In the United States, influenza and pneumonia account significantly to emergency room use and hospitalization of adults >65 y. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends use of the annual influenza vaccine and 2 pneumococcal vaccines for older adults to decrease risks of morbidity and mortality. However, actual vaccine up-take is estimated at 61.3% for pneumococcal vaccines and 65% for influenza vaccine in the 2013–2014 season. Vaccine up-take is affected by multiple socio-cultural and economic factors including general healthcare access and utilization, social networks and norms, communication with health providers and health information sources, as well as perceptions related to vaccines and targeted diseases. In this study, 8 focus group discussions (total N = 48) were conducted with adults 65+ years living in urban and suburban communities in the Detroit Metropolitan Area. The research objective was to increase understanding of barriers and facilitators to vaccine up-take in this age cohort within the context of general healthcare availability and accessibility, social networks, information sources, and personal perceptions of diseases and vaccines. The data suggest the need to integrate broader health care service experiences, concepts of knowledge of ones own well-being and vulnerabilities, and self-advocacy as factors associated with older adults vaccine-use decisions. These data also support recognition of multiple levels of vaccine acceptance which can be disease specific. Implications include potential for increasing vaccine up-take through general improvement in health care delivery and services, as well as specific vaccine-focused patient and provider education programs.

The Efficacy of Acticoat-Silver Dressing in Preventing Left-entricular-Assisted Device Infections

Background: The optimal local care of continuous-flow left ventricular-assisted device (CF-LVAD) exit site in unclear. We compared silver-coated wound dressing (Acticoat) with the conventional wound care method. Methods: A retrospective case-control study was conducted at Henry Ford Hospital, a tertiary teaching hospital in urban Detroit, between 11/1/2010 and 12/31/2011. Patients were divided into 2 groups based on Acticoatdressing use. Primary outcome was first CF-LVAD infection rate. Results: Forty-two patients were included in the study. Twenty patients used Acticoat-dressing, while 22 used the control dressing. Mean age was 60.3 ± 8.9 in the intervention group and 48.6 ± 4.8 in the control group (P: 0.004). Male patients were 15 (75%) in the intervention group and 15 (68.2%) in the control group (P: 0.74). Acticoat-dressing was used for a mean duration of 64.1 ± 122.9 days. The rate of first CF-LVAD infection was 15% (3) in the Acticoat group and 31.8% (7) in the control group (P: 0.25). Mortality at 200 days was 15% (3) in the intervention group; and 4.5% (1) in the control group (P: 0.25). Ten patients were infected in the whole study (23.8%); 9 of the infected patients (90%) required hospitalization after the first infection; while 3 patients (30%) required intensive-care unit admission. Mean time to the first infection was 276.3 ± 235.8 days in the intervention group and 276.3 ± 131.5 days in the control group (P: 0.99). Conclusion: There was no statistically significant difference in the infection rate or time to first infection between the Acticoat group and the control group.

733Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococcus (VRE) faecium Bloodstream Infections and Mortality

– A retrospective review of medical records was performed from 2010-2013 of all VRE faecium bloodstream infections from individual patients at a single 900 bed teaching hospital in Detroit – 166 VRE faecium isolates, collected from 2010-2013, were evaluated – Identification and susceptibility of isolates was performed in the microbiology laboratory using Vitek 2 (bioMerieux, Durham, NC) – Baseline demographics and characteristics, risk factors, and therapeutic antibiotic regimens used were evaluated to assess 90-day all-cause mortality

Evaluation of in vitro susceptibility trends to vancomycin and daptomycin by strain type of Staphylococcus aureus causing bloodstream infections

In total, 718 consecutive clinical meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) isolates from 2006 to 2010 and 417 clinical meticillin-susceptible S. aureus (MSSA) isolates from mid-2007 to 2010 were evaluated. Isolates were from blood cultures obtained from separate patients in Detroit, MI, and were tested for in vitro susceptibility trends to vancomycin and daptomycin by molecular strain type. The MRSA pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) results showed that 290 (40.4%) were USA100, 296 (41.2%) were USA300 and the remaining isolates were non-USA100/300. Vancomycin minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) by Etest [mean±standard deviation (S.D.) 1.55±0.26mg/L] in MRSA isolates showed no significant change over the 5-year period within all strain types, whilst daptomycin MICs by Etest (mean±S.D. 0.51±0.25mg/L) showed a significant downward trend across time (r=-0.243; P<0.001), with this trend occurring among all PFGE groups. For MSSA, a significant decrease in MICs to vancomycin was found by Etest (r=-0.160; P=0.001) and conversely a significant increase in daptomycin MICs by Etest was found (r=0.146; P=0.028). The results of this study showed that changes in MIC were not specific to strain molecular type. For vancomycin, there was no change in MRSA MICs and a decrease in MSSA MICs for blood isolates. For daptomycin, MICs decreased in MRSA and increased in MSSA blood isolates over the study period.

USA600 methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus in ICU patients with pneumonia: A case-control study design to evaluate epidemiology and outcomes of an emerging strain

BackgroundMethicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections are associated with severe necrotizing syndromes and high mortality, accounting for 20% to 40% of all hospital-acquired pneumonia and ventilator-associated pneumonia. There is insufficient data on comparative outcomes by specific strain characteristics in MRSA isolates in patients with pneumonia. MethodsClinical outcomes of patients with USA600 (ST45) MRSA strain were compared with other sequence types in MRSA pneumonia from 5 different hospitals in a retrospective case-control study. Patients were identified through review of microbiology laboratory records and through the Improving Medicine through Pathway Assessment of Critical Therapy in Hospital-Acquired Pneumonia database. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis of SmaI-digested genomic DNA was performed on all isolates using a CHEF-DR III (BioRad). Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis patterns were compared using BioNumerics software (Applied Maths). ResultsTwo hundred fifty-one consecutive patients with MRSA pneumonia were evaluable for an all-cause 28-day mortality and 14-day failure outcome. Prevalence of USA600 was 8% (21). Laboratory characteristics of USA600 isolates were 100% (21) Panton-Valentine leukocidin toxin negative, agr I type, 67% (14) heteroresistant to vancomycin, and higher rates of SCCmec type II versus SCCmec type IVa, 95% versus 5%. Twenty-eight–day mortality rates were USA600 (52.4%), USA100 (ST5; 29%), and USA300 (ST8; 32%); and 14-day failure rates were USA600 (50%), USA100 (37%), and USA300 (27%), respectively. ConclusionsThis is the first comparative observational study of its kind, with evidence of a much higher failure rate (>50%) within patients with USA600 MRSA pneumonia. The high mortality rate in this subset warrants further investigation of factors of this emerging strain that may predict mortality and failure outcomes.