Sapna A. Mehta

Hospital-Onset Clostridium difficile Infection Rates in Persons with Cancer or Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant: A C3IC Network Report

A multicenter survey of 11 cancer centers was performed to determine the rate of hospital-onset Clostridium difficile infection (HO-CDI) and surveillance practices. Pooled rates of HO-CDI in patients with cancer were twice the rates reported for all US patients (15.8 vs 7.4 per 10,000 patient-days). Rates were elevated regardless of diagnostic test used.

Risk Factors for Treatment Failure of Polymyxin B Monotherapy for Carbapenem-Resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae Infections

ABSTRACT Polymyxins are reserved for salvage therapy of infections caused by carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (CRKP). Though synergy has been demonstrated for the combination of polymyxins with carbapenems or tigecycline, in vitro synergy tests are nonstandardized, and the clinical effect of synergy remains unclear. This study describes outcomes for patients with CRKP infections who were treated with polymyxin B monotherapy. We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of patients with CRKP infections who received polymyxin B monotherapy from 2007 to 2011. Clinical, microbiology, and antimicrobial treatment data were collected. Risk factors for treatment failure were identified by logistic regression. Forty patients were included in the analysis. Twenty-nine of 40 (73%) patients achieved clinical cure as defined by clinician-documented improvement in signs and symptoms of infections, and 17/32 (53%) patients with follow-up culture data achieved microbiological cure. End-of-treatment mortality was 10%, and 30-day mortality was 28%. In a multivariate analysis, baseline renal insufficiency was associated with a 6.0-fold increase in clinical failure after adjusting for septic shock (odds ratio [OR] = 6.0; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.22 to 29.59). Breakthrough infections with organisms intrinsically resistant to polymyxins occurred in 3 patients during the treatment. Eighteen of 40 (45%) patients developed a new CRKP infection a median of 23 days after initial polymyxin B treatment, and 3 of these 18 infections were polymyxin resistant. The clinical cure rate achieved in this retrospective study was 73% of patients with CRKP infections treated with polymyxin B monotherapy. Baseline renal insufficiency was a risk factor for treatment failure after adjusting for septic shock. Breakthrough infections with organisms intrinsically resistant to polymyxin B and development of resistance to polymyxin B in subsequent CRKP isolates are of concern.

Impact of Preoperative MRSA Screening and Decolonization on Hospital-acquired MRSA Burden

BackgroundHospital-acquired infections caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) are a source of morbidity and mortality. S. aureus is the most common pathogen in prosthetic joint infections and the incidence of MRSA is increasing.Questions/PurposesThe purposes of this study were (1) to determine the MRSA prevalence density rate at a specialty orthopaedic hospital before and after implementation of a screening and decolonization protocol, (2) to compare our prevalence density with that of an affiliated university hospital to control for changes in MRSA prevalence density that might have been independent of the decolonization protocol, and (3) to measure the admission prevalence density rate of MRSA in an elective orthopaedic surgery population and the compliance rate of 26 patients with the protocol.MethodsIn October 2008, we implemented a MRSA screening and decolonization protocol for patients undergoing elective orthopaedic surgery. Nasal swabs were used for screening and mupirocin nasal ointment and chlorhexidine skin antisepsis where prescribed for decolonization to all patients. At the surgical visit, compliance was measured and the patients who were MRSA positive received vancomycin for antibiotic prophylaxis. Institution wide surveillance for multidrug-resistant organisms, including MRSA provided a comparison of the change in MRSA burden at the orthopaedic hospital versus the university hospital.ResultsBefore implementation of the preoperative staphylococcal decolonization protocol there were 79 MRSA-positive cultures in 64,327 patient-days for a prevalence density rate of 1.23 per 1000 patient-days. After protocol implementation, 53 MRSA-positive cultures were identified in 63,860 patient-days for a rate of 0.83 per 1000 patient-days. Before the protocol, the MRSA prevalence density at the specialty hospital was similar to that of the university hospital; after implementation of the protocol, the prevalence density at the specialty hospital was 33% lower than that of the university hospital. The MRSA admission prevalence was 3.02%. The compliance rate was greater than 95%.ConclusionsImplementation of a staphylococcal decolonization protocol at a single specialty orthopaedic hospital decreased the prevalence density of MRSA.

Sex differences in the incidence of peripheral neuropathy among Kenyans initiating antiretroviral therapy.

BACKGROUND Peripheral neuropathy (PN) is common among patients receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART) in resource-limited settings. We report the incidence of and risk factors for PN among human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected Kenyan adults initiating ART. METHODS An inception cohort was formed of adults initiating ART. They were screened for PN at baseline and every 3 months for 1 year. We used the validated Brief Peripheral Neuropathy Screen (BPNS) that includes symptoms and signs (vibration perception and ankle reflexes) of PN. RESULTS Twenty-two (11%) of 199 patients had PN at baseline screening. One hundred fifty patients without evidence of PN at baseline were followed for a median of 366 days (interquartile range, 351-399). The incidence of PN was 11.9 per 100 person-years (95% confidence interval [CI], 6.9-19.1) and was higher in women than men (17.7 vs 1.9 per 100 person-years; rate ratio, 9.6; 95% CI, 1.27-72, P = .03). In stratified analyses, female sex remained statistically significant after adjustment for each of the following variables: age, CD4 cell count, body mass index, ART regimen, and tuberculosis treatment. Stratifying hemoglobin levels decreased the hazard ratio from 9.6 to 7.40 (P = .05), with higher levels corresponding to a lower risk of PN. CONCLUSIONS HIV-infected Kenyan women were almost 10 times more likely than men to develop PN in the first year of ART. The risk decreased slightly at higher hemoglobin levels. Preventing or treating anemia in women before ART initiation and implementing BPNS during the first year of ART, the period of highest risk, could ameliorate the risk of PN.

Implementation of a Validated Peripheral Neuropathy Screening Tool in Patients Receiving Antiretroviral Therapy in Mombasa, Kenya

Limited objective data are available for the prevalence of peripheral neuropathy (PN) among antiretroviral (ART)-treated human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients in resource-limited settings. A validated neuropathy-screening tool was integrated into routine ART visits at an HIV clinic in Mombasa, Kenya. Diagnosis of PN required at least one symptom and either abnormal vibratory sensation or deep tendon reflex bilaterally. Among 102 consecutively screened patients, 63% were women, 62% were receiving ART for < or = 1 year, and 86% were receiving a stavudine (D4T)-based regimen. Thirty-seven (36%) had PN. Univariate analysis showed that current D4T use was protective against PN (P = 0.03) and older age was a marginal risk factor (P = 0.05). Multivariate analysis showed that older age was a risk factor for neuropathy (P = 0.04). Peripheral neuropathy was common, particularly among older HIV-infected adults in Kenya. The protective association with current D4T use likely represents survivor effect bias. Longitudinal studies using this screen will help further characterize PN in resource-limited settings.

Central Line–Associated Bloodstream Infection Surveillance outside the Intensive Care Unit: A Multicenter Survey

OBJECTIVE The success of central line-associated bloodstream infection (CLABSI) prevention programs in intensive care units (ICUs) has led to the expansion of surveillance at many hospitals. We sought to compare non-ICU CLABSI (nCLABSI) rates with national reports and describe methods of surveillance at several participating US institutions. DESIGN AND SETTING An electronic survey of several medical centers about infection surveillance practices and rate data for non-ICU patients. PARTICIPANTS Ten tertiary care hospitals. METHODS In March 2011, a survey was sent to 10 medical centers. The survey consisted of 12 questions regarding demographics and CLABSI surveillance methodology for non-ICU patients at each center. Participants were also asked to provide available rate and device utilization data. RESULTS Hospitals ranged in size from 238 to 1,400 total beds (median, 815). All hospitals reported using Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) definitions. Denominators were collected by different means: counting patients with central lines every day (5 hospitals), indirectly estimating on the basis of electronic orders ([Formula: see text]), or another automated method ([Formula: see text]). Rates of nCLABSI ranged from 0.2 to 4.2 infections per 1,000 catheter-days (median, 2.5). The national rate reported by the CDC using 2009 data from the National Healthcare Surveillance Network was 1.14 infections per 1,000 catheter-days. CONCLUSIONS Only 2 hospitals were below the pooled CLABSI rate for inpatient wards; all others exceeded this rate. Possible explanations include differences in average central line utilization or hospital size in the impact of certain clinical risk factors notably absent from the definition and in interpretation and reporting practices. Further investigation is necessary to determine whether the national benchmarks are low or whether the hospitals surveyed here represent a selection of outliers.

Extended-Infusion versus Standard-Infusion Piperacillin-Tazobactam for Sepsis Syndromes at a Tertiary Medical Center

ABSTRACT Piperacillin-tazobactam (PTZ) is frequently used as empirical and targeted therapy for Gram-negative sepsis. Time-dependent killing properties of PTZ support the use of extended-infusion (EI) dosing; however, studies have shown inconsistent benefits of EI PTZ treatment on clinical outcomes. We performed a retrospective cohort study of adult patients who received EI PTZ treatment and historical controls who received standard-infusion (SI) PTZ treatment for presumed sepsis syndromes. Data on mortality rates, clinical outcomes, length of stay (LOS), and disease severity were obtained. A total of 843 patients (662 with EI treatment and 181 with SI treatment) were available for analysis. Baseline characteristics of the two groups were similar, except for fewer female patients receiving EI treatment. No significant differences between the EI and SI groups in inpatient mortality rates (10.9% versus 13.8%; P = 0.282), overall LOS (10 versus 12 days; P = 0.171), intensive care unit (ICU) LOS (7 versus 6 days; P = 0.061), or clinical failure rates (18.4% versus 19.9%; P = 0.756) were observed. However, the duration of PTZ therapy was shorter in the EI group (5 versus 6 days; P < 0.001). Among ICU patients, no significant differences in outcomes between the EI and SI groups were observed. Patients with urinary or intra-abdominal infections had lower mortality and clinical failure rates when receiving EI PTZ treatment. We did not observe significant differences in inpatient mortality rates, overall LOS, ICU LOS, or clinical failure rates between patients receiving EI PTZ treatment and patients receiving SI PTZ treatment. Patients receiving EI PTZ treatment had a shorter duration of PTZ therapy than did patients receiving SI treatment, and EI dosing may provide cost savings to hospitals.

Evaluation of bloodborne pathogen exposures at an urban hospital

Primary work location Critical care unit 17 or 119 14.3 OR or PACU 13 or 102 12.7 Adult ward 33 or 376 8.8 Procedure suite 2 or 28 7.1 Pediatric ward 2 or 38 5.3 Outpatient clinic 1 or 48 2.1 Emergency room 0 or 6 0 Other 2 or 29 6.9 Total 70 or 746* 9.4 Provider role Registered nurse 61 or 566 10.8 Nursing assistant 3 or 56 5.4 Patient care technician 3 or 65 4.6 Nurse practitioner 1 or 24 4.2 Nursing manager 0 or 12 0 Other 2 or 22 9.1 Total 70 or 745 9.4