A crossover intervention trial evaluating the efficacy of a chlorhexidine-impregnated sponge in reducing catheter-related bloodstream infections among patients undergoing hemodialysis

BACKGROUND: Catheter-related bloodstream infections (BSI) account for the majority of hemodialysis-related infections. There are no published data on the efficacy of the chlorhexidine-impregnated foam dressing at reducing catheter-related BSI in hemodialysis patients. DESIGN: Prospective non-blinded cross-over intervention trial to determine the efficacy of a chlorhexidine-impregnated foam dressing (Biopatch®) to reduce catheter-related BSI in hemodialysis patients. SETTING: Two outpatient dialysis centers PATIENTS: A total of 121 patients who were dialyzed through tunneled central venous catheters received the intervention during the trial. METHODS: The primary outcome of interest was the incidence of catheter-related bloodstream infections. A nested cohort study of all patients who received the Biopatch® Antimicrobial Dressing was also conducted. Backward stepwise logistic regression analysis was used to determine independent risk factors for development of BSI. RESULTS: 37 bloodstream infections occurred in the intervention group for a rate of 6.3 BSIs/1000 dialysis sessions and 30 bloodstream infections in the control group for a rate of 5.2 BSIs/1000 dialysis sessions and [RR 1.22, CI (0.76, 1.97); P=0.46]. The Biopatch® Antimicrobial Dressing was well-tolerated with only two patients (<2%) experiencing dermatitis that led to its discontinuation. The only independent risk factor for development of BSI was dialysis treatment at one dialysis center [aOR 4.4 (1.77, 13.65); P=0.002]. Age ≥ 60 years [aOR 0.28 (0.09, 0.82); P=0.02] was associated with lower risk for BSI. CONCLUSION: The use of a chlorhexidine-impregnated foam dressing (Biopatch®) did not decrease catheter-related BSIs among hemodialysis patients with tunneled central venous catheters

Impact of an antimicrobial utilization program on antimicrobial use at a large teaching hospital: A randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND: Multidisciplinary antimicrobial utilization teams (AUT) have been proposed as a mechanism for improving antimicrobial use, but data on their efficacy remain limited. OBJECTIVE: To determine the impact of an AUT on antimicrobial use at a teaching hospital. DESIGN: Randomized controlled intervention trial. SETTING: A 953-bed public university-affiliated urban teaching hospital. PATIENTS: Patients who were prescribed selected antimicrobial agents (piperacillin-tazobactam, levofloxacin, or vancomycin) by internal medicine ward teams. INTERVENTION: Twelve internal medicine teams were randomized monthly: 6 teams to intervention group (academic detailing by the AUT), and 6 teams to a control group given indication-based guidelines for prescription of broad spectrum antimicrobials (standard of care) during a 10-month study period. MEASUREMENTS: Proportion of appropriate empiric, definitive (therapeutic), and end antimicrobial (overall) usage. RESULTS: A total of 784 new prescriptions of piperacillin-tazobactam, levofloxacin, and vancomycin were reviewed. The proportion of appropriate antimicrobial prescriptions written by the intervention teams was significantly higher than prescribed by the control teams: 82% vs. 73% for empiric (RR=1.14, 95% CI 1.04–1.24), 82% vs. 43% for definitive (RR=1.89, 95% CI 1.53–2.33), and 94% vs. 70% for end antimicrobial usage (RR=1.34, 95% CI 1.25–1.43). In a multivariate analysis, teams that received feedback from the AUT alone (aRR=1.37, 95% CI 1.27–1.48) or from both the AUT and the ID consult service (aRR=2.28, 95% CI 1.64–3.19) were significantly more likely to prescribe end antimicrobial usage appropriately compared to control teams. CONCLUSIONS: A multidisciplinary AUT which provides feedback to prescribing physicians was an effective method in improving antimicrobial use

Attributable costs of enterococcal bloodstream infections in a nonsurgical hospital cohort

BACKGROUND: Vancomycin-resistant enterococcal (VRE) bloodstream infections (BSI) are associated with increased morbidity and mortality. OBJECTIVE: To determine the attributable costs of vancomycin-sensitive (VSE) and VRE BSI and the independent impact of vancomycin-resistance on hospital costs. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study was conducted of 21,154 non-surgical patients admitted to an academic medical center between 2002 and 2003. Using administrative data, attributable hospital costs (inflation adjusted to $2007) and length of stay were estimated with multivariate generalized least squares (GLS) models and propensity score matched-pairs. RESULTS: The cohort included 182 VSE and 94 VRE BSI cases. After adjustment for demographics, comorbidities, procedures, non-enterococcal BSI, and early mortality, the attributable costs of VSE BSI were$2,250 (95% confidence interval [CI], $1,758–$2,880) in the standard GLS model and $2,023 (95$1,588–$2,575) in the propensity-score weighted GLS model and the attributable costs of VRE BSI were$4,479 (95% CI, $3,500–$5,732) in the standard GLS model and $4,036 (95$3,170–$5,140) in the propensity-score weighted GLS model. The median of the difference in costs between matched-pairs was$5,282 ($2,042–$8,043) for VSE BSI and $9,949 (95$1,579–$24,693) for VRE BSI. The attributable costs of vancomycin-resistance were$1,713 (95% CI, $1,338–$2,192) in the standard GLS model and $1,546 (95$1,214–$1,968) in the propensity-score weighted GLS model. Attributable length of stay ranged from 1.1–2.2 days for VSE BSI and 2.2–3.5 days for VRE BSI cases. CONCLUSIONS: VSE and VRE BSI were independently associated with hospital costs and length of stay. Vancomycin-resistance was associated with increased costs

Effectiveness of measures to eradicate Staphylococcus aureus carriage in patients with community-associated skin and soft-tissue infections: A randomized trial

BACKGROUND: Despite a paucity of evidence, decolonization measures are prescribed for outpatients with recurrent Staphylococcus aureus skin and soft tissue infections (SSTI). OBJECTIVE: Compare the effectiveness of four regimens for eradicating S. aureus carriage. DESIGN: Open-label, randomized controlled trial. Colonization status and recurrent SSTI were ascertained at one and four months. SETTING: Barnes-Jewish and St. Louis Children’s Hospitals, St. Louis, Missouri, 2007–2009. PARTICIPANTS: Three hundred patients with community-onset SSTI and S. aureus colonization in the nares, axilla, or inguinal folds. INTERVENTIONS: Participants were randomized to receive no therapeutic intervention (controls) or perform one of three 5-day regimens: 2% mupirocin ointment applied to the nares twice daily, intranasal mupirocin plus daily 4% chlorhexidine body washes, or intranasal mupirocin plus daily dilute bleach water baths. RESULTS: Among 244 participants with one-month colonization data, modified intention-to-treat analysis revealed S. aureus eradication in 38% of participants in the education only (control) group; 56% in the mupirocin group (p=0.03 vs. controls); 55% in the mupirocin/chlorhexidine group (p=0.05); and 63% in the mupirocin/bleach group (p=0.006). Of 229 participants with four-month colonization data, eradication rates were 48% in controls; 56% for mupirocin only (p=0.40 vs. controls); 54% for mupirocin/chlorhexidine (p=0.51); and 71% for mupirocin/bleach (p=0.02). At one and four months, respectively, recurrent SSTI was reported by 20% and 36% of participants. CONCLUSIONS: An inexpensive regimen of dilute bleach baths, intranasal mupirocin, and hygiene education effectively eradicated S. aureus over four months. High rates of recurrent SSTI suggest factors other than endogenous colonization as important determinants of infection

Deriving measures of intensive care unit antimicrobial use from computerized pharmacy data: Methods, validation, and overcoming barriers

OBJECTIVE: To outline methods for deriving and validating intensive care unit (ICU) antimicrobial utilization (AU) measures from computerized data and to describe programming problems that emerged. DESIGN: Retrospective evaluation of computerized pharmacy and administrative data. SETTING: ICUs from four academic medical centers over 36 months. INTERVENTIONS: Investigators separately developed and validated programming code to report AU measures in selected ICUs. Antibacterial and antifungal drugs for systemic administration were categorized and expressed as antimicrobial days (each day that each antimicrobial drug was given to each patient) and patient-days on antimicrobials (each day that any antimicrobial drug was given to each patient). Monthly rates were compiled and analyzed centrally with ICU patient-days as the denominator. Results were validated against data collected from manual medical record review. Frequent discussion among investigators aided identification and correction of programming problems. RESULTS: AU data were successfully programmed though a reiterative process of computer code revision. After identifying and resolving major programming errors, comparison of computerized patient-level data with data collected by manual medical record review revealed discrepancies in antimicrobial days and patient-days on antimicrobials ranging from <1% to 17.7%. The hospital for which numerator data were derived from electronic medication administration records had the least discrepant results. CONCLUSIONS: Computerized AU measures can be derived feasibly, but threats to validity must be sought and corrected. The magnitude of discrepancies between computerized AU data and a gold standard based on manual chart review varies, with electronic medication administration records providing maximal accuracy

Mupirocin and chlorhexidine resistance in Staphylococcus aureus in patients with community-onset skin and soft tissue infections

Decolonization measures, including mupirocin and chlorhexidine, are often prescribed to prevent Staphylococcus aureus skin and soft tissue infections (SSTI). The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of high-level mupirocin and chlorhexidine resistance in S. aureus strains recovered from patients with SSTI before and after mupirocin and chlorhexidine administration and to determine whether carriage of a mupirocin- or chlorhexidine-resistant strain at baseline precluded S. aureus eradication. We recruited 1,089 patients with community-onset SSTI with or without S. aureus colonization. In addition to routine care, 483 patients were enrolled in a decolonization trial: 408 received intranasal mupirocin (with or without antimicrobial baths), and 258 performed chlorhexidine body washes. Patients were followed for up to 12 months with repeat colonization cultures. All S. aureus isolates were tested for high-level mupirocin and chlorhexidine resistance. At baseline, 23/1,089 (2.1%) patients carried a mupirocin-resistant S. aureus strain and 10/1,089 (0.9%) patients carried chlorhexidine-resistant S. aureus. Of 4 patients prescribed mupirocin, who carried a mupirocin-resistant S. aureus strain at baseline, 100% remained colonized at 1 month compared to 44% of the 324 patients without mupirocin resistance at baseline (P = 0.041). Of 2 patients prescribed chlorhexidine, who carried a chlorhexidine-resistant S. aureus strain at baseline, 50% remained colonized at 1 month compared to 48% of the 209 patients without chlorhexidine resistance at baseline (P = 1.0). The overall prevalence of mupirocin and chlorhexidine resistance is low in S. aureus isolates recovered from outpatients, but eradication efforts were less successful in patients carrying a mupirocin-resistant S. aureus strain at baseline