Antimicrobial stewardship in the outpatient parenteral antimicrobial therapy (OPAT) setting: the impact of prescription assessment by an infectious diseases specialist

ABSTRACT Objective: In recent years, the use of outpatient parenteral antimicrobial therapy (OPAT) has increased, resulting in the need to ensure its rational and adequate utilization. This article describes the implementation of an antimicrobial stewardship program in the OPAT setting by a Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) and its results. Method: An infectious disease (ID) physician made routine assessments of all home care parenteral antimicrobial requests from February to December 2019. Information on diagnosis, renal function, weight, previous antimicrobials, and microbiology were gathered during remote evaluations. Prescription changes recommended by the ID specialist were not mandatory, but implemented by the primary provider as accepted. Antibiotic consumption data was analyzed from January 2018 to December 2019. An active screening was conducted for treatment failures: two or more treatment course requirements, or death within 15 days of the evaluation were reexamined. Results: A total of 506 antimicrobial requests were assessed. The most frequent diagnoses were urinary tract infection, pneumonia, and orthopedic surgical site infection. Six percent of evaluations were not completed due to insufficient information and 12% were requests by the primary physician for initial antimicrobial guidance. Of the 416 completed prescriptions evaluations, 58% had suggested changes, including different antimicrobials (40%), treatment duration (25%), and route of administration (23%). There was an increase in use of teicoplanin and meropenem, and a decrease in ceftriaxone, ertapenem, cefepime, amikacin and daptomycin use. The HMO's overall parenteral antimicrobial outpatient consumption, which had shown an upward trend over the previous year, decreased after program initiation. No major adverse results were detected in patients' clinical outcomes; two treatment failures were detected and promptly corrected; no deaths attributed to antibiotic changes were detected. Conclusion: Outpatient antimicrobial stewardship, through remote assessment by an ID specialist, was effective and safe in the OPAT setting.

Extended-spectrum beta-lactamases among Enterobacteriaceae isolated in a public hospital in Brazil / Beta-lactamases de espectro estendido em Enterobacteriaceae isoladas de Hospital Público no Brasil

Extended-spectrum β-lactamases (ESBL) in enterobacteria are recognized worldwide as a great hospital problem. In this study, 127 ESBL-producing Enterobacteriaceae isolated in one year from inpatients and outpatients at a public teaching hospital at São Paulo, Brazil, were submitted to analysis by PCR with specific primers for blaSHV, blaTEM and blaCTX-M genes. From the 127 isolates, 96 (75.6 percent) Klebsiella pneumoniae, 12 (9.3 percent) Escherichia coli, 8 (6.2 percent) Morganella morganii, 3 (2.3 percent) Proteus mirabilis, 2 (1.6 percent) Klebsiella oxytoca, 2 (1.6 percent) Providencia rettgeri, 2 (1.6 percent) Providencia stuartti, 1 (0.8 percent) Enterobacter aerogenes and 1 (0.8 percent) Enterobacter cloacae were identified as ESBL producers. BlaSHV, blaTEM and blaCTX-M were detected in 63 percent, 17.3 percent and 33.9 percent strains, respectively. Pulsed field gel eletrophoresis genotyping of K. pneumoniae revealed four main molecular patterns and 29 unrelated profiles. PCR results showed a high variety of ESBL groups among strains, in nine different species. The results suggest the spread of resistance genes among genetically different strains of ESBL-producing K. pneumoniae in some hospital wards, and also that some strongly related strains were identified in different hospital wards, suggesting clonal spread in the institutional environment.

Beta-lactamases de espectro estendido (ESBL) em enterobactérias são reconhecidas mundialmente como um grande problema hospitalar. Neste estudo, 127 Enterobacteriaceae produtoras de ESBL isoladas por um ano, de pacientes internados e ambulatoriais de um hospital público de ensino em São Paulo, Brasil, foram submetidas à análise pela PCR com iniciadores específicos para os genes blaSHV, blaTEM e blaCTX-M. Dos 127 isolados, 96 (75,6 por cento) K. pneumoniae, 12 (9,3 por cento) E. coli, 8 (6,2 por cento) M. morganii, 3 (2,3 por cento) Proteus mirabilis, 2 (1,6 por cento) Klebsiella oxytoca, 2 (1,6 por cento) Providencia rettgeri, 2 (1,6 por cento) Providencia stuartti, 1 (0,8 por cento) Enterobacter aerogenes e 1 (0,8 por cento) Enterobacter cloacae foram identificados como produtores de ESBL. BlaSHV, blaTEM e blaCTX-M foram detectados em 63 por cento, 17,3 por cento e 33,9 por cento das cepas, respectivamente. A genotipagem de K. pneumoniae por eletroforese em campo pulsado revelou quatro padrões moleculares principais e 29 perfis não relacionados. Os resultados da PCR demonstraram alta variedade de grupos de ESBL entre as cepas, em nove espécies diferentes. Os resultados sugerem a disseminação de genes de resistência entre cepas geneticamente diferentes de K. pneumoniae produtoras de ESBL em algumas unidades do hospital, e também que algumas cepas fortemente relacionadas foram identificadas em unidades hospitalares diferentes, sugerindo disseminação clonal no ambiente da instituição.

Outbreak of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae in an intermediate-risk neonatal unit linked to onychomycosis in a healthcare worker

OBJETIVO: Descrever surto por Klebsiella pneumoniae produtora de beta-lactamase de espectro estendido em berçário de risco intermediário. MÉTODOS: Após identificação dos primeiros casos, a situação foi conduzida como surto, sendo intensificadas as medidas básicas de prevenção de infecções hospitalares e investigadas possíveis fontes de disseminação da bactéria. RESULTADOS: O surto durou 6 meses e atingiu 36 recém-nascidos, causando sete infecções e 29 colonizações. Na primeira fase do surto, os portadores evoluíram com infecção, porém, na segunda fase, os portadores eram assintomáticos e só foram identificados por culturas de vigilância. O surto foi resolvido após identificação e tratamento de profissional de saúde que apresentava onicomicose e era portadora de Klebsiella pneumoniae produtora de beta-lactamase de espectro estendido nas mãos. CONCLUSÃO: Detecção e controle da disseminação oculta da bactéria multirresistente entre os recém-nascidos de menor risco evitou sua instalação endêmica no berçário, bem como a conseqüente exposição dos pacientes mais graves e suscetíveis à infecção.

OBJECTIVE: To describe an outbreak of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae in an intermediate-risk neonatal unit. METHODS: After the identification of the first cases, the situation was regarded as an outbreak, and basic preventive measures against nosocomial infections were strictly enforced, and possible sources of dissemination were investigated. RESULTS: The outbreak lasted for 6 months and affected 36 newborn infants, causing seven infections and 29 colonizations. In the first stage of the outbreak, patients developed infection, but in the second stage, they were asymptomatic and were only identified by surveillance cultures. The outbreak was controlled after the identification and treatment of the healthcare worker who had been diagnosed with onychomycosis and whose hands were contaminated with extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae. CONCLUSION: The detection and control of occult dissemination of this multiresistant bacterium among low-risk newborn infants prevented its endemic dissemination in the neonatal unit, as well as the exposure of critically ill and susceptible patients to the infection.