ABSTRACT
Background. Invasive fungal diseases (IFD) have been described in patients (pts) with severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID), albeit with geographic variability in rates. Methods. We performed a retrospective study to determine rates of & risk factors for IFD occurring within 30 days (d) of COVID diagnosis (dx) in adults requiring critical care for severe COVID between 5/11/20 & 2/7/21. Mortality was assessed at 90 d following COVID dx and at 84 d after IFD dx, if applicable. ECMM/ISHAM criteria were used for COVID-associated pulmonary aspergillosis (CAPA) and EORTC/ MSGERC criteria were used for other IFD and treatment response. Results. 218 pts were included;median age was 62 (19 - 91) & 63% were men. Underlying conditions included solid organ transplant (Tx) (16;7%), allogenic stem cell Tx (3;1%), malignancy (21;10%), & exposure to either high-dose steroids (HDS) (11;5%) or T- or B-cell suppressants (29;13%) within 90 d prior to COVID dx. 209 (96%) pts had respiratory failure & 127 (58%) required mechanical ventilation. 15 (7%) required extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. COVID treatment consisted of corticosteroids in 205 (96%) & tocilizumab in 10 (5%). 12 (6%) pts developed IFD. 6 pts had CAPA (2 probable, 4 possible);50% were men, median age 64.5 (48 - 83). Mean time to CAPA dx from COVID dx was 17 d (+/- 14d). All pts had received corticosteroids for COVID but only 1 pt received > 30d of HDS by the time of IFD dx. Mortality at 84 d from CAPA dx was 67%. 5 (2%) pts had central venous catheter associated candidemia;80% were men & median age 61 (55 - 77). Mean time from COVID to candidemia dx was 29 d (+/-12 d). All pts with Candida infection had received steroids for COVID. Mortality at 84 d from candidemia dx was 60%. A 35-year-old man with prolonged exposure to HDS had Paecilomyces pneumonia;he was alive at 84 d after IFD dx. No cases of mucormycosis were identified. All-cause mortality in the entire cohort was 38% at 90 d after COVID dx. Mortality among pts who developed IFD was 58% at the same time point. Conclusion. Rates of IFD in pts with severe COVID were low and most pts with IFD after COVID had CAPA or catheter-associated candidemia. All but one pt with CAPA had no risk factors for IFD. In pts with severe COVID, mortality was higher among pts who developed IFD than those who did not.
ABSTRACT
Background. Following updates to IDSA guidelines in 2019, Hartford HealthCare implemented changes to the community acquired pneumonia (CAP) order-set in August 2020 to reflect criteria for prescribing of broad-spectrum antimicrobial therapy. The objective of the study was to evaluate changes in broad-spectrum antibiotic days of therapy (DOT) following these order-set updates with accompanying provider education. Methods. This was a multi-center, quasi-experimental, retrospective study of patients with CAP from 9/1/19 to 10/31/19 (pre-intervention) and 9/1/20 to 10/31/20 (post-intervention). Patients were identified using ICD-10 codes indicating lower respiratory tract infection and excluded if had a positive SARS-COV-2 PCR during admission. Data collected included demographics, labs and vitals, radiographic, microbiological, and antibiotic data. The primary outcome was change in broad-spectrum antibiotic DOT, specifically anti-pseudomonal β-lactams and anti-MRSA antibiotics. Secondary outcomes included guideline-concordance of initial antibiotics, utilization of an order-set to prescribe antibiotics, and length of stay (LOS). Results. A total of 331 and 352 patients were included in the pre- and post-intervention groups, respectively. The overall duration of broad-spectrum therapy was a median of 2 days (IQR 0-8 days) in the pre-intervention period and 0 days (IQR 0-4 days) in the post-intervention period (p< 0.001). Patients in whom the order-set was used in the post-intervention period were more likely to have guideline-concordant regimens ([36/40] 90% vs. [190/312] 60.9%;p = 0.003). There were no differences in order set usage (10% vs. 11.3%, p = 0.642) between the pre- and post-intervention groups, respectively. Hospital LOS was lower in the post-intervention cohort (4.8 days [2.9-7.2 days] vs. 5.3 days [IQR 3.5-8.5 days], p = .002). Conclusion. Despite low utilization of the order-set, education surrounding order-set changes appeared to improve antibiotic prescribing and hospital LOS in our population. Further opportunities to improve order-set use and thus further increase guideline-concordant therapy are still available.
ABSTRACT
Background: Recent meta-analyses suggest that Hospital Acquired AKI (HA) has a worse prognosis than Community Acquired AKI (CA). The effect of prior CA on HA in COVID-19 is largely unknown. COVID-19 case series that use lowest hospital creatinine (Cr) rather than outpatient baseline Cr may underestimate CA incidence. Methods: Excluding ESKD and hospital transfers, COVID-19 PCR confirmed cases admitted to 4 hospitals between 3/01/20 & 5/31/20 had data collected through 7/31/20 including readmissions. Baseline Cr was adjudicated by manual review from 6 months prior until 5 months post admission. AKI and renal recovery were scored using KDIGO staging. CA is AKI with the highest Cr on admission, rising Cr from admission, or RRT in 48 hrs of admission. HA is AKIs occurring after >48 hrs. HA with CA (HA+CA) is AKI occurring in CA patients after renal recovery for > 48 hrs. Results: AKI was present in 402 of 706 patients with COVID-19. HA+CA occurred in 63. Patients with HA+CA were older, had more comorbidities, lower eGFR, and lower admission albumin than patients with HA. Laboratory markers of COVID severity were similar in patients with HA or HA+CA and much worse than CA. Outcomes, including stage of AKI, renal recovery, ICU parameters, and mortality were similar in HA and HA+CA and much better in CA. Conclusions: In COVID-19, HA + CA occurs in older patients with more comorbidities than HA but shares similar adverse disease markers and poor outcomes. We hypothesize that among older patients who recover from CA, those with severe disease markers are at risk for HA+CA.