Rising antibiotic resistance could reduce the effectiveness of antibiotics in preventing postoperative infections. We investigated trends in the efficacy of antibiotic prophylaxis regimens for 3 commonly performed surgical procedures—appendectomy, cesarean section, and colorectal surgery—and 1 invasive diagnostic procedure, transrectal prostate biopsy (TRPB).

Systematic review and meta-analysis.

We searched PubMed and Cochrane databases (through October 31, 2017) for randomized control trials (RCTs) that measured the efficacy of antibiotic prophylaxis for 4 index procedures in preventing postoperative infections (surgical site infections [SSIs] following the 3 surgical procedures and a combination of urinary tract infections [UTIs] and sepsis following TRPB).

Of 399 RCTs, 74 studies (9 appendectomy, 11 cesarean section, 39 colorectal surgery, and 15 TRPB) were included. Multilevel logistic regression models with random intercepts for each study showed no statistically significant increase in SSIs over time for appendectomy (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] per year, 1.03; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.92–1.16; P=.57), cesarean section (aOR per year, 1.01; 95% CI, 0.96–1.05; P=.80), and TRPB (aOR per year, 0.95; 95% CI, 0.77–1.18; P=.67). However, there was a significant increase in SSIs proportion following colorectal surgery (aOR per year, 1.049; 95% CI, 1.03–1.07; P<.001).

The efficacy of antibiotic prophylaxis agents in preventing SSIs following colorectal surgery has declined. Small number of RCTs and low infections rates limited our ability to assess true effect for simple appendectomy, cesarean section, or TRPB.

To design better antimicrobial stewardship programs, detailed data on the primary drivers and patterns of antibiotic use are needed.

To characterize the indications for antibiotic therapy, agents used, duration, combinations, and microbiological justification in 6 acute-care US facilities with varied location, size, and type of antimicrobial stewardship programs.

Retrospective medical chart review was performed on a random cross-sectional sample of 1,200 adult inpatients, hospitalized (>24 hrs) in 6 hospitals, and receiving at least 1 antibiotic dose on 4 index dates chosen at equal intervals through a 1-year study period (October 1, 2009–September 30, 2010).

Infectious disease specialists recorded patient demographic characteristics, comorbidities, microbiological and radiological testing, and agents used, dose, duration, and indication for antibiotic prescriptions.

On the index dates 4,119 (60.5%) of 6,812 inpatients were receiving antibiotics. The random sample of 1,200 case patients was receiving 2,527 antibiotics (average: 2.1 per patient); 540 (21.4%) were prophylactic and 1,987 (78.6%) were therapeutic, of which 372 (18.7%) were pathogen-directed at start. Of the 1,615 empirical starts, 382 (23.7%) were subsequently pathogen-directed and 1,231 (76.2%) remained empirical. Use was primarily for respiratory (27.6% of prescriptions) followed by gastrointestinal (13.1%) infections. Fluoroquinolones, vancomycin, and antipseudomonal penicillins together accounted for 47.1% of therapy-days.

Use of broad-spectrum empirical therapy was prevalent in 6 US acute care facilities and in most instances was not subsequently pathogen directed. Fluoroquinolones, vancomycin, and antipseudomonal penicillins were the most frequently used antibiotics, particularly for respiratory indications.

Infect. Control Hosp. Epidemiol. 2015;37(1):70–79

Multidrug-resistant Enterobacteriaceae pose a serious infection control challenge and have emerged as a public health threat. We examined national trends in the proportion of Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates resistant to carbapenems (CRKP) and third-generation cephalosporins (G3CRKP).

Retrospective analysis of approximately 500,000 K. pneumoniae isolates cultured between January 1999 and July 2010 at 287 clinical laboratories throughout the United States.

Isolates were defined as CRKP if they were nonsusceptible to 1 or more carbapenems and were defined as G3CRKP if they were nonsusceptible to ceftazidime, ceftriaxone, or related antibiotics. A multivariable analysis examined trends in the proportion of resistant isolates, adjusting for age, sex, isolate source, patient location, and geographic region.

The crude proportion of CRKP increased from less than 0.1% to 4.5% between 2002 and 2010; the frequency of G3CRKP increased from 5.3% to 11.5% between 1999 and 2010. G3CRKP and CRKP were more common among elderly patients (those greater than 65 years of age); the adjusted odds ratio (aOR) relative to pediatric patients (those less than 18 years of age) was 1.2 for G3CRKP (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.2–1.3) and 3.3 for CRKP (95% CI, 2.6–4.2). G3CRKP and CRKP were also more common among patients from the northeastern United States (aOR, 2.9 [95% CI, 2.8–3.0] and 9.0 [95% CI, 7.9–10.4]) than among those from the western United States. The prevalence of outpatient CRKP isolates increased after 2006, reaching 1.9% of isolates in our sample in 2010 (95% CI, 1.6%–2.1%).

The frequency of G3CRKP and CRKP is increasing in all regions of the United States, and resistance is emerging among isolates recovered in the outpatient setting. This underscores the need for enhanced laboratory capacity and coordinated surveillance strategies to contain the further spread of these emerging pathogens.

To describe the prevalence and characteristics of antimicrobial stewardship programs (ASPs) in hospitals across the United States and to describe financial support provided for these programs.

Electronic and paper 14-question survey of infectious diseases physician members of the Infectious Diseases Society of America Emerging Infections Network (IDSA EIN).

All 1,044 IDSA EIN members who care for adult patients were invited to participate.

Five hundred twenty-two (50%) members responded. Seventy-three percent of respondents reported that their institutions had or were planning an ASP, compared with 50% reporting the same thing in an EIN survey 10 years before. A shift was noted from formulary restriction alone to use of a set of tailored strategies designed to provide information and feedback to prescribers, particularly in community hospitals. Lack of funding and lack of personnel were reported as major barriers to implementing a program. Fifty-two percent of respondents with an ASP reported that infectious diseases physicians do not receive direct compensation for their participation in the ASP, compared with 18% 10 years ago.

The percentage of institutions reporting ASPs has increased over the last decade, although small community hospitals were least likely to have these programs. In addition, ASP strategies have shifted dramatically. Lack of funding remains a key barrier for ASPs, and administrators need additional cost savings data in order to support ASPs. Interestingly, while guidelines and editorials regard compensated participation by an infectious diseases physician in these programs as critical, we found that more than half of the respondents reported no direct compensation for ASP activities.

Investigators and medical decision makers frequently rely on administrative databases to assess methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection rates and outcomes. The validity of this approach remains unclear. We sought to assess the validity of the International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM) code for infection with drug-resistant microorganisms (V09) for identifying culture-proven MRSA infection.

Retrospective cohort study.

All adults admitted to 3 geographically distinct hospitals between January 1, 2001, and December 31, 2007, were assessed for presence of incident MRSA infection, defined as an MRSA-positive clinical culture obtained during the index hospitalization, and presence of the V09 ICD-9-CM code. The k statistic was calculated to measure the agreement between presence of MRSA infection and assignment of the V09 code. Sensitivities, specificities, positive predictive values, and negative predictive values were calculated.

There were 466,819 patients discharged during the study period. Of the 4,506 discharged patients (1.0%) who had the V09 code assigned, 31% had an incident MRSA infection, 20% had prior history of MRSA colonization or infection but did not have an incident MRSA infection, and 49% had no record of MRSA infection during the index hospitalization or the previous hospitalization. The V09 code identified MRSA infection with a sensitivity of 24% (range, 21%–34%) and positive predictive value of 31% (range, 22%–53%). The agreement between assignment of the V09 code and presence of MRSA infection had a k coefficient of 0.26 (95% confidence interval, 0.25–0.27).

In its current state, the ICD-9-CM code V09 is not an accurate predictor of MRSA infection and should not be used to measure rates of MRSA infection.