Bacterial co-infections and secondary infections are commonly identified in severe influenza (23%) and other severe respiratory viral infections, in which they are associated with increased morbidity and mortality. National and International COVID-19 guidelines vary in their recommendations on empirical antimicrobial therapy, some recommend empirical antimicrobial therapy in severe diseases where others do not. In a study published in the Lancet, …
In the spring of 2020, New York City quickly became a hotspot for the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, putting a strain on local healthcare systems. Antimicrobial stewardship programs faced diagnostic and therapeutic uncertainties as well as healthcare resource challenges. With the lack of effective antivirals, antibiotic use in critically ill patients was difficult to avoid. Uncertainty drove antimicrobial …
Antibiotic stewardship programs (Aps) are being established across the U.S. in response to the negative consequences associated with antibiotic overuse. Although ASPs have been successful in reducing antibiotic use within institutions, their ability to train clinicians to self-steward their antibiotic use on an ongoing basis has been less of a focus. Antibiotic stewardship programs are limited in their resources to …
Older adults may manifest acute illness with atypical signs and symptoms, including those that are non-localizing; however, most nursing-home residents with acute infection will also exhibit some localizing signs and symptoms of infection. Non-infectious explanations for non-localizing signs or symptoms of changes in condition should be ruled out first. Some of these changes may include: Changes in medication, Acute or …
Antibiotic stewardship, or improving how antibiotics are prescribed and used, is critical for optimizing the treatment of patients who have infections, protecting patients from harm, and combating antibiotic resistance. In 2019, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released “Antibiotic Use in the United States, 2018 Update: Progress and Opportunities”, which included information on how antibiotics were being used …
The Journal of the American Geriatrics Society published the results of a statewide program to improve the management of suspected urinary tract infections in long-term care. The reason the study was done was that too many residents were being treated for UTIs when in actuality they were experiencing “asymptomatic bacteriuria”. What does this mean? Well, maybe we need to go …
I took my dad to his cardiology appointment last week and as we were discussing aortic valve surgery my dad looks at the doctor and says: Dad: “You need to give me an antibiotic.” Doctor: “Why? What do you need an antibiotic for?” Dad: “Because I’m stuffed up and I have the flu.” Doctor: “Well, let me tell you …
Only 15.5 percent of adult patients with pneumonia received pneumococcal urinary antigen testing (UAT), a useful tool that, when it yields positive findings, can help physicians reduce the time that patients in stable condition need to take broad-spectrum antibiotics, according to an AHRQ study published in Clinical Infectious Diseases. The researchers used data from a national discharge hospital database over a …
This week is National Antibiotic Stewardship Week. Antibiotics save lives and are critical tools for treating a number of common and more serious infections, like those that can lead to sepsis. However, at least 30% of the antibiotics in U.S. outpatient settings are prescribed unnecessarily. We’ve gathered some interesting posts and resources to bring awareness to antibiotic stewardship.: The CDC …
