In Case You Missed It: Hot ID/stewardship Journal Articles Trending On Twitter From January 2019

This article identifies some of the hot new publications in the infectious diseases and antimicrobial stewardship literature released in January 2019. This list is derived from content circulating on Twitter.

Written By: Bassam Ghanem, Pharm.D., MS, BCPS

Edited By: Timothy P. Gauthier, Pharm.D., BCPS-AQ ID

[Last updated: 4 February 2019]

In this monthly column two pharmacists who utilize Twitter to stay current on literature (@ABsteward [B.G.] & @IDstewardship [T.G.]) identify some of the hot new articles in the fields of antimicrobial stewardship and infectious diseases.

The following are some of the new publications we found most interesting or noteworthy in January of 2019…

1. Oral versus intravenous antibiotics for bone and joint infection | NEJM

https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1710926

OVIVA is a randomized controlled trial that showed oral antibiotic therapy was noninferior to IV when used during the first 6 weeks for complex orthopedic infection. While an important study, there was notable heterogeneity within the study population.

2. Impact of beta-lactam and daptomycin combination therapy on clinical outcomes in methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia: a propensity score-matched analysis | CID

https://academic.oup.com/cid/advance-article-abstract/doi/10.1093/cid/ciz018/5278707

This retrospective cohort study found that a beta-lactam in combination with daptomycin failed to reduce mortality rates in patients with MSSA bacteremia as compared to beta-lactam monotherapy.

3. Extended infusion of beta-lactams for bloodstream infection in patients with liver cirrhosis: an observational multicenter study | CID

https://academic.oup.com/cid/advance-article-abstract/doi/10.1093/cid/ciz032/5289194

This prospective, multicenter study showed that continuous/extended infusion of beta-lactams in cirrhotic patients with BSI may improve outcomes and facilitate earlier discharge.

4. Association of 30-day mortality with oral step-down versus continued intravenous therapy in patients hospitalized with Enterobacteriaceae bacteremia | JAMA

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/article-abstract/2720756

This retrospective multicenter cohort study showed that 30-day mortality was not different among hospitalized patients who received oral step-down within the first 5 days versus continued parenteral antibiotics therapy for the treatment Enterobacteriaceae bacteremia.

5. Association of Antibiotic Treatment With Outcomes in Patients Hospitalized for an Asthma Exacerbation Treated With Systemic Corticosteroids | JAMA

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/article-abstract/2721036

This large cohort study for patients hospitalized for an asthma exacerbation treated with corticosteroids showed that 44% of patients received antibiotics during the first 2 days of hospitalization. Patients treated with antibiotics had a significantly longer hospital stay, similar rate of treatment failure, and higher risk of antibiotic-related diarrhea.