This article identifies some of the hot new publications in the infectious diseases and antimicrobial stewardship literature from November 2018. They are 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: 10 December 2018]
In this monthly column two pharmacists that are twitter enthusiasts (@ABsteward [B.G.] & @IDstewardship [T.P.G.]) identify some of the hot new articles in the fields of antimicrobial stewardship & infectious diseases.
The following are some of the new publications we found most interesting or noteworthy in November of 2018…
1. Substitution of ethambutol with linezolid during the intensive phase of treatment of pulmonary tuberculosis: a prospective, multicentre, randomised, open-label, phase 2 trial | Lancet Infect Dis.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1473309918304808
This randomized controlled trial showed that linezolid for 2 weeks or 4 weeks instead of ethambutol during the intensive phase of treatment of pulmonary tuberculosis did not increase the proportion of sputum culture conversion at 8 weeks in the modified intention-to-treat analyses.
2. Sequential intravenous-to-oral outpatient antibiotic therapy for MRSA bacteraemia: one step closer | JAC.
This retrospective cohort study found that selected patients with MRSA bloodstream infection may have at least equivalent clinical outcomes with oral outpatient antibiotic therapy versus outpatient parenteral antibiotic therapy.
3. Cefazolin versus anti-staphylococcal penicillins for the treatment of methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus bloodstream infections in acutely-ill adult patients: results of a systematic review and meta-analysis | IJAA
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0924857918303388?via%3Dihub
This systematic literature review and meta-analysis found that Cefazolin was associated with improved clinical outcomes and moderately lower risk of treatment-associated adverse drug reactions compared to anti-staphylococcal penicillins in the treatment of MSSA bloodstream infections.
4. Long-Term Effects of Phased Implementation of Antimicrobial Stewardship in Academic ICUs| Critical Care Medicine.
This phased, multisite cohort study of a quality improvement initiative implemented in four academic ICUs in Toronto found that antimicrobial stewardship in ICUs with coaching plus audit and feedback is associated with sustained improvements in antimicrobial consumption and cost.
5. Inadequate perioperative prophylaxis and postsurgical complications after graft implantation are important risk factors for subsequent vascular graft infections – prospective results from the VASGRA Cohort Study | CID
https://academic.oup.com/cid/advance-article-abstract/doi/10.1093/cid/ciy956/5161086
This prospective Cohort study found that long procedure time, inadequate perioperative prophylaxis, especially among patients with an established antibiotic treatment, postoperative complications contribute to the risk of developing vascular graft infections.
6. The Differences in Antibiotic Decision-making Between Acute Surgical and Acute Medical Teams: An Ethnographic Study of Culture and Team Dynamics | CID
https://academic.oup.com/cid/advance-article/doi/10.1093/cid/ciy844/5174860
This is an ethnographic observational study describing antibiotic decision making, culture, and team dynamics differences between acute surgical & medical teams.
ADDITIONAL NEW & NOTABLE PUBLICATIONS
Advances in optimizing the prescription of antibiotics in outpatient settings |BMJ
Re-estimating annual deaths due to multidrug-resistant organism infections | ICHE
The quality of studies evaluating antimicrobial stewardship interventions: a systematic review | CMI
