Outcomes for Patients with Urinary Tract Infection After an Initial Intravenous Antibiotics Dose Before Emergency Department Discharge

Cephalexin twice daily versus four times daily for the treatment of urinary tract infections diagnosed in the emergency department

BACKGROUND

Cephalexin is an oral cephalosporin approved for the treatment of urinary tract infections (UTIs). Data regarding the optimal dosing interval for cephalexin in UTIs, including uncomplicated UTIs (uUTI) and complicated UTIs (cUTI), remains limited.

OBJECTIVE

The primary objective of this study was to compare the rates of treatment failure between patients prescribed cephalexin twice daily versus four times daily for the management of uUTIs and cUTIs once discharged from the emergency department (ED).

METHODS

This retrospective, single-center cohort study conducted between July 31st, 2016 and July 31st, 2023, included patients who were ≥ 18 years of age, discharged from the ED with a diagnosis of UTI, prescribed cephalexin 500 mg twice or four time daily, and a urine culture positive for Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, or Proteus mirabilis susceptible to cefazolin. Treatment failure was defined as return to the ED or outpatient clinic with similar or worsening UTI symptoms or change in antibiotic therapy within 30 days of the initial ED visit. Sub-group analyses were performed for both uUTI and cUTIs.

RESULTS

In total, 214 patients were included in this analysis (50.0 % in each group). Treatment failure rates between the twice daily and four times daily dosing groups were 18.7 % versus 15.0 % (P = 0.465). Treatment failure rates in those with uUTI were 14.9 % versus 8.1 % (P = 0.197) and those with cUTI were 27.3 % versus 30.3 % (P = 0.786).

CONCLUSION

For patients with UTIs, there was no statistically significant difference in treatment failure rates between patients prescribed cephalexin twice daily versus four times daily. These findings suggest cephalexin dosed twice daily may be a reasonable option for the outpatient management of UTIs diagnosed in the ED, thus increasing adherence and decreasing cost without statistically compromising effectiveness.

Use of Parenteral Antibiotics in Emergency Departments: Practice Patterns and Class Concordance

Introduction

We aimed to assess antibiotic stewardship by quantifying the use of first-dose intravenous (IV) vs oral-only antibiotics and the frequency with which antibiotic class was changed for discharged patients. Secondary aims included the following: evaluation of the relative length of stay (LOS); differences in prescribing patterns between clinician types; differences between academic and community settings; assessment of prescribing patterns among emergency department (ED) diagnoses; and frequency of return visits for patients in each group.

Methods

This was a retrospective cohort study including patients presenting to EDs with infections who were discharged from our Midwest healthcare system consisting of 17 community hospitals and one academic center. We included infection type, antibiotic class and route of administration, type of infection, LOS, return visit within two weeks, clinician type, and demographics. Data were collected between June 1, 2018-December 31, 2021 and analyzed using descriptive statistics.

Results

We had 77,204 ED visits for patients with infections during the study period, of whom 3,812 received IV antibiotics during their visit. There were more women (62.4%) than men included. Of the 3,812 patients who received IV antibiotics, 1,026 (34.3%) were discharged on a different class of antibiotics than they received. The most common changes were from IV cephalosporin to oral quinolone or penicillin. Patients treated with IV antibiotics prior to discharge had a longer LOS in the ED (median difference of 102 minutes longer for those who received IV antibiotics). There was not a significant difference in the use of IV antibiotics between the academic center and community sites included in the study.

Conclusion

Administering IV antibiotics as a first dose prior to oral prescriptions upon discharge is common, as is shifting classes from the IV dose to the oral prescription. This offers an opportunity for intervention to improve antibiotic stewardship for ED patients as well as reduce cost and length of stay.

Association between antibiotic administration before discharge and emergency department length of stay for urinary tract infection: A retrospective analysis

BACKGROUND

Patients with urinary tract infections (UTIs) may have treatment initiated in the emergency department (ED) before discharge with an antibiotic prescription. The effect of a single antibiotic dose administered before discharge on ED length of stay (LOS) is unknown.

OBJECTIVES

The purpose of this study was to compare the LOS and the rate of revisits within 30 days among patients diagnosed as having UTIs other than pyelonephritis who received parenteral, oral, or no antibiotic during an ED visit.

METHODS

This was a retrospective cohort study of adult patients with a diagnosis of UTI who received an antibiotic prescription at discharge from a single community ED in the United States between 2019 and 2020. Patients were excluded if they were admitted to the hospital, were diagnosed as having pyelonephritis, or had an ED visit in the previous 30 days. ED LOS was compared using 3-factor analysis of variance. ED revisits at 72 hours and 30 days were compared using the chi-square test.

RESULTS

A total of 694 patients with an ED visit for UTI and an antibiotic prescription at discharge were included. The mean age of the study population was 58 years. Parenteral antibiotic administration in the ED was associated with a 60-minute increase in ED LOS compared with those who received an oral antibiotic (P < 0.001) and a 30-minute increase in ED LOS compared with no antibiotic (P < 0.001). No differences were observed in revisits to the ED at 72 hours (5%, 5%, 2%; P = 0.17) or 30 days (15%, 16%, 17%: P = 0.98) among patients who received parenteral, oral, or no antibiotic before discharge.

CONCLUSIONS

A single dose of parenteral antibiotic before discharge was associated with an increased ED LOS compared with treatment with oral antibiotic or discharge without ED treatment. ED revisit rates were similar regardless of ED treatment.

Risk Factors for Early Return Visits to the Emergency Department in Patients Presenting with Nonspecific Abdominal Pain and the Use of Computed Tomography Scan

Over a quarter of patients presenting with abdominal pain at emergency departments (EDs) are diagnosed with nonspecific abdominal pain (NSAP) at discharge. This study investigated the risk factors associated with return ED visits in Taiwanese patients with NSAP after discharge. We divided patients into two groups: the study group comprising patients with ED revisits after the index ED visit, and the control group comprising patients without revisits. During the study period, 10,341 patients discharged with the impression of NSAP after ED management. A regression analysis found that older age (OR [95%CI]: 1.007 [1.003–1.011], p = 0.004), male sex (OR [95%CI]: 1.307 [1.036–1.650], p = 0.024), and use of NSAIDs (OR [95%CI]: 1.563 [1.219–2.003], p < 0.001) and opioids (OR [95%CI]: 2.213 [1.643–2.930], p < 0.001) during the index visit were associated with increased return ED visits. Computed tomography (CT) scans (OR [95%CI]: 0.605 [0.390–0.937], p = 0.021) were associated with decreased ED returns, especially for those who were older than 60, who had an underlying disease, or who required pain control during the index ED visit.