Association between Early Antibiotic Therapy and In-Hospital Mortality among Older Patients with SARS-CoV-2 Pneumonia

Impact of antibiotic therapy in patients with respiratory viral infections: a retrospective cohort study

OBJECTIVES

The impact of antibiotics in patients with positive polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for respiratory viruses without evidence of a respiratory bacterial co-infection is largely unknown. The aim of this study was to assess the association of antibiotics on 30-day mortality and length of hospital stay in patients with an acute respiratory infection and PCR documented presence of respiratory viruses.

METHODS

We conducted a retrospective cohort study of adult patients admitted to hospital between 2012 and 2021 with positive PCR for influenza virus (H3N2, H1N1, influenza B), respiratory syncytial virus, human metapneumovirus or severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. We used logistic regression, the Kaplan-Meier estimator and Poisson's regression to assess the impact of antibiotic therapy on outcomes.

RESULTS

Among 3979 patients, 67.7% received antibiotics. In adjusted analyses, antibiotics initiated in the emergency department (adjusted OR 1.23, 95% CI 0.77-1.96) and days of antibiotic therapy (adjusted OR per day of therapy 0.98, 95% CI 0.95-1.00) had no significant impact on mortality, whereas antibiotics initiated later during admission (adjusted OR 2.25, 95% CI 1.26-4.02) was associated with increased mortality. Patients prescribed antibiotics had longer duration of hospital admission.

CONCLUSIONS

We observed no protective association between in-hospital antibiotic therapy and outcomes, suggesting overuse of antibiotics in respiratory infections with proven respiratory viruses. A restrictive antibiotic strategy may be warranted.

Retrospective Analysis of Radiofrequency Ablation in Patients with Small Solitary Hepatocellular Carcinoma: Survival Outcomes and Development of a Machine Learning Prognostic Model

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE

The effectiveness of radiofrequency ablation (RFA) in improving long-term survival outcomes for patients with a solitary hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) measuring 5 cm or less remains uncertain. This study was designed to elucidate the impact of RFA therapy on the survival outcomes of these patients and to construct a prognostic model for patients following RFA.

METHODS

This study was performed using the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database from 2004 to 2017, focusing on patients diagnosed with a solitary HCC lesion ≤5 cm in size. We compared the overall survival (OS) and cancer-specific survival (CSS) rates of these patients with those of patients who received hepatectomy, radiotherapy, or chemotherapy or who were part of a blank control group. To enhance the reliability of our findings, we employed stabilized inverse probability treatment weighting (sIPTW) and stratified analyses. Additionally, we conducted a Cox regression analysis to identify prognostic factors. XGBoost models were developed to predict 1-, 3-, and 5-year CSS. The XGBoost models were evaluated via receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves, calibration plots, decision curve analysis (DCA) curves and so on.

RESULTS

Regardless of whether the data were unadjusted or adjusted for the use of sIPTWs, the 5-year OS (46.7%) and CSS (58.9%) rates were greater in the RFA group than in the radiotherapy (27.1%/35.8%), chemotherapy (32.9%/43.7%), and blank control (18.6%/30.7%) groups, but these rates were lower than those in the hepatectomy group (69.4%/78.9%). Stratified analysis based on age and cirrhosis status revealed that RFA and hepatectomy yielded similar OS and CSS outcomes for patients with cirrhosis aged over 65 years. Age, race, marital status, grade, cirrhosis status, tumor size, and AFP level were selected to construct the XGBoost models based on the training cohort. The areas under the curve (AUCs) for 1, 3, and 5 years in the validation cohort were 0.88, 0.81, and 0.79, respectively. Calibration plots further demonstrated the consistency between the predicted and actual values in both the training and validation cohorts.

CONCLUSION

RFA can improve the survival of patients diagnosed with a solitary HCC lesion ≤5 cm. In certain clinical scenarios, RFA achieves survival outcomes comparable to those of hepatectomy. The XGBoost models developed in this study performed admirably in predicting the CSS of patients with solitary HCC tumors smaller than 5 cm following RFA.

Characteristics and risk factors of secondary bacterial infections in COVID-19 patients

Objective

To describe the characteristics and find out risk factors of COVID-19 patients infected with different categories of bacteria.

Design

Case-control.

Methods

We conducted a retrospective study including 129 COVID-19 patients admitted to a tertiary hospital between October 13, 2022 and December 31, 2022. Patients' data were collected from the hospital information system. Patients were classified as having or not having confirmed secondary bacterial infections, or gram-positive and gram-negative bacterial infections for analysis. Categories and sources of isolated bacteria, characteristics of the patients, and the risk factors for developing secondary bacterial infections were analyzed.

Results

Gram-negative bacteria accounted for the majority of secondary bacterial infections of the included patients. Critical type of COVID-19 (OR = 12.98, 95%CI 3.43∼49.18, p < 0.001), invasive therapy (OR = 9.96, 95%CI 3.01∼32.95, p < 0.001), and previous antibiotics use (OR = 17.23, 95%CI 1.38∼215.69, p = 0.027) were independent risk factors of secondary bacterial infections in COVID-19 patients. Ceftriaxone/cefotaxime use (OR = 15.45, 95%CI 2.72∼87.79, p = 0.002) was associated with gram-positive bacterial infections while age over 70 (OR = 3.30, 95%CI 1.06∼10.26, p = 0.039), invasive therapy (OR = 4.68, 95%CI 1.22∼17.93, p = 0.024), and carbapenems use (OR = 8.48, 95%CI 2.17∼33.15, p = 0.002) were associated with gram-negative bacterial infections.

Conclusions

Critical patients with invasive therapy and previous antibiotics use should be cautious with secondary bacterial infections. Third-generation cephalosporins and carbapenems should be used carefully because both are risk factors for gram-positive or gram-negative bacterial infections.

Evaluation of Acinetobacter baumannii, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Staphylococcus aureus respiratory tract superinfections among patients with COVID-19 at a tertiary-care hospital in Tehran, Iran

BACKGROUND

The emergence of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) or superinfections in COVID-19 patients has resulted in poor prognosis and increased mortality.

METHODS

In a cross-sectional study, 101 respiratory samples were collected from ICU-admitted COVID-19 patients. The HAI rate, demographics, and antibiotic resistance were assessed.

RESULTS

The HAI rate was 83.16% (76.62% bacterial and 6.54% fungal). The prevalence of 3 major HAI-causing organisms included Klebsiella pneumoniae (41.5%), Acinetobacter baumannii (20.8%), and Staphylococcus aureus (4.9%). Mortality and intubation ventilation proportions of 90% (p = 0.027) and 92.2% (p = 0.02) were significant among patients with superinfection, respectively. Multiple logistic regression analysis showed SpO2 pressure (odds ratio 0.842; 95% CI 0.750-0.945; p = 0.004) as a predictive factor in the association between antibiotic usage and mortality. More than 50% of patients received carbapenems. The resistance rates to at least one antibiotic of third-generation cephalosporins, aminoglycosides, quinolones/fluoroquinolones, tetracyclines, and β-lactam inhibitors were 95.2%, 95.2%, 90%, 57.1%, and 100% among A. baumannii isolates and 71.4%, 55%, 69%, 61.9%, and 59.5% among K. pneumoniae isolates, respectively. A proportion of 60% was recorded for methicillin-resistant S. aureus isolates.

CONCLUSION

As a result, antibiotic treatment should be administered following the microbial resistance profile. Contact isolation and infection control measures should be implemented as needed.

Antimicrobial resistance in patients with COVID-19: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Frequent use of antibiotics in patients with COVID-19 threatens to exacerbate antimicrobial resistance. We aimed to establish the prevalence and predictors of bacterial infections and antimicrobial resistance in patients with COVID-19.

METHODS

We did a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies of bacterial co-infections (identified within ≤48 h of presentation) and secondary infections (>48 h after presentation) in outpatients or hospitalised patients with COVID-19. We searched the WHO COVID-19 Research Database to identify cohort studies, case series, case-control trials, and randomised controlled trials with populations of at least 50 patients published in any language between Jan 1, 2019, and Dec 1, 2021. Reviews, editorials, letters, pre-prints, and conference proceedings were excluded, as were studies in which bacterial infection was not microbiologically confirmed (or confirmed via nasopharyngeal swab only). We screened titles and abstracts of papers identified by our search, and then assessed the full text of potentially relevant articles. We reported the pooled prevalence of bacterial infections and antimicrobial resistance by doing a random-effects meta-analysis and meta-regression. Our primary outcomes were the prevalence of bacterial co-infection and secondary infection, and the prevalence of antibiotic-resistant pathogens among patients with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 and bacterial infections. The study protocol was registered with PROSPERO (CRD42021297344).

FINDINGS

We included 148 studies of 362  976 patients, which were done between December, 2019, and May, 2021. The prevalence of bacterial co-infection was 5·3% (95% CI 3·8-7·4), whereas the prevalence of secondary bacterial infection was 18·4% (14·0-23·7). 42 (28%) studies included comprehensive data for the prevalence of antimicrobial resistance among bacterial infections. Among people with bacterial infections, the proportion of infections that were resistant to antimicrobials was 60·8% (95% CI 38·6-79·3), and the proportion of isolates that were resistant was 37·5% (26·9-49·5). Heterogeneity in the reported prevalence of antimicrobial resistance in organisms was substantial (I2=95%).

INTERPRETATION

Although infrequently assessed, antimicrobial resistance is highly prevalent in patients with COVID-19 and bacterial infections. Future research and surveillance assessing the effect of COVID-19 on antimicrobial resistance at the patient and population level are urgently needed.

FUNDING

WHO.

Caring for older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic

BACKGROUND

Elderly patients represent a high-risk group with increased risk of death from COVID-19. Despite the number of published studies, several unmet needs in care for older adults exist.

OBJECTIVES

To discuss unmet needs of COVID-19 in this special population.

SOURCES

A literature review for studies on COVID-19 in elderly patients published between December 2019 and November 2021 was performed. Clinical questions were formulated to guide the literature search. The search was conducted in the MEDLINE database, combining specific search terms. Two reviewers independently conducted the search and selected the studies according to the prespecified clinical questions.

CONTENT

Elderly patients with COVID-19 have peculiar characteristics. They may have atypical clinical presentation, with no fever and with delirium or neurological manifestations as the most common signs, with potential delayed diagnosis and increased risk of death. The reported fatality rates among elderly patients with COVID-19 are extremely high. Several factors, including comorbidities, atypical presentation, and exclusion from intensive care unit care, contribute to this excess of mortality. Age alone is frequently used as a key factor to exclude the elderly from intensive care, but there is evidence that frailty rather than age better predicts the risk of poor outcome in this category. Durability of vaccine efficacy in the elderly remains debated, and the need for a third booster dose is becoming increasingly evident. Finally, efforts to care for elderly patients who have survived after acute COVID-19 should be implemented, considering the high rates of long COVID sequelae and the risk of longitudinal functional and cognitive decline.

IMPLICATIONS

We highlight peculiar aspects of COVID-19 in elderly patients and factors contributing to high risk of poor outcome in this category. We also illuminated gaps in current evidence, suggesting future research directions and underlining the need for further studies on the optimal management of elderly patients with COVID-19.

Co-infections in COVID-19 patients and correlation with mortality rate. Minireview

PURPOSE

The goal of our review was to gather information on the most important community-acquired and hospital-acquired co-infections among coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients, and to examine not only the effect of these co-infections on disease outcomes but also to identify the possible risk factors that predispose COVID-19 patients to co-infections.

METHODS

Medline (PubMed) and Google Scholar were searched for relevant articles published between January 1st, 2020, and September 31st, 2021, on the topic of co-infections among COVID-19 patients.

RESULTS

Among community-acquired and hospital-acquired co-infections, bacterial and fungal co-infections are equally frequent, followed by viral co-infections that affected a relatively smaller portion of patients. Overall, co-infections were more frequent in the hospital than at the community level. Risk factors for acquiring co-infections include male gender, longer length of hospital stay, presence of supportive treatment, such as ventilation, the admission to intensive care units, the administration of medications, such as steroids or antibiotics, and certain blood parameters, such as high C-reactive protein or lymphopenia. The presence of co-infections could aggravate the COVID-19 disease severity, prolong the healing time of patients, and lead to worse disease outcomes overall.

CONCLUSION

Co-infections may increase the mortality of COVID-19 patients, especially in the hospital setting. Paying closer attention to hygiene, adhering to diagnostic and therapeutic protocols, implementing antimicrobial stewardship programs could decrease the occurrence of co-infections and lead to improved outcomes for COVID-19 patients.