Overview of systematic reviews assessing the evidence for shorter versus longer duration antibiotic treatment for bacterial infections in secondary care

Assessment of potential drug-related problems (PDRP) and clinical outcomes in bacterial meningitis patients admitted to tertiary care hospitals

Meningitis is an important cause of morbidity and mortality in children and adults. Its treatment strategy varies with age and gender. To assess potential drug-related problems (PDRP) and clinical outcomes in bacterial meningitis patients, a multicenter, clinical, descriptive, cross-sectional prospective observational study in 120 patients admitted to different tertiary care hospitals in Karachi was conducted. It includes both males 48% and females 52% belonging from all age groups i.e. peadiatrics (01 to 12 years), adults (18 to 65 years), and geriatrics (66 to 75 years). Out of these 72 patients were admitted in the public sector and 48 patients were admitted in private sector hospitals. Nosocomial infections were developed in 41% of patients during their stay at the hospital. Potentially nephrotoxic drugs were administered to all BM patients, these drugs should be administered carefully. Majorly Ceftriaxone was administered to 86% of patients, Vancomycin 71%, and meropenem 73% whereas 68% of patients were administered piperacillin-tazobactam. Organisms involved as causative agents in the majority of patients are Neisseria meningitides, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and, Streptococcus pneumoniae. DRPs impacted patient clinical outcomes in presence of many other factors like comorbidities, DDIs, Nis, administration of potentially nephrotoxic drugs, and administration of watch group and reserve group antibiotics without having culture sensitivity test, even after having CST no principles of de-escalation for antibiotics were done, which is a very important factor for hospitalized patients having IV antibiotics. The mortality rate among BM patients was 66%. The majority of patients (87%) stay at the hospital was 1-10 days. The present study helped in the identification of DRPs along with some other factors affecting the clinical outcomes in patients suffering from bacterial meningitis. Healthcare professionals should receive awareness and education on the importance of CST before initiating antibiotic therapy. Pharmacist-led medication review is necessary and should be followed to avoid negative outcomes and serious consequences related to DRPs.

Epidemiology of sepsis in a Japanese administrative database

Sepsis is the leading cause of death worldwide. Considering regional variations in the characteristics of patients with sepsis, a better understanding of the epidemiology in Japan will lead to further development of strategies for the prevention and treatment of sepsis. To investigate the epidemiology of sepsis, we conducted a systematic literature review of PubMed between 2003 and January 2023. Among the 78 studies using a Japanese administrative database, we included 20 that defined patients with sepsis as those with an infection and organ dysfunction. The mortality rate in patients with sepsis has decreased since 2010, reaching 18% in 2017. However, the proportion of inpatients with sepsis is increasing. A study comparing short-course (≤7 days) and long-course (≥8 days) antibiotic administration showed lower 28-day mortality in the short-course group. Six studies on the treatment of patients with septic shock reported that low-dose corticosteroids or polymyxin B hemoperfusion reduced mortality, whereas intravenous immunoglobulins had no such effect. Four studies investigating the effects of treatment in patients with sepsis-associated disseminated intravascular coagulation demonstrated that antithrombin may reduce mortality, whereas recombinant human soluble thrombomodulin does not. A descriptive study of medical costs for patients with sepsis showed that the effective cost per survivor decreased over an 8-year period from 2010 to 2017. Sepsis has a significant impact on public health, and is attracting attention as an ongoing issue. Further research to determine more appropriate prevention methods and treatment for sepsis should be a matter of priority.

Short- versus long-course antibiotic therapy for sepsis: a post hoc analysis of the nationwide cohort study

BACKGROUND

The appropriate duration of antibiotic treatment in patients with bacterial sepsis remains unclear. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the association of a shorter course of antibiotics on 28-day mortality in comparison with a longer course using a national database in Japan.

METHODS

We conducted a post hoc analysis from the retrospective observational study of patients with sepsis using a Japanese claims database from 2010 to 2017. The patient dataset was divided into short-course (≤ 7 days) and long-course (≥ 8 days) groups according to the duration of initial antibiotic administration. Subsequently, propensity score matching was performed to adjust the baseline imbalance between the two groups. The primary outcome was 28-day mortality. The secondary outcomes were re-initiated antibiotics at 3 and 7 days, during hospitalization, administration period, antibiotic-free days, and medical cost.

RESULTS

After propensity score matching, 448,146 pairs were analyzed. The 28-day mortality was significantly lower in the short-course group (hazard ratio, 0.94; 95% CI, 0.92-0.95; P < 0.001), while the occurrence of re-initiated antibiotics at 3 and 7 days and during hospitalization were significantly higher in the short-course group (P < 0.001). Antibiotic-free days (median [IQR]) were significantly shorter in the long-course group (21 days [17 days, 23 days] vs. 17 days [14 days, 19 days], P < 0.001), and short-course administration contributed to a decrease in medical costs (coefficient $-212, 95% CI; - 223 to - 201, P < 0.001). Subgroup analyses showed a significant decrease in the 28-day mortality of the patients in the short-course group in patients of male sex (hazard ratio: 0.91, 95% CI; 0.89-0.93), community-onset sepsis (hazard ratio; 0.95, 95% CI; 0.93-0.98), abdominal infection (hazard ratio; 0.92, 95% CI; 0.88-0.97) and heart infection (hazard ratio; 0.74, 95% CI; 0.61-0.90), while a significant increase was observed in patients with non-community-onset sepsis (hazard ratio; 1.09, 95% CI; 1.06-1.12).

CONCLUSIONS

The 28-day mortality was significantly lower in the short-course group, even though there was a higher rate of re-initiated antibiotics in the short course.

Integrated antibiotic clinical decision support system (CDSS) for appropriate choice and dosage: an analysis of retrospective data

Introduction

Decision-making for inpatient antibiotic prescribing is complex due to many considerations to be taken. So far, clinical decision support systems (CDSS) have been rarely used in antibiotic stewardship (ABS) and even less integrated in computerized physician order entry systems (CPOE).

Methods

We developed a guideline-based, CPOE-integrated CDSS (ID ANTIBIOTICS) to support antibiotic selection and dosing. We compared routine antibiotic inpatient prescribing data with CDSS-generated recommendations in the initial antibiotic selection, the duration of therapies, and costs. Finally, we assessed possible benefits of the CDSS by its performance in German ABS-guideline quality indicators (ABS-QIs).

Results

The requirements of several ABS-QIs can be supported with ID ANTIBIOTICS: electronic local guidelines, electronic decision-support, renal dosage adjustments, local guideline-based initial selection (all not quantified), and therapy durations for the treatment of pneumonia (significantly) without increasing costs. Performance in ABS-QIs for extensive therapies for community-acquired pneumonia could be improved with the CDSS by 20.2% (OR 0.134; 95% CI: 0.101-0.178); for hospital-acquired pneumonia by 3.7% (OR 0.742; 95% CI: 0.629-0.877). There was no difference in median daily drug costs between real-world prescriptions and CDSS recommendations (both: € 4.78, p=0.081).

Conclusions

In retrospective analyses, antibiotic CDSS can show possible performance in antibiotic stewardship through quality indicators (ABS-QIs). Further research and pilot testing of the software are needed to provide more insights into ABS-QI evaluation, user acceptance, and real-world effectiveness. Deep integration of antibiotic CDSS into existing medication processes without using multiple systems could contribute to the necessary acceptance of clinical practitioners.

Antimicrobial treatment duration for uncomplicated bloodstream infections in critically ill children: a multicentre observational study

Background

Bloodstream infections (BSIs) cause significant morbidity and mortality in critically ill children but treatment duration is understudied. We describe the durations of antimicrobial treatment that critically ill children receive and explore factors associated with treatment duration.

Methods

We conducted a retrospective observational cohort study in six pediatric intensive care units (PICUs) across Canada. Associations between treatment duration and patient-, infection- and pathogen-related characteristics were explored using multivariable regression analyses.

Results

Among 187 critically ill children with BSIs, the median duration of antimicrobial treatment was 15 (IQR 11–25) days. Median treatment durations were longer than two weeks for all subjects with known sources of infection: catheter-related 16 (IQR 11–24), respiratory 15 (IQR 11–26), intra-abdominal 20 (IQR 14–26), skin/soft tissue 17 (IQR 15–33), urinary 17 (IQR 15–35), central nervous system 33 (IQR 15–46) and other sources 29.5 (IQR 15–55) days. When sources of infection were unclear, the median duration was 13 (IQR 10–16) days. Treatment durations varied widely within and across PICUs. In multivariable linear regression, longer treatment durations were associated with severity of illness (+ 0.4 days longer [95% confidence interval (CI), 0.1 to 0.7, p = 0.007] per unit increase in PRISM-IV) and central nervous system infection (+ 17 days [95% CI, 6.7 to 27.4], p = 0.001). Age and pathogen type were not associated with treatment duration.

Conclusions

Most critically ill children with BSIs received at least two weeks of antimicrobial treatment. Further study is needed to determine whether shorter duration therapy would be effective for selected critically ill children.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12887-022-03219-z.

Impact of hospital antibiotic use on patient-level risk of death among 36,124,372 acute and medical admissions in England

OBJECTIVES

Initiatives to curb hospital antibiotic use might be associated with harm from under-treatment. We examined the extent to which variation in hospital antibiotic prescribing is associated with mortality risk in acute/general medicine inpatients.

METHODS

This ecological analysis examined Hospital Episode Statistics from 36,124,372 acute/general medicine admissions (≥16y) to 135 acute hospitals in England, 01/April/2010-31/March/2017. Random-effects meta-regression was used to investigate whether heterogeneity in adjusted 30-day mortality was associated with hospital-level antibiotic use, measured in defined-daily-doses (DDD)/1,000 bed-days. Models also considered DDDs/1,000 admissions and DDDs for narrow-spectrum/broad-spectrum antibiotics, parenteral/oral, and local interpretations of World Health Organization Access, Watch, and Reserve antibiotics.

RESULTS

Hospital-level antibiotic DDDs/1,000 bed-days varied 15-fold with comparable variation in broad-spectrum, parenteral, and Reserve antibiotic use. After extensive adjusting for hospital case-mix, the probability of 30-day mortality changed -0.010% (95% CI: -0.064,+0.044) for each increase of 500 hospital-level antibiotic DDDs/1,000 bed-days. Analyses of other metrics of antibiotic use showed no consistent association with mortality risk.

CONCLUSIONS

We found no evidence that wide variation in hospital antibiotic use is associated with adjusted mortality risk in acute/general medicine inpatients. Using low-prescribing hospitals as benchmarks could help drive safe and substantial reductions in antibiotic consumption of up-to one-third in this population.

Short- versus prolonged-course antibiotic therapy for sepsis or infectious diseases in critically ill adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

The 2016 International Guidelines for the Management of Sepsis and Septic Shock recommend antibiotic therapy for 7-10 days for most patients with sepsis. However, evidence on critically ill patients is limited. Thus, we conducted the first systematic review and meta-analysis comparing the effectiveness and adverse events of shorter- (≤1 week) with longer-course antibiotics in adults with critical infections including sepsis.

METHODS

We searched the MEDLINE, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and Igaku Chuo Zasshi databases for randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and observational studies (OSs) from inception to 31 March 2021.

RESULTS

We included 6 of 3,766 identified articles, incorporating data from 4 RCTs and 2 OSs (1,721 patients) in meta-analyses. Three RCTs and one OS focussed on ventilator-associated pneumonia, and one RCT and one OS investigated intra-abdominal infections. The severity score levels were similar to that of sepsis, but no study comprehensively focussing on sepsis was found. There were no significant differences in mortality at a maximum follow-up of 30 days (RR 1.08, 95%CI 0.80-1.46); 28-day mortality, clinical cure, the occurrence of new events, and the emergence of resistant organisms between the groups in the RCTs. The OSs findings were consistent. The quality of evidence was assessed as very low to moderate using the GRADE approach, with no uniform description of severity scores, sepsis, or adverse events.

CONCLUSIONS

Shorter, fixed-duration antibiotic therapy for clinically heterogeneous sepsis or severe infections was not associated with poorer outcomes, but the overall quality of evidence was poor.

Effect of Pharmacist Audit on Antibiotic Duration for Pneumonia and Urinary Tract Infection

OBJECTIVE

To assess the effect of clinical pharmacists in daily audits, under the direction of an antimicrobial stewardship program, of antibiotic treatment durations for the common inpatient disease states of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) and urinary tract infection (UTI).

PATIENTS AND METHODS

This was a retrospective single-center cohort study that evaluated the difference in the duration of antibiotic therapy for CAP or non-catheter-associated UTI of hospitalized patients who received a daily audit by clinical pharmacists compared with patients who did not receive a daily audit. Retrospective chart review included randomly selected hospitalized patients diagnosed with CAP or UTI during preaudit and postaudit periods.

RESULTS

The preaudit group had 64 patients; and the postaudit group, 51 patients. The therapy duration was 7 days in the preaudit group and 6 days in the postaudit group (P=.55). Fluoroquinolone use was reduced in the postaudit group and was significantly less than in the preaudit group (24 [37.5%] vs 7 [13.7%]; P=.007).

CONCLUSION

The daily audits of clinical pharmacists may be an effective method to reduce the duration of antibiotic therapy and are effective in the reduction of fluoroquinolone use. Additional studies must be done to further investigate the effects of clinical pharmacist antimicrobial stewardship efforts.

An Open-Label, Randomized, 2-Way, Crossover Bioequivalence Study of Cefradine Capsules in Healthy Chinese Volunteers

The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether test cefradine capsules and reference cefradine capsules were bioequivalent in healthy Chinese volunteers. An open-label, randomized, biperiodic, crossover design was used. In each of the 2 study periods (separated by a 1-week washout period), 250-mg single doses of either the test or reference cefradine capsule were administered to study participants under fasted and fed conditions. Blood samples were collected at intervals from predose to 8 hours afterward. In the fasting study, the 90% confidence intervals (90%CI) of the C_max , AUC_0-8h , and AUC_0-∞ for the test and reference preparations were 93.7%-112.2%, 94.6%-100.8%, and 94.7%-100.9%, respectively. In the fed study, the 90%CI of the C_max , AUC_0-8h , and AUC_0-∞ for the test and reference preparations was 81.0%-99.1%, 100.5%-106.3%, and 100.5%-105.9%, respectively. The results showed that the test cefradine capsules and the reference formulation are bioequivalent under both fasting and fed conditions.

Antimicrobial Stewardship in the Intensive Care Unit: The Role of Biomarkers, Pharmacokinetics, and Pharmacodynamics

The high prevalence of infectious diseases in the intensive care unit (ICU) and consequently elevated pressure for immediate and effective treatment have led to increased antimicrobial therapy consumption and misuse. Moreover, the emerging global threat of antimicrobial resistance and lack of novel antimicrobials justify the implementation of judicious antimicrobial stewardship programs (ASP) in the ICU. However, even though the importance of ASP is generally accepted, its implementation in the ICU is far from optimal and current evidence regarding strategies such as de-escalation remains controversial. The limitations of clinical guidance for antimicrobial therapy initiation and discontinuation have led to multiple studies for the evaluation of more objective tools, such as biomarkers as adjuncts for ASP. C-reactive protein and procalcitonin can be adequate for clinical use in acute infectious diseases, the latter being the most studied for ASP purposes. Although promising, current evidence highlights challenges in biomarker application and interpretation. Furthermore, the physiological alterations in the critically ill render pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics crucial parameters for adequate antimicrobial therapy use. Individual pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic targets can reduce antimicrobial therapy misuse and risk of antimicrobial resistance.

Surviving sepsis campaign international guidelines for the management of septic shock and sepsis-associated organ dysfunction in children

Objectives

To develop evidence-based recommendations for clinicians caring for children (including infants, school-aged children, and adolescents) with septic shock and other sepsis-associated organ dysfunction.

Design

A panel of 49 international experts, representing 12 international organizations, as well as three methodologists and three public members was convened. Panel members assembled at key international meetings (for those panel members attending the conference), and a stand-alone meeting was held for all panel members in November 2018. A formal conflict-of-interest policy was developed at the onset of the process and enforced throughout. Teleconferences and electronic-based discussion among the chairs, co-chairs, methodologists, and group heads, as well as within subgroups, served as an integral part of the guideline development process.

Methods

The panel consisted of six subgroups: recognition and management of infection, hemodynamics and resuscitation, ventilation, endocrine and metabolic therapies, adjunctive therapies, and research priorities. We conducted a systematic review for each Population, Intervention, Control, and Outcomes question to identify the best available evidence, statistically summarized the evidence, and then assessed the quality of evidence using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation approach. We used the evidence-to-decision framework to formulate recommendations as strong or weak, or as a best practice statement. In addition, “in our practice” statements were included when evidence was inconclusive to issue a recommendation, but the panel felt that some guidance based on practice patterns may be appropriate.

Results

The panel provided 77 statements on the management and resuscitation of children with septic shock and other sepsis-associated organ dysfunction. Overall, six were strong recommendations, 49 were weak recommendations, and nine were best-practice statements. For 13 questions, no recommendations could be made; but, for 10 of these, “in our practice” statements were provided. In addition, 52 research priorities were identified.

Conclusions

A large cohort of international experts was able to achieve consensus regarding many recommendations for the best care of children with sepsis, acknowledging that most aspects of care had relatively low quality of evidence resulting in the frequent issuance of weak recommendations. Despite this challenge, these recommendations regarding the management of children with septic shock and other sepsis-associated organ dysfunction provide a foundation for consistent care to improve outcomes and inform future research.

"Rationalization of Empiric Antibiotic Therapy" - A Move Towards Preventing Emergence of Resistant Infections

Antimicrobial resistance is a key factor leading to emerging/ re-emerging infections. Rational antimicrobial therapy or antimicrobial stewardship is one of the important interventions to prevent emergence of resistance. Choosing correct empiric therapy is crucial not only to prevent antimicrobial resistance but also to achieve good treatment outcomes. Antimicrobial therapy can be broadly classified as empiric, definitive/ targeted and preventive. It is in choice of empiric therapy that the largest margin of error exists. Paradoxically, empiric therapy is the most commonly employed therapy since microbiologic results are either not available at initiation of treatment or cannot be sent due to logistic reasons or are negative. In the Indian setting, where penetration of microbiologic diagnostic methods in small cities, towns and rural areas is still fairly low, therapy is largely empiric. Choice of empiric therapy is governed by various factors including likely pathogens, antimicrobial resistance, degree of sickness, site of infection and host co-morbidities. These principles can be applied to any clinical syndrome whether it is fever without focus, infections of the respiratory tract, gastrointestinal tract, abdomen, central nervous system, bone and joint, skin and soft tissue, urinary tract as well as neonatal sepsis and healthcare associated infections. Adherence to published guidelines for syndromic management such as that by the Indian Academy of Pediatrics and Indian Council of Medical Research is strongly recommended. One can tailor these guidelines and suggestions made in this article to an individual setting.

Day 10 Post-Prescription Audit Optimizes Antibiotic Therapy in Patients with Bloodstream Infections

This study aimed to investigate the clinical and organizational impact of an active re-evaluation (on day 10) of patients on antibiotic treatment diagnosed with bloodstream infections (BSIs). A prospective, single center, pre-post quasi-experimental study was performed. Patients were enrolled at the time of microbial BSI confirmation. In the pre-intervention phase (August 2014-August 2015), clinical status and antibiotic regimen were re-evaluated at day 3. In the intervention phase (January 2016-January 2017), clinical status and antibiotic regimen were re-evaluated at day 3 and day 10. Primary outcomes were rate of optimal therapy, duration of antibiotic therapy, length of hospitalization, and 30-day mortality. A total of 632 patients were enrolled (pre-intervention period, n = 303; intervention period, n = 329). Average duration of therapy reduced from 18.1 days (standard deviation (SD), 11.4) in the pre-intervention period to 16.8 days (SD, 12.7) in the intervention period (p < 0.001). Similarly, average length of hospitalization decreased from 24.1 days (SD, 20.8) to 20.6 days (SD, 17.7) (p = 0.001). No inter-group difference was found for the rate of 30-day mortality. In patients with BSI, re-evaluation of clinical status and antibiotic regimen at day 3 and 10 after microbiological diagnosis was correlated with a reduction in the duration of antibiotic therapy and hospital stay. The intervention is simple and has a low impact on overall costs.

Duration of antibiotic therapy in critically ill patients: a randomized controlled trial of a clinical and C-reactive protein-based protocol versus an evidence-based best practice strategy without biomarkers

Background

The rational use of antibiotics is one of the main strategies to limit the development of bacterial resistance. We therefore sought to evaluate the effectiveness of a C-reactive protein-based protocol in reducing antibiotic treatment time in critically ill patients.

Methods

A randomized, open-label, controlled clinical trial conducted in two intensive care units of a university hospital in Brazil. Critically ill infected adult patients were randomly allocated to (i) intervention to receive antibiotics guided by daily monitoring of CRP levels and (ii) control to receive antibiotics according to the best practices for rational use of antibiotics.

Results

One hundred thirty patients were included in the CRP (n = 64) and control (n = 66) groups. In the intention-to-treat analysis, the median duration of antibiotic therapy for the index infectious episode was 7.0 (5.0–8.8) days in the CRP and 7.0 (7.0–11.3) days in the control (p = 0.011) groups. A significant difference in the treatment time between the two groups was identified in the curve of cumulative suspension of antibiotics, with less exposure in the CRP group only for the index infection episode (p = 0.007). In the per protocol analysis, involving 59 patients in each group, the median duration of antibiotic treatment was 6.0 (5.0–8.0) days for the CRP and 7.0 (7.0–10.0) days for the control (p = 0.011) groups. There was no between-group difference regarding the total days of antibiotic exposure and antibiotic-free days.

Conclusions

Daily monitoring of CRP levels may allow early interruption of antibiotic therapy in a higher proportion of patients, without an effect on total antibiotic consumption. The clinical and microbiological relevance of this finding remains to be demonstrated.

Trial registry

ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02987790. Registered 09 December 2016.

Surviving Sepsis Campaign International Guidelines for the Management of Septic Shock and Sepsis-Associated Organ Dysfunction in Children

OBJECTIVES

To develop evidence-based recommendations for clinicians caring for children (including infants, school-aged children, and adolescents) with septic shock and other sepsis-associated organ dysfunction.

DESIGN

A panel of 49 international experts, representing 12 international organizations, as well as three methodologists and three public members was convened. Panel members assembled at key international meetings (for those panel members attending the conference), and a stand-alone meeting was held for all panel members in November 2018. A formal conflict-of-interest policy was developed at the onset of the process and enforced throughout. Teleconferences and electronic-based discussion among the chairs, co-chairs, methodologists, and group heads, as well as within subgroups, served as an integral part of the guideline development process.

METHODS

The panel consisted of six subgroups: recognition and management of infection, hemodynamics and resuscitation, ventilation, endocrine and metabolic therapies, adjunctive therapies, and research priorities. We conducted a systematic review for each Population, Intervention, Control, and Outcomes question to identify the best available evidence, statistically summarized the evidence, and then assessed the quality of evidence using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation approach. We used the evidence-to-decision framework to formulate recommendations as strong or weak, or as a best practice statement. In addition, "in our practice" statements were included when evidence was inconclusive to issue a recommendation, but the panel felt that some guidance based on practice patterns may be appropriate.

RESULTS

The panel provided 77 statements on the management and resuscitation of children with septic shock and other sepsis-associated organ dysfunction. Overall, six were strong recommendations, 52 were weak recommendations, and nine were best-practice statements. For 13 questions, no recommendations could be made; but, for 10 of these, "in our practice" statements were provided. In addition, 49 research priorities were identified.

CONCLUSIONS

A large cohort of international experts was able to achieve consensus regarding many recommendations for the best care of children with sepsis, acknowledging that most aspects of care had relatively low quality of evidence resulting in the frequent issuance of weak recommendations. Despite this challenge, these recommendations regarding the management of children with septic shock and other sepsis-associated organ dysfunction provide a foundation for consistent care to improve outcomes and inform future research.

Antimicrobial-associated harm in critical care: a narrative review

The belief that, for the individual patient, the benefit of prompt and continued use of antimicrobials outweighs any potential harm is a significant barrier to improved stewardship of these vital agents. Antimicrobial stewardship may be perceived as utilitarian rationing, seeking to preserve the availability of effective antimicrobials by limiting the development of resistance in a manner which could conflict with the immediate treatment of the patient in need. This view does not account for the growing evidence of antimicrobial-associated harm to individual patients. This review sets out the evidence for antimicrobial-associated harm and how this should be balanced with the need for prompt and appropriate therapy in infection. It describes the mechanisms by which antimicrobials may harm patients including: mitochondrial toxicity; immune cell toxicity; adverse drug reactions; selection of resistant organisms within a given patient; and disruption of the microbiome. Finally, the article indicates how the harms of antimicrobials may be mitigated and identifies areas for research and development in this field.

The quality of antimicrobial prescribing in acute care hospitals: results derived from a national point prevalence survey, Germany, 2016

BackgroundRobust data on the quality of antimicrobial prescriptions in German acute care hospitals are scarce. To establish and implement antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) measures and to increase prudent antimicrobial use (AMU), the identification of appropriate process and quality indicators is pertinent.AimOur main objective was to identify parameters associated with adequate AMU and inadequate AMU by analysing point prevalence data. Our secondary goal was to describe the current state of AMS implementation in Germany.MethodsA national point prevalence survey for healthcare-associated infections and AMU was conducted in German hospitals in 2016. Data on structure and process parameters were also collected. Recorded antimicrobial prescriptions were divided into adequate, inadequate and undefinable AMU. A multivariable linear regression analysis was performed to examine the correlation of selected structure and process parameters with the adequacy of recorded antimicrobials.ResultsData from 218 acute care hospitals, 64,412 patients and 22,086 administered antimicrobials were included. Multivariable linear regression analysis revealed that documentation of a reason for AMU in the patient notes increased the likelihood of adequate AMU and decreased the likelihood of inadequate AMU significantly (p < 0.001), while tertiary care hospital type had the opposite effect (p < 0.001).ConclusionThrough associating structural and process parameters with adequacy of AMU, we identified parameters that increased the odds of prudent AMU. Documentation was a key element for improving AMU. Revealed deficits regarding the implementation of AMS in German hospitals concerning dedicated staff for AMS activities and establishment of regular AMU training and AMU audits should be tackled.

Optimising trial designs to identify appropriate antibiotic treatment durations

BACKGROUND

For many infectious conditions, the optimal antibiotic course length remains unclear. The estimation of course length must consider the important trade-off between maximising short- and long-term efficacy and minimising antibiotic resistance and toxicity.

MAIN BODY

Evidence on optimal treatment durations should come from randomised controlled trials. However, most antibiotic randomised controlled trials compare two arbitrarily chosen durations. We argue that alternative trial designs, which allow allocation of patients to multiple different treatment durations, are needed to better identify optimal antibiotic durations. There are important considerations when deciding which design is most useful in identifying optimal treatment durations, including the ability to model the duration-response relationship (or duration-response 'curve'), the risk of allocation concealment bias, statistical efficiency, the possibility to rapidly drop arms that are clearly inferior, and the possibility of modelling the trade-off between multiple competing outcomes.

CONCLUSION

Multi-arm designs modelling duration-response curves with the possibility to drop inferior arms during the trial could provide more information about the optimal duration of antibiotic therapies than traditional head-to-head comparisons of limited numbers of durations, while minimising the probability of assigning trial participants to an ineffective treatment regimen.