This year the U.S. Antibiotic Awareness Week (USAAW) will run between November 12 to 18. Organized by the CDC, this week long campaign brings awareness to healthcare professionals and the public on the threat of antibiotic resistance and the importance of using antibiotic appropriately. The CDC has prepared a partner toolkit for institutions that want… Read More
Extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)-producing Gram negative bacilli (GNB) have been classified by the CDC as a serious threat in its report Antibiotic Resistance Threats in the United States, 2013. Based on conservative estimates, ESBL-producing GNB are responsible for at least 26,000 infections and 1,700 deaths annually. While carbapenems (e.g., meropenem, imipenem-cilastatin, doripenem, and ertapenem) are considered… Read More
The CDC recommends implementation of antimicrobial stewardship efforts across various healthcare settings (acute, post-acute and long-term, and ambulatory care) as a way to improve antimicrobial prescribing and ultimately to improve patient safety and care. Although various antimicrobial stewardship guidance documents serve as outlines for implementation, they are not detailed plans on how to bring AS… Read More
During the Nebraska Antimicrobial Stewardship Summit on June 1st, 2018, Dr. Christopher Crnich from the University of Wisconsin at Madison delivered an excellent review on the management of common infections in long-term care. Dr. Crnich reviewed the management of Clostridium difficile infections (CDI), and what he called ‘pus infections’ which included urinary tract infections (UTI),… Read More
This week, CDC launched the second installment of the free web-based antibiotic stewardship training. The first installment, which include 3 modules, was launched in February this year. It provided an overview on the threat of antibiotic resistance and the benefits of antimicrobial stewardship programs in combating this threat. The current installment, which is divided in… Read More
Implementation of effective antimicrobial stewardship programs (ASP) typically requires a multipronged approach. The Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) and Society of Healthcare Epidemiology of America Guidelines on ASP implementation recommend the use of rapid diagnostic tests (RDT) that include active ASP interventions as one such approach to improve clinical outcomes and reduce inappropriate antimicrobial… Read More
After almost a year of planning, the First Annual Nebraska Antimicrobial Stewardship Summit convened on Friday, June 1st, 2018 in La Vista, NE. This conference is the first of its kind in Nebraska in which information on antimicrobial stewardship in various healthcare settings is the focus of the meeting. The conference center was abuzz with… Read More
Systemic fluoroquinolones* (FQ) currently in use include ciprofloxacin, levofloxacin, moxifloxacin, gemifloxacin, delafloxacin and ofloxacin. These agents have a number of FDA-approved indications including respiratory tract, genitourinary tract, skin and soft-tissue, intraabdominal, and gastrointestinal tract infections. Because of ongoing safety concerns with FQ use, the FDA issued drug safety communications associated with systemically administered FQ in… Read More
Clostridium difficile* infections (CDI) are associated with significant morbidity and mortality in the United States. Based on data from 2006 to 2011, studies estimated close to 500,000 CDI cases annually, resulting in 15,000 to 30,000 deaths and 4.8 million dollars in excess costs to acute care facilities. C difficile infections remain a major public health problem,… Read More
On February 22nd, the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) issued a new drug safety communication to health care providers regarding the long-term risks of clarithromycin use in patients with heart disease. Clarithromycin is a macrolide antibiotic used for treatment of a variety of respiratory tract and skin infections, and infections caused by Helicobacter pylori and non-tuberculous… Read More