Background: In recent years, the historic declines in the incidence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bloodstream infections (BSIs) in the United States have slowed. We examined trends in the incidence of community-onset (CO) MRSA BSIs among hospitalized persons with and without substance-use diagnoses. Methods: Using data from >200 US hospitals reporting to the Premier Healthcare Database (PHD) during 2012–2017, we conducted a retrospective study among hospitalized persons aged ≥18 years. MRSA BSIs with substance use were defined as hospitalizations having both a blood culture positive for MRSA and at least 1 International Classification of Disease, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM) or ICD-10-CM diagnostic code for substance use including opioids, cocaine, amphetamines, or other substances (excluding cannabis, alcohol, and nicotine). MRSA BSIs were considered community onset when a positive blood culture was collected within 3 days of admission. We assessed annual trends and described characteristics of CO MRSA BSI hospitalizations, stratified by substance use. Results: Of 20,049 MRSA BSIs from 2012 to 2017, 17,634 (88%) were CO. Overall, MRSA BSI incidence decreased 7%, from 178.5 to 166.2 per 100,000 hospitalizations during the study period; However, CO MRSA BSI rates remained stable (152.7 to 149.9 per 100,000 hospitalizations). Among CO MRSA BSIs, 1,838 (10%) were BSIs with substance-use diagnoses; the incidence of CO MRSA BSIs with substance use increased 236% (from 8.2 to 27.6 per 100,000 hospitalizations) and represented a greater proportion of the CO MRSA rate over the study period (Fig. 1). The incidence of CO MRSA BSIs without substance use decreased 15% (from 144.5 to 122.4 per 100,000 hospitalizations). Patients with CO MRSA BSIs with substance use were younger (median, 40 vs 65 years), more likely to be female (50% vs 40%), white (79% vs 69%), and to leave against medical advice (15% vs 1%). Among patients not leaving against medical advice, CO BSI patients with substance-use diagnoses had longer lengths of stay (median, 11 vs 9 days), lower in-hospital mortality (9% vs 14%), and higher hospitalization costs (median, $22,912 vs $17,468) compared to patients without substance-use diagnoses. Conclusions: Although the overall CO MRSA BSI rate remained unchanged from 2012 to 2017, infections with substance use diagnoses increased >3-fold, and infections without substance use diagnoses decreased. These data suggest that the emergence of MRSA associated with substance-use diagnoses threatens potential progress in reducing the incidence of CO MRSA infections. Additional strategies may be needed to prevent MRSA BSI in patients with substance-use diagnoses, and to maintain national progress in the reduction of MRSA infections overall.

Funding: None

Disclosures: None

Background: Noroviruses are nonenveloped, single-stranded RNA viruses belonging to the Caliciviridae family; they cause high-profile outbreaks in healthcare settings, due to their contagiousness, prolonged viral shedding, and ability to survive in the environment. Methods: Description of a norovirus outbreak in a pediatric ICU with multibed rooms. We report the epidemiology, molecular diagnosis, and control. Results: In August and September 2019, an outbreak of acute gastroenteritis affected 13 patients and 26 healthcare workers at an intensive care unit of Roberto Del Río Children’s Hospital, which consists of 22 beds in a multibed-room format. Patients manifested self-limited nondysenteric diarrhea; other symptoms were vomiting (54%) and fever (23%). Healthcare workers reported diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, fever, malaise, and abdominal cramps. The mean age of the patients was 1 year old, all diaper users. The average days of diarrhea in patients was 4 days (2–6 days). There were 87 exposed patients, with an attack rate of 14.9% and 107 exposed staff, with an attack rate of 24.3%. Rotavirus and bacterial etiology were ruled out, and norovirus was subsequently diagnosed in 10 of 13 patients using qRT-PCR; 80% (8 of 10) corresponded with GII norovirus and 20% with a GI (2 of 10). Control measures included enforcement of standard precautions, strict adherence to contact precautions (use of gloves and gowns), hand hygiene before and after patients contact, and mask use if exposure to vomitus. Healthy staff were assigned for patients care. Environmental disinfection twice daily with 1.000 ppm sodium hypochlorite solution was encouraged and supervised with focus on cleaning high-touch surfaces, such as bathrooms, sinks, tables, floors and patient-care items. Active and prospective surveillance were conducted to search for new cases. Infection control practices were coupled with education to staff, patients, and visitors. The outbreak was controlled on September 18, 2019, after 23 days and several interventions, with complete recovery in all cases. Conclusions: We concluded that timely detection of a norovirus outbreak in a healthcare facility is imperative for effective infection control, especially in a multibed-room setting, because of the extended viral shedding in children and the transmission route that included aerosolized viral particles in vomitus. Molecular methods offer a rapid and definitive way to establish etiology, but these tests may not be accessible. Direct contact with infected children and contaminated surfaces and patient-care items were relevant risk factors in this outbreak (which involved both patients and healthcare workers) and contributed with its length.

Funding: None

Disclosures: None

Background: As many as 40% of infants aged ≤12 months and 10%–28% of children aged 13–24 months are colonized by Clostridioides difficile. The IDSA and the SHEA recommend that testing should never be routinely recommended for infants ≤12 months of age and should not be routinely performed for children 1–2 years of age unless other causes are excluded. We report implementation of C. difficile diagnostic stewardship at 2 children’s hospitals. Methods: We implemented age-based restrictions for C. difficile testing at hospital A (∼200-bed, free-standing, children’s hospital) and hospital B (∼100-bed children’s hospital within a larger hospital). Both sites are part of the same multicampus institution, and both used nucleic acid amplification testing to detect C. difficile throughout the study. In May 2018, we implemented an electronic order set for C. difficile that provided alerts to avoid testing young infants and patients with recent use of laxatives, stool softeners, or enemas, but providers could order C. difficile testing at their discretion. In October 2018, we implemented a more restrictive diagnostic stewardship algorithm for C. difficile. No testing was allowed for infants aged ≤12 months. Approval pediatric infectious diseases staff was required to test children aged 13–24 months. Pathology resident approval was required to test children aged ≥24 months who had received laxatives, stool softeners, or enemas within ≤24 hours. Clinical microbiology laboratory supervisors reinforced rejection of nondiarrheal stool specimens for testing. Providers at both campuses were informed about the new testing guidelines by e-mail. We compared the number of tests sent and positive cases of healthcare facility-onset C. difficile (HO-CDI) by age strata before and after the implementation of the restrictive testing algorithm. Results: After the intervention, the number of tests in infants significantly declined; 2 infants aged ≤12 months and 4 infants aged 13–24 months were tested for C. difficile (Table). After the intervention, the number of tests per month declined at hospital A, as did the number of HO-CDI cases at both hospitals. Rejections of nondiarrheal stools significantly increased after the intervention (P < .001). Conclusions:C. difficile diagnostic stewardship for children was successfully implemented using a rule-based alert system in the electronic health record. This intervention was associated with a reduced number of tests sent and cases of HO-CDI. This strategy was cost-saving and prevented misdiagnosis, unnecessary antibiotic therapy, and overestimation of HO-CDI rates.

Funding: None

Disclosures: None

Background: To be effective, postexposure prophylaxis (PEP) must be administered promptly after measles exposure. MMR vaccine is recommended within 72 hours of exposure. Immunoglobulin (IG) is recommended for infants aged <6–12 months, susceptible individuals, and severely immunocompromised people within 6 days of exposure. MMR vaccine is readily available, less expensive, and more easily administered than IG, and it provides long-term immunity. However, due to delays in diagnosis of measles cases, it is often not possible to administer MMR PEP to contacts within 72 hours. We describe an unvaccinated infant with fever and rash after recent international travel who presented to a pediatric outpatient clinic. Measles was promptly suspected, and specimens were collected for measles polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing at the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) laboratory. PCR results confirming measles were obtained within 24 hours of the patient visit. Methods: A multidisciplinary team of medical, employee health, nursing, pharmacy and infection prevention staff was assembled. Electronic health records (EHRs) were used to identify exposed patients based on registration times, as well as to determine their MMR vaccination status and to identify any immunocompromising conditions. Exposed patients were notified either by e-mail or phone. Adult caretakers were interviewed to determine who accompanied the child to the clinic. Caretakers were questioned regarding their MMR vaccination status and the high risk to accompanying persons. The use of EHRs with data integration from other healthcare system helped validate and supplement vaccine statuses and medical histories of exposed family members. Results: In total, 128 persons were exposed; 31 staff (24%), 46 patients (36%) and 51 family members (40$). All 128 patients (100%) and family members were notified within 24 hours of case confirmation, and 44 of 128 (34%) required PEP. All staff had documentation of measles immune status. However, 1 of 31 staff (3%) needed PEP due to immunosuppression. MMR vaccine was given to 35 of 36 eligible persons (97%), except for 1 sibling who received IG due to delay in exposure identification. An additional 8 of 44 persons (18%) required IG due to age or immunosuppression. There were no secondary cases. Conclusions: MMR vaccine was used as primary PEP due to prompt suspicion for measles, early laboratory confirmation, and swift coordinated response using a multidisciplinary team. Leveraging EHRs helped rapidly identify exposed persons, validate measles immunity status and risk factors, order prophylaxis, and track outcomes.

Funding: None

Disclosures: None

Background: Infection prevention efforts are complex, and sustaining reductions is even more challenging. At the UNC Medical Center, multidisciplinary hospital-wide work groups implement quality improvement initiatives to prevent healthcare-associated infections. The first and most successful initiative has been our catheter-associated urinary tract infection (CAUTI) prevention effort, which started in 2014. The program led to initial dramatic reductions, with continued reductions in CAUTI rates each year since then. Methods: A multidisciplinary workgroup formed in 2014 developed an evidence-based CAUTI prevention bundle and partnered with the nursing staff in 2015–2016 to implement practice changes as part of our hospital’s quality improvement “Spread of Innovations” model. These changes included (1) creation of a 2-person catheter-insertion checklist; (2) insertion skills validation for all nursing staff and nursing assistants; (3) standardization of a maintenance protocol and subsequent education and skills validation with nurses and nurse assistants; and (4) peer audits of urinary catheter maintenance. Additional initiatives implemented over the past 5 years include (1) routine resident education on CAUTI prevention; (2) annual nurse competencies to reinforce skills around CAUTI prevention; (3) introduction of products (eg, PureWick) as alternatives to indwelling catheters; (4) diagnostic stewardship efforts; (5) revisions to the electronic medical record; and (6) efforts to encourage removal of unnecessary catheters such as the “nurse-driven conversation” and Trial of Void. Results: Our CAUTI rates decreased 65% from 2.94 per 1,000 catheter days in the baseline period of 2014 to 1.02 in 2018. In our ICUs (excluding the neonatal ICU), the rate dropped 75% from 4.30 in 2014 to 1.08 per 1,000 catheter days in 2018. Conclusions: We attribute our continued reductions and successful sustainment of low CAUTI rates to several factors. First, the use of a multidisciplinary team was critical to obtaining buy-in from key stakeholders including nursing, nurse assistants, physicians, pharmacists, performance improvement specialists, and administration. Second, continuation of the maintenance peer audits outside the initial project year has provided an important framework for this project, giving regular opportunities for frontline staff to evaluate patients’ catheter condition and to give feedback to colleagues or “just in time education.” These activities potentially prevent infections in real time. Third, with the many competing priorities demanding clinicians’ attention, it has been important for the CAUTI workgroup to continue to evaluate the problem, to determine where opportunities for improvement remain, and to tailor initiatives to meet those needs. In this way, new work can focus on priorities identified by staff, and CAUTI prevention initiatives remain relevant.

Funding: None

Disclosures: None

Background: Since 2015, the CDC has supported the development and implementation of healthcare-associated infection (HAI) surveillance in resource-limited settings through technical support of case definitions and methods that are feasible with existing surveillance capacity and integration with clinical care to maximize sustainability and data use for action. Methods: Surveillance initiatives included facility-level implementation programs in Kenya, Sierra Leone, Thailand, and Georgia; larger national or regional network-level projects in India and Vietnam were also supported. For assessment and planning, surveillance capacities were grouped into 3 domains: staff, informatics, and diagnostic capacities. Based on these capacities, simplified case definitions surveillance methodologies were devised to balance resources and effort with the anticipated value and use of findings. Results: There was broad understanding of the importance of HAI surveillance; however, the required resources and other challenges (eg, training, staffing, quality of available data) were underappreciated. Staff capacities were often influenced by a lack of dedicated surveillance staff and limited experience in systematic data collection and analysis. Informatics capacities were generally limited by the lack of digital data management, nonstandardized clinical data collection and storage, and the inability to assign and maintain unique patient identifiers. We found that capacity for diagnostics, a critical component of traditional HAI surveillance systems, was limited by its availability, frequency of use, and inconsistent rationale in clinical care. We found that successful surveillance strategies were generally simple, matched existing capacities, and targeted specific HAI priorities identified by clinical teams. For example, in Kenya and Sierra Leone, participating facilities established, with minimal external support, simplified SSI surveillance among post–caesarean-delivery patients. These initiatives improved integration of surveillance with clinical care through encouraging participation of the clinical team in surveillance and planning. Furthermore, these models directly linked surveillance activities to improved patient care (eg, combined clinical checklists with surveillance data collection forms). Discussion: In resource-limited settings, the local cost and effort required to establish and sustain the necessary infrastructure for HAI surveillance can be substantial. Establishing actionable and sustainable HAI surveillance can be achieved through simplifying HAI surveillance to match existing capacities and can result in valuable surveillance programs, even in very resource-limited settings.

Funding: None

Disclosures: None

Background: Surgical site infection (SSI) is considered one of the most frequent adverse events globally. One of the strategies to mitigate its occurrence was proposed by the WHO in 2008 as part of the Safe Surgery Saves Lives program to reduce the rate of SSI by 25% by 2020. Objectives: To evaluate adherence to SSI prevention and control actions in large hospitals using a score. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in 30 hospitals in Minas Gerais, Brazil, from February 2018 to April 2019. Data collection was performed through interviews with the coordinator of the hospital infection control service (HICS), situational diagnoses, and observation of a surgical procedures at the time of the visit. Data were analyzed using SPSS software. The variables were described using descriptive statistics. The project was approved by the Research Ethics Committee of the Federal University of Minas Gerais (COEP/UFMG) (CAAE: 30782614.3.00005149). A score was determined to identify the degree of compliance of institutions to SSI prevention practices. Results: In 93.3% of the HICSs, routines or protocols for the use of prophylactic antibiotic in surgery and compliance audits were mentioned, 69% reported hair removal with a clipper. SSI surveillance occurred in all institutions; however, only 63.3% disclosed SSI rates. In the situational observations, 60% of the professionals performed hand antisepsis within 3–5 minutes. Most frequently, hair removal was performed inside the operating room in 76.7% of the observed procedures and an electric clipper was used 56.7% of the time. In the surgery audit, prophylactic antimicrobial administration occurred between 30 and 60 minutes before surgical incision in only 63.3% of the observed procedures. The traffic in the operation room was limited to the necessary minimum in only 53.3% of observed procedures and unnecessary opening of the doors occurred in 76.7% of the observations. Patient temperature was not monitored in 70% of the audited procedures. Conclusions: According to the proposed score, 1 of the institutions (3.3%) complied with SSI prevention and control measures sufficiently; 25 complied partially (83.3%); and 4 (13.3%) demonstrated poor compliance.

Funding: None

Disclosures: None

Background: Surveillance data for surgical site infections (SSIs) following abdominal hysterectomy (HYST) have been reported to the CDC NHSN since 2005. Beginning in 2012, HYST SSI surveillance coverage expanded substantially as a result of a CMS mandatory reporting requirement as part of the Hospital Inpatient Quality Reporting Program. A trend analysis of HYST SSI using data submitted to the NHSN has not been previously reported. To estimate the overall trend of HYST SSI incidence rates, we analyzed data reported from acute-care hospitals with surgery performed between January 1, 2009, and December 31, 2018. Methods: We analyzed inpatient adult HYST procedures with primary closure resulting deep incisional primary and organ-space SSIs detected during the same hospitalization or rehospitalization to the same hospital. SSIs reported as infection present at time of surgery (PATOS) were included in the analysis. Due to the surveillance definition changes for primary closure in 2013 and 2015, these were tested separately as interruptions to HYST SSI outcome using an interrupted time-series model with a mixed-effects logistic regression. Because the previously described changes were not significantly associated with changes in HYST SSI risk, mixed-effects logistic regression was used to estimate the annual change in the log odds of HYST SSI. The estimates were adjusted for the following covariates: hospital bed size, general anesthesia, scope, ASA score, wound classification, medical school affiliation type, procedure duration and age. Results: The number of hospitals and procedures reported to NHSN for HYST increased and then stabilized after 2012 (Table 1). The unadjusted annual SSI incidence rates ranged from 0.60% to 0.81%. Based on the model, we estimate a 2.58% decrease in the odds of having a HYST SSI annually after controlling for variables mentioned above (Table 2). Conclusions: The volume of hospitals and procedures for HYST reported to NHSN increased substantially because of the CMS reporting requirement implemented in 2012. The overall adjusted HYST SSI odds ratio decreased annually over 2009–2018, which indicates progress in preventing HYST SSIs.

Funding: None

Disclosures: None

Background: Hospitals have submitted surveillance data for surgical site infections (SSIs) following colon surgeries (COLO) to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) since 2005. COLO SSI data submissions to NHSN have increased substantially beginning in 2012 as result of a Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) mandatory reporting requirement that began that year. A trend analysis of COLO SSIs, using data submitted to NHSN, has not been previously reported. To estimate the national trend of COLO SSI rates, we analyzed data reported from acute-care hospitals during 2009–2018. Methods: We analyzed inpatient adult COLO procedures with primary closure and resulting deep incisional primary and organ-space SSIs detected during the same hospitalization or rehospitalization in the same hospital. SSIs reported as infection present at time of surgery (PATOS) were included in the analysis. A protocol change that reprioritized COLO above small bowel surgery (SB) in the multiprocedural abdominal operations selection list for SSI attribution beginning in 2013 was a potential interruption to COLO SSI outcome. An interrupted time series with mixed-effects logistic regression was used to estimate the annual change in the log odds of COLO SSI. The estimates were adjusted for the following variables: hospital bed size, gender, emergency, trauma, general anesthesia, scope, ASA score, wound classification, medical school affiliation type, procedure duration and age. We also assessed the slope and level change of log odds before and after 2013. Results: The number of hospitals and procedures increased and then stabilized after 2012 (Table 1). The annual crude SSI rates ranged from 2.40% to 3.10%. There was no statistically significant slope change in 2013 and after. Compared to 2009–2012, the log odds of COLO SSI increased in 2013–2018 (OR, 1.1975; P < .0001). Based on this model, we estimate a 0.58% annual decrease in the odds of having a COLO SSI during 2009–2012 and 2013–2018 after controlling for the aforementioned variables (Table 2). Conclusions: We observed a substantial increase in the volume of hospitals and procedures reported to the NHSN since 2012 and an increase in odds of having a COLO SSI in 2013–2018 associated with surveillance protocol changes. After adjusting for these changes, we found a slight annual decrease in the overall odds of COLO SSI. Greater prevention efforts are needed for COLO SSI.

Funding: None

Disclosures: None

Background: Globally, surgical site infections (SSIs) not only complicate the surgeries but also lead to $5–10 billion excess health expenditures, along with the increased length of hospital stay. SSI rates have become a universal measure of quality in hospital-based surgical practice because they are probably the most preventable of all healthcare-associated infections. Although, many national regulatory bodies have made it mandatory to report SSI rates, the burden of SSI is still likely to be significant underestimated due to truncated SSI surveillance as well as underestimated postdischarge SSIs. A WHO survey found that in low- to middle-income countries, the incidence of SSIs ranged from 1.2 to 23.6 per 100 surgical procedures. This contrasted with rates between 1.2% and 5.2% in high-income countries. Objectives: We aimed to leverage the existing surveillance capacities at our tertiary-care hospital to estimate the incidence of SSIs in a cohort of trauma patients and to develop and validate an indigenously developed, electronic SSI surveillance system. Methods: A prospective cohort study was conducted at a 248-bed apex trauma center for 18 months. This project was a part of an ongoing multicenter study. The demographic details were recorded, and all the patients who underwent surgery (n = 770) were followed up until 90 days after discharge. The associations of occurrence of SSI and various clinico-microbiological variables were studied. Results: In total, 32 (4.2%) patients developed SSI. S. aureus (28.6%) were the predominant pathogen causing SSI, followed by E. coli (14.3%) and K. pneumoniae (14.3%). Among the patients who had SSI, higher SSI rates were associated in patients who were referred from other facilities (P = .03), had wound class-CC (P < .001), were on HBOT (P = .001), were not administered surgical antibiotics (P = .04), were not given antimicrobial coated sutures (P = .03) or advanced dressings (P = .02), had a resurgery (P < .001), had a higher duration of stay in hospital from admission to discharge (P = .002), as well as from procedure to discharge (P = .002). SSI was cured in only 16 patients (50%) by 90 days. SSI data collection, validation, and analyses are essential in developing countries like India. Thus, it is very crucial to implement a surveillance system and a system for reporting SSI rates to surgeons and conduct a robust postdischarge surveillance using trained and committed personnel to generate, apply, and report accurate SSI data.

Funding: None

Disclosures: None

Background: Carbapenem-resistant gram-negative bacteria are an urgent threat to healthcare safety around the world. In Vietnam, Although surveillance and control of multidrug-resistant organisms is a national priority, information on the burden of these resistant pathogens is still scarce. At University Medical Center Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, we aimed to better understand carbapenem-resistance through 2 phases: (1) assess proportion of carbapenem-resistant gram-negative organisms that are carbapanemase-producing (CP-CRO) and (2) assess transmission burden of carbapenemase-producing carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterieacea (CP-CRE) in the general intensive care unit (ICU). Methods: In the first phase, all gram-negative clinical isolates collected between November 2018 and April 2019 were tested for carbapenem-resistance using the disc-diffusion method and were defined as meropenem resistant using the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute 2018 break point (M100-Performance Standards for Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing, 28th Edition). Carbapenem-resistant bacteria were tested for phenotypic carbapenemase-production using the Becton Dickinson Phoenix CPO Detect assay. In the second phase, we instituted CP-CRE rectal screening using CHROMagar mSuperCARBA media for all ICU patients from July through September 2019. Patients were screened on admission, and negative patients were rescreened every 2 days until discharge, death, or CRE-positive screening or culture. Admission prevalence and incidence of CP-CRE transmission was calculated among CP-CRE infected or colonized patients. Results: From November 2018 through April 2019, 599 gram-negative clinical isolates from 543 patient samples were identified. Of these, 108 were carbapenem-resistant; 107 (99%) of carbapenem-resistant isolates were carbapenemase-producing by phenotypic method. Most CP-CRO were Acinetobacter baumannii (45 of 107, 42%) or Klebsiella pneumoniae (39 of 107, 36%). During ICU CP-CRE colonization screening, the July positivity rate on admission was 40% (32 of 81), the August positivity rate on admission was 30% (21 of 71), and the September positivity rate on admission was 40% (30 of 75). Of those with negative admission screen, the proportion of new CP-CRE colonization in July was 45% (22 of 49), the proportion of new CP-CRE colonization in August was 64% (32 of 50), and the proportion of new CP-CRE colonization in September was 44% (20 of 45). Across all 3 months of screening, the proportions of CP-CRE that were Klebsiella, Citrobacter, or Enterobacter were 68% (118 of 174) and the proportion of CP-CRE that were Eschericia coli was 37% (56 of 174). The average number of days to turn from negative to positive screening result was 4.1. Conclusions: Our analysis demonstrates that nearly all carbapenem-resistant organisms at our hospital are carbapenemase producing. In the ICU, we identified a high burden of CP-CRE, attributable to high presence on admission and new acquisition in the ICU. An intervention package based on CDC-recommended enhanced infection control measures is being implemented to decrease CP-CRE transmission in the ICU.

Funding: None

Disclosures: None

Background: Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) are a major global threat to patient safety. Systematic surveillance is crucial for understanding HAI rates and antimicrobial resistance trends and to guide infection prevention and control (IPC) activities based on local epidemiology. In India, no standardized national HAI surveillance system was in place before 2017. Methods: Public and private hospitals from across 21 states in India were recruited to participate in an HAI surveillance network. Baseline assessments followed by trainings ensured that basic microbiology and IPC implementation capacity existed at all sites. Standardized surveillance protocols for central-line–associated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs) and catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs) were modified from the NHSN for the Indian context. IPC nurses were trained to implement surveillance protocols. Data were reported through a locally developed web portal. Standardized external data quality checks were performed to assure data quality. Results: Between May 2017 and April 2019, 109 ICUs from 37 hospitals (29 public and 8 private) enrolled in the network, of which 33 were teaching hospitals with >500 beds. The network recorded 679,109 patient days, 212,081 central-line days, and 387,092 urinary catheter days. Overall, 4,301 bloodstream infection (BSI) events and 1,402 urinary tract infection (UTI) events were reported. The network CLABSI rate was 9.4 per 1,000 central-line days and the CAUTI rate was 3.4 per 1,000 catheter days. The central-line utilization ratio was 0.31 and the urinary catheter utilization ratio was 0.57. Moreover, 3,542 (73%) of 4,742 pathogens reported from BSIs and 868 (53%) of 1,644 pathogens reported from UTIs were gram negative. Also, 1,680 (26.3%) of all 6,386 pathogens reported were Enterobacteriaceae. Of 1,486 Enterobacteriaceae with complete antibiotic susceptibility testing data reported, 832 (57%) were carbapenem resistant. Of 951 Enterobacteriaceae subjected to colistin broth microdilution testing, 62 (7%) were colistin resistant. The surveillance platform identified 2 separate hospital-level HAI outbreaks; one caused by colistin-resistant K. pneumoniae and another due to Burkholderia cepacia. Phased expansion of surveillance to additional hospitals continues. Conclusions: HAI surveillance was successfully implemented across a national network of diverse hospitals using modified NHSN protocols. Surveillance data are being used to understand HAI burden and trends at the facility and national levels, to inform public policy, and to direct efforts to implement effective hospital IPC activities. This network approach to HAI surveillance may provide lessons to other countries or contexts with limited surveillance capacity.

Funding: None

Disclosures: None

Background:Candida auris prevalence in Illinois, particularly in the metropolitan Chicago area, is high. The Illinois Department of Public Health recommends empiric contact precautions for patients with a tracheostomy or requiring mechanical ventilation from skilled nursing facilities (vSNFs) or long-term acute-care hospitals (LTACHs) who are admitted to an acute-care hospital. Cases of C. auris infection and colonization are reportable to the Illinois Extensively Drug Resistant Organism Registry (XDRO Registry). NorthShore University HealthSystem (NSUHS) actively screens adult intensive care unit (ICU) admissions from LTACHs and vSNFs for CA. Methods: NSUHS is a 4-hospital system located north of Chicago with 750 beds, 4 ICUs and ∼64,000 annual admissions. Beginning in April 2019, a composite axilla–groin swab was collected from all ICU LTACH or vSNF admissions. Composite swabs are cultured on Inhibitory Mold Agar. In July 2019, an ICU clinical case of C. auris was identified from a ventilated patient admitted from an outside hospital prompting the expansion of screening to include acute-care hospital transfers. To evaluate the value of screening criteria, a medical record review and retrospective query of the XDRO Registry was performed for all screened patients. Because cocolonization with carbapenemase-producing organisms (CPO) has been reported, CPO status was also queried. Results: Between April 1 and October 31, 2019, 70 patients were screened. Two screened patients did not meet the screening criteria (Fig. 1). No patients, with the exception of the clinical case, were found to be colonized with CA. The XDRO Registry query identified no patients with C. auris. Of the 70 patients, 9 (13%) had a CPO. Of those screened, 14 (20%) had a tracheostomy and/or mechanical ventilation (Table 1). Conclusions: Querying the XDRO registry at admission in combination with a medical record review appears adequate to identify patients admitted to a NSUHS ICU with C. auris and CPOs. Targeting patients admitted with a tracheostomy and/or mechanical ventilation may further reduce the number of screening cultures performed.

Funding: None

Disclosures: None

Background: Hand hygiene (HH) is the most effective means of preventing healthcare-associated infections (HAI). HH improvement strategies primarily focus on healthcare staff, often overlooking the significant contribution of caregivers to HAI risk. We sought to understand caregivers’ HH knowledge and practices to identify improvement opportunities. Methods: A self-administered survey was developed and distributed to families from June to August 2019; open-ended questions and Likert scales assessed caregivers’ perceptions and practices regarding HH at home and in hospital. HH compliance audits of caregivers entering and exiting inpatient rooms were performed in the same time period. Results: Among 81 caregivers surveyed, median patient age was 4.0 (IQR, 0.9–13.0) years. This was the first admission for 42 patients (53.8%). During this admission, 22 (27.2%) patients had been admitted for ≤1 day and 45 (55.6%) for >3 days. Caregivers reported good knowledge of HH practice, with strongly positive responses to knowledge of HH moments (94%) and proper technique (96%). Caregivers recognized that HH is required of hospital visitors (96%) to protect others (99%) and prevent illness in hospital (93%). Responses were less consistent for performing HH before entering a hospital room (83%), after exiting the room (70%), or after coughing or sneezing (65%). The attitudes of caregivers of children above 2 years were equivocal regarding expectations of their child to wash hands upon entering (40%), or exiting (41%) the hospital room. Multivariable modeling identified higher self-reported HH compliance in caregivers during first admission to hospital, compared to subsequent admissions (OR, 3.15; 95% CI, 1.11–9.65). Reported barriers to HH included hand irritation (27.2%) and perceived HH frequency (18.5%). At the time of survey completion, 62 caregivers (77%) reported not having received HH information during their child’s admission from a healthcare provider or volunteer. Information was most commonly gained from posters (75%) and information in the room (31%). Most caregivers (58.0%) reported that they would prefer to receive HH information in the first 24 hours of admission. Among 200 audits, overall caregiver compliance with HH was 9%; HH before entering the room was 7.2% compared to 11.2% after exiting (P = .33). Conclusions: Reported caregiver knowledge of HH was not reflected in audited practice. Fewer than 1 in 4 had received HH information from healthcare staff. HH education in the hospital environment within the first day of admission provides an opportunity for caregivers to improve compliance as partners in HAI prevention and safer pediatric care.

Funding: None

Disclosures: None

Background: Because of a patient death from a blood transfusion, a large hospital in Houston, Texas, underwent one of the largest unannounced CMS surveys in 2019. Methods: A 520-bed quaternary-care hospital was surveyed in one of the nation’s largest CMS surveys in March 2019, with a resurvey in June 2019. In an anticipated but unannounced arrival, ∼30 CMS surveyors evaluated the hospital and 10 Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments surveyors looked at the laboratory. They stayed for 11 consecutive days in March. On day 4, they declared that the hospital was in immediate jeopardy in infection control for the same observations noted by several surveyors. In addition, 11 CMS surveyors returned for a shorter resurvey in June. Results: The following 14 issues were listed under the infection control heading during the first survey, which led to the immediate jeopardy designation. The hospital’s infection prevention department committed to putting remediation processes, procedures, and audits in place during the first survey, which led to lifting the IJ before the surveyors left. The following shortcomings were recorded:

1. (1) Inappropriate donning and doffing of personal protective equipment (PPE) for patients in isolation

   Standardized donning and doffing processes of PPE developed to include train-the-trainer and return demonstrations from >4,000 employees and providers followed by a minimum of fifty (50) audits/week with the goal of achieving 100% proper PPE donning and doffing for a minimum of three months, followed by a minimum of fifty (50) quarterly observations.

2. (2) Environment Service (EVS) cleaning issues in isolation rooms

   Two-person isolation room cleaning process developed, implemented, and audited a minimum of ten (10) times/week.

3. (3) Incorrect set-up of dialysis machines

   Minimum of five (5) dialysis machine set-ups audited/week.

4. (4) Biohazard trash left in dialysis room between patients

   Minimum random audits twice/week to look for biohazard trash.

5. (5) Need for maintenance and cleanliness in the operating rooms (OR)

   Minimum three times/week audits of rotating ORs in all locations.

6. (6) Rust noted on OR equipment

   Minimum of twice/week audits looking for rust on OR equipment.

7. (7) Insects noted in OR

   Observations for living insects will be audited twice/week.

8. (8) Improper cleaning and high-level disinfection (HLD) of transvaginal probes

   Minimum of three times/week, cleaning and HLD processes of probes will be observed.

9. (9) Matching patient to probes in their medical records needed clarification

   Minimum of twice/week, logs will be audited to check that appropriate patient/probe linkage occurs.

10. (10) Contaminated gloves used on a blood bag in ambulatory setting

    Once/month, removal of blood bag from transport container will be observed to observe clean/dirty glove use

11. (11) Lack of cleaning between patients of durable medical equipment

    Cleaning of DME will be observed for thoroughness a minimum of three times/week.

12. (12) Sanitation and mislabeling issues in the kitchen

    A minimum of one (1) complete audit and two (2) abbreviated audits of kitchen sanitation and food labeling will be conducted per week.

13. (13) Endoscopy misuse of test strips

    Test strip audits showing appropriate labeling and use will be auditing a minimum of twice/week.

14. (14) Process of air blowing of automatic endoscopic reprocessor (AER) needed improvement.

Funding: None

Disclosures: None

Background: Infection preventionists (IPs) are the backbone of the quality and safety matrix of their organizations. Tools to help locate potential gaps can provide unique viewpoints from frontline staff. The CDC provides a Targeted Assessment for Prevention (TAP) strategy that identifies vulnerabilities in the prevention of healthcare-associated infection (HAIs). Methods: A statewide quality improvement organization, partnering with the CDC TAP team, administered TAP facility assessments for catheter-associated urinary tract infection (CAUTI), central-line–associated bloodstream infection (CLABSI), and Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) to a collaborative of 15 acute-care and 2 long-term acute hospitals. More than 800 respondents filled out surveys based on their individualized perceptions of infection prevention practices. Results: The survey results yielded the following lagging indicators: lack of awareness of nursing and physician champions, need for competency-based training of clinical equipment, and feedback on device utilization. At the hospital system level, one improvement team focused on CDI, uncovered leading and lagging areas in general infrastructure, antibiotic stewardship, early detection and appropriate testing, contact precautions, and environmental cleaning. To culminate the TAP collaborative, the cohort of organizations, supported by interdisciplinary teams, participated in a full-day TAP workshop in which they reviewed detailed analyses of their HAI data and assessment results, shared best practices for infection prevention and planned for specific improvement projects using the plan-do-study-act model. Conclusions: Results of a statewide analysis of HAI prevention data and opportunities at a local level were reviewed. The TAP strategy can be used to target opportunities for improvement, to assess gaps in practice, and to develop and implement interventions for improving outcomes. Healthcare facilities and quality improvement organizations can drive infection prevention actions.

Funding: None

Disclosures: None

Background: Fluoroquinolones are the perfect target for antimicrobial stewardship programs (ASPs) due to their broad-spectrum nature, poor safety profile, and frequent misuse. In April 2019, the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) created a national antimicrobial stewardship clinical pharmacist consultant program. One of the program’s main initiatives was to screen active fluoroquinolone prescriptions for appropriateness and work with providers to tailor therapy as needed. Since July 2019, pharmacist consultants have utilized a singular system-wide electronic health record (EHR) to conduct fluoroquinolone prospective audit and feedback targeting all BOP sites across the country. The objective was to assess the national impact of prospective audit and feedback on outpatient fluoroquinolone prescriptions utilizing pharmacist consultants and an integrated EHR. Method: Reviews were conducted in a federal correctional setting including 122 BOP sites with an average daily population of 167,308 inmates. The ASP consisted of 7 pharmacists, each assigned a region across the country. Consultant pharmacists were in charge of conducting daily fluoroquinolone reviews within 72 hours of the prescription being written, utilizing a singular system-wide EHR to gain remote access to newly prescribed prescriptions along with all other pertinent information (ie, clinical notes, patient profiles, laboratory, and radiology). Interventions were sent via e-mail. Total fluoroquinolone prescriptions per 1,000 inmates during the preintervention period (July 1, 2018, to September 30, 2018) were compared to the postintervention period (July 1, 2019, to September 30, 2019), after the development of the clinical consultant program. Data were also collected during the 3-month postintervention period to include total fluoroquinolone prescriptions reviewed, total recommendations sent, percentage of recommendations accepted, and intervention types. Results: In total, 833 fluoroquinolone prescriptions of 1, 264 total prescriptions written (66%)were reviewed over the 3-month postintervention period. In total,192 interventions were recommended (23%). Of the interventions recommended, 65 (34%) were accepted. The most common intervention was to stop therapy (41%), followed by changing antibiotic (37%), and shorten therapy duration (8%). Total outpatient fluoroquinolone prescriptions decreased by 1.5 prescriptions per 1,000 patients after the intervention. Conclusions: Pharmacist-driven prospective audit and feedback on a national scale utilizing a singular system-wide EHR resulted in an overall decrease in outpatient fluoroquinolone prescriptions over short period of time.

Funding: None

Disclosures: None

Objective: To reduce the number of immediate-use steam sterilization (IUSS) cycles performed to below 2% to increase patient safety and decrease surgical site infections (SSIs). Methods: The facility decide to make a “hard stop” date at which IUSS cycles were no longer going to be allowed without operating room (OR) and Sterile Processing Department (SPD) leadership approval, based on standardized indications for IUSS cycles. Before the start date, extensive education was given to surgeons, OR clinical teams, and SPD team members to ensure understanding of the process and risk of infection due to IUSS. The facility also recognized that workflow was a large part of why instruments were being sent through IUSS cycles, due to a backup of sets in the department and because some items could not be processed before the next day. Many items were purchased to increase workflow capabilities: such as a new washer, sonic, adding a pass-through window, a low-temperature sterilizer, Also, 3 sterilizers were replaced with newer, more efficient models. The facility also purchased a large number of instruments to create new and additional trays to accommodate the surgical volume. The SPD also underwent LEAN Kaizen events on both the clean and dirty sides to improve workflow and efficiency to prevent further IUSS. Project Results: The facility saw immediately results in reduction of IUSS cycles being performed and were the department was able to drop below the goal of 2% after the first month of using the new process. The rate has continued to be <2% for >5 months. Communication and partnership between the OR, infection prevention staff, and SPD were beneficial and will continue to move the facility forward in a shared decision-making model as improvement continues in the future.

Funding: None

Disclosures: None

Background: In the past few decades, the epidemiology of Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) has evolved. Given recent changes in the incidence of CDI and prevention efforts, we investigated temporal changes over a period of 8 years (2009–2016) in the incidence of and risk factors for CDI. Methods: Both pediatric and adult inpatients discharged from hospitals in metropolitan New York City were included. Individual and environmental (eg, pharmacological) risk factors were identified through a matched case-control by the length of stay at a ratio of 1:4. A Cochran–Armitage test or Mann-Kendall test was used to investigate trends of incidence and risk factors. Results: During the study period, 6,038 of 694,849 (0.87%) patients had a positive test for C. difficile during their hospitalization. Of these, 2,659 of 6,038 (44.04%) were identified as hospital-acquired CDI (HA-CDI) and just over half (3,379 of 6,038, 55.96%) were identified as community-acquired CDI (CA-CDI). There were no trends in total CDI incidence rates; rather, we detected downward trends in HA-CDI and upward trends in CA-CDI (Ptrend < .05). Younger patients and patients with lower risk of illness had HA-CDI over time (Ptrend < .05). Antibiotics were administered to more patients over time and in longer cumulative days (+3% and +3.1% per year). We detected a reduction in the receipt of high-risk antibiotics in all cohorts (−0.12% per year) and a decrease in cumulative days of high-risk antibiotics in the cohort with HA-CDI (−1.1% per year). When stratified by the type of high-risk antibiotics, the use of carbapenem, cephalosporins, clindamycin, and monobactam increased (+0.53%, +1.8%, +0.5%, and +0.39% per year, respectively), whereas the use of broad-spectrum penicillins and glycylcycline significantly decreased over time in all cohorts (−1.8% and −0.22% per year). Among the cohorts with HA-CDI, only cephalosporins showed a significant upward trend (+ 5.7% per year) and only fluoroquinolones showed a significant downward trend (−2.2% per year). Lastly, a reduction of proton pump inhibitors and an increased use of histamine-2 blockers were detected in all cohorts (−3.8% and +7.3% per year) (all Ptrend < .05). Conclusions: Although the incidence of HA-CDI decreased, more effort to decrease all antibiotics use and cumulative days should be emphasized as part of antibiotic stewardship. The downward trends of high-risk antibiotics might have been associated with the decrease in the trend of HA-CDI; however, the impact of the trends of risk factors on the trend of HA-CDI should be further investigated.

Funding: None

Disclosures: None

Background: The CDC NHSN surveillance coverage includes central-line–associated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs) in acute-care hospital intensive care units (ICUs) and select patient-care wards across all 50 states. This surveillance enables the use of CLABSI data to measure time between events (TBE) as a potential metric to complement traditional incidence measures such as the standardized infection ratio and prevention progress. Methods: The TBEs were calculated using 37,705 CLABSI events reported to the NHSN during 2015–2018 from medical, medical-surgical, and surgical ICUs as well as patient-care wards. The CLABSI TBE data were combined into 2 separate pairs of consecutive years of data for comparison, namely, 2015–2016 (period 1) and 2017–2018 (period 2). To reduce the length bias, CLABSI TBEs were truncated for period 2 at the maximum for period 1; thereby, 1,292 CLABSI events were excluded. The medians of the CLABSI TBE distributions were compared over the 2 periods for each patient care location. Quantile regression models stratified by location were used to account for factors independently associated with CLABSI TBE, such as hospital bed size and average length of stay, and were used to measure the adjusted shift in median CLABSI TBE. Results: The unadjusted median CLABSI TBE shifted significantly from period 1 to period 2 for the patient care locations studied. The shift ranged from 20 to 75.5 days, all with 95% CIs ranging from 10.2 to 32.8, respectively, and P < .0001 (Fig. 1). Accounting for independent associations of CLABSI TBE with hospital bed size and average length of stay, the adjusted shift in median CLABSI TBE remained significant for each patient care location that was reduced by ∼15% (Table 1). Conclusions: Differences in the unadjusted median CLABSI TBE between period 1 and period 2 for all patient care locations demonstrate the feasibility of using TBE for setting benchmarks and tracking prevention progress. Furthermore, after adjusting for hospital bed size and average length of stay, a significant shift in the median CLABSI TBE persisted among all patient care locations, indicating that differences in patient populations alone likely do not account for differences in TBE. These findings regarding CLABSI TBEs warrant further exploration of potential shifts at additional quantiles, which would provide additional evidence that TBE is a metric that can be used for setting benchmarks and can serve as a signal of CLABSI prevention progress.

Funding: None

Disclosures: None