Standard metrics for antimicrobial use consider volume but not spectrum of antimicrobial prescribing. We developed an antibiotic spectrum index (ASI) to classify commonly used antibiotics based on activity against important pathogens. The application of this index to hospital antibiotic use reveals how this tool enhances current antimicrobial stewardship metrics.

Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2017;38:993–997

We present the first description of an antimicrobial stewardship program (ASP) used to successfully manage a multi-antimicrobial drug shortage. Without resorting to formulary restriction, meropenem utilization decreased by 69% and piperacillin-tazobactam by 73%. During the shortage period, hospital mortality decreased (P=.03), while hospital length of stay remained unchanged.

Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2017;38:356–359

Central-line bloodstream infection (CLABSI) increases hospital mortality. A cohort study was conducted in a Brazilian hospital to estimate the disability-adjusted life year (DALY) of CLABSI using modified World Health Organization (WHO) methodology. CLABSI DALY was 20.44 per 1,000 inpatients, most were the result of premature death (20.42 per 1,000 inpatients). DALY can be useful to guide and measure the impact of healthcare infection prevention.

Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2017;38:606–609

Contaminated surfaces have been implicated as a potential route for dissemination of the emerging multidrug-resistant fungal pathogen Candida auris. In laboratory testing, C. auris and other Candida species persisted for 7 days on moist or dry surfaces. Candida species were recovered frequently from the hospital environment, particularly from moist surfaces.

Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2017;38:1107–1109

To evaluate the appropriateness of the screening strategy for healthcare personnel (HCP) during a hospital-associated Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) outbreak, we performed a serologic investigation in 189 rRT-PCR–negative HCP exposed and assigned to MERS patients. Although 20%–25% of HCP experienced MERS-like symptoms, none of them showed seroconversion by plaque reduction neutralization test (PRNT).

Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2017;38:234–238

The 2014–2016 West Africa Ebola outbreak led US hospitals to prepare to treat Ebola patients, with significant attributable costs. A nationwide preparedness transition to a tiered approach allowed regional allocation of preparedness resources for Ebola frontline, assessment, and treatment hospitals. Preparedness costs for assessment centers were significant and largely uncompensated.

Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2017;38:1367–1369

An outbreak of invasive Mycobacterium chimaera infections associated with heater-cooler devices (HCDs) has now affected patients in several countries on different continents. Clinical infections are characterized by delayed diagnosis, inadequate treatment response to antimicrobial agents, and poor prognosis. Outbreak investigators found M. chimaera in HCD water circuits and air samples while HCDs were running, suggesting that transmission from the HCD to the surgical site occurs via the airborne route. New HCDs at the manufacturing site were also contaminated with M. chimaera, and recent whole-genome sequencing data suggest a point source. Some guidance on screening for M. chimaera colonization in HCD water and exhaust air is available. In contrast, reliable disinfection procedures are not well described, and it is not yet known whether eradication of M. chimaera from a contaminated HCD can be achieved. Meanwhile, strict separation of the HCD from operating room air is necessary to ensure patient safety, and these efforts may require engineering solutions. While our understanding of the causes and the extent of the M. chimaera outbreak is growing, several aspects of patient management, device handling, and risk mitigation still require clarification.

Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2016;1–6

This report describes the unique challenges of managing potential exposure to bats in a neonatal intensive care unit. The outcome demonstrates that rabies post-exposure prophylaxis can be safely administered to preterm infants with evidence that preterm infants are able to develop adequate titers post vaccination.

Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2017;38:483–485

Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) is a frequent complication of severe burn injury. Comparing the current ventilator-associated event-possible VAP definition to the pre-2013 VAP definition, we identified considerably fewer VAP cases in our burn ICU. The new definition does not capture many VAP cases that would have been reported using the pre-2013 definition.

Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2017;38:867–869

Water samples taken from extracorporeal membrane oxygenator (ECMO) devices used at University Hospitals Birmingham yielded high total viable counts (TVCs) containing a variety of microorganisms, including M. chimaera. Disinfection resulted in the reduction of TVCs and eradication of Mycobacterium chimaera. Weekly disinfection and water sampling are required to manage the water quality in these devices.

Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2017;38:1244–1246

Manual surveillance of surgical site infections (SSIs) after total hip or knee arthroplasty is time-consuming and prone to error. Semiautomated surveillance based on routine care data extracted from electronic health records can retrospectively identify deep SSIs and substantially reduce workload while maintaining 100% sensitivity.

Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2017;38:732–735

Quality measures are increasingly reported by hospitals to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), yet there may be tradeoffs in performance between infection control (IC) and other quality measures. Hospitals that performed best on IC measures did not perform well on most CMS non–IC quality measures.

Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2017;38:736–739

A DNA marker inoculated onto shared portable equipment in surgical and medical intensive care units disseminated widely to surfaces in patient rooms and provider work areas and to other types of portable equipment. These results demonstrate the potential for contaminated portable equipment to serve as a vector for dissemination of pathogens.

Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2017;38:1247–1249

We assessed multidrug-resistant organism (MDRO) patient hand colonization in relation to the environment in post-acute care to determine risk factors for MDRO hand colonization. Patient hand colonization was significantly associated with environmental contamination. Risk factors for hand colonization included disability, urinary catheter, recent antibiotic use, and prolonged hospital stay.

Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2017;38:1110–1113

We analyzed California hospitals’ National Healthcare Safety Network Annual Surveys to describe antimicrobial stewardship program (ASP) implementation progress following new state ASP legislation. The proportion of hospitals with all 7 Core Elements of Hospital ASP rose from 59.3% in 2014 to 69.2% in 2015 (P<.001).

Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2017;38:1503–1505

Continuous surveillance of surgical-site infection (SSI) is labor intensive. We developed a semiautomatic surveillance system partly assisted by surgeons. Most patients who developed postdischarge SSI were readmitted, which allowed us to limit postdischarge surveillance to this group. This procedure significantly reduced workload while maintaining high sensitivity and specificity for SSI diagnosis.

Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2017;38:610–613

A prospective quasi-experimental before-and-after study of an electronic medical record–anchored intervention of embedded education on appropriate urine culture indications and indication selection reduced the number of urine cultures ordered for catheterized patients at an academic medical center. This intervention could be a component of CAUTI-reduction bundles.

Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2017;38:486–488

Using an algorithm including both enzyme immunoassay (EIA) and nucleic acid amplification (NAAT) for Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) diagnosis, we found that the use of NAAT versus EIA almost doubled our hospital-onset CDI laboratory-identified (LabID) event standardized infection ratio (SIR). We recommend that the current risk adjustment approach be modified.

Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2016:1–3