Purpose Emergency department (ED) crowding is a significant patient safety concern associated with poor quality of care. The purpose of this systematic review is to assess the relationship between ED crowding and patient outcomes. Design We searched the Medline search engine and relevant emergency medicine and nursing journals for studies published in the past decade that pertained to ED crowding and the following patient outcome measures: mortality, morbidity, patient satisfaction, and leaving the ED without being seen. All articles were appraised for study quality. Findings A total of 196 abstracts were screened and 11 articles met inclusion criteria. Three of the eleven studies reported a significant positive relationship between ED crowding and mortality either among patients admitted to the hospital or discharged home. Five studies reported that ED crowding is associated with higher rates of patients leaving the ED without being seen. Measures of ED crowding varied across studies. Conclusions ED crowding is a major patient safety concern associated with poor patient outcomes. Interventions and policies are needed to address this significant problem. Clinical Relevance This review details the negative patient outcomes associated with ED crowding. Study results are relevant to medical professionals and those that seek care in the ED.

Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) are a major global public health concern and pose a serious threat to immunocompromised hosts, particularly patients with hematologic malignancies and solid organ (SOT) and stem cell transplant recipients. In endemic areas, carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae infections occur in 1-18% of SOT recipients, and patients with hematologic malignancies represent 16-24% of all patients with CRE bacteremia. Mortality rates approaching 60% have been reported in these patient populations. Early diagnosis and rapid initiation of targeted therapy is critical in the management of immunocompromised hosts with CRE infections, as recommended empiric regimens are not active against CRE. Therapeutic options are limited by antibiotic-associated toxicities, interactions with immunosuppressive agents, and paucity of antibiotic options currently available. Prevention of CRE infection in these patients requires a multidisciplinary approach involving hospital epidemiology and antimicrobial stewardship. Large, multicenter studies are needed to develop risk-stratification tools to assist in guiding the management of these individuals.

No abstract

Carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (CRKP) infection is increasing in incidence and is associated with increased mortality in liver transplantation (LT) recipients. We performed a retrospective cohort study of all patients transplanted between January 2010 and January 2013 to identify the incidence and risk factors for post-LT CRKP infection and evaluate the impact of this infection on outcomes in a CRKP-endemic area. We studied 304 recipients, of whom 20 (6.6%) developed CRKP and 36 (11.8%) carbapenem-susceptible Klebsiella pneumoniae (CSKP) infections in the year following LT. Among the 20 recipients with post-LT CRKP infection, 8 (40%) were infected in ≥ 2 sites; 13 (65%) had surgical site–intra-abdominal infections; 12 (60%) had pneumonia; and 3 (15%) had a urinary tract infection. There were 6 patients with a CRKP infection before LT, 5 of whom developed a CRKP infection after LT. Significant risk factors for post-LT CRKP infection in multivariate analysis included laboratory Model for End-Stage Liver Disease at LT (odds ratio [OR], 1.07; P = 0.001), hepatocellular carcinoma (OR, 3.19; P = 0.02), Roux-en-Y biliary choledochojejunostomy (OR, 3.15; P = 0.04), and bile leak (OR, 5.89; P = 0.001). One-year estimated patient survival was 55% (95% confidence interval, 31%–73%), 72% (55%–84%), and 93% (89%–96%), for patients with CRKP, CSKP, and no Klebsiella pneumoniae infection, respectively. In multivariate analysis, CRKP (hazard ratio [HR], 6.92; P < 0.001) and CSKP infections (CSKP, HR, 3.84; P < 0.001), as well as bile leak (HR, 2.10; P = 0.03) were the strongest predictors of post-LT mortality. In an endemic area, post-LT CRKP infection is common, occurring in 6.6% of recipients, and is strongly associated with post-LT mortality. Improved strategies for screening and prevention of CRKP infection are urgently needed.

Antimicrobial stewardship programs (ASPs) have made immense strides in optimizing antibiotic, antifungal, and antiviral use in clinical settings. However, although ASPs are required institutionally by regulatory agencies in the United States and Canada, they are not mandated for transplant centers or programs specifically. Despite the fact that solid organ transplant recipients in particular are at increased risk of infections from multidrug-resistant organisms, due to host and donor factors and immunosuppressive therapy, there currently are little rigorous data regarding stewardship practices in solid organ transplant populations, and thus, no transplant-specific requirements currently exist. Further complicating matters, transplant patients have a wide range of variability regarding their susceptibility to infection, as factors such as surgery of transplant, intensity of immunosuppression, and presence of drains or catheters in situ may modify the risk of infection. As such, it is not feasible to have a "one-size-fitsall" style of stewardship for this patient population. The objective of this white paper is to identify opportunities, risk factors, and ASP strategies that should be assessed with solid organ transplant recipients to optimize antimicrobial use, while producing an overall improvement in patient outcomes. We hope it may serve as a springboard for development of future guidance and identification of research opportunities. K E Y W O R D S antibiotic prophylaxis, ethics and public policy, health services and outcomes research, infection and infectious agents, organ transplantation in general How to cite this article: So M, Hand J, Forrest G, et al. White paper on antimicrobial stewardship in solid organ transplant recipients.

These updated guidelines from the Infectious Diseases Community of Practice of the American Society of Transplantation review the diagnosis, prevention, and management of infections due to multidrug‐resistant (MDR) Gram‐negative bacilli in the pre‐ and post‐transplant period. MDR Gram‐negative bacilli, including carbapenem‐resistant Enterobacteriaceae, MDR Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and carbapenem‐resistant Acinetobacter baumannii, remain a threat to successful organ transplantation. Clinicians now have access to at least five novel agents with activity against some of these organisms, with others in the advanced stages of clinical development. No agent, however, provides universal and predictable activity against any of these pathogens, and very little is available to treat infections with MDR nonfermenting Gram‐negative bacilli including A baumannii. Despite advances, empiric antibiotics should be tailored to local microbiology and targeted regimens should be tailored to susceptibilities. Source control remains an important part of the therapeutic armamentarium. Morbidity and mortality associated with infections due to MDR Gram‐negative organisms remain unacceptably high. Heightened infection control and antimicrobial stewardship initiatives are needed to prevent these infections, curtail their transmission, and limit the evolution of MDR Gram‐negative pathogens, especially in the setting of organ transplantation.

Background Little is known about the epidemiology of carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (CRKP) bacteriuria following kidney transplantation. We determined the incidence of post-transplant CRKP bacteriuria in adults who underwent kidney transplant from 2007 to 2010 at two New York City centers. Methods We conducted a case-control study to identify factors associated with CRKP bacteriuria compared to of carbapenem-susceptible K. pneumoniae (CSKP) bacteriuria, assessed whether CRKP bacteriuria was associated with mortality or graft failure, and compared outcomes of treated episodes of CRKP and CSKP bacteriuria. Results Of 1852 transplants, 20 (1.1%) patients developed CRKP bacteriuria. Factors associated with CRKP bacteriuria included receipt of multiple organs (odds ratio [OR] 4.7, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.1–20.4), deceased donor allograft (OR 5.9, 95% CI 1.3–26.8), transplant admission length of stay (OR 1.1 per day, 95% CI 1.0–1.1), pre-transplant CRKP infection or colonization (OR 18.3, 95% CI 2.0–170.5), diabetes mellitus (OR 2.8, 95% CI 1.0–7.8), and receipt of antimicrobials other than trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (OR 4.3, 95% CI 1.6–11.2). Conclusion Compared to CSKP bacteriuria, CRKP bacteriuria was associated with increased mortality (30% vs. 10%, P = 0.03) but not graft failure. Treated episodes of CRKP bacteriuria were less likely to achieve microbiologic clearance (83% vs. 97%; P = 0.05) and more likely to recur within 3 months (50% vs. 22%, P = 0.02) than CSKP episodes. CRKP bacteriuria after kidney transplant is associated with mortality and antimicrobial failure after treatment.

No abstract