Practical Issues in Early Switching from Intravenous to Oral Antibiotic Therapy in Children with Uncomplicated Acute Hematogenous Osteomyelitis: Results from an Italian Survey.

: The European Society of Pediatric Infectious Diseases (ESPID) guidelines for acute hematogenous osteomyelitis (AHOM) have been published recently. In uncomplicated cases, an early (2-4 days) switch to oral empirical therapy, preferentially with flucloxacillin, is recommended in low methicillin-resistant settings. We conducted a survey with the aim of evaluating the behaviors of Italian pediatricians at this regard.

Stewardship in sepsis.

Sepsis is the major cause of mortality from any infectious disease worldwide. The goals of antimicrobial stewardship are to achieve optimum clinical outcomes and to ensure cost effectiveness and minimum unintended consequences, including toxic effects, selection of pathogenic organisms, and resistance. The combination of inadequate diagnostic criteria for sepsis with the extraordinary time pressure to provide broad-spectrum antimicrobial therapy is troubling from a stewardship perspective.

Development of quality indicators for the management of Staphylococcus aureus bacteraemia.

Background: Staphylococcus aureus bacteraemia (SAB) is a serious and often fatal infectious disease. The quality of management of SAB is modifiable and can thus affect the outcome. Quality indicators (QIs) can be used to measure the quality of care of the various aspects of SAB management in hospitals, enabling professionals to identify targets for improvement and stimulating them to take action.

Impact of the Hospitalist System in Japan on the Quality of Care and Healthcare Economics.

Objective The hospitalist system is considered successful with respect to the quality of care and cost effectiveness in the United States. Studies have consistently demonstrated an improved clinical efficiency with this system. In Japan, however, the efficacy of the hospitalist system has not yet been examined.

Intravenous-to-oral antibiotic switch therapy: a cross-sectional study in critical care units.

Background: This study aimed to evaluate the oral switch (OS) stewardship intervention in the intensive care unit (ICU).

Methods: This was a retrospective study with a convenience sample in two Brazilian ICUs from different hospitals in patients with sepsis receiving antibiotic therapy. The stewardship intervention included OS in patients diagnosed with sepsis when clinical stability was achieved.

Tedizolid phosphate for the treatment of acute bacterial skin and skin-structure infections: an evidence-based review of its place in therapy.

Introduction: Tedizolid phosphate is an oxazolidinone approved for the treatment of acute bacterial skin and skin-structure infections (ABSSSIs) and active against methicillin-resistant .

Aims: The objective of this article was to review the evidence for the efficacy and safety of tedizolid phosphate for the treatment of ABSSSI.

Evidence Review: Approval of tedizolid phosphate for the treatment of ABSSSI was based on the results of two phase III randomized controlled trials, ESTABLISH-1 (NCT01170221) and ESTABLISH-2 (NCT01421511), comparing 6-day once-daily tedizolid vs 10-day twice-daily linezolid.

RAIN study: a protocol for a randomised controlled trial evaluating efficacy, safety and cost-effectiveness of intravenous-to-oral antibiotic switch therapy in neonates with a probable bacterial infection.

Introduction: High morbidity and mortality rates of proven bacterial infection are the main reason for substantial use of intravenous antibiotics in neonates during the first week of life. In older children, intravenous-to-oral switch after 48 hours of intravenous therapy has been shown to have many advantages and is nowadays commonly practised. We, therefore, aim to evaluate the effectiveness, safety and cost-effectiveness of an early intravenous-to-oral switch in neonates with a probable bacterial infection.

Effectiveness of education and antibiotic control programme at All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi.

Background: We aimed to assess the impact of antibiotic optimization education along with understanding the antibiogram on antibiotic-prescribing practices, antibiotic consumption, antimicrobial resistance and cost of antibiotics in a tertiary care hospital in New Delhi.

Methods: We divided the study into 3 phases-before and after intervention and a phase of education in between. We collected data on demographics, indication for antibiotic prescription, appropriateness or reasons for inappropriate antibiotic uses, antibiotic consumption (i.

Improvement of Restless Legs Syndrome Under Treatment of Cancer Pain With Morphine and Fentanyl.

Restless-Legs-Syndrome (RLS), also known as Willis-Ekbom disease, is a sleep- and rest related disorder characterized by the unpleasant urge to move the legs. Pharmacological therapy is mainly based on dopamine-agonists and delta-2-alpha calcium channel ligands. Also, randomized-controlled-trials (RCTs) reported effectiveness of oral oxycodone (in combination with naloxone), and intrathecal opioids have also been administered for this indication.

Transition from intravenous to oral antimicrobial therapy in patients with uncomplicated and complicated bloodstream infections.

Background: The role of oral antimicrobial agents in the management of bloodstream infections (BSI) is currently evolving.

Objectives: This narrative review summarizes and appraises clinical studies that examined transition from intravenous to oral antimicrobials or compared effectiveness of various oral agents for definitive therapy of uncomplicated and complicated BSI in adults.

Sources: Relevant English-language studies from MEDLINE (since inception) and presented abstracts at international scientific meetings (since 2017).

The safety of treatment options for acute bacterial skin and skin structure infections.

Introduction: Acute bacterial skin and skin-structure infections (ABSSSI) may develop in both in-patients and out-patients, possibly with a severe clinical presentation. Since most phase 3 randomized clinical trials have shown non-inferiority in efficacy across different agents, considerations regarding their different safety profiles inevitably play a crucial role in the everyday choice about which of them should be employed for the treatment of ABSSSI.

Areas Covered: In this review, the authors discuss the safety profile of different treatment options for ABSSSI.

Early switch/early discharge opportunities for hospitalized patients with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus complicated skin and soft tissue infections in Brazil.

Background: Early antibiotic switch and early discharge protocols have not been widely studied in Latin America. Our objective was to describe real-world treatment patterns, resource use, and estimate opportunities for early switch from intravenous to oral antibiotics and early discharge for patients hospitalized with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus complicated skin and soft-tissue infections.

Materials/methods: This retrospective medical chart review recruited 72 physicians from Brazil to collect data from patients hospitalized with documented methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus complicated skin and soft tissue infections between May 2013 and May 2015, and discharged alive by June 2015.

Cefpodoxime proxetil as a therapeutic option in switching therapy for infective endocarditis in children: case reports and literature review.

Infective endocarditis (IE) is uncommon in children, affecting predominantly subjects with congenital heart disease (CHD) and patients with indwelling central lines. The principles of antibiotic treatment in paediatric population are similar to those in adults. Prolonged intravenous administration of bactericidal rather than bacteriostatic agents is preferred.

Opportunities for antimicrobial stewardship in patients with acute bacterial skin and skin structure infections who are unsuitable for beta-lactam antibiotics: a multicenter prospective observational study.

Purpose: The objective of this prospective, observational study was to describe the treatment, severity assessment and healthcare resources required for management of patients with acute bacterial skin and skin structure infections who were unsuitable for beta-lactam antibiotic treatments.

Methods: Patients were enrolled across five secondary care National Health Service hospitals. Eligible patients had a diagnosis of acute bacterial skin and skin structure infection and were considered unsuitable for beta-lactam antibiotics (e.

Efficacy and Safety of Intravenous-to-oral Lefamulin, a Pleuromutilin Antibiotic, for the Treatment of Community-acquired Bacterial Pneumonia: The Phase III Lefamulin Evaluation Against Pneumonia (LEAP 1) Trial.

Background: Lefamulin, a pleuromutilin antibiotic, is active against pathogens commonly causing community-acquired bacterial pneumonia (CABP). The Lefamulin Evaluation Against Pneumonia (LEAP 1) study was a global noninferiority trial to evaluate the efficacy and safety of lefamulin for the treatment of CABP.

Methods: In this double-blind study, adults with CABP of Pneumonia Outcomes Research Team risk class ≥III were randomized 1:1 to receive lefamulin at 150 mg intravenously (IV) every 12 hours or moxifloxacin at 400 mg IV every 24 hours.

Intravenous to oral switch therapy in cancer patients with catheter-related bloodstream infection due to methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus: A single-center retrospective observational study.

The most common complication in cancer patients is catheter-related bloodstream infection (CRBSI), of which Staphylococcus aureus is a common pathogen. Although S. aureus CRBSI patients are recommended for prolonged intravenous therapy, this is often not feasible.

Promoting oral potassium administration in a tertiary care hospital: An eleven-year study.

Introduction: Potassium is used to treat or prevent hypokalemia and exhibits all the characteristics of an intravenous to oral therapy conversion program. Despite this, the intravenous route for potassium replacement seems frequently unjustified.

Objectives: To determine the impact of a conversion program on the use of intravenous and oral galenic forms in a university tertiary care hospital.

Clinical Pharmacokinetics of Second-Generation Triazoles for the Treatment of Invasive Aspergillosis and Candidiasis.

Second-generation triazoles were developed in response to the quest for more efficacious and safer therapeutic options for the treatment of severe systemic aspergillosis and candidiasis. These agents include voriconazole, posaconazole, isavuconazole, and ravuconazole. The aim of this review was to present and compare the pharmacokinetic characteristics of second-generation triazoles for the treatment of invasive aspergillosis and candidiasis, emphasizing their clinical implications.

Partial Oral versus Intravenous Antibiotic Treatment of Endocarditis.

Background: Patients with infective endocarditis on the left side of the heart are typically treated with intravenous antibiotic agents for up to 6 weeks. Whether a shift from intravenous to oral antibiotics once the patient is in stable condition would result in efficacy and safety similar to those with continued intravenous treatment is unknown.

Methods: In a randomized, noninferiority, multicenter trial, we assigned 400 adults in stable condition who had endocarditis on the left side of the heart caused by streptococcus, Enterococcus faecalis, Staphylococcus aureus, or coagulase-negative staphylococci and who were being treated with intravenous antibiotics to continue intravenous treatment (199 patients) or to switch to oral antibiotic treatment (201 patients).

A clinical decision support system algorithm for intravenous to oral antibiotic switch therapy: validity, clinical relevance and usefulness in a three-step evaluation study.

Objectives: To evaluate a clinical decision support system (CDSS) based on consensus-based intravenous to oral switch criteria, which identifies intravenous to oral switch candidates.

Methods: A three-step evaluation study of a stand-alone CDSS with electronic health record interoperability was performed at the Erasmus University Medical Centre in the Netherlands. During the first step, we performed a technical validation.

Effects of Hospital Practice Patterns for Antibiotic Administration for Pneumonia on Hospital Lengths of Stay and Costs.

Background: Hospital practice patterns vary for switching from intravenous to oral antibiotics for community-acquired pneumonia in pediatric patients, but it is unknown how these practice patterns affect hospital lengths of stay and costs.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective study of 78673 pediatric patients (aged 3 months to 17 years) hospitalized for community-acquired pneumonia. Analyses were performed with data from the Pediatric Health Information System between 2007 and 2016, including discharge data from 48 freestanding children's hospitals.

When to switch to an oral treatment and/or to discharge a patient with skin and soft tissue infections.

Purpose Of Review: Skin and soft tissue infections prevalence is increasing and represent a frequent cause of hospital admission. New guidelines have become available in order to better define these infections and their response to antimicrobial treatment. Gram-positive bacteria, in particular Staphylococcus aureus, remain the most frequently isolated pathogens in skin and soft tissue infections.

Management of bloodstream infections by infection specialists: an international ESCMID cross-sectional survey.

Bloodstream infections (BSIs) are common, however international guidelines are available only for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bacteraemia and candidaemia. This international ESCMID cross-sectional survey, open from December 2016 to February 2017, explored the management of BSIs by infection specialists. All infection specialists (senior or trainees) giving at least weekly advice on positive blood cultures could participate.