Automated Alerts Coupled with Antimicrobial Stewardship Intervention Lead to Decreases in Length of Stay in Patients with Gram-Negative Bacteremia

2014 ◽  
Vol 35 (2) ◽  
pp. 132-138 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jason M. Pogue ◽  
Ryan P. Mynatt ◽  
Dror Marchaim ◽  
Jing J. Zhao ◽  
Viktorija O. Barr ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Length Of Stay ◽  
Blood Culture ◽  
Antimicrobial Stewardship ◽  
Positive Blood Culture ◽  
Medical Center ◽  
Intervention Group ◽  
Gram Negative ◽  
Gram Negative Bacteremia ◽  
Appropriate Therapy ◽  
The Impact

Objective.To assess the impact of active alerting of positive blood culture data coupled with stewardship intervention on time to appropriate therapy, length of stay, and mortality in patients with gram-negative bacteremia.Design.Quasi-experimental retrospective cohort study in patients with gram-negative bacteremia at the Detroit Medical Center from 2009 to 2011.Setting.Three hospitals (1 community, 2 academic) with active antimicrobial stewardship programs within the Detroit Medical Center.Patients.All patients with monomicrobial gram-negative bacteremia during the study period.Intervention.Active alerting of positive blood culture data coupled with stewardship intervention (2010-2011) compared with patients who received no formalized stewardship intervention (2009).Results.Active alerting and intervention led to a decreased time to appropriate therapy (8 [interquartile range (IQR), 2-24] vs 14 [IQR, 2-35] hours; P = .014) in patients with gram-negative bacteremia. After controlling for differences between groups, being in the intervention arm was associated with an independent reduction in length of stay (odds ratio [OR], 0.73 [95% confidence interval (CI), 0.62-0.86]), correlating to a median attributable decrease in length of stay of 2.2 days. Additionally, multivariate modeling of patients who were not on appropriate antimicrobial therapy at the time of initial culture positivity showed that patients in the intervention group had a significant reduction in both length of stay (OR, 0.76 [95% CI, 0.66-0.86]) and infection-related mortality (OR, 0.24 [95% CI, 0.08-0.76]).Conclusions.Active alerting coupled with stewardship intervention in patients with gram-negative bacteremia positively impacted time to appropriate therapy, length of stay, and mortality and should be a target of antimicrobial stewardship programs.

scholarly journals 49. Impact of a Rapid Genotypic Platform for Gram-negative Bloodstream Infections, Paired with an Antimicrobial Stewardship Intervention, on Time to Optimal Antimicrobial Therapy

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S145-S145
Author(s):  
Madison Donnelly ◽  
Jennifer Walls ◽  
Katlyn Wood ◽  
Aiman Bandali
Keyword(s):  
Length Of Stay ◽  
Antimicrobial Stewardship ◽  
Antimicrobial Therapy ◽  
Intervention Group ◽  
Bloodstream Infections ◽  
Post Intervention ◽  
Gram Negative ◽  
E Coli ◽  
Optimal Therapy ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Background Gram-negative bacteremia is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Development of an algorithm for antimicrobial selection, using institution-specific antibiogram data and rapid diagnostics (RDT), achieves timely and appropriate antimicrobial therapy. The objective of this study is to assess the impact of a pharmacy-driven antimicrobial stewardship initiative in conjunction with ePlex® BCID on time to optimal antimicrobial therapy for patients with gram-negative bloodstream infections. Methods This retrospective, observational, single-center study included adult patients with a documented gram-negative bloodstream infection in whom the ePlex® BCID was employed. A pharmacist-driven antimicrobial stewardship intervention was initiated on December 1, 2020; pre-intervention (December 2019 – March 2020) was compared to the post-intervention (December 2020 – February 2020) period. The following organisms were included: Citrobacter spp., Escherichia coli, Klebsiella aerogenes/pneumoniae/oxytoca, Proteus spp, Enterobacter spp., Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Acinetobacter baumannii. Polymicrobial bloodstream infections or those who had an ePlex® panel performed prior to admission were excluded. The following clinical outcomes were assessed: time to optimal antimicrobial therapy, length of stay (LOS), and inpatient-30-day mortality. Results One hundred and sixty-three met criteria for inclusion; 98 patients in the pre-intervention group and 65 patients in the post-intervention group. The mean Pitt Bacteremia Score was 1 in both groups (p=0.741). The most common organism identified by ePlex® BCID was E. coli (65.3% vs 70.8%; p=0.676). Eight E. Coli isolates were CTX-M positive; no other gene targets were detected. The most common suspected source of bacteremia was genitourinary (72.5% vs 72.3%; p=1.0). Time to optimal therapy was reduced by 29 hours [37 (31 – 55) vs. 8 (4 – 28); p=0.048). Length of stay and mortality was similar between groups. Conclusion Implementation of a rapid blood culture identification panel along with an antimicrobial stewardship intervention significantly reduced time to optimal therapy. Further studies are warranted to confirm these results. Disclosures All Authors: No reported disclosures

scholarly journals Impact of Accelerate Pheno and BacT/ALERT VIRTUO on Clinical Processes and Outcomes in Patients with Sepsis and Concurrent Gram-Negative Bacteremia

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Faith Babowicz ◽  
Reid LaPlante ◽  
Colby Mitchell ◽  
J. Nicholas O’Donnell ◽  
Ellis Tobin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Length Of Stay ◽  
Blood Culture ◽  
Hospital Length ◽  
Hospital Length Of Stay ◽  
Gram Stain ◽  
Inpatient Mortality ◽  
Gram Negative ◽  
Narrow Spectrum ◽  
Gram Negative Bacteremia ◽  
The Impact

Background: Accelerate Pheno system and BacT/ALERT VIRTUO may improve bacteremia management. This study evaluated the impact of both devices on outcomes in patients with sepsis and concurrent gram-negative bacteremia. Methods: This quasi-experimental study included a retrospective pre-implementation and a prospective post-implementation group. Patients ≥18 years old with gram-negative bacteremia were included. Patients with neutropenia, pregnancy, were transferred from an outside hospital with active bloodstream infection, or polymicrobial bacteremia were excluded. Blood culture incubation in the BacT/ALERT 3D and microdilution antimicrobial susceptibility testing from culture plate growth was used prior to implementation of BacT/ALERT VIRTUO and Accelerate Pheno. MALDI-TOF identification directly from blood culture was used pre- and post-implementation. Time to gram-stain, identification, susceptibility reporting, initiation of narrow spectrum gram-negative therapy at 72 hours, 30-day inpatient mortality, sepsis resolution, and hospital length of stay were evaluated. Results: 116 patients were included (63 pre-implementation, 53 post-implementation). Median time to gram-stain and susceptibility results were significantly shorter post-implementation (P < 0.001). The post-implementation group had an improved hazard for narrow spectrum gram-negative therapy at 72 hours (HR [95% CI] = 2.685 [1.348 – 5.349]), reduced hazard for 30-day inpatient mortality (aHR: 0.150 [0.026 – 0.846]) and improved sepsis resolution (77.8% vs. 92.5%, P = 0.030). Hospital length of stay was unchanged between groups. Conclusion: The implementation of BacT/Alert VIRTUO and the Accelerate Pheno system improved microbiology laboratory processes, antibiotic utilization processes and clinical outcomes. These data support the use of rapid diagnostics in sepsis with concurrent gram-negative bacteremia.

scholarly journals Evaluation of the impact of the Accelerate Pheno™ system on time to result for differing antimicrobial stewardship intervention models in patients with gram-negative bloodstream infections

2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gerald Elliott ◽  
Michael Malczynski ◽  
Viktorjia O. Barr ◽  
Doaa Aljefri ◽  
David Martin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Antimicrobial Stewardship ◽  
Bloodstream Infections ◽  
Standard Of Care ◽  
Resistance Mechanisms ◽  
Gram Negative ◽  
Intervention Models ◽  
Gram Negative Bacteremia ◽  
Potential Impact ◽  
Potential Clinical Impact ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Background Initiating early effective antimicrobial therapy is the most important intervention demonstrated to decrease mortality in patients with gram-negative bacteremia with sepsis. Rapid MIC-based susceptibility results make it possible to optimize antimicrobial use through both escalation and de-escalation. Method We prospectively evaluated the performance of the Accelerate Pheno™ system (AXDX) for identification and susceptibility testing of gram-negative species and compared the time to result between AXDX and routine standard of care (SOC) using 82 patient samples and 18 challenge organisms with various confirmed resistance mechanisms. The potential impact of AXDX on time to antimicrobial optimization was investigated with various simulated antimicrobial stewardship (ASTEW) intervention models. Results The overall positive and negative percent agreement of AXDX for identification were 100 and 99.9%, respectively. Compared to VITEK® 2, the overall essential agreement was 96.1% and categorical agreement was 95.4%. No very major or major errors were detected. AXDX reduced the time to identification by an average of 11.8 h and time to susceptibility by an average of 36.7 h. In 27 patients evaluated for potential clinical impact of AXDX on antimicrobial optimization, 18 (67%) patients could potentially have had therapy optimized sooner with an average of 18.1 h reduction in time to optimal therapy. Conclusion Utilization of AXDX coupled with simulated ASTEW intervention notification substantially shortened the time to potential antimicrobial optimization in this cohort of patients with gram-negative bacteremia. This improvement in time occurred when ASTEW support was limited to an 8-h coverage model.

scholarly journals Evaluation of the Impact of Antimicrobial Stewardship Program (ASP) on Unrestricted Use of Meropenem at an Academic Medical Center

2019 ◽  
Vol 66 (1) ◽  
pp. 29-33
Author(s):  
Priyam Mithawala ◽  
Edo-abasi McGee
Keyword(s):  
Antimicrobial Stewardship ◽  
Medical Center ◽  
Academic Medical Center ◽  
Intervention Group ◽  
Antibiotic Use ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Antimicrobial Stewardship Program ◽  
Stewardship Program ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
The Impact

Objective The primary objectives were to evaluate the prescriber acceptance rate of Antimicrobial Stewardship Program (ASP) pharmacist recommendation to de-escalate/discontinue meropenem, and estimate the difference in duration of meropenem therapy. The secondary objective was to determine incidence of adverse events in the two groups. Methods It was a retrospective study. All patients admitted to Gwinnett Medical Center and receiving meropenem from January–November 2015 were included in the study. Exclusion criteria were: patients admitted to intensive care unit, one-time dose, infectious disease consultation, and age <18 years. Electronic medical records were reviewed for data collection. The control group consisted of patients from January–July 2015 when there was no ASP pharmacist. The intervention group consisted of patients from August–November 2015 during which period the ASP pharmacist recommended de-escalation/discontinuation of meropenem based on culture and sensitivity results. Results A total of 41 patients were studied, 21 in the control group and 20 in the intervention group. There was no significant difference in baseline characteristics in the two groups and in terms of prior hospitalization or antibiotic use (within 90 days) and documented or suspected MDRO infection at the time of admission. De-escalation/discontinuation was suggested in 16/20 patients in the intervention group (80%), and intervention was accepted in 68%. The mean duration of therapy was significantly decreased in the intervention group (5.6 days vs. 8.1 days, p =0.0175). Two patients had thrombocytopenia (unrelated to meropenem), and none of the patients had seizure. Conclusion Targeted antibiotic review is an effective ASP strategy, which significantly decreases the duration of meropenem therapy.

scholarly journals Controlling for Severity of Illness in Outcome Studies Involving Infectious Diseases: Impact of Measurement at Different Time Points

2008 ◽  
Vol 29 (11) ◽  
pp. 1048-1053 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kerri A. Thom ◽  
Michelle D. Shardell ◽  
Regina B. Osih ◽  
Marin L. Schweizer ◽  
Jon P. Furuno ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Logistic Regression ◽  
Hospital Mortality ◽  
Antimicrobial Therapy ◽  
Severity Of Illness ◽  
Multivariate Logistic Regression ◽  
Gram Negative ◽  
Time Points ◽  
Gram Negative Bacteremia ◽  
Appropriate Therapy ◽  
The Impact

Background.Severity of illness is an important confounder in outcome studies involving infectious diseases. However, it is unclear whether the time at which severity of illness is measured is important.Methods.We performed a retrospective study of 328 episodes of gram-negative bacteremia in adult patients to assess the impact of the time of measurement of severity of illness on the association between empirical antimicrobial therapy received and in-hospital mortality. Using a modified Acute Physiology Score (APS), severity of illness was measured at 2 time points: (1) hospital admission and (2) 24 hours before the first culture-positive blood sample was collected. Multivariate logistic regression was used to estimate the impact of adjusting for the APS on the relationship between empirical therapy received (ie, the exposure) and in-hospital mortality (ie, the outcome).Results.The mean APS ( ± standard deviation) of patients with bacteremia increased during their hospital stay (from 19.2 ± 11.6 at admission to 24.2 ± 13.6 at the second time point; P < .01). When examining the association between empirical antimicrobial therapy received and in-hospital mortality, and controlling for the APS, there was a trend toward a decreased impact of appropriate therapy received on in-hospital mortality. The unadjusted odds ratio (OR) for the association between appropriate therapy received and in-hospital mortality was 0.83 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.51-1.34). After controlling for the APS at admission, this association was attenuated (OR, 0.94 [95% CI, 0.57-1.55]), and when a change in the APS was also included in the multivariate logistic regression model, the association was further attenuated (OR, 0.99 [95% CI, 0.58-1.69]).Conclusions.The magnitude of the association between appropriate antimicrobial therapy received and in-hospital mortality among patients with gram-negative bacteremia was sensitive to the timing of adjustment for severity of illness.

Impact of Pharmacist Involvement on the Utility of a Gram-Negative Blood Culture Identification Panel on Antimicrobial Usage

2021 ◽  
pp. 875512252110466
Author(s):  
Caitlin Bowman ◽  
Melissa Holloway ◽  
Lisa Scott ◽  
Carmen Russell ◽  
Sonia Lott ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Blood Culture ◽  
Antibiotic Therapy ◽  
Intervention Group ◽  
Pharmacist Intervention ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
Molecular Diagnostic ◽  
Negative Blood Culture ◽  
Gram Negative ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
The Impact

Background: A rapid molecular diagnostic test (MDT) is a test used to identify several different species of gram-negative bacteria and their genetic resistance markers. However, the impact of rapid MDT has not been established when combined with pharmacist involvement. Objective: To determine the impact of pharmacy involvement on patient outcomes when using rapid MDT. The primary outcome is the time from gram stain result to the first dose of the targeted antibiotic. Methods: This is a single-center, quasi-experimental, 1-group pretest-posttest design study of patients with gram-negative bacteremia in a community hospital. Hospitalized patients 18 years or older were included if they had a gram-negative blood culture. Patients were excluded if they were discharged or expired prior to culture results. Outcomes were compared between patients prior to and after implementation of the automated MDT. This research was determined to be exempt from institutional review board oversight consistent with West Florida Healthcare and in accordance with institutional policy. Results: The use of rapid MDT combined with pharmacist intervention resulted in a statistically significant decrease in the time to targeted antibiotic therapy (pre-intervention group, n = 77, 44.8 ± 17.8 hours versus post-intervention group, n= 80, 4.4 ± 5.8 hours; P ≤.001). There was no significant difference found between secondary outcomes. Limitations included small sample size as well as inconsistent documentation. Conclusions: The use of rapid MDT combined with pharmacist intervention resulted in a statistically significant decrease in the time to targeted antibiotic therapy.

scholarly journals 2006. Evaluation of Rapid Blood Culture Identification with Antimicrobial Stewardship Treatment Recommendations at a Community Health System in Patients with Gram-negative Bacteremia: Adequacy, Adherence, and Outcomes

2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (Supplement_2) ◽  
pp. S673-S674
Author(s):  
Erin Deja ◽  
Jeremy J Frens
Keyword(s):  
Blood Culture ◽  
Antimicrobial Stewardship ◽  
Treatment Algorithm ◽  
Resistance Mechanism ◽  
Treatment Recommendations ◽  
Gram Negative ◽  
Gram Negative Bacteremia ◽  
Adequate Coverage ◽  
Culture Identification ◽  
Organism Identification

Abstract Background Sepsis mortality is greatly affected by the timely receipt of appropriate antibiotics. FilmArray Blood Culture Identification (BCID) is used at Cone Health to identify organisms in blood cultures within one to 2 hours after growth detected. The Cone Health antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) team has created treatment recommendations for each organism and resistance mechanism identifiable by BCID. Results and antibiotic recommendations are communicated in real time to providers by clinical pharmacists. The purpose of this evaluation was to validate the adequacy of antibiotics recommended by the BCID treatment algorithm for Gram-negative rods (GNR); assess proper implementation of the BCID notification procedure; and evaluate its effect on AMS. Methods Patients with GNR BCID results in January and April 2018 were retrospectively identified. Information collected for each patient included: demographics, location, organism, admission antibiotics, pharmacist compliance with BCID procedure, recommendation acceptance rate, organism susceptibility, changes to antibiotics post-BCID and final cultures, extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL) incidence, length of antibiotic therapy, and patient outcome. Results A total of 101 patients were evaluated. The BCID treatment algorithm recommendations covered 97% of identified organisms (Figures 1–4). Resistant isolates were ESBL producers. Pharmacist antibiotic recommendations matched the treatment algorithm 66% of the time. Providers accepted 90% of pharmacist recommendations. Twenty-two percent of antibiotics were not de-escalated after BCID results without identifiable reason. Conclusion The BCID treatment algorithm provided adequate coverage for nearly all identified organisms, except ESBLs. However, patients with ESBL organisms all survived to hospital discharge. Pharmacists are following the BCID protocol in a majority of cases. One-third of recommendations deviated from the algorithm but only 17% did not have documented reasoning. Providers are very receptive to pharmacist input, with only 8% of recommendations rejected without documented reasoning. Finally, nearly a quarter of empiric antibiotics were not de-escalated despite organism identification, which represents opportunity for improvement. Disclosures All authors: No reported disclosures.

scholarly journals 108. Impact of Accelerate Pheno System in the Management of Gram-Negative Rod Bacteremia

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S69-S69
Author(s):  
Iaswarya Ganapathiraju ◽  
Amanda Bushman ◽  
Rossana Rosa Espinoza
Keyword(s):  
Length Of Stay ◽  
Blood Culture ◽  
Hospital Mortality ◽  
Culture Collection ◽  
Categorical Variables ◽  
Fisher Exact Test ◽  
Continuous Variables ◽  
Gram Negative ◽  
Stewardship Program ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Background Early pathogen identification and initiation of appropriate antimicrobial therapy is key in the management of Gram-negative rods (GNR) bloodstream infection (BSI). The Accelerate Pheno System (ACC) has been shown to reduce time to GNR identification compared to traditional culture-based methods. We aimed to determine the impact of ACC on the management of GNR BSI in the setting of a well-established antimicrobial stewardship program (ASP). Table 1 Methods ACC was introduced in our institution on February 2019. Due to issues incorporating ACC, of patients with GNR BSI, 74% had ACC done and 26% had reporting through traditional methods. This allowed for the design of a retrospective cohort study (instead of a pre-post analysis) to evaluate the association of interest. We included adult patients admitted to three affiliated hospitals in Des Moines, Iowa with BSI due to Enterobacteriales from February 2019 to February 2020. Exclusion criteria were Emergency Department visit only and death within 48 hours of blood culture collection. Primary outcomes were length of hospital stay, days to therapy optimization and in-hospital mortality. Continuous variables were compared by non-parametric methods and categorical variables were compared by Chi-square and Fisher-exact test. Logistic regression models were used to calculate odds ratio for the impact of the intervention on therapy optimization. Results A total of 268 patients were analyzed. The median length of stay among patients who had ACC done was 5.2 days (IQR 3.6–8.7) and in those on who ACC was not done it was 5.5 (IQR 3.8–8.9) (p=0.54). No differences in in-hospital mortality were found (p=0.942). Changes in therapy and missed opportunities for optimization according to whether ACC was done are shown in Table 1. Patients who had ACC done had 99% higher odds of de-escalation within 48 hours of blood culture collection compared to patients who did not have it done (95% CI 1.01–3.92; p=0.044). Conclusion In the context of hospitals with baseline short length of stay and a well-established ASP, performing ACC was associated with higher odds of de-escalation within 48 hours of blood culture collection but did not impact length of stay or mortality among patients hospitalized with GNR BSI. Disclosures All Authors: No reported disclosures

scholarly journals 203. Opportunities for Antimicrobial Stewardship in Febrile Neutropenia

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S105-S106
Author(s):  
Christopher Shoff ◽  
Jordan Baskett ◽  
Julia A Messina ◽  
Arthur W Baker ◽  
Nicholas A Turner ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Blood Culture ◽  
Febrile Neutropenia ◽  
Antimicrobial Stewardship ◽  
Positive Blood Culture ◽  
Treatment Duration ◽  
University Hospital ◽  
Research Support ◽  
Gram Negative ◽  
Gaussian Density ◽  
Culture Negative

Abstract Background Emerging evidence suggests antibiotics may be safely discontinued before neutropenia resolves in patients without identifiable infection. We estimated the volume of encounters and antibiotic use for future stewardship interventions shortening FN treatment duration. Methods This retrospective cohort study used electronic health records from inpatient encounters on the hematologic malignancies ward at Duke University Hospital from 5/21/2018 to 12/31/2019 where patients received at least one antibiotic for an indication of “neutropenic fever.” The primary outcome was length of therapy (LOT) of broad Gram-negative (GN) agents, including cefepime, piperacillin-tazobactam, meropenem, or aztreonam. FN LOT was counted by calendar day, starting with the first day of administration of a broad GN agent and ending with antibiotic discontinuation or hospital discharge. Encounters with at least one positive blood culture (positive cohort) were compared to those with no positive blood cultures (negative cohort) to assess if culture positivity was associated with differences in FN LOT. We included the first FN LOT from each encounter in the negative cohort and the FN LOT associated with the first positive blood culture in the positive cohort. We used descriptive statistics and a Gaussian density function to calculate the percent of encounters exceeding FN LOT of 14 days and the percent of broad GN agent days. Results We evaluated 15,678 GN antibiotic administrations from 471 unique FN encounters. Blood culture results were available for 443 encounters— 122 (27.5%) in the positive cohort, and 321 (72.5%) encounters in the negative cohort. Thirty percent of encounters (36/122) in the positive cohort received more than one GN treatment course, compared to 10% (32/321) of those in the negative cohort. FN LOT was significantly longer in the positive cohort (median 10.5, IQR 13 days vs. 6, IQR 8 days, p &lt; 0.001). Among encounters with negative cultures, 57 (17.8%) had a first FN LOT greater than 14 days, accounting for 44% of broad GN agent days within that population (Figure 1). Gram-Negative Antibiotic Therapy in Blood Culture-Negative Febrile Neutropenia Conclusion Nearly 20% of blood culture-negative encounters received initial GN treatment courses exceeding 14 days, representing a sizeable target for antimicrobial stewardship interventions focused on FN treatment duration. Disclosures Rebekah W. Moehring, MD, MPH, Agency for Healthcare Quality and Research (Grant/Research Support)Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Grant/Research Support)

scholarly journals Passive Engineering Controls Result in Sustained 66% Reduction in Blood Culture Contamination

2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (S1) ◽  
pp. s342-s343
Author(s):  
Monica Baxter ◽  
Carolyn Cook ◽  
Angie James
Keyword(s):  
Length Of Stay ◽  
Blood Culture ◽  
Positive Blood Culture ◽  
False Positive ◽  
Best Practice ◽  
Medical Center ◽  
Hospital Length Of Stay ◽  
Trial Period ◽  
True Negative ◽  
Financial Benefits

Background: Blood culture testing is an important diagnostic tool in identifying the presence of microbes in the bloodstream. Tests are frequently contaminated, leading to false-positive results. Blood culture contamination can result in unnecessary antibiotic treatment, extended hospital length of stay, and patient exposure to hospital-acquired conditions. Methods: St. Mary’s Regional Medical Center (SMRMC) in Russellville, Arkansas, struggled with blood-culture contamination rates, with an average of 6.8% from 2014 to 2018. Ongoing staff education yielded a reduction to an average of 5%. In an effort to reduce the contamination rates, our facility elected to try a novel specimen diversion device. Laboratory and emergency department (ED) staff were educated on the diversion device prior to the initiation of the trial period. Compliance with the diversion device averaged 70%–75% during the trial period. Monitoring of contaminations was added to our daily safety huddle to provide a quick turnaround time for false-positive education to specific clinical staff. Results: The results were significant, with a decrease in contamination rates from 4.93% to 1.66%—a 66% reduction. Improved blood culture testing has several advantages: best practice for patient care is first and foremost, along with other financial benefits for the facility. Several articles have estimated the cost of a contaminated culture to be $3,000–$10,000 per event; SMRMC has adopting an estimated cost of $4,000. The number of cultures at our hospital averages ~4,400 per year, and these results suggest a savings of >$500,000 per year (as contaminations on an annual basis fell from 217 to 73). With this intervention, 144 patients were spared from receiving unnecessary antibiotics as a result of a false-positive blood culture testing. Conclusions: We conducted a brief analysis to determine whether there was any obvious change in length of stay for patients with a false-positive blood culture compared to those with true negative results. In analyzing data for 3 different months, patients with contaminated cultures spent an average of 3.97 additional days in the facility. In conclusion, the implementation of this specimen diversion device significantly lowered our contamination rates, was integrated into practice, and has provided clinical and financial benefits.Funding: NoneDisclosures: None

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