scholarly journals Clinical Utility of aLegionella pneumophilaUrinary Antigen Test in a Large University Teaching Hospital

2003 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 85-88 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michel Dionne ◽  
Todd Hatchette ◽  
Kevin Forward
Keyword(s):  
Legionella Pneumophila ◽  
Clinical Utility ◽  
University Teaching ◽  
University Hospital ◽  
Legionella Pneumonia ◽  
Urinary Antigen Testing ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Low Prevalence ◽  
Antigen Testing ◽  
Test Result

OBJECTIVE: To determine the clinical utility of diagnosing Legionella pneumonia by urinary antigen testing (LPUAT) in a low prevalence centre.DESIGN: The results of LPUATs were abstracted and analyzed from the authors' laboratory information system. Medical records were reviewed in detail for all positive tests and a random sample of 50 negative tests.SETTING: The Queen Elizabeth II Health Sciences Centre, a large university hospital complex.POPULATION STUDIED: Patients who were admitted from the emergency room with pneumonia or who had developed pneumonia in hospital and who had a LPUAT performed between April 1998 and October 2000.MAIN RESULTS: One thousand one hundred fifty-four tests were performed on 1007 patients. Seven patients had nine positive LPUATs. Three of these patients had confirmedLegionella pneumophilapneumonia. Three others had probable or possibleL pneumophilapneumonia. There was one probable false positive. Six of the seven patients were already on empirical anti-L pneumophilatherapy. Of the 50 negative tests reviewed in detail, 31 patients were on one of the antibiotics of choice forL pneumophilaat the time the test was ordered; in 21 (68%) of these patients the negative result did not lead to a change in therapy.CONCLUSIONS: The cost to diagnose each case of Legionella pneumonia by LPUAT was approximately $5,770 and most patients were already on appropriate antibiotics. In patients with negative tests, antibiotics were often not changed in response to the test result. Rigorous screening of patients is required to increase pretest probability for LPUAT to be justified.

scholarly journals Legionella pneumonia presenting with bilateral flank pain, hyponatraemia and acute renal failure

2013 ◽  
Vol 5 (6) ◽  
pp. 96
Author(s):  
Celia Birkin ◽  
Chandra Shekhar Biyani ◽  
Anthony J. Browning
Keyword(s):  
Gastrointestinal Symptoms ◽  
Community Acquired Pneumonia ◽  
Flank Pain ◽  
High Fever ◽  
Urinary Antigen ◽  
Legionella Pneumonia ◽  
Urinary Antigen Testing ◽  
Legionella Species ◽  
Legionnaires Disease ◽  
Antigen Testing

Legionnaires’ disease (LD) is an often overlooked but a possiblecause of sporadic community acquired pneumonia. High fever,cough and gastrointestinal symptoms are non-specific symptoms.Hyponatremia is more common in LD than pneumonia linkedwith other causes. A definitive diagnosis is usually confirmed byculture, urinary antigen testing for Legionella species. Macolideor quinolone antibiotic is the treatment of choice. We describe acase of Legionella pneumonia presenting with high fever, bilateralflank pain and oliguria. It is important for clinicians to be awareof this diagnosis when managing patients with flank pain. Thecase highlights the problems in differentiating LD from renal colicand the importance of proper history, physical examination withlaboratory tests for appropriate management.

scholarly journals Nosocomial legionella pneumonia: demonstration of potable water as the source of infection

1988 ◽  
Vol 101 (3) ◽  
pp. 647-654 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. Ruf ◽  
D. Schürmann ◽  
I. Horbrach ◽  
K. Seodel ◽  
H. D. Pohle
Keyword(s):  
Monoclonal Antibodies ◽  
Water Supply ◽  
Legionella Pneumophila ◽  
Water Samples ◽  
Potable Water ◽  
Supply System ◽  
University Hospital ◽  
Environmental Isolates ◽  
Legionella Pneumonia ◽  
Source Of Infection

SUMMARYFrom January 1983 until December 1985, 35 cases of sporadic nosocomial legionella pneumonia, all caused byLegionella pneumophila, were diagnosed in a university hospital.L. pneumophilaserogroup (SG) 1 was cultured from 12 of the 35 cases and compared to correspondingL. pneumophilaSG 1 isolates from water outlets in the patients' immediate environment by subtyping with monoclonal antibodies. The corresponding environmental isolates were identical to 9 out of 12 (75%) of those from the cases. However, even in the remaining three cases identical subtypes were found distributed throughout the hospital water supply. From the hospital water supply four different subtypes ofL. pneumophilaSG 1 were isolated, three of which were implicated in legionella pneumonia. Of 453 water samples taken during the study 298 (65.8%) were positive for legionellae. Species ofLegionellaother thanL. pneumophilahave not been isolated. This may explain the exclusiveness ofL.pneumophilaas the legionella pneumonia-causing agent. Our results suggest that the water supply system was the source of infection.

scholarly journals 642. Trends and cost burden of Legionella urine antigen test

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S381-S381
Author(s):  
Victor-mauricio Ordaz ◽  
Hallye M Lewis ◽  
Pradeep Bathina
Keyword(s):  
Legionella Pneumophila ◽  
Medical Center ◽  
Cost Burden ◽  
Inpatient Hospitalization ◽  
Legionella Pneumonia ◽  
Urine Antigen ◽  
Mississippi Medical ◽  
Serotype 1 ◽  
Minimum Age ◽  
The Cost

Abstract Background Legionella urine antigen (LUAg) testing is used to identify the pathogen Legionella pneumophila serotype 1 which accounts for 50 to 70% of Legionella pneumonia and has 80% sensitivity and 95% specificity. The 2019 ATS/IDSA CAP guidelines recommend against routinely testing urine for LUAg except when indicated by epidemiological factors or severe cases of CAP; however, the recommendation is based on a low quality of evidence. In 2014 & 2015 there were 32 and 39 cases, respectively in the state of Mississippi. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the trends of ordering LUAg, positive results and estimate the cost burden at the University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC). Methods We performed a retrospective study of all patients who received the LUAg test at UMMC from January 3, 2013 to December 31, 2019. Patient Cohort Explorer was used to obtain de-identified patient data from EPIC. We obtained the number of encounters and patients on whom the LUAg test was performed during their inpatient hospitalization. Coding and billing offices provided the cost per LUAg test. Results LUAg test was ordered 2,642 times on 2350 patients between 2013 and 2019. 22 LUAg test results were positive in 21 patients. 2,627 tests were done on patients admitted in the hospital. Of the 1,181 tests ordered in female patients, 11 were positive and of the 1461 tests done in male patients, 11 were positive. The minimum age for ordered test was under 1 year while the oldest patient is 89 years old with a median age of 57 years. The youngest patient to be positive is 21 and the oldest patient was 72 years. 1,471 tests were done in African American patients and 1084 tests in Caucasian patients. At the end of study period 1901 were alive and 741 deceased. The median length of stay for the patient receiving the test was 7 days with 1726 patients discharged within 10 days. 174, 255, 301, 433, 467, 395, 613 tests were ordered respectively from 2013 to 2019. At self pay cost of $132.82 in 2019 USD, the total cost of 2642 tests was $350,910.44. About $15,950.47 was spent for each positive LUAg test during the study period. Conclusion Incidence of pneumonia from Legionella in Mississippi is low. Based on our study, we recommend to follow the current ATS/IDSA guidelines and order the test in select patients as recommended, in efforts to reduce diagnostic costs. Disclosures All Authors: No reported disclosures

scholarly journals Healthcare-associated Legionnaires’ disease: Limitations of surveillance definitions and importance of epidemiologic investigation

2017 ◽  
Vol 18 (6) ◽  
pp. 307-310 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laila M Castellino ◽  
Shantini D Gamage ◽  
Patti V Hoffman ◽  
Stephen M Kralovic ◽  
Mark Holodniy ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Legionella Pneumophila ◽  
Sequence Type ◽  
Significant Morbidity ◽  
Urinary Antigen ◽  
Epidemiologic Investigation ◽  
Urinary Antigen Testing ◽  
Legionnaires Disease ◽  
Healthcare Associated ◽  
Antigen Testing

Healthcare-associated Legionnaires’ disease (HCA LD) causes significant morbidity and mortality, with varying guidance on prevention. We describe the evaluation of a case of possible HCA LD and note the pitfalls of relying solely on an epidemiologic definition for association of a case with a facility. Our detailed investigation led to the identification of a new Legionella pneumophila serogroup 1 sequence type, confirmed a healthcare association and helped build the framework for our ongoing preventive efforts. Our experience highlights the role of routine environmental cultures in the assessment of risk for a given facility. As clinicians increasingly rely on urinary antigen testing for the detection of L. pneumophila, our investigation emphasises the importance of clinical cultures in an epidemiologic investigation.

scholarly journals Diagnosis of Legionella pneumonia based on Legionella urinary antigen testing of serum instead of urine in a hemodialysis patient

2017 ◽  
Vol 50 (10) ◽  
pp. 641-646 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maiko Kimura ◽  
Takehiko Kawaguchi ◽  
Moritoshi Kadomura ◽  
Satoshi Kumakura ◽  
Eri Okada ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hemodialysis Patient ◽  
Urinary Antigen ◽  
Legionella Pneumonia ◽  
Urinary Antigen Testing ◽  
Antigen Testing

scholarly journals Pneumococcal and Legionella Urinary Antigen Tests in Community-acquired Pneumonia: Prospective Evaluation of Indications for Testing

2018 ◽  
Vol 68 (12) ◽  
pp. 2026-2033 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shawna Bellew ◽  
Carlos G Grijalva ◽  
Derek J Williams ◽  
Evan J Anderson ◽  
Richard G Wunderink ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sensitivity And Specificity ◽  
Legionella Pneumophila ◽  
Community Acquired Pneumonia ◽  
Urinary Antigen ◽  
Prospective Surveillance ◽  
Expert Opinions ◽  
Urinary Antigen Testing ◽  
Antigen Tests ◽  
Individual Criterion ◽  
Antigen Testing

Abstract Background Adult, community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) guidelines from the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) and American Thoracic Society (ATS) include indications for urinary antigen tests (UATs) for Streptococcus pneumoniae (SP) and Legionella pneumophila (LP). These recommendations were based on expert opinions and have not been rigorously evaluated. Methods We used data from a multicenter, prospective, surveillance study of adults hospitalized with CAP to evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of the IDSA/ATS UAT indications for identifying patients who test positive. SP and LP UATs were completed on all included patients. Separate analyses were completed for SP and LP, using 2-by-2 contingency tables, comparing the IDSA/ATS indications (UAT recommended vs not recommended) and UAT results (positive vs negative). Additionally, logistic regression was used to evaluate the association of each individual criterion in the IDSA/ATS indications with positive UAT results. Results Among 1941 patients, UATs were positive for SP in 81 (4.2%) and for LP in 32 (1.6%). IDSA/ATS indications had 61% sensitivity (95% confidence interval [CI] 49–71%) and 39% specificity (95% CI 37–41%) for SP, and 63% sensitivity (95% CI 44–79%) and 35% specificity (95% CI 33–37%) for LP. No clinical characteristics were strongly associated with positive SP UATs, while features associated with positive LP UATs were hyponatremia, fever, diarrhea, and recent travel. Conclusions Recommended indications for SP and LP urinary antigen testing in the IDSA/ATS CAP guidelines have poor sensitivity and specificity for identifying patients with positive tests; future CAP guidelines should consider other strategies for determining which patients should undergo urinary antigen testing.

scholarly journals Cost Effectiveness of Transbronchial Needle Aspiration

1999 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 332-335 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer A Crocket ◽  
Eric YL Wong ◽  
Dale C Lien ◽  
Khanh Gia Nguyen ◽  
Michelle R Chaput ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cost Effectiveness ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Diagnostic Procedures ◽  
Needle Aspiration ◽  
Benign Disease ◽  
University Hospital ◽  
High Yield ◽  
Transbronchial Needle Aspiration ◽  
Computed Tomographic ◽  
The Cost

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the yield and cost effectiveness of transbronchial needle aspiration (TBNA) in the assessment of mediastinal and/or hilar lymphadenopathy.DESIGN: Retrospective study.SETTING: A university hospital.POPULATION STUDIED: Ninety-six patients referred for bronchoscopy with computed tomographic evidence of significant mediastinal or hilar adenopathy.RESULTS: Ninety-nine patient records were reviewed. Three patients had two separate bronchoscopy procedures. TBNA was positive in 42 patients (44%) and negative in 54 patients. Of the 42 patients with a positive aspirate, 40 had malignant cytology and two had cells consistent with benign disease. The positive TBNA result altered management in 22 of 40 patients with malignant disease and one of two patients with benign disease, thereby avoiding further diagnostic procedures. The cost of these subsequent procedures was estimated at $27,335. No complications related to TBNA were documented.CONCLUSIONS: TBNA is a high-yield, safe and cost effective procedure for the diagnosis and staging of bronchogenic cancer.

scholarly journals Implementing SARS-CoV-2 Rapid Antigen Testing in the Emergency Ward of a Swiss University Hospital: The INCREASE Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 798
Author(s):  
Giorgia Caruana ◽  
Antony Croxatto ◽  
Eleftheria Kampouri ◽  
Antonios Kritikos ◽  
Onya Opota ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Immunoglobulin A ◽  
University Hospital ◽  
Lower Sensitivity ◽  
Clinical Settings ◽  
Rt Pcr ◽  
Emergency Ward ◽  
Viral Loads ◽  
Asymptomatic Patients ◽  
Asymptomatic Subjects ◽  
Antigen Testing

Following the Swiss Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) authorization of the rapid antigen test (RAT), we implemented the use of the RAT in the emergency ward of our university hospital for patients’ cohorting. RAT triaging in association with RT-PCR allowed us to promptly isolate positive patients and save resources. Among 532 patients, overall sensitivities were 48.3% for Exdia and 41.2% for Standard Q®, PanbioTM and BD Veritor™. All RATs exhibited specificity above 99%. Sensitivity increased to 74.6%, 66.2%, 66.2% and 64.8% for Exdia, Standard Q®, PanbioTM and BD Veritor™, respectively, for viral loads above 105 copies/mL, to 100%, 97.8%, 96.6% and 95.6% for viral loads above 106 copies/mL and 100% for viral loads above 107 copies/mL. Sensitivity was significantly higher for patients with symptoms onset within four days (74.3%, 69.2%, 69.2% and 64%, respectively) versus patients with the evolution of symptoms longer than four days (36.8%, 21.1%, 21.1% and 23.7%, respectively). Among COVID-19 asymptomatic patients, sensitivity was 33%. All Immunoglobulin-A-positive patients resulted negative for RAT. The RAT might represent a useful resource in selected clinical settings as a complementary tool in RT-PCR for rapid patient triaging, but the lower sensitivity, especially in late presenters and COVID-19 asymptomatic subjects, must be taken into account.

scholarly journals Seasonal Influenza and Low Flu Vaccination Coverage as Important Factors Modifying the Costs and Availability of Hospital Services in Poland: A Retrospective Comparative Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (10) ◽  
pp. 5173
Author(s):  
Robert Susło ◽  
Piotr Pobrotyn ◽  
Lidia Brydak ◽  
Łukasz Rypicz ◽  
Urszula Grata-Borkowska ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Influenza Season ◽  
Influenza Infection ◽  
Hospital Staff ◽  
University Hospital ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Admission Rates ◽  
Risk Of Death ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Retrospective Comparative Study ◽  
The Cost

Introduction: Influenza infection is associated with potential serious complications, increased hospitalization rates, and a higher risk of death. Materials and Methods: A retrospective comparative analysis of selected indicators of hospitalization from the University Hospital in Wroclaw, Poland, was carried out on patients with confirmed influenza infection in comparison to a control group randomly selected from among all other patients hospitalized on the respective wards during the 2018–2019 influenza season. Results: The mean laboratory testing costs for the entire hospital were 3.74-fold higher and the mean imaging test costs were 4.02-fold higher for patients with confirmed influenza than for the control group; the hospital expenses were additionally raised by the cost of antiviral therapy, which is striking when compared against the cost of a single flu vaccine. During the 2018–2019 influenza season, influenza infections among the hospital patients temporarily limited the healthcare service availability in the institution, which resulted in reduced admission rates to the departments related to internal medicine; the mean absence among the hospital staff totaled approximately 7 h per employee, despite 7.3% of the staff having been vaccinated against influenza at the hospital’s expense. Conclusions: There were significant differences in the hospitalization indicators between the patients with confirmed influenza and the control group, which markedly increased the hospital care costs in this multi-specialty university hospital.

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