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Table 2 Characteristics of patients in whom empirical vancomycin was continued inappropriately during the pre-intervention and intervention periodsa

From: Effect of an intervention targeting inappropriate continued empirical parenteral vancomycin use: a quasi-experimental study in a region of high MRSA prevalence

 

Pre-intervention period

Intervention period

P value

No. of prescriptions

303

272

 

Male, n (%)

181 (59.7)

163 (59.9)

0.963

Age, median years (IQR)

60 (48–71)

61 (49–72)

0.528

Comorbid condition, n (%)

 Diabetes mellitus

68 (22.4)

53 (19.5)

0.385

 Chronic liver disease

28 (9.2)

27 (9.9)

0.780

 Chronic lung disease

10 (3.3)

1 (0.4)

0.010

 Cerebrovascular disease

10 (3.3)

11 (4.0)

0.635

 Solid malignancy

86 (28.4)

68 (25.0)

0.360

 Hematological malignancy

58 (19.1)

72 (26.5)

0.036

 Connective tissue disease

8 (2.6)

8 (2.9)

0.827

 Azotemia

46 (15.2)

46 (16.9)

0.572

 Neutropenia

61 (20.1)

63 (23.2)

0.378

Suspected site of infection, n (%)

  

0.214

 Pneumonia

68 (22.4)

50 (18.4)

 

 Intraabdominal infection

32 (10.6)

42 (15.4)

 

 CNS infection

34 (11.2)

32 (11.8)

 

 Skin and soft tissue infection

62 (20.5)

50 (18.4)

 

 Cardiovascular infection

2 (0.7)

5 (1.8)

 

 Catheter-related infection

25 (8.3)

16 (5.9)

 

 Bone and joint infection

31 (10.2)

8 (2.9)

 

 Urinary tract infection

5 (1.7)

3 (1.1)

 

 Other infection

19 (6.3)

19 (7.0)

 

 Unknown

25 (8.3)

47 (17.3)

 

Admission department, n (%)

  

0.303

 Medial ward

165 (54.5)

176 (64.7)

 

 Surgical ward

86 (28.4)

46 (16.9)

 

 Medical ICU

33 (10.9)

30 (11.0)

 

 Surgical ICU

19 (6.3)

20 (7.4)

 

30-days mortality, n (%)

53 (17.5)

37 (13.6)

0.200

  1. Abbreviations: CNS central nervous system, ICU intensive care unit
  2. aWhen empirically prescribed vancomycin treatment was continued beyond 96 h without documentation of beta-lactam-resistant gram-positive microorganisms in clinical specimens with significance, the continuation was considered inappropriate