1222. Summary of CDC consultations related to non-traditional medical therapies, 2016─2021


 
 
 Non-traditional medical therapies, which include invasive or parenteral therapies for unapproved conditions, such as stem cell joint injections and certain cosmetic procedures may lack regulatory oversight and pose infectious risks to patients. We aimed to describe Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) consultations involving outbreaks or infection control lapses that involved non-traditional medical therapies to identify areas for prevention efforts.
 
 
 
 We reviewed internal CDC records from January 1, 2016, through December 31, 2021, to identify consultations that involved investigations of disease transmission and infection control lapses involving non-traditional medical therapies in U.S. settings. We included consultations involving therapies and procedures such as facials, fillers, microneedling, intravenous hydration, vitamin infusions, platelet-rich plasma (PRP), and stem cell injections. We determined number of consultations and patients infected or exposed to infection control lapses, infection types, types of procedures implicated, pathogen of concern, and whether at-risk patients were notified.
 
 
 
 We identified 25 consultations that met inclusion criteria; 22 involved 65 infected patients and 3 involved infection control lapses without identified infections. Infection types included joint (n=8, 32%), skin and soft tissue (5, 20%), and bloodstream (3, 12%). The most common pathogens implicated included nontuberculous mycobacteria (3, 12%), hepatitis C virus (3, 12%), and several Enterobacterales (6, 24%). Therapies most frequently involved included PRP or stem cell joint injections (9, 36%), vitamin infusions/injections (4, 16%), and aesthetic treatments (6, 24%). Settings most commonly involved chiropractic clinics (3, 12%), pain clinics (3, 12%), medical spas (2, 8%), orthopedic clinics (2, 8%), and aesthetics clinics (2, 8%).
 
 
 
 Lapses in infection control practices involving non-traditional medical therapies have the potential to place patients at significant risk of infection. Targeting infection control education and oversight to settings where these procedures commonly take place may help reduce patient risk.
 
 
 
 All Authors: No reported disclosures.
