890. Bundled Antimicrobial Stewardship Intervention Reduces Inpatient Third Generation Cephalosporin Use without Restriction


 
 
 The use of third generation cephalosporins (3GC) has been linked to collateral damage such as increased risk of infection with C. difficile, ESBL-producing organisms, VRE, and MRSA. Reduction in use of 3GC has been shown to reduce prevalence of these infections, particularly with C. difficile and ESBLs. An increase in 3GC use was observed at our facility in 2019 and 2020, likely due to targeted fluoroquinolone reduction initiatives in 2019 and COVID-19 surges in 2020. A multifaceted intervention targeting 3GC reduction without restriction was implemented starting in December 2020. Figure 1Monthly third generation cephalosporin use (Days of Therapy per 1000 patient days) from January 2019 to December 2021.
 
 
 
 We conducted a retrospective quasi-experimental study evaluating the impact of a combination of interventions intended to reduce 3GC use. The intervention included modification of local clinical guidelines for urinary tract infection (UTI) and community acquired pneumonia (CAP), provider education, and daily review of active 3GC orders in 2021. Local guideline changes include preferred use of ampicillin/sulbactam and amoxicillin/clavulanate for CAP and cefazolin and cephalexin for UTI over 3GCs. Use of first generation cephalosporins for UTI was supported by local antibiogram susceptibilities for common UTI pathogens. Days of therapy (DOT) per 1000 patient days were collected monthly and yearly for ceftriaxone, ceftazidime, cefpodoxime, and cefdinir for pre-intervention (January 2019 to December 2019 and January to December 2020) and post-intervention (January 2021 to December 2021) periods.
 
 
 
 3GC use significantly decreased from 89.52 DOT per 1000 patient days in 2020 to 53.06 in 2021, a 40.73% reduction. To account for increases in antibiotic use during COVID-19 surges in 2020 as a potential confounding variable, 2019 3GC use was also compared to 2021 use. A 31.40% decrease was seen, with 77.35 DOT per 1000 patient days in 2019. This effect was sustained through COVID-19 surges in January and August 2021 (Figure 1).
 
 
 
 A combination of interventions without restriction of 3GC was successful in reducing inpatient use of this class of antibiotics, including through two COVID-19 surges in 2021. Further study is required to determine impact on clinical outcomes, such as C. difficile and antimicrobial resistance rates.
 
 
 
 All Authors: No reported disclosures.
