Skip to main content
Open Forum Infectious Diseases logoLink to Open Forum Infectious Diseases
. 2019 Oct 23;6(Suppl 2):S361–S362. doi: 10.1093/ofid/ofz360.891

1027. Vancomycin Use in Community-Acquired Pneumonia: Assessing Inappropriate Therapy

Timothy Shan 1, Sara J Gore 2, Caitlin M McCracken 3, Gregory B Tallman 4, Haley K Holmer 2, David T Bearden 5, Jessina C McGregor 6
PMCID: PMC6811279

Abstract

Background

Current Infectious Disease Society of America guidelines recommend anti-methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus(MRSA) agents for treatment of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) only in specific high-risk patients. There are limited data on duration of vancomycin use that is appropriate in hospitalized patients with CAP. The objective of this study was to evaluate the use of vancomycin for CAP among inpatients.

Methods

We conducted a retrospective cohort study of inpatients at Oregon Health and Science University Hospital from August 1st, 2017 to July 31st, 2018 who received IV vancomycin and had a pneumonia encounter ICD-9 diagnosis code. Patients with hospital or ventilator-associated pneumonia were excluded. Appropriate therapy was defined as empiric therapy with known risk-factors, concordant therapy with no de-escalation option, or concurrent sepsis or febrile neutropenia. Vancomycin appropriateness was assessed based on medical history and microbiology for both empiric and definitive therapy. We characterized patients receiving inappropriate therapy and calculated the proportion of inappropriate days of therapy (DOT).

Results

We identified 52 patients with CAP who were treated with vancomycin for a median of 2 DOT (Interquartile Range (IQR): 1–3). Approximately 21% (11/52) of patients had risk factors warranting vancomycin empiric therapy and 42% (22/52) had concurrent sepsis. Nine CAP patients received inappropriate courses of vancomycin, median of 1 day (IQR: 1–2.25) of inappropriate therapy. The most common reason for classifying use as inappropriate was a positive culture for organisms other than MRSA. Patients receiving inappropriate therapy were more frequently transferred from another hospital (44% vs. 30%, P = 0.22). Overall, 16% (20/125) of vancomycin DOT were inappropriate.

Conclusion

In our study,CAP patients accounted for a small number of pneumonia patients who received vancomycin. The median inappropriate DOT was relatively short, possibly indicating that identification and de-escalation was performed quickly. Further work is required to determine the impact of these findings on patients.

Disclosures

All authors: No reported disclosures.

Session: 130. Antibiotic Stewardship: Antibiotic Utilization

Friday, October 4, 2019: 12:15 PM


Articles from Open Forum Infectious Diseases are provided here courtesy of Oxford University Press

RESOURCES