Search

Background: Fibrotic interstitial lung diseases (ILDs) are chronic and often progressive conditions resulting in substantial morbidity and mortality. Shortness of breath, a symptom often linked to oxygen desaturation on exertion, is tightly linked to worsening quality of life in these patients. Although ambulatory oxygen is used empirically in their treatment, there are no ILD-specific guidelines on its use. To our knowledge, no studies are available on the effects of ambulatory oxygen on day-to-day life in patients with ILD.Methods/design: Ambulatory oxygen in fibrotic lung disease (AmbOx) is a multicentre, randomised controlled crossover trial (RCT) funded by the Research for Patient Benefit Programme of the National Institute for Health Research. The trial will compare ambulatory oxygen used during daily activities with no ambulatory oxygen in patients with fibrotic lung disease whose oxygen saturation (SaO2) is ≥94% at rest, but drops to ≤88% on a 6-min Walk Test. The randomised controlled trial (RCT) will evaluate the effects on health status (measured by the King's Brief ILD Questionnaire: K-BILD) of ambulatory oxygen used at home, at an optimal flow rate determined by titration at screening visit, and administered for a 2-week period, compared to 2 weeks off oxygen. Key secondary outcomes will include breathlessness on activity scores, as measured by the University of California San Diego Shortness of Breath Questionnaire, global patient assessment of change scores, as well as quality of life scores (St George's Respiratory Questionnaire), anxiety and depression scores (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale), activity markers measured by SenseWear Armbands, pulse oximetry measurements, patient-reported daily activities, patient- and oxygen company-reported oxygen cylinder use. The study also includes a qualitative component and will explore in interviews patients' experiences of the use of a portable oxygen supply and trial participation in a subgroup of 20 patients and carers.Discussion: This is the first RCT of the effects of ambulatory oxygen during daily life on health status and breathlessness in fibrotic lung disease. The results generated should provide the basis for setting up ILD-specific guidelines for the use of ambulatory oxygen.Trial Registration: National Clinical Trials Registry, identifier: NCT02286063 . Registered on 8 October 2014 (retrospectively registered). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Antimicrobial decision making in intensive care units (ICUs) is challenging. Unnecessary antimicrobials contribute to the development of resistant pathogens, Clostridium difficile infection and drug related adverse events. However, inadequate antimicrobial therapy is associated with mortality in critically ill patients. Antimicrobial stewardship programs are increasingly being implemented to improve antimicrobial prescribing, but the optimal approach in the ICU setting is unknown. We assessed the impact of an audit and feedback antimicrobial stewardship intervention on antimicrobial use, antimicrobial costs, clinical outcomes and microbiologic outcomes in two ICUs with different patient populations. Methods: The audit and feedback intervention was implemented in a trauma and neurosurgery ICU (TNICU) and a medical surgical ICU (MSICU) at a 465-bed teaching hospital in Toronto, Canada. ICU patients were reviewed Monday to Friday by a physician and pharmacist with infectious diseases training. Recommendations related to appropriate antimicrobial use were presented to ICU teams during a dedicated daily meeting. A controlled interrupted time series analysis was used to compare outcomes in the 12 months before and after the intervention. Cardiovascular and coronary care ICUs served as control units. Results: Mean total monthly antimicrobial use in defined daily doses (DDD) per 1000 patient days was reduced 28 % in the TNICU (1433 vs. 1037) but increased 14 % in the MSICU (1705 vs. 1936). In the time series analysis, total monthly antimicrobial use in the TNICU decreased by 375 DDD per 1000 patient days (p < 0.0009) immediately following the intervention, followed by a non-significant downward trend in use of −9 DDD per 1000 patient days (p =0.56). No significant changes in antimicrobial use were identified in the MSICU. Antimicrobial use temporarily increased in one control unit and remained unchanged in the other. There were no changes in mortality, length of stay, readmission rate, incidence of C. difficile infection or resistance patterns of E. coli and P. aeruginosa in either intervention unit. Conclusions: Audit and feedback antimicrobial stewardship programs can lead to significant reductions in total antimicrobial use in the ICU setting. However, this effect may be context-dependent and further work is needed to determine the ingredients necessary for success. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]