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Staying current and evaluating literature related to pharmacotherapy in burn or inhalation injury can be difficult as burn care teams are multidisciplinary and pertinent content can be spread across a plethora of journals. The goal of this review is to critically evaluate recently published pharmacotherapy-pertinent literature, assist practitioners staying current, and better identify potential future research targets. Twelve board-certified clinical pharmacists with experience caring for patients with burn and inhalation injuries reviewed and graded scientific literature published in 2017 and 2018. An MeSH-based search revealed 1158 articles related to burns, which were published during the 2-year period. One-hundred fifty one were determined to be potentially related to pharmacotherapy. After exclusions, only 82 (7%) remained for scoring, and the top 10 comprehensively presented. More than half of the reviewed manuscripts were assessed as lacking a significant impact on pharmacotherapy. There is a need for higher impact literature to support pharmacotherapy-pertinent treatment of such complex patients.

Background Recent data has shown a transition to oral (PO) antibiotics (ABX) for definitive treatment of uncomplicated bacteremia has similar efficacy compared to continuation of intravenous (IV) ABX, and reduces hospital length of stay (LOS). The purpose of this study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of an antimicrobial stewardship pharmacist-driven, IV to PO ABX transition in clinically stable patients with uncomplicated bacteremia, and to determine the impact on hospital LOS. Methods This was a prospective, interventional study with concurrent controls, conducted at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center between November 2019 and April 2020. For patient recruitment, a report of all positive inpatient blood cultures was reviewed daily. For patients meeting study criteria, the treating provider was contacted to recommend an IV to PO ABX transition. The treating provider was responsible for making the final determination on ABX therapy. Patients continuing IV ABX served as the comparator group to those transitioning to PO. The primary outcome of interest was a composite of: 30-day, all-cause mortality, 30-day readmission due to infectious- or ABX-related complications, or 30-day recurrent infection with the same organism recovered. The second outcome of interest was overall hospital LOS and hospital LOS after the definitive ABX regimen was established. Results A total of 117 patients were evaluated; 69 patients met criteria for inclusion in the study (46 PO ABX / 23 IV ABX). Overall, baseline characteristics were similar between the groups. No difference was observed in the 30-day composite outcome (1 in each group), but the median, overall hospital LOS was three days shorter in the PO group. Furthermore, hospital LOS after the definitive ABX regimen was established was four days shorter in the PO group. Based on the differences in hospital LOS observed, the intervention was estimated to have resulted in approximately $819,200 cost-avoidance during the study period. Conclusion Similar to prior studies, our findings support the safety and effectiveness of an IV to PO ABX transition in clinically stable patients with uncomplicated bacteremia. Antimicrobial stewardship pharmacists can be leveraged to facilitate such a transition. Disclosures All Authors: No reported disclosures

Background Inadequate anti–factor Xa levels and increased venous thromboembolic events occur in trauma patients receiving standard prophylactic enoxaparin dosing. The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that higher dosing (40 mg twice daily) would improve peak anti-Xa levels and decrease venous thromboembolism. Methods A retrospective review was performed of trauma patients who received prophylactic enoxaparin and peak anti-Xa levels over 27 months. Patients were divided on the basis of dose: group A received 30 mg twice daily, and group B received 40 mg twice daily. Demographics and rates of venous thromboembolism were compared between dose groups and patients with inadequate or adequate anti-Xa levels. Results One hundred twenty-four patients were included, 90 in group A and 34 in group B. Demographics were similar, except that patients in group B had a higher mean body weight. Despite this, only 9% of group B patients had inadequate anti-Xa levels, compared with 33% of those in group A ( P = .01). Imaging studies were available in 69 patients and revealed 8 venous thromboembolic events ( P = NS, group A vs group B) with significantly more venous thromboembolic events occurring in patients with low anti-Xa levels ( P = .02). Conclusions Although higher dosing of enoxaparin led to improved anti-Xa levels, this did not equate to a statistical decrease in venous thromboembolism.