Evaluation of prescribing practices and treatment failure for purulent skin and soft tissue infections in patients with obesity

Abstract Objective: Evaluate prescribing practices and risk factors for treatment failure in obese patients treated for purulent cellulitis with oral antibiotics in the outpatient setting. Design: Retrospective, multicenter, observational cohort. Setting: Emergency departments, primary care, a...

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Main Authors: Mackenzie L. Miller, Destiny M. Hughson, Noah D. Blower, Andrew P. Jameson, Lisa E. Dumkow
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Cambridge University Press 2025-01-01
Series:Antimicrobial Stewardship & Healthcare Epidemiology
Online Access:https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S2732494X24004418/type/journal_article
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author Mackenzie L. Miller
Destiny M. Hughson
Noah D. Blower
Andrew P. Jameson
Lisa E. Dumkow
author_facet Mackenzie L. Miller
Destiny M. Hughson
Noah D. Blower
Andrew P. Jameson
Lisa E. Dumkow
author_sort Mackenzie L. Miller
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Objective: Evaluate prescribing practices and risk factors for treatment failure in obese patients treated for purulent cellulitis with oral antibiotics in the outpatient setting. Design: Retrospective, multicenter, observational cohort. Setting: Emergency departments, primary care, and urgent care sites throughout Michigan. Patients: Adult patients with a body mass index of ≥ 30 kg/m2 who received ≥ 5 days of oral antibiotics for purulent cellulitis were included. Key exclusion criteria were chronic infections, antibiotic treatment within the past 30 days, and suspected polymicrobial infections. Methods: Obese patients receiving oral antibiotics for purulent cellulitis between February 1, 2020, and August 31, 2023, were assessed. The primary objective was to describe outpatient prescribing trends. Secondary objectives included comparing patient risk factors for treatment failure and safety outcomes between patients experiencing treatment success and those experiencing treatment failure. Results: Two hundred patients were included (Treatment success, n = 100; Treatment failure, n = 100). Patients received 11 antibiotic regimens with 26 dosing variations; 45.5% were inappropriately dosed. Sixty-seven percent of patients received MRSA-active therapy. Treatment failure was similar between those appropriately dosed (46.4%) versus under-dosed (54.4%) (P = 0.256), those receiving 5–7 days of therapy (47.1%) versus 10–14 days (54.4%) (P = 0.311), and those receiving MRSA-active therapy (52.2%) versus no MRSA therapy (45.5%) (P = 0.367). Patients treated with clindamycin were more likely to experience treatment failure (73.7% vs 47.5%, P = 0.030). Conclusions: Nearly half of antimicrobial regimens prescribed for outpatient treatment of cellulitis in patients with obesity were suboptimally prescribed. Opportunities exist to optimize agent selection, dosing, and duration of therapy in this population.
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spelling doaj-art-973211fb2494406a86fa18b82f2e6dc92025-02-06T06:51:22ZengCambridge University PressAntimicrobial Stewardship & Healthcare Epidemiology2732-494X2025-01-01510.1017/ash.2024.441Evaluation of prescribing practices and treatment failure for purulent skin and soft tissue infections in patients with obesityMackenzie L. Miller0Destiny M. Hughson1Noah D. Blower2https://orcid.org/0009-0007-9039-3213Andrew P. Jameson3https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0017-6906Lisa E. Dumkow4https://orcid.org/0009-0004-1416-357XDepartment of Pharmacy, Trinity Health Grand Rapids, Grand Rapids, MI, USADepartment of Pharmacy, Trinity Health Grand Rapids, Grand Rapids, MI, USADepartment of Pharmacy, Trinity Health Grand Rapids, Grand Rapids, MI, USADivision of Infectious Diseases, Trinity Health Grand Rapids, Grand Rapids, MI, USA Department of Medicine, Michigan State College of Human Medicine, Grand Rapids, MI, USADepartment of Pharmacy, Trinity Health Grand Rapids, Grand Rapids, MI, USA Abstract Objective: Evaluate prescribing practices and risk factors for treatment failure in obese patients treated for purulent cellulitis with oral antibiotics in the outpatient setting. Design: Retrospective, multicenter, observational cohort. Setting: Emergency departments, primary care, and urgent care sites throughout Michigan. Patients: Adult patients with a body mass index of ≥ 30 kg/m2 who received ≥ 5 days of oral antibiotics for purulent cellulitis were included. Key exclusion criteria were chronic infections, antibiotic treatment within the past 30 days, and suspected polymicrobial infections. Methods: Obese patients receiving oral antibiotics for purulent cellulitis between February 1, 2020, and August 31, 2023, were assessed. The primary objective was to describe outpatient prescribing trends. Secondary objectives included comparing patient risk factors for treatment failure and safety outcomes between patients experiencing treatment success and those experiencing treatment failure. Results: Two hundred patients were included (Treatment success, n = 100; Treatment failure, n = 100). Patients received 11 antibiotic regimens with 26 dosing variations; 45.5% were inappropriately dosed. Sixty-seven percent of patients received MRSA-active therapy. Treatment failure was similar between those appropriately dosed (46.4%) versus under-dosed (54.4%) (P = 0.256), those receiving 5–7 days of therapy (47.1%) versus 10–14 days (54.4%) (P = 0.311), and those receiving MRSA-active therapy (52.2%) versus no MRSA therapy (45.5%) (P = 0.367). Patients treated with clindamycin were more likely to experience treatment failure (73.7% vs 47.5%, P = 0.030). Conclusions: Nearly half of antimicrobial regimens prescribed for outpatient treatment of cellulitis in patients with obesity were suboptimally prescribed. Opportunities exist to optimize agent selection, dosing, and duration of therapy in this population. https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S2732494X24004418/type/journal_article
spellingShingle Mackenzie L. Miller
Destiny M. Hughson
Noah D. Blower
Andrew P. Jameson
Lisa E. Dumkow
Evaluation of prescribing practices and treatment failure for purulent skin and soft tissue infections in patients with obesity
Antimicrobial Stewardship & Healthcare Epidemiology
title Evaluation of prescribing practices and treatment failure for purulent skin and soft tissue infections in patients with obesity
title_full Evaluation of prescribing practices and treatment failure for purulent skin and soft tissue infections in patients with obesity
title_fullStr Evaluation of prescribing practices and treatment failure for purulent skin and soft tissue infections in patients with obesity
title_full_unstemmed Evaluation of prescribing practices and treatment failure for purulent skin and soft tissue infections in patients with obesity
title_short Evaluation of prescribing practices and treatment failure for purulent skin and soft tissue infections in patients with obesity
title_sort evaluation of prescribing practices and treatment failure for purulent skin and soft tissue infections in patients with obesity
url https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S2732494X24004418/type/journal_article
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