Bloodstream infections are a major healthcare concern:
Severe sepsis strikes 750,000 people annually in the U.S., resulting in mortality rates of up to 210,000 per year.1 Left untreated Methicillin-resistant Staph aureus (MRSA) can become severe and cause sepsis.2 The CDC considers MRSA to be a serious antibiotic resistance threat.3
Current culture-based lab testing methods for gram positive blood culture bottles require an additional 18-48 hours for determination of MRSA or SA.
Without timely results, clinicians often employ empiric treatments, using costly and inadequate antimicrobials that contribute to increased drug resistance.
(1) Institute for Healthcare Improvement. Topics. Sepsis. Accessed May 2020. http://www.ihi.org/explore/Sepsis/Pages/default.aspx (2) CDC. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). General Information. Accessed May 2020. https://www.cdc.gov/mrsa/community/index.html (3) CDC. Antibiotic Resistance Threats in the United States, 2019. Accessed May 2020. https://www.cdc.gov/drugresistance/pdf/threats-report/2019-ar-threats-report-508.pdf
The Solution
On-demand molecular testing — an ideal solution:
Accurate molecular detection of MRSA or SA from a gram-positive blood culture sample in about an hour
Simple test protocol can be run on all shifts to provide results around-the-clock
Provides clinicians actionable information when it is most needed
Easily integrates into your hospital's bundle of sepsis interventions
The Impact
A clinical study4 showed that using the Xpert® MRSA/SA Blood Culture test coupled with an infectious disease pharmacist consultation resulted in:
Switch to optimum antimicrobial therapy 1.7 days sooner
Mean length of stay was reduced 6.2 days
Mean hospital costs were $21,387 less per bacteremic patient
(4) Goff D, et al. An antimicrobial stewardship program's impact with rapid polymerase chain reaction methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus/S. aureu sblood culture test in patients with S. aureus bacteremia. Clin Infect Dis. 2010 Nov 1;51(9):1074-80.