1149. Reducing Piperacillin/Tazobactam Use in Children with Acute Perforated Appendicitis

BACKGROUND: Children with perforated appendicitis have more frequent complications compared with nonperforated appendicitis. Existing data suggest broad-spectrum antibiotics are not superior to narrow-spectrum antibiotics for this condition. In an effort to safely decrease broad-spectrum antibiotic use at our hospital, we evaluated the impact of an antimicrobial stewardship program (ASP) intervention on the use of piperacillin/tazobactam (PT) and clinical outcomes in children with perforated appendicitis. METHODS: Single-center, retrospective cohort study of children ≤ 18 years with perforated appendicitis who underwent primary appendectomy. Children with primary nonoperative management or interval appendectomy were excluded. Prior to the intervention, children at our hospital routinely received PT for perforated appendicitis. An electronic health record (EHR)-integrated guideline that recommended ceftriaxone and metronidazole for perforated appendicitis was released on July 1, 2017 (Figure 1). We compared PT utilization, measured in days of therapy (DOT) per 1,000 patient-days, and clinical outcomes before and after the intervention. RESULTS: A total of 74 children with perforated appendicitis were identified: 23 during the pre-intervention period (June 1, 2016 to June 30, 2017) and 51 post-intervention (July 1, 2017 to September 30, 2018). Thirty-three patients (45%) were female and the median age was 8 years (IQR: 5–11.75 years). Post-intervention rate of guideline compliance was 84%. PT use decreased from 556 DOT per 1000 patient-days to 131 DOT per 1000 patient-days; incidence rate ratio of 0.24 (95% CI: 0.16–0.35), post-intervention vs. pre-intervention. There was no statistically significant difference in duration of intravenous antibiotics, total antibiotic duration, postoperative length of stay (LOS), total LOS, ED visits/readmission, or surgical site infection (SSI) between pre- and post-intervention periods (Table 1). CONCLUSION: An EHR-integrated ASP intervention targeting children with perforated appendicitis resulted in decreased broad-spectrum antibiotic use with no statistically significant difference in clinical outcomes. Larger, multicenter trials are needed to confirm our findings. [Image: see text] [Image: see text] DISCLOSURES: All authors: No reported disclosures.