1336. Impact of Procalcitonin-Guided Antibiotic Management in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Exacerbation and Community-Acquired Pneumonia

BACKGROUND: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) exacerbation and community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) are major drivers of antibiotic overuse, primarily due to challenges in pathogen identification. Procalcitonin is a serum biomarker that assists in distinguishing bacterial infection from other causes. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the use of a procalcitonin (PCT) guided algorithm in patients diagnosed with COPD exacerbation and/or CAP can reduce antibiotic exposure without negatively impacting clinical outcomes. METHODS: This was a quasi-experimental study conducted at Mercy Medical Center in Canton, Ohio. The patient data for the retrospective cohort (control group) was collected from the months of September 2017 through January 2018. The prospective phase (PCT group) took place during the months of September 2018 through January 2019. Physicians utilized a procalcitonin guided algorithm to determine appropriate initiation and duration of antibiotic use in patients admitted with a primary diagnosis of COPD exacerbation and/or CAP. The primary outcome was the duration of antibiotic therapy, measured in days. Secondary outcomes included all-cause hospital readmission within 30 days of discharge, respiratory-related hospital readmission within 30 days of discharge, 30-day mortality, hospital length of stay, and adverse events to antibiotics. RESULTS: A total of 76 patients were included in the study, 43 in the control group and 33 in the PCT group. Baseline characteristics were similar between groups. The use of a PCT algorithm significantly decreased duration of antibiotics by 2.7 days in comparison to the control group (2.6 [n = 33] vs. 5.3 [n = 43] days; P < 0.001; 95% CI). Secondary safety outcomes between the PCT and control group were similar, including all-cause hospital readmission within 30 days of discharge (30.3% vs. 25.6%; P = 0.648), respiratory-related hospital readmission within 30 days of discharge (80.0% [n = 10] vs. 81.8% [n = 11]; P = 0.731), and 30-day mortality (no incidence in either group). CONCLUSION: The use of a PCT algorithm significantly reduced duration of antibiotics by 2.7 days without negatively impacting clinical outcomes in patients being treated for COPD exacerbation and/or CAP. [Image: see text] DISCLOSURES: All authors: No reported disclosures.