1489. Clinical Utility and Patterns of the use of the Gastrointestinal PCR Panel Over a 2-Year Period at a University Hospital

BACKGROUND: Up to 80% of cases of acute infectious gastroenteritis do not have an identifiable etiologic agent. Molecular syndromic diagnostic panels, such as the Biofire® Filmarray® gastrointestinal (GI) panel, can improve pathogen detection, including frequent causes of community-onset diarrhea. There are little data about the real-world use and test characteristics of the GI panel in the clinical setting. The objective of this study was to evaluate the patterns of use and clinical utility of the GI panel. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of adults (age >18 years) admitted to the University of Colorado Hospital for whom a GI Panel was ordered from October 1, 2015 to August 31, 2017. Primary outcomes included patient demographics and co-morbidities, time since admission to test order, and cumulative test results. Descriptive statistics were utilized to summarize the frequencies of the primary outcome measures. RESULTS: 1684 panels were ordered and completed during the study period compared with 1379 stand-alone C. difficile PCRs. Seventeen of the 22 components of the panel had been validated by our lab prior to the study period; therefore, results were only available for these pathogens. Most GI panels (78%) were ordered in the first 48 hours of admission, with 6% ordered between 48 and 72 hours after admission, and 16% >72 hours after admission. The GI panel yielded an organism 34% of the time. The most frequently identified organism was C. difficile (18.5%) followed by Norovirus (5.2%) and Enteropathogenic E. coli (5.1%). CONCLUSION: Over a 2-year period at a University hospital, the GI panel only had a positive result in 20% of patients tested. Although most of the tests were ordered in the first 48 hours after admission, 22% were ordered after 48 hours, after which etiologies of hospital-onset diarrhea are expected to be more common. Among all GI Panel tests ordered, C. difficile was the most common organism identified, followed by Norovirus. Each of these organisms has an accurate and less costly alternative test. Stand-alone testing for C. difficile and Norovirus should be considered prior to the GI Panel for patients admitted to the hospital, particularly when admitted >48 hours. DISCLOSURES: All authors: No reported disclosures.