Discontinuing routine processing of screening urine cultures prior to elective joint arthroplasty resulted in substantial reduction in urine cultures ordered and antimicrobial prescriptions for asymptomatic bacteriuria, without any significant impact on incidence of prosthetic joint infection. This simple change would be scalable across institutions with potential for significant healthcare savings.

BackgroundHuman coronaviruses (CoVs) are a major cause of respiratory infection and institutional outbreaks, yet the epidemiology and clinical outcomes of these viruses is poorly described among the elderly residing in long-term care facilities (LTCFs).MethodsWe performed a retrospective cohort study of LTCF residents with positive nasopharyngeal or mid-turbinate swabs for CoVs (OC43, 229E, NL63 and HKU1) between January 2013 and December 2018. Demographic and clinical data were obtained from resident charts including clinical presentation, treatment, outcome, and transmission to other residents. Variables were compared using univariate analysis.Results3268 residents met inclusion criteria (median age 93 years, 90% male) comprising 7.5% (246/3268) of all positive respiratory virus specimens detected during the study period. 97(39%) of cases were associated with a respiratory outbreak while 149(61%) were sporadic cases that did not result in transmission. OC43 (52%) was the most commonly identified CoV and was more commonly associated with outbreak cases (76% vs. 37%; P < 0.001). In total, 87% of all cases had two or more of runny nose/congestion, cough, sore throat/hoarse voice or fever. The most common symptoms among residents were cough (85%), runny nose/congestion (79%), and sore throat/hoarse voice (59%) and only 17% of residents had a measured temperature of ≥ 37.8C. Only 6% of residents received antibiotic treatment for suspected secondary bacterial pneumonia. The 30-day mortality rate was 3.7% with 67% of deaths attributable to the CoV infection. There was no statistically significant difference in symptoms, treatment or outcomes associated with outbreaks or seasonality.ConclusionCoVs make up an important proportion of respiratory viral infections among LTCF residents and may result in frequent outbreaks. Most residents remain afebrile and have self-limited illness while only a small minority develop secondary bacterial pneumonia and death. Given these findings the benefits of control measures should be weighed against the impact on resident quality of life.Disclosures All authors: No reported disclosures.