Introduction Guatemala reported the first confirmed SARS-CoV-2 case on March 13th 2020. Up to now, more than 140,000 confirmed cases have been documented, with 8% of them being <20 years-old. The impact of COVID-19 in pediatric cancer in not well known, even though pediatric oncological institutions did some initial recommendations, this new disease still represents a challenge in this population. The objective of the report is to describe the moderate-severe cases of COVID-19 in pediatric cancer during the first 8 months of the pandemic in the Unidad Nacional de Oncologia Pediatrica (UNOP). Methods This is a descriptive, prospective report of pediatric cancer patients <20 years-old and SARS-CoV-2 infection confirmed by nasopharyngeal swab with PCR technique at UNOP from May to December 2020. The SARS-CoV-2 test was performed to all patients who developed symptoms of infection or as screening in patients who were admitted to UNOP regardless of symptoms. Information about sex, age, primary oncological diagnosis, confirmed coinfections and treatment received at time of COVID-19 was collected. Moderate illness was considered if the patient required supplemental oxygen and severe illness if admitted to Intensive Care Unit -ICU- secondary to COVID-19. Results Two hundred one patients with pediatric cancer with the SARS-CoV-2 infection were confirmed. Sixty four percent were male (n=128), median of age was 9.5 years (5-m to 18-y). The primary oncologic diagnosis was leukemia 65% (n=129), and other solid tumors 35% (n=72), 5% (n=10) of patients were in palliative care. In leukemia patients, 40% were receiving induction therapy (n=51), 25% consolidation (n=32), and 19% maintenance (n=25). The most common initial symptom was fever in 32% (n=64) and 33% were asymptomatic (n=67). Twenty two percent developed moderate disease (n=44) and 13% severe disease (n=26). A total of 13 patients died during COVID-19 period (6%) and 7 of them died receiving active treatment (3%). The risk of developing moderate-severe disease was not higher in leukemia patients compared to patients with other tumors who were receiving intense chemotherapy (OR=0.7), but there might be a higher risk of death (OR=1.41). In patients with leukemia, the risk of developing moderate-severe disease was higher for patients receiving induction therapy compared with those in consolidation (OR=6.7) or maintenance (OR=3.04). Mortality risk seems to be higher in patients with leukemia during induction therapy (OR=1.94). Confirmed coinfections correlated with higher risk of severe illness (OR=1.95) and death during the COVID-19 period (OR=5.2). Conclusions The mortality due to COVID-19 in pediatric cancer is low and could be related to coinfections or intensive chemotherapy. Important limitation of our report is the lack of analysis of underlying clinical conditions in moderate-severe disease (neutropenia or other comorbidities), factors that could have an impact on our data analysis.

Background Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is an increasing global threat to public health, particularly in Latin America. Most published data are based on adults with limited pediatric reports regarding resistance trends. Our study evaluated AMR rates in a large tertiary pediatric hospital in Guatemala City and the association with clinical outcomes. Methods We analyzed AMR rates for six bacterial species (Acinetobacter baumannii, Enterobacter cloacae, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Staphylococcus aureus) identified from blood cultures from the WHONET database between 2005-2019. Resistance was determined using CLSI cut-offs on the VITEK and Sensititre systems. Student’s t tests and simple linear regression models were performed. A retrospective review was performed on 99 pediatric patient charts with positive blood cultures (June 2018-May 2019) to assess clinical outcomes. Results Klebsiella and Acinetobacter were the most prevalent organisms throughout the 15 years of surveillance, with 2019 sensitivities demonstrating carbapenem-resistance in 99 (57%) and 57 (91%) of isolates, respectively. Increased resistance rates were noted for all Gram-negative organisms evaluated, with particular clinical and statistical significance noted for K. pneumoniae with imipenem (4.3% average resistance increase per year (PARPY), p-value < 0.0001), ciprofloxacin (4.5 PARPY, < 0.0001), and piperacillin-tazobactam (3.4 PARPY, < 0.0001), as well as A. baumannii with imipenem (2.9 PARPY, p-value < 0.0001), cefepime (1.7 PARPY, < 0.0001), and ciprofloxacin (2.5 PARPY, 0.0002). In contrast, resistance rates decreased for S. aureus with oxacillin (-2.7 PARPY, 0.0015). A mortality rate of 20% among our 99-patient cohort was detected. Of the 37% who received optimal therapy, the median time to optimal therapy was 90 hours. Acinetobacter baumannii resistance to imipenem, 2005-2019 Klebsiella pneumoniae resistance to imipenem, 2005-2019 Staphylococcus aureus resistance to oxacillin, 2005-2019 Conclusion Significant rises in AMR among pediatric patients in a large tertiary hospital in Guatemala City have occurred over 15 years. This likely contributed to delays in optimal antimicrobial therapy, increased exposure to broad spectrum antibiotics, and potentially increased mortality. Improved antimicrobial stewardship, infection prevention, and rapid diagnostic testing are needed in order to combat this growing problem. Disclosures Kelly E. Graff, MD, BioFire Diagnostics, LLC (Grant/Research Support) Samuel Dominguez, MD, PhD, BioFire (Consultant, Research Grant or Support)

Background Communication among health care professionals during antimicrobial prescribing is critical to ensure appropriate use. This is of concern in Guatemala where physicians seldom consider guidance from other professionals during antimicrobial prescribing activities. Methods We carried out a cross sectional questionnaire and open ended interviews with physicians from five hospitals in Guatemala to describe perceptions of communication between health care providers, and acceptance of antimicrobial guidance during prescribing. Results From January to April 2021 an electronic questionnaire was sent to enrolled physicians of which 74% completed participation (n=107/145). Fifty-five percent participated in open ended interviews (n=79/145). Respondents perceived high levels of communication between physicians and ID specialists (94% of respondents); 52%, and 54% perceived high levels of physician-pharmacist, and physician-nurse communication respectively. Significant differences in the perception of physician-pharmacist communication were detected when comparing responses between hospitals, and between respondent sex (chi2, p< 0.05). Barriers to communication between professionals included lack of local guidelines or protocols, patient overload, COVID-19 pandemic, lack of mentorship, and little room to discuss antimicrobial therapy with higher-ranking physicians. Eighty percent and 45% of physicians were open to receiving antibiotic optimization recommendations from other physicians, and pharmacists respectively. Notable barriers to accepting recommendations from pharmacists included lack of regular communication, lack of clinical experience, and concern about evidence based recommendations. Conclusion Effective communication is perceived between physicians during antimicrobial prescribing activities. Marginal levels of communication and acceptance of prescribing recommendations have been detected between physicians and pharmacists.In this milieu, there is an opportunity to strengthen multidisciplinary teams to optimize antimicrobial use. Disclosures Mario Augusto Melgar Toledo, MD, Merck (Grant/Research Support)Pfizer (Grant/Research Support)

La enfermedad por coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) ha afectado a los trabajadores de la salud (TS) quienes suman riesgo de exposición en la comunidad y el trabajo. El conocimiento y preparación son fundamentales, sin embargo, durante la pandemia se han suspendido las actividades presenciales de formación-capacitación. El objetivo de este estudio fue determinar si la educación en línea genera una diferencia en el conocimiento y práctica de prevención y control de infecciones (PCI) para la COVID-19 en TS. Previo consentimiento, se administró un cuestionario antes-después a los participantes de un curso de PCI en línea. Para la evaluación de conocimientos y prácticas se diseñaron preguntas tipo Likert con valores de 1 a 5, realizando el análisis con la prueba no paramétrica de rangos con signo de Wilcoxon para muestras relacionadas. En 345 participantes, la mediana fue 30 (RIC 15) años, femenino (224, 65%), residentes en el departamento de Guatemala (221, 57%), labora en sector público (155, 44.9%), sector privado (154, 44.6%), y seguro social (29, 8.4%). La evaluación antes-después mostró diferencia significativa de la brecha existente en el conocimiento y las prácticas de PCI (p < .05). La mayor brecha se observó en el autocuidado de la salud física, mental y nutricional. En las percepciones, uno de cada tres encuestados manifestó temor a sufrir estigma en caso de resultar infectados. La educación y entrenamiento en PCI es esencial ante una enfermedad altamente contagiosa que amenaza la salud y seguridad de los TS, principalmente en entornos sanitarios con recursos limitados.