Background Limited retrospective data suggest prophylactic oral vancomycin may prevent Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI). We sought to evaluate the effectiveness of oral vancomycin for the prevention of healthcare facility–onset CDI (HCFO-CDI) in targeted patients. Methods We conducted a randomized, prospective, open-label study at Novant Health Forsyth Medical Center in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, between October 2018 and April 2019. Included patients were randomized 1:1 to either oral vancomycin (dosed at 125 mg once daily while receiving systemic antibiotics and continued for 5 days postcompletion of systemic antibiotics [OVP]) or no prophylaxis. The primary endpoint was incidence of HCFO-CDI. Secondary endpoints included incidence of community-onset healthcare facility–associated CDI (CO-HCFA-CDI), incidence of vancomycin-resistant Enterococci (VRE) colonization after receiving OVP, adverse effects, and cost of OVP. Results A total of 100 patients were evaluated, 50 patients in each arm. Baseline and hospitalization characteristics were similar, except antibiotic exposure. No events of HCFO-CDI were noted in the OVP group compared with 6 (12%) in the no-prophylaxis group (P = .03). CO-HCFA-CDI was identified in 2 patients who were previously diagnosed with HCFO-CDI. No patients developed new VRE colonization, with only 1 patient reporting mild gastrointestinal side effects to OVP. A total of 600 doses of OVP were given during the study, with each patient receiving an average of 12 doses. Total acquisition cost of OVP was $1302, $26.04 per patient. Conclusion OVP appears to protect against HCFO-CDI during in-patient stay in targeted patients during systemic antibiotic exposure. Further prospective investigation is warranted.

The feasibility and safety of same-day discharge after transvenous implantable cardioverter-defibrillator implantation is well-established. However, subcutaneous ICDs (S-ICDs) are now increasingly being implanted, and the feasibility, safety, and potential cost savings associated with same-day discharge after S-ICD placement has not been widely investigated. In a small cohort of patients (n = 24) who underwent S-ICD implantation at our institution, 54% were successfully discharged on the same day as their implant procedure. Procedure-related complications were not apparent in this sampling and the reduction in health care costs was high, suggesting this protocol has immense benefit in today's health care environment. As such, same-day discharge of S-ICD patients is appropriate to consider and should receive further attention.

Introduction: An increase in accidental death related to prescription opioid abuse prompts the identification of novel strategies to treat chronic pain at a low risk to patients and their communities. Scrambler therapy (ST) has recently emerged as a viable treatment option for patients with neuropathic pain (NP), prompting a systematic review of the literature.

BackgroundStudies suggest oral vancomycin prophylaxis may be effective in preventing Clostridioides difficile infection. These studies are limited by their retrospective design, reliance on local clinical practice patterns, lack of intervention standardization, and limited risk stratification. We sought to evaluate the effectiveness of oral vancomycin for the prevention of healthcare facility-onset CDI (HCFO-CDI) in high-risk patients.MethodsWe conducted a randomized, prospective, open-label study at Novant Health Forsyth Medical Center in Winston-Salem, North Carolina between October 2018 and April 2019. Admitted high-risk patients (defined as: ≥ 60 years of age, hospitalized ≤ 30 days prior to the index hospitalization and received systemic antibiotics during that prior hospitalization and currently receiving systemic antibiotics) were randomized 1:1 to either oral vancomycin (dosed at 125 mg once daily while receiving systemic antibiotics and continued for 5 days post completion of systemic antibiotics [OVP]), or no prophylaxis. The primary endpoint was incidence of HCFO-CDI. Secondary endpoints included incidence of community-onset healthcare facility-associated CDI (CO-HCFA-CDI), development of VRE colonization after receiving OVP, and adverse effects and cost of OVP.ResultsA total of 100 patients were evaluated, 50 patients in each group. Baseline and hospitalization characteristics were similar in each group. No incidents of HCFO-CDI were diagnosed in the OVP group compared with 6 (12%) in the no prophylaxis group (P = 0.03). CO-HCFA-CDI was not observed in either group. No patients developed new VRE colonization with only 1 patient reporting mild gastrointestinal side-effects to OVP. A total of 600 doses of OVP were given during the study, with each patient receiving an average of 12 doses. Total acquisition cost of OVP was $728.25, $60.69 per patient.ConclusionOVP was highly effective in preventing HCFO-CDI. OVP was well tolerated with no apparent risk for VRE colonization. Further prospective investigation is warranted to determine the impact and cost-effectiveness of routine use of OVP in high-risk patients.Disclosures All authors: No reported disclosures.