Jeroen Schouten

• MD, PhD
• Intensivist at Radboud University Medical Centre (Radboudumc)

Background Pneumonia remains a significant global health concern, particularly among those requiring admission to the intensive care unit (ICU). Despite the availability of international guidelines, there remains heterogeneity in clinical management. The D-PRISM study aimed to develop a global overview of how pneumonias (i.e., community-acquired (C...

Protocol presentation Rationale: Esophagectomy is a complex surgical procedure, associated with significant morbidity and mortality rates. Most postoperative complications are caused by infections (10–30%). These are thought to arise from (micro-)aspiration of bacteria residing in the oropharyngeal and gastrointestinal (GI) tract, leading to (respi...

Background Antimicrobial Stewardship (AMS), the set of actions to ensure appropriate antimicrobial use, is increasingly considered a multidisciplinary endeavour. However, it is unclear how Dutch hospital-based nurses envision their contribution to AMS. Objective To explore the views and visions of Dutch bedside nurses on their role regarding appro...

Background Antimicrobial stewardship (AMS), the set of actions to ensure antibiotics are used appropriately, is increasingly targeted at all those involved in the antimicrobial pathway, including nurses. Several healthcare organizations have issued position statements on how bedside nurses can be involved in AMS. However, it remains unclear how nur...

Isavuconazole is a broad-spectrum antifungal agent for the management of invasive fungal disease. Optimised drug exposure is critical for patient outcomes, specifically in the critically ill population. Solid information on isavuconazole pharmacokinetics including protein binding in patients in the intensive care unit is scarce. We aimed to describ...

Background: Anastomotic leak is a severe complication after oesophagectomy. Anastomotic leak has diverse clinical manifestations and the optimal treatment strategy is unknown. The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy of treatment strategies for different manifestations of anastomotic leak after oesophagectomy.

Background: Anastomotic leak is a severe complication after oesophagectomy. Anastomotic leak has diverse clinical manifestations and the optimal treatment strategy is unknown. The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy of treatment strategies for different manifestations of anastomotic leak after oesophagectomy. Methods: A retrospective co...

At the 2015 World Health Assembly, UN member states adopted a resolution that committed to the development of national action plans (NAPs) for antimicrobial resistance (AMR). The political determination to commit to NAPs and the availability of robust governance structures to assure sustainable translation of the identified NAP objectives from poli...

Introduction: Failure to rescue (FTR) is an important outcome measure after esophagectomy and reflects mortality after postoperative complications. Differences in FTR have been associated with hospital resection volume. However, insight into how centers manage complications and achieve their outcomes is lacking. Anastomotic leak (AL) is a main con...

Objectives To determine clinical practice variation and identify knowledge gaps in antibiotic treatment of Staphylococcus aureus bacteraemia (SAB). Methods A web-based survey with questions addressing antibiotic treatment of SAB was distributed through the ESGAP network among infectious disease specialists, clinical microbiologists and internists...

Knowledge about contagiousness is key to accurate management of hospitalized COVID-19 patients. Epidemiological studies suggest that in addition to transmission through droplets, aerogenic SARS-CoV-2 transmission contributes to the spread of infection. However, the presence of virus in exhaled air has not yet been sufficiently demonstrated. In pand...

Background: In the last decades, solid organ transplantation (SOT) has emerged as an important method in the management of chronic kidney, liver, heart and lung failure. Antimicrobial use has led to a significant reduction of morbidity and mortality due to infectious complications among patients with SOT, however, it can lead to adverse events and...

Background : Delivery of parenteral antimicrobials in non-inpatient settings (DPANS) may be through a dedicated outpatient parenteral antimicrobial therapy (OPAT) service, coordinated by hospital- or community-based specialized teams, or via an infusion service involving community-based health professionals (nurses, general practitioners) without c...

Background Most of the antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) literature has focused on antimicrobial consumption for the treatment of infections, for surgical site infection prophylaxis and for prevention of endocarditis. The role of AMS for medical antibiotic prophylaxis (AP) has not been adequately addressed. Objectives To identify targets for AMS int...

Background: Prolonged SARS-CoV-2 shedding has been described in immunocompromised COVID-19 patients, resulting in protracted disease and poor outcome. Specific therapy to improve viral clearance and outcome for this group of patients is currently unavailable. Methods: Five critically ill COVID-19 patients with severe defects in cellular immune r...

Objectives The aim of this study was to develop a mechanistic protein binding model to predict the unbound flucloxacillin concentrations in different patient populations. Methods A mechanistic protein binding model was fitted to the data using non-linear mixed-effects modelling. Data were obtained from four datasets, containing 710 paired total an...

PurposeInfluenza-associated pulmonary aspergillosis (IAPA) is a frequent complication in critically ill influenza patients, associated with significant mortality. We investigated whether antifungal prophylaxis reduces the incidence of IAPA.Methods We compared 7 days of intravenous posaconazole (POS) prophylaxis with no prophylaxis (standard-of-care...

Background To determine the frequency of, and factors associated with, death in hospital following ICU discharge to the ward. Methods The Large observational study to UNderstand the Global impact of Severe Acute respiratory FailurE study was an international, multicenter, prospective cohort study of patients with severe respiratory failure, conduc...

Obesity appears to be an independent risk factor for ICU admission and a severe disease course in COVID-19 patients. An aberrant inflammatory response and impaired respiratory function have been suggested as underlying mechanisms. We investigated whether obesity is associated with differences in inflammatory, respiratory, and clinical outcome param...

Infectious complications occur frequently after esophagectomy. Selective decontamination of the digestive tract (SDD) has been shown to reduce postoperative infections and anastomotic leakage in gastrointestinal surgery, but robust evidence for esophageal surgery is lacking. The aim was to evaluate the association between SDD and pneumonia, surgica...

Selective digestive decontamination (SDD) reduces the rate of infection and improves the outcomes of patients admitted to an intensive care unit (ICU). A risk associated with its use is the development of multi-drug-resistant organisms. We hypothesized that a 1-day reduction in systemic antimicrobial exposure in the SDD regimen would not affect the...

Background We previously developed proxy indicators (PIs) that can be used to estimate the appropriateness of medications used for infectious diseases (in particular antibiotics) in primary care, based on routine reimbursement data that do not include clinical indications. Objectives To: (i) select the PIs that are relevant for children and estima...

Background Expiratory muscle weakness leads to difficult ventilator weaning. Maintaining their activity with functional electrical stimulation (FES) may improve outcome. We studied feasibility of breath-synchronized expiratory population muscle FES in a mixed ICU population (“Holland study”) and pooled data with our previous work (“Australian study...

Background: Antibiotic resistance is an increasing threat to public health globally. Indicators on antibiotic prescribing are required to guide antibiotic stewardship interventions in nursing homes. However, such indicators are not available in the literature. Our main objective was to provide a set of quantity metrics and proxy indicators to esti...

Background In most countries, including France, data on clinical indications for outpatient antibiotic prescriptions are not available, making it impossible to assess appropriateness of antibiotic use at prescription level.AimOur objectives were to: (i) propose proxy indicators (PIs) to estimate appropriateness of antibiotic use at general practiti...

Objective: Chloroquine has been frequently administered for treatment of coronavirus disease 2019 but there are serious concerns about its efficacy and cardiac safety. Our objective was to investigate the pharmacokinetics and safety of chloroquine in hospitalized COVID-19 patients. Design: A prospective observational study. Setting: Dutch hospitals...

PurposeThe DIANA study aimed to evaluate how often antimicrobial de-escalation (ADE) of empirical treatment is performed in the intensive care unit (ICU) and to estimate the effect of ADE on clinical cure on day 7 following treatment initiation.Methods Adult ICU patients receiving empirical antimicrobial therapy for bacterial infection were studied...

The objective of the present study was to develop a dosing algorithm for ciprofloxacin based on both renal function and pathogen susceptibility in critically ill patients. In this observational prospective multi-center pharmacokinetic study a total of 39 adult intensive care unit patients receiving ciprofloxacin were included. On two occasions a to...

At the end of March 2020, there were in excess of 800.000 confirmed cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) worldwide. Several reports suggest that, in severe cases, COVID-19 may cause a hyperinflammatory 'cytokine storm'. However, unlike SARS-CoV infection, high levels of anti-inflammatory mediators have also been reported in COVID-19 patient...

Central venous catheters (CVCs) are an indispensable means of intravascular access in the treatment of critically ill patients. Infections associated with these catheters occur most frequently in intensive care unit settings. Despite the successful implementation of infection prevention programs, CVC-associated infections remain relatively common....

Background: Our aim in this study was to develop quality indicators (QIs) for outpatient parenteral antimicrobial therapy (OPAT) care that can be used as metrics for quality assessment and improvement. Methods: A RAND-modified Delphi procedure was used to develop a set of QIs. Recommendations on appropriate OPAT care in adults were retrieved fro...

Antimicrobial de-escalation (ADE) is defined as the discontinuation of one or more components of combination empirical therapy, and/or the change from a broad-spectrum to a narrower spectrum antimicrobial. It is most commonly recommended in the intensive care unit (ICU) patient who is treated with broad-spectrum antibiotics as a strategy to reduce...

Objective: To examine the extent to which acute care hospitals in the Netherlands have adopted recommended practices to prevent catheter-associated urinary tract infection (CAUTI), central line-associated bloodstream infection (CLABSI), ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP), and Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI). Methods: Between 18 July...

Background: The objective of this study was to assess the cumulative incidence of invasive candidiasis (IC) in intensive care units (ICUs) in Europe. Methods: A multinational, multicenter, retrospective study was conducted in 23 ICUs in 9 European countries, representing the first phase of the candidemia/intra-abdominal candidiasis in European I...

Background Antimicrobial de-escalation (ADE) is a strategy of antimicrobial stewardship, aiming at preventing the emergence of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) by decreasing the exposure to broad-spectrum antimicrobials. There is no high-quality research on ADE and its effects on AMR. Its definition varies and there is little evidence-based guidance...

Aim The aim of this study is to investigate which factors contribute to anastomotic leakage severity and to compose an evidence based anastomotic leakage severity score. Secondly, we aim to investigate which anastomotic leakage characteristics are associated with success of different anastomotic leakage treatments and to compare the effectiveness o...

Antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) and Infection prevention and control (IPC) are two key complementary strategies that combat development and spread of antimicrobial resistance. The ESGAP (ESCMID Study Group for AMS), EUCIC (European Committee on Infection Control) and TAE (Trainee Association of ESCMID) investigated how AMS and IPC activities and tr...

Objective: We aimed to evaluate the current state of antibiotic stewardship (ABS) in French public and private acute care hospitals. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional online questionnaire survey. The selection of participating hospitals was performed through a stratified random sampling procedure among all French public and private hospita...

Background: Staphylococcus aureus bacteraemia (SAB) is a serious and often fatal infectious disease. The quality of management of SAB is modifiable and can thus affect the outcome. Quality indicators (QIs) can be used to measure the quality of care of the various aspects of SAB management in hospitals, enabling professionals to identify targets fo...

Antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) and Infection prevention and control (IPC) are two key complementary strategies that combat development and spread of antimicrobial resistance. The ESGAP (ESCMID Study Group for AMS), EUCIC (European Committee on Infection Control) and TAE (Trainee Association of ESCMID) investigated how AMS and IPC activities and tr...

Antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) and Infection prevention and control (IPC) are two key complementary strategies that combat development and spread of antimicrobial resistance. The ESGAP (ESCMID Study Group for AMS), EUCIC (European Committee on Infection Control) and TAE (Trainee Association of ESCMID) investigated how AMS and IPC activities and tr...

Antimicrobial stewardship programmes (ASPs) are designed to improve antibiotic use. A survey was systematically developed to assess ASP prerequisites, objectives and improvement strategies in hospitals. This study assessed the current state of ASPs in acute-care hospitals throughout Europe. A survey containing 46 questions was disseminated to acute...

Background: Severe acute pancreatitis is marked by organ failure and (peri)pancreatic necrosis with local complications such as infected necrosis. Infection of these necrotic collections together with organ failure remain the major causes of admission to an intensive care unit (ICU) in acute pancreatitis. Appropriate treatment of infected necrosis...

Purpose Enteral feeding intolerance (EFI) is a frequent problem in the intensive care unit (ICU), but current prokinetic agents have uncertain efficacy and safety profiles. The current study compared the efficacy and safety of ulimorelin, a ghrelin agonist, with metoclopramide in the treatment of EFI. Methods One hundred twenty ICU patients were r...

A cornerstone of antimicrobial stewardship programs (ASPs) is monitoring quantitative antibiotic use. Frequently used metrics are defined daily dose (DDD) and days of therapy (DOT). The purpose of this study was (1) to explore for the hospital setting the possibilities of quantitative data retrieval on the level of medical specialty and (2) to desc...

Introduction Extensive antibiotic use makes the intensive care unit (ICU) an important focus for antibiotic stewardship programs. The aim of this study was to develop a set of actionable quality indicators for appropriate antibiotic use at ICUs and an implementation toolbox, which can be used to assess and improve the appropriateness of antibiotic...

Objectives Current outpatient parenteral antimicrobial therapy (OPAT) guidelines recommend delivering patient-centred care. However, little is known about what patients define as good quality of OPAT care and what their needs and preferences are. The aim of this qualitative study is to explore the patients’ perspective on high-quality care, and to...

The clinical course of Bacillus cereus bacteraemia can be severe in the subset of patients that are immunocompromised, such as patients after chemotherapy for haematological malignancy. Haematogenous spread with central nervous system complications such as cerebral abscesses can occur. We report two patients who developed B. cereus bacteraemia afte...

What we already know about this topic: Hospital mortality in acute respiratory distress syndrome is approximately 40%, but mortality and trajectory in "mild" acute respiratory distress syndrome (classified only since 2012) are unknown, and many cases are not detected WHAT THIS ARTICLE TELLS US THAT IS NEW: Approximately 80% of cases of mild acute...

Background: The burden of antimicrobial resistance in healthcare settings is especially prevalent at the intensive care unit (ICU). It is important that physicians and nurses appropriately use antibiotics and adhere to antibiotic use recommendations to conserve currently available antibiotics. Methods: A retrospective analysis of patients’ medical...

Antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) is the cornerstone activity in the combat against antimicrobial resistance. In order to ensure sustainable deployment and development of AMS, a strategic and regulatory framework needs to be provided by national healthcare authorities. Experts from 32 European countries, Israel and Turkey were invited to participate...

Antibiotic resistance is a growing threat to global public health. The WHO Global Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance recommends engaging multisectoral stakeholders to tackle the issue. However, so far, few studies have addressed barriers to antibiotic development, equitable availability and responsible antibiotic use from the perspective of st...

Background: Stewardship guidelines define three essential building blocks for successful hospital antimicrobial stewardship programmes (ASPs): stewardship prerequisites, stewardship objectives and improvement strategies. Objectives: We systematically developed a survey, based on these building blocks, to evaluate the current state of antimicrobi...

Scope: Antimicrobial stewardship teams (stewardship teams) are responsible for implementing antimicrobial stewardship programs (ASP). However, in many countries lack of funding challenges this obligation. A consensus procedure was performed to investigate which structural activities need to be performed by Dutch stewardship teams and how much time...

Introduction Notre objectif était d’évaluer la mise en place effective des programmes de bon usage des antibiotiques (PBUA) dans les établissements de santé (ES) français. Matériels et méthodes Les référents en antibiothérapie ont été invités à participer à une enquête en ligne (questionnaire comprenant 111 questions), ouverte de novembre 2017 à f...

Objectives: Quality indicators (QIs) assessing the appropriateness of antibiotic use are essential to identify targets for improvement and guide antibiotic stewardship interventions. The aim of this study was to develop a set of QIs for the outpatient setting from a global perspective. Methods: A systematic literature review was performed by sea...

Background: Quantifying antibiotic use is an essential element of antibiotic stewardship since it allows comparison between different settings and time windows, and measurement of the impact of interventions. However, quantity metrics (QMs) and methods have not been standardized. Objectives: To propose a set of QMs for antibiotic use in inpatien...

Background: The international Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI) project DRIVE-AB (Driving Reinvestment in Research and Development and Responsible Antibiotic Use) aims to develop a global definition of 'responsible' antibiotic use. Objectives: To identify consensually validated quantity metrics for antibiotic use in the outpatient setting....

Background: This study was conducted as part of the Driving Reinvestment in Research and Development and Responsible Antibiotic Use (DRIVE-AB) project and aimed to develop generic quality indicators (QIs) for responsible antibiotic use in the inpatient setting. Methods: A RAND-modified Delphi method was applied. First, QIs were identified by a s...

Background Quantifying antibiotic use is an essential element of antibiotic stewardship since it allows comparison between different settings and time windows, and measurement of the impact of interventions. However, quantity metrics (QMs) and methods have not been standardized. Objectives To propose a set of QMs for antibiotic use in inpatients (I...

Background This study was conducted as part of the Driving Reinvestment in Research and Development and Responsible Antibiotic Use (DRIVE-AB) project and aimed to develop generic quality indicators (QIs) for responsible antibiotic use in the inpatient setting. Methods A RAND-modified Delphi method was applied. First, QIs were identified by a system...

Background: This global survey will provide global expert ranking of the most urgent multidrug bacteria present at the intensive care units (ICU) that have become a threat in daily clinical practice. We believe efforts on education, investigation, funding and development of new antimicrobials or new antimicrobial approach should be directed in near...

The Dutch Working Party on Antibiotic Policy in collaboration with the Dutch Association of Chest Physicians, the Dutch Society for Intensive Care and the Dutch College of General Practitioners have updated their evidence-based guidelines on the diagnosis and treatment of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) in adults who present to the hospital. Thi...

Background: The use of the term "antimicrobial stewardship" (AMS) has grown exponentially in recent years, typically referring to programmes and interventions that aim to optimise antimicrobial use. Although AMS originated within human healthcare, it is increasingly applied in broader contexts including animal health and One Health. As the use of...

Background The Dutch Working Party on Antibiotic Policy is developing a national antimicrobial stewardship registry. This registry will report both the quality of antibiotic use in hospitals in the Netherlands and the stewardship activities employed. It is currently unclear which aspects of the quality of antibiotic use are monitored by antimicrobi...

Background: Timely switch from intravenous (iv) antibiotics to oral therapy is a key component of antimicrobial stewardship programs in order to improve patient safety, promote early discharge and reduce costs. We have introduced a time-efficient and easily implementable intervention that relies on a computerized trigger tool, which identifies pat...

Background: A variety of indicators is commonly used to monitor antibiotic prescriptions as part of national antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) programmes. Objectives: To make an inventory of indicators that assess antibiotic prescriptions and are linked to specific targets and incentives, at a national level. Methods: A cross-sectional survey (t...