Penicillin Allergy

An intervention involving an educational session and electronic medical record changes resulted in a mean increase of 19.6% in referrals for confirmatory testing among patients with a listed penicillin allergy, data show.

National Penicillin Allergy Day is Sept. 28, which acknowledges the day in 1928 when Sir Alexander Fleming, FRS, FRSE, FRCS, discovered that Penicillium mold secretes an antibacterial substance.

Patients with penicillin allergy had a higher risk for worse COVID-19 outcomes, according to study results published in The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: In Practice.

Amoxicillin, an oral semisynthetic penicillin, is the most common antibiotic associated with childhood medication allergies.

The number of inpatients with a penicillin allergy label at a children’s hospital approached 9%, according to results from a retrospective chart review presented at SHM Converge — the virtual meeting of the Society of Hospital Medicine.

Antibiotic stewardship may increase preferred prophylaxis and cefazolin use in patients with non-severe penicillin allergies who undergo total joint arthroplasty, according to recently presented results.

Hospitalized patients who had a documented penicillin allergy had higher odds of receiving “inferior” antibiotics — some that could potentially cause adverse drug events, data published in JAMA Internal Medicine show.

A new point-of-care clinical decision tool, PEN-FAST, may help identify patients with reported penicillin allergies who can safely undergo oral challenges and receive beta-lactam antibiotics without needing formal allergy testing, according to research published in JAMA Internal Medicine.

A pharmacy-driven allergy assessment improved penicillin allergy documentation, increased the use of beta-lactam antibiotics and saved one hospital more than $21,000 over a 3-month period, according to prospective study findings that were presented at the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists Midyear Clinical Meeting and Exhibition.

ORLANDO — Treatment with cefazolin may be safe in patients who report a penicillin allergy, may reduce the rate of infection and provide cost-savings in patients undergoing total joint replacement, according to a presenter at the Current Concepts in Joint Replacement Winter Meeting.