Evidence of clinical impact supports a new petition for Medicare coverage of 18F-FDG-PET/CT in the evaluation of Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia: a focused literature review and call to action

alexandrossfakianakis shared this article with you from Inoreader Evidence of clinical impact supports a new petition for Medicare coverage of 18F-FDG-PET/CT in the evaluation of Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia: a focused literature review and call to action Via Clinical Infectious Diseases Advance Access Abstract Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia (SAB) causes considerable morbidity and mortality and requires comprehensive assessment for metastatic infection. The roles of routine imaging beyond echocardiography in SAB, including 18F-FDG-PET/CT, remain contentious. We performed a literature review of studies reporting impact of 18F-FDG-PET/CT on the clinical management or outcomes of SAB published through 3/1/2022. We identified seven observational studies, in which 18F-FDG-PET/CT frequently identified metastatic foci of infection, revealed foci undetected by prior investigations, led to additional source control procedures, and was associated with fewer infection relapses and lower mortality. Calculated numbers needed to treat (NNTs) for receipt of 18F-FDG-PET/CT were 7-9 to change antimicrobial therapy, 10-27 to lead to an additional source control procedure, and 4-8 to prevent death. These data are comparable to the evidence for clinical impact of other diagnostic modalities accepted as standard of care in SAB, and form a compelling basis for advocacy to expand access to 18F-FDG-PET/CT. View on the web Inoreader. Take back control of your news feed. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.