Analysis of the Clinical Impact of the BioFire FilmArray Meningitis Encephalitis Panel on Antimicrobial Use and Duration of Therapy at an Academic Medical Center

The purpose of this study was to assess the clinical impact of the BioFire FilmArray Meningitis/Encephalitis (ME) panel on antimicrobial use and clinical outcomes. This retrospective, quasi-experiment evaluated adult and pediatric patients with suspected ME, evidenced by cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) culture. Hospital-acquired meningitis patients and patients who received antimicrobials >48 h prior to lumbar puncture were excluded. The primary endpoint was days of antimicrobial therapy pre- and post-implementation of the ME panel. Secondary endpoints included total length of stay, 30-day readmission, and individual days of antimicrobial therapy. Two hundred and sixty-four total adult and pediatric patients were included. Antimicrobial days of therapy had a median of 3 days (IQR 0−5) in the pre vs. post group with a median of 2 days (2−5) (p = 0.099). Days of therapy for acyclovir were significantly decreased in the post group (median 2 days IQR 1−3 vs. 3 days IQR 2.5−4.5, p = 0.0002). There were no significant differences in the secondary endpoints. Overall, implementation of the ME panel impacted the duration of antimicrobials, particularly acyclovir; however, opportunities for further education regarding antimicrobial de-escalation and utilization of the panel were identified. Antimicrobial stewardship program intervention is critical to maximize benefit of this rapid diagnostic test.