CoNS is the main cause of catheter-related bloodstream infections (CRBSI). Current guidelines recommend catheter withdrawal followed by antibiotics for at least 5 days. We aimed to assess the ...efficacy and safety of a shorter course of antibiotherapy in patients with CoNS CRBSI. All proven cases of CoNS CRBSI at our institution (Jan 12/Dec 17) were retrospectively analysed. Comparison of clinical characteristics and outcomes between patients receiving a short (SC ≤ 3 days) versus long antibiotic course (LC > 3 days) was performed. Cox regression models predicting the risk for complications (including propensity score PS for treatment assignment as covariate) were designed to adjust baseline differences among both treatment groups. A total of 79 cases were included. Most patients (75.9%) showed clinical response at day 7 after catheter removal. Complications occurred in 3.8% (three cases of septic thrombophlebitis) with no cases of endocarditis. Microbiological relapse (MR) occurred in 13 patients (16.5%). SC and LC were administered to 25 (31.6%) and 54 (68.4%) patients, respectively, with no significant differences in MR-free survival between SC and LC groups (87.8 vs 86.3%;
P
= 0.6). In PS-adjusted Cox regression analyses, a tunnelled catheter as the source of CRBSI was the only independent risk factor for MR (hazard ratio, 5.71; 95% confidence interval, 1.6–21) whereas the duration of therapy had no apparent impact. Shortening antibiotic therapy to ≤ 3 days is not associated with a poorer outcome or a greater risk of MR in patients with CoNS CRBI with catheter withdrawal.
The randomized clinical trial (RCT) is the ideal and mandatory type of study to verify the effect and safety of a drug. Our aim is to examine the fundamental characteristics of interventional ...clinical trials on influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). This is a cross-sectional study of RCTs on influenza and RSV in humans between 2014 and 2021 registered in ClinicalTrials.gov. A total of 516 studies were identified: 94 for RSV, 423 for influenza, and 1 for both viruses. There were 51 RCTs of RSV vaccines (54.3%) and 344 (81.3%) for influenza virus vaccines (
< 0.001). Twelve (12.8%) RCTs for RSV were conducted only with women, and 6 were conducted only with pregnant women; for RCTs for influenza, 4 (0.9%) and 3, respectively. For RSV, 29 (31%) of the RCTs were exclusive to people under 5 years of age, and 21 (5%) for influenza virus (
< 0.001). For RSV, there are no RCTs exclusively for people older than or equal to 65 years and no phase 4 trials. RCTs on influenza virus and RSV has focused on vaccines. For the influenza virus, research has been consolidated, and for RSV, research is still in the development phase and directed at children and pregnant women.
•Multi-resistance is an emerging health problem that requires new approach strategies.•Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections have a high mortality rate and require a quick and effective approach.•The ...development of risk scores is a useful tool for the management of infectious pathology.•Antibiotic management in infectious diseases is a challenge for therapeutic success and for caring for the local ecology.
Multidrug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa (MDR-PSA) constitutes an emerging health problem. A predictive score of MDR-PSA infection would allow an early adaptation of empirical antibiotic therapy.
We performed a single-centre case-control (1:2) retrospective study including 100 patients with MDR-PSA and 200 with a non–MDR-PSA infection. Cases and controls were matched by site of infection, clinical characteristics and immunosuppression. A point risk score for prediction of MDR-PSA infection was derived from a logistic regression model. Secondary outcomes (clinical improvement, complications and discharge) were also compared.
Cases with MDR-PSA infection were younger than controls (67.5 vs. 73.0 y; P = 0.031) and have more frequent cirrhosis (9% vs. 2%; P = 0.005). Independent risk factors for MDR-PSA infection were prior antibiotic treatment (80% vs. 50.5%; P < 0.001), prior colonisation with MDR bacteria (41% vs. 13.5%; P < 0.001), hospital-acquired infection (63% vs. 47%; P = 0.009) and septic shock at diagnosis (33% vs. 14%; P < 0.001). Adequate therapy was less frequent in MDR-PSA infections (31% vs. 66.5% for empirical therapy; P < 0.001). The risk score included: previous MDR-PSA isolation (11 points), prior antibiotic use (3 points), hospital-acquired infection (2 points) and septic shock at diagnosis (2 points). It showed an area under the curve of 0.755 (95% CI: 0.70–0.81) and allowed to classify individual risk into various categories: 0–2 points (<20%), 3–5 points (25%–45%), 7–11 points (55%–60%), 13–16 points (75%–87%) and a maximum of 18 points (93%).
Infections due to MDR-PSA have a poorer prognosis than those produced by non-MDR-PSA. Our score could guide empirical therapy for MDR-PSA when P. aeruginosa is isolated.
Information regarding the incidence and characteristics of COVID-19 pneumonia amongst pregnant women is scarce.
Single-centre experience with 32 pregnant women diagnosed with COVID-19 between March 5 ...to April 5, 2020 at Madrid, Spain.
COVID-19 pneumonia was diagnosed in 61·5% (32/52) women. Only 18·7% (6/32) had some underlying condition (mostly asthma). Supplemental oxygen therapy was required in 18 patients (56·3%), with high-flow requirements in six (18·7%). Eight patients (25·0%) fulfilled the criteria for acute distress respiratory syndrome. Invasive mechanical ventilation was required in two patients (6·2%). Tocilizumab was administered in five patients (15·6%). Delivery was precipitated due to COVID-19 in three women (9·4%). All the newborns had a favourable outcome, with no cases of neonatal SARS-CoV-2 transmission. Severe cases of pneumonia requiring supplemental oxygen were more likely to exhibit bilateral alveolar or interstitial infiltrates on chest X-ray (55·6% vs. 0·0%; P-value = 0·003) and serum C-reactive protein (CRP) levels >10 mg/dL (33·0% vs. 0·0%; P-value = 0·05) at admission than those with no oxygen requirements.
Pregnant women with COVID-19 have a high risk of developing pneumonia, with a severe course in more than half of cases. The presence of bilateral kung infiltrates and elevated serum CRP at admission may identify women at-risk of severe COVID-19 pneumonia.
Instituto de Salud Carlos III (COV20/00,181), Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation.
The aim of this study was to review recent data evaluating the duration of antibiotic therapy in central venous catheter-related bloodstream infection (CRBSI) due to Gram-negative bacilli (GNB).
...CRBSI is the most common complication associated with the use of intravascular catheters. CRBSI directly contributes to increase additional days of hospitalization, morbidity and therefore economic costs.The incidence of GNB CRBSI has been increasing considerably in the last years; this has raised a concern due to the high reported rate of multi drug resistant bacteria in these infections what poses a considerable challenge for effective treatment. However, there are no specific guidelines for management of GNB-CRBSI and optimal treatment duration has not been clearly defined.Recent studies evaluating the impact of the duration of antibiotic therapy of GNB-CRBSI have shown that short-course antibiotic therapy might be as effective as long-course therapy once the central venous catheter (CVC) has been removed.
CRBSI due to GNB has shown a rapid increase in the last years. Current guidelines recommend antibiotic treatment for at least 7-14 days, although no randomized clinical trials have evaluated the optimal duration of antibiotic therapy for GNB-CRBSI. Recent data suggest that administration of appropriate antibiotic therapy for 7 days or less may be as well tolerated and effective as longer courses in episodes of GNB-CRBSI, once the CVC has been removed.
Nebulized devices are commonly used in the treatment of respiratory infection, and other respiratory diseases. It has been reported nosocomial infections in cystic fibrosis patients as a result of ...the use of contaminated devices. However, little is known about nosocomial infections secondary to aerosolized therapy in COPD patients admitted for acute exacerbation.
Thirty consecutive patients (13 males) were included. All of them received aerosolized medication. Each patient used their own facemask and nebulizer cup, which were stored in the room after its use. Samples from nebulizer cups were obtained on days 0, 4 and 7. In addition, sputum samples were obtained on day 0 (prior to any nebulization) and on day 7, and cultivated in enriched media.
Only nine nebulizer cups had positive microbiological cultures. Coagulase negative staphylococci (CoNS) were isolated in all cases. Sputum samples could be obtained in 27 patients. None grew CoNS after 7 days of aerosolized therapy. Gram-negative non-fermenting bacilli were isolated in three patients without concomitant grown in nebulizer cups.
We did not find any nosocomial infection related to aerosolize medications in COPD patients admitted for acute exacerbation.
The objective of the present study was to evaluate the value of the PCR cycle threshold (
) for predicting the recurrence/severity of infection compared to that of toxin detection plus clinical ...variables. First episodes of
infection (CDI) diagnosed during 2015 at our institution were included. Samples were tested for glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH) and toxin A/B by use of a single enzyme immunoassay (EIA). The Xpert
PCR assay was performed on GDH-positive samples. Medical data were reviewed by investigators blinded to diagnostic results for comparison of patients with and without recurrence or a poor outcome (severe/severe-complicated CDI episodes and all-cause death). We generated two sets of predictive models by incorporating the presence of a positive toxin EIA ("EIA-including model") or the optimal PCR
cutoff value ("PCR-including model") into the clinical variables. Among 227 episodes of CDI included in the study, the rates of recurrence and poor outcome were 15.8% and 30.8%, respectively. The mean PCR
was lower for episodes with recurrence (24.00 ± 3.28 versus 26.02 ± 4.54;
= 0.002) or a poor outcome (24.9 ± 4.24 versus 26.05 ± 4.47;
= 0.07). The optimal cutoff value for recurrence was 25.65 (sensitivity, 77.8% 95% confidence interval {CI}, 60.9 to 89.9; and specificity, 46.6% 95% CI, 39.4 to 53.9). The area under the receiver operator characteristics curve (auROC) for the "PCR-including model" was similar to that for the "EIA-including model" (0.785 versus 0.775, respectively). The optimal PCR
value for poor outcome was 27.55 (sensitivity, 78.6% 95% CI, 67.1 to 87.5; and specificity, 35.7% 95% CI, 28.2 to 43.7). The auROC of the "PCR-including model" was again similar to that of the "EIA-including model" (0.804 versus 0.801). Despite the inverse correlation between PCR
and the risk of CDI recurrence/severity, this determination does not meaningfully increase the predictive value of clinical variables plus toxin EIA.
Cognitive dysfunction is regarded as one of the most severe aftereffects following coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Eye movements, controlled by various brain regions, including the dorsolateral ...prefrontal cortex and frontal-thalamic circuits, offer a potential metric for evaluating cognitive dysfunction. We aimed to examine the utility of eye movement measurements in identifying cognitive impairments in long COVID patients.
We recruited 40 long COVID patients experiencing subjective cognitive complaints and 40 healthy controls and used a certified eye-tracking medical device to record saccades and antisaccades. Machine learning was applied to enhance the analysis of eye movement data.
Patients did not differ from the healthy controls regarding age, sex, and years of education. However, the patients' Montreal Cognitive Assessment total score was significantly lower than healthy controls. Most eye movement parameters were significantly worse in patients: the latencies, gain, and velocity of visually and memory-guided saccades, the number of correct memory saccades, the latencies and duration of reflexive saccades, and the number of errors in the antisaccade test. Machine learning permitted distinguishing between long COVID patients experiencing subjective cognitive complaints and healthy controls.
Our findings suggest impairments in frontal subcortical circuits in long COVID patients experiencing subjective cognitive complaints. Eye-tracking, combined with machine learning, offers a novel, efficient way to assess and monitor long COVID patients' cognitive dysfunctions, suggesting its utility in clinical settings for early detection and personalized treatment strategies. Further research is needed to determine the long-term implications of these findings and the reversibility of cognitive dysfunctions.
Leuconostoc spp. are facultatively anaerobic Gram-positive cocci involved in cases of hospital-acquired bacteremia, mainly in immunocompromised hosts. The available data is scarce due to its uncommon ...presentation.
We describe all the episodes of Leuconostoc spp. bacteremia in a third level hospital in a 13-year period (2008–2021).
Four cases of clinically relevant bacteremia were detected. All cases were categorized as catheter-related. The following risk factors were found: previous glycopeptide therapy (75%), use of parenteral nutrition (100%) and cancer (75%). All isolates showed susceptibility to beta-lactams. Catheter removal was performed and wide spectrum antimicrobials were administered, with clinical response in all cases except one.
Apart from cancer and glycopeptide exposure, disruption of skin barrier and gastrointestinal conditions were identified as risk factors, as it was concordantly underlined in other case series. Susceptibility to beta-lactams is usually maintained. Catheter removal and administration of an active antibacterial therapy seem to be the best approach for Leuconostoc spp. catheter-related bacteremia.
Los microorganismos del género Leuconostoc son cocos grampositivos anaerobios facultativos, involucrados en casos de bacteriemia en pacientes hospitalizados, especialmente con factores de inmunosupresión. La literatura disponible es escasa por su baja frecuencia.
Describimos todos los episodios de bacteriemia por Leuconostoc spp. en un hospital de tercer nivel en un periodo de 13 años (2008-2021).
Se detectaron 4 aislamientos clínicamente significativos. Todos ellos fueron categorizados como bacteriemia relacionada con catéter. Se identificaron como factores de riesgo: la exposición previa a glucopéptidos (75%), nutrición parenteral (100%) y cáncer (75%). Todos los aislamientos presentaron sensibilidad a betalactámicos. Se procedió a retirada del catéter y se administraron antimicrobianos de amplio espectro con buena respuesta clínica, salvo en un caso.
Además del cáncer y la exposición a glucopéptidos, la disrupción de la barrera cutánea y las enfermedades gastrointestinales se identificaron como factores de riesgo, al igual que en otras series. La sensibilidad a betalactámicos suele mantenerse. La retirada del catéter y el uso de terapia antibiótica activa parece ser la mejor alternativa terapéutica para la bacteriemia relacionada con catéter por Leuconostoc spp.
PDF
