Intra-abdominal infection (IAI) results in prolonged in-hospital length-of-stay, critical care unit requirements, and multiple surgical procedures. Several antimicrobial agents are available for ...treatment of IAI. In Colombia, there are no data on the comparative effectiveness of the different regimens used.
A multicenter retrospective cohort study was completed in four third-level hospitals by comparing treatment effectiveness of five different antibiotic protocols (ampicillin-sulbactam, clindamycin-amikacin, piperacillin-tazobactam, amikacin-metronidazole, and cefuroxime-metronidazole) in patients with a diagnosis of IAI. Analysis was based on a composed outcome of therapeutic failure (change of antibiotic because of no clinical improvement, requirement of surgical re-intervention, post-operative infection, change of antibiotic because of antimicrobial resistance, and in-hospital mortality). Association of each antibiotic protocol to therapeutic failure was assessed through logistic regression analysis.
Five hundred ninety-three individuals were included. Two hundred twenty-nine were prescribed ampicillin-sulbactam; 170, clindamycin-amikacin; 77, amikacin-metronidazole; 83, piperacillin-tazobactam; and 34, cefuroxime-metronidazole. Therapeutic failure rate was 22%. Multivariable analysis showed none of the evaluated antibiotic protocols had an association with the primary outcome. Variables having an association for higher risk were age >70 years old (odds ratio OR, 2.08; 95% confidence interval CI, 1.04-4.18); complicated IAI (OR, 3.36; 95% CI, 1.4-8.07); and World Society of Emergency Surgery (WSES) Sepsis Severity Score (OR, 1.31; 95% CI, 1.18-1.45). Adequate source control (OR, 0.16; 95% CI, 0.05-0.45) and hospitalization at Health Center 2 (OR, 0.30; 95% CI, 0.14-0.63) were identified as protective factors.
There are no differences between the rate of therapeutic failure among the different antibiotic protocols evaluated. This outcome depends heavily on risk factors related to disease severity when surgical intervention occurs.
td, th{vertical-align: top;} INTRODUCTION Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) is a well-established procedure for severe symptomatic aortic stenosis. Previously, this procedure was used ...exclusively to treat inoperable and high-risk patients but is now a common approach for intermediate and low-risk populations. In parallel, there has been growing global experience in several off-label scenarios, as in bicuspid, valve-in-valve, and noncalcified aortic regurgitation (NCAR).1 AORTIC REGURGITATION Due to abnormalities in the aortic leaflets or their supporting structures (ie, aortic root and annulus), or both, aortic regurgitation (AR) causes diastolic reflux of blood from the aorta into the left ventricle (LV). This leads to LV volume overload and dilatation, allowing the ejection of a larger stroke volume. However, over time, it results in a decline in systolic function causing symptoms conferring a poor prognosis.2 Current European and American guidelines recommend surgical intervention when significant AR is accompanied by symptoms, reduced LV ejection fraction, or severe LV dilatation.3-4 Although moderate or severe AR affects around 2.2% of the population aged 70 years or older, up to 30% of these individuals are deemed inoperable due to advanced age or comorbidities, with percutaneous options-including dedicated and nondedicated devices-gaining increased interest due to the absence of safe...
Mechanical complications following a myocardial infarction are uncommon, but with dramatic consequences and high mortality. The left ventricle is the most often affected cardiac chamber and ...complications can be classified according to the timing in early (from days to first weeks) or late complications (from weeks to years). Despite the decrease in the incidence of these complications thank to primary percutaneous coronary intervention programs —wherever this option is available—, the mortality is still significant and these infrequent complications are an emergent scenario and one of the most important causes of mortality at short term in patients with myocardial infarction. Mechanical circulatory support devices, especially if minimally invasive implantation is used avoiding thoracotomy, have improved the prognosis of these patients by providing stability until definitive treatment can be applied. On the other hand, the growing experience in transcatheter interventions for the treatment of ventricular septal rupture or acute mitral regurgitation has been associated to an improvement in their results, even though prospective clinical evidence is still missing.
Las complicaciones mecánicas posteriores a un infarto agudo de miocardio no son comunes, pero tienen consecuencias dramáticas y potencialmente letales. El ventrículo izquierdo se ve afectado con mayor frecuencia y las complicaciones se clasifican, según su inicio después del evento primario, en tempranas (de días a semanas después) y tardías (de semanas hasta años). A pesar de que la incidencia de estas complicaciones se ha reducido en la era de la angioplastia primaria —allá donde está disponible—, la mortalidad sigue siendo significativa y, aunque estas complicaciones se consideran poco frecuentes, suponen una emergencia y son una importante causa de mortalidad a corto plazo. Los dispositivos de asistencia circulatoria mecánica, en especial implantados de forma mínimamente invasiva y sin necesidad de toracotomía, han mejorado el pronóstico de estos pacientes al facilitar su estabilidad hasta que se pueda aplicar el tratamiento definitivo. Por otro lado, la creciente experiencia en intervenciones percutáneas para el tratamiento de la rotura del septo interauricular y la insuficiencia mitral aguda se ha asociado con una aparente mejora en sus resultados que aún precisa de la obtención de evidencia prospectiva.
Several orthotopic transcatheter strategies have been developed to treat severe tricuspid regurgitation (TR); however, many patients are deemed unsuitable. Caval valve implantation with the TricValve ...system addresses this unmet need.
This study sought to determine the impact of TricValve on systemic congestion and quality of life (QOL) at 1 year.
The TRICUS (Safety and Efficacy of the TricValve® Transcatheter Bicaval Valves System in the Superior and Inferior Vena Cava in Patients With Severe Tricuspid Regurgitation) and TRICUS EURO studies were prospective, nonblinded, nonrandomized, single-arm trials representing the early-in-man experience of the TricValve system in NYHA functional class III or IV severe TR patients, optimally medicated and ineligible for open heart surgery, with significant caval backflow. The primary endpoint was QOL metrics and functional status. The 1-year results of the combined cohort are described here.
Forty-four patients were included. Mean age was 76.2 ± 7.5 years, 81.0% were women, and the TRISCORE (risk score model for isolated tricuspid valve surgery) was 5.3 ± 1.3. Clinical improvement at 1 year was achieved in 42 (95.5%) patients, measured by (at least 1 of) an increase in ≥15 points from baseline in 12-item Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire score, improvement to NYHA functional class to I or II, or an increase ≥40 m in the 6-minute walk test. There were 3 (6.8%) deaths at 1-year follow-up (1 cardiovascular), and the heart failure rehospitalization rate was 29.5%. Stent fracture, conduction system disturbances, or clinically significant leaflet thrombosis were not detected. Abolished hepatic vein backflow was achieved and persisted in 63.8% of the patients, contributing towards a reduction in congestive symptoms, N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide levels (P = 0.032), and diuretic treatment.
Caval valve implantation with the TricValve system associated with meaningful 1-year clinical improvements in terms of QOL along with relatively low mortality rates. (TRICUS Study - Safety and Efficacy of the TricValve® Device; NCT03723239).
A seed zone or provenance region is an area within which plants can be moved with little risk of maladaptation because of the low environmental variation. Delineation of seed zones is of great ...importance for commercial plantations and reforestation and restoration programs. In this study, we used AFLP markers associated with environmental variation for locating and delimiting seed zones for two widespread and economically important Mexican pine species (Pinus arizonica Engelm. and P. durangensis Martínez), both based on recent climate conditions and under a predicted climate scenario for 2030 (Representative Concentration Pathway of ~4.5 Wm−2). We expected to observe: (i) associations between seed zones and local climate, soil and geographical factors, and (ii) a meaning latitudinal shift of seed zones, along with a contraction of species distributions for the period 1990–2030 in a northward direction. Some AFLP outliers were significantly associated with spring and winter precipitation, and with phosphorus concentration in the soil. According to the scenario for 2030, the estimated species and seed zone distributions will change both in size and position. Our modeling of seed zones could contribute to reducing the probabilities of maladaptation of future reforestations and plantations with the pine species studied.