The Clinical Utility of MRSA Nasal Screening to Rule Out MRSA Pneumonia

The Clinical Utility of MRSA Nasal Screening to Rule Out MRSA Pneumonia

Nares screening for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) had a high specificity and NPV for ruling out MRSA pneumonia, particularly in cases of CAP/HCAP. Based on the NPV, MRSA nares screening is a valuable... read more

Empirical Anti-MRSA Therapy Not Associated with Reduced Mortality for Patients with Pneumonia

Empirical Anti-MRSA Therapy Not Associated with Reduced Mortality for Patients with Pneumonia

This study suggests that empirical anti-MRSA therapy was not associated with reduced mortality for any group of patients hospitalized for pneumonia. These results contribute to a growing body of evidence that questions the... read more

ICU Bloodstream Infections Reduced by 80 Percent

ICU Bloodstream Infections Reduced by 80 Percent

Bloodstream infections acquired in UK Intensive Care Units (ICUs) reduced by 80% between 2007 and 2012, according to research funded by Biomedical Research Centres (BRC). The findings are based on data collected from over... read more

Preventing Surgical Site Infections Related to Abdominal Drains in the ICU

Preventing Surgical Site Infections Related to Abdominal Drains in the ICU

Surgical site infections are significant contributors to health care–associated infections. Nursing interventions may help decrease the incidence of surgical site infections, particularly in regards to the management of... read more

Environment key battle ground in fight to tackle antibiotic resistance

Environment key battle ground in fight to tackle antibiotic resistance

The environment could be as important a battle ground as the clinic in the global fight against the spread of antibiotic resistance, new research has shown. A study conducted at the University of Exeter Medical School concluded... read more

Antibiotics, Immunosuppressive Drugs and the Downfall of the Human Immune System

Antibiotics, Immunosuppressive Drugs and the Downfall of the Human Immune System

Today I'll discuss two more factors that can debilitate the human immune system (allowing the microbiome to better cause disease). They are antibiotics (when used too frequently) and immunosuppressive drugs: two of the most... read more

Does De-escalation of Anti-MRSA Therapy for Culture-negative Pneumonia Affect Patient Outcomes?

Does De-escalation of Anti-MRSA Therapy for Culture-negative Pneumonia Affect Patient Outcomes?

Nosocomial pneumonia is a common hospital-acquired infection and has a high mortality rate in the critically ill. Because drug-resistant bacteria like Pseudomonas aeruginosa and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus... read more

You Can Get Sick From Germs on Hospital Floors

When you enter the hospital, probably the last thing that you’re thinking about is the floors. However, an emerging body of research suggests that hospital floors are covered with bacteria and could serve as a potential... read more

Six Reasons to Avoid Fluoroquinolones in the Critically Ill

Six Reasons to Avoid Fluoroquinolones in the Critically Ill

As an internal medicine resident and pulmonary/critical care fellow, I loved fluoroquinolones. They were effective, easy to prescribe, and had 100% oral bioavailability. However, working full-time in the ICU has forced me... read more

Rapid Diagnosis of MRSA

Rapid Diagnosis of MRSA

Current standard laboratory methods for detection of oxacillin resistance require for isolation, identification, and susceptibility testing at least 48–72 h, although the multiplex PCR assay used is a rapid, sensitive,... read more

MRSA Protocols – Methods in Molecular Biology

MRSA Protocols – Methods in Molecular Biology

Presenting the most up-to-date techniques for the detection, genotyping, and investigation of methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA), this second edition of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) Protocols collects... read more

Utility of Adjunct Antibiotics After I+D – Systematic Review + Meta-Analysis

Utility of Adjunct Antibiotics After I+D – Systematic Review + Meta-Analysis

Skin and soft tissue abscesses are a common emergency department (ED) presentation. The approach to management has changed little in recent decades: incision and drainage (I+D) and then discharge home with follow up. However,... read more

The Next Generation of Doctors May be Learning Bad Habits at Teaching Hospitals with Many Safety Violations

The Next Generation of Doctors May be Learning Bad Habits at Teaching Hospitals with Many Safety Violations

Teaching hospitals like Jackson South, located in metro Miami, are where physician trainees get practice treating patients. They prepare the next generation of doctors, and they have a reputation as places of cutting-edge... read more

Trends and Patterns of Antibiotic Consumption in China

Trends and Patterns of Antibiotic Consumption in China

The consumption of antibiotics is a major driver in the development of antimicrobial resistance. This study aims to identify the trends and patterns of the total antibiotic consumption in China’s tertiary hospitals from... read more