Tag: infection
Antibiotic Therapy for Severe CAP in the ICU
Researchers have assessed the impact antibiotic therapy on short (hospital) and long-term (6 months) outcomes of ICU patients with severe community-acquired pneumonia. Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) remains one of the... read more
Disinfection Devices in ICU Sinks Dramatically Reduce Superbugs
Putting disinfection devices onto the siphons of sinks can help manage multidrug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa colonization in intensive care units, according to a study published in Journal of Hospital Infection. Researchers... read more
TCR Activation Mimics CD127 low PD-1 high Phenotype and Functional Alterations of T Lymphocytes from Septic Shock Patients
The proportion of CD127lowPD-1high T cells in patients was increased compared with healthy volunteers, although no global CD127 regulation was observed. Our results suggest that TCR activation participates in the occurrence... read more
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
Patient Safety Organization Drives Inpatient Rehabilitation Quality Improvement
The Carolinas Rehabilitation Patient Safety Organization (PSO), which serves 34 freestanding inpatient rehabilitation hospitals and inpatient rehabilitation units, is facilitating the improvement of quality and patient safety... read more
Antibiotics for Sepsis – Finding the Equilibrium
Sepsis is medicine’s last remaining preserve for unrestrained antibiotic prescribing. The Surviving Sepsis Campaign guidelines recommend empirical broad-spectrum therapy within one hour of triage for both sepsis and septic... read more
Low Hand Hygiene Compliance in ICUs
Healthcare workers in intensive care units (ICUs) are regularly missing opportunities to clean their hands during the care of patients, despite its critical importance for infection control, according to new research being... read more
Going Into Hospital Far Riskier Than Flying
Millions of people die each year from medical errors and infections linked to health care and going into hospital is far riskier than flying according to World Health Organization. If you were admitted to hospital tomorrow... read more
Flu Killed Up to 54,800 People This Season
The flu has caused as many as 40.1 million illnesses and 54,800 deaths this season, according to CDC estimates based on the agency's most recent FluView report. During the 2017-18 flu season, an estimated 80,000 people died.... read more
Procalcitonin does not curb antibiotic use for lower respiratory tract infection
In the Procalcitonin Antibiotic Consensus Trial (ProACT), the use of a procalcitonin-guided antibiotic prescription guideline did not result in less exposure to antibiotics than did usual care among patients presenting to... read more
Mobile Devices Are Reservoirs for the Transmission of Nosocomial Pathogens
Global burden of hospital-associated infection (HAI) is on the rise and contributes significantly to morbidity and mortality of the patients. Hundred percent contamination was found in mobile phones and hands of HCWs indicating... read more
Characteristics, risk factors and outcomes of Clostridium difficile infections in Greek ICU
Clostridium difficile is one of the major causes of diarrhea among critically ill patients and its prevalence increases exponentially in relation to the use of antibiotics and medical devices. We sought to investigate the... read more
Clostridium difficile infection in the ICU
About 10% of patients with diarrhea will test positive for CDI. Around 2% of ICU patients develop an episode of CDI. Estimating the severity of CDI is essential for prognosis and therapy. Diagnosis and estimation of disease... read more
Corticosteroids for Treating Pneumonia
Pneumonia remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality in the United States.1 There is both theoretical and laboratory evidence that corticosteroids may have beneficial effects in pneumonia through local pulmonary and... read more
Safety of Early Tracheostomy in Trauma Patients After Anterior Cervical Fusion
Cervical spine injuries (CSIs) can have major effects on the respiratory system and carry a high incidence of pulmonary complications. Respiratory failure can be due to spinal cord injuries, concomitant facial fractures or... read more
A Non-Antibiotic Approach for Treating or Preventing Sepsis
Researchers at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) have tested a compound called cilengitide in a preclinical trial. The drug goes by the brand name InnovoSep. Researchers discover the drug has the potential to... read more
Hospital-acquired Infections – Adding Process Metrics
So far, we've only been looking at metrics that are really big and important. This is certainly a good place to start. To move beyond this, I'd like to introduce the concept of Outcome vs Process Metrics. Outcome Metrics... read more
Effect of Piperacillin-Tazobactam vs Meropenem on 30-Day Mortality for Patients With E coli or Klebsiella pneumoniae Bloodstream Infection and Ceftriaxone Resistance
Among patients with E coli or K pneumoniae bloodstream infection and ceftriaxone resistance, definitive treatment with piperacillin-tazobactam compared with meropenem did not result in a noninferior 30-day mortality. These... read more
Association of Vasopressin Plus Catecholamine Vasopressors vs Catecholamines Alone With Atrial Fibrillation in Patients With Distributive Shock
In this meta-analysis, the addition of vasopressin to catecholamine vasopressors compared with catecholamines alone was associated with a lower risk of atrial fibrillation. However, findings for secondary outcomes varied.... read more
Flu Season May Not Have Peaked, and there’s Another Wave of Severe Infections Underway
Flu activity remains high across the nation, and there's a second wave of severe infections striking some states. There were as many as 26.3 million flu illnesses, 12.4 million medical visits and 347,000 flu hospitalizations... read more
Appropriate Treatment for Bloodstream Infections Due to Carbapenem-Resistant Klebsiella Pneumoniae and Escherichia Coli
Tigecycline monotherapy was a choice if the strains exhibited MIC ≤0.5 mg/L, and colistin monotherapy was not suitable. Our findings can initiate additional clinical studies regarding the efficacy of tigecycline in carbapenem-resistant... read more
Sepsis Test Could Show Results In Minutes
A new rapid test for earlier diagnosis of sepsis is being developed by University of Strathclyde researchers. The device, which has been tested in a laboratory, may be capable of producing results in two-and-a-half minutes,... read more








