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