Tag: infection
Risk Factors at Index Hospitalization Associated With Longer-term Mortality in Adult Sepsis Survivors
In this cohort study of 94 748 adult sepsis survivors, age, male sex, 1 or more severe comorbidities, prehospitalization dependency, nonsurgical status, acute severity of illness, site of infection, and organ dysfunction... read more
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
Placards Do Not Improve Hand Hygiene Adherence
Hand hygiene placards posted in a Denver hospital — including one that featured an image of two eyes looking directly at the viewer with a reminder to clean their hands — did not result in measurable improvements in hand... read more
Addressing Shortcomings in Infection and Sepsis Treatment Should Be Top of the Priority List
Hospitals are increasingly facing the challenge of cutting costs while also improving clinical outcomes. This is certainly true in the infectious disease sector, as unrecognized or ineffectively treated bacterial infections... read more
Closed ICU Model Linked to 100% Reduction in Several HAIs
A closed intensive care unit model, in which a patient is evaluated and admitted under an intensivist and patient care orders are written by ICU staff, can help reduce rates of several healthcare-associated infections (HAI),... read more
Early Sepsis Screening in the Emergency Department
This single-center retrospective analysis shows promising results with NEWS as a screening tool primarily because it can be done at triage and does not require any laboratory evaluation. This study adds to the current knowledge... read more
Sedation Practice in ECMO-Treated Patients with ARDS
Our objective was to characterize sedation management in adult patients with severe respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) treated with venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VV-ECMO). We conducted a retrospective... read more
A Positive Fluid Balance is an Independent Prognostic Factor in Patients with Sepsis
Intravenous fluid administration is an essential component of sepsis management, but a positive fluid balance has been associated with worse prognosis. We analyzed whether a positive fluid balance and its persistence over... read more
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
