Tag: infection
Foleys Aren’t Fun: Patient Study Shows Catheter Risks
A new study puts large-scale evidence behind what many hospital patients already know: Having a urinary catheter may help empty the bladder, but it can hurt, lead to urinary tract infections, or cause other issues in the... read more
Immunotherapy for Sepsis: A Good Idea or Another Dead End?
THE treatment of sepsis remains an intractable problem in critical care. It has been called the “graveyard”1 for pharmaceutical companies in recognition of dozens of negative clinical trials; this reflects multiple distinct... read more
Decatecholaminisation during sepsis
While necessary and life-saving in the early fight or flight reaction to any insult, prolonged adrenergic stress is detrimental and contributes to organ dysfunction. In the largest trial to date, Morelli et al. enrolled septic... read more
Bacterial protein structure could aid development of new antibiotics
Bacterial cells have an added layer of protection, called the cell wall, that animal cells don't. Assembling this tough armor entails multiple steps, some of which are targeted by antibiotics like penicillin and vancomycin.... read more
Understanding Central Nervous System Efficacy of Antimicrobials
Defining the optimal treatment of Central Nervous System (CNS) infections is one of the most challenging tasks for the intensivists; the therapeutic window is narrow, and the alternative drug options more limited than with... read more
Antibiotic Decisions in the ICU: A Dragon’s Tale
Medical decision-making about antibiotic use in critically ill patients is challenging and complex. The need for antibiotic stewardship requires judicious prescription and choice of antimicrobials, as the need for effective... read more
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
Current efforts to fight sepsis aren’t working. We need a bolder approach
Thanks to antibiotics, vaccinations, and public health advances like modern sanitation, it's easy to think that Americans live largely free of the infectious diseases that once took such a toll. That’s partially right:... read more
Effectiveness of targeted enhanced terminal room disinfection on hospital-wide acquisition and infection with multidrug-resistant organisms and Clostridium difficile
The hospital environment is a source of pathogen transmission. The effect of enhanced disinfection strategies on the hospital-wide incidence of infection has not been investigated in a multicentre, randomised controlled trial.... read more
Central venous oxygen desaturation during early sepsis linked to higher mortality
n the ALBIOS trial, persistence of low (... read more
Association of the Quick Sequential (Sepsis-Related) Organ Failure Assessment (qSOFA) Score With Excess Hospital Mortality in Adults With Suspected Infection in Low- and Middle-Income Countries
In this retrospective secondary analysis of 9 diverse LMIC cohorts that included 6569 hospitalized adults with suspected infection, a qSOFA score greater than or equal to 2 was significantly associated with increased likelihood... read more
Whole Blood – More than the Sum of Its Components?
This retrospective analysis was conducted in a US Military population across 6 combat hospitals in Iraq and Afghanistan between January 2004 and October 2007. Patient's transfused at least 1 unit RBCs met inclusion criteria... read more
A 10-year review of total hospital onset ICU bloodstream infections at an Academic Medical Center
Across all ICUs, the rates of primary BSIs progressively fell from 2.11/1000 patient days in FY05 to 0.32/1000 patient days in FY14; an 85.0% decrease (P<0.0001). Secondary BSIs also progressively decreased from 3.56/1000... read more
Assessment of Clinical Criteria for Sepsis
The Third International Consensus Definitions Task Force defined sepsis as "life-threatening organ dysfunction due to a dysregulated host response to infection." The performance of clinical criteria for this sepsis definition... read more
Low-dose Corticosteroids for Adult Patients with Septic Shock
The results of this systematic review provide an evidence summary to inform clinicians regarding decisions to use corticosteroids in adult patients with septic shock. We found that assignment to treatment with corticosteroids... read more
Blood Cultures Drawn From Arterial Catheters Are Reliable for the Detection of Bloodstream Infection in Critically Ill Children
Arterial catheters may serve as an additional source for blood cultures in children when peripheral venipuncture is challenging. The aim of the study was to evaluate the accuracy of cultures obtained through indwelling arterial... read more
