Tag: infection
Airway glucose homeostasis: a new target in the prevention and treatment of pulmonary infection
In health, the glucose concentration of airway surface liquid (ASL) is 0.4mM, around 12 times lower than blood glucose concentration. Airway glucose homeostasis is a set of processes that actively maintain low ASL glucose... read more
COPD can increase risk of developing sepsis
People with COPD have a higher than average risk of developing lung infections, such as pneumonia, which then puts them at higher risk for developing sepsis. Sepsis and septic shock can result from an infection anywhere in... read more
WHO tries to keep certain antibiotics largely off the table
In a bid to battle antibiotic resistance, the World Health Organization for the first time has classified antibiotics into three categories, including one that lists the drugs it hopes will not be used except in circumstances... read more
Diagnosis, Prevention, and Treatment of C. difficile: Current State of the Evidence
This is a summary of a systematic review that evaluated the recent evidence regarding the accuracy of diagnostic tests and the effectiveness of interventions for preventing and treating Clostridium difficile (C. difficile)... read more
ER Overcrowding Delays Sepsis Treatment
Prompt antibiotic initiation is associated with improved mortality in sepsis and septic shock. However, new research shows that patients with sepsis, a life-threatening complication of an infection, had delays approaching... read more
WHA Adopts Resolution on Sepsis
World Health Assembly and the World Health Organization made sepsis a global health priority, by adopting a resolution to improve, prevent, diagnose, and manage sepsis. This marks a quantum leap in the global fight against... read more
Addressing Sepsis – Video Recap of the WHA Side Event on Sepsis
On the occasion of the World Health Assembly passing a resolution on sepsis, the Global Sepsis Alliance, IAPO, and the German Federal Ministry of Health have hosted the "WHA Side Event on Sepsis" in Geneva on May... read more
Empirical MRSA Coverage for Nonpurulent Cellulitis
Cellulitis is an infection of the deep dermis and subcutaneous tissue, manifesting as expanding erythema, edema, and warmth of the skin. In most instances of cellulitis, the causative microorganism cannot be definitively... read more
Facilitators and Barriers of Hand Hygiene
What keeps ICU nurses from washing their hands? And why do some overcome the barriers? Although there are many papers on hand hygiene, this new one in American Journal of Infection Control caught my eye. In this study 3,260... read more
Diagnostic Value of Procalcitonin on Early Postoperative Infection After Pediatric Cardiac Surgery
Procalcitonin was more accurate than C-reactive protein and WBC to predict early postoperative infection, but the diagnostic properties of procalcitonin could not be observed during the first 3 postoperative days due to the... read more
How informatics can help your hospital prevent infections
Hospitalists have a powerful tool to help them fight outbreaks of Clostridium difficile and other infectious agents: electronic health record data. Sara Murray, MD, an assistant professor of medicine at the University of... read more
Infection Prevention and Healthcare Associated Infections
It is difficult to overstate the importance of healthcare associated infections (HAI). Approximately 4% of patients who enter hospitals in the United States develop an infection related to their hospital care. Although... read more
CDC and Prevention Guideline for the Prevention of Surgical Site Infection
This guideline is intended to provide new and updated evidence-based recommendations for the prevention of SSI and should be incorporated into comprehensive surgical quality improvement programs to improve patient safety.... read more
Toolkit To Improve Safety in Ambulatory Surgery Centers
The Toolkit To Improve Safety in Ambulatory Surgery Centers helps ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) make care safer for their patients. ASCs can use the toolkit to apply the proven principles and methods of AHRQ's Comprehensive... read more
Visual Aids for Infectious Disease Diagnoses
Learning the hallmarks of proper diagnosis requires using all of our senses: hearing, to listen to a patient’s symptoms; touch, to probe an infection site; and occasionally smell, to qualitatively determine infection characteristics... read more
Antimicrobial Stewardship and Appropriate Antimicrobial Prescribing in Hospitals
This study examines whether an antimicrobial stewardship approach grounded in behavioral theory and focusing on preserving prescriber autonomy and participation is associated with appropriateness of antimicrobial prescribing... read more
Implications of Prevalent Noncardiac Disease in the Cardiac ICU
Half of >1000 patients of admitted to the cardiac intensive care unit (ICU) at a major tertiary-care center over about 1 year also had acute respiratory failure, acute kidney injury, or sepsis. Those with lung or kidney... read more
Strategies for Optimizing Diagnostic Predictive Value of Clostridium difficile
Because nucleic acid amplification tests (NAATs) do not distinguish Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) and asymptomatic C. difficile carriage, the diagnostic predictive value of NAATs is limited when used in patients with... read more
Prevalence of multidrug-resistant gram-negative bacteria among nursing home residents
Multidrug-resistant gram-negative bacteria (MDR-GNB) are associated with an increasing proportion of infections among nursing home (NH) residents. The objective of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to critically... read more
Viral coinfection is shaped by host ecology and virus-virus interactions across diverse microbial taxa and environments
Infection of more than one virus in a host, coinfection, is common across taxa and environments. Viral coinfection can enable genetic exchange, alter the dynamics of infections, and change the course of viral evolution. Yet,... read more
The impact of oral care on oral health status and prevention of VAP in critically ill patients
Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) is one of the most common nosocomial infections which increase mortality rate and length stay of hospitalization. Oral care would not only improve patient’s oral health and well-being,... read more
Plasma metabolomics for the diagnosis and prognosis of H1N1 influenza pneumonia
Metabolomics is a tool that has been used for the diagnosis and prognosis of specific diseases. The purpose of this study was to examine if metabolomics could be used as a potential diagnostic and prognostic tool for H1N1... read more
