Tag: infection
Manufacturer guidelines fall short for endoscope reprocessing
A just-published study finds that current endoscopic manufacturer cleaning instructions for a wide range of GI, urological and respiratory devices used in diagnostic procedures still fail to protect patients from the risk... read more
Six myths promoted by the new surviving sepsis guidelines
The Rivers trial and the Surviving Sepsis Campaign popularized sepsis protocols, which saved lives. Massive accomplishment. However, that doesn’t validate the individual components of early goal-directed therapy. Any protocol... read more
Lower C. difficile mortality with vancomycin than metronidazole
Treating Clostridium difficile infection with vancomycin achieves the same recurrence rates as does treatment with metronidazole, but with a significantly lower 30-day mortality, new research suggests. The 30-day mortality... read more
Transmission of Staphylococcus aureus between health-care workers, the environment, and patients in ICU
Between Oct 31, 2011, and Dec 23, 2012, we sampled 198 health-care workers, 40 environmental locations, and 1854 patients; 1819 isolates were sequenced. Median nasal carriage rate of S aureus in health-care workers at 4-weekly... read more
A randomized placebo-controlled phase II study of a Pseudomonas vaccine in ventilated ICU patients
This phase II study has shown that IC43 vaccination of ventilated ICU patients produced a significant immunogenic effect. P. aeruginosa infection rates did not differ significantly between groups. In the absence of any difference... read more
Study shows brute force antibiotics can overcome resistance
Researchers at the University College London have developed a new method that may overcome antibiotic resistance in bacterial cells. The team used sensitive equipment to measure the mechanical forces that four different antibiotics,... read more
Global multicenter observational investigator initiated study
The DIANA study is a large multicenter cohort study, lead by intensive care unit experts out of the University Hospital Ghent. This investigator initiated study will collect a large amount of data from multiple centers and... read more
Magnet guidance reduces misplacement of subclavian vein catheter in internal jugular vein
The internal jugular vein (IJV) and subclavian vein (SCV) are the two most commonly used insertion sites for central venous catheterization (CVC). A multicenter clinical trial compared commonly used insertion sites and... read more
WHO Calls for Stronger Avian Influenza Surveillance
With highly pathogenic strains of avian influenza A (H5N8) continuing to spread via birds across Europe, the World Health Organization (WHO) is urging the public to keep careful watch on this strain and has also called for... read more
SOFA score may be best to identify sepsis in the ICU
Among critically ill patients admitted to the ICU with a suspected infection, defining sepsis by an increase of two or more points in the Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score yielded greater prognostic accuracy... read more
New Infection Data and Sepsis-Guideline Critique at SCCM
The potential of probiotics to reduce nosocomial infections and ventilator-associated pneumonia in the critically ill and the latest data on readmissions will be among the major research advances presented here at the Society... read more
Bad news for sepsis-3.0: qSOFA fails validation
Sepsis 3.0 replaced the SIRS criteria with a new risk-stratification tool, qSOFA. qSOFA was initially developed within the Sepsis-3 publication itself. Until now, qSOFA has never been validated. The value of qSOFA vs. SIRS... read more
Effect of Omega 3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in major burn patients
The inclusion of ω-3 PUFAs in a low fat diet in ICU burned patients was associated with significant clinical benefits compared to a conventional low fat diet, with lower rates of severe sepsis, septic shock and pyloric dysfunction.... read more
Towards precision medicine for sepsis patients
Over the last decade it has become clear that the immunological response and clinical course in sepsis patients is too complex to simply regard it as hyperinflammation-induced organ failure. In contrast to the previous belief... read more
Cholera bacteria infect more effectively with a simple twist of shape
The bacteria that cause the life-threatening disease cholera may initiate infection by coordinating a wave of mass shapeshifting that allows them to more effectively penetrate the intestines of their unwitting victims, according... read more
Germ-zapping robots put to the test to combat hospital-acquired infections
The $2 million effort supported by the NIH's Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality is the first of its kind to study no-touch room disinfection. Michigan researchers will look at the ability of high intensity ultraviolet... read more
Best Conditions for Legionella Growth
Researchers have identified the optimal conditions for the growth of Legionella which causes a very serious, often deadly, type of pneumonia, Legionnaires' disease. Inspired by a number of large Legionnaires' outbreaks,... read more
FDA Recommendation: Reduce Max Storage Limit of RBCs
A group of researchers are asking the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to reduce maximum storage limit for red blood cells from 6 weeks to 5 weeks, as long as there are sufficient blood supplies available. The researchers... read more
Catheter safeguards at hospitals reduce infections and save money
U.S. hospitals are reducing bloodstream infections related to catheters by implementing rigorous safeguards that also save millions of healthcare dollars each year, according to research led by Cedars-Sinai.... read more
Recognize Sepsis as Separate Cause of Illness and Death
Sepsis should be recognized as a separate cause of illness and death around the world. This focus would help efforts to prevent sepsis by improving hygiene, nutrition and vaccination rates and also lead to timely treatment,... read more
Sepsis Algorithm a Deadly Marker
An attempt by a Phoenix, AZ, hospital to develop a marker for deadly sepsis instead found that the algorithm identified patients at an increased risk of dying. Increasingly, algorithms govern daily life, playing an important... read more
Co-infection is Frequent in Patients Hospitalized with Influenza
According to a recent article published online in Intensive Care Medicine, co-infection occurs commonly in patients with influenza-related infections that require intensive care unit (ICU) admission. Influenza infection causes... read more
