Concordance of PCR and Culture from Nasal Swabs for Detection of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus in a Setting of Concurrent Antistaphylococcal Antibiotics

The effect of concurrent administration of antibiotics on the detection of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) remains unresolved. Here, we assessed the concordance of paired nasal swabs processed using commercial PCR and culture and found high concordance in both the absence and presence of antibiotics with activity against MRSA (93.7% [95% confidence interval [CI], 88.1%, 96.8%] and 90.9% [95% CI, 84.8%, 94.7%], respectively), although PCR was more likely to be positive in the presence of antibiotics. (This study has been registered at ClinicalTrials.gov under registration no. {"type":"clinical-trial","attrs":{"text":"NCT01234831","term_id":"NCT01234831"}}NCT01234831.)     

Serelaxin in addition to standard therapy in acute heart failure: rationale and design of the RELAX‐AHF‐2 study

Patients admitted for acute heart failure (AHF) experience high rates of in‐hospital and post‐discharge morbidity and mortality despite current therapies. Serelaxin is recombinant human relaxin‐2, a hormone with vasodilatory and end‐organ protective effects believed to play a central role in the cardiovascular and renal adaptations of human pregnancy. In the phase 3 RELAX‐AHF trial, serelaxin met its primary endpoint of improving dyspnoea through day 5 in patients admitted for AHF. Compared to placebo, serelaxin also reduced worsening heart failure (WHF) by 47% through day 5 and both all‐cause and cardiovascular mortality by 37% through day 180. RELAX‐AHF‐2 ( ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01870778) is designed to confirm serelaxin's effect on these clinical outcomes. RELAX‐AHF‐2 is a multicentre, randomized, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled, event‐driven, phase 3 trial enrolling ～6800 patients hospitalized for AHF with dyspnoea, congestion on chest radiograph, increased natriuretic peptide levels, mild‐to‐moderate renal insufficiency, and systolic blood pressure ≥125 mmHg. Patients are randomized within 16 h of presentation to 48 h intravenous infusions of serelaxin (30 µg/kg/day) or placebo, both in addition to standard of care treatments. The primary objectives are to demonstrate that serelaxin is superior to placebo in reducing: (i) 180 day cardiovascular death, and (ii) occurrence of WHF through day 5. Key secondary endpoints include 180 day all‐cause mortality, composite of 180 day combined cardiovascular mortality or heart failure/renal failure rehospitalization, and in‐hospital length of stay during index AHF. The results from RELAX‐AHF‐2 will provide data on the potential beneficial effect of serelaxin on cardiovascular mortality and WHF in selected patients with AHF.     

In‐hospital worsening heart failure

Acute worsening heart failure (WHF) is seen in a sizable portion of patients hospitalized for heart failure, and is increasingly being recognized as an entity that is associated with an adverse in‐hospital course. WHF is generally defined as worsening heart failure symptoms and signs requiring an intensification of therapy, and is reported to be seen in anywhere from 5% to 42% of heart failure admissions. It is difficult to ascertain the exact epidemiology of WHF due to varying definitions used in the literature. Studies indicate that WHF cannot be precisely predicted on the basis of baseline variables assessed at the time of admission. Recent data suggest that some experimental therapies may reduce the risk of development of WHF among hospitalized heart failure patients, and this is associated with a reduction in risk of subsequent post‐discharge cardiovascular mortality. In this respect, WHF holds promise as a endpoint for acute heart failure clinical trials to better elucidate the benefit of targeted novel therapies. Better understanding of the pathophysiology and a consensus on the definition of WHF will further improve our epidemiological and clinical understanding of this entity.