An outbreak of Plasmodium vivax malaria among heroin users in Spain

We report the first outbreak of induced malaria among heroin users in Spain, and the first one caused by Plasmodium vivax in Europe. Five drug addicts from Madrid, who had never travelled to endemic areas, were admitted to hospital with fever and splenomegaly. Four had P. vivax malaria with low parasitaemia, ranging from 1 to 3% red blood cells. The fifth case was considered a "seropositive contact" because he had fever and positive malaria indirect fluorescent antibody test but negative blood smear. The source of infection was a young drug addict, who had often travelled to Equatorial Guinea. Another heroin user with a diagnosis of malaria refused to be admitted to our hospital for further study. All had shared contaminated injection equipment. Treatment with chloroquine was effective and none had recrudescence of malaria during a mean follow-up of six months. Drug addicts with unexplained fever may have been infected by malaria transmitted by sharing injections.     

Trauma-Informed Pediatric Primary Care: Facilitators and Challenges to the Implementation Process

This article describes the process of integrating trauma-informed behavioral health practices into a pediatric primary care clinic serving low-income and minority families while facing barriers of financial, staffing, and time limitations common to many community healthcare clinics. By using an iterative approach to evaluate each step of the implementation process, the goal was to establish a feasible system in which primary care providers take the lead in addressing traumatic stress. This article describes (1) the process of implementing trauma-informed care into a pediatric primary care clinic, (2) the facilitators and challenges of implementation, and (3) the impact of this implementation process at patient, provider, and community levels. Given the importance of trauma-informed care, especially for families who lack access to quality care, the authors conceptualize this paper as a guide for others attempting to integrate best behavioral health practices into pediatric clinics while working with limited resources.

     

Preoperative Risk Factors for Postoperative Urinary Tract Infection After Primary Total Hip and Knee Arthroplasties

BackgroundEstablishing clear risk factors for complications such as urinary tract infection (UTI) after arthroplasty procedures helps guide clinical practice and provides more information to both surgeons and patients. This study aims to assess selected preoperative patient characteristics as risk factors for postoperative UTI after primary total hip and knee arthroplasties (THA and TKA).MethodsThis was a retrospective analysis using current procedural terminology codes to investigate the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) database for patients who underwent THA or TKA from 2010 to 2017. Patients were classified for UTI by NSQIP guidelines. Patient samples with all possible covariates were included for multivariate logistic regression analysis and assessed for independent associations.ResultsIn a cohort of 983 identified patients (983 of 119,096; 0.83%): ages 57+ years, preoperative red blood cell (RBC) transfusion, perioperative RBC transfusion, bleeding disorders, operative time 110+ minutes, preoperative steroid use, diabetes, pulmonary comorbidities, body mass index 30+ kg/m² were independent risk factors for postoperative UTI after THA. In a cohort of 1503 identified patients (1503 of 189,327; 0.8%): ages 60+ years, preoperative RBC transfusion, perioperative RBC transfusion, anemia, platelets less than 150k, preoperative steroid use, diabetes, and body mass index 30+ kg/m² were independent risk factors for postoperative UTI after TKA. Male sex was associated with a decreased risk of UTI in both THA and TKA.ConclusionThis study provides novel evidence on risk factors associated with the development of UTI after THA or TKA. Clinicians should be aware of risk factors in the manifestation of postoperative UTI after primary THA or TKA procedures.     

Tetralogy of Fallot correction with transannular patch reconstruction in a patient with an anomalous right coronary artery and an unusual course of the right ventricular branch

Anomalous coronary arteries occur in as many as 12% of patients with tetralogy of Fallot (TOF). In patients with this condition, pulmonary hypoplasia can be prohibitive in performing a valve-sparing repair, subsequently resulting in various techniques to preserve the anomalous coronary artery. The management strategy is often complex in such a situation. We report on a case of TOF with an anomalous right coronary artery crossing the right ventricular outflow tract, with an unusual course of the right ventricular (RV) branch, which precluded placement of a valved conduit. In this case, we performed a successful repair with mobilization of the anomalous coronary artery and reconstruction of the right ventricular outflow tract with a limited transannular patch.     

Unhealthy alcohol and drug use is associated with an increased length of stay and hospital cost in patients undergoing major upper gastrointestinal and pancreatic oncologic resections

BackgroundFew studies evaluate the impact of unhealthy alcohol and drug use on the risk and severity of postoperative outcomes after upper gastrointestinal and pancreatic oncologic resections.MethodsThe National Inpatient Sample was queried to identify patients undergoing total gastrectomy, esophagectomy, total pancreatectomy, and pancreaticoduodenectomy between 2012 and 2015. Unhealthy alcohol and drug use was assessed by the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, and National Inpatient Sample coder designation. Multivariable regression was used to identify associations between alcohol and drug use and postoperative complication, duration of stay, hospital cost, and mortality.ResultsIn the study, 59,490 patients met inclusion criteria; 2,060 (3.5%) had unhealthy alcohol use; 1,265 (2.1%) had unhealthy drug use. Postoperative complication rates were higher in patients with alcohol and drug use than in abstainers (67.5% vs 62.8% vs 57.2%; P < .01). On multivariable regression, alcohol use was independently associated with increased risk of a nonwithdrawal complication (odds ratio 1.33 [1.05, 1.68]), and alcohol and drug use were independently associated with increased length of stay (1.54 [0.12, 2.96]) and 2.22 [0.90, 3.55] days) and cost ($5,471 [$60, $10,881] and $4,022 [$402, $7,643]), but not mortality.ConclusionUnhealthy substance use is associated with increased rates of postoperative complications, prolonged length of stay, and costs in patients undergoing major upper gastrointestinal and pancreatic oncologic resections. Screening and abstinence interventions should be incorporated into the preoperative care pathways for these patients.     

Re-evaluating Blood Markers as Predictors of Outcome in Multivisceral and Intestinal Transplantation

BackgroundMultivisceral transplant (MVTx) and isolated intestinal transplant (ITx) are complex surgical procedures. The subsequent proinflammatory state in the immediate postoperative period makes interpretation of blood markers difficult.MethodWe aimed to establish the course of various blood markers after MVTx/ITx, and to evaluate their use as diagnostic markers of complications. This was a single center prospective cohort. We analyzed blood markers collected preoperatively, on alternate days for the first postoperative week, and then weekly for 4 weeks. This study was in compliance with The Declaration of Helsinki.ResultsOver a 16-month period (July 2017-October 2018), 20 subjects aged 2 to 67 years with a median age of 24.5 years received MVTx/ITx. Twelve recipients (60%) had an infection. Neutrophil lymphocyte count ratio (NLCR) was higher than established upper limits of normal, regardless of infection status. NLCR and white blood cell count were useful to identify infected MVTx/ITx recipients, with P values <.05 for 2 and 1 of 7 time points post transplant, respectively. Higher preoperative eosinophil% predicted future acute cellular rejection (P value .023).ConclusionsThis is the first study to extensively track the course of blood markers post MVTx/ITx and identified NLCR and white blood cell count as potential diagnostic blood markers of infection.