Antibacterial therapy in patients with malignancies

Summary Patients with malignant disease may be predisposed to bacterial infections because of neoplastic disruption of normal tissue barriers, exogenous immunosuppressive therapy (drugs with or without radiation), and intrinsic host immune deficits secondary to these diseases. Diminished polymorphonuclear leukocyte numbers or function and impaired humoral immunity are highly correlated with the development of serious bacterial infections. The usual signs and symptoms of infection may be absent or altered in a compromised host.Therapy must be instituted promptly upon clinical suspicion of bacterial infection, and empirical choices should usually include combinations that are synergistic for likely pathogens based on knowledge of the local predominant flora and susceptibility data. Synergism has most often been demonstrated in combinations that utilize a -lactam (semisynthetic penicillin or cephalosporin) and an aminoglycoside. Triple drug therapy has not been shown to be advantageous. Monotherapy with third generation cephalosporins, carbapenems, monobactams, or ureidopenicillins has not been proven to offer advantages over 2-drug regimens for these patients.Patients with blood deficient in granulocytes (granulocytopenic) who respond to 2-drug therapy but remain deficient in neutrophils (neutropenic) may need continued treatment until the neutropenia subsides. Those who do not respond and remain febrile with an unclear focus of infection may need to be started on antifungal therapy in addition to the antibacterial agent. The use of oral agents for the prophylaxis of neutropenic patients against bacteremia remains controversial. If drugs are used, co-trimoxazole and nystatin suspension may be preferable.     

An Overview of the Treatment Options Used for the Management of COVID-19 in Pakistan: Retrospective Observational Study

BackgroundSince the first reports of COVID-19 infection, the foremost requirement has been to identify a treatment regimen that not only fights the causative agent but also controls the associated complications of the infection. Due to the time-consuming process of drug discovery, physicians have used readily available drugs and therapies for treatment of infections to minimize the death toll.ObjectiveThe aim of this study is to provide a snapshot analysis of the major drugs used in a cohort of 1562 Pakistani patients during the period from May to July 2020, when the first wave of COVID-19 peaked in Pakistan.MethodsA retrospective observational study was performed to provide an overview of the major drugs used in a cohort of 1562 patients with COVID-19 admitted to the four major tertiary-care hospitals in the Rawalpindi-Islamabad region of Pakistan during the peak of the first wave of COVID-19 in the country (May-July 2020).ResultsAntibiotics were the most common choice out of all the therapies employed, and they were used as first line of treatment for COVID-19. Azithromycin was the most prescribed drug for treatment. No monthly trend was observed in the choice of antibiotics, and these drugs appeared to be a random but favored choice throughout the months of the study. It was also noted that even antibiotics used for multidrug resistant infections were prescribed irrespective of the severity or progression of the infection. The results of the analysis are alarming, as this approach may lead to antibiotic resistance and complications in immunocompromised patients with COVID-19. A total of 1562 patients (1064 male, 68.1%, and 498 female, 31.9%) with a mean age of 47.35 years (SD 17.03) were included in the study. The highest frequency of patient hospitalizations occurred in June (846/1562, 54.2%).ConclusionsGuidelines for a targeted treatment regime are needed to control related complications and to limit the misuse of antibiotics in the management of COVID-19.     

Incomplete Administration of Intravenous Vancomycin Prophylaxis is Common and Associated With Increased Infectious Complications After Primary Total Hip and Knee Arthroplasty

BackgroundVancomycin is often used as antimicrobial prophylaxis in patients undergoing total hip or knee arthroplasty. Vancomycin requires longer infusion times to avoid associated side effects. We hypothesized that vancomycin infusion is often started too late and that delayed infusion may predispose patients to increased rates of surgical site infections and prosthetic joint infections.MethodsWe reviewed clinical data for all primary total hip arthroplasty (THA) and total knee arthroplasty (TKA) patients at our institution between 2013 and 2020 who received intravenous vancomycin as primary perioperative gram-positive antibiotic prophylaxis. We calculated duration of infusion before incision or tourniquet inflation, with a cutoff of 30 minutes defining adequate administration. Patients were divided into two groups: 1) appropriate administration and 2) incomplete administration. Surgical factors and quality outcomes were compared between groups.ResultsWe reviewed 1047 primary THA and TKA patients (524 THAs and 523 TKAs). The indication for intravenous vancomycin usage was allergy (61%), methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus colonization (17%), both allergy and colonization (14%), and other (8%). 50.4% of patients began infusion >30 minutes preoperatively (group A), and 49.6% began infusion <30 minutes preoperatively (group B). Group B had significantly higher rates of readmissions for infectious causes (3.6 vs 1.3%, P = .017). This included a statistically significant increase in confirmed prosthetic joint infections (2.2% vs 0.6%, P = .023). Regression analysis confirmed <30 minutes of vancomycin infusion as an independent risk factor for PJI when controlling for comorbidities (OR 5.22, P = .012).ConclusionLate infusion of vancomycin is common and associated with increased rates of infectious causes for readmission and PJI. Preoperative protocols should be created to ensure appropriate vancomycin administration when indicated.     

超高效液相色谱-串联质谱法同时检测消毒产品中13种抗生素

目的采用超高效液相色谱-串联质谱技术,建立消毒产品中8类13种抗生素的检测方法。方法样品经甲醇或乙腈提取后,经Waters HSS T3色谱柱(100 mm×2.1 mm,1.8μm)分离,三重四级杆串联质谱仪检测。结果13种选定的抗生素在4~100μg/L范围内线性关系良好,相关系数均大于0.991,检出限为2~25μg/kg。在3种不同剂型的消毒产品中,低、中、高3个浓度加标水平的回收率为71.2%~130.4%,相对标准偏差均小于11.3%,满足消毒产品中抗生素违法添加的检测要求。运用建立的方法,在一份膏霜剂型的消毒产品中检测出氧氟沙星,含量为21.1 mg/kg,其余样品中均未检出相关物质。结论该方法简单、可靠、重现性好,覆盖的抗生素种类多。     

A clinical observation of early short-term use of potent antibiotics in severely burned patients

Objective: To evaluate the effect of early and short-term use of potent antibiotics following extensive severe burn injury. Methods: Seventeen severely burned patients hospitalized in the same period (Nov.,1998 to Oct., 2000) wer esame treatment in Group 2 (n=8) was discontinued until day 15 postburn. The survival rate, blood bacterial culture, body temperature and white blood cell and platelet counts were compared between the 2 groups. Results: All the 17 patients survived and all blood bacterial cultures were negative. No significant difference of body temperature and white blood cell and platelet counts between the 2 groups was observed (P＞0.05). Conclusion: Early use of high-potency antibiotics at short treatment course after extensive severe burn is effective to prevent infection and reduce the cost.     

头孢菌素类抗生素的ADR监察

调查了国内外报道的有关头孢菌素的不良反应,结果表明,头孢菌素是一类较安全的抗生素。与其他类抗生素引起的不良反应相比,其药物副反应（ＡＤＲ）例次较少,但在常规应用剂量下,它也可以引起一些不良反应,有些甚至是十分严重的反应。我国ＡＤＲ监察工作刚刚起步,药物的ＡＤＲ监察制度尚不健全,因此,需逐步宣传普及ＡＤＲ监察工作的性质、目的、意义,确保临床合理用药的安全性。     

Cost evaluation of a new IV device in an Israeli hospital

A new device for IV admixtures has been developed in Israel, the Vialink minibag. It consists of a partly filled minibag, attached by rubber tubing to a sterile receptacle into which various types of vials containing drugs can be firmly inserted.Time and motion studies were conducted to determine the time and cost associated with the preparation, dispensing and administration of reconstituted parenteral antibiotics via CIVAS (within minibags or Vialink bags) and preparation by nurses in wards in minibags. CIVAS with minibags was least expensive, followed by Vialink minibags. Self preparation on the ward by nurses was found to be the most expensive system.Only 55 % of all IV admixtures can be prepared by the Vialink system.As only one hospital in Israel has CIVAS, the study provides a solid justification for implementing pharmacy intravenous admixture services in all Israeli hospitals. The advantages and disadvantages of each method are discussed.CIVAS (minibags and Vialink) permits the individualised preparation of sterile admixtures for each patient and provides advantages in terms of efficiency, economy and prevention of errors.Part of this study was published in Harefuah, the Journal of The Israel Medical Association, in September 1993 (Hebrew only; Evaluating CIVAS in Vialink against nurse preparation in wards.)     

Liposomes and Nanoparticles in the Treatment of Intracellular Bacterial Infections

The treatment of infections caused by obligate or facultative intracellular microorganisms is difficult because most of the available antibiotics have either poor intracellular diffusion and retention or reduced activity at the acidic pH of the lysosomes. The need for antibiotics with greater intracellular efficacy led to the development of endocytosable drug carriers, such as liposomes and nanoparticles, which mimic the entry path of the bacteria by penetrating the cells into phagosomes or lysosomes. This Review assesses the potential of liposomes and nanoparticles in the targeted antibiotic therapy of intracellular bacterial infections and diseases and the pharmaceutical advantages and limitations of these submicron delivery systems.     

住院病人抗生素的合理使用回顾与前瞻

本文报告我院抗生素的用药情况,发现抗生素使用面广,应用中存在问题较多,因此,我们采用“药历表”调查病历中抗生素的使用情况,并在提倡“围术期”预防用抗生素等方面做了一些工作。随机抽查1988年7月～1990年4月已出院病历710份,对使用过抗生素的病历进行了回顾性调查,发现抗生素使用率达到85％左右。前瞻性检查方式:参加对严重感染或混合感染病人的会诊用药,并追踪观察抗生素的使用效果;实地检查抗生素所用溶媒、给药间隔、给药方法、配伍变化及联合用药,并对其安全性、合理性进行了讲评,逐步改变目前带普遍性不合理使用的现象和预防性使用抗生素是否合理的问题。