Impact of automatic orders to discontinue vancomycin therapy on vancomycin use in an antimicrobial stewardship program.

We examined the possible unintended consequences of a 72-hour automatic order to discontinue vancomycin therapy in an antimicrobial stewardship program (ASP). Of 120 patients, 11 had vancomycin therapy discontinued at 72 hours without a call to the ASP, and 7 experienced a treatment interruption of 6-36 hours. All discontinuation of therapy was considered appropriate, and the 7 treatment interruptions did not have clear clinical consequences. Only one-third of patients had ASP stickers that warned of impending discontinuation of vancomycin therapy placed appropriately in the medical record.     

Chloramphenicol resistance in vancomycin-resistant enterococcal bacteremia: impact of prior fluoroquinolone use?

OBJECTIVE: The prevalence of vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) has increased markedly during the past decade. Few data exist regarding the epidemiology of resistance of VRE to chloramphenicol, one of the few therapeutic options. DESIGN: Survey and case-control study. SETTING: A 725-bed, tertiary-care academic medical center and a 344-bed urban community hospital. PATIENTS: Hospitalized patients with blood cultures demonstrating VRE. METHODS: We examined the trends in the prevalence of chloramphenicol resistance in VRE blood isolates at our institution from 1991 through 2002 and conducted a case-control study to identify risk factors for chloramphenicol resistance among these isolates. RESULTS: From 1991 through 2002, the annual prevalence of chloramphenicol-resistant VRE increased from 0% to 12% (P < .001, chi-square test for trend). Twenty-two case-patients with chloramphenicol-resistant VRE bloodstream isolates were compared with 79 randomly selected control-patients with chloramphenicol-susceptible VRE. Independent risk factors for chloramphenicol-resistant VRE were prior chloramphenicol use (odds ratio [OR], 10.9; 95% confidence interval [CI95], 1.72-68.91; P = .01) and prior fluoroquinolone use (OR, 4.74; CI95, 1.15-19.42; P = .03). Chloramphenicol-resistant VRE isolates were more likely to be susceptible to beta-lactams and resistant to tetracycline than were chloramphenicol-susceptible VRE isolates. CONCLUSIONS: Significant increases in the prevalence of chloramphenicol-resistant VRE may limit the future utility of chloramphenicol in the treatment of VRE infections, and close monitoring of susceptibility trends should continue. The association between fluoroquinolone use and chloramphenicol-resistant VRE, reflecting possible co-selection of resistance, suggests that recent dramatic increases in fluoroquinolone use may have broader implications than previously recognized.     

Winkelstabile Implantate an der Hand

Currently there are various materials available for osteosynthesis in the region of the hand. The discussion in the literature about locking implants in the region of the hand is still continuing. Fractures of the bases of metacarpal bones and especially of the first metacarpals are good indications for locking plates but locking plates are not always advantageous. Most reconstructions of bones in the region of the hand can be achieved without using the thicker and more expensive implants. Non-locking implants, screws and Kirschner wires for osteosynthesis are mostly sufficient to achieve stable fixation but for phalangeal fractures plates should be avoided because of poor functional results. Only the hand surgeon can make the decision which of the various implants should be used.     

Does Nonpayment for Hospital-Acquired Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infections Lead to Overtesting and Increased Antimicrobial Prescribing?

Background.?On 1 October 2008, in an effort to stimulate efforts to prevent catheter-associated urinary tract infection (CAUTI), the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) implemented a policy of not reimbursing hospitals for hospital-acquired CAUTI. Since any urinary tract infection present on admission would not fall under this initiative, concerns have been raised that the policy may encourage more testing for and treatment of asymptomatic bacteriuria. Methods.?We conducted a retrospective multicenter cohort study with time series analysis of all adults admitted to the hospital 16 months before and 16 months after policy implementation among participating Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America Research Network hospitals. Our outcomes were frequency of urine culture on admission and antimicrobial use. Results.?A total of 39 hospitals from 22 states submitted data on 2?362?742 admissions. In 35 hospitals affected by the CMS policy, the median frequency of urine culture performance did not change after CMS policy implementation (19.2% during the prepolicy period vs 19.3% during the postpolicy period). The rate of change in urine culture performance increased minimally during the prepolicy period (0.5% per month) and decreased slightly during the postpolicy period (-0.25% per month; P?相似文献   

Nodular giant cell tumour of the tendon sheath of the hand: analysis of eighty-four cases—diagnostic decisions and outcome

Introduction

The giant cell tumour of the tendon sheath (GCTTS) of the hand is a benign tumour of unknown origin. The clinical diagnosis is supported by preoperative imaging. But the ideal imaging methods necessary for the diagnosis, preoperative planning and total tumour resection are still debated. Standard treatment is surgical resection with histological confirmation.

Methods

We followed up 84 patients who were operated upon for a histologically confirmed nodular type GCTTS for an average of 4.7 years (range four to eight). The preoperative symptoms and radiological findings of X-ray, ultrasound and MRI were reviewed and the surgeon asked for their impact on the surgical procedure.

Results

The average age at operation was 50.9 years, 65.5 % of the patients were female and 61.9 % of the lesions were located on the palmar aspect. Most tumours were found on the first three fingers. Two patients had tumours at two separate sites (2.4 %). After an average follow up of 31.5 months two recurrences were observed (2.4 %). In addition to X-ray and ultrasound, the preoperative findings of the MRI had no influence on the surgical procedure.

Conclusion

Our data on the nodular GCTTS are in accordance with published data concerning the age distribution, gender distribution, and localisation. No soft-tissue imaging method is superior for the diagnosis of nodular GCTTS or for the preoperative planning. A preoperative MRI may not be necessary as clinical and ultrasound examination are sufficient. To exclude bony erosions, a preoperative X-ray is necessary.     

Operative Rückzugsmöglichkeiten nach fehlgeschlagener Osteosynthese des distalen Radius

Background

Even in an era of clear improvements in implants and standardized treatment procedures, abortive osteosynthesis after distal radius fractures is not an uncommon complication.

Diagnostics

Although not every malunion of the radius leads to complaints, affected patients often suffer from limitations in movement, reduction in strength, pain and aesthetic deficits. Following thorough clinical and imaging diagnostics a selection from the possible treatment options must be made taking the results obtained from the diagnostics into consideration.

Therapy

Operative possibilities are available for reconstructing the anatomical features as accurately as possible, functional improvement without correction of the malunion, pain reduction alone and combined procedures.

Conclusion

Despite abortive osteosynthesis of distal radial fractures there are possibilities for anatomical reconstruction, retention of mobility and pain reduction. Taking the pathological deformities into consideration, the highest priority should be given to reconstructing the anatomical joint conditions as accurately as possible, even when the conservative treatment options were unsuccessful.     

Efficient recovery of fluoroquinolone-susceptible and fluoroquinolone-resistant Escherichia coli strains from frozen samples.

We assessed the rate of recovery of fluoroquinolone-resistant and fluoroquinolone-susceptible Escherichia coli isolates from culture of frozen perirectal swab samples compared with the results for culture of the same specimen before freezing. Recovery rates for these 2 classes of E. coli were 91% and 83%, respectively. The majority of distinct strains recovered from the initial sample were also recovered from the frozen sample. The strains that were not recovered were typically present only in low numbers in the initial sample. These findings emphasize the utility of frozen surveillance samples.     

Identification of optimal combinations for empirical dual antimicrobial therapy of Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection: potential role of a Combination Antibiogram.

To better determine the optimal combinations for empirical dual antimicrobial therapy of Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection, we evaluated the utility of a novel combination antibiogram. Although the combination antibiogram allowed modest fine-tuning of choices for dual antibiotic therapy, selections based on the 2 antibiograms did not differ substantively. Drug combinations with the broadest coverage were consistently composed of an aminoglycoside and a beta-lactam.     

Comparison of unit-specific and hospital-wide antibiograms: potential implications for selection of empirical antimicrobial therapy.

OBJECTIVE: To identify differences between unit-specific and hospital-wide antibiograms and to determine the potential impact of these differences on selection of empirical antimicrobial therapy. SETTING: A 625-bed tertiary care medical center. METHODS: Antimicrobial susceptibility results were collected for all inpatient clinical bacterial isolates recovered over a 3-year period; isolates were categorized by the hospital location of the patient at the time of sampling and by the anatomic site from which the isolate was recovered. Antibiograms from each unit were compiled for the most commonly isolated organisms and were compared to the hospital-wide antibiogram. RESULTS: A total of 9,970 bacterial isolates were evaluated in this study, including 2,646 enterococcal isolates, 2,806 S. aureus isolates, 2,795 E. coli isolates, and 1,723 Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates. The percentages of bacterial isolates resistant to antimicrobials were significantly higher in the medical ICU and surgical ICU than the hospital-wide antibiogram would have predicted, whereas the percentages of isolates susceptible to antimicrobials were significantly higher in the non-ICU units, compared with the hospital overall. However, on general medicine units, the prevalence of susceptibility to levofloxacin was significantly lower than that for the hospital overall. CONCLUSIONS: Unit-specific antibiograms are important for making informed decisions about empirical antimicrobial therapy, because the hospital-wide antibiogram may mask important differences in susceptibility rates across different units. These differences may have important implications for selecting the optimal empirical antimicrobial therapy.