Expert review of anti-infective therapy
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Expert Rev Anti Infect Ther · Feb 2012
ReviewSerum procalcitonin in the diagnosis and management of intra-abdominal infections.
The biomarker procalcitonin (PCT) has been used to diagnose and monitor a number of clinically significant infections. Serum levels of PCT are often increased in the presence of bacterial and fungal infections but not viral infections or noninfectious inflammation. Intra-abdominal infections (IAIs) are serious conditions that pose difficult challenges to physicians and the healthcare system. ⋯ The studies have produced mixed results, leading to controversy on the utility of PCT in IAIs. PCT appears to be most useful in diagnosing postoperative infections and necrotizing pancreatitis. This review aims to summarize these data, explore the pathophysiology of PCT in sepsis from IAIs, discuss the strengths and weaknesses of PCT monitoring in IAIs, and provide guidance for the interpretation of PCT levels.
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Expert Rev Anti Infect Ther · Jan 2012
ReviewInfectious diseases following natural disasters: prevention and control measures.
Natural disasters may lead to infectious disease outbreaks when they result in substantial population displacement and exacerbate synergic risk factors (change in the environment, in human conditions and in the vulnerability to existing pathogens) for disease transmission. We reviewed risk factors and potential infectious diseases resulting from prolonged secondary effects of major natural disasters that occurred from 2000 to 2011. Natural disasters including floods, tsunamis, earthquakes, tropical cyclones (e.g., hurricanes and typhoons) and tornadoes have been secondarily described with the following infectious diseases including diarrheal diseases, acute respiratory infections, malaria, leptospirosis, measles, dengue fever, viral hepatitis, typhoid fever, meningitis, as well as tetanus and cutaneous mucormycosis. Risk assessment is essential in post-disaster situations and the rapid implementation of control measures through re-establishment and improvement of primary healthcare delivery should be given high priority, especially in the absence of pre-disaster surveillance data.
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Expert Rev Anti Infect Ther · Jan 2012
ReviewAntimicrobial stewardship programs: methods of operation and suggested outcomes.
The judicious use of antibiotics is an important strategy to preserving efficacy in the treatment of infectious diseases. Infectious disease practitioners are poised to provide patient-specific recommendations for appropriate agents and to optimize dosage and duration of therapy. ⋯ Two strategies for antimicrobial stewardship are currently endorsed by national organizations and include preauthorization/formulary restriction and prospective audit with feedback. As it is important for programs to choose appropriate clinical and financial outcomes goals in order to assure sustainability, we review these strategies and discuss the impact of each on clinical outcomes and costs.
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Expert Rev Anti Infect Ther · Dec 2011
ReviewSimplifying the treatment of acute bacterial bone and joint infections in children.
The treatment of acute hematogenous bone and joint infections of children - osteomyelitis (OM), septic arthritis (SA) and OM-SA combination (OM+SA) - has simplified over the past years. The old approach included months-long antibiotic treatment, started intravenously for at least a week, followed by oral completion of the course. Recent prospective randomized trials show that most cases heal with a total course of 3 weeks (OM, OM+SA) or 2 weeks (SA) of an appropriate antibiotic, provided the clinical response is good and C-reactive protein level has normalized. ⋯ They should be administered in large doses and four times a day. Clindamycin, vancomycin and expensive linezolid are options against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. Extensive surgery beyond a diagnostic sample by aspiration is rarely needed in uncomplicated cases.