Journal of infection and public health
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J Infect Public Health · Mar 2015
Observational StudyIncidence and attributable costs of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) in a tertiary-level intensive care unit (ICU) in northern India.
Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) is the most common nosocomial infection acquired by patients in the intensive care unit (ICU). However, the economic effects of such infections remain unclear particularly in developing countries. ⋯ We conclude that VAP significantly increases the costs of treatment in low-income developing countries. This study highlights the need to implement urgent measures to reduce the incidence of this disease in ICUs.
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J Infect Public Health · Mar 2015
The evaluation of Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) in a community hospital.
Clostridium difficile is a serious reemerging pathogen in Europe and North America. C. difficile infection (CDI) has been of concern over the last decade in view of its significant morbidity and mortality, as well as the high health care costs involved with each case. Although multiple risk factors are known to be associated with CDI, a number of patients develop severe infection even in the absence of known risk factors. CDI is diagnosed by the detection of the toxin A/B in stools by enzyme immunoassay (EIA) or by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). There is conflicting literature regarding whether any particular group of antibiotics is associated with higher risk for CDI. There is also a tendency to perform repeated stool tests for toxin A/B if the first test is negative. We evaluated 100 consecutive hospitalized patients who tested positive for C. difficile over a one-year period. ⋯ Elderly patients are especially vulnerable to CDI when exposed to antibiotics, and higher mortality and morbidity is observed in this age group. PPI use was common in our patients. Metronidazole was used as the first line agent in the majority of patients. We also determined a tendency to test for the C. difficile toxin in more than one stool sample. All of these practices need to be modified based on the current guidelines.