Annales françaises d'anesthèsie et de rèanimation
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Ann Fr Anesth Reanim · May 2002
Review[The epidemiology of toxemic infections caused by Staphylococcus aureus in an intensive care setting].
The mission of the National Reference Centre for Staphylococcal Toxemia (CNRTS) is to participate in the epidemiological surveillance of staphylococcal toxemia in France. As these syndromes do not have to be declared, the data collected remain incomplete. Comparison of the clinical data with the results of molecular analysis of the causal strains has nonetheless enabled advances in our understanding of the present-day epidemiology of these syndromes, a clearer knowledge of their pathophysiology and isolation of a hitherto unknown entity, staphylococcal necrotizing pneumonia.
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Ann Fr Anesth Reanim · May 2002
Review[Therapeutic principles of staphylococcal infections--Role and limitations of standard compounds].
Antibiotic therapy plays an important (but not exclusive) role in the treatment of staphylococcal infections. Measures aimed at reducing the bacterial inoculum through local procedures must be envisaged as often as possible. The removal of any foreign, infected materials is essential to success. ⋯ In the light of these data, we propose a therapeutic approach to severe bacterial infection caused by a cluster of Gram-positive cocci. Staphylococcal infections pose daily therapeutic problems, whether in open-care practice or intensive care units. The specificity of staphylococcal infections encountered in an intensive care setting require a therapeutic approach which takes account of the context, and particularly of the incidence of resistant staphylococcal infections.
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Increasing frequency in antibiotic resistance in Staphylococcus aureus is worrying. In this review, we briefly describe the mechanisms of resistance to antibiotics in staphylococci and we report the current incidence of antibiotic resistance in France. Methicillin-resistance is mostly confined to hospitals. ⋯ By contrast, incidence of multiply resistance in hospitals remains high. After a recent decrease, incidence of oxacillin resistance seems to be stabilized. A new and recent feature is the great variety of resistance phenotypes which can be found in methicillin-resistant strains, in particular with gentamicin susceptibility.
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Ann Fr Anesth Reanim · May 2002
Case Reports[Fusarium pleural effusion after a ventricular assist device].
We report the case of a 36-year-old man with a pleural effusion that complicates the postoperative period after the implantation of a ventricular assist device (VAD). The epidemiological, etiologic and therapeutic features of Fusarium infections were reviewed. Complete recovery of the infection was obtained after a treatment by liposomal amphotericine B (AmBisome) and 5 fluorocytosine.