Infection
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We investigated the number, clinical characteristics, and outcomes of ICU patients, who met precise clinical and physiological criteria for severe sepsis (as defined in the PROWESS study) in Slovak intensive care units. We designed an observational cohort epidemiological study with retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data. 12 adult general intensive care units participated in the Slovak Republic between July and December 2002. ⋯ We estimate 1,770 cases of severe sepsis hospitalized at Slovak adult intensive care units per year. Hospital mortality for severe sepsis remains very high (51.2%) and is associated with advanced age (over 50 years), number of failing organs and higher admission and maximum SOFA scores.
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The combination of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) and liposomal doxorubicin is a promising approach for the treatment of progressive HIV-related Kaposi's sarcoma (KS). Here, we determined the safety, tolerability, and efficacy of liposomal doxorubicin and HAART as a combined treatment approach for advanced KS, and assessed the impact of liposomal doxorubicin on HAART-mediated immune reconstitution and viral suppression. ⋯ The simultaneous administration of HAART and liposomal doxorubicin is a safe and effective treatment approach for advanced KS and HAART-mediated recovery of relative CD4+ T cell counts does not seem to be impaired by concomitant treatment with liposomal doxorubicin.
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Inadequate initial antimicrobial therapy represents one of the factors associated with mortality of patients suffering from hospital-acquired pneumonia. According to its wide antimicrobial spectrum, imipenem belongs to the usual antibiotics proposed by current guidelines for such a therapy. However, major changes in the antibiotic susceptibility patterns of bacteria in the intensive care unit (ICU) have occurred. Our goal was to determine the incidence of hospital-acquired pneumonia (HAP) due to imipenem-resistant organism(s) in our ICU and to identify factors associated with such a resistance. ⋯ Factors associated with potential inadequacy of imipenem used as the single antibiotic for initial empiric treatment for HAP were identified. When they are present, imipenem should be either combined with antibiotics such as vancomycin and ciprofloxacin or replaced with another broad-spectrum antimicrobial regimen.