Clinical infectious diseases : an official publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America
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Colistin is increasingly used for the treatment of multidrug-resistant gram-negative infections. However, colistin dosing varies greatly and the optimal regimen is unknown. The purpose of this study was to determine if colistin dosing correlates with patient outcomes. ⋯ Higher colistin dose independently predicted microbiological success, which may partially explain the similar association with 7-day mortality. However, higher colistin doses may also precipitate worsening renal function.
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Pertussis booster vaccine (Tdap) recommendations assume that pertussis-specific antibodies in women immunized preconception, during, or after previous pregnancies persist at sufficient levels to protect newborn infants. ⋯ Infants of mothers immunized preconception or in early pregnancy have insufficient pertussis-specific antibodies to protect against infection. Maternal immunization during the third trimester, immunization of other infant contacts, and reimmunization during subsequent pregnancies may be necessary.
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Hospitals and quality improvement agencies are vigorously focusing on reducing rates of hospital-acquired infection. Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) is notoriously difficult to diagnose and surveillance is thwarted by the subjectivity of many components of the surveillance definition. Alternative surveillance strategies are needed. Ventilator-associated complications (VAC) is a simple, objective measure of respiratory deterioration. ⋯ Surveillance for VAP is subjective and labor intensive. VAC is an objective measure which can be readily obtained from electronic records. It is associated with adverse outcomes and increased broad-spectrum antibiotic usage. VAC may be a useful surveillance tool. The utility of VAC prevention bundles merits assessment.
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The results from clinical trials testing new direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) for chronic hepatitis C were the major focus of interest at the 2012 annual meeting of the European Association for the Study of the Liver. Besides triple combinations, in which any one of the new DAAs is given along with peginterferon-α/ribavirin, clinical trials exploring interferon-free oral regimens combining several DAAs attracted major attention. ⋯ Among NS5A inhibitors, the good performance of daclatasvir encourages further clinical development. Finally, intriguing results were released about the role of interleukin 28B (IL-28B) polymorphisms using interferon-free regimens, indirectly supporting the role of innate immunity for clearing HCV definitively.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Clinical Trial
Continuous infusion of beta-lactam antibiotics in severe sepsis: a multicenter double-blind, randomized controlled trial.
Beta-lactam antibiotics are a commonly used treatment for severe sepsis, with intermittent bolus dosing standard therapy, despite a strong theoretical rationale for continuous administration. The aim of this trial was to determine the clinical and pharmacokinetic differences between continuous and intermittent dosing in patients with severe sepsis. ⋯ Continuous administration of beta-lactam antibiotics achieved higher plasma antibiotic concentrations than intermittent administration with improvement in clinical cure. This study provides a strong rationale for further multicenter trials with sufficient power to identify differences in patient-centered endpoints.