Clinical infectious diseases : an official publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America
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Telemedicine technologies are rapidly being integrated into infectious diseases programs with the aim of increasing access to infectious diseases specialty care for isolated populations and reducing costs. We summarize the utility and effectiveness of telemedicine in the evaluation and treatment of infectious diseases patients. The use of telemedicine in the management of acute infectious diseases, chronic hepatitis C, human immunodeficiency virus, and active pulmonary tuberculosis is considered. We recapitulate and evaluate the advantages of telemedicine described in other studies, present challenges to adopting telemedicine, and identify future opportunities for the use of telemedicine within the realm of clinical infectious diseases.
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Comparative Study
Delay in diagnosis of invasive surgical site infections following knee arthroplasty versus hip arthroplasty.
The timing of diagnosis of invasive surgical site infection (SSI) following joint replacement surgery is an important criterion used to determine subsequent medical and surgical management. ⋯ The diagnosis of invasive SSI was delayed following knee arthroplasty compared with hip arthroplasty. We hypothesize that differences in symptom manifestation and disparities in access to care may contribute to the observed differential timing of diagnosis. Our findings have important implications for the management of prosthetic joint infections, because treatment strategies depend on the timing of diagnosis.
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Mycobacterium abscessus has emerged as a major pathogen in cystic fibrosis (CF) patients and has been associated with poor clinical outcomes, particularly following lung transplant. We investigated the acquisition of this bacterium in a cohort of pediatric CF patients. ⋯ We have not demonstrated cross-transmission of M. abscessus within our hospital, except between 1 sibling pair. Alternative routes of acquisition of M. abscessus infection, in particular the environment, require further investigation.
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Multicenter Study Clinical Trial
T2 magnetic resonance assay for the rapid diagnosis of candidemia in whole blood: a clinical trial.
Microbiologic cultures, the current gold standard diagnostic method for invasive Candida infections, have low specificity and take up to 2-5 days to grow. We present the results of the first extensive multicenter clinical trial of a new nanodiagnostic approach, T2 magnetic resonance (T2MR), for diagnosis of candidemia. ⋯ NCT01752166.