Surgical infections
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Surgical infections · Dec 2015
Inadequate Source Control and Inappropriate Antibiotics are Key Determinants of Mortality in Patients with Intra-Abdominal Sepsis and Associated Bacteremia.
Patients with intra-abdominal sepsis and associated bacteremia have a high mortality rate. However, outcomes studies in this population are limited, in part because of the small numbers of such patients. The objective of this study was to describe characteristics of critically ill patients with secondary blood stream infection (BSI) of intra-abdominal origin and identify predictors of mortality. ⋯ Critically ill patients with a BSI of abdominal origin are at high risk for mortality. Failure to achieve adequate source control and administration of inappropriate antibiotics were independent predictors of mortality. Thus, these represent potential opportunities to impact outcomes in patients with complicated IAI.
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Surgical infections · Dec 2015
Validation of a Dosing Strategy for Cefazolin for Surgery Requiring Cardiopulmonary Bypass.
A prospective, single center, open-label study was conducted to determine if the standard practice for surgical prophylaxis, which includes standardized dosing of cefazolin, at the University of Maryland Medical Center (UMMC) is adequate for patients placed on bypass during cardiac surgery. ⋯ For patients undergoing cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass, the UMMC dosing regimen surpassed targeted cefazolin concentrations during the entire surgical procedure for all patients regardless of weight or time on bypass.
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Surgical infections · Dec 2015
The Prediction Predicament: Rethinking Necrotizing Soft Tissue Infections Mortality.
Our study sought to identify independent risk factors predisposing patients with necrotizing soft tissue infections (NSTIs) to mortality from among laboratory values, demographic data, and microbiologic findings in a small population. To this end, a retrospective review was conducted of the medical records of all patients with NSTI who had been treated at our institution from 2003 to 2012 (n=134). ⋯ This study suggests that no single factor present on admission is a robust predictor of outcome; it is likely that survival in NSTI is predicated upon a complex interaction of multiple host and microbial factors that do not lend themselves to reduction into a simple formula. It is also abundantly clear that the well-established principles of NSTI surgery should continue to be followed in all cases, with an emphasis on early debridement, irrespective of apparent severity of initial presentation.