Dtsch Arztebl Int
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Routine urine culture testing is not recommended for uncomplicated urinary tract infections (UTIs). As a result, the antibiotic resistance patterns or the organisms causing UTIs are not adequately reflected in routine data. We studied the sensitivity of Escherichia coli (E. coli) to trimethoprim (TMP) and to cotrimoxazole (i.e., trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole, TMP/SMX) in community-acquired UTI and compared the findings with the resistance data of the Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance System (ARS). ⋯ E. coli with resistance to TMP was significantly less prevalent among the study patients with uncomplicated UTIs than in the routine data of the ARS. Accordingly, TMP should still be considered as an option for the treatment of uncomplicated UTIs. TMP/SMX is considered the agent of second choice because of its side effects. Surveillance systems based on routine data do not yield a representative sample for the evaluation of the resistance situation in patients with uncomplicated UTIs.
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The annual number of post-mortem organ donations in Germany has declined by more than 30% since 2010. The causes of this development have not yet been adequately determined. ⋯ The decline in post-mortem organ donation is due to a deficiency in the recognition and reporting of potential organ donors in hospital. If this process were better supported on the organizational and political level, far more organs could be transplanted.
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Review Comparative Study
Oxygen Treatment in Intensive Care and Emergency Medicine.
Oxygen treatment is often life-saving, but multiple studies in recent years have yielded evidence that the indiscriminate administration of oxygen to patients in the intensive care unit and emergency room can cause hyperoxia and thereby elevate mortality. ⋯ Hypoxemia should certainly be avoided, but the fact that the liberal administration of oxygen to patients in intensive care units and emergency rooms tends to increase morbidity and mortality implies the advisability of a conservative, normoxic oxygenation strategy.