Mayo Clinic proceedings
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Mayo Clinic proceedings · Aug 1995
Review Case ReportsTreatment of alcohol withdrawal in hospitalized patients.
Alcoholism can be encountered in many aspects of medicine. Frequently, primary-care physicians are asked to treat patients who are experiencing various stages of alcohol withdrawal while hospitalized for intercurrent illness. A thorough assessment of the patient is important because the symptoms and signs of alcohol withdrawal are nonspecific. ⋯ Their application by means of a symptom-triggered approach based on frequent, objective assessment of the patient is recommended. Adjunctive therapy for specific complications of alcohol withdrawal is discussed. After the acute withdrawal symptoms have been controlled, psychiatric or chemical dependence assessment (or both) is strongly encouraged.
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Mayo Clinic proceedings · Aug 1995
Case ReportsLong-term suppressive therapy for Candida parapsilosis-induced prosthetic valve endocarditis.
Prompt valve replacement is advocated in patients in whom candidal prosthetic valve endocarditis develops. Unfortunately, some patients with this condition are considered nonsurgical candidates, and they are unable to tolerate long-term administration of amphotericin B with or without flucytosine. Herein we describe a patient with Candida parapsilosis-induced prosthetic valve endocarditis in whom oral administration of fluconazole during an 11-month period successfully suppressed the fungal infection. Three previously published cases indicate that long-term noncurative suppressive therapy for C. parapsilosis-induced prosthetic valve endocarditis may allow prolonged symptom-free survival for such patients.