[Use of plastic adhesive drapes during surgery may increase the risk of surgical site infections. A survey of a Cochrane review]. / Helklaebende plast til afdaekning af operationsfeltet kan oge risikoen for sarinfektioner. Gennemgang af et Cochrane-review.

In theory, the products act as a barrier, which hinders the spreading of bacteria from the deeper skin layers and hair follicles to the incision. On the other hand, the use of plastic adhesive drapes may promote bacterial overgrowth due to a >>greenhouse effect<<. This Cochrane review which is based on seven trials showed that there was no evidence that plastic adhesive drapes reduces the surgical site infection rate and some evidence that they increase infection rates in clean operations. Consequently, their use should be abandoned. Further studies are warranted to determine the effect of other adhesive products currently used.

[Pigs as an infection source for methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus infections in humans]. / Svin som smittekilde til infektioner med methicillinresistente Staphylococcus aureus hos mennesker.

Recent Dutch studies indicate that methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) sequence type 398 is widely distributed in pigs and may give rise to infection in humans. In this study we present the first two Danish cases of MRSA infection, which in all probability were acquired from occupational contact with pigs. One infection presented as a severe surgical wound infection, following knee surgery, the other as a superficial ear lobe infection. Both MRSA strains were multiresistant, sequence type 398, Spa-type t034, and Panton-Valentine leukocidin-encoding gene negative.

[Antibiotic strategies in the treatment of infection in critically ill patients]. / Antibiotikastrategi ved behandling af systemiske infektioner hos kritisk syge patienter.

Inappropriate antimicrobial therapy of pneumonia, severe sepsis and bacteraemia is associated with high mortality. Adjustment of insufficient initial antibiotics after susceptibility testing does not reduce mortality. Guidelines on critically ill patients should focus on antibiograms for each intensive care unit to ensure full coverage of initial therapy with a broad-spectrum antibiotic with high tissue penetration, minimal organ toxicity and low risk of resistance development. Early reassessment and withdrawal of antibiotics, if not indicated, are important elements in reducing antibiotic resistance. The initial broad-spectrum should be narrowed according to bacterial susceptibility data. This evidence-based intervention ensures appropriate antimicrobial treatment to critically ill patients to improve outcome and reduction of the use of broad-spectrum antibiotics.