Dismal prognosis of Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia in patients with multiple myeloma.

Patients with multiple myeloma (MM) are at high risk for infections, including opportunistic infections such as Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia (PJP). We conducted a retrospective analysis of patients with MM developing PJP over a 6-year period between January 2016 and December 2021 at the University Hospital of Würzburg by screening cases of microbiologically documented PJP. A total of 201 positive results for P. jirovecii in respiratory specimens were retrospectively retrieved through our microbiology database. Of these cases, 13 patients with MM fulfilled the definition of probable PJP according to EORTC fungal disease definitions. We observed two peaks in PJP incidence, one after stem cell transplantation during first-line treatment (n = 5) and the other in heavily pretreated patients with six or more prior lines of therapy (n = 6). There was high morbidity with nine (69%) patients admitted to the ICU, seven of whom (78%) required mechanical ventilation, and high mortality (62%, n = 8). Notably, only two of the 13 patients (15%) had received PJP prophylaxis. The main reason for discontinuation of prophylaxis with trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole was grade IV neutropenia. The observed morbidity and mortality of PJP in MM patients are significant and even higher than reported for patients with other hematologic malignancies. According to most current guidelines, the use of prophylaxis would have been clearly recommended in no more than three (23%) of the 13 patients. This illustrates the need to critically reconsider the indications for PJP prophylaxis, which remain incompletely defined.

Non-surgical treatment of biliary liver abscesses: efficacy of endoscopic drainage and local antibiotic lavage with nasobiliary catheter.

BACKGROUND: It is universally recognized that the most frequent cause of hepatic abscess is biliary disease. The aim of this study was to determine the efficacy of endoscopic drainage and local antibiotic lavage via nasobiliary catheter in the treatment of liver abscesses of biliary origin. METHOD: From January 1994 to December 1995, twenty-two cases of pyogenic liver abscess were treated. Diagnosis was established with ultrasound, computed tomography, endoscopic retrograde cholangiography, and laboratory tests. All patients were assigned prospectively to endoscopic or other non-surgical forms of therapy, depending on the etiology of the pyogenic process. Patients in whom this treatment failed underwent surgical drainage. Twenty patients had hepatic abscesses of biliary origin. In this subgroup, a nasobiliary catheter was placed into the biliary tree for continuous antibiotic lavage (infusion technique: 1 to 1.5 mL/min for 8 to 10 days) after endoscopic sphincterotomy. Two patients had hepatic abscesses of hematogenous and amebic origin, respectively. They were treated only with the appropriate systemic antibiotics. RESULTS: Nineteen patients of the biliary subgroup (95%) and the two patients with non-biliary disease (100%) had complete resolution of the abscesses. "Salvage" surgical drainage was required in only one patient (4.5%). There was no treatment related mortality. CONCLUSION: Endoscopic sphincterotomy and local antibiotic lavage via an endoscopically placed nasobiliary catheter is a safe and effective treatment for biliary liver abscesses. It should be considered as first-line treatment in this subgroup of patients with liver abscesses. Percutaneous or surgical drainage modalities should be reserved for patients in whom endoscopic treatment fails.

Intraoperative measurement of activated partial thromboplastin time and prothrombin time by a portable laser photometer in patients following cardiopulmonary bypass.

Intraoperative capabilities to rapidly assess coagulation status following cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) may be of benefit in providing optimal hemostasis and transfusion management, because CPB causes abnormalities in coagulation that may increase morbidity and mortality. The Ciba Corning 512 coagulation monitor (Ciba Corning, Medfield, MA) is a compact and portable device that rapidly determines the prothrombin time (PT) and activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) in whole blood samples. One hundred patients requiring CPB had APTT and PT determined in whole blood specimens by the 512 coagulation monitor and in plasma specimens by the hospital laboratory from the same arterial blood sample obtained after protamine administration. Correlation coefficients of 0.95 and 0.77 were obtained for the paired APTT and PT tests, respectively (P < 0.01). A bias of 12.6 seconds and 0.77 seconds was determined for the APTT and PT, respectively. The 95% confidence intervals of the bias of the APTT and PT were 9.7 seconds to 15.5 seconds and 0.3 seconds to 1.16 seconds, respectively. The 512 coagulation monitor provided APTT and PT results in less than 3 minutes compared to approximately 45 minutes for the hospital laboratory. A reduction in accuracy was associated with the 512 coagulation monitor PT and APTT when different sampling sites were used. The 512 coagulation monitor accuracy was not affected by a variation of hemoglobin concentration or platelet count between 6 and 12 gm/dL and 15 to 300 x 10(9)/L, respectively. In conclusion, the 512 coagulation monitor provided a rapid APTT and PT result, but the APTT was less accurate. Speeding access to hospital laboratory results would be even more efficacious and accurate.

Oral candidiasis as a marker of acute retroviral illness.

All reported clinical characteristics of acute retroviral illness with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) are nonspecific. Signs and symptoms described are associated with a variety of acute infections. We report the cases of three patients in whom the acute retroviral illness was characterized by transient oral candidiasis and unexplained high lactate dehydrogenase values, with or without transient pulmonary infiltrate, in the context of an acute febrile illness. The clinical findings correlated with a severe reduction in the number of CD4 cells. We believe that thrush could be a marker of acute retroviral infection, as it is not a feature of any other heterophil-negative mononucleosis-like syndrome. We propose that in any patient having transient thrush and acute viral syndrome, the possibility of HIV infection should be aggressively pursued serologically, regardless of the patient's HIV risk status, provided that the usual causes of candidiasis (eg, diabetes mellitus, antibiotic use, and dentures) can be excluded.

Are maximal inspiratory breathing exercises or incentive spirometry better than early mobilization after cardiopulmonary bypass?

Forty-nine adults who had undergone cardiopulmonary bypass surgery were randomly assigned to one of three exercise programs to determine if either maximal inspiratory breathing exercises or incentive spirometry offered a therapeutic advantage over early mobilization alone. After extubation, the patients started their assigned exercise programs. A physical examination and pulmonary function tests were performed preoperatively, at the start of the exercise program, and 24 and 48 hours after the start of the program. The results showed a significant decrease (approximately 50%) in lung volumes but no airflow obstruction in patients who had coronary artery bypass graft. In those patients who had valve replacement, lung volumes fell, and in addition, mild airflow obstruction occurred. A majority of patients had postoperative pulmonary complications. There were no significant differences among the exercise programs in improving lung volumes and airflow or in preventing postoperative complications. We conclude that maximal inspiratory breathing exercises or incentive spirometry, when used in addition to early mobilization, offers no therapeutic advantage over early mobilization alone after cardiopulmonary bypass surgery.