Chronic kidney disease in Australian Human Immunodeficiency Virus-infected patients: Analysis of the Australian HIV Observational Database.

AIM: The aim of the present study was to examine data from the Australian HIV Observational Database (AHOD), and firstly, to describe the incidence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) and the rate of loss of renal function in HIV-infected individuals living in Australia, and then to examine the risk factors contributing to CKD in this population. METHODS: AHOD patients over 18 years of age were eligible if they had at least two serum creatinine measurements from 1 April 2008 until 31 March 2016 and an initial estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) greater than 60 mL/min per 1.73 m3 . Cox proportional hazards models were used to assess risk factors for CKD, which included key patient demographic data and antiretroviral therapy (ART) exposure. RESULTS: Of 1924 patients included in the analysis between April 2008 and March 2016, 81 (4.2%) developed CKD (confirmed eGFR of less than 60 mL/min per 1.73 m3 through two consecutive eGFR measurements at least 3 months apart). Of the examined risk factors, baseline age, baseline eGFR, and the route of HIV acquisition were statistically significant predictors of development of CKD. ART exposure, viral hepatitis co-infection, high viral load and low CD4 lymphocyte count were not found to be significant risk factors for CKD. CONCLUSION: This is the first study to investigate the risk factors for development of CKD among Australian HIV-infected patients using cohort data. It highlights the need for awareness of renal risk factors, particularly among older patients or in those with pre-existing renal dysfunction. Further research is required to explore the discrepancy between patients who have acquired HIV through different means of exposure.

A Randomized Trial of Nafamostat for Covid-19.

BACKGROUND: Nafamostat mesylate is a potent in vitro antiviral agent that inhibits the host transmembrane protease serine 2 enzyme used by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 for cell entry. METHODS: This open-label, pragmatic, randomized clinical trial in Australia, New Zealand, and Nepal included noncritically ill hospitalized patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19). Participants were randomly assigned to usual care or usual care plus nafamostat. The primary end point was death (any cause) or receipt of new invasive or noninvasive ventilation or vasopressor support within 28 days after randomization. Analysis was with a Bayesian logistic model in which an adjusted odds ratio <1.0 indicates improved outcomes with nafamostat. Enrollment was closed due to falling numbers of eligible patients. RESULTS: We screened 647 patients in 21 hospitals (15 in Australia, 4 in New Zealand, and 2 in Nepal) and enrolled 160 participants from May 2021 to August 2022. In the intention-to-treat population, the primary end point occurred in 8 (11%) of 73 patients with usual care and 4 (5%) of 82 with nafamostat. The median adjusted odds ratio for the primary end point for nafamostat was 0.40 (95% credible interval, 0.12 to 1.34) with a posterior probability of effectiveness (adjusted odds ratio <1.0) of 93%. For usual care compared with nafamostat, hyperkalemia occurred in 1 (1%) of 67 and 7 (9%) of 78 participants, respectively, and clinically relevant bleeding occurred in 1 (1%) of 73 and 7 (8%) of 82 participants. CONCLUSIONS: Among hospitalized patients with Covid-19, there was a 93% posterior probability that nafamostat reduced the odds of death or organ support. Prespecified stopping criteria were not met, precluding definitive conclusions. Hyperkalemia and bleeding were more common with nafamostat. (Funded by ASCOT and others; ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT04483960.)

Exploring nursing and medical perceptions of sepsis management in a New Zealand emergency department: A qualitative study.

OBJECTIVE: Early sepsis recognition and treatment are essential in order to reduce the burden of disease. Initial assessment of patients with infection is often undertaken by ED nurses and resident doctors. This descriptive qualitative study aimed to explore their perceptions and perspectives regarding the factors that impede the identification and management of patients with sepsis. METHODS: This was a qualitative study conducted between 30 January 2020 and 27 February 2020. Semi-structured focus group interviews were performed to collect data. All participants provided written informed consent and completed a basic demographic and work experience form. Two study investigators facilitated the interviews. Interviews were audio-recorded and later transcribed. Thematic analysis was performed with the aid of NVivo 12 software. RESULTS: Six focus group interviews were conducted involving 40 ED nurses and doctors. Interview length ranged from 27 to 38 min (mean 33.5 min). Three major themes were identified: (i) clinical management; (ii) challenges and delays; and (iii) communication. Each of these themes was broken down into subthemes, which are presented in more detail. CONCLUSION: ED nurses and doctors have identified important factors that limit and enhance their capacity to recognise and respond to patients with sepsis. Complex interactions exist between clinical and organisational structures that can affect the care of patients and the ability of clinicians to provide optimal care. The three major themes and specific subthemes provide a useful framework and stimulus for service improvements and research that could help foster future sepsis management improvement strategies.

Clinical features of patients hospitalised with COVID-19 from February to October 2020, during the early waves of the pandemic in New Zealand.

AIM: As New Zealand transitions towards endemic SARS-CoV-2, understanding patient factors predicting severity, as well as hospital resourcing requirements will be essential for future planning. METHODS: We retrospectively enrolled patients hospitalised with COVID-19 from 26 February to 5 October 2020 as part of the COVID-19 HospitalisEd Patient SeverIty Observational Study NZ (COHESION). Data on demographics, clinical course and outcomes were collected and analysed as a descriptive case series. RESULTS: Eighty-four patients were identified across eight district health boards. Forty-one (49%) were male. The median age was 58 years [IQR: 41.7-70.3 years]. By ethnicity, hospitalisations included 38 NZ European (45%), 19 Pasifika (23%), 13 Maori (15%), 12 Asian (14%) and 2 Other (2%). Pre-existing co-morbidities included hypertension (26/82, 32%), obesity (16/66, 24%) and diabetes (18/81, 22%). The median length of stay was four days [IQR: 2-15 days]. Twelve patients (12/83, 14%) were admitted to an intensive care unit or high dependency unit (ICU/HDU). Ten (10/83, 12%) patients died in hospital of whom seven (70%) were not admitted to ICU/HDU; the median age at death was 83 years. CONCLUSION: Despite initially low case numbers in New Zealand during 2020, hospitalisation with COVID-19 was associated with a high mortality and hospital resource requirements.

Clinical characteristics and outcome of infective endocarditis due to Abiotrophia and Granulicatella compared to Viridans group streptococci.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the clinical characteristics and outcome of Abiotrophia and Granulicatella infective endocarditis and compare them with Viridans group streptococci infective endocarditis. METHODS: All patients in the International Collaboration on Endocarditis (ICE) - prospective cohort study (PCS) and the ICE-PLUS cohort were included (n = 8112). Data from patients with definitive or possible IE due to Abiotrophia species, Granulicatella species and Viridans group streptococci was analyzed. A propensity score (PS) analysis comparing the ABI/GRA-IE and VGS-IE groups according to a 1:2 ratio was performed. RESULTS: Forty-eight (0.64%) cases of ABI/GRA-IE and 1,292 (17.2%) VGS-IE were included in the analysis. The median age of patients with ABI/GRA-IE was lower than VGS-IE (48.1 years vs. 57.9 years; p = 0.001). Clinical features and the rate of in-hospital surgery was similar between ABI/GRA-IE and VGS-IE (52.1% vs. 45.4%; p = 0.366). Unadjusted in-hospital death was lower in ABI/GRA-IE than VGS-IE (2.1% vs. 8.8%; p = 0.003), and cumulative six-month mortality was lower in ABI/GRA-IE than VGS-IE (2.1% vs. 11.9%; p<0.001). After PS analysis, in-hospital mortality was similar in both groups, but six-month mortality was lower in the ABI/GRA IE group (2.1% vs. 10.4%; p = 0.029). CONCLUSIONS: Patients with ABI/GRA-IE were younger, had similar clinical features and rates of surgery and better prognosis than VGS-IE.

Modified Sequential Organ Failure Assessment sepsis score in an emergency department setting: Retrospective assessment of prognostic value.

OBJECTIVE: Use of the Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score has been proposed by the Third International Consensus Definitions for Sepsis and Septic Shock. The utility in the ED is not yet well established. We retrospectively studied the application of a modified SOFA (mSOFA) score, to assess its ability to predict mortality. METHODS: At our urban tertiary teaching hospital staff recorded patients with probable sepsis in the ED Information System (EDIS). Data was analysed for the year of July 2015 to June 2016. For a sample of the suspected sepsis patients, ED and inpatient clinical records were manually reviewed to ascribe an mSOFA score and assess its performance in predicting mortality, with a primary outcome of death by 30 days. RESULTS: There were 474 patients recorded over the 1 year with probable sepsis, of whom 228 were manually reviewed. The mSOFA was a significant predictor of mortality at all the time points tested. The 30 day mortality was 22/88 (25%) for those with a positive mSOFA score and 3 out of 140 (2.1%) of those with a negative mSOFA score (OR 15.2, 95% CI [4.4, 52.7]; P < 0.001). This equated to a negative predictive value of 97.9% (95% exact CI 93.9-99.6%). CONCLUSION: For ED patients thought likely to have sepsis, the mSOFA score distinguished those with a high or low mortality risk. The high negative predictive value could be practically useful. Prospective study of the mSOFA score used in ED will be needed to validate these observations.

Excess cost and inpatient stay of treating deep spinal surgical site infections.

AIM: To determine the excess cost and hospitalisation associated with surgical site infections (SSI) following spinal operations in a New Zealand setting. METHODS: We identified inpatients treated for deep SSI following primary or revision spinal surgery at a regional tertiary spinal centre between 2009 and 2016. Excess cost and excess length of stay (LOS) were calculated via a clinical costing system using procedure-matched controls. RESULTS: Twenty-eight patients were identified. Twenty-five had metalware following spinal fusion surgery, while three had non-instrumented decompression and/or discectomy. Five were diagnosed during their index hospitalisation and 23 (82%) were re-admitted. The average excess SSI cost was NZ$51,434 (range $1,398-$262,206.16) and LOS 37.1 days (range 7-275 days). Infections following metalware procedures had a greater excess cost (average $56,258.90 vs. $11,228.61) and LOS (average 40.4 days vs. 9.7 days) than procedures without metalware. CONCLUSION: The costs associated with spinal SSI are significant and comparable to a previous New Zealand study of hip and knee prosthesis SSI. More awareness of the high costs involved should encourage research and implementation of infection prevention strategies.

Cascade of care for people living with HIV infection in the Wellington region.

AIM: Antiretroviral therapy (ART) is highly effective in providing better outcomes for people living with HIV infection (PLHIV) and reducing the risk of transmission to others. The 'cascade of care' describes steps in delivering care: diagnosis, linkage and retention in care, and the provision and success of ART. METHODS: The cascade of care for PLHIV in the Wellington region was reviewed during 2015. An estimate of 20% undiagnosed HIV infection was used from past New Zealand research. 'Suppression of HIV infection' by ART was defined as a viral load less than 200 RNA copies/mL as commonly used in other cascade of care studies. RESULTS: There were 307 people identified with HIV infection. The median age was 48 years, and 54 (18%) were women. At the time of the audit, each of the 307 PLHIV were accounted for and not lost to follow-up. ART was being taken by 272 (89%). Those with a CD4 count >500 x 10^6/L accounted for 26/35 not on ART. Of those on ART 254/272 (93.3%) had a suppressed viral load, including 252/259 (97.3%) of those established on treatment >6 months. Overall, 254/384 (66.1%) were estimated to have a suppressed viral load. CONCLUSIONS: The study indicated a high level of retention in care, and of effective HIV suppression, with ART. The main gaps in the cascade of care were the people with undiagnosed HIV infection and those in whom treatment had not yet been initiated because their CD4 count was above 500 cells/10^6/L.

Infective endocarditis in New Zealand: data from the International Collaboration on Endocarditis Prospective Cohort Study.

AIMS: The International Collaboration on Endocarditis Prospective Cohort Study (ICE-PCS) collected worldwide data on the presentation, management and outcome of infective endocarditis (IE). We present data from patients with endocarditis enrolled from New Zealand. METHODS: Patients who fulfilled the Duke criteria for definite or probable endocarditis were enrolled from five district health boards: Auckland, Counties Manukau, Waitemata, Capital and Coast, and Canterbury, between June 2000 and September 2005. RESULTS: There were 336 New Zealand patients enrolled in the ICE-PCS. Prosthetic valve endocarditis occurred in 31%. Underlying medical conditions were present in 28% of patients, but only 4% of patients had rheumatic heart disease. Forty patients (12%) had healthcare-associated endocarditis. Viridans streptococci were the most common cause of IE (32%), followed by Staphylococcus aureus (24%). Patients with S. aureus IE were more likely to present within a week of symptom onset than those with viridans streptococcus IE (OR 4.18, 95% CI 2.36-7.42). Surgery was performed in 33% of patients. In total, 20 patients (6%) died in hospital. Those with endocarditis caused by coagulase-negative staphylococci had an increased risk of death compared with those viridans streptococcus endocarditis (RR 4.7, 95% CI 1.2-17). The risk of stroke was higher in those with endocarditis caused by S. aureus and coagulase-negative staphylococci (RR 2.7, 95% CI 1.2-6.05, and 4.9, 95% CI 1.9-13, respectively). CONCLUSION: While viridans streptococci remain the predominant causative organisms of IE in New Zealand, many 'traditional' clinical and management aspects of this disease no longer apply. This paper provides a reference for local practitioners assessing and managing IE.

Association between HACEK bacteraemia and endocarditis.

We retrospectively examined medical records of 87 patients with bacteraemia caused by members of the HACEK group (Haemophilus parainfluenzae, Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans, Aggregatibacter aphrophilus, Aggregatibacter paraphrophilus, Cardiobacterium spp., Eikenella corrodens and Kingella spp.) to determine whether endocarditis was present, as defined by the Duke criteria. The overall positive predictive value (PPV) of HACEK bacteraemia for endocarditis was 60 %. The PPV varied with different HACEK species from 0 % (E. corrodens) to 100 % (A. actinomycetemcomitans).

HACEK infective endocarditis: characteristics and outcomes from a large, multi-national cohort.

The HACEK organisms (Haemophilus species, Aggregatibacter species, Cardiobacterium hominis, Eikenella corrodens, and Kingella species) are rare causes of infective endocarditis (IE). The objective of this study is to describe the clinical characteristics and outcomes of patients with HACEK endocarditis (HE) in a large multi-national cohort. Patients hospitalized with definite or possible infective endocarditis by the International Collaboration on Endocarditis Prospective Cohort Study in 64 hospitals from 28 countries were included and characteristics of HE patients compared with IE due to other pathogens. Of 5591 patients enrolled, 77 (1.4%) had HE. HE was associated with a younger age (47 vs. 61 years; p<0.001), a higher prevalence of immunologic/vascular manifestations (32% vs. 20%; p<0.008) and stroke (25% vs. 17% p = 0.05) but a lower prevalence of congestive heart failure (15% vs. 30%; p = 0.004), death in-hospital (4% vs. 18%; p = 0.001) or after 1 year follow-up (6% vs. 20%; p = 0.01) than IE due to other pathogens (n = 5514). On multivariable analysis, stroke was associated with mitral valve vegetations (OR 3.60; CI 1.34-9.65; p<0.01) and younger age (OR 0.62; CI 0.49-0.90; p<0.01). The overall outcome of HE was excellent with the in-hospital mortality (4%) significantly better than for non-HE (18%; p<0.001). Prosthetic valve endocarditis was more common in HE (35%) than non-HE (24%). The outcome of prosthetic valve and native valve HE was excellent whether treated medically or with surgery. Current treatment is very successful for the management of both native valve prosthetic valve HE but further studies are needed to determine why HE has a predilection for younger people and to cause stroke. The small number of patients and observational design limit inferences on treatment strategies. Self selection of study sites limits epidemiological inferences.

Pandemic influenza A(H1N1)2009 in hospital healthcare workers in New Zealand.

We evaluated A/H1N1 influenza in healthcare workers (HCWs) and in a flu room during the 2009 pandemic. The flu room aided HCW care and management by facilitating rapid diagnosis and treatment. Absence of fever was common, and symptoms were nonspecific. A higher rate of H1N1 occurred in HCWs deployed in acute services.

Clinical presentation, etiology, and outcome of infective endocarditis in the 21st century: the International Collaboration on Endocarditis-Prospective Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND: We sought to provide a contemporary picture of the presentation, etiology, and outcome of infective endocarditis (IE) in a large patient cohort from multiple locations worldwide. METHODS: Prospective cohort study of 2781 adults with definite IE who were admitted to 58 hospitals in 25 countries from June 1, 2000, through September 1, 2005. RESULTS: The median age of the cohort was 57.9 (interquartile range, 43.2-71.8) years, and 72.1% had native valve IE. Most patients (77.0%) presented early in the disease (<30 days) with few of the classic clinical hallmarks of IE. Recent health care exposure was found in one-quarter of patients. Staphylococcus aureus was the most common pathogen (31.2%). The mitral (41.1%) and aortic (37.6%) valves were infected most commonly. The following complications were common: stroke (16.9%), embolization other than stroke (22.6%), heart failure (32.3%), and intracardiac abscess (14.4%). Surgical therapy was common (48.2%), and in-hospital mortality remained high (17.7%). Prosthetic valve involvement (odds ratio, 1.47; 95% confidence interval, 1.13-1.90), increasing age (1.30; 1.17-1.46 per 10-year interval), pulmonary edema (1.79; 1.39-2.30), S aureus infection (1.54; 1.14-2.08), coagulase-negative staphylococcal infection (1.50; 1.07-2.10), mitral valve vegetation (1.34; 1.06-1.68), and paravalvular complications (2.25; 1.64-3.09) were associated with an increased risk of in-hospital death, whereas viridans streptococcal infection (0.52; 0.33-0.81) and surgery (0.61; 0.44-0.83) were associated with a decreased risk. CONCLUSIONS: In the early 21st century, IE is more often an acute disease, characterized by a high rate of S aureus infection. Mortality remains relatively high.