[Infection of a hip prosthesis after dry needling]. / Infectie van een heupprothese na 'dry needling'.

A 57-year-old patient presented to the orthopaedic department with hip pain 7 months after hip replacement and two weeks after dry needling by a physiotherapist. Dry needling is used by physiotherapists to treat pain and stiffness. In the Netherlands, there are no clear guidelines or contra-indications described for this treatment. The surgical scar of our patient showed signs of inflammation for which debridement and irrigation were performed. Tissue samples showed positive bacterial cultures and the patient was treated with antibiotics. One week after completing this treatment, the infection returned. Debridement and irrigation were repeated and antibiotic treatment was recommenced. Three months later, the patient showed no signs of infection with the prosthesis still in situ. Although there is no strong evidence for a causal relationship between dry needling and the infection, dry needling should be used carefully in patients with a joint replacement, due to the increased risk of infection.

Timing of surgical intervention in necrotizing pancreatitis.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the effect of timing of surgical intervention for necrotizing pancreatitis. DESIGN: Retrospective study of 53 patients and a systematic review. SETTING: A tertiary referral center. Main Outcome Measure Mortality. RESULTS: Median timing of the intervention was 28 days. Eighty-three percent of patients had infected necrosis and 55% had preoperative organ failure. The mortality rate was 36%. Sixteen patients were operated on within 14 days of initial admission, 11 patients from day 15 to 29, and 26 patients on day 30 or later. This latter group received preoperative antibiotics for a longer period (P < .001), and Candida species and antibiotic-resistant organisms were more often cultured from the pancreatic or peripancreatic necrosis in these patients (P = .02). The 30-day group also had the lowest mortality (8% vs 75% in the 1 to 14-days group and 45% in the 15 to 29-days group, P < .001); this difference persisted when outcome was stratified for preoperative organ failure. During the second half of the study, necrosectomy was further postponed (43 vs 20 days, P = .06) and mortality decreased (22% vs 47%, P = .09). We also reviewed 11 studies with a total of 1136 patients. Median surgical patient volume was 8.3 patients per year (range, 5.3-15.6), median timing of surgical intervention was 26 days (range, 3-31), and median mortality was 25% (range, 6%-56%). We observed a significant correlation between timing of intervention and mortality (R = - 0.603; 95% confidence interval, - 2.10 to - 0.02; P = .05). CONCLUSION: Postponing necrosectomy until 30 days after initial hospital admission is associated with decreased mortality, prolonged use of antibiotics, and increased incidence of Candida species and antibiotic-resistant organisms.

Randomized controlled trials of antibiotic prophylaxis in severe acute pancreatitis: relationship between methodological quality and outcome.

AIM: To evaluate the methodological quality of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of systemic antibiotic prophylaxis in severe acute pancreatitis in relation to outcome. METHODS: The MEDLINE, EMBASE and Cochrane databases were searched for RCTs that studied the effectiveness of systemic antibiotic prophylaxis in severe acute pancreatitis. A meta-analysis was performed with a random effects model. Methodological quality was quantified by a previously published scoring system (range 0-17 points). RESULTS: Six studies, with a total of 397 participants, obtained a methodological score of at least 5 points and were included. Systemic antibiotic prophylaxis had no significant effect on infection of pancreatic necrosis (absolute risk reduction (ARR) 0.055; 95% CI -0.084 to 0.194) and mortality (ARR 0.058, 95% CI -0.017 to 0.134). Spearman correlation showed an inverse association between methodological quality and ARR for mortality (correlation coefficient -0.841, p = 0.036). CONCLUSIONS: The inverse relationship between methodological quality and impact of antibiotic prophylaxis on mortality emphasizes the importance of high-quality RCTs. At present, adequate evidence for the routine use of antibiotic prophylaxis in severe acute pancreatitis is lacking.

Design of a multispecies probiotic mixture to prevent infectious complications in critically ill patients.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Although the potential for probiotics is investigated in an increasing variety of diseases, there is little or no consensus regarding the desired probiotic properties for a particular disease in question, nor about the final design of the probiotic. Specific strain selection procedures were undertaken to design a disease-specific multispecies probiotic. METHODS: From a strain collection of 69 different lactic acid bacteria a primary selection was made of 14 strains belonging to different species showing superior survival in a simulated gastrointestinal environment. Functional tests like antimicrobial activity against a range of clinical isolates and cytokine inducing capacity in cultured human peripheral blood mononuclear cells were used to further identify potential strains. RESULTS: Specific strains inhibited growth of clinical isolates whereas others superiorly induced the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10. Based on functional tests and general criteria regarding probiotic design and safety, a selection of the following six strains was made (Ecologic 641); Bifidobacterium bifidum, Bifidobacterium infantis, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus casei, Lactobacillus salivarius and Lactococcus lactis. Combination of these strains resulted in a wider antimicrobial spectrum, superior induction of IL-10 and silencing of pro-inflammatory cytokines as compared to the individual components. CONCLUSIONS: Application of strict criteria during the design of a disease-specific probiotic prior to implementation in clinical trials may provide a rational basis for use of probiotics.

Cyclosporiasis outbreak, Indonesia.

We describe an outbreak of Cyclospora cayetanensis infection among Dutch participants at a scientific meeting in September 2001 in Bogor, Indonesia. Fifty percent of the investigated participants were positive for C. cayetanensis. To our knowledge, this outbreak is the first caused by C. cayetanensis among susceptible persons in a disease-endemic area.