Aspergillus endocarditis in the recent years, report of cases of a multicentric national cohort and literature review.

OBJECTIVES: (1) To describe the incidence, clinical characteristics, treatment and outcome of Aspergillus Endocarditis (AE) in a nationwide multicentric cohort (GAMES). (2) To compare the AE cases of the GAMES cohort, with the AE cases reported in the literature since 2010. (3) To identify variables related to mortality. METHODS: We recruited 10 AE cases included in the GAMES cohort (January 2008-December 2018) and 51 cases from the literature published from January 2010 to July 2019. RESULTS: 4528 patients with infectious endocarditis (IE) were included in the GAMES cohort, of them 10 (0.2%) were AE. After comparing our 10 cases with the 51 of the literature, no differences were found. Analysing the 61 AE cases together, 55.7% were male, median age 45 years. Their main underlying conditions were as follows: prosthetic valve surgery (34.4%) and solid organ transplant (SOT) (19.7%). Mainly affecting mitral (36.1%) and aortic valve (29.5%). Main isolated species were as follows: Aspergillus fumigatus (47.5%) and Aspergillus flavus (24.6%). Embolisms occurred in 54%. Patients were treated with antifungals (90.2%), heart surgery (85.2%) or both (78.7%). Overall, 52.5% died. A greater mortality was observed in immunosuppressed patients (59.4% vs. 24.1%, OR = 4.09, 95%CI = 1.26-13.19, p = .02), and lower mortality was associated with undergoing cardiac surgery plus azole therapy (28.1% vs. 65.5%, OR = 0.22, 95%CI = 0.07-0.72, p = .01). CONCLUSIONS: AE accounts for 0.2% of all IE episodes of a national multicentric cohort, mainly affecting patients with previous valvular surgery or SOT recipients. Mortality remains high especially in immunosuppressed hosts and azole-based treatment combined with surgical resection are related to a better outcome.

Prevention, Diagnosis and Management of Post-Surgical Mediastinitis in Adults Consensus Guidelines of the Spanish Society of Cardiovascular Infections (SEICAV), the Spanish Society of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery (SECTCV) and the Biomedical Research Centre Network for Respiratory Diseases (CIBERES).

This is a consensus document of the Spanish Society of Cardiovascular Infections (SEICAV), the Spanish Society of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery (SECTCV) and the Biomedical Research Centre Network for Respiratory Diseases (CIBERES). These three entities have brought together a multidisciplinary group of experts that includes anaesthesiologists, cardiac and cardiothoracic surgeons, clinical microbiologists, infectious diseases and intensive care specialists, internal medicine doctors and radiologists. Despite the clinical and economic consequences of sternal wound infections, to date, there are no specific guidelines for the prevention, diagnosis and management of mediastinitis based on a multidisciplinary consensus. The purpose of the present document is to provide evidence-based guidance on the most effective diagnosis and management of patients who have experienced or are at risk of developing a post-surgical mediastinitis infection in order to optimise patient outcomes and the process of care. The intended users of the document are health care providers who help patients make decisions regarding their treatment, aiming to optimise the benefits and minimise any harm as well as the workload.

Four weeks versus six weeks of ampicillin plus ceftriaxone in Enterococcus faecalis native valve endocarditis: A prospective cohort study.

Enterococcus faecalis infective endocarditis (EFIE) is a severe disease of increasing incidence. The objective was to analyze whether the outcome of patients with native valve EFIE (NVEFIE) treated with a short course of ampicillin plus ceftriaxone (4wAC) was similar to patients treated according to international guidelines (6wAC). Between January 2008 and June 2018, 1,978 consecutive patients with definite native valve IE were prospectively included in a national registry. Outcomes of patients with NVEFIE treated with 4wAC were compared to those of patients who received 6wAC. Three hundred and twenty-two patients (16.3%) had NVEFIE. One hundred and eighty-three (56.8%) received AC. Thirty-nine patients (21.3%) were treated with 4wAC for four weeks and 70 patients (38.3%) with 6wAC. There were no differences in age or comorbidity. Patients treated 6wAC presented a longer duration of symptoms before diagnosis (21 days, IQR 7-60 days vs. 7 days, IQR 1-22 days; p = 0.002). Six patients presented perivalvular abscess and all of these received 6wAC. Surgery was performed on 14 patients (35.9%) 4wAC and 34 patients (48.6%) 6wAC (p = 0.201). In-hospital mortality, one-year mortality and relapses among 4wAC and 6wAC patients were 10.3% vs. 11.4% (p = 0.851); 17.9% vs. 21.4% (p = 0.682) and 5.1% vs. 4.3% (p = 0.833), respectively. In conclusion, a four-week course of AC may be considered as an alternative regimen in NVEFIE, notably in patients with shorter duration of symptoms and those without perivalvular abscess. These results support the performance of a randomized clinical trial to evaluate the efficacy of this short regimen.

Microbiology in burns patients with blood stream infections: trends over time and during the course of hospitalization.

BACKGROUND: Bloodstream infections (BSI) are a major cause of mortality in burns patients. Knowledge of the microbiology is crucial to direct empirical therapy. We sought to determine the causative microorganisms and antibiotic resistance in burns patients with BSI. METHODS: All consecutive BSI episodes in a tertiary hospital burns unit from 2000 to 2014 were included. The following three subperiods were compared: 2000-2004, 2005-2009 and 2010-2014. Changes in BSI occurring during early and late hospitalization periods were evaluated. RESULTS: A total of 103 BSI episodes were included. The cumulative incidence was 2.4 episodes/1000 patient days. A positive trend in the frequency of Gram-negative BSI, especially in the upsurge of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Klebsiella spp. BSI after 2004, was observed. The most common causative pathogens in early BSI were Gram-positive microorganisms. P. aeruginosa and Klebsiella spp. became the predominant aetiology in the fourth week of hospitalization and beyond. There was a progressive increase in imipenem-resistant P. aeruginosa over time (0%, 67%, 75% in 2000-2004, 2005-2009, 2010-2014, respectively) and during the hospital stay (50% vs. 85.7%, in <7 days-BSI vs. >30 days-BSI, respectively). A higher SOFA (Sepsis-related Organ Failure Assessment) score was associated with Gram-negative BSI versus non-Gram-negative BSI (median: 2.5 vs. 0; p = 0.041). CONCLUSIONS: There is a changing trend in the types of pathogens causing BSI in burns patients over the 14-year period and during the course of hospitalization. The problematic increase in carbapenem-resistance highlights the need for new antimicrobial stewardship policies and antibiotic prescribing protocols.

Infective endocarditis in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy: A multicenter, prospective, cohort study.

Infective endocarditis (IE) complicating hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is a poorly known entity. Although current guidelines do not recommend IE antibiotic prophylaxis (IEAP) in HCM, controversy remains.This study sought to describe the clinical course of a large series of IE HCM and to compare IE in HCM patients with IE patients with and without an indication for IEAP.Data from the GAMES IE registry involving 27 Spanish hospitals were analyzed. From January 2008 to December 2013, 2000 consecutive IE patients were prospectively included in the registry. Eleven IE HCM additional cases from before 2008 were also studied. Clinical, microbiological, and echocardiographic characteristics were analyzed in IE HCM patients (n = 34) and in IE HCM reported in literature (n = 84). Patients with nondevice IE (n = 1807) were classified into 3 groups: group 1, HCM with native-valve IE (n = 26); group 2, patients with IEAP indication (n = 696); group 3, patients with no IEAP indication (n = 1085). IE episode and 1-year follow-up data were gathered.One-year mortality in IE HCM was 42% in our study and 22% in the literature. IE was more frequent, although not exclusive, in obstructive HCM (59% and 74%, respectively). Group 1 exhibited more IE predisposing factors than groups 2 and 3 (62% vs 40% vs 50%, P < 0.01), and more previous dental procedures (23% vs 6% vs 8%, P < 0.01). Furthermore, Group 1 experienced a higher incidence of Streptococcus infections than Group 2 (39% vs 22%, P < 0.01) and similar to Group 3 (39% vs 30%, P = 0.34). Overall mortality was similar among groups (42% vs 36% vs 35%, P = 0.64).IE occurs in HCM patients with and without obstruction. Mortality of IE HCM is high but similar to patients with and without IEAP indication. Predisposing factors, previous dental procedures, and streptococcal infection are higher in IE HCM, suggesting that HCM patients could benefit from IEAP.

Endocarditis in patients with ascending aortic prosthetic graft: a case series from a national multicentre registry.

OBJECTIVES: Endocarditis in patients with ascending aortic prosthetic graft (AAPG) is a life-threatening complication. The purpose of this study was to examine the clinical presentation and prognosis of patients with AAPG endocarditis included in a large prospective infectious endocarditis multicentre study. METHODS: From January 2008 to April 2015, 3200 consecutive patients with infectious endocarditis according to the modified Duke criteria, were prospectively included in the 'Spanish Collaboration on Endocarditis Registry (GAMES)' registry. Twenty-seven definite episodes of endocarditis (0.8%) occurred in patients with AAPG. RESULTS: During the study period, 27 cases of endocarditis were detected in patients with AAPG. The median age of patients was 61 years [interquartile range (IQR) 51-68 years] and 23 (85.2%) patients were male. The median time from AAPG surgery to the episode of AAPG infection was 24 months (IQR 6-108 months). The most frequently isolated micro-organisms were coagulase-negative staphylococci and S. aureus (11 patients, 40.7%). Four patients (14.8%) underwent medical treatment, whereas surgery was performed in 21 (77.7%). Two patients (7.4%) died before surgery could be performed. The median hospital stay prior to surgery was 7 days (IQR 4-21 days). Surgery consisted of replacing previous grafts with a composite aortic graft (10 cases) or aortic homograft (2 patients), and removal of a large vegetation attached to the valve of a composite tube (1 case). Nine patients had an infected aortic valve prosthesis without evidence of involvement of the AAPG. Isolated redo-aortic valve replacement was performed in 8 (88.9%) of these patients. Reinfection occurring during 1 year of follow-up was not detected in any patient. Two patients (7.4%) died while awaiting surgery and 6 did so after surgery (22.2%). A New York Heart Association (NYHA) Class IV was associated with mortality in patients undergoing surgery (P < 0.019). CONCLUSIONS: Most cases of endocarditis in patients with AAPG occur late after initial surgery. Mortality rate of patients with AAPG endocarditis who undergo surgery is acceptable. NYHA Class IV before surgery is associated with an increased postoperative mortality.

Predicting mortality in burn patients with bacteraemia.

OBJECTIVE: To determine factors associated with mortality in burn patients with bacteraemia. BACKGROUND: Previous studies have shown the negative impact of bacteraemia on the prognosis of burn patients, but only a few of these have analysed variables intervening in the clinical progress of these patients. METHODS: A retrospective study of adult burn patients (n = 73) with bacteraemia (103 episodes) in a Burns Unit during the 2000-2013 period. The study collected demographic variables, and comorbidity, injury-related and clinical data related to bacteraemia. Variables related to hospital mortality were analysed using a multiple logistic regression model. RESULTS: The cumulative incidence of bacteraemia was 4.4 episodes/100 patients. The mean age was 53.3 ± 19.2 years (65.8 % male). The median total body surface area (TBSA) was 35 %, while 50.7 % of the population had inhalation syndrome. The mean SOFA score at the onset of bacteraemia was 2.7 ± 3.8. The most common pathogen was Pseudomonas aeruginosa (17.5 %). The mortality rate was 24.7 %. The variables that were significantly associated with mortality were age (OR = 1.13), TBSA (OR = 1.05), SOFA score at the onset of bacteraemia (OR = 1.53) and recurrent bacteraemia (OR = 41.6). CONCLUSION: In addition to conventional risk factors, recurrence and organ dysfunction at the onset of bacteraemia are also associated with mortality, while the pathogen involved is not a prognostic factor.

Impact of ertapenem use on Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Acinetobacter baumannii imipenem susceptibility rates: collateral damage or positive effect on hospital ecology?

BACKGROUND: Conflicting evidence has been reported on the impact of ertapenem use on the susceptibility of Pseudomonas spp. to group 2 carbapenems. No extensive data for Acinetobacter baumannii are currently available. METHODS: A retrospective time-series segmented regression analysis was conducted in a tertiary centre from January 2001 to December 2011. Ertapenem was introduced in January 2005. Antimicrobial drug use was defined as the number of defined daily doses/100 patient-days (DDDs/100 PDs). Susceptibility (CLSI) was measured in terms of proportion and incidence density. RESULTS: Mean monthly use of imipenem was 2.9 ±â€Š0.9 DDDs/100 PDs, as compared with 1.2 ±â€Š0.7 DDDs/100 PDs for meropenem and 1.0 ±â€Š0.7 DDDs/100 PDs for ertapenem (after its introduction). After ertapenem adoption, a downward trend was seen in the use of imipenem (P = 0.016) and ciprofloxacin (P = 0.004). A total of 6272 Pseudomonas aeruginosa and 1093 A. baumannii isolates were evaluated. Susceptibility of P. aeruginosa to imipenem improved after ertapenem introduction, both according to the proportion of susceptible isolates (P = 0.002) and to the incidence density of resistance (P ≤ 0.001). No significant change was seen in A. baumannii susceptibility to imipenem (P = 0.772). By multiple linear regression analysis, the incidence density of imipenem-resistant P. aeruginosa increased with the use of imipenem (P = 0.003) and ciprofloxacin (P = 0.008). Occurrence of outbreaks (P ≤ 0.001) and use of gentamicin (P = 0.007) were associated with A. baumannii resistance to imipenem. CONCLUSIONS: Use of ertapenem was directly associated with a downward trend in the use of imipenem and ciprofloxacin, which may have contributed to improve the susceptibility of P. aeruginosa to imipenem. Ertapenem use had no impact on the susceptibility of A. baumannii to imipenem.

Influence of prior pneumococcal and influenza vaccination on outcomes of older adults with community-acquired pneumonia.

OBJECTIVES: To determine whether prior pneumococcal and seasonal influenza vaccination improves outcomes in older adults hospitalized for community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). DESIGN: Prospective, observational, multicenter study. SETTING: Five public hospitals providing universal free care to the whole population in three Spanish regions. PARTICIPANTS: Individuals aged 65 and older admitted to the hospital with CAP through the emergency department. MEASUREMENTS: Pneumococcal and influenza vaccination status. The primary study outcomes were intensive care unit (ICU) admission, length of hospital stay (LOS), and overall case-fatality rate. Outcome variables of individuals vaccinated with both vaccines were compared with outcomes of those who were unvaccinated. RESULTS: Two hundred thirty-eight individuals had received 23-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine and seasonal influenza vaccination and were compared with 195 unvaccinated individuals. No differences were found with respect to combined antibiotic therapy between groups (38.0% vs 39.7%; P = .80). Similar percentages of vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals required ICU admission (7.2% vs 8.2%; P = .69). Mean LOS was significantly shorter in vaccinated individuals (9.9 vs 12.4 days; P = .04). Overall case-fatality rates were similar in both groups (5.9% vs 5.1%; P = .73). After adjustment, LOS, risk of ICU admission, and overall case-fatality rate were not associated with prior pneumococcal and seasonal influenza vaccination. CONCLUSION: The clinical outcomes of vaccinated older adults hospitalized with CAP were not better than those observed in unvaccinated individuals.

Influence of socioeconomic status on community-acquired pneumonia outcomes in elderly patients requiring hospitalization: a multicenter observational study.

BACKGROUND: The associations between socioeconomic status and community-acquired pneumonia outcomes in adults have been studied although studies did not always document a relationship.The aim of this multicenter observational study was to determine the association between socioeconomic status and community-acquired pneumonia outcomes in the elderly, in the context of a public health system providing universal free care to the whole population. METHODS: A total of 651 patients aged > or =65 years hospitalized due to community-acquired pneumonia through the emergency departments of five Spanish public hospitals were recruited and followed up between May 2005 and January 2007. The primary outcomes studied were: length of stay, intensive care unit admission, overall mortality and readmission. Socioeconomic status was measured using both individual and community data: occupation [categorized in six social groups (I, II, III, IVa, IVb and V)], educational level (< or = primary level or > or = secondary level) and disposable family income of the municipality or district of residence [>12,500 euro (high municipality family income) and < or =12,500 euro (low municipality family income)]. The six social groups were further categorized as upper/middle social class (groups I-IVb) and lower class (group V).Bivariate and multivariate analyses were performed. OR and their 95% confidence intervals were calculated. All statistical tests were two tailed and statistical significance was established as p < 0.05. RESULTS: 17.7% of patients lived in a municipality or district with a high municipality family income and 63.6% were upper/middle social class (I-IVb). Only 15.7% of patients had a secondary education. The adjusted analysis showed no association between pneumonia outcomes and social class, educational level or municipality family income. However, length of stay increased significantly in patients in whom the factors, living alone and being a smoker or ex-smoker coincided (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: We measured socioeconomic status using both individual and community data and found no association between social class, educational level or municipality family income and the variables of pneumonia outcomes. The lack of differences between social classes supports the provision of universal, equitable health care by the public health system.

Validity of self-reported pneumococcal vaccination status in the elderly in Spain.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the validity of information reported by the elderly on 23-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (23vPPV) vaccination status. A cross-sectional, observational study was carried out in patients aged >or=65 years admitted to five Spanish hospitals. Data on 23vPPV vaccination history were obtained through interview of the patient or close relative and review of written medical information. The validity of the patient self-report was compared to the written medical information by calculation of the sensitivity, specificity, concordance, positive predictive value (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV). A total of 2484 patients were initially included of whom 1814 patients (73%) responded about their vaccination status. The global sensitivity of the patient self-report was 0.74 and the specificity 0.95. The PPV was 0.92, the NPV 0.84 and the concordance 87. Vaccination cards and centralized vaccination registries in primary health care centres and hospitals should be potentiated in order to ensure that neither more nor less vaccinations are administered than are necessary.

Nosocomial Outbreaks Caused by Leuconostoc mesenteroides subsp. mesenteroides.

From July 2003 through October 2004, 42 patients became infected by strains of Leuconostoc mesenteroides subsp. mesenteroides (genotype 1) in different departments of Juan Canalejo Hospital in northwest Spain. During 2006, 6 inpatients, also in different departments of the hospital, became infected (genotypes 2-4). Parenteral nutrition was the likely source.

Is the volume of blood cultured still a significant factor in the diagnosis of bloodstream infections?

"The higher the volume of blood cultured the higher the yield of blood cultures" has been a well-accepted dictum since J. A. Washington II performed his classic work. This rule has not been questioned in the era of highly automated blood culture machines, nor has it been correlated with clinical variables. Our objective in this study was to complete a prospective analysis of the relationship between blood volume, the yield of blood cultures, and the severity of clinical conditions in adult patients with suspected bloodstream infections (BSI). During a 6-month period, random samples of blood cultures were weighed to determine the volume of injected blood (weight/density). Overall, 298 patients with significant BSI and 303 patients with sepsis and negative blood cultures were studied. The mean volume of blood cultured in patients with BSI (30.03 +/- 14.96 ml [mean +/- standard deviation]) was lower than in patients without BSI (32.98 +/- 15.22 ml [P = 0.017]), and more episodes of bacteremia were detected with <20 ml (58.9%) than with >40 ml (40.2%) of blood cultured (P = 0.022). When patients were stratified according to the severity of their underlying condition, patients with BSI had higher APACHE II scores, and higher APACHE II scores were related to lower sample volumes (P < 0.001). A multivariate analysis showed that in the group of patients with APACHE II scores of >/=18, higher volumes yielded higher rates of bacteremia (odds ratio, 1.04 per ml of blood; 95% confidence interval, 1.001 to 1.08). We conclude that the higher yield of blood cultures inoculated with lower volumes of blood reflects the conditions of the population cultured. Washington's dictum holds true today in the era of automated blood culture machines.

Bloodstream infections: a trial of the impact of different methods of reporting positive blood culture results.

BACKGROUND: The impact of how positive blood culture results are reported on the evolution bloodstream infections (BSIs) has not been assessed. METHODS: We randomly assigned patients with BSIs into 3 groups: group A (for which physicians received a conventional report), group B (for which physicians received a conventional report and a written alert on the chart with clinical advice), and group C (for which physicians received the above plus oral clinical advice). The adequacy of therapy before and after receipt of the different types of information was assessed. RESULTS: Overall, 297 episodes (109 in group A, 99 in group B, and 89 in group C) were studied. Patients who received inadequate treatment before receiving microbiological information had a longer mean (+/-SD) hospital stay (27.2+/-32.4 vs. 19.4+/-15.8 days; P=.017), a higher mean risk of Clostridium difficile-associated diarrhea (8.3% vs. 1.9%; P=.013), a higher mean overall mortality rate (30.8% vs. 19.4%; P=.025), and a higher mean risk of infection-related mortality (23.3% vs. 13.6%; P=.031). After receipt of microbiological reports, recommendations for changes in therapy were issued for patients in groups B (52.3%) and C (53.1%). For groups A, B, and C, the proportions of days on which adequate treatment was received were 66.3%, 92.1%, and 91.2% (P<.001); the mean numbers of defined daily doses of appropriate antibiotic therapy were 16.4, 22.2, and 20.7 (P=.003); the mean durations of hospital stay were 19.8, 23.6, and 24.1 days (P=.761); and the mortality rates during the late period were 12.9%, 15.6%, and 11% (P=.670), respectively. The mean costs of antimicrobials per episode in groups A, B, and C were 580.63, 537.98, and 434.53 (US707.85 dollars, US699.73 dollars, and US529.73 dollars, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Written- or oral-alert reports with clinical advice should complement traditional microbiological reports for patients with BSIs.