Bloodstream infections in febrile neutropenic patients at a tertiary care center in Lebanon: a view of the past decade.

OBJECTIVES: Previous studies from Lebanon have shown Gram-negative organisms to be the predominant agents in febrile neutropenic patients. The objective of this study was to evaluate the most current epidemiological trends among patients with neutropenic fever. METHODS: This prospective observational cohort study, the largest to date in the country, was conducted at the American University of Beirut Medical Center between January 2001 and December 2003, with the objective of describing the characteristics of patients with neutropenic fever and to assess temporal trends. RESULTS: We included 177 episodes of neutropenic fever. The most common underlying malignancy was lymphoma (42.4%). Gastrointestinal and abdominal infections were predominant (31.6%) and 23.7% of cases represented fever of unknown origin. Gram-negative organisms were responsible for 78.8% (26/33) of bloodstream infections compared to 33.3% (11/33) with Gram-positive organisms. The in-hospital mortality rate in this study (12.1%) was considerably lower than in previous years. CONCLUSIONS: Gram-negative organisms are persistently predominant in our center. In a developing country like Lebanon with limited resources, lower mortality rates commensurate with worldwide reports were successfully achieved in this high-risk patient population. Protocols and guidelines should be adapted to the characteristics of individual institutions to ensure delivery of appropriate care to febrile neutropenic patients.

Surgical site infections following spinal surgery at a tertiary care center in Lebanon: incidence, microbiology, and risk factors.

Surgical site infections (SSIs) following spinal surgery are associated with significant morbidity and long-term complications. The epidemiology of these infections has not been previously studied in Lebanon. This nested case-control study was conducted between 2001 and 2003 at the American University of Beirut Medical Center. Cases were defined as patients who developed surgical site infection within 30 d of surgery. Controls were patients with no evidence of infection. There were 27 cases of surgical site infections among 997 surgeries with an incidence of 2.7%. Compared to controls, cases were older (mean age 59 vs 47 y, p=0.001), and were more likely to have diabetes (OR = 4.0; 95% CI 1.2-12.8) and foreign body implantation (OR = 3.4; 95% CI 1.3-9.3). Antibiotic prophylaxis was given for a range of 0-6 d in cases and 0-7 d in controls. Coagulase-negative staphylococci were the most commonly isolated organisms. Hospital stay was significantly longer in cases than controls. The rates of surgical site infections following spinal surgery at our center are comparable to worldwide rates. There is unjustified overuse of prophylactic antibiotics in our patients that has the potential of inducing emergence of antimicrobial resistance.

Azithromycin-induced rash in infectious mononucleosis.

Antibiotic-induced skin eruption in the setting of infectious mononucleosis is a common and well-documented clinical scenario. The skin lesions are non-specific and the mechanisms causing them are unclear. Several reports have described this entity with different antibiotic classes, mainly penicillins. Only 1 case of azithromycin-induced skin eruption has previously been described in this setting. Herein, we report the second case.