Surgical Antimicrobial Prophylaxis in Low-Risk Cholecystectomies is Associated with Fewer Surgical Site Infections: Nationwide Cohort Study in Switzerland.

OBJECTIVE: To assess whether administration of surgical antimicrobial prophylaxis (SAP) versus absence of SAP is associated with a decreased risk of surgical site infections (SSI) after low-risk cholecystectomies (LR-CCE). SUMMARY BACKGROUND DATA: Current guidelines do not recommend routine SAP administration prior to LR-CCE. METHODS: This cohort study included adult patients who underwent LR-CCE and were documented by the Swissnoso SSI surveillance system between 1/2009-12/2020 at 66 Swiss hospitals. LR-CCE was specified as elective endoscopic surgery, age <70, no active cholecystitis, ASA score <3, operating time <120 minutes without implantation of foreign material. Exposure was defined as the administration of cefuroxime or cefazoline ± metronidazole within 120 minutes prior to incision versus no SAP administration. Our main outcome was occurrence of SSI until day 30. Logistic regression models were used to adjust for institutional, patient, and perioperative variables. RESULTS: Of 44 682 surveilled adult cholecystectomy patients, 12 521 (8 726 women [69.7%]; median [IQR] age, 49.0 [38.1-58.2] years), fulfilled inclusion criteria. SSI was identified in 143 patients (1.1%). SAP was administered in 9 269 patients (74.0%) and was associated with a lower SSI rate (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 0.50; 95% CI, 0.35-0.70; P < 0.001). The number needed to treat to prevent one SSI episode is 100. CONCLUSIONS: The overall LR-CCE SSI rate was 1.1%. SAP was associated with a 50% lower overall SSI rate. Patients undergoing LR-CCE may benefit from routine surgical antimicrobial prophylaxis.

Association between the introduction of a national targeted intervention program and the incidence of surgical site infections in Swiss acute care hospitals.

BACKGROUND: In Switzerland, the national surgical site infection (SSI) surveillance program showed a modest decrease in SSI rates for different procedures over the last decade. The study aimed to determine whether a multimodal, targeted intervention program in addition to existing SSI surveillance is associated with decreased SSI rates in the participating hospitals. METHODS: Prospective multicenter pre- and postintervention study conducted in eight Swiss acute care hospitals between 2013 and 2020. All consecutive patients > 18 years undergoing cardiac, colon, or hip/knee replacement surgery were included. The follow-up period was 30 days and one year for implant-related surgery. Patients with at least one follow-up were included. The intervention was to optimize three elements of preoperative management: (i) hair removal; (ii) skin disinfection; and (iii) perioperative antimicrobial prophylaxis. We compared SSI incidence rates (main outcome measure) pre- and postintervention (three years each) adjusted for potential confounders. Poisson generalized linear mixed models fitted to quarter-yearly confirmed SSIs and adjusted for baseline differences between hospitals and procedures. Adherence was routinely monitored through on-site visits. RESULTS: A total of 10 151 patients were included, with a similar median age pre- and postintervention (69.6 and IQR 60.9, 76.8 years, vs 69.5 and IQR 60.4, 76.8 years, respectively; P = 0.55) and similar proportions of females (44.8% vs. 46.1%, respectively; P = 0.227). Preintervention, 309 SSIs occurred in 5 489 patients (5.6%), compared to 226 infections in 4 662 cases (4.8%, P = 0.09) postintervention. The adjusted incidence rate ratio (aIRR) for overall SSI after intervention implementation was 0.81 (95% CI, 0.68 to 0.96, P = 0.02). For cardiac surgery (n = 2 927), the aIRR of SSI was 0.48 (95% CI, 0.32 to 0.72, P < 0.001). For hip/knee replacement surgery (n = 4 522), the aIRR was 0.88 (95% CI, 0.52 to 1.48, P = 0.63), and for colon surgery (n = 2 702), the aIRR was 0.92 (95% CI, 0.75 to 1.14, P = 0.49). CONCLUSIONS: The SSI intervention bundle was associated with a statistically significant decrease in SSI cases. A significant association was observed for cardiac surgery. Adding a specific intervention program can add value compared to routine surveillance only. Further prevention modules might be necessary for colon and orthopedic surgery.

Association between perioperative prophylaxis with cefuroxime plus metronidazole or amoxicillin/clavulanic acid and surgical site infections in paediatric uncomplicated appendectomy: a Swiss retrospective cohort study.

OBJECTIVE: We aimed to evaluate the association between post-appendectomy SSI rates and the two most commonly used regimens for perioperative antimicrobial prophylaxis in Swiss children. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective cohort study, analysing data from the Swiss national SSI surveillance database with a study period from 2014 to 2018. All hospitals undertaking paediatric appendectomies in Switzerland participate in the surveillance. We compared the cumulative incidence and odds of post-appendectomy SSI within 30 days of surgery in children ≤ 16 years of age undergoing appendectomy for uncomplicated appendicitis and receiving perioperative antimicrobial prophylaxis with cefuroxime plus metronidazole or with amoxicillin/clavulanic acid using multivariable adjusted logistic regression and propensity-score matching. RESULTS: A total of 6207 cases were recorded in the study time frame. Overall SSI cumulative incidence was 1.9% (n = 119). 4256 children (54.9% male, median (IQR) age 12 [10, 14] years) received either cefuroxime plus metronidazole (n = 2348, 53.8% male) or amoxicillin/clavulanic acid (n = 1491, 57.0% male). SSI cumulative incidence was 1.1% (25/2348) among children receiving cefuroxime plus metronidazole and 2.8% (42/1491, p < 0.001) when receiving amoxicillin/clavulanic acid. The administration of cefuroxime plus metronidazole was associated with statistically significantly lower SSI odds compared to amoxicillin/clavulanic acid (aOR 0.35, 95%CI [0.20, 0.61], p < 0.001), and this was confirmed upon propensity-score matching. CONCLUSION: We found lower odds of post-appendectomy SSI in children receiving cefuroxime plus metronidazole compared to amoxicillin/clavulanic acid. Treating amoxicillin/clavulanic acid as the baseline, only 55 children need to receive cefuroxime plus metronidazole perioperative prophylaxis to avert one SSI. Existing guidelines recommending amoxicillin/clavulanic acid may need to be revised. Trial registration ISRCTN47727811, registered retrospectively.

Treatment effect of remdesivir on the mortality of hospitalised COVID-19 patients in Switzerland across different patient groups: a tree-based model analysis.

AIMS OF THE STUDY: Remdesivir has shown benefits against COVID-19. However, it remains unclear whether, to what extent, and among whom remdesivir can reduce COVID-19-related mortality. We explored whether the treatment response to remdesivir differed by patient characteristics. METHODS: We analysed data collected from a hospital surveillance study conducted in 21 referral hospitals in Switzerland between 2020 and 2022. We applied model-based recursive partitioning to group patients by the association between treatment levels and mortality. We included either treatment (levels: none, remdesivir within 7 days of symptom onset, remdesivir after 7 days, or another treatment), age and sex, or treatment only as regression variables. Candidate partitioning variables included a range of risk factors and comorbidities (and age and sex unless included in regression). We repeated the analyses using local centring to correct the results for the propensity to receive treatment. RESULTS: Overall (n = 21,790 patients), remdesivir within 7 days was associated with increased mortality (adjusted hazard ratios 1.28-1.54 versus no treatment). The CURB-65 score caused the most instability in the regression parameters of the model. When adjusted for age and sex, patients receiving remdesivir within 7 days of onset had higher mortality than those not treated in all identified eight patient groups. When age and sex were included as partitioning variables instead, the number of groups increased to 19-20; in five to six of those branches, mortality was lower among patients who received early remdesivir. Factors determining the groups where remdesivir was potentially beneficial included the presence of oncological comorbidities, male sex, and high age. CONCLUSIONS: Some subgroups of patients, such as individuals with oncological comorbidities or elderly males, may benefit from remdesivir.

Association of antimicrobial perioperative prophylaxis with cefuroxime plus metronidazole or amoxicillin/clavulanic acid and surgical site infections in colorectal surgery.

OBJECTIVE: To compare intravenous (IV) amoxicillin/clavulanic acid (A/CA) to IV cefuroxime plus metronidazole (C + M) for preventing surgical site infections (SSI) in colorectal surgery. BACKGROUND: Given their spectra that include most Enterobacterales and anaerobes, C + M is commonly recommended as prophylaxis of SSI in colorectal surgery. A/CA offers good coverage of Enterobacterales and anaerobes as well, but, in contrast to C + M, it also includes Enterococcus faecalis which is also isolated from patients with SSI and could trigger anastomotic leakage. METHODS: Data from a Swiss SSI surveillance program were used to compare SSI rates after class II (clean contaminated) colorectal surgery between patients who received C + M and those who received A/CA. We employed multivariable logistic regression to adjust for potential confounders, along with propensity score matching to adjust for group imbalance. RESULTS: From 2009 to 2018, 27,922 patients from 127 hospitals were included. SSI was diagnosed in 3132 (11.2%): 278/1835 (15.1%) in those who received A/CA and 2854/26,087 (10.9%) in those who received C + M (p < 0.001). The crude OR for SSI in the A/CA group as compared to C + M was 1.45 [CI 95% 1.21-1.75]. The adjusted OR was 1.49 [1.24-1.78]. This finding persisted in a 1:1 propensity score matched cohort of 1835 patients pairs with an OR of 1.60 [1.28-2.00]. Other factors independently associated with SSI were an ASA score > 2, a longer duration of operation, and a reoperation for a non-infectious complication. Protective factors were female sex, older age, antibiotic prophylaxis received 60 to 30 min before surgery, elective operation, and endoscopic approach. CONCLUSIONS: Despite its activity against enterococci, A/CA was less effective than C + M for preventing SSI, suggesting that it should not be a first choice antibiotic prophylaxis for colorectal surgery.

Better Operating Room Ventilation as Determined by a Novel Ventilation Index is Associated With Lower Rates of Surgical Site Infections.

OBJECTIVE: The aim was to assess the impact of operating room (OR) ventilation quality on surgical site infections (SSIs) using a novel ventilation index. BACKGROUND: Previous studies compared laminar air flow with conventional ventilation, thereby ignoring many parameters that influence air flow properties. METHODS: In this cohort study, we surveyed hospitals participating in the Swiss SSI surveillance and calculated a ventilation index for their ORs, with higher values reflecting less turbulent air displacement. For procedures captured between January 2017 and December 2019, we studied the association between ventilation index and SSI rates using linear regression (hospital-level analysis) and with the individual SSI risk using generalized linear mixed-effects models (patient-level analysis). RESULTS: We included 47 hospitals (182 ORs). Among the 163,740 included procedures, 6791 SSIs were identified. In hospital-level analyses, a 5-unit increase in the ventilation index was associated with lower SSI rates for knee and hip arthroplasty (-0.41 infections per 100 procedures, 95% confidence interval: -0.69 to -0.13), cardiac (-0.89, -1.91 to 0.12), and spine surgeries (-1.15, -2.56 to 0.26). Similarly, patient-level analyses showed a lower SSI risk with each 5-unit increase in ventilation index (adjusted odds ratio 0.71, confidence interval: 0.58-0.87 for knee and hip; 0.72, 0.49-1.06 for spine; 0.82, 0.69-0.98 for cardiac surgery). Higher index values were mainly associated with a lower risk for superficial and deep incisional SSIs. CONCLUSIONS: Better ventilation properties, assessed with our ventilation index, are associated with lower rates of superficial and deep incisional SSIs in orthopedic and cardiac procedures. OR ventilation quality appeared to be less relevant for other surgery types.

Risk factors for severe outcomes for COVID-19 patients hospitalised in Switzerland during the first pandemic wave, February to August 2020: prospective observational cohort study.

BACKGROUND: As clinical signs of COVID-19 differ widely among individuals, from mild to severe, the definition of risk groups has important consequences for recommendations to the public, control measures and patient management, and needs to be reviewed regularly. AIM: The aim of this study was to explore risk factors for in-hospital mortality and intensive care unit (ICU) admission for hospitalised COVID-19 patients during the first epidemic wave in Switzerland, as an example of a country that coped well during the first wave of the pandemic. METHODS: This study included all (n = 3590) adult polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-confirmed hospitalised patients in 17 hospitals from the hospital-based surveillance of COVID-19 (CH-Sur) by 1 September 2020. We calculated univariable and multivariable (adjusted) (1) proportional hazards (Fine and Gray) survival regression models and (2) logistic regression models for in-hospital mortality and admission to ICU, to evaluate the most common comorbidities as potential risk factors. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: We found that old age was the strongest factor for in-hospital mortality after having adjusted for gender and the considered comorbidities (hazard ratio [HR] 2.46, 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.33−2.59 and HR 5.6 95% CI 5.23−6 for ages 65 and 80 years, respectively). In addition, male gender remained an important risk factor in the multivariable models (HR 1.47, 95% CI 1.41−1.53). Of all comorbidities, renal disease, oncological pathologies, chronic respiratory disease, cardiovascular disease (but not hypertension) and dementia were also risk factors for in-hospital mortality. With respect to ICU admission risk, the pattern was different, as patients with higher chances of survival might have been admitted more often to ICU. Male gender (OR 1.91, 95% CI 1.58−2.31), hypertension (OR  1.3, 95% CI 1.07−1.59) and age 55–79 years (OR 1.15, 95% CI 1.06−1.26) are risk factors for ICU admission. Patients aged 80+ years, as well as patients with dementia or with liver disease were admitted less often to ICU. CONCLUSION: We conclude that increasing age is the most important risk factor for in-hospital mortality of hospitalised COVID-19 patients in Switzerland, along with male gender and followed by the presence of comorbidities such as renal diseases, chronic respiratory or cardiovascular disease, oncological malignancies and dementia. Male gender, hypertension and age between 55 and 79 years are, however, risk factors for ICU admission. Mortality and ICU admission need to be considered as separate outcomes when investigating risk factors for pandemic control measures and for hospital resources planning.

Cohort profile: SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 hospitalised patients in Switzerland.

BACKGROUND: SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19, which emerged in China in late 2019, rapidly spread across the world with several million victims in 213 countries. Switzerland was severely hit by the virus, with 43,000 confirmed cases as of 1 September 2020. AIM: In cooperation with the Federal Office of Public Health, we set up a surveillance database in February 2020 to monitor hospitalised patients with COVID-19, in addition to their mandatory reporting system. METHODS: Patients hospitalised for more than 24 hours with a positive polymerase chain-reaction test, from 20 Swiss hospitals, are included. Data were collected in a customised case report form based on World Health Organisation recommendations and adapted to local needs. Nosocomial infections were defined as infections for which the onset of symptoms was more than 5 days after the patient’s admission date. RESULTS: As of 1 September 2020, 3645 patients were included. Most patients were male (2168, 59.5%), and aged between 50 and 89 years (2778, 76.2%), with a median age of 68 (interquartile range 54–79). Community infections dominated with 3249 (89.0%) reports. Comorbidities were frequently reported, with hypertension (1481, 61.7%), cardiovascular diseases (948, 39.5%) and diabetes (660, 27.5%) being the most frequent in adults; respiratory diseases and asthma (4, 21.1%), haematological and oncological diseases (3, 15.8%) were the most frequent in children. Complications occurred in 2679 (73.4%) episodes, mostly respiratory diseases (2470, 93.2% in adults; 16, 55.2% in children), and renal (681, 25.7%) and cardiac (631, 23.8%) complications for adults. The second and third most frequent complications in children affected the digestive system and the liver (7, 24.1%). A targeted treatment was given in 1299 (35.6%) episodes, mostly with hydroxychloroquine (989, 76.1%). Intensive care units stays were reported in 578 (15.8%) episodes. A total of 527 (14.5%) deaths were registered, all among adults. CONCLUSION: The surveillance system has been successfully initiated and provides a robust set of data for Switzerland by including about 80% (compared with official statistics) of SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 hospitalised patients, with similar age and comorbidity distributions. It adds detailed information on the epidemiology, risk factors and clinical course of these cases and, therefore, is a valuable addition to the existing mandatory reporting.

Surveillance quality correlates with surgical site infection rates in knee and hip arthroplasty and colorectal surgeries: A call to action to adjust reporting of SSI rates.

OBJECTIVE: The incidence of surgical site infections may be underreported if the data are not routinely validated for accuracy. Our goal was to investigate the communicated SSI rate from a large network of Swiss hospitals compared with the results from on-site surveillance quality audits. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. PATIENTS: In total, 81,957 knee and hip prosthetic arthroplasties from 125 hospitals and 33,315 colorectal surgeries from 110 hospitals were included in the study. METHODS: Hospitals had at least 2 external audits to assess the surveillance quality. The 50-point standardized score per audit summarizes quantitative and qualitative information from both structured interviews and a random selection of patient records. We calculated the mean National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) risk index adjusted infection rates in both surgery groups. RESULTS: The median NHSN adjusted infection rate per hospital was 1.0% (interquartile range [IQR], 0.6%-1.5%) with median audit score of 37 (IQR, 33-42) for knee and hip arthroplasty, and 12.7% (IQR, 9.0%-16.6%), with median audit score 38 (IQR, 35-42) for colorectal surgeries. We observed a wide range of SSI rates and surveillance quality, with discernible clustering for public and private hospitals, and both lower infection rates and audit scores for private hospitals. Infection rates increased with audit scores for knee and hip arthroplasty (P value for the slope = .002), and this was also the case for planned (P = .002), and unplanned (P = .02) colorectal surgeries. CONCLUSIONS: Surveillance systems without routine evaluation of validity may underestimate the true incidence of SSIs. Audit quality should be taken into account when interpreting SSI rates, perhaps by adjusting infection rates for those hospitals with lower audit scores.

Subcutaneous tissue disinfection significantly reduces Cutibacterium acnes burden in primary open shoulder surgery.

BACKGROUND: Cutibacterium acnes is one of the major pathogens responsible for infection after shoulder surgery. Surgical dissection of the dermis may expose C acnes from sebum-producing hair follicles. Because of contact with the surgeon's gloves and instruments, further spread occurs throughout the surgical field. The purpose of this study was to determine whether subcutaneous tissue disinfection could reduce the C acnes culture rate in primary open shoulder surgery. METHODS: All patients eligible for primary open shoulder surgery by a deltopectoral approach were prospectively enrolled in our 2-arm, randomized, single-blinded clinical trial. In all patients, a skin swab of the operative field was taken prior to standard surgical skin preparation. After exposure of the deltoid fascia, the disinfection group received an additional preparation of the subcutaneous layer with povidone-iodine solution. Once the proximal humerus was completely exposed, 5 swabs from different sites were taken for microbiological examination according to a strict specimen collection protocol. All cultures were incubated in aerobic and anaerobic conditions for 14 days. RESULTS: Between February and December 2019, 108 patients were enrolled in the 2 groups: treatment (n = 70) and control (n = 38). The 2 groups did not show any significant difference in terms of sex, age, body mass index, or occurrence of diabetes. The subcutaneous disinfection protocol significantly reduced the positive culture rate of the operating field for all germs combined (P = .036) and specifically for C acnes (P = .013). The reduction of positive swabs for C acnes was significant for the surgeon's gloves (P = .041), as well as the retractors (P = .007). CONCLUSION: Disinfection of the subcutaneous tissue significantly reduced the C acnes culture rate during primary open shoulder surgery. We highly recommend this simple step as an adjunct to the current surgical practice to limit iatrogenic contamination of the surgical field. Future studies may observe a reduction in postoperative shoulder infection owing to this practice.

[BCGitis following intravesical administration of bacillus Calmette-Guérin]. / « BCGite ¼ secondaire à l'instillation intravésicale de bacilli de Calmette-Guérin.

Intravesical bacillus Calmette-Guérin immunotherapy is currently the most effective treatment for non-infiltrating bladder tumors. Although rare, « BCGitis ¼, local or disseminated, is a serious complication of this therapy. The diagnosis is difficult and often delayed but the infection may progress to multi-systemic failure and can be fatal. The microbiological samples are often negative, and biopsies sometimes do not help. Treatment consists of antimycobacterial agents in combination with corticosteroids in case of severe presentation.

L'immunothérapie par instillation intravésicale de bacille de Calmette-Guérin est le traitement le plus efficace, à l'heure actuelle, pour des tumeurs de la vessie non infiltrantes. La « BCGite ¼, localisée ou disséminée, bien que rare, est une grave complication de ce traitement. Son diagnostic est fastidieux et souvent posé tardivement, mais l'atteinte évolue parfois en défaillance multisystémique et peut être fatale. Les prélèvements microbiologiques sont fréquemment négatifs et les biopsies quelquefois peu contributives. Le traitement repose sur une thérapie antimycobactérienne en association avec des corticostéroïdes en cas de présentation grave.

[Myases from here and elsewhere†: pseudo-furonculosis and Ignatzschineria larvae bacteremia]. / Myiases d'ici et d'ailleurs†: pseudo-furonculose et bactériémie à Ignatzschineria larvae.

Myiasis is an infestation by maggots. In humans, it predominates in regions with low socio-economic development. We report on two cases of myiasis acquired during a tropical travel and in Switzerland, respectively. The first one presented as a furunculous-like disease due to the invasion of subcutaneous tissues by Cordylobia sp. larvae. The second corresponded to a chronic wound infestation that resulted in a rarely reported bacteremia due to Ignatzschineria larvae, a commensal bacteria of maggots' digestive tract. Surgery was necessary in both cases, mainly for psychological reasons in the first case. Both the entomologist and molecular biology were instrumental for treatment decisions.

La myiase est une infestation par des larves de mouches. Chez l'homme, elle prédomine dans les régions à faible niveau socio-économique. Nous rapportons ici deux cas de myiase, l'un acquis lors d'un voyage sous les tropiques et l'autre autochtone : une myiase furonculaire due à la pénétration d'une larve de diptère dans la peau, en l'occurrence Cordylobia sp. ; et une myiase de plaie survenue par ponte de mouches dans des tissus nécrotiques, avec une exceptionnelle bactériémie secondaire, due à une bactérie commensale du tractus digestif de ces larves, Ignatzschineria larvae. Dans les deux situations, la chirurgie a été nécessaire, pour une indication surtout d'ordre psychologique dans la première. Dans les deux cas, l'apport de l'entomologiste et de la biologie moléculaire a été déterminant dans la décision thérapeutique.

Risk of SARS-CoV-2 transmission by aerosols, the rational use of masks, and protection of healthcare workers from COVID-19.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the risk of SARS-CoV-2 transmission by aerosols, to provide evidence on the rational use of masks, and to discuss additional measures important for the protection of healthcare workers from COVID-19. METHODS: Literature review and expert opinion. SHORT CONCLUSION: SARS-CoV-2, the pathogen causing COVID-19, is considered to be transmitted via droplets rather than aerosols, but droplets with strong directional airflow support may spread further than 2 m. High rates of COVID-19 infections in healthcare-workers (HCWs) have been reported from several countries. Respirators such as filtering face piece (FFP) 2 masks were designed to protect HCWs, while surgical masks were originally intended to protect patients (e.g., during surgery). Nevertheless, high quality standard surgical masks (type II/IIR according to European Norm EN 14683) appear to be as effective as FFP2 masks in preventing droplet-associated viral infections of HCWs as reported from influenza or SARS. So far, no head-to-head trials with these masks have been published for COVID-19. Neither mask type completely prevents transmission, which may be due to inappropriate handling and alternative transmission pathways. Therefore, compliance with a bundle of infection control measures including thorough hand hygiene is key. During high-risk procedures, both droplets and aerosols may be produced, reason why respirators are indicated for these interventions.

[Salmonella aortitis in an elderly patient†: clinical case and review of the literature]. / Aortite à salmonelle chez un patient âgé†: cas clinique et revue de la littérature.

Gastroenteritis due to non-typhoidal Salmonella (NTS) is usually considered as a benign infection. NTS can nevertheless cause severe diseases with high mortality. Invasive NTS infections may present as bacteremia without other manifestations, particularly in immunocompromised hosts. They may also correspond to extra-digestive infections in various body sites. Patients with cardiovascular diseases are at risk for endovascular infections, aortitis being the most frequent. These infections are difficult to diagnose and require surgery.

La gastroentérite à salmonelle non typhoïde est une maladie généralement considérée comme inoffensive. Pourtant, chez certains hôtes, cette bactérie peut se montrer particulièrement virulente et mener à des complications avec une mortalité élevée. Nous décrivons un cas d'aortite à Salmonella enteritidis chez un patient âgé avec un profil athérosclérotique. La salmonellose invasive peut prendre la forme d'une bactériémie isolée, surtout chez les patients immunosupprimés. Dans d'autres cas, elle se manifeste par des foyers extradigestifs de localisations diverses. Les infections endovasculaires, dont l'aortite est la plus fréquente, atteignent les patients à haut risque cardiovasculaire ; elles sont difficiles à diagnostiquer et nécessitent une prise en charge médico-chirurgicale.

Performance of surgical site infection risk prediction models in colorectal surgery: external validity assessment from three European national surveillance networks.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the validity of multivariable models for predicting risk of surgical site infection (SSI) after colorectal surgery based on routinely collected data in national surveillance networks. DESIGN: Retrospective analysis performed on 3 validation cohorts. PATIENTS: Colorectal surgery patients in Switzerland, France, and England, 2007-2017. METHODS: We determined calibration and discrimination (ie, area under the curve, AUC) of the COLA (contamination class, obesity, laparoscopy, American Society of Anesthesiologists [ASA]) multivariable risk model and the National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) multivariable risk model in each cohort. A new score was constructed based on multivariable analysis of the Swiss cohort following colorectal surgery, then based on colon and rectal surgery separately. RESULTS: We included 40,813 patients who had undergone elective or emergency colorectal surgery to validate the COLA score, 45,216 patients to validate the NHSN colon and rectal surgery risk models, and 46,320 patients in the construction of a new predictive model. The COLA score's predictive ability was poor, with AUC values of 0.64 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.63-0.65), 0.62 (95% CI, 0.58-0.67), 0.60 (95% CI, 0.58-0.61) in the Swiss, French, and English cohorts, respectively. The NHSN colon-specific model (AUC, 0.61; 95% CI, 0.61-0.62) and the rectal surgery-specific model (AUC, 0.57; 95% CI, 0.53-0.61) showed limited predictive ability. The new predictive score showed poor predictive accuracy for colorectal surgery overall (AUC, 0.65; 95% CI, 0.64-0.66), for colon surgery (AUC, 0.65; 95% CI, 0.65-0.66), and for rectal surgery (AUC, 0.63; 95% CI, 0.60-0.66). CONCLUSION: Models based on routinely collected data in SSI surveillance networks poorly predict individual risk of SSI following colorectal surgery. Further models that include other more predictive variables could be developed and validated.

Cardiovascular daytime varying effect in cardiac surgery on surgical site infections and 1-year mortality: A prospective cohort study with 22,305 patients.

Afternoon aortic valve replacement surgery may provide perioperative myocardial protection and improve patient outcomes compared with morning surgery. The results of our large observational study based on Swiss cardiac surgical site infection surveillance data suggest that the current evidence is insufficient to generally promote afternoon cardiac surgeries.

Assessment of voluntary HIV screening for asylum seekers in two Swiss cantons.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the feasibility of HIV screening, offered to newly arrived asylum seekers in the Swiss cantons of Valais (VS) and Vaud (VD) in order to meet the national and international standards for early detection and effective treatment of HIV infections. METHODS: HIV screening was offered free of charge to every asylum seeker who arrived from June 2015 to November 2016 in VS, and from June to October 2016 in VD. Pregnant women and children <16 were excluded. Written consent was required in VS through multi-language forms, whereas VD required oral consent obtained with the help of interpreters. RESULTS: 807 asylum seekers were offered HIV testing (VS 451, VD 356). Their mean age was 27.6 years, 61.2% were male, 67.4% were single, 60.8% arrived from sub-Saharan Africa. The overall proportion that accepted HIV screening was 72.2% (VS 63.2%, VD 83.7%). Prevalence of HIV infection was 0.87% (two newly and five previously diagnosed persons). Multivariable analysis found that a higher proportion accepted HIV testing among asylum seekers originating from sub-Saharan Africa, men, and those arriving in VD. CONCLUSIONS: the acceptance of HIV screening among asylum seekers was high and appeared to respond to a real demand among this vulnerable population, particularly among those coming from high endemic regions. It may help guaranteeing an equitable access to the local health care system. Ways to reach a high testing rate should still be explored, taking available and necessary resources into account.

Antimicrobial prophylaxis and the prevention of surgical site infection in cardiac surgery: an analysis of 21 007 patients in Switzerland†.

OBJECTIVES: Our goal was to determine the optimal timing and choice of surgical antimicrobial prophylaxis (SAP) in patients having cardiac surgery. METHODS: The setting was the Swiss surgical site infection (SSI) national surveillance system with a follow-up rate of >94%. Participants were patients from 14 hospitals who had cardiac surgery from 2009 to 2017 with clean wounds, SAP with cefuroxime, cefazolin or a vancomycin/cefuroxime combination and timing of SAP within 120 min before the incision. Exposures were SAP timing and agents; the main outcome was the incidence of SSI. We fitted generalized additive and mixed-effects generalized linear models to describe effects predicting SSIs. RESULTS: A total of 21 007 patients were enrolled with an SSI incidence of 5.5%. Administration of SAP within 30 min before the incision was significantly associated with decreased deep/organ space SSI [adjusted odds ratio (OR) 0.73, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.54-0.98; P = 0.035] compared to administration of SAP 60-120 min before the incision. Cefazolin (adjusted OR 0.64, 95% CI 0.49-0.84; P = 0.001) but not vancomycin/cefuroxime combination (adjusted OR 1.05, 95% CI 0.82-1.34; P = 0.689) was significantly associated with a lower risk of overall SSI compared to cefuroxime alone. Nevertheless, there were no statistically significant differences between the SAP agents and the risk of deep/organ space SSI. CONCLUSIONS: The results from this large prospective study provide substantial arguments that administration of SAP close to the time of the incision is more effective than earlier administration before cardiac surgery, making compliance with SAP administration easier. The choice of SAP appears to play a significant role in the prevention of all SSIs, even after adjusting for confounding variables.

[Diagnosis of tuberculous arthritis : a sometimes long and winding road]. / Arthrite tuberculeuse : un diagnostic parfois long et semé d'embûches.

Extraspinal tuberculous arthritis is a rare entity in developed countries, mostly found in populations of migrants. We describe a case of foot osteoarthritis in a young migrant, with an arduous diagnostic process. The sequence of the diagnostic studies (imaging, articular tap, bone biopsy together with cultures and molecular biology) must follow a logic based on clinical suspicion and on the knowledge of the diagnostic values of different tests. The diagnosis of tuberculous arthritis, a slowly progressing infection with a low bacteriologic burden, is difficult. The reported case emphases the need for perseverance. It shows the value of diagnostic procedures, their limits and the need for their integration to the clinical judgement.

L'arthrite tuberculeuse non rachidienne est rare dans les pays occidentaux où elle touche avant tout les populations de migrants. Nous décrivons un cas d'ostéoarthrite du pied, dont le processus diagnostique s'est révélé ardu. La succession des examens pratiqués (radiologie, ponction puis biopsie avec les cultures et la biologie moléculaire) doit s'inscrire dans une logique dictée par la suspicion clinique et la connaissance des performances diagnostiques des différents tests. Le diagnostic d'arthrite tuberculeuse, une infection d'évolution lente, pauvre en charge bactérienne, est difficile. Le cas présenté révèle le besoin de persévérer et permet de discuter la valeur des procédures diagnostiques, leurs limites et leur intégration dans le raisonnement clinique.