The presence of skin bacteria in the sternal wound and contamination of implantation materials during cardiac surgery.

BACKGROUND: Sternal wound infections (SWIs) and aortic graft infections (AGIs) are serious complications after cardiac surgery. Staphylococcus aureus and coagulase-negative staphylococci are the most common causes of SWIs, whereas AGIs are less studied. AGIs may occur from contamination during surgery or postoperative haematogenous spread. Skin commensals, such as Cutibacterium acnes, are present in the surgical wound; however, their ability to cause infection is debated. AIM: To investigate the presence of skin bacteria in the sternal wound and to evaluate their potential to contaminate surgical materials. METHODS: Fifty patients undergoing coronary artery bypass graft surgery and/or valve replacement surgery at Örebro University Hospital from 2020 to 2021 were included. Cultures were collected from skin and subcutaneous tissue at two timepoints during surgery, and from pieces of vascular graft and felt that were pressed against subcutaneous tissue. The most common bacterial isolates were tested for antibiotic susceptibility with disc diffusion and gradient tests. FINDINGS: Cultures from skin had bacterial growth in 48% of patients at surgery start and in 78% after 2 h, and cultures from subcutaneous tissue were positive in 72% and 76% of patients, respectively. The most common isolates were C. acnes and S. epidermidis. Cultures from surgical materials were positive in 80-88%. No difference in susceptibility was found for S. epidermidis isolates at surgery start compared with after 2 h. CONCLUSION: The results suggest that skin bacteria are present in the wound and may contaminate surgical graft material during cardiac surgery.

Infectious complications after surgery for perihilar cholangiocarcinoma: A single Western center experience.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to analyze the risk factors for surgical infectious complications and the outcomes of patients undergoing surgery for perihilar cholangiocarcinoma according to the microbiological examinations. METHODS: Patients who underwent surgery for perihilar cholangiocarcinoma in the last decade were enrolled, and all clinical and microbiological data were collected from a retrospective monocentric database. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed distinguishing patients who developed at least 1 surgical infectious complication (surgical site infections, acute bacterial cholangitis, bacteremia). RESULTS: A total of 98 patients were included. Among patients who developed surgical infectious complications (51%), many preoperative characteristics were significantly more frequent: American Society of Anesthesiologists score ≥3 (P = .026), neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio ≥3.4 (P = .001), endoscopic sphincterotomy (P = .032), ≥2 biliary drainage procedures (P = .013), acute cholangitis (P = .012), multidrug resistant (P = .009), and ≥3 microorganisms' detection (P = .042); whereas during the postoperative period, surgical infectious complications were associated to increased incidence of intensive care unit readmission (P = .031), major complications (P < .001), posthepatectomy liver failure (P = .005), ascites (P = .008), biliary leakage (P = .008), 90-day readmission (P = .003), and prolonged length of hospital stay (P < .001). At the multivariate analysis 3 independent preoperative risk factors for surgical infectious complications were identified: neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio ≥3.4 (P = .004), endoscopic sphincterotomy (P = .009), and acute cholangitis (P = .013). The presence of multidrug-resistance in the perioperative biliary cultures was related to postoperative multidrug-resistant species from all cultures (P < .001) and organ/space and incisional-surgical site infections (P ≤ .044). CONCLUSION: Infective complications after surgery for perihilar cholangiocarcinoma worsen the short-term outcomes. A careful microbiological surveillance should be carried out in all cases to prevent and promptly treat surgical infectious complications.

A CASE REPORT OF CHRONIC ENDOPHTHALMITIS SECONDARY TO AQUAMICROBIUMterrae.

PURPOSE: Chronic postoperative endophthalmitis is a known complication of cataract surgery. Here, we report a case of chronic endophthalmitis following uncomplicated cataract surgery secondary to the atypical bacterium Aquamicrobium terrae . METHODS: Retrospective case report of a single patient with endophthalmitis secondary to A. terrae. RESULTS: A 61-year-old healthy patient presented with recurrent iridocyclitis following uncomplicated cataract surgery. Repeated attempts to taper off topical steroid eyedrops were unsuccessful. Anterior chamber paracentesis cultures and vitrectomy cultures grew the same gram-negative bacillus, A. terrae , on six different occasions. The patient was treated initially with a series of intravitreal ceftazidime injections and adjuvant oral minocycline with recurrence of inflammation necessitating pars plana vitrectomy with intraocular lens removal and total capsulectomy. Inflammatory episodes recurred until residual capsule fragments were ablated using endoscopic vitrectomy. Since ablation over 18 months ago, no further recurrences have occurred and the patient has excellent visual outcome. CONCLUSION: A. terrae is a gram-negative bacillus recovered from polluted soil. This is the first case of postoperative endophthalmitis secondary to A. terrae and the first description of human infection caused by this newly identified microbe.

Are Cutibacterium acnes present at the end of primary shoulder prosthetic surgeries responsible for infection? Prospective study.

The purpose of this study was to investigate if the C. acnes present at the end of a primary shoulder arthroplasty could be responsible for shoulder arthroplasty infection. Prospective study includes patients undergoing primary shoulder arthroplasty from January 2015 until December 2018. From all the patients included, 5 to 12 tissue samples were obtained and were specifically cultured to detect the presence of C. acnes. DNA was extracted from the C acnes isolated colonies and Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS) analysis was done. A cohort of 156 patients was finally included. In twenty-seven patients, the C. acnes was present at the end of the primary surgery. Two of these patients developed a C. acnes periprosthetic shoulder infection at 6 and 4 months after the primary surgery. WGS of C. acnes isolated colonies showed that all the revision-surgery isolates clustered near to the corresponding primary-surgery isolates compared to the other independent bacterial colonies. (99.89% of similarity). C. acnes present at the end of the primary surgery can be the cause of early or delayed periprosthetic joint infections in shoulder arthroplasty.

Case report of the first cured patient with Mycobacterium Chimaera infection following cardiac valve replacement in the mainland of China.

BACKGROUND: Mycobacterium chimaera infections subsequent to cardiac surgery are related to contaminated heater-cooler devices, with high mortality. Nevertheless, few studies have been reported in Asia. CASE PRESENTATION: We described the case of a 55-year-old man with Mycobacterium chimaera infection following cardiac surgery in the mainland of China. He was diagnosed with endocarditis caused by Mycobacterium chimaera subsequent to open heart surgery. Metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) and 16S rRNA gene PCR analysis were used to identify potential pathogens. The patient underwent redo valve replacement surgery and received combination therapy with azithromycin, ethambutol, linezolid, and amikacin. No signs of relapse were observed during the 11-month follow-up visit. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first documented case of Mycobacterium chimaera infection following cardiac surgery in the mainland of China and the first documented transnational imported case worldwide. Moreover, mNGS is a novel diagnostic technology that can guide antimicrobial therapy prior to obtaining fluid/tissue culture results for Mycobacterium chimaera, providing a new approach for the detection of potential Mycobacterium chimaera infection.

Recent Strategies to Combat Infections from Biofilm-Forming Bacteria on Orthopaedic Implants.

Biofilm-related implant infections (BRII) are a disastrous complication of both elective and trauma orthopaedic surgery and occur when an implant becomes colonised by bacteria. The definitive treatment to eradicate the infections once a biofilm has established is surgical excision of the implant and thorough local debridement, but this carries a significant socioeconomic cost, the outcomes for the patient are often poor, and there is a significant risk of recurrence. Due to the large volumes of surgical procedures performed annually involving medical device implantation, both in orthopaedic surgery and healthcare in general, and with the incidence of implant-related infection being as high as 5%, interventions to prevent and treat BRII are a major focus of research. As such, innovation is progressing at a very fast pace; the aim of this study is to review the latest interventions for the prevention and treatment of BRII, with a particular focus on implant-related approaches.

Case Report: Invasive Sinusitis due to Sporothrix Brasiliensis in a Renal Transplant Recipient.

Sporotrichosis is usually a subcutaneous infection caused by thermodimorphic fungi of the genus Sporothrix. The disease occurs worldwide, but endemic areas are located in tropical and subtropical regions. The epidemiology of sporotrichosis in Brazil is peculiar because of the cat's entry in the chain of transmission of this mycosis, associated with Sporothrix brasiliensis, the most virulent species in the genus. Sinusitis caused by Sporothrix species is unusual and may be underdiagnosed or confused with other fungal etiologies, like mucormycosis. We report a case of sinusitis due to a Sporothrix species in a 6-year renal transplant recipient. Direct examination of smears of exudate of the sinus specimen (aspirate, biopsy) revealed budding yeasts and cigar-shaped cells. Sporothrix was subsequently recovered from the patient's exudate culture and identified as S. brasiliensis using species-specific polymerase chain reaction, and she was successfully treated with antifungal therapy. Her parents also developed the disease a week later, both only cutaneous involvement. Sporotrichosis sinusitis is a rare disease, even in immunocompromised patients. Diagnosis is crucial, and benefits from good epidemiological history.

Infectious complications after tracheoplasty for congenital tracheal stenosis: a retrospective comparative study.

PURPOSE: The factors related to infectious complications after tracheoplasty for congenital tracheal stenosis (CTS) remain unclear; we, therefore, assessed these factors in this study. METHODS: We divided 47 patients who underwent slide tracheostomy and tracheal resection for CTS between May 2016 and December 2020 into an infected group and a non-infected group. Their characteristics were compared between groups. Results are presented as the median (range) or incidence. RESULTS: Infectious complications were observed in 12 patients (25.5%). Empyema and mediastinitis were seen in 5 cases (10.6%). There was a significant difference in the following factors in the infected and non-infected groups, respectively: weight, 5457 (2868-20,750) g and 6554 (2275-20,800) g (p = 0.025); surgical time, 575.5 (313-646) min and 349 (270-651) min (p < 0.001); extracorporeal circulation time, 303.5 (186-610) min and 216 (117-478) min (p = 0.001); and postoperative intubation time, 13 (7-28) days, and 6 (5-22) days (p < 0.001). Age, malnutrition, cardiovascular comorbidities, and preoperative methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus detection were not significantly different between the two groups. CONCLUSION: There were a few serious infectious complications and no perioperative deaths. Attention should be paid to low body weight, long surgical and extracorporeal circulation time, and intubation time in relation to infectious complications.

Risk of reoperation and infection after percutaneous endoscopic lumbar discectomy and open lumbar discectomy : a nationwide population-based study.

AIMS: Open discectomy (OD) is the standard operation for lumbar disc herniation (LDH). Percutaneous endoscopic lumbar discectomy (PELD), however, has shown similar outcomes to OD and there is increasing interest in this procedure. However despite improved surgical techniques and instrumentation, reoperation and infection rates continue and are reported to be between 6% and 24% and 0.7% and 16%, respectively. The objective of this study was to compare the rate of reoperation and infection within six months of patients being treated for LDH either by OD or PELD. METHODS: In this retrospective, nationwide cohort study, the Korean National Health Insurance database from 1 January 2007 to 31 December 2018 was reviewed. Data were extracted for patients who underwent OD or PELD for LDH without a history of having undergone either procedure during the preceding year. Individual patients were followed for six months through their encrypted unique resident registration number. The primary endpoints were rates of reoperation and infection during the follow-up period. Other risk factors for reoperation and infection were also evalulated. RESULTS: Out of 549,531 patients, 522,640 had undergone OD (95.11%) and 26,891 patients had undergone PELD (4.89%). Reoperation rates within six months were 2.28% in the OD group, and 5.38% in the PELD group. Infection rates were 1.18% in OD group and 0.83% in PELD group. The risk of reoperation was lower for patients with OD than for patients with PELD (adjusted hazard ratio (HR) 0.38). The risk of infection was higher for patients with OD than for patients undergoing PELD (HR, 1.325). CONCLUSION: Compared with the OD group, the PELD group showed higher reoperation rates and lower infection rates. Cite this article: Bone Joint J 2021;103-B(8):1392-1399.

The Role of Corneal Donor Rim Fungal Cultures: Pro Side.

ABSTRACT: Fungal infection after corneal transplantation is a rare but potentially devastating complication. It is of paramount concern for transplant surgeons and the eye banking community. The value of universal corneal rim cultures for keratoplasty remains controversial. In 2016, The Eye Bank Association for America reported an increasing trend in the incidence of post keratoplasty fungal infections and a higher incidence of post keratoplasty [penetrating keratoplasty and endothelial keratoplasty (EK)] fungal endophthalmitis cases. This increasing trend in rate over time from previous Eye Bank Association for America reports was disproportionately associated with EK and Candida species. Additionally, several studies confirmed a high correlation between positive corneoscleral donor rim fungal cultures and postoperative infections, and a higher risk to the mate eye of a cornea that had the positive fungal corneal rim culture and developed an infection. Positive fungal donor rim cultures-especially in the setting of interface keratitis after EK surgery-can raise the index of suspicion for a fungal cause and may help direct therapy, especially in the early stages, where the symptoms and signs of spread may not be obvious and obtaining direct cultures is inherently difficult without surgical intervention.

Mycobacterium chimaera: a report of 2 new cases and literature review.

Mycobacterium chimaera is a non-tuberculous mycobacterium, member of the Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC), which has become a global public health concern due to infection following cardiac surgery performed with contaminated heater-cooler units. M. chimaera infection is characterized by a long latency, non-specific signs and symptoms and high mortality rates. Thus, the diagnosis is still challenging both for forensic pathologists and for clinicians. Clinical manifestations of M. chimaera infection include endocarditis, hepatitis, nephritis, encephalitis and chorioretinitis. A constant histopathologic finding is the presence of non-caseating granulomas, with multinucleated giant cells and histiocytes. Hereby, we present two cases of fatal disseminated M. chimaera infection following aortic valve surgery reporting clinical history and post-mortem findings. Further, we provide a brief overview of the literature with a special focus on histopathological characteristics of M. chimaera infection. The aim of this article is to provide a complete synopsis of histopathological characteristics useful for forensic pathologists.

Successful use of azithromycin for Escherichia coli-associated renal allograft malakoplakia: a report of two cases.

Malakoplakia is a chronic granulomatous disease associated with incomplete clearance of bacterial pathogens. A multimodal approach to therapy includes antimicrobials with intracellular activity, reduction in immunosuppression, and debulking of lesions. Azithromycin has an intracellular mechanism of action and enhanced Gram-negative activity compared to other macrolides. Despite some in vitro data to support its use, there are no clinical breakpoints or epidemiological cut-off values for most Enterobacterales from the European Committee on Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing (EUCAST) or the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI). We present two cases, previously unreported, of Escherichia coli associated renal allograft malakoplakia successfully treated with azithromycin.

Elevated Postoperative Levels of Serum C-reactive Protein Are Associated With Shorter Long-term Survival After Resection of Colorectal Liver Metastases, Regardless of the Occurrence of Infectious Complications.

BACKGROUND/AIM: Recently, elevated levels of postoperative inflammatory markers have been reported to be associated with poorer long-term survival outcomes, regardless of the occurrence of infectious complications, in gastroenterological malignancies. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between postoperative inflammation and shorter long-term survival after resection of colorectal liver metastases. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 104 patients who underwent R0 resection for colorectal liver metastases were enrolled. The CRPmax levels were defined as the highest postoperative serum C-reactive protein levels during hospital stay. RESULTS: The high-CRPmax group had a significantly lower relapse-free survival rate than the low-CRPmax group, regardless of the occurrence of infectious complications. CONCLUSION: In colorectal liver metastasis as well as other malignancies, elevated postoperative levels of serum C-reactive protein are associated with shorter long-term survival, regardless of the occurrence of infectious complications.

Diagnostic yield of post-bronchoscopy sputum for diagnosing pauci-bacillary pulmonary tuberculosis.

BACKGROUND: A few studies have mentioned that post-bronchoscopy sputum (PBS) could improve the diagnostic yield in pauci-bacillary pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB). Therefore, we evaluated the diagnostic yield of PBS for diagnosing pauci-bacillaryPTB. METHODS: Clinical data of immunocompromised adult patients with pauci-bacillary PTB were retrospectively retrieved at a tertiary hospital in Seoul, South Korea over a 5-year period. We analyzed patients who underwent bronchoscopy examinations for diagnosing pauci-bacillary PTB. RESULTS: Ninety patients were finally analyzed. Of these patients, 76 patients were tested with PBS. Six (8%) of these patients had positive results on AFB smear of PBS alone. Additionally, 52 patients (68%) had positive results on mycobacterial culture and 12 (16%) had positive results on mycobacterial culture of PBS exclusively. Therefore, in this study population, a total of 18 patients (20%) were finally diagnosed as having PTB with PBS results only, even though AFB smear microscopy and culture of other specimens had negative results. CONCLUSIONS: PBS could improve the diagnostic yield by 20% when diagnosing pauci-bacillary PTB. In addition, about 8% of the patients could be diagnosed rapidly because of AFB smear microscopy positivity for PBS. Therefore, PBS use should be considered as a complementary diagnostic approach in patients with suspected pauci-bacillary PTB.

Immunosuppression and Clostridioides (Clostridium) difficile Infection Risk in Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Patients.

BACKGROUND: Immunosuppressant use increases risk of Clostridioides (Clostridium) difficile infection. To date, no studies have analyzed the relationship between immunosuppressant use and C difficile infections after metabolic and bariatric surgery (MBS). METHODS: A retrospective analysis of the 2015-2018 MBSAQIP data was conducted. The MBSAQIP data include information from 854 affiliated practices in the US and Canada. Initial sample size was 760,076 MBS patients. After excluding participants due to missing variables (n = 188,106) and the use of surgical procedures other than Roux-en-Y gastric bypass and sleeve gastroplasty (n = 129,712), final analyses were performed on 442,258 participants. Logistic regression models generated the odds of C difficile infection developing post MBS, according to immunosuppressant status (positive or negative). RESULTS: Unadjusted logistic regression analysis showed that patients using immunosuppressants were 95% more likely to have postoperative C difficile infection (odds ratio 1.945; 95% CI, 1.230 to 3.075; p < 0.001) vs MBS patients not taking immunosuppressants. After adjusting for age, sex, ethnicity, preoperative BMI, diabetes status, and surgical procedure type, the association remained unaffected (adjusted odds ratio 1.956; 95% CI, 1.236 to 3.095; p < 0.01). Patients who completed the laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass procedure had more than double the odds of C difficile infection developing compared with those who completed the laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy procedure (odds ratio 2.183; 95% CI, 1.842 to 2.587; p < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: Our results using a population-based sample of MBS patients showed that those taking immunosuppressants have a significantly higher risk of developing Clostridioides (Clostridium) difficile infection postoperatively. These findings suggest that patients using immunosuppressants should be closely monitored both pre and post procedure.

Fatal Pandoraea nosoerga infection after combined liver-lung transplantation for cystic fibrosis: a recontamination by the pre-transplantation strain.

A 26-year-old girl with a longstanding colonization by Pandoraea nosoerga underwent liver-lung transplantation for cystic fibrosis (CF) in 2018. Her brother also suffering from CF was also colonized by P. nosoerga. Despite appropriate perioperative antibiotic therapy, she had post-transplant bacteremic pneumonia caused by extensively drug-resistant P. nosoerga. Drug repurposing was used to optimize treatment options. The cause of post-transplant contamination was studied by comparative whole-genome sequencing including pre- and post-transplant strains and her brother's strains. Post-transplant contamination appeared to be due to her own pre-transplant strain, emphasizing the urgent need to study and implement effective decontamination protocols before transplantation.

The Duration of Antibiotics Prophylaxis at the Time of Catheter Removal after Radical Prostatectomy: Clinically Integrated, Cluster, Randomized Trial.

PURPOSE: Prophylactic antibiotics are routinely given at the time of catheter removal post-radical prostatectomy (RP). The low rate of infectious complications entails that large sample sizes are required for randomized controlled trials, a challenge given the cost of standard randomized controlled trials. We evaluated infectious complications associated with 1 vs 3 days of prophylactic antibiotics at the time of catheter removal post-RP using a novel, clinically integrated trial with randomization at the surgeon level. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Surgeons were cluster randomized for periods of 3 months to prescribe 1-day vs 3-day regimen of prophylactic antibiotics at the time of catheter removal. The primary end point was an infectious complication as routinely captured by nursing phone call within 10 days of catheter removal and defined as positive urine cultures (≥105 CFU) and at least 1 of the following symptoms: fever (>38°C), urgency, frequency, dysuria or suprapubic tenderness. RESULTS: A total of 824 patients were consented and underwent RP with, respectively, 389 and 435 allocated to 1-day and 3-day antibiotics, predominantly ciprofloxacin. Accrual was achieved within 3 years: 95% vs 88% of patients received the allocated 3-day vs 1-day antibiotic regimen. There were 0 urinary tract infections (0%) in the 1-day regimen and 3 urinary tract infections (0.7%) in the 3-day regimen, meeting our prespecified criterion for declaring the 1-day regimen to be noninferior. CONCLUSIONS: A clinically integrated trial using cluster randomization accrued rapidly with no important logistical problems and negligible burden on surgeons. If surgeons choose to prescribe empiric prophylactic antibiotics after catheter removal following RP, then the duration should not exceed 1 day.

Causative bacteria associated with a clinically relevant postoperative pancreatic fistula infection after distal pancreatectomy.

PURPOSE: Clinically relevant postoperative pancreatic fistulas (CR-POPF) occurring after distal pancreatectomy often cause intra-abdominal infections. We monitored the presence of bacterial contamination in the ascitic fluid after distal pancreatectomy to clarify the bacterial origin of intra-abdominal infections associated with CR-POPF. METHODS: In 176 patients who underwent distal pancreatectomy, ascitic fluid bacterial cultures were performed on postoperative days (POD) 1-4 and when the drainage fluid became turbid. The association between postoperative ascitic bacterial contamination and CR-POPF incidence was investigated. RESULTS: CR-POPF occurred in 18 cases (10.2%). Among the patients with CR-POPF, bacterial contamination was detected in 0% on POD 1, in 38.9% on POD 4, and in 72.2% on the day (median, day 9.5) when the drainage fluid became turbid. A univariate analysis revealed a significant difference in ascitic bacterial contamination on POD 4 (p < 0.001) and amylase level on POD 3-4 (p < 0.001). A multivariate analysis revealed the amylase level and ascitic bacterial contamination on POD 4 to be independent risk factors. CONCLUSIONS: In the CR-POPF group, ascitic bacterial contamination was not observed in the early postoperative stage, but the bacterial contamination rate increased after pancreatic juice leakage occurred. Therefore, CR-POPF-related infections in distal pancreatectomy may be caused by a retrograde infection of pancreatic juice.