Assessment of infections rate due to community-acquired Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and evaluation of risk factors in the paediatric population.

AIM: We aimed at assessing the frequency of Community-acquired Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA) infections, identifying its risk factors and evaluating resistance patterns of Staphylococcus aureus to various antibiotics in order to recommend the optimal empirical treatment for suspected Staphylococcus aureus infections. METHODS: We reviewed the medical records of children who were treated at Shaare Zedek medical centre, located in Jerusalem, Israel, over the years 2008-2019 and had a positive culture for Staphylococcus aureus. Patients with CA-MRSA infections were compared with Methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MSSA) infections. RESULTS: In this study, 620 paediatric patients were included. The number of children in the CA-MRSA study group was 124, while the MSSA control group consisted of 496 children. Risk factors for CA-MRSA infections included young age (1-5 years), female sex, Arab ethnicity and residence in East Jerusalem. The incidence of CA-MRSA increased over the past decade, with an average of 11.2%. An increase in MSSA resistance to clindamycin was noted while Trimethoprim-Sulphamethoxazole resistance remained low. CONCLUSION: The incidence of CA-MRSA in Jerusalem was rising, along with changes in resistance patterns of both MSSA and MRSA to various antibiotic agents. In order to optimise empirical treatment for suspected staphylococcal infection, continued monitoring of CA-MRSA prevalence and resistance rates is essential.

Bleeding Risk Assessment and the Role of Primary Hemostasis Screening in Patients Undergoing Kidney Biopsy.

BACKGROUND: Risk factors for bleeding complications after percutaneous kidney biopsy (PKB) and the role of primary hemostasis screening are not well established. OBJECTIVES: To determine the role of primary hemostasis screening and complication outcomes among individuals who underwent PKB. METHODS: We reviewed data of 456 patients who underwent PKB from 2010 to 2016 in a large university hospital. In 2015, bleeding time (BT) testing was replaced by light transmission aggregometry (LTA) as a pre-PKB screening test. RESULTS: Of the 370 patients who underwent pre-PKB hemostasis screening by BT testing, prolonged BT was observed in 42 (11.3%). Of the 86 who underwent LTA, an abnormal response was observed in 14 (16.3%). Overall, 155 (34.0%) patients experienced bleeding: 145 (31.8%) had minor events (hemoglobin fall of 1-2 g/dl, macroscopic hematuria, perinephric hematoma without the need for transfusion or intervention) and 17 (3.7%) had major events (hemoglobin fall > 2 g/dl, blood transfusion or further intervention). Abnormal LTA response did not correlate with bleeding (P = 0.80). In multivariate analysis, only prolonged BT (P = 0.0001) and larger needle size (P = 0.005) were identified as independent predictors of bleeding. CONCLUSIONS: Bleeding complications following PKB were common and mostly minor, and the risk of major bleeding was low. Larger needle size and prolonged BT were associated with a higher bleeding risk. Due to the relatively low risk of major bleeding and lack of benefit of prophylactic intervention, the use of pre-PKB hemostasis screening remains unestablished.