[National multicenter survey: the use of intravenous antimicrobial agents]. / Encuesta multicéntrica nacional sobre utilización de antibióticos intravenosos.

Infectious diseases are currently one of the major health problems worldwide. As a consequence, both nosocomial and community-acquired infections are responsible for a significant increase in workload and health costs for hospitals, particularly in Intensive Care Units (ICU), Internal Medicine and Surgery. The use of intravenous antimicrobial agents is common in hospitalized patients. In order to determine the use of antimicrobial agents and the most frequent procedures used for their administration in Spanish hospitals, a national multicenter survey was undertaken among ICU, Internal Medicine and Surgery health staff from 63 hospitals, in which data were collected on central and peripheral catheter manipulation and intravenous administration. Results showed that, in Spain, both catheter manipulation (insertion, maintenance and removal) and administration of antimicrobial agents are performed by the nursing staff following established protocols, particularly for central catheters. Moreover, the ICUs had the highest rates of catheter-bearing patients, as well as patients undergoing antimicrobial treatment, sometimes in combination. The use of intravenous antimicrobial agents in Spanish hospitals results in an increased workload for the nursing staff and higher health costs, not to mention the risk involved with the use of vascular catheters.

Epidemiology and clinical significance of Blastocystis hominis in different population groups in Salamanca (Spain).

A prospective study was carried out to investigate the epidemiology and clinical significance of Blastocystis hominis in the following groups of the population of the city of Salamanca (Spain): in children attending 11 day care centres and 7 primary schools, two fecal samples were obtained from each child, and in 1231 patients attending the Clinical Hospital. A B. hominis incidence of 5.3-10.3% was found in the day care centres and an incidence rate of 13.4-19.4% was found in the primary schools. All the cases were observed in asymptomatic children. The incidence of B. hominis was greater in children older than 3 years in the day care centres and in the 10-14 year-old group in the primary schools. A heavier parasitization was observed in the boys than in the girls and in the students of schools in areas of low socio-economic level. B. hominis was identified in 40 patients attending the Clinical Hospital (3.25% of all those studied). The maximum peak of incidence was found in subjects with ages between 10 and 14 years. A follow up study was performed on 18 patients parasitized exclusively by B. hominis; 7 of these were considered to have acute gastroenteritis and one chronic gastroenteritis associated with the protozoan. No statistically significant association was observed between the number of B. hominis cells and the presence of diarrhoea. Our results show that despite the high number of asymptomatic carriers of B. hominis in the juvenile population, this protozoan may be, on other occasions, responsible for gastrointestinal symptoms.

[Update on and evaluation of an IgG ELISA technique for the diagnosis of human hydatidosis]. / Puesta a punto y valoración de una técnica ELISA IgG para el diagnóstico de hidatidosis humanas.

The methodology to carry out a diagnostic test for hydatid disease is reported. Full hydatid fluid was used as antigen and specific IgG was detected. 61 sera from patients in whom hydatid disease was subsequently confirmed at surgery, 28 sera of patients with other diseases and 16 sera from blood donors were evaluated. The sensitivity and specificity were established on the basis of statistical criteria. In the group of patients with hydatid disease, sensitivity was 98.4%, with only one nonreactive serum. Specificity was 60.6% and was higher with increasing age of the patients or depending on the cyst localization (it was higher in hepatic than in pulmonary cysts).

Antibiotic prophylaxis with cefotaxime in gastroduodenal and biliary surgery.

In a multicenter prospective, randomized study, the efficacy of a single preoperative dose of 1 g of cefotaxime for avoiding wound infections was compared with four 2-g doses of cefoxitin. In the study, 1,451 patients with infection risk factors who underwent gastroduodenal or biliary surgery were included, of whom 722 received cefotaxime and 729 cefoxitin. The characteristics of both groups were comparable. The frequency of wound infections in the cefotaxime group was 3.3 percent and in the cefoxitin group, 7.6 percent. The difference was statistically significant. The lowest rate of wound infection (0.63 percent) was achieved when cefotaxime was administered during the last hour before surgery. In both groups, the frequency of infections was directly related to the duration of operation. Hospital stay was, on average, 3 days longer in patients with wound infections. After cost-benefit analysis, we have concluded that cefotaxime treatment results in substantial reduction of costs derived from antibiotic prophylaxis.