Influence of intensive coronary care acoustics on the quality of care and physiological state of patients.

AIM OF THE STUDY: To evaluate the possible role of room acoustics on patients with coronary artery disease and to test the hypothesis that a poor acoustics environment is likely to produce a bad work environment resulting in unwanted sound that could adversely affect the patients. METHODS AND RESULTS: A total of 94 patients admitted to the intensive coronary heart unit at Huddinge University Hospital for evaluation of chest pain were included in the study. Patient groups were recruited during bad and good acoustics, respectively. Acoustics were altered during the study period by changing the ceiling tiles throughout the CCU from sound-reflecting tiles (bad acoustics) to sound-absorbing tiles (good acoustics) of similar appearance. Patients were monitored with regard to blood pressure including pulse amplitude, heart rate and heart rate variability. The patients were asked to fill in a questionnaire about the quality of the care, and a follow-up of rehospitalization and mortality was made at 1 and 3 months, respectively. There were significant differences between good and bad acoustics with regard to pulse amplitude in the acute myocardial infarction and unstable angina pectoris groups, with lower values during the good acoustics period during the night. The incidence of rehospitalization was higher for the bad acoustics group. Patients treated during the good acoustics period considered the staff attitude to be much better than during the bad acoustics period. CONCLUSION: A bad acoustics environment during acute illness may have important detrimental physiological effects on rehabilitation.

Effect of dalbavancin on the normal intestinal microflora.

OBJECTIVES: Dalbavancin is a new lipoglycopeptide antibiotic active in vitro against most Gram-positive bacteria. It is administered parenterally as a weekly regimen, is eliminated both in urine and faeces, and has t(1/2) in plasma of 8.5 days. Investigating the impact of antibiotics on endogenous microflora is important since alteration of the balance may facilitate colonization by new potentially pathogenic strains or enable microorganisms in the normal flora to develop resistance. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effect of administration of dalbavancin on the intestinal flora of healthy subjects. METHODS: Six women and six men, 18-40 years, received a single 30 min intravenous infusion of 1 g dalbavancin. Plasma and faeces were collected over several weeks for determination of dalbavancin concentration and analysis of faecal flora. Faecal specimens were cultured on non-selective and selective media. Different colony types were counted, isolated in pure culture and identified to genus level. All new colonizing bacteria were tested for susceptibility to dalbavancin. RESULTS: Plasma dalbavancin concentrations at 2, 21 and 60 days after administration were 35.8-208.7, 3.9-22.1 and 0.5-2.9 mg/L, respectively. The faecal concentrations of dalbavancin were 6.8-73.4 mg/kg on day 5 and 7.4-26.4 mg/kg on day 14. Dalbavancin was not detectable in faeces on day 60. There was some impact on numbers of enterococci and Escherichia coli and no changes in numbers of lactobacilli, clostridia and bacteroides. No Clostridium difficile strains were recovered. No new colonizing aerobic and anaerobic bacteria resistant to dalbavancin were found. CONCLUSIONS: Dalbavancin has no major ecological effect on the human normal intestinal microflora.