Postpartum bilateral lung transplantation in COVID-19 associated respiratory failure.

In critically ill patients with COVID-19, established therapies in the setting of respiratory failure include invasive mechanical ventilation and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). This case report describes a pregnant woman in her 30s who was hospitalised at 35 weeks gestation with moderate COVID-19 disease. Her condition worsened following delivery, and she required intubation, maximum ventilatory support and ECMO. Because of the severe and irreversible nature of her lung disease, she ultimately underwent bilateral lung transplantation. This case showcases lung transplantation as an alternative life-saving option for patients with severe COVID-19 associated respiratory failure refractory to ECMO and mechanical ventilation. Further studies are needed to develop a multidisciplinary approach for patient selection for transplantation within the context of COVID-19 and to assess long-term outcomes.

A multidisciplinary approach to caring for a pregnant patient with blue rubber bleb nevus syndrome: A case report.

Blue rubber bleb nevus syndrome (BRBNS) is a rare vascular disorder characterized by recurrent, multifocal venous malformations throughout the skin, soft tissue, and numerous internal organs. Pregnant women with BRBNS are at high risk of morbidity and mortality, and thus their care requires careful planning and surveillance. This report highlights the case of a 21-year-old woman, gravida 1, para 0, with BRBNS who was cared for by a multidisciplinary team of providers in obstetrics, maternal-fetal medicine, obstetric anesthesia, hematology, dermatology, gastroenterology, and otorhinolaryngology. The report provides a comprehensive guide to the multidisciplinary management of pregnancy and delivery for patients with BRBNS.

Evans Syndrome Associated with Pregnancy and COVID-19 Infection.

BACKGROUND: Evans syndrome (ES) is a chronic autoimmune disease characterized by autoimmune hemolytic anemia along with immune thrombocytopenic purpura. Few case reports of ES in pregnancy have been published, and ES may be difficult to distinguish from other diagnoses more common in pregnancy. Guidelines for treatment of ES are not well-defined. CASE: A 23-year-old multigravid woman in active labor was found to have severe anemia and thrombocytopenia. She was diagnosed with ES and started on immunosuppressive treatments for persistent immune thrombocytopenic purpura. In the postpartum period, she was found to have coronavirus (COVID-19) infection and acute pulmonary embolism. CONCLUSION: Evans syndrome is a challenge to diagnose in pregnancy and poses important considerations for intrapartum and postpartum management.

Height Growth Impairment in Children With Neurofibromatosis Type 1 Is Characterized by Decreased Pubertal Growth Velocity in Both Sexes.

Previous studies have suggested that children with neurofibromatosis type 1 are shorter than their unaffected counterparts as an effect of a germline NF1 gene mutation. The pathophysiology of this effect is still uncertain. The purpose of this study was to characterize longitudinal growth in children with neurofibromatosis type 1 in order to assess growth velocity and its influence on stature. Longitudinal height data were collected for 188 patients with a confirmed clinical diagnosis of neurofibromatosis type 1. Children with neurofibromatosis type 1 had population mean heights statistically different from the general population, with a reduced peak height velocity during pubertal growth. In addition, there were no significant differences in the timing of peak height velocity during puberty between the general population and those with neurofibromatosis type 1. These data demonstrate that short stature in neurofibromatosis type 1 is due in part to subnormal height acquisition during puberty.

The influence of biofilm formation and multidrug resistance on environmental survival of clinical and environmental isolates of Acinetobacter baumannii.

BACKGROUND: Acinetobacter baumannii is a gram-negative, opportunistic pathogen. Its ability to form biofilm and increasing resistance to antibiotic agents present challenges for infection control. A better understanding of the influence of biofilm formation and antibiotic resistance on environmental persistence of A baumannii in hospital settings is needed for more effective infection control. METHODS: A baumannii strains isolated from patients and the hospital environment were identified via Matrix Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization Time-of-Flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry (Bruker Daltonics, Bellerica, MA), repetitive extragenic palindromic polymerase chain reaction genotyped, and antibiotic resistance was determined using Vitek 2 (bioMérieux, Inc, Durham NC). Biofilm mass was quantified via microtiter plate method and desiccation tolerance determined up to 56 days. RESULTS: High biofilm forming, clinical, multidrug-resistant- (MDR) positive strains were 50% less likely to die of desiccation than low biofilm, non-MDR strains. In contrast, environmental, MDR-positive, low biofilm forming strains had a 2.7 times increase in risk of cell death due to desiccation compared with their MDR-negative counterparts. MDR-negative, high biofilm forming environmental strains had a 60% decrease in risk compared with their low biofilm forming counterparts. CONCLUSION: The MDR-positive phenotype was deleterious for environmental strains and the high biofilm phenotype was critical for survival. This study provides evidence of the trade-off between antibiotic resistance and desiccation tolerance, driven by condition-dependent adaptation, and establishes rationale for research into the genetic basis of the variation in fitness cost between clinical and environmental isolates.

Fomite-fingerpad transfer efficiency (pick-up and deposit) of Acinetobacter baumannii-with and without a latex glove.

BACKGROUND: Acinetobacter baumannii is a significant health care-associated pathogen because it is easily transmitted via fomites, extremely difficult to eradicate from the environment, and highly drug resistant. Understanding the environmentally mediated transmission dynamics of A baumannii is critical for more effective infection control. However, transfer efficiency of pathogen pick-up and deposit remains poorly understood. Our study estimates the transfer efficiency of A baumannii with and without latex glove use from the fingerpad to a fomite and from a fomite to the fingerpad. METHODS: Fomite-fingerpad transfer efficiencies were determined for 6 materials (glass, stainless steel, porcelain, polypropylene, polycarbonate, and rubber). RESULTS: For A baumannii, the fomite-to-fingerpad transfer efficiency was 24.1%, and the fingerpad-to-fomite transfer efficiency was 5.6%. When latex gloves were worn, the fomite-to-fingerpad transfer efficiency was reduced by 55.9% (to 10.6%) and the fingerpad-to-fomite transfer efficiency was reduced by 47.1% (to 3.0%). The average transfer efficiency between 2 skin surfaces was 32.5%. CONCLUSIONS: The fomite-to-fingerpad transfer efficiency of A baumannii was statistically significantly higher than the fingerpad-to-fomite transfer efficiency, regardless of glove use. There was no significant difference in transfer efficiency by material type, except for rubber, which resulted in marginally higher transfer efficiencies. Our results underscore the importance of frequently changing gloves during patient care and frequent handwashing-hand hygiene during bare-handed care for the reduction of pathogen transmission.

Predictors and outcomes of linezolid-resistant vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus: a case-case-control study.

Linezolid is an important agent for the treatment of infections because of vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus (VRE). This study identified independent predictors for isolation of linezolid-resistant VRE (LZD-R-VRE) and analyzed outcomes associated with linezolid resistance. Immunosuppression, prior surgery, and previous exposure to ß-lactam antibiotics were independent predictors for isolation of LZD-R-VRE but not for LZD-susceptible-VRE. Prior exposure to linezolid was not a predictor for isolation of LZD-R-VRE.