Comparison of a Point-of-Care FilmArray Test to Standard-of-Care Microbiology Test in Diagnosis of Healthcare Associated Infections in a Tertiary Care Pediatric Intensive Care Unit.

BACKGROUND: Rapid and accurate identification of healthcare associated pathogens is crucial for early diagnosis and treatment of infections. This study aimed to assess the performance of a point-of-care multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in diagnosis of pathogens and their antibiotic resistance genes in bloodstream infections, pneumonia and meningitis/encephalitis in a pediatric intensive care unit (PICU). METHODS: A retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted on pediatric patients diagnosed with healthcare associated infections at Alexandria University PICU, Egypt. A total of 111 samples from 98 patients were subjected simultaneously to standard-of-care microbiology testing (SOCMT) and molecular testing by BioFire multiplex PCR. RESULTS: In comparison to SOCMT, the BioFire FilmArray® had a better diagnostic yield with broncho-alveolar lavage (BAL) (45 vs. 21) and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples (five vs. none) (p ≤ 0.0001). Klebsiella pneumoniae was the most common pathogen in BAL (n = 19 by BioFire, n = 9 by SOCMT) and blood (n = 7, by SOCMT and BioFire) samples, while Streptococcus pneumoniae was the most common in CSF samples. BioFire showed 95.8% overall percent agreement, 100% positive percent agreement and 95.6% negative percent agreement with SOCMT. All phenotypically confirmed resistant isolates had resistance genes by the BioFire FilmArray® (100%). The turnaround time (TAT) of positive results by the FilmArray panels was 1-1.5 h in comparison to 48-72 h by SOCMT (p ≤ 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The results of the current study confirm the utility of the BioFire FilmArray® in making early decisions regarding patients' diagnosis and management of infection in the PICU, in terms of rapid TAT and appropriate antimicrobial use.

A Pilot Study to Assess Transfusion Transmission of Hepatitis C Virus.

Alexandria University blood bank adopted double screening tests: a fully automated chemiluminescence immunoassay followed by nucleic acid testing. The aim of the study was to assess the efficiency of dual check of HCV in preventing transfusion related infection among patients admitted to PICU. A prospective cohort study was carried on patients admitted to PICU during 6 months. The included patients performed HCV RNA detection on admission by conventional reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) technique. Only negative cases were recruited, then patients receiving blood or its product were checked after 4 weeks from discharge by RT-PCR for HCV RNA. A total of 33 patients received 108 transfusions: 9 patients of them deceased during PICU stay and the remaining 24 patients were all found to be negative for HCV. The dual screening of HCV should be implemented in all blood banks of Egypt especially for critically ill pediatric patients.

Efficacy of Milrinone Plus Sildenafil in the Treatment of Neonates with Persistent Pulmonary Hypertension in Resource-Limited Settings: Results of a Randomized, Double-Blind Trial.

BACKGROUND: The management of severe persistent pulmonary hypertension (PPHN) can be very challenging in many resource-limited centers without access to inhaled nitric oxide or extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. OBJECTIVES: The current study aimed to investigate the efficacy of oral sildenafil and intravenous milrinone infusion and compare the effects of these drugs in combination versus as monotherapy in neonates with PPHN. METHODS: A double-blind randomized controlled trial was conducted in which neonates with PPHN were divided into three groups of 20 patients each: group 1 received oral sildenafil starting at 0.5 mg/kg every 6 h to a target maintenance dose of 2 mg/kg every 6 h; group 2 received intravenous milrinone 0.5 µg/kg/min as a continuous infusion; and group 3 received both oral sildenafil and intravenous milrinone. RESULTS: Post-treatment pulmonary artery systolic pressure was significantly lower in group 3 than in groups 1 and 2, which both received monotherapy (p = 0.031). The oxygenation index also decreased significantly in the dual-therapy group (p = 0.002) compared with the monotherapy groups. Combined use of both drugs demonstrated a beneficial synergistic effect with better outcomes and reduced mortality. CONCLUSION: Dual therapy using sildenafil and milrinone was superior to monotherapy with either drug in neonates with severe PPHN and is recommended for use in resource-constrained settings. REGISTRATION: Pan African Clinical Trial Registry identifier number PACTR201902691230243.

Clinical Outcomes Associated with Fluid Overload in Critically Ill Pediatric Patients.

BACKGROUND: Fluid overload (FO) has been accused as being one of the ICU problems affecting morbidity and mortality. The aim of the study was to assess the effect and critical threshold of FO that is related to mortality. METHODS: This prospective observational study was conducted in a pediatric ICU. All patients admitted (n = 203) during 12 months with a length of stay more than 48 h were recruited. RESULTS: FO was found to be related to mortality (p = 0.025) but was not proved to be an independent risk factor of fatal outcome by the logistic regression model. This raises the suspicion about any cause-effect relationship between FO and mortality. Even though, FO was statistically a fair discriminator of death (AUC = 0.655, p = 0.0008) and a cutoff level of FO was set at 7%. Kaplan-Meier curve showed that cumulative of survival differed significantly between groups of patients with FO more and less than 7% (p = 0.002). CONCLUSION: Frequent and accurate monitoring of FO is crucial among critically ill patients. The present study suggested a threshold of 7% FO beyond which a more conservative regimen of fluid administration might improve patients' outcome.

Bacteriologic profile and susceptibility pattern of mechanically ventilated paediatric patients with pneumonia.

AIM: Due to the current widespread bacterial resistance to many antibiotics - especially extended-spectrum ß-lactams, carbapenems, and anti-pseudomonal drugs - therapy for severe pneumonia is very challenging. This study aimed to assess antimicrobial sensitivity patterns and optimisation of the antibiotic stewardship program applied at a university-affiliated paediatric intensive care unit (PICU). SUBJECTS AND METHODS: This prospective cohort study included all patients aged 1 month to 12 years, admitted to the PICU with severe pneumonia episodes indicated for mechanical ventilation, and were followed up and investigated. Non-bronchoscopic bronchoalveolar lavage specimens were tested for positive microbiological yields and examined for their susceptibility pattern. RESULTS: Of 85 patients with 96 episodes, 69 of them yielded positive growth: 43 were community-acquired pneumonia episodes, 62.79% of which were of unidentified cause. The isolated bacteria were predominantly due to Chlamydia pneumonia (18.6%) followed by Staphylococcus aureus and its resistant form (9.3%). Hospital and ventilator-associated pneumonia were mainly related to Gram-negative bacteria (91.67% and 87.8%, respectively), especially Klebsiella acinetobacter and Pseudomonas. There was a significant increase in multi-drug resistance among Gram-negative bacteria, which was considered an independent risk factor of mortality (P=0.003). CONCLUSION: Severe community-acquired pneumonia was treated with macrolides in combination with vancomycin or linezolid if methicillin-resistant S. aureus was suspected. This was appropriate, in view of its causative agents and their susceptibility pattern. Hospital and ventilator-associated pneumonia caused by resistant Gram-negative organisms might have better outcomes by adding tigecycline or colistin in combination with fluoroquinolones. Owing to the widespread resistance of many Gram-negative bacteria, it is recommended that the antibiotic stewardship program be frequently updated.

Incidence of Multidrug-Resistant Organism Among Children Admitted to Pediatric Intensive Care Unit in a Developing Country.

AIM: Multidrug-resistant infections are an increasingly common condition particularly in critical care units. This study aimed to determine the incidence and types of resistant bacteria acquired in a pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) of a university hospital. SUBJECT AND METHODS: A prospective study was conducted during the year 2016. All children aged below 16 years were studied for infection development and pattern of susceptibility to various groups of antibiotics. RESULTS: A total of 264 patients were admitted to the PICU: 16 patients had community-acquired infection (CAI), 23 had hospital-acquired infection, and 24 patients had PICU-acquired infection (with 36 episodes) which is equivalent to 14.75 case/1,000 patient days. The study revealed high incidence of resistant organisms in the PICU but more important is the appearance of multi- and extreme drug-resistant bacteria in CAI. The study revealed that gram-negative bacteria were more prevalent in PICU, especially Klebsiella (30.5%), Acinetobacter baumanii (22.22%), and Pseudomonas (16.67%). Infection with resistant organisms in the PICU caused initial treatment failure and increased fourfold risk of mortality. CONCLUSION: The incidence of resistant bacteria especially gram-negative pathogens was very high in the PICU. The top three resistant organisms of concern were Klebsiella, Acinetobacter, and Pseudomonas. This is a global concern that necessitates new strategies.