Antibiotic Prophylaxis in Patients on Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation: A Systematic Review.

Despite the frequent use of prophylactic antibiotics in hospitals for extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) patients, the Extracorporeal Life Support Organization (ELSO) Infectious Disease Task Force does not recommend routine antibiotic prophylaxis due to a lack of compelling evidence. We assessed the effectiveness of prophylactic antibiotics in ECMO patients. We conducted a comprehensive search of multiple databases from their inception up to September 6, 2023, on various databases using keywords like "antibiotics," "prophylaxis," "extracorporeal membrane oxygenation," and "ECMO." Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS) was used to assess the quality of the included research. We collected data using Microsoft Excel version 2016, mean and standard deviations were calculated for continuous data, while frequencies and percentages were calculated for binomial data. A total of three studies was included in the review with a total of 8,954 participants, of which 4,483 (50.06%) received antibiotic prophylaxis, and 1,131 (25.22%) were female. The administration of antibiotics prophylactically was associated with reduction in rate of mortality, the risk of infections, and complications like acute kidney injury and diarrhea. Although there have been some benefits on antibiotic prophylaxis, prospective research, and possibly the creation of tailored, ECMO-specific bundles will be needed to identify efficient ways to prevent ECMO infection.

Knowledge and practice towards care and maintenance of peripheral intravenous cannula among nurses in Chitwan Medical College Teaching Hospital, Nepal.

AIM: The study is mainly concerned about the care and maintenance of peripheral intravenous cannulation: to determine the knowledge and practice of nurses towards care and maintenance of IV cannula and to find out the obstacles encountered in caring and maintaining IV cannula. Intravenous cannulation is a common procedure performed by nurses in every hospital and closely associated with the risk of nosocomial infections if standard care is not provided. DESIGN: A descriptive cross-sectional study design was carried out. METHODS: Nurses' knowledge and practice towards care and maintenance of peripheral intravenous cannula were assessed using a validated semi-structured self-administered questionnaire through the census method. Data were analysed through SPSS program. The comparison was done between knowledge and practice. RESULTS: The findings revealed that 84.72% respondents were doing correct practices despite the fact that only 82.47% respondents had proper knowledge. Most nurses have good knowledge of caring and maintaining peripheral intravenous cannulation but there were some without proper knowledge and practice. This could be a potential risk factor for patient safety.

Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia and Role of Nurses in Its Prevention.

Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) is one of the most frequent nosocomial infections among ventilated patients in ICUs, associated with an increase in days of ICU stay, morbidity, and mortality. Its prevention is a significant concern in every hospital. Most of the interventions and prevention strategies are part of routine nursing care. Nurses have different vital roles such as care provider, manager, educator, coordinator, and evaluator in preventing VAP. Lack of knowledge of infection prevention and proper nursing care among nurses may become a barrier in adhering to evidence-based guidelines for preventing ventilator-associated pneumonia. This study will help nurses to know about VAP and its prevention in detail so that they can apply the knowledge in clinical practice. Understanding pathophysiology of VAP, its risk factors, and care bundle is vital for the proper prevention and treatment of VAP. There must be specific protocols, strategies and active surveillance in every ICU regarding the care bundle.