Effectiveness of oral antibiotics in managing extended-spectrum B-lactamase urinary tract infections: A retrospective analysis.

Background: Urinary tract infections caused by extended-spectrum beta-lactamase organisms pose a significant concern worldwide. Given the escalating prevalence of drug resistance and the limited data on the effectiveness of oral antibiotics in treating these infections, this study aimed to assess the clinical outcomes in adult patients with extended-spectrum beta-lactamase urinary tract infections treated with oral antibiotics. Methods: A retrospective observational cohort study was conducted at King Abdulaziz Medical City, Saudi Arabia, from January 2018 to December 2021. It included patients ⩾18 years with complicated or uncomplicated urinary tract infections from extended-spectrum beta-lactamase Enterobacterales and treated with oral antibiotics as step-down or mainstay therapy. All-cause clinical failure within 30 days post-discharge was evaluated as the efficacy outcome. Statistical analyses were performed using SPSS software. Results: Out of 643 screened patients, 152 patients met the inclusion criteria. The patients were divided into oral step-down therapy (51.3%) and oral-only (48.7%) groups. The majority (69.1%) were females, with a mean age of 62 years. Complicated urinary tract infections were diagnosed in (75.5%) of cases, and the predominant pathogen was E. coli (79.6%). Clinical failure was observed in 23.1% in the oral step-down group and 13.5% in the oral-only group, with no significant difference (p = 0.128). Total antibiotics duration was significantly lower in the oral-only group (8 days vs. 12.2 days; p < 0.001). Binary logistic regression identified elder age, diabetes mellitus history, and prior extended-spectrum beta-lactamase infection as predictors of clinical failure. Conclusion: This study suggests that both step-down or primary oral antibiotic treatment yielded similar clinical outcomes in managing patients with extended-spectrum beta-lactamase urinary tract infections. Further prospective studies are required to validate these findings.

Revolutionizing healthcare: the role of artificial intelligence in clinical practice.

INTRODUCTION: Healthcare systems are complex and challenging for all stakeholders, but artificial intelligence (AI) has transformed various fields, including healthcare, with the potential to improve patient care and quality of life. Rapid AI advancements can revolutionize healthcare by integrating it into clinical practice. Reporting AI's role in clinical practice is crucial for successful implementation by equipping healthcare providers with essential knowledge and tools. RESEARCH SIGNIFICANCE: This review article provides a comprehensive and up-to-date overview of the current state of AI in clinical practice, including its potential applications in disease diagnosis, treatment recommendations, and patient engagement. It also discusses the associated challenges, covering ethical and legal considerations and the need for human expertise. By doing so, it enhances understanding of AI's significance in healthcare and supports healthcare organizations in effectively adopting AI technologies. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The current investigation analyzed the use of AI in the healthcare system with a comprehensive review of relevant indexed literature, such as PubMed/Medline, Scopus, and EMBASE, with no time constraints but limited to articles published in English. The focused question explores the impact of applying AI in healthcare settings and the potential outcomes of this application. RESULTS: Integrating AI into healthcare holds excellent potential for improving disease diagnosis, treatment selection, and clinical laboratory testing. AI tools can leverage large datasets and identify patterns to surpass human performance in several healthcare aspects. AI offers increased accuracy, reduced costs, and time savings while minimizing human errors. It can revolutionize personalized medicine, optimize medication dosages, enhance population health management, establish guidelines, provide virtual health assistants, support mental health care, improve patient education, and influence patient-physician trust. CONCLUSION: AI can be used to diagnose diseases, develop personalized treatment plans, and assist clinicians with decision-making. Rather than simply automating tasks, AI is about developing technologies that can enhance patient care across healthcare settings. However, challenges related to data privacy, bias, and the need for human expertise must be addressed for the responsible and effective implementation of AI in healthcare.

Identifying gaps in vaccination perception after mandating the COVID-19 vaccine in Saudi Arabia.

OBJECTIVE: The burden of COVID-19 pandemic affected the globe, and it is unclear how it has impacted the general perception of other vaccines. We aimed to investigate the public awareness, knowledge, and attitude towards other complementary vaccines after the mandate of the COVID-19 vaccine. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted in Saudi Arabia using a survey distributed via several social media platforms in June 2022. The questionnaire had three main sections; awareness; attitudes; and demographic information. Descriptive analysis was mainly used and supplemented with Chi-square test for correlation. All individuals over the age of 18 were eligible to participate in the study. RESULTS: A total of 1,045 participants from Saudi Arabia completed the survey. Of the respondents, 55.9% were female, and 95% were Saudi citizens. Public awareness towards vaccines after the mandate of COVID-19 vaccine was the highest with the influenza vaccine (98.2%), followed by human papillomavirus (HPV) (40.7%), tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis (Tdap) (37.2%), and lastly, pneumococcal vaccine (17%). More than 50% of the participants expressed their willingness to receive any of the four vaccines if they knew about the benefits related to these vaccines. CONCLUSION: The study showed that participants were willing to receive the vaccination if they were aware of the general benefits of vaccinations. Therefore, health education and campaigns toward recommended vaccines for high-risk group are essential and needed.

Cost analysis of two modalities of continuous renal replacement therapy.

BACKGROUND: Continuous veno-venous hemofiltration (CVVH) and continuous veno-venous hemodialysis (CVVHD) are costly therapies reserved for use in critically ill patients with kidney failure. DESIGN: Quality improvement study at St. Elizabeth's Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: Members of nephrology and pharmacy department, working alongside intensive care unit nursing staff and hospital administration, undertook an initiative to transition from CVVH to CVVHD, to simplify therapy administration, lessen need for electrolyte repletion, and reduce total treatment-related costs. QUALITY IMPROVEMENT PLAN: We postulated that conversion from CVVH to CVVHD would result in fewer filter clotting events, longer filter use (up to 72 hours), lower resource utilization, and confer overall cost benefit. Over 12 months, patients initiated on CVVH were identified. Following conversion to CVVHD, patients initiated on CVVHD over 9 months were identified. Patient characteristics, comorbidities, and hospital-related outcomes, as well as CRRT-related information including treatment modality, treatment duration, and treatment-related costs were obtained. MEASURES: Daily treatment-related costs, intensive care unit and hospital length of stay (LOS), and in-hospital mortality. RESULTS: During the baseline period, 77 patients were initiated on CVVH, and during the intervention period, 60 patients were initiated on CVVHD. Following conversion from CVVH to CVVHD, mean (±SD) daily total treatment cost decreased from $1813 ± $2143 to $775 ± $766 (P < 0.001). Conversion from CVVH to CVVHD had no impact on intensive care unit LOS (11.8 ± 9.7 vs. 12.4 ± 9.5 days; P = 0.53), hospital LOS (15.0 ± 11.1 vs. 16.4 ± 14.0 days; P = 0.89), or in-hospital mortality (58% vs. 60%; P = 0.85). LIMITATIONS: Nursing costs, costs of dialysis machine utilization, phosphate repletion, and systemic anti-coagulation were not studied. CONCLUSION: Transition from CVVH to CVVHD resulted in a significant cost benefit and reduced resource utilization. There was no difference in LOS and in-hospital mortality between the two treatment modalities.