Antibiotic management programme in a tertiary intensive care unit: effects of a carbapenem-restricted period on clinical and laboratory parameters and costs of infections.

BACKGROUND: Carbapenems are antibiotics used for serious infections. The consumption of carbapenems has increased worldwide due to increasing microbial resistance. AIM: To investigate the effects of a carbapenem-restricted antimicrobial stewardship programme (ASP) on changes in the resistance profiles of infectious agents, the amount of antibiotics used, length of stay in the intensive care unit (ICU), mortality, and costs. METHODS: Patients hospitalized in ICU between July 1st, 2020 and May 1st, 2021 were divided into two periods: the carbapenem-non-restricted period (CNRP); and the carbapenem-restricted period (CRP) in which alternative antibiotics to carbapenems were preferred during infection. The defined daily dose (DDD) per 100 patient-day methodology was used to calculate the antibiotic consumption. FINDINGS: Of the 572 patients included in the study, 62.2% were male, and mean age was 70.5 years. In the blood culture the most frequently Gram-negative agent was Acinetobacter baumannii (25%). A. baumannii bloodstream infections with multidrug-resistant and extensively drug resistant micro-organisms were significantly different between the two periods (CNRP: 95.6% (N = 22), CRP: 66.6% (N = 8); P = 0.04). There was a gradual decrease in the incidence density and rate of nosocomial infection (P = 0.06), and a significant decrease in meropenem consumption between the two periods (CNRP vs CRP: 21.19 vs 6.37 DDD per 100 patient-days respectively; P = 0.007). ASP yielded US$8,600 of antibiotic cost savings and a total of 14% patient cost savings (P < 0.05) per patient. CONCLUSION: Combining an effective ASP with a comprehensive infection control programme may mitigate the emergence of antimicrobial-resistant bacteria.

The role of chest X-ray in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection: findings and correlation with clinical outcome.

OBJECTIVE: It is possible to diagnose coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) faster and more accurately with chest X-ray (CXR) and chest computed tomography (CT) than with reverse transcriptase PCR (RT-PCR) tests. The aim of this study was to verify the possibility of reducing the use of CT in diagnosis and follow-up of COVID-19 infection by using CXR. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 326 COVID-19 patients who were hospitalized in Ankara City Hospital were included in this retrospective study. RESULTS: A total of 326 patients were RT-PCR positive for COVID-19 infection; 178 were male (54.6%) and 148 were female (45.4%), with a median age of 45. Considering the results, the baseline CXR sensitivity in our experience was approximately 72%. The CXRs of 113 patients with abnormal CT were divided into 2 groups, the CXR normal and abnormal groups, and were then compared. In the 1st group with abnormal CXR, the mean age, the number of patients over 65 years old, and the comorbidity rate were higher. Additionally, it was determined that the number of patients requiring respiratory support and intensive care unit (ICU) admission in this 1st group was higher than in the 2nd group (with normal CXR). Most of the patients who died (91%, 10/11) were in Group 1. In the group with normal CXR, no patients in the critically ill category needed invasive or non-invasive mechanical ventilators. CONCLUSIONS: CXR can help in detecting clinically moderate and severe cases of COVID-19. CXR can assist clinicians in patient management and treatment planning regarding the clinical course, respiratory support, ICU need, and mortality and can help them prepare for potential negative outcomes.

COVID-19: booster(s) vs. hospitalization and Intensive Care Unit admission.

OBJECTIVE: As the pandemic continues, different vaccine protocols have been implemented to maintain the protection of vaccines and to provide protection against new variants. The aim of this study was to assess hospitalized patients' vaccination status and document the efficacy of boosters. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The patients that were hospitalized due to COVID-19 were enrolled from 28 hospitals in Turkey for five months from September 2021. 5,331 confirmed COVID-19 patients from collaborating centers were randomly enrolled to understand/estimate the distribution of vaccination status in hospitalized patients and to compare the efficacy of vaccination/booster protocols. RESULTS: 2,779 men and 2,552 women of which 2,408 (45.2%) were admitted to Intensive Care Units participated in this study. It was found that the highest risk reduction for all age groups was found in groups that received 4 doses. Four doses of vaccination for every 3.7 people under 50 years of age, for every 5.7 people in the 50-64 age group, and for every 4.3 people over 65 years of age will prevent 1 patient from being admitted to intensive care. Regardless of the type of vaccine, it was found that the risk of ICU hospitalization decreased in those who were vaccinated compared to those who were not vaccinated. Regardless of the type of vaccine, the ICU risk was found to decrease 1.25-fold in those who received 1 or 2 doses of vaccine, 1.18-fold in those who received 3 doses, and 3.26-fold in those who received 4 doses. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggested that the addition of a fourth dose is more effective in preventing intensive unit care even in disadvantaged groups.

Outcomes in patients infected with carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii and treated with tigecycline alone or in combination therapy.

PURPOSE: Acinetobacter baumannii is a non-fermenting aerobic gram-negative bacteria and one of the important nosocomial pathogens, especially in intensive care units (ICUs). In recent years, multidrug-resistant (MDR) isolates have been an emerging problem, with limited therapeutic options. Tigecycline is a novel antimicrobial, with its in vitro activity against most gram-positive and gram-negative pathogens. METHODS: This is a retrospective study that was conducted in a tertiary care hospital with 550 beds in Ankara, Turkey, from January 2009 to July 2010. Thirty-three patients who had carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter spp. infections and received tigecycline alone or in combination with other antibiotics for at least 3 days were included. RESULTS: The median age of the patients was 62 (18-87) years. All of the patients were diagnosed and treated in the ICU. Clinical responses were observed in 23 patients (69.7%). Ten patients (30%) had clinical failure. There was no significant difference between ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) and bloodstream infection (BSI) in terms of clinical or microbiological outcome (p > 0.05). The microbiological response rate was 50%. Superinfection was detected in 13 patients (43.3%) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa was the most frequently isolated pathogen. The 30-day overall mortality rate and attributable mortality rates were 57.6 and 24.2%, respectively. The attributable mortality rate was higher in the group in which microbiological eradication was not provided. CONCLUSIONS: Although it is approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of complicated intra-abdominal infections, complicated skin and soft tissue infections, and community-acquired bacterial pneumonia, emerged resistance of Acinetobacter spp. and limited therapeutic options left physicians no choice but to use tigecycline for off-label indications.

A case of Crimean Congo hemorrhagic fever complicated with acalculous cholecystitis and intraabdominal abscess.

Crimean Congo hemorrhagic fever is a fatal systemic viral infection which is an important health problem in Turkey. Since it leads to diffuse endothelial damage, many complications can be seen during the course of the disease. We report here an atypical presentation of CCHF with acute acalculous cholecystitis and intraabdominal abscess.