A Nearly Fatal Case of Pseudomonas fluorescens Bacteremia Secondary to a Naturopathic Intravenous Vitamin Infusion.

In this article, we report a case of a 52-year-old female with no past medical history who presented with nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea following a naturopathic intravenous vitamin infusion that was administered in her home. She was found to have Pseudomonas fluorescens bacteremia, which is not commonly found in humans. We discuss when to suspect contamination, choosing the proper antibacterial regimen, and the potential risks of naturopathic medicine.

Isolated mycotic hypogastric artery aneurysm.

Isolated iliac artery aneurysms are rare and commonly associated with aortic aneurysms. Hypogastric artery aneurysms (HAAs) are exceptionally rare. The general approach to HAAs has been exclusion and bypass, although when this is complicated by mycotic disease, endovascular techniques can provide unique approaches to management. We present the case of a patient with a mycotic HAA treated with endovascular coil and exclusion followed by aortic to external iliac artery bypass with cadaveric conduit.

Improving Patient Safety Communication in Residency Programs by Incorporating Patient Safety Discussions Into Rounds.

BACKGROUND: Engaging residents in patient safety and quality improvement initiatives is sometimes difficult. The primary goal of the current study was to develop a standardized learning experience designed to facilitate patient safety discussions during rounds. METHODS: Residents who were on inpatient rotations during a 2-month period in 2014 were exposed to patient safety discussions on rounds. Residents who were not on inpatient rotations served as a control group. Faculty received weekly text reminders with 3 questions designed to engage residents in patient safety discussions. Before and after the intervention, residents were asked to complete a modified Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture. Faculty members were asked to complete a brief survey designed by the study investigators. RESULTS: Of the 160 residents who participated in the study, 49 responded to both the preintervention and postintervention surveys (31%). Residents who participated in patient safety discussions during rounds reported higher frequencies of safety events reported compared to the control group (P<0.05). Both groups of residents reported better communication (P<0.01) and an increased number of safety events reported (P<0.01) at the end of the intervention. Twenty-two faculty were surveyed, and 19 responded (86%). Most faculty felt incorporating patient safety discussions on rounds was constructive and that the residents were responsive. Few faculty members felt the patient safety discussions were burdensome. CONCLUSION: Using weekly text reminders with 3 prompts to incorporate patient safety discussions into rounds was well received by faculty and residents and had an impact on communication and error reporting.

Graduate Medical Education as a Lever for Collaborative Change: One Institution's Experience with a Campuswide Patient Safety Initiative.

BACKGROUND: The 2013 closure of a public hospital in Baton Rouge, LA transformed graduate medical education (GME) at Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center (OLOL). Administrators were tasked with incorporating residents into patient safety and quality improvement initiatives to fulfill regulatory obligations. This report outlines our experiences as we built these patient safety and quality improvement initiatives in a rapidly expanding independent academic medical center. METHODS: We joined the Alliance of Independent Academic Medical Centers (AIAMC) to meet and learn from national peers. To fulfill the scholarly activity requirement of the AIAMC's National Initiative IV, we formed a multidisciplinary team to develop a patient safety education project. Prioritized monthly team meetings allowed for project successes to be celebrated and circulated within the organization. RESULTS: The public-private partnership that more than quadrupled the historic size of GME at OLOL has, in the past 2 years, led to the development of an interdisciplinary team. This team has expanded to accommodate residency program leadership from across the campus. Our National Initiative IV project won a national award and inspired several follow-up initiatives. In addition, this work led to the formation of a Patient Safety and Clinical Quality Improvement fellowship that matched its first fellow in 2015. CONCLUSION: Through the commitment and support of hospital and medical education leaders, as well as a focus on promoting cultural change through scholarly activity, we were able to greatly expand patient safety and quality improvement efforts in our institution.

Herpes zoster ophthalmicus in an otherwise-healthy child.

Herpes zoster ophthalmicus, although not uncommon in adults, is rarely found in children. Herein we present a case of pediatric herpes zoster ophthalmicus that is unique in 2 ways. First, the child had been vaccinated against varicella and otherwise had no known exposure to varicella-zoster virus. Second, the initial presentation of herpes zoster ophthalmicus was a painful and diffuse subconjunctival hemorrhage that appeared before any of its classic signs were observed. We report this case to document the possible occurrence of herpes zoster ophthalmicus in children who have been vaccinated against varicella and the possibility of a diffuse, painful subconjunctival hemorrhage as a presenting sign.