Understanding How to Improve the Use of Clinical Coordination Mechanisms between Primary and Secondary Care Doctors: Clues from Catalonia.

Clinical coordination between primary (PC) and secondary care (SC) is a challenge for health systems, and clinical coordination mechanisms (CCM) play an important role in the interface between care levels. It is therefore essential to understand the elements that may hinder their use. This study aims to analyze the level of use of CCM, the difficulties and factors associated with their use, and suggestions for improving clinical coordination. A cross-sectional online survey-based study using the questionnaire COORDENA-CAT was conducted with 3308 PC and SC doctors in the Catalan national health system. Descriptive bivariate analysis and logistic regression models were used. Shared Electronic Medical Records were the most frequently used CCM, especially by PC doctors, and the one that presented most difficulties in use, mostly related to technical problems. Some factors positively associated with frequent use of various CCM were: working full-time in integrated areas, or with local hospitals. Interactional and organizational factors contributed to a greater extent among SC doctors. Suggestions for improving clinical coordination were similar between care levels and related mainly to the improvement of CCM. In an era where management tools are shifting towards technology-based CCM, this study can help to design strategies to improve their effectiveness.

Acute Pancreatitis in a Teenager With SARS-CoV-2 Infection.

The clinical manifestations of SARS-CoV-2 infection, the causative agent of COVID-19, mainly involve the respiratory system. However, there is increasing evidence that this virus can affect other organs causing a wide arrange of clinical symptoms. In this report, we present the case of 14-year-old boy with acute abdominal pain, with laboratory and radiologic findings consistent with acute pancreatitis, without any risk factors except for a SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Value of Blood Cultures in the Management of Children Hospitalized with Community-Acquired Pneumonia.

Background and objectives Current guidelines for the management of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) in children recommend obtaining a blood culture for children with moderate to severe pneumonia; yet, there is no guidance to assess the severity of the disease. Thus, a blood culture is obtained for the majority of children admitted with CAP, regardless of the severity of their symptoms. The study was designed to investigate and identify the prevalence of bacteremia in pediatric patients hospitalized with CAP and to evaluate the clinical and laboratory variables associated with bacteremia. Methods We conducted a medical record review of children aged from two months to 18 years diagnosed with CAP between January 1, 2013, and December 31, 2017, at our two urban tertiary centers. We used binary logistic regression analysis and chi-square tests to look at factors associated with blood culture positivity. Results A total of 464 patients were admitted with CAP. Blood cultures were obtained in 357 (76.9%) patients; 23 patients had repeated cultures. Fifteen patients had positive cultures: 5/380 (1.3%) were considered true positive results and 10/380 (2.6%) were considered contaminants. Intensive care unit (ICU) admission (OR 5.6 with 95% CI (1- 31), p<0.03), toxic appearance (OR 12.8 with 95% CI (1.3-125), p<0.01), and significantly elevated C-reactive protein (CRP) (>300 mg/L (p<0.01) were associated with bacteremia. Conclusion The prevalence of bacteremia among children admitted for CAP is low. The use of routine blood cultures should be reserved for children with moderate to severe pneumonia. Further studies are required to better risk-stratify children with CAP.

A multicenter study to define the epidemiology and outcomes of Clostridioides difficile infection in pediatric hematopoietic cell and solid organ transplant recipients.

Hematopoietic cell transplant (HCT) and solid organ transplant (SOT) recipients are at increased risk for Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI). We conducted a multicenter retrospective study to describe the incidence of CDI in children transplanted between January 2010 and June 2013. Nested case-control substudies, matched 1:1 by transplant type, institution, patient age, and time of year (quartile) of transplant, identified CDI risk factors. Cohorts included 1496 HCT and 1090 SOT recipients. Among HCT recipients, 355 CDI episodes were diagnosed in 265 recipients (18.2%). Nested case-control study identified prior history of CDI (odds ratio [OR] 2.6, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.5-4.7), proton pump inhibitors (PPIs; OR 2.1, 95% CI 1.3-3.4), and exposure to third- (OR 2.4, 95% CI 1.4-4.2) or fourth-generation (OR 2.1, 95% CI 1.2-3.7) cephalosporins as risk factors. Notably, fluoroquinolone exposure appeared protective (OR 0.6, 95% CI 0.3-0.9). Ninety-two episodes of CDI were diagnosed among 79 SOT recipients (7.3%), and exposure to PPIs (OR 2.4, 95% CI 1.1-5.4) and third-generation cephalosporin therapy (OR 3.9, 95% CI 1.4-10.5) were identified as risk factors. Strategies to decrease PPI use and changes in the class of prophylactic antibiotics may impact CDI incidence and warrant further study.

Infective dermatitis associated with HTLV-1 infection in a girl from Trinidad: Case report and review of literature.

Infective dermatitis (ID) associated with Human T-cell leukemia virus type-1 (HTLV-1) is a rare form of severe superinfected eczema seen mostly in the Caribbean islands and Latin America. Although rapid response to antibiotic treatment is observed, patients should be monitored for development of complications associated with this retroviral infection, including T-cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATLL) and HTLV-1 associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis (HAM/TSP). Infective dermatitis is rarely seen in the United States and therefore may be under-recognized by physicians unfamiliar with this condition. Herein, we present an additional case report of an ID associated with HTLV-1 in an 11-year-old girl from Trinidad.

Fulminant Sepsis Due to Granulibacter bethesdensis in a 4-Year-Old Boy With X-Linked Chronic Granulomatous Disease.

Granulibacter bethesdensis is a Gram-negative bacillus described as a pathogen exclusively in patients with chronic granulomatous disease, a phagocytic disorder that impairs the ability to clear catalase-producing organisms. Granulibacter usually causes chronic and recurrent lymphadenopathies. We report the fatal case of a 4-year-old boy with chronic granulomatous disease, who presented with sepsis after a few days of abdominal pain and diarrhea.

Human T-lymphotropic virus type 1 infection is frequent in rural communities of the southern Andes of Peru.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the presence of human T-lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1) infection in isolated rural communities in the southern Andes of Peru. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional study in five communities located in three provinces in Ayacucho, Peru. The five communities are located at >3000 meters above sea level and are mainly rural, and more than 85% of the population speaks Quechua. Volunteers aged 12 years and older were included. Clinical and epidemiological data were collected, along with a blood sample for serological testing. RESULTS: We included 397 participants; their median age was 41 years (interquartile range 31-57 years) and 69% were women. According to our definitions, 98% were of Quechua origin. HTLV-1 was diagnosed in 11 people: 0/164 in Cangallo, 3/154 (2%) in Vilcashuaman, and 8/79 (10%) in Parinacochas. There were no cases of HTLV-2. All the HTLV-1-positive participants were born in Ayacucho and were of Quechua origin; they ranged in age from 29 to 87 years (median 56 years) and 10/11 were women. Ten were apparently healthy, and one woman was diagnosed with HTLV-1-associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis (HAM/TSP). Three out of 11 had a family member with a lower limb impairment compatible with HAM/TSP. CONCLUSION: The fact that HTLV-1 infection was present in two out of three provinces suggests that HTLV-1 could be highly endemic in the southern Andes in the Quechua population.

Association between onychodystrophy and human T-lymphotropic virus type 1 infection.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the association between human T-lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1) infection and onychodystrophy. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study. At our institute, we provide HTLV-1 testing to relatives of HTLV-1-infected people and patients with suspected HTLV-1-associated diseases. The diagnosis of onychodystrophy was made clinically before testing for HTLV-1; the number and distribution of affected nails was registered. We assessed the association between onychodystrophy and HTLV-1 through bi- and multivariable analyses. Logistic regression was used to adjust for age, sex, and indication for HTLV-1 testing, using six affected nails (90(th) percentile) as the cut-off point. RESULTS: Between April 2006 and March 2008, we included 893 subjects; their mean age was 38 years (standard deviation 19 years), and 527 (59%) were women. Onychodystrophy of one or more nails was observed in 323 participants (36%), and 236 subjects (26%) were HTLV-1-positive. The median number of affected nails was higher in HTLV-1-positive than in HTLV-1-negative subjects (Mann-Whitney test, p < 0.001). Thirty-eight of 97 subjects with six or more affected nails (39%) were HTLV-1-infected, compared to 198 of 796 subjects with fewer than six affected nails (25%) (crude OR 1.9, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.2-3.1; p = 0.003). This association remained significant in the multiple logistic regression model (adjusted OR 2.0, 95% CI 1.2-3.3; p = 0.005). CONCLUSIONS: There is an independent association between HTLV-1 infection and onychodystrophy. Patients with an HTLV-1 infection might have a higher risk for onychomycosis given the abnormal nail plate and a decreased T-cell-mediated immunologic response.