[A midwife involved in patients with puerperal fever in three different hospitals]. / Een verloskundige betrokken bij patiënten met kraamvrouwenkoorts in drie verschillende ziekenhuizen.

In three hospitals three women aged 34, 33 and 25 years respectively, developed fever following delivery; in two of them a beta-haemolytic streptococcus of Lancefield group A (GAS) was cultured. Between the time of transmission of the infective agent of the first and the third patients there was a period of ten days. Because the intervals between the emergence of cases were relatively long, the suspicion of a common vector, i.e. the midwife, was raised only after some time. The midwife who had been present at all three deliveries turned out to be negative for GAS carriership on three occasions. However, cultures taken from her son and partner were positive for GAS carriership. A number of typing systems were unable to distinguish the GAS-isolates from the first two patients and from the son. After the midwife and her family members had been treated, no new cases occurred. This case illustrates the importance of keeping midwives as well as the department of public health informed of a rise in the number of cases of puerperal fever, whether the cases involve more than one hospital or not, in order to prevent a potential epidemic. Only then can a common source be looked for and the epidemic contained.

Subtle ethical dilemmas in geriatric management and clinical research.

Routine management of geriatric problems often raises ethical problems, particularly regarding autonomy of the old person. The carers or children may be unaware of the sensitivity of role reversal in dealing with the financial affairs; the need for a residential carer may compromise the old person's privacy. Attending a day centre confers much benefit, but one must understand the old person's resistance to change in the proposal of a new daily regimen. Similarly his or her autonomy must be the priority in planning for admittance to an old age home, and not the assumption that the family knows best. A common dilemma is the assessment of an old person's competency in decision making, either about management of his affairs, or regarding consent to treatment, or participation in research. Because cognitive capacity is not always identical with competency, meaningful tools have recently been developed in which the emphasis is on the specific situation to be investigated.

[Frequency of postoperative wound infections: an unsuitable parameter for comparison of hospitals]. / De frequentie van postoperatieve wondinfecties: een ongeschikte parameter om ziekenhuizen te vergelijken.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the reliability of registration of wound infections and their contribution to total postoperative morbidity. DESIGN: Prospective. METHOD: During the period from 1 July 1997 through 30 June 1998 of all patients treated in the department of Surgery of the Diaconessen Hospital, Utrecht, the treatment-related complications were recorded during the hospital stay as well as at the first outpatient follow-up. The clinical registration forms were checked and supplemented after discharge, during the transfer and by the hospital hygienist. The precision of registration, the implications of the registered wound infections, and the share of this complication in overall postoperative morbidity were studied. RESULTS: There were 2172 admissions (2004 patients): 996 males and 1176 females (mean age at admission 55 years). The response of registration was 100% during hospital stay and 59.5% in the outpatient department. Postoperative course was complicated in 506 patients (23% of the admissions). Of the 735 registered complications 583 (79%) were recorded during clinical stay. Airway and wound infections were the most frequently registered complications (in 4.4% and 4.3% of the admissions respectively). Of the wound infections 45% were recorded after discharge and 88% fully recovered by conservative means. Both the frequency of wound infections in relation to other postoperative complications and the severity of the registered wound infections varied with the reason of admission. CONCLUSION: The incidence of postoperative wound infections was not reliably measured as a result of low response of registration after hospital discharge. The contribution of wound infections to overall postoperative morbidity and the severity of these infections varied with the reason of admission.

[Clostridium difficile outbreak in surgical wards]. / Een Clostridium difficile-uitbraak op chirurgische afdelingen.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the clinical consequences of a hospital outbreak of Clostridium difficile infections in the Netherlands. DESIGN: Descriptive. SETTING: Diakonessen Hospital Utrecht, the Netherlands. METHODS: In the period from 1 August 1995 to 1 September 1996 C. difficile infections were recorded (gastrointestinal symptoms after use of antibiotics and findings at C. difficile toxin assay in faeces, or sigmoidoscopy). The monthly incidence of infections increased to 5 patients in December 1995; at that time strict hygienic measures were implemented and perioperative antimicrobial prophylaxis was adjusted. Data on the clinical course were collected retrospectively from the records of the patients involved. RESULTS: In 20 patients, admitted for various reasons to the surgical wards, hospital stay was complicated by a C. difficile infection. The mean age was 70 years. Eleven patients presented with diarrhoea, eight patients had nausea and vomiting as well. Diagnosis was confirmed by C. difficile toxin determination in most patients (n = 15). Despite antibiotic treatment in 19 patients, recurrences were seen in five patients (25%) and five patients died (25%). The monthly incidence declined to 0-1 per month. CONCLUSION: C. difficile infections in surgical patients carry a significant morbidity and mortality. Preventive hygienic measures are important to control spread of the infection.

Comparison of four laboratory tests for diagnosis of Clostridium difficile-associated diarrhea.

Four different laboratory tests for diagnosis of Clostridium difficile-associated diarrhea were compared to determine the optimal one for management of patients with hospital-acquired diarrhea. Stool samples from 231 patients with diarrhea were tested by the following methods: culture for Clostridium difficile with subsequent determination of exotoxin production, with a toxigenic Clostridium difficile positive (TCP) result considered truly positive; enzyme immunoassay (EIA); latex agglutination test; and an immunobinding blot assay. The rates of positive results were as follows: EIA 5.5%, TCP 7.3%, latex agglutination 16.7%, and immunobinding blot assay 26.1%. Compared to the TCP results, the sensitivity and specificity were, respectively, 61 and 98% for EIA, 47 and 85% for latex agglutination, and 60 and 76% for the immunobinding blot assay. Samples from patients with > or = 6 stools/day were TCP and EIA positive in 27 and 17% of cases, respectively, whereas in patients with < 6 stools/day, these percentages decreased to 2 and 3%, respectively (p < 0.001). In hospitalized patients with > or = 6 stools/day, EIA appears to be the optimal test for diagnosis of Clostridium difficile-associated diarrhea, with a 73% positive predictive value and a 97% negative predictive value. However, in patients with < 6 stools/day, the prevalence of Clostridium difficile is low, and laboratory detection of this organism remains problematic.

The prevalence and nosocomial acquisition of Clostridium difficile in elderly hospitalized patients.

Rectal swabs obtained from 10 of 49 chronic-care geriatric patients were positive for Clostridium difficile, for a prevalence rate of 20.4%. Simultaneous sampling of 29 patients in an acute geriatric ward revealed four colonized patients, for a prevalence rate of 13.7%. A prospective study of C. difficile colonization in 100 consecutive patients admitted to an acute geriatric ward was carried out. All patients were sampled upon admission and biweekly during hospitalization. Two patients (2%) were positive on admission, and 12 of the 98 initially negative patients became colonized, representing a nosocomial acquisition rate of 12.2%. A major determinant for C. difficile colonization in asymptomatic patients appears to be length of hospitalization. Previous antibiotic administration was not found to be a significant factor.

Age related decline in aluminum-activated human platelet adenylate cyclase: post-receptor changes in cyclic AMP second messenger signal amplification in normal aging and dementia of the Alzheimer type.

Low, micromolar concentrations of aluminum (in the presence of NaF) were shown to strongly activate human platelet adenylate cyclase and provided a useful probe for evaluating cyclic AMP second messenger function distal to the receptor: The effect of normal aging and disease state on second messenger activity in man was studied by measurements of the aluminum-activated enzyme. A significant decline in aluminum-stimulated platelet adenylate cyclase activity in older, healthy subjects was observed. An age-associated decline in NaF-stimulated cyclic AMP synthesis was also demonstrated for normal, non-demented subjects. These findings suggest an age-associated lesion at the level of the guanine nucleotide regulatory protein/catalytic subunit of the adenylate cyclase complex. However, for patients with Alzheimer's disease no such decline in platelet adenylate cyclase activity was detected, and increased sensitivity to both aluminum and NaF was demonstrated.

Hepatosplenomegaly as a manifestation of quinidine hypersensitivity.

A 75 year-old man developed fever after one month of quinidine administration 800 mg/day. Significant enlargement of the liver and spleen became evident, associated with marked rise in serum GOT, GPT and alkaline phosphatase. Arthritis also developed, but there was no skin rash nor any changes in the haemoglobin, leucocytes or platelets. The signs and biochemical findings regressed within a few days of stopping quinidine and the temperature became normal. Rechallenge with four doses of the drug produced a rise in the GOT, GPT and alkaline phosphatase. It is thought that this hypersensitivity response is consistent with the description of granulomatous hepatitis, and represents a much less common manifestation of quinidine hypersensitivity than the well known skin, gastro-intestinal and haematological side-effects.

Subdural hematoma: a clinical approach.

Subdural hematoma (SDH) in the elderly often occurs following a relatively mild fall. Compared to the old person's high risk of falling, SDH is relatively uncommon and the diagnosis may be elusive. Five cases are presented, two in detail. In one, despite the acute onset within hours and manifestations of an ipsilateral neurologic deficit, operative removal of the SDH gave excellent results. The second patient represented a dementia assessment problem prior to admission to an institution. Inpatient observation eventually revealed a deteriorating neurologic state and led to the correct diagnosis of SDH. The patient returned home, fully recovered, two weeks after the appropriate surgical procedure. The pathogenesis of SDH is discussed. Clinical suspicion of its presence should prompt the performance of an echoencephalogram and a computerized axial tomogram of the brain.

Differential diagnosis of chest pain. Use of isoenzyme LDH1 level as a criterion.

Changes in level of isoenzyme LDH1 seem to be a valuable criterion in differentiating acute myocardial infarction from active coronary insufficiency without infarction. LDH1 level increases noticeably within 48 hours after onset of pain from acute myocardial infarction but tends to decrease if the pain is due to active coronary insufficiency.