Sequential antimicrobial treatment with linezolid for neurosurgical infections: efficacy, safety and cost study.

BACKGROUND: Evidence for the effectiveness of linezolid in neurosurgical infections (NSIs) is growing. The comfortable oral dosage and tolerance of linezolid opens the possibility for sequential antimicrobial treatment (SAT) in stable patients after a period of intravenous treatment. METHODS: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of SAT with oral linezolid in patients with NSI and to analyse the cost implications, an observational, non-comparative, prospective cohort study was conducted on clinically stable consecutive adult patients at the Neurosurgical Service. Following intravenous treatment, patients were discharged with SAT with oral linezolid. RESULTS: A total of 77 patients were included. The most common NSIs were: 41 surgical wound infections, 20 subdural empyemas, 18 epidural abscesses, and 16 brain abscesses. Forty-four percent of patients presented two or more concomitant NSIs. Aetiological agents commonly isolated were: Propionibacterium acnes (36 %), Staphylococcus aureus (23 %), Staphylococcus epidermidis (21 %) and Streptococcus spp. (13 %). The median duration of the SAT was 15 days (range, 3-42). The SAT was interrupted in five cases due to adverse events. The remainder of the patients were cured at the end of the SAT. A total of 1,163 days of hospitalisation were saved. An overall cost reduction of €516,188 was attributed to the SAT. Eight patients with device infections did not require removal of the device, with an additional cost reduction of €190,595. The mean cost saving per patient was €9,179. CONCLUSIONS: SAT with linezolid was safe and effective for the treatment of NSI. SAT reduces hospitalisation times, which means significant savings of health and economic resources.

Plasmocytoma of C1 in a child. Case report.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Vertebral involvement is a common occurrence in myelomas, but isolated involvement of the high cervical spine is exceptionally rare. This factor, together with the pediatric age of our patient, makes this case the first report of a plasmocytoma involving C1. CASE REPORT: A 14-year-old boy, without neurological involvement, presented with cervical pain and a palpable posterior neck mass. Cervical spine radiographs showed an osteolytic lesion at C1 compressing the cervical spinal canal and instability of the craniocervical junction. After a complete study, the patient was diagnosed with solitary plasmocytoma. A sequential treatment was instituted that consisted of radiotherapy after craniocervical junction stabilization with an halo-jacket, followed by occipitocervical stabilization with instrumented arthrodesis that was accompanied by resection of the residual C1 tumor and, finally, with consolidation of the oncological treatment with further radiotherapy. CONCLUSION: The treatment of choice for a cervical solitary plasmocytoma consists of a combination of chemotherapy, corticosteroids, radiotherapy, and immunotherapy, but the main neurosurgical problem is the craniocervical instability as occurred in other tumor of the cervical column.

Impacto de un programa de educación sanitaria en pacientes con fibromialgia / Impact of a health education program on patients with fibromyalgia

Objetivos. Valorar el impacto de un programa de educación sanitaria sobre la calidad de vida y sobre la frecuentación a consulta de personas con fibromialgia (FM). Material y método. Evaluación clínica prospectiva de una cohorte de voluntarios ante una intervención en salud. Emplazamiento. Centro de Salud Alcalá de Guadaira A, con una cobertura poblacional de 75.000 habitantes. Se constituyó el grupo poblacional sobre la base del número de pacientes diagnosticadas de FM por el reumatólogo o el internista de la zona, según los criterios del American College of Rheumatology de 1990 que consultaron en nuestro centro a causa de su enfermedad en el último año, excluyendo aquellas que padecieran enfermedades reumatológicas graves. Se cumplimentó un protocolo de valoración clínica; para la evaluación de la calidad de vida se utilizó el Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnarie, versión española (SFIQ). Para la percepción de apoyo social (Medical Outscome Study) y para la valoración de síntomas ansiosos depresivos se utilizó la escala de ansiedad y depresión de Golberg. Se registraron datos demográficos, aspectos laborales, tipo de sensación, número de visitas en el último año a consulta por este motivo, patología coadyuvante, y tipo y número de fármacos consumidos. Emplazamiento. osteriormente a la recogida de datos se distribuyó la muestra aleatoriamente en grupos de intervención; se le realizaron, durante 6 meses, cuatro sesiones/mes de educación sanitaria de una hora de duración cada una y en intervalos de una semana. Para ello se dividió a las participantes en 6 grupos de 12. El contenido de las sesiones fue el siguiente: a) información general de la enfermedad; b) medidas fisicorrehabilitadoras/ejercicio físico e higiene postural, y c) técnicas de relajación (se utilizó la técnica de Jacobson). Emplazamiento. Al mes de la intervención se volvió a administrar el SFIQ a todas las participantes del estudio...(AU)

Objectives. To assess the impact of a health education program on the quality of life and frequency of clinic visits on patients with fibromyalgia (FM). Material and method. A prospective clinical study on a volunteer cohort before a health intervention. Setting. Health Centre A Alcala de Guadaira, Seville, Spain, which covers a population of 75,000 inhabitants. The population group was based on the number of patients diagnosed with FM by a rheumatologist or area resident according to the criteria of the American College of Rheumatology of 1990, who attended our clinic due to their disease in the last year, excluding those who suffered severe rheumatic diseases. A clinical assessment protocol was completed. The Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire, Spanish version (SFIQ) was used to assess the quality of life, the Medical Outcomes Study for the perception of social support, and for the evaluation of anxiety-depression symptoms, the Goldberg Anxiety-depression Scale (GADS) was used. Demographic data, occupational aspects, type of sensation, number of clinic visits in the past year for this reason, concomitant illnesses, and type and number of drugs taken. Setting. After collecting the data, the sample was randomly distributed into intervention groups. The participants were divided into 6 groups of 12, and they attended four 1-hour sessions of health education per month, at weekly intervals. The sessions contained the following: a) general information on the disease; b) physical-rehabilitation/physical exercise measures and postural hygiene, and c) relaxation techniques (the E. Jacobson technique was used). Setting. After one month of intervention, the SFIQ was completed again by all the study participants. The anxiety-depression symptoms were also measured according to GADS. We recorded the frequency of visits for one year after the intervention...(AU)

Analgesia epidural para el trabajo de parto en gestante con esclerosis múltiple / Epidural analgesia during labour of a patient with multiple sclerosis

La Esclerosis Múltiple (EM), es una enfermedad del SNC siendo 2 veces más frecuente su aparición en mujeres, el 70% de ellas en edad fértil. Desde el punto de vista anestésico nos encontramos ante una enfermedad con elevada susceptibilidad neurológica que podría agravarse tanto por la propia cirugía, la técnica anestésica como por la medicación utilizada. Por otra parte se plantea como atender la demanda de analgesia para el trabajo de parto en mujeres con EM, que es el grupo de edad con mayor incidencia de la enfermedad. Presentamos el caso de una mujer de 37 años diagnosticada de esclerosis múltiples 3 años antes, forma recidivante, remitente. La paciente es ingresada en dilatación con 37 semanas de amenorrea, presentando una buena evolución del trabajo de parto y encontrándose el feto en situación longitudinal y presentación cefálica. Avisan al Servicio de Anestesia para valoración de la indicación de epidural para analgesia del parto. La gestante previamente había acudido a consulta de preanestesia donde se le había informado del riesgo beneficio de la técnica y en concreto en su caso, habiendo entendido perfectamente las posibles complicaciones derivadas de la misma y firmado el consentimiento informado. Nosotros hemos preferido utilizar una técnica locoregional, vía epidural considerando también el riesgo potencial de cesárea urgente, para evitar, dado el caso la realización de una técnica intraraquídea o una anestesia general, con las posibilidades de desencadenar un brote que tienen estas técnicas. Además de aportar confort a la paciente durante el trabajo de parto, proporcionar analgesia durante el mismo, disminuye por este motivo el estrés de la gestante pudiendo paralelamente evitar la aparición de un brote (AU)

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a disease of the central nervous system (CNS), and twice as prevalent in women, 70% of whom are of fertile age. From an anaesthetics point of view, due to it being a disease with a high neurological susceptibility it can be aggravated by, the surgery itself, the anaesthetic technique and the medication used. On the other hand, it is about how to meet the demand for analgesia during labour by women with MS, which is the age group with a higher incidence of the disease. We present the case of a 37 year-old woman who was diagnosed 3 years before with a remitting, recurring Multiple Sclerosis. The patient was admitted in dilation in the 37th week of gestation. Labour was progressing well and the foetus was in a longitudinal lie and cephalic presentation. The Anaesthesia Department was informed to assess the indication of an epidural for analgesia during labour. The patient had been seen previously in a pre-anaesthesia clinic were she was informed of the risks and benefits of the technique and in her case in particular. Having understood the possible complications arising from this, she had signed the informed consent. We prefer to use the local/regional epidural technique, bearing in mind the potential risk of an urgent caesarean. This is also to avoid, as is the cases when performing an intra-spinal technique or general anaesthesia, the possibilities of triggering a rash, which can occur with these techniques. Besides giving comfort to the patient during labour, it provides analgesia, and for this reason reduces stress in the patient, as well as being able to prevent a rash appearing (AU)