Neisseria Gonorrhoeae Spontaneous Bacterial Peritonitis.

We describe a case of gonococcal spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (SBP) in a 48-year-old sexually active female with alcoholic cirrhosis and chronic hepatitis B. She was admitted with fever, abdominal pain and distension without dysuria, dyspareunia, or vaginal discharge. On exam, she was icteric with features of sepsis and tense ascites. She underwent paracentesis. The ascitic fluid analysis revealed a neutrophil count of 1,050/µL, and culture grew Neisseria gonorrhoeae. Pelvic examination findings were negative for pelvic inflammatory disease; however, an endocervical swab was positive for N. gonorrhoeae by PCR. She was diagnosed with spontaneous bacterial peritonitis secondary to N. gonorrhoeae and was successfully treated with a seven-day course of IV ceftriaxone. N. gonorrhoeae spontaneous bacterial peritonitis is an extremely rare entity reported only twice despite the high prevalence of gonorrhoeae in the general population. We hypothesize that gonococcal SBP may be frequently undiagnosed since it responds to empiric antibiotics used to treat SBP. It is important for the clinician to be aware of gonococcus as a rare but potential pathogen in SBP. Future studies are needed to determine if routine gonococcal screening in SBP cases would be of clinical utility.

Nocardia spp. Pneumonia in a Solid Organ Recipient: Role of Linezolid.

We describe a rare infection with Nocardia spp. (N. pseudobrasiliensis species identification based on high-performance liquid chromatography analysis) in a 68-year-old renal transplant recipient. He presented with pneumonia complicated by hypoxic respiratory failure. He was allergic to sulphonamides. He was initially successfully treated with linezolid. However, he suffered severe sensory neuropathy after 4 months of therapy, necessitating linezolid cessation and completion of treatment with azithromycin. He had clinical and radiological resolution of his pneumonia and was disease free at subsequent follow-up 4 years later. This case highlights the need for alternative therapies for nocardiosis for patients that cannot be treated with sulphonamides due to allergies or/and infection with multidrug-resistant pathogens. It also illustrates the treatment limiting side effects of long-term therapy with linezolid.

Heart failure performance measures: do they have an impact on 30-day readmission rates?

Congestive heart failure (CHF) accounts for more health care costs than any other diagnosis. Readmissions contribute to this expenditure. The authors evaluated the relationship between adherence to performance metrics and 30-day readmissions. This was a retrospective study of 6063 patients with CHF between 2001 and 2008. Data were collected for 30-day readmissions and compliance with CHF performance measures at discharge. Rates of readmission for CHF increased from 16.8% in 2002 to 24.8% in 2008. Adherence to performance measures increased concurrently from 95.8% to 99.9%. Except for left ventricular function (LVF) assessment, the 30-day readmission rate was not associated with adherence to performance measures. Readmitted patients had twice the odds of not having their LVF assessed (odds ratio = 2.0; P < .00005; 95% confidence interval = 1.45-2.63). CHF performance measures, except for the LVF assessment, have little relationship to 30-day readmissions. Further studies are needed to identify performance measures that correlate with quality of care.