Engineering 3D-Printed Advanced Healthcare Materials for Periprosthetic Joint Infections.

The use of additive manufacturing or 3D printing in biomedicine has experienced fast growth in the last few years, becoming a promising tool in pharmaceutical development and manufacturing, especially in parenteral formulations and implantable drug delivery systems (IDDSs). Periprosthetic joint infections (PJIs) are a common complication in arthroplasties, with a prevalence of over 4%. There is still no treatment that fully covers the need for preventing and treating biofilm formation. However, 3D printing plays a major role in the development of novel therapies for PJIs. This review will provide a deep understanding of the different approaches based on 3D-printing techniques for the current management and prophylaxis of PJIs. The two main strategies are focused on IDDSs that are loaded or coated with antimicrobials, commonly in combination with bone regeneration agents and 3D-printed orthopedic implants with modified surfaces and antimicrobial properties. The wide variety of printing methods and materials have allowed for the manufacture of IDDSs that are perfectly adjusted to patients' physiognomy, with different drug release profiles, geometries, and inner and outer architectures, and are fully individualized, targeting specific pathogens. Although these novel treatments are demonstrating promising results, in vivo studies and clinical trials are required for their translation from the bench to the market.

Achieving excellence in the pharmaceutical care of the surgical patient. / Hacia la excelencia en la atención farmacéutica al paciente quirúrgico.

The perioperative setting is one of the hospital areas with the highest prevalence of medication errors. Despite the wide experience of hospital pharmacists in developing medication safety programs and improvement initiatives, the surgical environment has remained one of the areas in which there is less experience. Clinical pharmacist should be integrated into the multidisciplinary care teams so that they can be involved in the different surgical phases of care, which include from the preoperative assessment to inpatient stay, and finally discharge from hospital. Their work will consist of coordinating and implementing strategies that have been demonstrated to reduce medication errors throughout the perioperative process. The aim of this paper is to introduce a specialized pharmaceutical care program to achieve excellence in the pharmaceutical care of surgical patients. This program is especially aimed at promoting the figure of the clinical pharmacist in the perioperative setting to guarantee the highest quality and safety in pharmacotherapeutic care throughout all the surgical phases of care.

[Translated article] Achieving excellence in the pharmaceutical care of the surgical patient.

The perioperative setting is one of the hospital areas with the highest prevalence of medication errors. Despite the wide experience of hospital pharmacists in developing medication safety programs and improvement initiatives, the perioperative setting has remained one of the areas in which there is less experience. Clinical pharmacist should be integrated into the multidisciplinary care team so that they can be involved in the different surgical phases of care, which include from the preoperative assessment to inpatient stay, and finally discharge from hospital. Their work will consist of coordinating and implementing strategies that have been demonstrated to reduce medication errors during the perioperative process. The aim of this paper is to introduce a specialized pharmaceutical care program to achieve excellence in the pharmaceutical care of surgical patients. This program is especially aimed at promoting the figure of the clinical pharmacist in the perioperative setting to guarantee the highest quality and safety in pharmacotherapeutic care throughout all the surgical phases of care.

Analysis of the appropriateness of antibiotic prophylaxis in surgical procedures in Spain. Protocol for the "ProA-Q" study. / Análisis de la adecuación de la profilaxis antibiótica en procedimientos quirúrgicos en España. Protocolo del estudio ProA-Q.

Surgical antibiotic prophylaxis is one of the most useful measures to prevent surgical wound infection. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this project is to evaluate the appropriateness of the use of antibiotic prophylaxis in surgical procedures performed in Spanish hospitals, both globally and according to the type of surgery performed. METHOD: For this purpose, an observational, retrospective, cross-sectional and multicenter study has been designed to collect all the variables that allow the evaluation of the appropriateness of surgical antibiotic prophylaxis by comparing the prescribed treatment, the recommendations included in the local guidelines and the consensus document of the Spanish Society of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology and the Spanish Association of Surgeons. Indication, choice of antimicrobial, dose, route and duration of administration, timing, re-dosing and duration of the prophylaxis will be taken into account. The sample will consist of patients who underwent scheduled or emergency surgery, either as inpatients or outpatients, in hospitals in Spain. A sample size of 2,335 patients has been established to estimate, with 95% confidence and 80% power, a percentage of appropriateness that is expected to be around 70%. Differences between variables will be analyzed using Student's t-test, Mann-Whitney U test, Chi-square test, or Fisher's test, as appropriate. The degree of agreement between the antibiotic prophylaxis recommended by the guidelines of the different hospitals and that recommended in the literature will be analyzed by calculating the Cohen's kappa indicator. Binary logistic regression analysis using generalized linear mixed models will be performed to identify possible factors associated with differences in the appropriateness of antibiotic prophylaxis. DISCUSSION: The results of this clinical study will allow us to focus on specific surgical areas with higher rates of inappropriateness, identify key points of action and guide future strategies for antimicrobial stewardship programs in the area of antibiotic prophylaxis.

[Translated article] Analysis of the appropriateness of antibiotic prophylaxis in surgical procedures in Spain. Protocol for the "ProA-Q" study.

Surgical antibiotic prophylaxis is one of the most useful measures to prevent surgical wound infection. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this project is to evaluate the appropriateness of the use of antibiotic prophylaxis in surgical procedures performed in Spanish hospitals, both globally and according to the type of surgery performed. METHOD: For this purpose, an observational, retrospective, cross-sectional, and multicentre study has been designed to collect all the variables that allow the evaluation of the appropriateness of surgical antibiotic prophylaxis by comparing the prescribed treatment, the recommendations included in the local guidelines, and the consensus document of the Spanish Society of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology and the Spanish Association of Surgeons. Indication, choice of antimicrobial, dose, route and duration of administration, timing, re-dosing, and duration of the prophylaxis will be taken into account. The sample will consist of patients who underwent scheduled or emergency surgery, either as inpatients or outpatients, in hospitals in Spain. A sample size of 2335 patients has been established to estimate, with 95% confidence and 80% power, a percentage of appropriateness that is expected to be around 70%. Differences between variables will be analysed using Student's t-test, Mann-Whitney U test, Chi-square test, or Fisher's test, as appropriate. The degree of agreement between the antibiotic prophylaxis recommended by the guidelines of the different hospitals and that recommended in the literature will be analysed by calculating the Cohen's kappa indicator. Binary logistic regression analysis using generalised linear mixed models will be performed to identify possible factors associated with differences in the appropriateness of antibiotic prophylaxis. DISCUSSION: The results of this clinical study will allow us to focus on specific surgical areas with higher rates of inappropriateness, identify key points of action and guide future strategies for antimicrobial stewardship programs in the area of antibiotic prophylaxis.

Point-of-care manufacturing: a single university hospital's initial experience.

BACKGROUND: The integration of 3D printing technology in hospitals is evolving toward production models such as point-of-care manufacturing. This study aims to present the results of the integration of 3D printing technology in a manufacturing university hospital. METHODS: Observational, descriptive, retrospective, and monocentric study of 907 instances of 3D printing from November 2015 to March 2020. Variables such as product type, utility, time, or manufacturing materials were analyzed. RESULTS: Orthopedic Surgery and Traumatology, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, and Gynecology and Obstetrics are the medical specialties that have manufactured the largest number of processes. Working and printing time, as well as the amount of printing material, is different for different types of products and input data. The most common printing material was polylactic acid, although biocompatible resin was introduced to produce surgical guides. In addition, the hospital has worked on the co-design of custom-made implants with manufacturing companies and has also participated in tissue bio-printing projects. CONCLUSIONS: The integration of 3D printing in a university hospital allows identifying the conceptual evolution to "point-of-care manufacturing."

Smartphone applications for cancer patients; what we know about them?

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: one of the groups that can benefit most from healthcare applications, are cancer patients. However, not all applications have a sufficient level of evidence. Our objective is to analyze the characteristics of mobile healthcare applications for cancer patients and know the reliability of their information. MATERIAL AND METHODS: a descriptive observational study of mobile apps targeting cancer patients. In November 2014, we searched mobile applications for cancer patients in the App Store (iOS) and Google Play (Android), using the terms "cancer" and "oncology" (English and/or Spanish languages). Applications were downloaded and evaluated. We registered their general characteristics (classification of cancer, last date of actualization, language and others) and their purpose (whether were informative, diagnostic, or preventive purposes) on an Excel® chart. The analysis was completed with an internet search to analyze their scientific evidence. RESULTS: one hundred and sixty six applications were downloaded. 23.5% were destined for breast cancer. 52.4% upgraded their software in the last year. 98.2 % were in English. Most of the applications had more than one purpose. The most frequent were informative (39.8%), diagnostic (38.6%) and preventive (28.3%). 50.6% presented sufficient scientific evidence. CONCLUSIONS: there are many benefits that are expected from these applications. However, we detected a lack of validity of the information, as well as lack of update of the data. To prevent these apps from becoming a safety problem rather than a useful tool for patients, regulation should be put in place.

Fundamento y objetivo: uno de los grupos que más se pueden beneficiar de las aplicaciones en salud son los pacientes con cáncer. Sin embargo, no todas tienen un nivel de evidencia suficiente. El objetivo es analizar las características de las aplicaciones móviles destinadas a los pacientes con cáncer y conocer la fiabilidad de su información. Material y métodos: estudio observacional descriptivo de las aplicaciones móviles destinadas a los pacientes con cáncer. En noviembre de 2014 se realizó una búsqueda en los sistemas operativos App Store (iOS) y Google Play (Android), utilizando los términos "cancer" y "oncology" (idiomas inglés y/o español), se descargaron y evaluaron. En una tabla Excel® se registraron sus características generales (tipo de cáncer, fecha de última actualización e idioma, entre otras) y finalidad (informativa, diagnóstica y preventiva, entre otras). El análisis se completó con una búsqueda en internet para analizar su evidencia científica. Resultados: se descargaron 166 aplicaciones. El 23,5% estaban destinadas al cáncer de mama. El 52,4% actualizaron el software en el último año. El 98,2% estaban en inglés. La mayoría tenían más de una finalidad. Las más frecuentes fueron: informativa (39,8%), diagnóstica (38,6%) y preventiva (28,3%). El 50,6% presentaban una evidencia científica suficiente. Conclusiones: son muchos los beneficios que se esperan de estas aplicaciones. Sin embargo, se ha detectado una falta de validez de la información, así como falta de actualización de los datos. Para evitar que se conviertan en un problema de seguridad en lugar de una ayuda para el paciente, es necesaria su regulación.

Pharmaceutical interventions in prescriptions for patients admitted with chronic renal failure.

BACKGROUND: Chronic Renal Failure (CRF) is a disease that requires determined medications dosages to be adjusted. OBJECTIVES: To assess the characteristics of pharmaceutical interventions concerning the dose adjustment of these drugs in patients with CRF who are admitted into hospital. METHODS: A 10-month prospective and longitudinal study that calculated the glomerular filtration rate of patients who are brought into the emergency department and had values below 50ml/min/1.73m2. Subsequently, dosage recommendations were provided for the drugs that had not been adapted to the patient’s renal function. RESULTS: The renal functions of 5311 patients were reviewed. One-hundred and eighty-one (3.4%) had a glomerular filtration rate below 50ml/min/1.73m2 and were receiving drugs that needed to be adjusted. 221 interventions were recorded. Reductions in dosages were the more frequent results (65.6%); 65.6% of these recommendations were accepted by the doctor. The antimicrobial group had the highest number of interventions (57.5%). Internal Medicine (50.2%) was the unit with the most interventions. CONCLUSION: CRF patients that are admitted into the emergency department are a key objective concerning dosages in chronic renal failure. Pharmaceutical recommendations are highly esteemed by doctors, given their high acceptance. Revising antimicrobial drugs offers more opportunities.

[Nutritional assessment and quality of life of oncology outpatients initiating treatment with tyrosine­kinase inhibitors]. / Seguimiento del estado nutricional y calidad de vida de pacientes que inician tratamiento con inhibidores tirosin kinasa.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: The consumption of oral antineoplastics -and more particularly of tyrosine-kinase inhibitors (TKI)- has increased in recent years. These therapies show a better tolerance but still, the nutritional alterations related to their daily and chronic clinical use are under investigation. This study assesses the effects of TKI on the intake, nutritional status and micronutrients as well as the patients quality of life. METHODS: A prospective longitudinal study was conducted including adult patients having started some TKI treatment from July 2012 to June 2013, and a 6 month follow-up period was established. Demographic pharmacotherapeutic, nutritional and biochemical variables were collected and also a EORTC-QLQ30 questionnaire at baseline, first, third and sixth month of treatment. RESULTS: 31 patients were included in the study. The percentage of weight loss at treatment baseline was statistically matched to the results on the patient-generated Global Subjective Assessment. Appetite decreased after one month of treatment, and so did the calorie consumption; 62.1% of the patients lost weight, 55.5% on the third month and 70.6% on the sixth month. 6-17% of the patients suffered from malnutrition to some degree during the follow-up period and a decrease of calcium, phosphate and magnesium plasma levels was detected. The emotional scale was the one with a lowest score in EORTC QLQ-30, and fatigue and lack of appetite were the most common symptoms at treatment baseline, progressively increasing those of nausea, vomits and diarrhea. DISCUSSION: Patients treated with TKI did not show a relevant malnutrition. Considering the results, it is important to take into account weight loss at treatment baseline; it is also important to control calcium and phosphate levels during treatment, to advise and counsel the patient on the GI effects (nausea, vomits and diarrhea) and emotionally reinforce the patient.

Introducción y objetivo: El consumo de antineoplásicos orales y concretamente de inhibidores tirosin kinasa (ITK) se ha incrementado en los últimos años. Son terapias mejor toleradas y, sin embargo, las alteraciones nutricionales relativas a su uso clínico diario y crónico están aún en estudio. El presente estudio valora la repercusión de los ITK sobre la ingesta, estado nutricional y micronutrientes y valora la calidad de vida de estos pacientes. Métodos: Se realizó un estudio prospectivo y longitudinal en el que se incluyeron aquellos pacientes adultos que iniciaron tratamiento con algún ITK de julio 2012 a junio 2013 con un periodo de seguimiento de 6 meses. Se recogieron variables demográficas, farmacoterapéuticas, nutricionales, bioquímicas y el cuestionario EORTC-QLQ30 al inicio, primer, tercer y sexto mes de tratamiento. Resultados: Se incluyeron 31 pacientes. El porcentaje de pérdida de peso al inicio del tratamiento se relacionó estadísticamente con la clasificación de la Valoración Subjetiva Global-generada por el paciente. Tras un mes de tratamiento descendió el apetito, las calorías consumidas y un 62,1% de los pacientes perdió peso, 55,5% al tercer mes y 70,6% al sexto mes. Entre un 6-17% de los pacientes sufría algún grado de desnutrición durante el seguimiento y se detectó una disminución de los niveles plasmáticos de calcio, fosfato y magnesio. En el EORTC QLQ-30, la escala emocional fue la peor puntuada y los síntomas más comunes al inicio de tratamiento fueron la fatiga y pérdida de apetito, aumentando progresivamente las náuseas, vómitos y la diarrea. Discusión: Los pacientes tratados con ITK no presentaron una desnutrición importante. A la vista de los resultados es importante valorar la pérdida de peso al inicio de tratamiento, monitorizar los niveles de calcio y el fosfato durante el tratamiento, aconsejar y prevenir al paciente sobre los efectos gastrointestinales (náuseas, vómitos y diarrea) y reforzar emocionalmente al paciente.

Aggressive parenteral nutrition and growth velocity in preterm infants.

INTRODUCTION: Parenteral administration of nutrients to sustain newborns' growth represents an important therapeutic challenge. OBJECTIVE: To describe parenteral nutrition (PN) practices in a tertiary hospital and evaluate postnatal growth in preterm infants. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Observational retrospective study over 3 months. Data on infants born or admitted to the Neonatal Department and starting PN were collected. Demographics, anthropometric data, daily caloric, protein intake data and PN components used were collected. Growth velocity was characterized by the average daily weight gain and compared to intrauterine growth. RESULTS: 68 preterm infants started PN during the study period. Most infants (65%) were born by caesarean and mean gestational age was 33 weeks. Twenty five percent of newborns did not regain birth weight. The remaining 75% regained birth weight on the 3rd day of PN and average daily weight gain was 16 g/kg/d, ranging between 12 and 22 g/kg/d. Although weight gain approximated intrauterine rate, most infants born <30 weeks gestation did not achieve median birth weight of the reference population. Early aggressive PN was administered with an average of 3, 11 and 3 g/Kg/d of proteins, carbohydrates and lipids respectively, reaching a maximum on the 4th day of 4, 18, 4 g/kg/d, respectively. DISCUSSION: Aggressive PN is used in the hospital setting. The preterm infants reached birth weight earlier and had a greater velocity of growth than in other clinical trials and similar to intrauterine.

Introducción: La administración parenteral de nutrientes para mantener el crecimiento en recién nacidos representa un importante reto terapéutico. Objetivo: Describir las prácticas de nutrición parenteral (NP) en un hospital de tercer nivel y evaluar el crecimiento postnatal en recién nacidos prematuros. Material y métodos: Estudio observacional retrospectivo de 3 meses de duración. Se incluyeron niños ingresados en el Servicio de Neonatología que iniciaron NP. Se recogieron datos demográficos, antropométricos, calorías diarias, ingesta de proteínas y componentes de la NP. La velocidad de crecimiento se midió mediante la media de la ganancia diaria de peso y se comparó con el crecimiento intrauterino. Resultados: 68 niños prematuros iniciaron NP durante el período de estudio. La mayoría de los niños (65%) nacieron por cesárea y la media de edad gestacional fue de 33 semanas. El 25% de los recién nacidos no recuperó el peso de nacimiento. El 75% restante recuperó el peso de nacimiento en el tercer día de NP y la media de la ganancia diaria de peso fue de 16 g/kg/d, con un rango de 12 a 22g/kg/d. A pesar de que la ganancia de peso se acercó a la tasa intrauterina, la mayoría de los niños nacidos con menos de 30 semanas de gestación no lograron la media de la población de referencia. La NP precoz e intensiva se administró con una media de 3, 11 y 3g/Kg/d de proteínas, hidratos de carbono y lípidos, respectivamente, alcanzando un máximo en el cuarto día de 4, 18, 4 g/kg/d, respectivamente. Discusión: La NP intensiva se utiliza en el ámbito hospitalario. Los recién nacidos prematuros alcanzaron antes el peso de nacimiento y presentaron una velocidad de crecimiento mayor que en otros estudios y similar al crecimiento intrauterino.