Search results for "Infectious Diseases"
Relaxing MRSA precautions during pandemic associated with higher infection rate
Veterans Affairs hospitals that abandoned active surveillance and contact precautions for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) had significantly higher rates of hospital-acquired MRSA than those that continued the measures.
https://acphospitalist.acponline.org/archives/2023/07/12/relaxing-mrsa-precautions-during-pandemic-associated-with-higher-infection-rate.htm
12 Jul 2023
Procalcitonin do's and don'ts
Although the optimal use of procalcitonin is still up for debate, there are best practices for getting the most bang for this blood test.
https://acphospitalist.acponline.org/archives/2023/07/05/free/procalcitonin-dos-and-donts.htm
5 Jul 2023
Functional status predicts benefit of surgery in older patients with infective endocarditis
Surgery was strongly associated with one-year survival in patients hospitalized with left-sided infective endocarditis at ages 80 years or older, except if they were unable to walk unassisted or had an Activities of Daily Living score less than 4 at baseline.
https://acphospitalist.acponline.org/archives/2023/07/05/functional-status-predicts-benefit-of-surgery-in-older-patients-with-infective-endocarditis.htm
5 Jul 2023
Thinking about how you treat
The new field of management reasoning holds potential to improve medical education and practice, researchers say.
https://acphospitalist.acponline.org/archives/2023/06/21/thinking-about-how-you-treat.htm
21 Jun 2023
Two-step testing for Clostridioides difficile appears safe in multicenter study
Using an enzyme immunoassay after a positive nucleic acid amplification test was associated with a decrease in hospital-onset Clostridioides difficile infections and a reduction in related antibiotic use but no change in emergent colectomies.
https://acphospitalist.acponline.org/archives/2023/06/14/two-step-testing-for-clostridioides-difficile-appears-safe-in-multicenter-study.htm
14 Jun 2023
90% of patients with Cryptococcus infections were HIV-negative, study finds
Most (60.8%) of the HIV-negative patients with cryptococcosis had another immunocompromising condition, according to the retrospective study using 2015 to 2019 data from hospitals in Australia and New Zealand.
https://acphospitalist.acponline.org/archives/2023/06/07/90percent-of-patients-with-cryptococcus-infections-were-hiv-negative-study-finds.htm
7 Jun 2023
Higher risk of false-positive HIV test in those testing positive for COVID-19 infection
Hospitalized patients with positive SARS-CoV-2 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test results were significantly more likely to have a false-positive fourth-generation HIV test than those with negative SARS-CoV-2 PCR test results, a retrospective study found.
https://acphospitalist.acponline.org/archives/2023/05/24/free/higher-risk-of-false-positive-hiv-test-in-those-testing-positive-for-covid-19-infection.htm
24 May 2023
Mandatory approval process for C. diff testing linked to lower hospital-onset infection rates
An intervention that required mandatory approval from an infectious diseases physician before testing for Clostridioides difficile was associated with a greater than 50% decrease in hospital-onset C. difficile infection rates at one hospital.
https://acphospitalist.acponline.org/archives/2023/05/17/mandatory-approval-process-for-c-diff-testing-linked-to-lower-hospital-onset-infection-rates.htm
17 May 2023
Recommendations on preventing surgical-site infections updated
The latest recommendations from the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America lowered the recommended postoperative target glucose level from less than 180 mg/dL to between 110 and 150 mg/dL, among other changes.
https://acphospitalist.acponline.org/archives/2023/05/10/recommendations-on-preventing-surgical-site-infections-updated.htm
10 May 2023
Comparison of multiple blood cultures can accurately identify CLABSI, review finds
Differential time to positivity between central-line and peripheral cultures was both sensitive and specific for diagnosing central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs), although it worked less well when Staphylococcus aureus or Candida was present.
https://acphospitalist.acponline.org/archives/2023/04/26/comparison-of-multiple-blood-cultures-can-accurately-identify-clabsi-review-finds.htm
26 Apr 2023