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The article discusses of a study which aimed to determine the association of inhaled prostaglandins with improvement in pulmonary physiology or mortality in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), as well as its adverse effects. Topics covered include the data sources in the systematic review and meta-analysis, the measures used in the association analyses, and the effect of inhaled prostaglandins in oxygenation and pulmonary artery pressures.

The article presents research of Bekele Afessa and colleagues to assess the efficacy of silver-coated endotracheal tube (ETT) to reduce mortality of patients with ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) in North America. Researchers did a retrospective cohort analysis of VAP patients and found that those with silver ETT had lower incidence of death than without VAP. They noticed that the leading cause of death is respiratory failure, while VAP-related deaths are caused by Acinetobacter sepsis.

The article examines the rates and outcomes of Clostridium difficile-associated disease (CDAD) among adult patients receiving prolonged acute mechanical ventilation (PAMV). These patients are subject to such nosocomial infection by virtue of their prolonged hospital length of stay. They have an order of magnitude higher risk of havinng CDAD than other patients in the hospitals. They serve as an attractive target for aggressive measures aimed at preventing CDAD.

The author reflects on the study of P. Levin and colleagues on their experience with the infection control program which directs at the technicians who use portable equipment on the Intensive Control Unit (ICU) environment. The author states that the study intensifies the significance of the changes in monitoring practice improvement. Moreover, the author mentions that the study failed to view the long-term results linked with practice improvement changes of the infection control practices.

The article focuses on the findings of a study concerning the significance of fluid management in acute lung injury secondary to septic shock. Researchers performed a retrospective analysis at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and in the medical intensive care units (ICU) of Mayo Medical Center. Moreover, the study shows that both early and late fluid management of septic shock complicated by acute lung injury (ALI) can influence patient outcomes.

The article examines the effect of soluble triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells-1 (sTREM-1) in patients with pulmonary infiltrates receiving mechanical ventilation. The researchers studied a total of 105 consecutive patients, who received mechanical ventilation and underwent BAL for pulmonary infiltrates. Based on the results, they concluded that measurement of sTREM-1 in BAL fluid appears to have minimal diagnostic value for ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP).

The article presents the case of a 50-year-old woman who exhibited respiratory failure and abdominal pain three months after undergoing a kidney transplant. It includes an in-depth analysis of the patient's medical history, as well as discussion of laboratory and radiographic findings and the results of the physical examination. The patient was diagnosed to have diffuse alveolar hemorrhage secondary to disseminated Strongyloides stercoralis.

The article identifies the predictors of 30-day mortality and hospital costs among patients stricken with ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) caused by potentially antibiotic-resistant Gram-negative bacteria (PARGNB). Research findings suggest that greater 30-day mortality is associated with the inappropriate initial antibiotic therapy of microbiologically-confirmed VAP.

The article focuses on the contribution of probiotics in the prevention and treatment of nosocomial infections. Clinical studies have shown the potential of probiotics in avoiding and managing infections that cause prolonged hospital stays and mortality such as Clostridium difficile-associated diarrhea (CDD) and hospital-associated pneumonia (HAP). The authors note the need for illustrating benefits in multicenter trials despite the efficacy of probiotics in handling antibiotic-related diarrhea.

The article focuses on the study that examines the impact of therapy cycling empiric antibiotics on the appropriate treatment of Gram-negative infections among patients in the U.S. Out of 139 patients, it was determined that there were 59 bloodstream infections, 17 ventilator-associated pneumonias and 101 urinary tract infections involving Gram-negative bacteria. Antibiotic cycling was not linked with changes in the empirical antimicrobial therapy for the treatment of Gram-negative infections.

The article examines on the methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) pneumonia and its primary treatment option vancomycin. The study aims to determine whether vancomycin pharmacokinetic indexes were associated with mortality of patients with health care associated pneumonia attributed to MSRA. Patients hospital mortality and the effect of vancomycin was measured. No evidence have been found out that the optimization of vancomycin indexes correlated with hospital mortality.

The article focuses on a study that was conducted to characterize the microbiology and outcomes among patients with culture-positive community-acquired pneumonia (CAP), health-care-associated pneumonia (HCAP), hospital- acquired pneumonia and ventilator-associated pneumonia. The study justified HCAP as a new category of pneumonia. S aureus was found to be the major pathogen of all pneumonias with higher rates in non-CAP pneumonias. Compared with CAP, non-CAP was associated with more severe disease, higher mortality rate, greater length of hospital stay and increased cost.

The article focuses on various studies that investigated cases of health-care-associated pneumonia (HCAP). These studies include one that evaluated a total of 371 patients who had been admitted to Handa City hospital in Japan and another that addressed the prevalence of HCAP after reviewing a large database of patient in the U.S. Furthermore, it notes that an earlier study in Spain has highlighted the importance of understanding variations in pathogen distribution.