Search

Purpose The management of peritonitis in critically ill patients is becoming increasingly complex due to their changing characteristics and the growing prevalence of multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria. Methods A multidisciplinary panel summarizes the latest advances in the therapeutic management of these critically ill patients. Results Appendicitis, cholecystitis and bowel perforation represent the majority of all community-acquired infections, while most cases of healthcare-associated infections occur following suture leaks and/or bowel perforation. The micro-organisms involved include a spectrum of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, as well as anaerobes and fungi. Healthcare-associated infections are associated with an increased likelihood of MDR pathogens. The key elements for success are early and optimal source control and adequate surgery and appropriate antibiotic therapy. Drainage, debridement, abdominal cleansing, irrigation, and control of the source of contamination are the major steps to ensure source control. In life-threatening situations, a 'damage control' approach is the safest way to gain time and achieve stability. The initial empirical antiinfective therapy should be prescribed rapidly and must target all of the micro-organisms likely to be involved, including MDR bacteria and fungi, on the basis of the suspected risk factors. Dosage adjustment needs to be based on pharmacokinetic parameters. Supportive care includes pain management, optimization of ventilation, haemodynamic and fluid monitoring, improvement of renal function, nutrition and anticoagulation. Conclusions The majority of patients with peritonitis develop complications, including worsening of pre-existing organ dysfunction, surgical complications and healthcare-associated infections. The probability of postoperative complications must be taken into account in the decision-making process prior to surgery., Author(s): P. Montravers [sup.1], S. Blot [sup.2] [sup.10], G. Dimopoulos [sup.3], C. Eckmann [sup.4], P. Eggimann [sup.5], X. Guirao [sup.6], J. A. Paiva [sup.7] [sup.11], G. Sganga [sup.8], J. De [...]

Copyright of Revista Española de Quimioterapia is the property of Sociedad Espanola de Quimioterapia and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Scope: The aim of these guidelines is to provide recommendations for decolonization and perioperative antibiotic prophylaxis (PAP) in multidrug-resistant Gram-positive bacteria (MDR-GPB) adult carriers before inpatient surgery., Methods: These European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases/European Committee on Infection Control guidelines were developed following a systematic review of published studies targeting methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), vancomycin-resistant enterococci, methicillin-resistant coagulase-negative Staphylococci, and pan-drug-resistant-GPB. Critical outcomes were the occurrence of surgical site infections (SSIs) caused by the colonizing MDR-GPB and SSIs-attributable mortality. Important outcomes included the occurrence of SSIs caused by any pathogen, hospital-acquired infections, all-cause mortality, and adverse events associated with the interventions, including resistance development to the agents used and the incidence of Clostridioides difficile infections. The last search of all databases was performed on 1 November 2023. The level of evidence and the strength of each recommendation were defined according to the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation approach. Consensus of a multidisciplinary expert panel was reached for the final list of recommendations. Antimicrobial stewardship considerations were included., Recommendations: The guideline panel reviewed the impact of decolonization, targeted PAP, and combined interventions (e.g. decolonization and targeted PAP) on the risk of SSIs and other outcomes in MDR-GPB carriers, according to the type of bacteria and type of surgery. We recommend screening for S. aureus before high-risk operations, such as cardiothoracic and orthopaedic surgery. Decolonization with intranasal mupirocin with or without a chlorhexidine bath is recommended in patients colonized with S. aureus before cardiothoracic and orthopaedic surgery and suggested in other surgeries. The addition of vancomycin to standard prophylaxis is suggested for MRSA carriers in cardiothoracic surgery, orthopaedic surgery, and neurosurgery. Combined interventions (e.g. decolonization and targeted prophylaxis) are suggested for MRSA carriers undergoing cardiothoracic and orthopaedic surgery. No recommendation could be made regarding screening, decolonization and targeted prophylaxis for vancomycin-resistant enterococci because of the lack of data. No evidence was retrieved for methicillin-resistant coagulase-negative Staphylococci and pan-drug-resistant-GPB. Careful consideration of the laboratory workload and involvement of antimicrobial stewardship and infection control teams are warranted before implementing screening procedures or performing changes in PAP policy. Future research should focus on novel decolonizing techniques, on the monitoring of resistance to decolonizing agents and PAP regimens, and on standardized combined interventions in high-quality studies., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Background: While selective use of antibiotics for infected pancreatic necrosis (IPN) in acute pancreatitis (AP) is recommended, studies indicate a high rate of inadequate treatment., Methods: A search of PubMed, Scopus, and Cochrane databases was conducted, focusing on primary research and meta-analyses. Data were categorized based on core concepts, and a narrative synthesis was performed., Results: The search identified a total of 1016 publications. After evaluating 203 full texts and additional sources from the grey literature, 80 studies were included in the review. The answers obtained were: (1) Preventive treatment does not decrease the incidence of IPN or mortality. Given the risks of bacterial resistance and fungal infections, antibiotics should be reserved for highly suspected or confirmed IPN; (2) The diagnosis of IPN does not always require microbiological samples, as clinical suspicion or computed tomography signs can suffice. Early diagnosis and treatment may be improved by using biomarkers such as procalcitonin and novel microbiological methods; (3) When indicated, early initiation of antibiotics is a key determinant in reducing mortality associated with IPN; (4) Antibiotics with good penetration into pancreatic tissue covering Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria should be used. Routine antifungal therapy is not recommended; (5) The step-up approach, including antibiotics, is the standard for IPN management; (6) Antibiotic duration should be kept to a minimum and should be based on the quality of source control and patient condition., Conclusions: Early antibiotic therapy is essential for the treatment of IPN, but prophylactic antibiotics are not recommended in AP. High-quality randomized controlled trials are required to better understand the role of antibiotics and antifungals in AP management.

Background: Approximately 10% of primary hyperparathyroidism cases are hereditary, due to germline mutations in certain genes. Although clinically relevant, a systematized genetic diagnosis is missing due to a lack of firm evidence regarding individuals to test and which genes to evaluate., Methods: A customized gene panel ( AIP , AP2S1 , CASR , CDC73 , CDKN1A , CDKN1B , CDKN2B , CDKN2C , GCM2 , GNA11 , MEN1 , PTH , RET , and TRPV6 ) was performed in 40 patients from the Mediterranean area with suspected familial hyperparathyroidism (≤45 years of age, family history, high-risk histology, associated tumour, multiglandular disease, or recurrent hyperparathyroidism). We aimed to determine the prevalence of germline variants in these patients, to clinically characterize the probands and their relatives, and to compare disease severity in carriers versus those with a negative genetic test., Results: Germline variants were observed in 9/40 patients (22.5%): 2 previously unknown pathogenic/likely pathogenic variants of CDKN1B (related to MEN4), 1 novel variant of uncertain significance of CDKN2C , 4 variants of CASR (3 pathogenic/likely pathogenic variants and 1 variant of uncertain significance), and 2 novel variants of uncertain significance of TRPV6 . Familial segregation studies allowed diagnosis and early treatment of PHPT in first-degree relatives of probands., Conclusion: The observed prevalence of germline variants in the Mediterranean cohort under study was remarkable and slightly higher than that seen in other populations. Genetic screening for suspected familial hyperparathyroidism allows the early diagnosis and treatment of PHPT and other related comorbidities. We recommend genetic testing for patients with primary hyperparathyroidism who present with high-risk features., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Mazarico-Altisent, Capel, Baena, Bella-Cueto, Barcons, Guirao, Pareja, Muntean, Arsentales, Caixàs and Rigla.)

Surgical site infection is the most frequent and avoidable complication of surgery, but clinical guidelines for its prevention are insufficiently followed. We present the results of a Delphi consensus carried out by a panel of experts from 17 Scientific Societies with a critical review of the scientific evidence and international guidelines, to select the measures with the highest degree of evidence and facilitate their implementation. Forty measures were reviewed and 53 recommendations were issued. Ten main measures were prioritized for inclusion in prevention bundles: preoperative shower; correct surgical hand hygiene; no hair removal from the surgical field or removal with electric razors; adequate systemic antibiotic prophylaxis; use of minimally invasive approaches; skin decontamination with alcoholic solutions; maintenance of normothermia; plastic wound protectors-retractors; intraoperative glove change; and change of surgical and auxiliary material before wound closure., (Copyright © 2022 The Authors. Published by Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.)

Scope: The aim of the guidelines is to provide recommendations on perioperative antibiotic prophylaxis (PAP) in adult inpatients who are carriers of multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria (MDR-GNB) before surgery., Methods: These evidence-based guidelines were developed after a systematic review of published studies on PAP targeting the following MDR-GNB: extended-spectrum cephalosporin-resistant Enterobacterales, carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales (CRE), aminoglycoside-resistant Enterobacterales, fluoroquinolone-resistant Enterobacterales, cotrimoxazole-resistant Stenotrophomonas maltophilia, carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (CRAB), extremely drug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa, colistin-resistant Gram-negative bacteria, and pan-drug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria. The critical outcomes were the occurrence of surgical site infections (SSIs) caused by any bacteria and/or by the colonizing MDR-GNB, and SSI-attributable mortality. Important outcomes included the occurrence of any type of postsurgical infectious complication, all-cause mortality, and adverse events of PAP, including development of resistance to targeted (culture-based) PAP after surgery and incidence of Clostridioides difficile infections. The last search of all databases was performed until April 30, 2022. The level of evidence and strength of each recommendation were defined according to the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation approach. Consensus of a multidisciplinary expert panel was reached for the final list of recommendations. Antimicrobial stewardship considerations were included in the recommendation development., Recommendations: The guideline panel reviewed the evidence, per bacteria, of the risk of SSIs in patients colonized with MDR-GNB before surgery and critically appraised the existing studies. Significant knowledge gaps were identified, and most questions were addressed by observational studies. Moderate to high risk of bias was identified in the retrieved studies, and the majority of the recommendations were supported by low level of evidence. The panel conditionally recommends rectal screening and targeted PAP for fluoroquinolone-resistant Enterobacterales before transrectal ultrasound-guided prostate biopsy and for extended-spectrum cephalosporin-resistant Enterobacterales in patients undergoing colorectal surgery and solid organ transplantation. Screening for CRE and CRAB is suggested before transplant surgery after assessment of the local epidemiology. Careful consideration of the laboratory workload and involvement of antimicrobial stewardship teams before implementing the screening procedures or performing changes in PAP are warranted. High-quality prospective studies to assess the impact of PAP among CRE and CRAB carriers performing high-risk surgeries are advocated. Future well-designed clinical trials should assess the effectiveness of targeted PAP, including the monitoring of MDR-GNB colonization through postoperative cultures using European Committee on Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing clinical breakpoints., (Copyright © 2022. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Introduction: Limited evidence has been reported for surgical site infections (SSIs) in patients undergoing surgery who are carriers of extended-spectrum cephalosporin-resistant Enterobacterales (ESCR-E). A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted to evaluate the risk of postoperative infections in adult inpatients colonised with ESCR-E before surgery., Methods: The Medline, Embase and Cochrane databases were searched between January 2011 and April 2022, following PRISMA indications. Random effects meta-analysis was used to quantify the association between ESCR-E colonisation and infection., Results: Among the 467 articles reviewed, 9 observational studies encompassing 7219 adult patients undergoing surgery were included. The ESCR-E colonisation rate was 13.7% (95% CI 7.7-19.7). The most commonly reported surgeries included abdominal surgery (44%) and liver transplantation (LT; 33%). The SSI rate was 23.2% (95% CI 13.2-33.1). Pooled incidence risk was 0.36 (95% CI 0.22-0.50) vs 0.13 (95% CI 0.02-0.24) for any postoperative infection and 0.28 (95% CI 0.18-0.38) vs 0.17 (95% CI 0.07-0.26) for SSIs in ESCR-E carriers vs noncarriers, respectively. In ESCR-E carriers, the ESCR-E infection ratio was 7 times higher than noncarriers. Postoperative infection risk was higher in carriers versus noncarriers following LT. Sources of detected heterogeneity between studies included ESCR-E colonisation and the geographic region of origin., Conclusions: Patients colonised with ESCR-E before surgery had increased incidence rates of post-surgical infections and SSIs compared to noncarriers. Our results suggest considering the implementation of pre-surgical screening for detecting ESCR-E colonisation status according to the type of surgery and the local epidemiology., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Background: The objectives of the study were to investigate the organizational characteristics of acute care facilities worldwide in preventing and managing infections in surgery; assess participants' perception regarding infection prevention and control (IPC) measures, antibiotic prescribing practices, and source control; describe awareness about the global burden of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and IPC measures; and determine the role of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 pandemic on said awareness., Methods: A cross-sectional web-based survey was conducted contacting 1432 health care workers (HCWs) belonging to a mailing list provided by the Global Alliance for Infections in Surgery. The self-administered questionnaire was developed by a multidisciplinary team. The survey was open from May 22, 2021, and June 22, 2021. Three reminders were sent, after 7, 14, and 21 days., Results: Three hundred four respondents from 72 countries returned a questionnaire, with an overall response rate of 21.2%. Respectively, 90.4% and 68.8% of participants stated their hospital had a multidisciplinary IPC team or a multidisciplinary antimicrobial stewardship team. Local protocols for antimicrobial therapy of surgical infections and protocols for surgical antibiotic prophylaxis were present in 76.6% and 90.8% of hospitals, respectively. In 23.4% and 24.0% of hospitals no surveillance systems for surgical site infections and no monitoring systems of used antimicrobials were implemented. Patient and family involvement in IPC management was considered to be slightly or not important in their hospital by the majority of respondents (65.1%). Awareness of the global burden of AMR among HCWs was considered very important or important by 54.6% of participants. The COVID-19 pandemic was considered by 80.3% of respondents as a very important or important factor in raising HCWs awareness of the IPC programs in their hospital. Based on the survey results, the authors developed 15 statements for several questions regarding the prevention and management of infections in surgery. The statements may be the starting point for designing future evidence-based recommendations., Conclusion: Adequacy of prevention and management of infections in acute care facilities depends on HCWs behaviours and on the organizational characteristics of acute health care facilities to support best practices and promote behavioural change. Patient involvement in the implementation of IPC is still little considered. A debate on how operationalising a fundamental change to IPC, from being solely the HCWs responsibility to one that involves a collaborative relationship between HCWs and patients, should be opened., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Surgical site infection is associated with prolonged hospital stay and increased morbidity, mortality and healthcare costs, as well as a poorer patient quality of life. Many hospitals have adopted scientifically-validated guidelines for the prevention of surgical site infection. Most of these protocols have resulted in improved postoperative results. The Surgical Infection Division of the Spanish Association of Surgery conducted a critical review of the scientific evidence and the most recent international guidelines in order to select measures with the highest degree of evidence to be applied in Spanish surgical services. The best measures are: no removal or clipping of hair from the surgical field, skin decontamination with alcohol solutions, adequate systemic antibiotic prophylaxis (administration within 30-60minutes before the incision in a single preoperative dose; intraoperative re-dosing when indicated), maintenance of normothermia and perioperative maintenance of glucose levels., (Copyright © 2019 AEC. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: The aim of this study was to define the relationship between age and response to tigecycline among patients treated for complicated skin and soft-tissue infections (cSSTIs) and complicated intra-abdominal infections (cIAIs)., Methods: Pooled data derived from five European observational studies on the use of tigecycline (July 2006-October 2011), either as monotherapy or in combination with other antibiotics, for the treatment of cSSTI or cIAI were used in the analysis., Results: The total population (N=1782 patients) was divided into three age categories: <65 years (804 patients); 65-80 years (836 patients) and >80 years (139 patients) (data unknown/missing for 3 patients). The overall mean Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) II score for patients with cSSTI and cIAI was 15.0±7.9 and 16.9±7.6, respectively, and the overall mean Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score was 5.8±3.9 and 7.0±4.2, respectively. Overall, patients with cSSTI and cIAI in the three age groups showed a good response to tigecycline treatment (76.2-80.0% and 69.2-81.1%, respectively) with patients aged ≤80 years showing higher response rates. Patients with cIAI appeared to be at greater risk for all types of adverse events compared with those with cSSTI, particularly in the older age groups., Conclusion: In these real-life studies, tigecycline, either alone or in combination, achieved favourable clinical response rates in all age categories of patients with cSSTIs and cIAIs with a high severity of illness., (Copyright © 2019 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

In the last three decades, Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) has increased in incidence and severity in many countries worldwide. The increase in CDI incidence has been particularly apparent among surgical patients. Therefore, prevention of CDI and optimization of management in the surgical patient are paramount. An international multidisciplinary panel of experts from the World Society of Emergency Surgery (WSES) updated its guidelines for management of CDI in surgical patients according to the most recent available literature. The update includes recent changes introduced in the management of this infection., Competing Interests: Not applicable.Not applicable.The authors declare that they have no competing interests.Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Skin and soft-tissue infections (SSTIs) encompass a variety of pathological conditions that involve the skin and underlying subcutaneous tissue, fascia, or muscle, ranging from simple superficial infections to severe necrotizing infections. SSTIs are a frequent clinical problem in surgical departments. In order to clarify key issues in the management of SSTIs, a task force of experts met in Bertinoro, Italy, on June 28, 2018, for a specialist multidisciplinary consensus conference under the auspices of the World Society of Emergency Surgery (WSES) and the Surgical Infection Society Europe (SIS-E). The multifaceted nature of these infections has led to a collaboration among general and emergency surgeons, intensivists, and infectious disease specialists, who have shared these clinical practice recommendations., Competing Interests: Not applicable.Not applicable.In the past 5 years, MB has participated in advisory boards and/or received speaker honoraria from Achaogen, Angelini, Astellas, AstraZeneca, Bayer, Basilea, Cidara, Gilead, Melinta, Menarini, MSD, Nabriva, Paratek, Pfizer, Roche, The Medicine Company, Shionogi, Tetraphase, VenatoRX, and Vifor. All other authors declared no competing interests.Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Despite evidence supporting the effectiveness of best practices of infection prevention and management, many surgeons worldwide fail to implement them. Evidence-based practices tend to be underused in routine practice. Surgeons with knowledge in surgical infections should provide feedback to prescribers and integrate best practices among surgeons and implement changes within their team. Identifying a local opinion leader to serve as a champion within the surgical department may be important. The "surgeon champion" can integrate best clinical practices of infection prevention and management, drive behavior change in their colleagues, and interact with both infection control teams in promoting antimicrobial stewardship., Competing Interests: Not applicable.Not applicable.The authors declare that they have no competing interests.Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Background: C-reactive protein (CRP) has been assessed to detect organ-space surgical site infection (OSI). Nevertheless, data about peri-operative oxygen debt and surgical stress-elicited biologic markers to explain and allow for the early detection of OSI are lacking. We analyzed immediate post-operative venous lactate, early CRP levels, and intra-operative hemodynamic values on the capacity to predict OSI after elective colorectal operation., Patients and Methods: Patients undergoing an elective colorectal surgical procedure with anastomosis between March 2013 and August 2014 were included and assessed prospectively. Post-operative lactate values at L-0, L-6, and L-24 hours, CRP (basal and 48 h), and the percentage of operative time (POT) with systolic blood pressure below 100 mm Hg and heart rate above 90 beats per minute in patients with and without OSI were compared. Binary logistic regression was constructed for L-0 and CRP-48, and receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) was analyzed for sensitivity (S), specificity (Sp), positive (PPV) and negative (NPV) predictive values., Results: Patients with OSI (11 of 100) showed higher L-0 and L-24 (3.2 ± 2.5 vs. 1.6 ± 0.8; p = 0.025 and 1.9 ± 1.2 vs. 1.2 ± 0.4 mmol/L; p = 0.025) and CRP-48 (188 ± 80 vs. 74 ± 52 mg/L; p = 0.001). The ROC from logistic regression showed area under the curve of 0.899 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.805-0.992), S of 72% (95% CI 43.2%-90.5%), Sp of 95% (95% CI 88.6%-98.4%), PPV of 66% (95% CI 38.9%-86.4%) and NPV of 0.96 (95% CI 90%-99%). L-0 was higher in those patients with hypotension during more than 60% of the POT (2.4 ± 2.1 vs. 1.6 ± 0.8; p = 0.038). Patients with OSI had a higher POT with hypotension (50 ± 28% vs. 30 ± 28%; p = 0.032) and tachycardia (18 ± 27% vs. 5 ± 16%; p = 0,024)., Conclusions: The combination of immediate post-operative lactate and CRP at 48 hours proved to be useful in predicting OSI after elective colorectal operation. Assessment of peri-operative lactate is a potential target for intra-operative goal-oriented management aimed at improving post-operative outcomes.

Surgical site infections (SSIs) are the most common health-care-associated infections in developing countries, but they also represent a substantial epidemiological burden in high-income countries. The prevention of these infections is complex and requires the integration of a range of preventive measures before, during, and after surgery. No international guidelines are available and inconsistencies in the interpretation of evidence and recommendations in national guidelines have been identified. Considering the prevention of SSIs as a priority for patient safety, WHO has developed evidence-based and expert consensus-based recommendations on the basis of an extensive list of preventive measures. We present in this Review 16 recommendations specific to the intraoperative and postoperative periods. The WHO recommendations were developed with a global perspective and they take into account the balance between benefits and harms, the evidence quality level, cost and resource use implications, and patient values and preferences., (Copyright © 2016 World Health Organization. Published by Elsevier Ltd/Inc/BV. All rights reserved. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

There is a wide variability in the management of acute cholecystitis. A survey among the members of the Spanish Association of Surgeons (AEC) analyzed the preferences of Spanish surgeons for its surgical management. The majority of the 771 responders didn't declare any subspecialty (41.6%), 21% were HPB surgeons, followed by colorectal and upper-GI specialities. Early cholecystectomy during the first admission is the preferred method of management of 92.3% of surgeons, but only 42.7% succeed in adopting this practice. The most frequent reasons for changing their preferred practice were: Patients not fit for surgery (43.6%) and lack of availability of emergency operating room (35.2%). A total of 88.9% perform surgery laparoscopically. The majority of AEC surgeons advise index admission cholecystectomy for acute cholecystitis, although only half of them succeed in its actual implementation. There is room for improvement in the management of acute cholecystitis in Spanish hospitals., (Copyright © 2013 AEC. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.)

Objective. Although differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) usually has an indolent course, some cases show a poor prognosis; therefore, risk stratification is required. The objective of this study is to compare the predictive ability of classical risk stratification systems proposed by the European Thyroid Association (ETA) and American Thyroid Association (ATA) with the system proposed by Tuttle et al. in 2010, based on the response to initial therapy (RIT). Methods. We retrospectively reviewed 176 cases of DTC with a median follow-up period of 7.0 years. Each patient was stratified using ETA, ATA, and RIT systems. Negative predictive value (NPV) and positive predictive value (PPV) were determined. The area under receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was calculated in order to compare the predictive ability. Results. RIT showed a NPV of 97.7%, better than NPV of ETA and ATA systems (93.9% and 94.9%, resp.). ETA and ATA systems showed poor PPV (40.3% and 41%, resp.), while RIT showed a PPV of 70.8%. The area under ROC curve was 0.7535 for ETA, 0.7876 for ATA, and 0.9112 for RIT, showing statistical significant differences (P < 0.05). Conclusions. RIT predicts the long-term outcome of DTC better than ETA/ATA systems, becoming a useful system to adapt management strategies.

Objectives: Tigecycline is a broad-spectrum antibiotic approved for the treatment of complicated intra-abdominal infections (cIAIs). The efficacy of tigecycline when administered as monotherapy or in combination with other antibacterials in the treatment of cIAIs in routine clinical practice is described., Patients and Methods: Individual patient-level data were pooled from five European observational studies (July 2006 to October 2011)., Results: A total of 785 cIAI patients who received tigecycline were included (mean age 63.1 ± 14.0 years). Of these, 56.6% were in intensive care units, 65.6% acquired their infection in hospital, 88.1% had at least one comorbidity and 65.7% had secondary peritonitis. The mean Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) II and Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) scores at the beginning of treatment were 16.9 ± 7.6 (n = 614) and 7.0 ± 4.2 (n = 108), respectively, indicating high disease severity. Escherichia coli (41.8%), Enterococcus faecium (40.1%) and Enterococcus faecalis (21.1%) were the most frequently isolated pathogens; 49.1% of infections were polymicrobial and 17.5% were due to resistant pathogens. Overall, 54.8% (n = 430) received tigecycline as monotherapy and 45.2% (n = 355) as combination therapy for a mean duration of 10.6 days. Clinical response rates at the end of treatment were 77.4% for all patients (567/733), 80.6% for patients who received tigecycline as monotherapy (329/408), 75.2% for patients with a nosocomial infection (354/471), 75.8% for patients with an APACHE II score >15 (250/330) and 54.2% (32/59) for patients with a SOFA score ≥ 7., Conclusions: In these real-life studies, tigecycline, alone and in combination, achieved favourable clinical response rates in patients with cIAI with a high severity of illness.

Objectives: There is limited information on the use of tigecycline in real-life clinical practice. This analysis aims to identify and understand tigecycline prescribing patterns and associated patient outcomes for approved indications., Patients and Methods: A pooled analysis of patient-level data collected on the prescription of tigecycline in five European observational studies (July 2006 to October 2011) was conducted., Results: A total of 1782 patients who received tigecycline were included in the analysis. Of these patients, 61.6% were male, the mean age was 63.4 ± 14.7 years, 56.4% were in intensive care units, 80.2% received previous antibiotic treatment and 91% had one or more comorbid conditions. The mean Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) II and Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) scores at the beginning of treatment were 17.7 ± 7.9 and 7.0 ± 4.0, respectively. The majority of patients (58.3%) received tigecycline for treatment of complicated skin and soft-tissue infections (cSSTIs; n = 254) or complicated intra-abdominal infections (cIAIs; n = 785). Tigecycline was given at the standard dose (100 mg plus 50 mg twice daily) to 89.3% of patients for a mean duration of 11.1 ± 6.4 days. The main reasons for prescribing tigecycline were failure of previous therapy (46.1%), broad-spectrum antibiotic coverage (41.4%) and suspicion of a resistant pathogen (39.3%). Tigecycline was prescribed first-line in 36.3% of patients and as monotherapy in 50.4%. Clinical response rates to treatment with tigecycline alone or in combination were 79.6% (183/230; cSSTIs) and 77.4% (567/733; cIAIs)., Conclusions: Although tigecycline prescription behaviour showed some heterogeneity across the study sites, these results confirm a role for tigecycline in real-life clinical practice for the treatment of complicated infections, including those in critically ill patients, across Europe.

Objectives: Antimicrobial drug resistance is a growing problem in Europe and, even with differences in epidemiology, it is of great concern. The treatment of complicated skin and soft-tissue infections (cSSTIs) and complicated intra-abdominal infections (cIAIs) is hindered further by pathogens that are resistant to methicillin, carbapenems, third-generation cephalosporins and glycopeptides., Patients and Methods: An analysis of the microbiological results from five European observational studies (July 2006 to October 2011) evaluating the efficacy of tigecycline (prescribed as monotherapy or in combination with other antibacterials) for the treatment of cSSTI and cIAI is presented., Results: In total, 213 cSSTI and 623 cIAI patients were included; 34.4% and 56.6%, respectively, were critically ill in intensive care units. At baseline, at least one pathogen was isolated in 167 (78.4%) cSSTI and 464 (74.5%) cIAI patients, and 32.9% and 49.1% of infections were polymicrobial. In cSSTI, Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli (52.7% and 18.0%, respectively) were the most frequently isolated pathogens, whereas in cIAI most infections were due to E. coli (41.8%), Enterococcus faecium (40.1%) and Enterococcus faecalis (21.1%). Clinical response was observed in >80% of patients with E. coli in both cIAI and cSSTI. In cSSTI patients, the clinical response rate to S. aureus was 80.8%. For cIAI, 77.4% of E. faecium and 79.5% of E. faecalis patients responded to treatment., Conclusions: Tigecycline when given alone or in combination with other antibacterials appeared to be efficacious against multiple pathogens, affirming its role in real-life clinical practice as a broad-spectrum antibacterial for the treatment of patients with cSSTI and cIAI, including the critically ill, across Europe.

Objectives: Tigecycline is an approved treatment for complicated skin and soft-tissue infections (cSSTIs). The efficacy of tigecycline as monotherapy or in combination with other antibacterials in the treatment of cSSTI in routine practice is described., Patients and Methods: Individual patient-level data were pooled from five European observational studies (July 2006 to October 2011)., Results: A total of 254 cSSTI patients who received tigecycline were included (mean age 63.2 ± 14.9 years). Of these, 34.4% were in intensive care units, 54.5% acquired their infection in hospital and 90.9% had at least one comorbidity. Infection most commonly affected the limbs (62.4%) and 43.8% of infections were classified as necrotizing. The mean Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) II and Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) scores at the beginning of treatment were 15.0 ± 7.9 (n = 205) and 5.8 ± 3.9 (n = 32), respectively, indicating high disease severity. Staphylococcus aureus (52.7%), Escherichia coli (18.0%) and Enterococcus faecium (12.0%) were the most frequently isolated pathogens; 32.9% of infections were polymicrobial and 30.5% were due to resistant pathogens. Overall, 71.8% received tigecycline as monotherapy and 28.2% as combination therapy for a mean duration of 12 days. Clinical response rates at the end of treatment were 79.6% for all patients who received the standard dosage (183/230), 86.7% for patients who received tigecycline as monotherapy (143/165), 75.0% for patients with a nosocomial infection (96/128), 75.3% for patients with an APACHE II score >15 (61/81) and 58.3% for patients with a SOFA score ≥ 7 (7/12)., Conclusions: In these real-life studies, tigecycline, alone and in combination, achieved favourable clinical response rates in patients with cSSTI with a high severity of illness.

Objectives: Tigecycline is approved for the treatment of complicated skin and soft-tissue infections (cSSTIs) and complicated intra-abdominal infections (cIAIs) in adults. In this analysis the safety and tolerability profile of tigecycline (used alone or in combination) for the treatment of patients with approved indications of cSSTI and cIAI were examined under real-life clinical conditions., Patients and Methods: Individual patient-level data were pooled from five European observational studies (July 2006 to October 2011). A total of 254 cSSTI and 785 cIAI patients were included. The mean age was 63 years; 34.4% and 56.6% were in intensive care units, 90.9% and 88.1% had at least one comorbidity and mean Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) II scores at the beginning of treatment were 15.0 ± 7.9 and 16.9 ± 7.6, respectively., Results: Data on adverse events (AEs) were available for 198 cSSTI and 590 cIAI patients in three studies. Nausea and vomiting were reported in ≤ 2% of patients. The most common serious AEs were multi-organ failure (4.0% and 10.0% in cSSTI and cIAI patients, respectively) and sepsis (4.0% and 6.1%, respectively). Death was recorded for 24/254 (9.4%) cSSTI and 147/785 (18.7%) cIAI patients. Mortality rates were higher in the group with a baseline APACHE II score of >15 compared with those with a score of ≤ 15 (18.7% versus 3.5% for cSSTI patients and 23.8% versus 16.0% for cIAI patients). A similar trend was seen when cIAI patients were stratified by Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score., Conclusions: The safety and tolerability of tigecycline, alone and in combination, are consistent with the level of critical illness among patients in these real-life studies.

Background: Although C-reactive protein (CRP) has proved useful in the assessment of post-operative infections, its value at those time points useful to assess organ-space surgical site infection (OSI) after open and laparoscopic colorectal surgery has not been clarified., Methods: We compared values of CRP on post-operative days two and five and percentage of change between those days (Δ%D2-5) in patients with and without OSI, after open (OPEN) and laparoscopic (LAP) colo-rectal surgery. Receiver-operating characteristic analysis was performed and indices of test performance of sensitivity, specificity, positive (PPV) and negative (NPV) predictive values, and likelihood ratios (LR+ and LR-) were assessed., Results: The best CRP predictive values for OSI were D5 >120 mg/L (area under the curve [AUC] 0.959; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.890-0.990) and Δ%D2-5 <40% (AUC 0.968; 95% CI 0.901-0.994; p=0.0001) in OPEN and D5 >66 mg/L (AUC 0.921; 95% CI 0.841-0.969) and Δ%D2-5 <48% (AUC 0.894-95% CI 0.806-0.952; p=0.0001) in LAP. The best measure was NPV (100%; CI 93.6%-100% for D5 and Δ%D2-5 in OPEN and 98.4%, CI 91.3%-99.7% for D5 and 100%, CI 93.4%-100% for Δ%D2-5 in LAP)., Conclusions: In patients with CRP <120.66 mg/L on post-operative day 5 or a decay from post-operative day two to five of >40%-48% in OPEN and LAP, respectively, OSI may be ruled out and the patient discharged safely. Careful workup is needed in those patients with higher postoperative CRP concentrations or lower apparent decay values.

Introduction: Worldwide incidence of thyroid cancer has increased in recent decades., Objective: To provide evidence of the diagnostic and care efficiency of a monographic thyroid nodule clinic integrating clinical examination, ultrasound examination, and cytology with on site evaluation., Patients and Methods: Patients attending the monographic thyroid nodule clinic from January 2004 to June 2010. Two periods may be distinguished based on availability of ultrasound equipment at the time of the visit: a first period (P1: 01/2004-09/2007) where no ultrasound equipment was available at the clinic and FNA by palpation was performed, and a second period (P2: 10/2007-06/2010) where this equipment was available and ultrasound-guided FNA was performed., Results: A total of 1036 patients [P1: 537 (52%), P2: 499 (48%)] were seen and enrolled. Diagnostic efficiency (P1 vs P2): 143 vs 181 patients were seen annually, p<0.001; FNA number/nodule: 1.68 vs 1.17, p<0.001; percent FNAs with inadequate material: 26% vs 5.3%, p<0.001; mean (SD) nodule size: 23.6 (12.4) vs 21.7 (11.7) mm, p 0.040; proportion of nodules examined less than 10mm in size: 9.9% vs 13.7%, p 0.030. Care efficiency: mean time (range) from the first visit to surgery indication: 332 (0-2177) vs 108 (0-596) days, p<0.001; proportion of patients referred for surgery due to suspect cytology/other reasons: 1.06 vs 2.21, p<0.001; and operated benign neoplasm/pathology: 0.47 vs 0.93, p=0.002., Conclusion: A monographic thyroid nodule clinic integrating clinical examination, ultrasound, and cytology evaluated on site increases diagnostic and care efficiency in patients with thyroid nodules., (Copyright © 2012 SEEN. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: To assess the prevalence of surgical site infection (SSI) after elective operations for colon and rectal cancer after the application of evidence-based preventive measures and to identify risk factors for SSI., Design: Prospective, observational, multicenter., Setting: Tertiary and community public hospitals in Catalonia, Spain., Patients: Consecutive patients undergoing elective surgical resections for colon and rectal cancer during a 9-month period., Main Outcome Measures: The prevalence of SSI within 30 days after the operations and risk factors for SSI., Results: Data from 611 patients were documented: 383 patients underwent operations for colon cancer and 228 underwent operations for rectal cancer. Surgical site infection was observed in 89 (23.2%) colon cancer patients (superficial, 12.8%; deep, 2.1%; and organ/space, 8.4%) and in 63 (27.6%) rectal cancer patients (superficial, 13.6%; deep, 5.7%; and organ/space, 8.3%). For colon procedures, the following independent predictive factors were identified: for incisional SSI, open procedure vs laparoscopy; for organ/space SSI, hyperglycemia at 48 hours postoperatively (serum glucose level, >200 mg/dL), ostomy, and National Nosocomial Infection System index of 1 or more. In rectal procedures, no risk factors were identified for incisional SSI; hyperglycemia at 48 hours postoperatively (serum glucose level, >200 mg/dL) and temperature lower than 36°C at the time of surgical incision were associated with organ/space SSI., Conclusion: The prevalence of SSI in elective colon and rectal operations remains high despite the application of evidence-based preventive measures.

The present article is an update of the literature on various types of infections in ICU patients: ventilator-associated pneumonia, community-acquired pneumonia, the impact of the increasing vancomycin MIC in Staphylococcus aureus in the treatment of infections caused by this microorganism and the usefulness of biomarkers in identifying or ruling out septic complications in ICU patients. A multidisciplinary group of Spanish physicians with an interest in infections in critically-ill patients selected the most important recently published papers produced in the field. One of the members of the group discussed the content of each of the selected papers, with a critical appraisal by other members of the panel., (Copyright © 2011 Elsevier España S.L. All rights reserved.)

Despite improvements in our knowledge of the physiopathology of severe infection, diagnostic methods, antibiotic therapy, postoperative care and surgical techniques, a substantial number of patients with intraabdominal infection (IAI) will develop advanced stages of septic insult requiring admission to the intensive care unit. The success of treatment of IAI is multifactorial and the best antibiotic protocol may be insufficient unless adequate control of the focus of infection has been achieved. The present article discusses the appropriacy of empirical antibiotic therapy and the main pathogens associated with treatment failure. We also analyze the patients at risk of infection with microorganisms requiring broad-spectrum antimicrobial coverage. However, excessive antibiotic treatment, in terms of either spectrum or duration, could jeopardize future patients in an environment already threatened by the scarcity of research and development into new molecules required for the emergence of pathogens resistant to current antibiotics., (Copyright © 2010 Elsevier España S.L. All rights reserved.)

A significant number of patients with abdominal infection develop advanced stages of infection and mortality is still above 20%. Failure is multifactorial and is associated with an increase of bacterial resitance, inappropriate empirical treatment, a higher comorbidity of patients and poor source control of infection. These guidelines discuss each of these problems and propose measures to avoid the failure based on the best current scientific evidence., (Copyright 2009 AEC. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.)