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To gain better insight into the extent of secondary bacterial and fungal infections in hospitalized patients in India, and to assess how these alter the course of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) so that control measures can be suggested.In this retrospective, multicentre study, the data of all patients who tested positive for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) on reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), admitted to hospital between March 2020 and July 2021, were accessed from the electronic health records of a network of 10 hospitals across five states in North India.Of 19,852 patients testing positive for SARS-CoV-2 on RT-PCR and admitted to the study hospitals during the study period, 1940 (9.8%) patients developed secondary infections (SIs). Patients with SIs were, on average, 8 years older than patients without SIs (median age 62.6 vs 54.3 years;SIs complicate the course of patients hospitalized with COVID-19. These patients tend to have a much longer hospital stay, a higher requirement for oxygen and ICU care, and a significantly higher mortality rate compared with those without SIs. The groups most vulnerable to SIs are patients with more severe COVID-19, elderly patients and patients with diabetes. Judicious empirical use of combination antimicrobials in these groups of vulnerable patients can save lives. It is desirable to have region- or country-specific guidelines for appropriate use of antibiotics and antifungals to prevent their overuse.

Background: Diffuse parenchymal lung disease (DPLD) is the inflammation and fibrosis of lung interstitium, resulting in respiratory failure. The rate of hypoxic respiratory failure is high as the disease progresses. In idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) patients, acute deterioration leads to type 2 respiratory failure, etiology and management of which remains to be completely understood. Aims and Objectives: To identify the causes of type 2 respiratory failure and assess the outcome of invasive and non-invasive ventilation in patients with IPF. Materials and Methods: This prospective single center study included >18-year-old 44 patients with IPF. History of patients, complete blood count, chest radiograph, urine routine, spirometry with bronchodilator reversibility, DLCO (diffusing capacity for carbon monoxide) testing, arterial blood gas measurements, and antinuclear antibody (ANA) test were evaluated. Results: Fourteen (31.8%) patients developed type 2 respiratory failure (within 1.5–6 years from the time of onset of illness). Causes of respiratory failure included acute exacerbation of IPF (35.71%), infections (14.29%), heart failure (14.29%), ischemic heart disease (14.29%), pulmonary embolism (21.43%), pneumothorax (7.14%), and surgical lung biopsy (7.14%). Patients were initiated on non-invasive mechanical ventilation (NIV) (64.29%) and invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV) (35.71%). Eight (88.89%) out of 9 patients on NIV survived, whereas all 5 patients (100%) on IMV expired. Conclusion: Considering the higher mortality rate associated with IMV, NIV is a better technique than IMV for improving patient outcome and management. NIV may be effectively implemented for improving the treatment outcome in patients with IPF and avoiding any aggressive therapeutic approaches.

During the times of the ongoing COVID pandemic, aerosol-generating procedures such as bronchoscopy have the potential of transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 to the healthcare workers. The decision to perform bronchoscopy during the COVID pandemic should be taken judiciously. Over the years, the indications for bronchoscopy in the clinical practice have expanded. Experts at the Indian Association for Bronchology perceived the need to develop a concise statement that would assist a bronchoscopist in performing bronchoscopy during the COVID pandemic safely. The current Indian Association for Bronchology Consensus Statement provides specific guidelines including triaging, indications, bronchoscopy area, use of personal protective equipment, patient preparation, sedation and anesthesia, patient monitoring, bronchoscopy technique, sample collection and handling, bronchoscope disinfection, and environmental disinfection concerning the coronavirus disease-2019 situation. The suggestions provided herewith should be adopted in addition to the national bronchoscopy guidelines that were published recently. This statement summarizes the essential aspects to be considered for the performance of bronchoscopy in COVID pandemic, to ensure safety for both for patients and healthcare personnel.

BackgroundVarious inflammatory markers are commonly assessed in many patients to help in the management of COVID-19 patients. It is not clear, though, how much risk of mortality their different levels of elevations entail, and which marker signifies more risk than others and how much. This study was undertaken to describe their levels and to answer these questions regarding eight inflammatory markers, namely, CRP, D-dimer, ferritin, IL-6, LDH, CPK, troponin-I.MethodsThe data were retrieved from the electronic records of 19852 CoViD-19 patients admitted to a chain of hospitals in north India from March 2020 to July 2021. Levels for most markers were available for more than 10,000 patients. In view of widely different ranges of values of different markers, we divided their values into quintiles (Qs) and studied the pattern of mortality and for running the logistic regression. In addition, logarithm transformation was also tried. The statistical distribution of the values was compared by Mann-Whitney test. Relative importance was judged by the mortality rates, area under the ROC curves (AUROCs), and the odds ratios.ResultsAlthough the mortality increased with decreasing ALC and increasing level of all the other markers, more than 70% survived even with levels in the extreme quintile. The adjusted odds ratio was the highest (7.62) for the Q5 levels of IL-6, closely followed by D-dimer (OR = 6.04). The AUROC was the highest (0.817) for LDH and the least (0.612) for CPK. However, the optimal cut-off for any marker could correctly classify not more than 80% deaths and the multivariable logistic regression could correctly classify patients with mortality in less than 24% cases.ConclusionAlthough elevated levels of all the markers and low values of ALC were significant risk factor but no firm evidence was available for any of the eight markers to be a major indicator of the mortality in COVID-19 unless they reach to a critical threshold. Among those studied, D-Dimer (>192 ng/mL) followed by IL-6 (>4.5 pg/mL) had stronger association with mortality even with moderate and higher end of the normal levels and LDH (>433 U/L) and troponin-I (>0.002ng/mL) with only steeply increased levels. Ferritin had modest association, and CPK, CRP and ALC were a relatively poor risk of mortality.

IntroductionSARS-CoV-2 infection increases the risk of secondary bacterial and fungal infections and contributes to adverse outcomes. The present study was undertaken to get better insights into the extent of secondary bacterial and fungal infections in Indian hospitalized patients and to assess how these alter the course of COVID-19 so that the control measures can be suggested.MethodsThis is a retrospective, multicentre study where data of all RT-PCR positive COVID-19 patients was accessed from Electronic Health Records (EHR) of a network of 10 hospitals across 5 North Indian states, admitted during the period from March 2020 to July 2021.The data included demographic profile of patients, clinical characteristics, laboratory parameters, treatment modalities, and outcome in those with secondary infections (SIs) and those without SIs. Spectrum of SIS was also studied in detail.ResultsOf 19852 RT-PCR positive SARS-CO2 patients admitted during the study period, 1940 (9.8%) patients developed SIs. Patients with SIs were 8 years older on average (median age 62.6 years versus 54.3 years; PThe most common site of infection was urinary tract infection (UTI) (41.7%), followed by blood stream infection (BSI) (30.8%), sputum/BAL/ET fluid (24.8%), and the least was pus/wound discharge (2.6%). As many as 13.4% had infections with more than organism and 34.1% patients had positive cultures from more than one site. Gram negative bacilli (GNB) were the commonest organisms (63.2%), followed by Gram positive cocci (GPC) (19.6%) and fungus (17.3%). Most of the patients with SIs were on multiple antimicrobials – the most commonly used were the BL-BLI for GNBs (76.9%) followed by carbapenems (57.7%), cephalosporins (53.9%) and antibiotics carbapenem resistant entreobacteriace (47.1%). The usage of emperical antibiotics for GPCs was in 58.9% and of antifungals in 56.9% of cases, and substantially more than the results obtained by culture.The average stay in hospital for patients with SIs was twice than those without SIs (median 13 days versus 7 days). The overall mortality in the group with SIs (40.3%) was more than 8 times of that in those without SIs (4.6%). Only 1.2% of SI patients with mild COVID-19 at presentation died, while 17.5% of those with moderate disease and 58.5% of those with severe COVID-19 died (P< 0.001). The mortality was highest in those with BSI (49.8%), closely followed by those with HAP (47.9%), and then UTI and SSTI (29.4% each). The mortality rate where only one microorganism was identified was 37.8% and rose to 56.3% in those with more than one microorganism. The mortality in cases with only one site of infection was 28.8%, which steeply rose to 62.5% in cases with multiple sites of infection. The mortality in diabetic patients with SIs was 45.2% while in non-diabetics it was 34.3% (p < 0.001).ConclusionsSecondary bacterial and fungal infections can complicate the course of almost 10% of COVID-19 hospitalised patients. These patients tend to not only have a much longer stay in hospital, but also a higher requirement for oxygen and ICU care. The mortality in this group rises steeply by as much as 8 times. The group most vulnerable to this complication are those with more severe COVID-19 illness, elderly, and diabetic patients. Varying results in different studies suggest that a region or country specific guideline be developed for appropriate use of antibiotics and antifungals to prevent their overuse in such cases. Judicious empiric use of combination antimicrobials in this set of vulnerable COVID-19 patients can save lives.

Incidence of mucormycosis suddenly surged in India after the second wave of COVID-19. This is a crippling disease and needs to be studied in detail to understand the disease, its course, and the outcomes.Between 1st March and 15th July 2021, our network of hospitals in North India received a total of 155 cases of COVID-associated mucormycosis cases as all of them reported affliction by COVID-19 earlier or concurrent. Their records were retrieved from the Electronic Health Records system of the hospitals and their demographics, clinical features, treatments, and outcomes were studied. More than 80% (125 cases) had proven disease and the remaining 30 were categorized as ‘possible’ mucormycosis as per the EORTC criteria.More than two-thirds (69.0%) of the cases were males and the mean age was 53 years for either sex. Nearly two-thirds (64.5%) had symptoms of nose and jaws and 42.6% had eye involvement. Some had multiple symptoms. As many as 78.7% had diabetes and 91.6% gave history of use of steroids during COVID-19 treatment. The primary surgery was functional endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS) (83.9%). Overall mortality was 16.8%, which is one-and-a-half times the mortality in hospitalized COVID-19 patients in the corresponding population. Occurrence of mucormycosis was associated with diabetes and use of steroids, but mortality was not associated with either of them. Cases undergoing surgery and on antifungal had steeply lower mortality (11.9% vs. 50.0%, P < 0.001) than those who were exclusively on antifungal drugs. Treatment by different drugs did not make much of a difference in mortality.

Second wave of COVID-19 pandemic in India came with unexpected quick speed and intensity, creating an acute shortage of beds, ventilators, and oxygen at the peak of occurrence. This may have been partly caused by emergence of new variant delta. Clinical experience with the cases admitted to hospitals suggested that it is not merely a steep rise in cases but also possibly the case-profile is different. This study was taken up to investigate the differentials in the characteristics of the cases admitted in the second wave versus those admitted in the first wave.Records of a total of 14398 cases admitted in the first wave (2020) to our network of hospitals in north India and 5454 cases admitted in the second wave (2021) were retrieved, making it the largest study of this kind in India. Their demographic profile, clinical features, management, and outcome was studied.Age-sex distribution of the cases in the second wave was not much different from those admitted in the first wave but the patients with comorbidities and those with greater severity had larger share. Level of inflammatory markers was more adverse. More patients needed oxygen and invasive ventilation. ICU admission rate remained nearly the same. On the positive side, readmissions were lower, and the duration of hospitalization was slightly less. Usage of drugs like remdesivir and IVIG was higher while that of favipiravir and tocilizumab was lower. Steroid and anticoagulant use remained high and almost same during the two waves. More patients had secondary bacterial and fungal infections in Wave-2. Mortality increased by almost 40% in Wave-2, particularly in the younger patients of age less than 45 years. Higher mortality was observed in those admitted in wards, ICU, with or without ventilator support and those who received convalescent plasma.No significant demographic differences in the cases in these two waves, indicates the role of other factors such as delta variant and late admissions in higher severity and more deaths. Comorbidity and higher secondary bacterial and fungal infections may have contributed to increased mortality.

Serious infections caused by MBLs with or without OXA-48-like expressing Enterobacterales remain challenging to treat. Since aztreonam is stable to MBLs, it can be combined with ceftazidime/avibactam to protect against concurrently expressed ESBLs and class C β-lactamases in MBL pathogens. However, in the light of dose-limiting hepatotoxicity of aztreonam, short half life of avibactam, significant protein binding of aztreonam, appropriate dosing and method of administration to optimize PK/PD and toxicodynamics for this combination is being debated. Based on in-vitro PK/PD studies, simultaneous administration of 6/1.5 g of ceftazidime/avibactam and 8 g of aztreonam per day has been recently suggested.

Background: Diagnosis of isolated mediastinal tuberculosis (TB) can be challenging. Endobronchial ultrasound (EBUS) increases the diagnostic yield by direct sonographic visualization of mediastinal and hilar lymph nodes. With the advent of molecular techniques such as Gene Xpert, their addition to the cytology and cultures increases the diagnostic yield and detection of rifampicin resistance (RR) which helps change the effective therapeutic regimen immediately. Materials and Methods: Prospective analysis of all patients undergoing EBUS-guided transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA) with a clinical possibility of TB in isolated mediastinal lymphadenopathy patients at a tertiary care referral center between June 2016 and January 2018. All patients had at least five passes from each node of which two passes from each lymph node sampled in 2 ml of saline for culture and Gene Xpert for microbiologic, pathologic, and molecular analysis as per hospital protocol. Results: Out of 60 patients, 44 were diagnosed to have mediastinal tuberculous lymphadenitis, 8 sarcoidosis, 2 malignancies, and 6 reactive lymphadenitis. TBNA cytology was positive in 40/44 patients (90.9%), out of which 18 patients were culture positive with the sensitivity of 100%, specificity 47.6%, positive predictive value (PPV) 45%, and negative predictive value (NPV) 100%, (P value 0.011). TBNA acid-fast bacilli (AFB) smear was positive in 20/44 patients (45.45%) out of which 12 were culture positive, with sensitivity of 67%, specificity 80.95%, PPV 60%, NPV 85% (P value 0.011). TBNA Gene Xpert was positive in 30/44 patients (68.2%), out of which 6 (13.63%) showed RR-TB and two were cytology negative. Sixteen patients where culture positive with sensitivity of 88.89%, specificity 66.67%, PPV 53.33%, NPV 93.33% (P value of 0.005). TBNA AFB culture was positive in 18/44 patients (40.9%). Conclusion: EBUS-TBNA is an effective and safe diagnostic tool for intrathoracic TB, especially for mediastinal tuberculous lymphadenitis. The combination of various tests increases the diagnostic yield. Mediastinal nodal aspirates traditionally believed to be paucibacillary can still be captured by Gene Xpert.

The clinical course of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection is highly variable with the vast majority recovering uneventfully but a small fraction progressing to severe disease and death. Appropriate and timely supportive care can reduce mortality and it is critical to evolve better patient risk stratification based on simple clinical data, so as to perform effective triage during strains on the healthcare infrastructure. This study presents risk stratification and mortality prediction models based on usual clinical data from 544 COVID-19 patients from New Delhi, India using machine learning methods. An XGboost classifier yielded the best performance on risk stratification (F1 score of 0.81). A logistic regression model yielded the best performance on mortality prediction (F1 score of 0.71). Significant biomarkers for predicting risk and mortality were identified. Examination of the data in comparison to a similar dataset with a Wuhan cohort of 375 patients was undertaken to understand the much lower mortality rates in India and the possible reasons thereof. The comparison indicated higher survival rate in the Delhi cohort even when patients had similar parameters as the Wuhan patients who died. Steroid administration was very frequent in Delhi patients, especially in surviving patients whose biomarkers indicated severe disease. This study helps in identifying the high-risk patient population and suggests treatment protocols that may be useful in countries with high mortality rates.

Staphylococcus aureus is of significant clinical concern in both community- and hospital-onset infections. The key to the success of S. aureus as a pathogen is its ability to swiftly develop antimicrobial resistance. Methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) is not only resistant to nearly all beta-lactams but also demonstrates resistance to several classes of antibiotics. A high prevalence of MRSA is seen across worldwide. For many decades, vancomycin remained as gold standard antibiotic for the treatment of MRSA infections. In the past decades, linezolid, daptomycin, ceftaroline and telavancin received regulatory approval for the treatment of infections caused by resistant Gram-positive pathogens. Although these drugs may offer some advantages over vancomycin, they also have significant limitations. These includes vancomycin's slow bactericidal activity, poor lung penetration and nephrotxicity;linezolid therapy induced myelosuppression and high cost of daptomycin greatly limits their clinical use. Moreover, daptomycin also gets inactivated by lung naturally occurring surfactants. Thus, currently available therapeutic options are unable to provide safe and efficacious treatment for those patients suffering from hospital-acquired pneumonia, bloodstream infections (BSIs), bone and joint infections and diabetic foot infections (DFI). An unmet need also exists for a safe and efficacious oral option for switch-over convenience and community treatment. Herein, the review is intended to describe the supporting role of anti-staphylococcal antibiotics used in the management of S. aureus infections with a special reference to levonadifloxacin. Levonadifloxacin and its prodrug alalevonadifloxacin are novel benzoquinolizine subclass of quinolone with broad-spectrum of anti-MRSA activity. It has been recently approved for the treatment of complicated skin and soft-tissue infection as well as concurrent bacteraemia and DFI in India.

Staphylococcus aureus is of significant clinical concern in both community- and hospital-onset infections. The key to the success of S. aureus as a pathogen is its ability to swiftly develop antimicrobial resistance. Methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) is not only resistant to nearly all beta-lactams but also demonstrates resistance to several classes of antibiotics. A high prevalence of MRSA is seen across worldwide. For many decades, vancomycin remained as gold standard antibiotic for the treatment of MRSA infections. In the past decades, linezolid, daptomycin, ceftaroline and telavancin received regulatory approval for the treatment of infections caused by resistant Gram-positive pathogens. Although these drugs may offer some advantages over vancomycin, they also have significant limitations. These includes vancomycin's slow bactericidal activity, poor lung penetration and nephrotxicity;linezolid therapy induced myelosuppression and high cost of daptomycin greatly limits their clinical use. Moreover, daptomycin also gets inactivated by lung naturally occurring surfactants. Thus, currently available therapeutic options are unable to provide safe and efficacious treatment for those patients suffering from hospital-acquired pneumonia, bloodstream infections (BSIs), bone and joint infections and diabetic foot infections (DFI). An unmet need also exists for a safe and efficacious oral option for switch-over convenience and community treatment. Herein, the review is intended to describe the supporting role of anti-staphylococcal antibiotics used in the management of S. aureus infections with a special reference to levonadifloxacin. Levonadifloxacin and its prodrug alalevonadifloxacin are novel benzoquinolizine subclass of quinolone with broad-spectrum of anti-MRSA activity. It has been recently approved for the treatment of complicated skin and soft-tissue infection as well as concurrent bacteraemia and DFI in India.

A young male recently diagnosed as a case of hepatitis B related chronic liver disease and portal hypertension presented with fever, shortness of breath and hemoptysis for the last one month. Chest and abdomen imaging revealed left main pulmonary artery thrombosis with evidence of nodular infiltrates in the right lung,collapse of the left lung (due to profuse pulmonary hemorrhage) and splenic infarcts. Bronchoscopy revealed nodular lesions in left main bronchus with cut-off. Routine anti-microbial screens were all negative. Serum C1q level was raised suggesting likely presence of circulating immune-complexes. As per American College of Rheumatology criteria the patient was labeled as a case of PAN with supportive endobronchial biopsy result. The patient showed dramatic improvement to immunosuppressants and pulmonary lesions showed near resolution. It is thus important to consider PAN as a possible cause of pulmonary manifestations in relation with HBV infection.

Background: There is emergence of resistance to the last-line antibiotics such as carbapenems in Intensive Care Units (ICUs), leaving little effective therapeutic options. Since there are no more newer antibiotics in the armamentarium in the near future, it has become imperative that we harness the interdisciplinary knowledge for the best clinical outcome of the patient. Aims: The aim of the conference was to utilize the synergies between the clinical microbiologists and critical care specialists for better patient care and clinical outcome. Materials and Methods: A combined continuing medical education program (CME) under the aegis of the Indian Association of Medical Microbiologists – Delhi Chapter and the Indian Society of Critical Care Medicine, Delhi and national capital region was organized to share their expertise on the various topics covering epidemiology, diagnosis, management, and prevention of hospital-acquired infections in ICUs. Results: It was agreed that synergy between the clinical microbiologists and critical care medicine is required in understanding the scope of laboratory tests, investigative pathway testing, hospital epidemiology, and optimum use of antibiotics. A consensus on the use of rapid diagnostics such as point-of-care tests, matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry, and molecular tests for the early diagnosis of infectious disease was made. It was agreed that stewardship activities along with hospital infection control practices should be further strengthened for better utilization of the antibiotics. Through this CME, we identified the barriers and actionables for appropriate antimicrobial usage in Indian ICUs. Conclusions: A close coordination between clinical microbiology and critical care medicine opens up avenues to improve antimicrobial prescription practices.

Invasive fungal infections in critically ill patients are associated with increased morbidity and mortality. Candida species are among the most common causes of nosocomial bloodstream infections and of invasive infections in intensive care units (ICUs). The high mortality mandates early identification of invasive candidiasis which is vital to initiate appropriate and timely treatment and improve outcomes. Delaying the initiation of treatment could result in an increase in mortality which can be avoided by usage of more rapid diagnostic techniques. There are multiple diagnostic tests including culture and non-culture tests like 1,3-β-D-glucan and newer techniques like MALDI-TOF which are available to diagnose candidemia but each with their drawbacks. Additionally, there are various guidelines like IDSA and ESCMID on treatment which aim to minimize death, late complications from deep-seated candidiasis and rise of drug- resistant Candida strains. Through this consensus statement prepared by a panel of experts, all of whom are senior intensivists, infectious disease specialists and microbiologists, we aim to address the major aspects of management of invasive candidiasis in the Indian population as per the authors opinions, backed by published evidence and supported by the latest clinical guidelines.

Background Scrub typhus is a tropical fever caused by orrientia tsutsugamushi and is probably the most under-recognized of all the febrile illnesses leading to hospitalization, especially in India. Although the most common presenting symptoms are fever, myalgia, lymphadenopathy and rash, a significant percentage of patients also present with respiratory complaints. Methods December 2018 at a tertiary care center, in Delhi, India. The primary objective was to determine the incidence of respiratory involvement in patients with scrub typhus on the basis of radiological findings. Secondary objective was to compare the length of hospital stay, clinical presentation, and severity of illness as indicated by transaminitis, thrombocytopenia, inotropic requirement, and lactate levels. Also compared was the difference in mortality between the two groups. Results Pulmonary involvement was seen in 28.9% (22/76) patients which included varied radiological pictures. 5 patients required mechanical and 2 noninvasive ventilation. Eschar was seen in 44.7% out of which 20 had pulmonary involvement. Patients with pulmonary involvement had a significantly greater length of hospital stay (5.82 days vs. 2.56, P < 0.001), more severe transaminitis (P < 0.001), thrombocytopenia (P < 0.001), hyperlactatemia (P < 0.001), higher ionotropic requirement (P < 0.001) and mortality (P = 0.006). Conclusion Pulmonary involvement was seen in almost one-third of the patients with scrub typhus and was associated with higher morbidity and mortality. These patients were sicker, often required intensive care admissions, inotropic support, noninvasive and invasive mechanical ventilation and a significantly prolonged hospitalization. Chest radiographs should be a part of routine evaluation of all patients suspected to have scrub typhus. With such high pulmonary involvement, scrub typhus forms an important differential diagnosis in patients with lung infection residing in endemic areas and in those with a history of travel to such areas Disclosures All authors: No reported disclosures.

Invasive candidiasis has emerged as an important nosocomial infection, especially in critically ill patients. The incidence of candidaemia in Intensive Care Units (ICUs) is 5- to 10-fold higher than in the entire hospital and the crude mortality rate of patients with candidaemia is between 35% and 60%. Candida albicans remains the predominant cause of invasive candidiasis in ICUs, followed by Candida tropicalis, Candida glabrata and Candida parapsilosis. Invasive isolates of Candida spp. remain highly susceptible to fluconazole (>90% susceptible), although among Asia-Pacific countries the susceptibility rate of C. glabrata to fluconazole varies widely from 22% to 72%. Early diagnosis and prompt initiation of antifungal therapy are crucial for the effective treatment of invasive candidiasis. However, invasive candidiasis is difficult to diagnose owing to its non-specific clinical features, and delayed therapy is a major contributor to poor outcomes. Combining clinical risk factors with Candida colonisation parameters appears promising for guiding early interventions. Because of considerable regional variability, local epidemiological knowledge is critical in the effective management of invasive candidiasis among ICU patients in Asia-Pacific.

E an ID is a common challenge for poor. A resident typically accesses multiple service providers, at different times and needs to repeatedly re-establish his ID which is a problem for the poor. The Government of India has launched a project in 2009, under which an Aadhaar, (which means “ foundation”) , a unique 12 digit number, is issued to residents on a voluntary basis free of cost, which would facilitate provision of a robust, one time, reusable, nationally on-line verifiable ID to those who do not have any ID . This number will also clean up the existing databases of beneficiaries of services through uniqueness and by removal of the duplicates and fakes. This, in turn, will improve targeting and delivery of services with cost reduction as the attendant benefit. In India, Financial Inclusion is minimal, with only 5% habitations having banks, 40% of the population having bank accounts, and Life Insurance Cover less than 10%. In fact, the usage of Debit Cards is just 13% and that of the Credit Cards is 2% . Aadhaar has enabled the opening of bank accounts for people who have never had access to banking services so far. To bring millions of Indians in the mainstream of inclusive development, the “Aadhaar” solution comprises enrolment of residents by way of collection and storage of basic demographic and biometric attributes viz. Name, Address, Date of Birth, Gender , photo, 10 finger prints and IRIS and by allotting a 12 digit unique number guaranteeing uniqueness through biometric de-duplication. The technological solution also provides online, cost-effective, ubiquitous Authentication services (anytime, anywhere) across the country. The solution is based on 30+ minutiae extracted from each fingerprint and iris pattern. Aadhaar Authentication is the process wherein Aadhaar number, along with other attributes (biometrics, demographics or One time PIN (OTP)) is submitted to UIDAI’s Central Identities Data Repository (CIDR) for verification. The CIDR verifies whether the data submitted matches the data available in CIDR and responds with only “yes/no” without disclosing any personal identity information as part of the response. The sheer volume and scalability to achieve the target of giving unique ID to 1.2 billion people with 12 billion finger prints and 2.4 billion Iris is a huge challenge. Presently, Enrolment of the magnitude of 01 million per day is being carried out on 100,000 enrolment machines. The major applications of the project are delivery and targeting of beneficiaries in various socio-economic programs run by the government such as Public Distribution System, Direct Benefit Transfers to the needy and poor, Health and Education programs, apart from financial inclusion. The target of the project is to create 600 million Aadhaars by 2014

Severe infection with multiorgan involvement is one of the most common cause of ICU admission in tropical countries. Close monitoring and supportive therapy is the mainstay of treatment in most of these infections, but some of them have specific therapies. Rapid identification of treatable infection is imperative for a better outcome.

A 26-year-old, 14 week pregnant woman was admitted to our hospital with pneumonia with acute respiratory distress syndrome in an intubated and mechanically ventilated state. She was diagnosed to have polymicrobial infection and left-sided pneumothorax and was put on a ventilator for 2 weeks. Postextubation, she found it difficult to clear her respiratory secretions despite aggressive routine chest physiotherapy. She was planned to undergo a mini-tracheostomy for tracheobronchial toileting. However, before that, she was given a trial of Acapella, a hand-held oscillatory positive expiratory pressure (OPEP) therapy device, for facilitating airway clearance, with the aim to speed up the recovery. The patient found it easy to use and clear the secretions optimally, thus averting a mini-tracheostomy. This case report highlights the advantages of the OPEP therapy device in effective management of bronchial hygiene in patients with poor respiratory effort.