Project description:Real-time molecular survey of Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates from 2008 to 2018 reveals tuberculosis transmission in a tertiary-care university hospital
Project description:Corynebacterium striatum is an emerging nosocomial pathogen. This is the first report showing the presence of three distinct multidrug resistant lineages of C. striatum among patients in a UK hospital. The presence of ErmX, Tet(W), Bla and AmpC proteins, and mutations in gyrA gene are associated with the resistance to clindamycin, doxycycline, penicillin and moxifloxacin, respectively. These strains are equipped with several corynebacterial virulence genes including two SpaDEF-type and a novel pilus gene cluster, which needs further molecular characterisation. This study highlights a need of developing an active surveillance strategy for routine monitoring and preventing potential cross-transmission among susceptible patients.
Project description:BackgroundInadvertent perioperative hypothermia is an unintentional drop in core body temperature to less than 36 °C perioperatively and is associated with many negative outcomes such as infection, a prolonged stay in a recovery room, and decreased patient comfort.ObjectiveTo determine the incidence of postoperative hypothermia and to identify the associated factors with postoperative hypothermia in patients undergoing head, neck, breast, general, urology, and vascular surgery. The incidences of pre- and intraoperative hypothermia were examined as the intermediate outcomes.Materials and methodsA retrospective chart review was conducted in adult patients undergoing surgery at a university hospital in a developing country for two months (October to November 2019). Temperatures below 36 °C were defined as hypothermia. Univariate and multivariate analyses were used to identify factors associated with postoperative hypothermia.ResultsA total of 742 patients were analyzed, the incidence of postoperative hypothermia was 11.9% (95% CI 9.7%-14.3%), and preoperative hypothermia was 0.4% (95% CI 0.08%-1.2%). Of the 117 patients with intraoperative core temperature monitoring, the incidence of intraoperative hypothermia was 73.5% (95% CI 58.8-90.8%), and hypothermia occurred most commonly after anesthesia induction. Associated factors of postoperative hypothermia were ASA physical status III-IV (OR = 1.78, 95%CI 1.08-2.93, p = 0.023) and preoperative hypothermia (OR = 17.99, 95%CI = 1.57-206.89, p = 0.020). Patients with postoperative hypothermia had a significantly longer stay in the PACU (100 min vs. 90 min, p = 0.047) and a lower temperature when discharged from PACU (36.2 °C vs. 36.5 °C, p < 0.001) than those without hypothermia.ConclusionThis study confirms that perioperative hypothermia remains a common problem, especially in the intraoperative and postoperative periods. High ASA physical status and preoperative hypothermia were associated factors of postoperative hypothermia. In order to minimize the incidence of perioperative hypothermia and enhance patient outcomes, appropriate temperature management should be emphasized in patients at high risk.RegistrationClinical Trials.gov (NCT04307095) (13/03/2020).
Project description:ObjectivesUnplanned readmissions to the intensive care unit (ICU) are highly undesirable, increasing variance in care, making resource planning difficult and potentially increasing length of stay and mortality in some settings. Identifying patients who are likely to suffer unplanned ICU readmission could reduce the frequency of this adverse event.SettingA single academic, tertiary care hospital in the UK.ParticipantsA set of 3326 ICU episodes collected between October 2014 and August 2016. All records were of patients who visited an ICU at some point during their stay. We excluded patients who were ≤16 years of age; visited ICUs other than the general and neurosciences ICU; were missing crucial electronic patient record measurements; or had indeterminate ICU discharge outcomes or very early or extremely late discharge times. After exclusion, 2018 outcome-labelled episodes remained.Primary and secondary outcome measuresArea under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) for prediction of unplanned ICU readmission or in-hospital death within 48 hours of first ICU discharge.ResultsIn 10-fold cross-validation, an ensemble predictor was trained on data from both the target hospital and the Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care (MIMIC-III) database and tested on the target hospital's data. This predictor discriminated between patients with the unplanned ICU readmission or death outcome and those without this outcome, attaining mean AUROC of 0.7095 (SE 0.0260), superior to the purpose-built Stability and Workload Index for Transfer (SWIFT) score (AUROC=0.6082, SE 0.0249; p=0.014, pairwise t-test).ConclusionsDespite the inherent difficulties, we demonstrate that a novel machine learning algorithm based on transfer learning could achieve good discrimination, over and above that of the treating clinicians or the value added by the SWIFT score. Accurate prediction of unplanned readmission could be used to target resources more efficiently.
Project description:ObjectiveAlthough numerous studies have assessed patient satisfaction in diverse settings, in the realm of nursing surgical care, standardization of measurement for patient experience and satisfaction is lacking. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess the satisfaction of surgical patients with perioperative nursing care.MethodA descriptive cross-sectional survey was conducted. Sociodemographic characteristics and clinical data were recorded. Patient satisfaction was measured with a modified version of the La Monica-Oberst Patient Satisfaction Scale (LOPSS-12).Results150 patients (73 women, 49% and 77 men; 51%) completed the survey. The mean age was 63 years (standard deviation, 16 years). The mean overall satisfaction score on the La Monica-Oberst Patient Satisfaction Scale was 3.17 (standard deviation, 0.21). The scale showed adequate content validity (Lawshe's Content Validity Index was 0.76) and moderate reliability (Cronbach's alpha = 0.70). Two variables-patient sex and the presence of comorbidities-were significantly associated with overall satisfaction: men and patients with comorbidities were more satisfied with the care received. Patients with university studies were significantly more likely than patients with less education to consider nurses "impatient," but also considered the nurses' advice to be "useful." Patients with hospital-acquired complications were more likely to perceive nurses to be "more interested in completing tasks than in listening," although they also felt that nurses worked "conscientiously."ConclusionOverall, patient satisfaction with perioperative nursing care was good. This study identified several areas of nursing care in need of improvement, particularly the need to spend more time with patients and to keep them better informed about the perioperative process. The modified La Monica-Oberst Patient Satisfaction Scale is suitable for measuring surgical patient satisfaction with perioperative nursing care. The findings presented here may be of value to nursing administrators, educators, and nursing care providers to improve patient satisfaction and to develop strategies to prevent patient dissatisfaction.
Project description:BackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic remains a pressing concern to patients with cancer as countries enter the second peak of the pandemic and beyond. It remains unclear whether cancer and its treatment contribute an independent risk for mortality in COVID-19.MethodsWe included patients at a London tertiary hospital with laboratory confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection. All patients with a history of solid cancer were included. Age- and sex-matched patients without cancer were randomly selected. Patients with hematological malignancies were excluded.ResultsWe identified 94 patients with cancer, matched to 226 patients without cancer. After adjusting for age, ethnicity, and co-morbidities, patients with cancer had increased mortality following COVID-19 (HR 1.57, 95% CI:1.04-2.4, p = 0.03). Increasing age (HR 1.49 every 10 years, 95% CI:1.25-1.8, p < 0.001), South Asian ethnicity (HR 2.92, 95% CI:1.73-4.9, p < 0.001), and cerebrovascular disease (HR 1.93, 95% CI:1.18-3.2, p = 0.008) also predicted mortality. Within the cancer cohort, systemic anti-cancer therapy (SACT) within 60 days of COVID-19 diagnosis was an independent risk factor for mortality (HR 2.30, 95% CI: 1.16-4.6, p = 0.02).ConclusionsAlong with known risk factors, cancer and SACT confer an independent risk for mortality following COVID-19. Further studies are needed to understand the socio-economic influences and pathophysiology of these associations.
Project description:ObjectiveSurgical site infections (SSIs) were the most common healthcare-associated infection mainly in developing countries. Inappropriate use of surgical antibiotic prophylaxis, in terms of antibiotic choice, timing, and duration, can lead to the selection of resistant microorganisms and high costs. The aim of this study was to investigate the pattern of antibiotic use, incidence and predictors of SSIs at Tikur Anbessa Specialized Hospital, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.ResultsFrom 131 patients, 55.7% were male study participants. Ninety (68.7%) patients received preoperative prophylaxis. Ceftriaxone was the most 76 (84.5%) prescribed agent for prophylaxis. Twenty-seven (20.6%) patients developed surgical site infection. Previous surgery AOR = 3.22 (95% CI [1.14-9.13]) and alcohol use AOR = 7.04 (95% CI [2.56-23.12, p = 0.000]) were independent predictors of SSIs in multivariate logistic regression analysis.
Project description:IntroductionEarly antibiotic administration is one of the core treatments of sepsis which associated with reduced mortality rate. However, the appropriate timing of antibiotics remains a controversial issue, especially in patients without septic shock. Here, we reported the outcomes of early antibiotic administration within one hour from the time of infection suspicion in a tertiary care hospital.MethodsWe reviewed the medical records and sepsis protocols in Chulabhorn Hospital, Bangkok, Thailand, from January 2021 to December 2023 for patients presenting with sepsis. We had our own sepsis protocol which we used for early detection and treatment of sepsis patients. We compared the 28-day mortality, 90-day mortality, and the length of stay between patients with time-to-antibiotics (TTA) within one hour and patients with TTA more than one hour.ResultsWe recruited 1,506 patients into our study. The mean age is 68 years and 49.40% of patients is female. 90.97% of the patients have comorbidities. The most common comorbidities were cancer (68.66%), and hypertension (33.40%). The 28-day mortality rate and the 90-day mortality rate were significantly lower in the patients with TTA within one hour compared to those with TTA more than one hour (P = 0.009 and P = 0.042, respectively). Nonetheless, adjusted mortality rate was significantly lower in only 28-day mortality rate but not 90-day mortality rate. Subgroup analysis showed that the mortality rate was significantly lower in patients with ICD-10 diagnosis of infections (15.35% vs. 21.51%, P = 0.029), patients with cancer (17.29% vs. 24.11%, P = 0.016), and patients with solid cancer (20.86% vs. 28.18%, P = 0.036). However, subgroup analysis for the mortality rate at 90 days were not statistically significant.ConclusionAntibiotic administration within one hour from the time of infection suspicion is associated with lower mortality rates at 28 days but not at 90 days after adjusted analysis. Cancer patients, especially patients with solid cancer, will benefit more with time-to-antibiotics less than one hour.
Project description:The aim of this study was to record the demographic and epidemiological data on adult patients with headache who attend the emergency department (ED) and the diagnoses that made by the neurologists in the ED of a tertiary care hospital in metropolitan Thessaloniki (Greece). In an open prospective study, demographic and epidemiological data were collected on all patients who reported headache (as chief complaint or not) and presented to the ED of Papageorgiou Hospital between August 2007 and July 2008. Headache patients accounted for 1.3% of all ED patients and for 15.5% of patients primarily referred to the ED neurologist. Tension type headache was the most frequent diagnosis, followed by secondary headaches and migraine. The large number of patients without final ED diagnosis and ward admission for further evaluation sheds a light on the immense workload of Greek ED physicians. Furthermore, we found evidence for the misuse of Emergency Medical Services by chronic headache patients. These findings indicate shortcomings in the pre-hospital (primary care) management of headache patients in the Greek National Health System to an extent unreported so far.