Mortalidad por COVID-19 y diagnóstico tardío en las primeras etapas de la pandemia en Bolívar-Colombia / Mortality from COVID-19 and late diagnosis in the early stages of the pandemic in Bolívar-Colombia

Introducción: Los pacientes fallecidos por COVID-19 al inicio de la pandemia evidencian características clínico-epidemiológicas particulares y su identificación, lo mismo que los aspectos asociados a su diagnóstico son fundamentales para la implementación de estrategias en salud pública que permitan la protección sanitaria de los grupos más vulnerables. Objetivo: Determinar las características clínico epidemiológicas de los pacientes fallecidos por COVID-19 y su asociación con el diagnóstico tardío en las primeras etapas de la pandemia en el departamento de Bolívar-Colombia. Materiales y Métodos: Estudio descriptivo de corte transversal con una muestra de 51 pacientes fallecidos por COVID-19; se calculó la frecuencia relativa de los factores de riesgo clínico epidemiológicos de estos pacientes y se realizó un análisis bivariado para evidenciar la asociación con la posibilidad de ser diagnosticado después de la muerte, usando la razón de disparidad (OR) con su intervalo de confianza Resultados: El 47,2 por ciento de los diagnósticos se hicieron después de la muerte; el promedio entre el inicio de los síntomas y la muerte fue aproximadamente 13 días, en los que se evidencia como comorbilidades importantes las enfermedades cardíacas (58,5 por ciento) y la hipertensión (35,8 por ciento). La asociación con el diagnóstico después de la muerte se relaciona con los casos notificados en abril y mayo (p=0,03), ser mayor de 80 años (p=0,03) y tener malnutrición (p=0,04). Conclusión: En el contexto del departamento de Bolívar se observan fallas en el diagnóstico oportuno de algunos grupos poblacionales vulnerables y a los pacientes con enfermedades cardíacas se debe prestar atención para evitar la alta mortalidad(AU)

Introduction: Patients who died from COVID-19 at the beginning of the pandemic show particular clinical-epidemiological characteristics and their identification as well as the aspects associated with the diagnosis are fundamental for the implementation of public health strategies that allow the sanitary protection of the most vulnerable groups. Objective: To determine the clinical-epidemiological characteristics of patients who died from COVID-19 and its association with late diagnosis in the early stages of the pandemic in the department of Bolívar-Colombia. Material and Methods: Descriptive cross-sectional study with a sample of 51 patients who died from COVID-19; the relative frequency of the clinical-epidemiological risk factors of these patients was calculated and a bivariate analysis was performed to show the association with the possibility of being diagnosed after death, using the disparity ratio (OR) with its confidence interval. Results: The 47,2 percent of the diagnoses were made after death; the average between the onset of symptoms and death was approximately 13 days, in which heart disease (58,5 percent) and hypertension (35,8 percent) were evidenced as important comorbidities. The association with diagnosis after death is related to the cases reported in April and May (p = 0.03), being older than 80 years (p = 0.03) and having malnutrition (p = 0.04). Conclusion: In the context of the department of Bolívar, failures are observed in the timely diagnosis of some vulnerable population groups, thus special attention should be paid to patients with heart disease to avoid high mortality(AU)

Perfil microbiológico de neumonías asociadas a ventilación mecánica en el Hospital de Talca / Microbiological profile of ventilator-associated pneumonia at Hospital de Talca

INTRODUCTION: Ventilator-associated pneumonia is the sixth nosocomial infection most frequent in Chile. Considering the high mortality associated in this infection, it is important to know the local agents and their respective resistances and susceptibilities to choose and appropriate management. OBJECTIVE: Describe the resistance and susceptibilities to antibiotics of the most frequent microorganism in ventilator-associated pneumonia in the Intensive Care Unit at Hospital Regional de Talca. METHODS: We studied the resistance and susceptibility to antibiotics to each organism isolated in patients with ventilator-associated pneumonia in the Intensive Care Unit at Hospital Regional de Talca since 2013 to 2016, according to the reports of the Cross Infection Unit at this establishment. OUTCOMES: We collected 59 cases and there were 29 cases of them with one microorganism. The highest incidence of ventilator-associated pneumonia was in 2014, while the lowest was in 2015. The most frequent agents isolated were A. baumannii (32,2%), S. aureus (30,1%), P. aeruginosa (10,75%) and K. pneumoniae (10,75%). In general, we found that the highest resistence to antibiotic was to Ceftriaxone, while the highest susceptibility to antibiotic were to Vancomicine and Tigecicline.

Perfil microbiológico de infecciones urinarias asociadas a cateterismo permanente en el Hospital de Talca / Microbiological profile of urinary infections associated to permanent catheterization at Hospital de Talca

Urinary tract infection associated to permanent catheterization is the most frequent infection associated to health care. Antibiotic resistance is an increasing problem, thus it is important to know the local pathogenic agents, their resistance and sensibility profiles to use an optimal treatment. OBJECTIVES: Describe the resistance and sensibility profiles in the most frequent microorganisms in urinary tract infections associated to permanent catheterization at the Internal Medicine Service of Hospital Regional de Talca. METHODS: We studied the antibiotic resistance and sensitivity of each microorganism isolated from urinary samples from patients with the antecedent of permanent urinary catheterization at the Internal Medicine Service of Hospital Regional de Talca since January 2013 to December 2016, according to the records at the Cross Infection Unit of this center. OUTCOMES: We collected 69 cases, there were 14 of them with two agents. The highest incidence of urinary tract infections associated to permanent urinary catheterization was at 2014, while the lowest at 2015. The most frequent agents detected were K. pneumoniae (34%), E. coli (20%), P. aeruginosa (20%) and A. baumannii (5%), holding a similar tendency in each year. We found 23 strains of Enterobacteriaceae producing Extended-spectrum ß- Lactamases. In general we found that Carbapenems and Amikacin had the best sensitivity while Nitrofurantoin and Ciprofloxacin had the highest resistance