Hospital-based antimicrobial stewardship in Denmark, Greenland and the Faroe Islands - current landscape and barriers.

OBJECTIVES: To describe the current organization and implementation of formalized, multi-disciplinary hospital-based antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) structures in Denmark, the Faroe Islands and Greenland. METHODS: A structured electronic questionnaire was sent to all trainees and specialists in clinical microbiology (N=207) and infectious diseases (N=260), as well as clinical pharmacists (N=20) and paediatricians (N=10) with expertise in infectious diseases. The survey had 30 multiple-choice, rating-scale, and open-ended questions based on an international consensus checklist for hospital AMS, adapted to a Danish context. RESULTS: Overall, 145 individual responses representing 20 hospitals were received. Nine hospitals (45%) reported a formal AMS strategy, eight (40%) a formal organizational multi-disciplinary structure and a multi-disciplinary AMS team, and six (30%) a designated professional as a leader of the AMS team. A majority of hospitals reported access to updated guidelines (80%) and regularly monitored and reported the quantity of antibiotics prescribed (70% and 65%, respectively). Only one hospital (5%) reported a dedicated, sustainable and sufficient AMS budget, three hospitals (15%) audited courses of therapy for specific agents/clinical conditions and four hospitals (20%) had a document clearly defining roles, procedures of collaboration and responsibilities for AMS. A total of 42% of all individual respondents had received formal AMS training. Main barriers were a lack of financial resources (52%), a lack of mandate from the hospital management (30%) and AMS not being a priority (18%). CONCLUSIONS: Core elements important for multi-disciplinary hospital-based AMS can be strengthened in Danish hospitals. Funding, clear mandates, prioritization from the hospital management and the implementation of multi-disciplinary AMS structures may help close the identified gaps.

Laxity of the elbow after experimental excision of the radial head and division of the medial collateral ligament. Efficacy of ligament repair and radial head prosthetic replacement: a cadaver study.

We studied the stabilising effect of prosthetic replacement of the radial head and repair of the medial collateral ligament (MCL) after excision of the radial head and section of the MCL in five cadaver elbows. Division of the MCL increased valgus angulation (mean 3.9 +/- 1.5 degrees) and internal rotatory laxity (mean 5.3 +/- 2.0 degrees). Subsequent excision of the radial head allowed additional valgus (mean 11.1 +/- 7.3 degrees) and internal rotatory laxity (mean 5.7 +/- 3.9 degrees). Isolated replacement of the radial head reduced valgus laxity to the level before excision of the head, while internal rotatory laxity was still greater (2.8 +/- 2.1 degrees). Isolated repair of the MCL corrected internal rotatory laxity, but a slight increase in valgus laxity remained (mean 0.7 +/- 0.6 degrees). Combined replacement of the head and repair of the MCL restored stability completely. We conclude that the radial head is a constraint secondary to the MCL for both valgus displacement and internal rotation. Isolated repair of the ligament is superior to isolated prosthetic replacement and may be sufficient to restore valgus and internal rotatory stability after excision of the radial head in MCL-deficient elbows.

Muscular performance and fatigue in primary hyperparathyroidism.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate changes in muscular strength and endurance, work capacity, and subjective fatigue following surgical treatment of primary hyperparathyroidism (pHPT), and to assess whether changes in muscular function were due to changes in activation of the muscles. A prospective consecutive study design was used, and patients surgically treated for nontoxic goiter served as controls. Nineteen female patients with mild to moderate pHPT and 20 controls were included. Maximal isometric handgrip and quadriceps strength, quadriceps endurance (intermittent stimulation), and quadriceps activation (superimposed twitch technique) were used for evaluation of muscular function. All patients were operated on successfully. Knee extension strength increased by 17 +/- 17% (mean +/- SD; p = 0.0004) in the patients, whereas no change was observed in the controls. The relative strength increase correlated positively to patient age at operation (r = 0.52, p = 0.02). Handgrip strength, quadriceps endurance, and general work capacity did not change in any group after operation. Subjective fatigue was preoperatively higher in patients than in controls (p = 0.01), and decreased postoperatively to the level of controls. In conclusion, women with pHPT increase knee extension force after parathyroidectomy as a result of increased force generation capacity of the muscle. If change in physical performance is a determinant for change in subjective fatigue in pHPT after operation, then change in strength of the quadriceps muscle seems to be of primary importance, whereas handgrip strength, muscular endurance, and work capacity do not seem to be important. The cause of the increasing strength benefit with increasing age at operation as found in this study needs further investigation.

Abdominal lymphadenopathy in benign diseases: CT detection.

A review of 2,100 consecutive computed tomographic (CT) examinations yielded 160 cases of abdominal lymphadenopathy, of which nine (6%) were secondary to benign diseases. Contrary to previous reports, size, location, contour, density, relationship to the aorta, and presence of mass effect were not helpful in distinguishing benign from malignant lymphadenopathy. In some cases, ancillary CT findings, conventional radiographs, and clinical setting may suggest a specific benign entity. Benign processes should be considered in the differential diagnosis of abdominal lymphadenopathy in the appropriate clinical setting, particularly if the patient does not have a known carcinoma.

Abdominal lymphadenopathy in sarcoidosis.

Medical records of 370 patients with sarcoidosis were reviewed. Of these, 32 had a computerized tomographic (CT) and/or ultrasound (US) examination of the abdomen. Two patients had extensive abdominal adenopathy: one was diagnosed by CT and the other by US. Both patients had conventional chest radiographic findings characteristic of sarcoidosis. In addition, five patients had hepatosplenomegaly; three had only hepatomegaly; three had only splenomegaly. There exists a small and previously unsuspected incidence of patients with extensive abdominal adenopathy in sarcoidosis. Although lymphoma and metastatic disease are far more common causes of extensive abdominal lymphadenopathy, sarcoidosis should be considered in the appropriate clinical setting. In many cases, correlation with conventional chest radiographs may be confirmatory.