Central Line-Associated Bloodstream Infection Misclassifications-Rethinking the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Central Line-Associated Bloodstream Infection Definition and Its Implications.

Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services imparts financial penalties for central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs) and other healthcare-acquired infections. Data for this purpose is obtained from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)'s National Health Safety Network. We present examples of misclassification of bloodstream infections into CLABSI by the CDC's definition and present the financial implications of such misclassification and potential long-term implications.

Severe Mpox Infections in People With Uncontrolled Human Immunodeficiency Virus.

In the current mpox outbreak, infections are usually self-limited. We describe 3 patients with uncontrolled HIV and mpox infections lasting months, causing debilitating lesions, complications, and death, despite initiating anti-mpox and antiretroviral therapy. Delayed treatment of mpox with antiviral agents may contribute to poor outcomes in severely immunocompromised patients.

Cervical cancer screening among HIV-infected women in an urban, United States safety-net healthcare system.

OBJECTIVE: Little is known about cervical cancer screening and results patterns among HIV-infected (HIV+) women in real-world healthcare settings. We characterized two periods of screening opportunity. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort. SETTING: US safety-net healthcare system in Dallas County, Texas. PARTICIPANTS: We analyzed data from electronic medical records (EMR) of 1490 HIV+ women receiving care 2010-2014. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: At baseline, we categorized a woman's Pap status 15 months prior to index date as under-screened (vs. screened), and cytology result (normal vs. abnormal). Then, we examined screening completion and results, and colposcopy uptake and results after an abnormal screen, in the subsequent 15-month period. RESULTS: More than half of women (56%) had no evidence of a Pap test (i.e. under-screened) at baseline. Under-screened women were more likely to be older (50-64 years), have diabetes, and unknown viral load; they were less likely to be Black, Hispanic, have Medicaid, recently pregnant, have a HIV clinic visit, or a CD4 cell count at least 200 cells/µl. Nearly half of under-screened women (46%, n = 383) remained under-screened in the subsequent 15 months. Among women under-screened at baseline who later completed screening and follow-up during the study period, 21 high-grade dysplasia and three cancers were diagnosed. Overall, 40% of women did not receive colposcopy when needed, with most failures to follow-up occurring in women who were under-screened at baseline. CONCLUSION: Most HIV+ women receiving care in a safety-net system did not receive sufficient screening for cervical cancer and remained at exceptionally high risk of developing high-grade dysplasia.