Feasibility and impact of an intensified antibiotic stewardship programme targeting cephalosporin and fluoroquinolone use in a tertiary care university medical center.

BACKGROUND: Restricted use of third-generation cephalosporins and fluoroquinolones has been linked to a reduced incidence of hospital-acquired infections with multidrug-resistant bacteria. We implemented an intensified antibiotic stewardship (ABS) programme in the medical service of a university hospital center aiming at a reduction by at least 30% in the use of these two drug classes. METHODS: The ABS programme was focused on the 300-bed medical service. Prescription of third-generation cephalosporins was discouraged, whereas the use of penicillins was encouraged. Monthly drug use density was measured in WHO-ATC defined and locally recommended daily doses (DDD and RDD) per 100 patient days, to evaluate trends before (01/2008 to 10/2011) and after starting the intervention (1/2012 to 3/2013). The effect was analysed using interrupted time-series analysis with six non-intervention departments as controls. RESULTS: Following initiation of the ABS intervention, overall antibiotic use in the medical service declined (p < 0.001). There was a significant intervention-related decrease in the use of cephalosporins and fluoroquinolones (p < 0.001) outperforming the decreasing baseline trend. Trend changes observed in some of the control departments were smaller, and the difference between trend changes in the medical service and those in control departments were highly significant for overall use and cephalosporin use reductions (p < 0.001) as well as for the increasing use of penicillins (p < 0.001). Mean use density levels (in RDD per 100 patient days) dropped for cephalosporins from 16.3 to 10.3 (-37%) and for fluoroquinolones from 17.7 to 10.1 (-43%), respectively. During the same period, the use of penicillins increased (15.4 to 18.2; 18%). The changes in expenditures for antibiotics in the medical service compared to control services minus programme costs indicated initial net cost savings likely to be associated with the programme. CONCLUSION: An intensified ABS programme targeting cephalosporin und fluoroquinolone use in the setting of a large academic hospital is feasible and effective. The intervention may serve as a model for other services and hospitals with a similar structure and baseline situation.

Prosthesis oversizing in balloon-expandable transcatheter aortic valve implantation is associated with contained rupture of the aortic root.

BACKGROUND: To retrospectively investigate the potential cause of contained rupture of the aortic root in balloon-expandable transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) by means of pre- and postinterventional multislice computed tomography. METHODS AND RESULTS: Seventy-two patients (mean age 82±7 years, mean aortic valve area 0.69±0.19 cm(2)) underwent balloon-expandable TAVI using the EdwardsSAPIEN Transcatheter Heart Valve (23 mm, n=19; 26 mm, n=50; 29 mm, n=3). Aortic annulus dimensions were quantified by multislice computed tomography-based cross-sectional area assessment and average diameter calculation (CAAD) before and after TAVI. Post-TAVI multislice computed tomography data sets were available in 65 patients; contained aortic root rupture was diagnosed in 3 patients. Pre-TAVI CAAD was 23.1±1.8 mm; post-TAVI CAAD was 22.9±1.3 mm. Median relative change in CAAD pre- and post-TAVI was -0.5% (interquartile range, 3.6%). Relative increase of 5% to 10% was observed in 4 patients (1 with contained rupture), relative increase >10% in 2 patients, both with contained rupture. Mean relative oversizing, calculated as the relative difference in diameter between pre-TAVI CAAD and nominal diameter of the selected prosthesis, was 9.8%±7.8%. Relative oversizing was significantly higher in patients with contained rupture compared with patients without contained rupture (24.6%±5.4% versus 9.1%±6.6%; P<0.001). Relative oversizing ≥20% occurred in 6 patients (3 with contained rupture). CONCLUSIONS: Contained rupture of the aortic root in balloon-expandable TAVI is associated with severe prosthesis oversizing. Multislice computed tomography-based assessment of aortic annulus dimension in conjunction with adapted sizing guidelines may reduce the incidence of severe oversizing.

Cardiovascular diseases in pregnancy.

BACKGROUND: Cardiovascular diseases arise during 0,2% to 4% of all pregnancies in the industrialized world. In Germany, this type of complication, which is sometimes lethal, affects approximately 30 000 pregnant women per year. METHODS: We performed a simple literature search in the NCBI databases for publications that appeared from 2008 to 2010 and that contained the search terms "pregnancy" and one of the following: "valvular disease," "endocarditis," "coronary heart disease," "cardiomyopathy," "hypertension," "anticoagulation." We also took consideration of the relevant international medical society guidelines and of the new database of the Pharmakovigilanz- und Beratungszentrum für Embryonaltoxikologie in Berlin (Embryotox). RESULTS: There is a rising incidence, not only of hypertension during pregnancy, but also of valvular heart disease during pregnancy. Severe valvular stenosis, particularly mitral stenosis, raises the risk of pulmonary edema and should be treated before pregnancy, by valvuloplasty or surgically. Women with high-grade valvular insufficiency and restricted left-ventricular function are at risk of heart failure. For women with mechanical heart valves, the type of anticoagulation during pregnancy must be discussed on an individual basis. Coumarin derivatives are associated with an elevated risk of hemorrhage as well as coumarin embryopathy; recent studies have shown that the latter risk is low and dose-dependent. Spontaneous dissection of the coronary arteries is best treated by catheter intervention with the implantation of a bare metal stent. CONCLUSION: Women of child-bearing age who are at risk for, or already have, cardiovascular disease should receive early counseling and treatment, not just from their family physician, but from an interdisciplinary team composed of gynecologists, cardiologists, and, if necessary, cardiac surgeons.

[Constrictive pericarditis: etiology, diagnostic work-up, and therapy]. / Pericarditis constrictiva: Atiologie, Diagnostik und Therapie.

Constrictive pericarditis is characterized by a fibrous thickened pericardial layer which prevents the cardiac chambers from regular filling. Today, this disease is often caused by previous cardiac surgery or mediastinal radiotherapy, whereas tuberculosis as a cause is less important nowadays. Due to the reduced diastolic filling the cardiac output is diminished and the veins are engorged. The patients present with ascites, liver congestion, and dilated jugular veins. A pericardial effusion, the ECG or an echocardiography may give first hints for the diagnosis. The chest X-ray examination might detect pericardial calcifications (see Figure 2). Doppler echocardiography and cardiac catheterization, especially during breathing maneuvers, are diagnostic, as they demonstrate the diastolic filling disturbance ("dip-plateau sign", see Figure 1), the equal increase of left and right ventricular end-diastolic and mean atrial pressures, and the strong dependency of ventricular filling from respiration. Computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging might reveal the thickened pericardial layer (see Figures 3 and 4). The most important differential diagnosis is restrictive cardiomyopathy, which has similar clinical and hemodynamic findings. A comprehensive diagnostic work-up is necessary, as the constrictive pericarditis may be cured by a timely performed pericardial resection.

Suicide attempt by intravenous injection of gasoline: a case report.

BACKGROUND: There is much experience with intoxication by aspiration of volatile hydrocarbon products, whereas intravenous injection of these distillates is rare. There are only few reports that describe a wide variety of associated pathological changes, predominantly in the pulmonary system. OBJECTIVES: We report the case of an intravenous self-injection of gasoline by a young man in a suicide attempt. CASE REPORT: Immediately after injecting gasoline, the 22-year-old man developed bradycardia, hypotension, and increasing dyspnea. Computed tomography scan of the chest showed signs consistent with diffuse alveolar-toxic damage to the lung. These symptoms and radiological findings are similar to those commonly observed after inhalation of this type of substance. This may have been due to diffusion of gasoline into the alveoli, where its presence leads to this characteristic damage. In this patient, gasoline entered the intramuscular tissue, and the patient developed a soft-tissue phlegmon at the forearm. At operation, gas emanation and superficial necrosis were noted. Nevertheless, the patient's outcome was good, with full recovery within 3 weeks. CONCLUSIONS: The major changes in this patient after intravenous injection of gasoline were in the pulmonary system, including hypoxemia and radiological findings that could be related to an exhalation of the volatile substance. In addition, gas in the musculature of the injection area caused a soft-tissue phlegmon.

Initial experience with 64-slice cardiac CT: non-invasive visualization of coronary artery bypass grafts.

AIMS: The aim of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy in the assessment of coronary artery bypass grafts using 64-slice computed tomography (CT) technology. METHODS AND RESULTS: CT coronary angiography was performed for 96 bypasses in 31 patients with suspected coronary artery disease using a Siemens Sensation 64-slice CT-scanner and compared with invasive coronary angiography (ICA). Patients with an irregular or fast heart rate despite beta-blocker administration were not excluded from the study. All bypass grafts and 94% of the distal bypass anastomoses could be visualized by CT, non-evaluable distal arterial anastomoses were either due to clip material or calcification artefacts. Forty-two bypass graft occlusions and three significant stenoses were detected by CT and confirmed by ICA. Two venous grafts were missed and one arterial graft was not evaluable with ICA, but both were clearly depicted by multi-slice CT. One false negative and two false positive CT-findings resulted in a sensitivity of 97.8%, a specificity of 89.3%, a positive predictive value of 90%, and a negative predictive value of 97.7%. CONCLUSION: State-of-the-art 64-slice CT coronary angiography demonstrates high diagnostic accuracy in the assessment of arterial and venous bypass graft stenoses.