[Use of antibiotics for the treatment of multiresistant gram positive cocci infections in critical patients]. / Utilización de antibióticos en el tratamiento de infecciones por cocos grampositivos multirresistentes en pacientes críticos.

INTRODUCTION: This study has been designed to know the use of these antibiotics (ATB) in Intensive Care Units (ICUs). DESIGN AND PATIENTS: A multicentric, prospective, observational study was conducted. In cluded as cases were the indications of vancomycin (VAN), teicoplanin (TPN), quinupristin/dalfopristin (Q/D) and linezolid (LZD). RESULTS: A total of 826 indications (VAN 52.1%, TPN 36.6%, LZD 11.6% and Q/D 0%) were analyzed, 793 (96%) as treatment and 33 (4%) as prophylaxis in 818 patients. Serious sepsis or septic should occurred in 55.9% of the patients treated. The most common infections were pneumonia and catheter-related bacteremia, 48.3% of all the infections being acquired in ICUs. LZD was used mostly in mechanical-ventilation related pneumonia (p = 0.001), VAN in community Central Nervous System infections (p = 0.01) and in catheter-related bacteremia (p = 0.001), TPN in community pneumonia (p = 0.01) and in catheter-related bacteremia (p = 0.001). Treatments were empirical in 65.8% and diagnosis of gram positive cocci was confirmed in 48.3% of them. Staphylococcus aureus was isolated more in the LZD-treated group. Initial treatment was modified 224 times, this occurring more frequently in the VAN-treated group. The reason for this change was clinical failure 59 times, this being more frequent in the TPN group and less frequent in the patients treated with LZD, which was the drug used the most in rescue therapies (43/69, 62.3%). Adverse events, probably related to the ATB, were identified in 36/826 (4.4%) cases. CONCLUSIONS: The most common use of this ATB was to treat ICU-acquired infections. VAN was the most frequently used drug. Treatments with LZD were modified less frequently for clinical failure and this drug was the one most used in rescue therapies. This information indicates an appropriate use of these ATB in an important percentage of critically patients.

Utilización de antibióticos en el tratamiento de infecciones por cocos grampositivos multirresistentes en pacientes críticos / Use of antibiotics for the treatment of multiresistant gram positive cocci infections in critical patients

Introducción. Este estudio se ha diseñado paraconocer el uso de antibióticos (ATB) específicosfrente a cocos grampositivos multirresistentes enCuidados Intensivos.Diseño y pacientes. Estudio observacional, prospectivo y multicéntrico. Se incluyeron como casos las indicaciones de vancomicina (VAN), teicoplanina (TPN), quimipristina/dalfopristina (Q/D) y linezolid (LZD).Resultados. Se analizaron 826 indicaciones (VAN 52,1%; TPN 36,6%; LZD 11,6% y Q/D 0%), 793 (96%) como tratamiento y 33 (4%) como profilaxis en 818 pacientes. El 55,9% de las infecciones se presentaron con sepsis grave o shock séptico. Las más frecuentes fueron neumonías y bacteriemias relacionadas con catéter, y el48,3% fueron adquiridas en la Unidad de Cuidados Intensivos (UCI). LZD fue más utilizado en neumonías relacionadas con ventilación mecánica (p = 0,001), VAN en infecciones del sistema nervioso central (p = 0,01) y en bacteriemias relacionadas con catéter (p = 0,001) y TPN en neumonías comunitarias (p = 0,01) y en bacteriemias relacionadas con catéter (p = 0,001). El 65,8% de los tratamientos fueron empíricos. Staphylo cocus aureus resistente a meticilina fue el más aisladoen el grupo de pacientes tratados con LZD.El tratamiento inicial se modificó en 224 ocasiones,circunstancia más frecuente en tratados con VAN. El motivo de esta modificación fue por fracaso clínico en 59 ocasiones, siendo más frecuente en el grupo tratado con TPN y menos en el tratado con LZD, que además fue el fármaco más utilizado en los tratamientos de rescate(43/69, 62,3%). Se han identificado efectos adversosprobablemente relacionados con los ATB en 36/826 (4,4%) casos.Conclusiones. Las indicaciones más frecuentesfueron para tratar infecciones adquiridas en laUCI. VAN fue el fármaco más utilizado. El tratamientocon LZD se modificó en menos ocasiones por fracaso clínico y fue el más empleado como tratamiento de rescate. El conjunto de la información muestra un empleo adecuado de estos ATB en un importante porcentaje de pacientes críticos

Introduction. This study has been designed toknow the use of these antibiotics (ATB) in Intensive Care Units (ICUs).Design and patients. A multicentric, prospective,observational study was conducted. Included as cases were the indications of vancomycin(VAN), teicoplanin (TPN), quinupristin/dalfopristin (Q/D) and linezolid (LZD).Results. A total of 826 indications (VAN 52.1%,TPN 36.6%, LZD 11.6% and Q/D 0%) were analyzed,793 (96%) as treatment and 33 (4%) as prophylaxis in 818 patients. Serious sepsis or septic should occurred in 55.9% of the patients treated.The most common infections were pneumonia and catheter- related bacteremia, 48.3% of all the infections being acquired in ICUs. LZD was used mostly in mechanical-ventilation related pneumonia (p = 0.001), VAN in community Central Nervous System infections (p = 0.01) and in catheter-related bacteremia (p = 0.001), TPN in community pneumonia (p = 0.01) and in catheter-related bacteremia (p = 0.001). Treatments were empirical in65.8% and diagnosis of gram positive cocci wasconfirmed in 48.3% of them. Staphylococcus aureuswas isolated more in the LZD-treated group.Initial treatment was modified 224 times, this occurringmore frequently in the VAN-treated group.The reason for this change was clinical failure 59times, this being more frequent in the TPN groupand less frequent in the patients treated with LZD,which was the drug used the most in rescue therapies(43/69, 62.3%). Adverse events, probably relatedto the ATB, were identified in 36/826 (4.4%)cases.Conclusions. The most common use of this ATBwas to treat ICU-acquired infections. VAN was themost frequently used drug. Treatments with LZDwere modified less frequently for clinical failureand this drug was the one most used in rescuetherapies. This information indicates an appropriateuse of these ATB in an important percentageof critically patients

[Multiple organ failure in Plasmodium falciparum malaria]. / Fallo multiorgánico en el paludismo por Plasmodium falciparum.

A 44-year-old Spanish woman travelled in Kenya without doing correct malarial prophylaxis. Upon her return to Spain, she suffered from Plasmodium falciparum malaria. She was initially treated with chloroquine for three days, but her state worsened and she was admitted to our intensive care unit. On admission, parasitaemia was 22%. She had hyperpyrexia, obtundation, hypotension, tachycardia, tachypnoea, jaundice, digestive haemorrhage, petechiae in her soles, oliguria with elevation of serum uraemia and creatinine, anaemia, thrombocytopaenia, hypoproteinaemia, hyponatraemia, hypocalcaemia, metabolic acidosis and parameters of disseminated intravascular coagulation. She was given quinine, sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine and clindamycin. An exchange transfusion was performed, during which an acute pulmonary oedema appeared, initially with high pulmonary artery wedge pressure. She required mechanical ventilation for 16 days and haemodialysis for 11 days. She remained in coma and had seizures which required diazepam, phenitoin and thiopentone. She received a total amount of 22 units of packed erythrocytes, 55 of platelets and 15 of plasma. After the first week, she had nosocomial infection due to Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa and was treated with the corresponding antibiotics. She cured completely. This case report gives us the possibility of discussing on frequent problems in the prevention and treatment of malaria, and on the treatment of severe, life-threatening malaria in the setting of the intensive care unit.