Outcomes of Clostridioides difficile infection in adult cancer and non-cancer patients hospitalised in a tertiary hospital: a prospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) is one of the most common healthcare-associated (HA) infections. Cancer patients, particularly haemato-oncological patients, have an increased risk for CDI due to more risk factors compared with non-cancer patients. The aim of this study was to investigate differences in outcomes associated with HA CDI in patients with solid and haematological malignancies compared with patients with no underlying malignant disease in a tertiary healthcare centre in Serbia. METHODS: A prospective cohort study was conducted including adult patients diagnosed with an initial episode of HA CDI. Their demographic and clinical characteristics associated with risk factors for CDI were documented. Outcomes such as all-cause 30-day mortality, cure of infection, diarrhoea relaps and recurrence of disease were followed. Patients were assigned to cancer and non-cancer groups. Within the cancer group, patients were divided into the solid tumour subgroup and haematological malignancy subgroup. RESULTS: During a 7-year period, HA CDI was observed in 28 (5.1%) patients with haematological malignancy, 101 (18.3%) patients with solid tumours and 424 (76.7%) non-cancer patients. Older age (OR 1.04, 95% CI 1.02 to 1.07, p<0.001), admission to the intensive care unit (ICU) (OR 2.61, 95% CI 1.37 to 4.95, p=0.003), mechanical ventilation (OR 5.19, 95% CI 2.78 to 9.71, p<0.001) and use of antibiotics prior to CDI (OR 1.04, 95% CI 1.02 to 1.06, p=0.02) were associated with increased mortality. Compared with patients with solid tumours, patients with haematological malignancy were younger (65 vs 57 years, p=0.015), did not require ICU admission (25.0% vs 0%) or mechanical ventilation (8.9% vs 0%) and were treated longer with antibiotics prior to CDI (14 vs 24 days, p=0.002). CONCLUSIONS: Patients with haematological malignancy were exposed to different risk factors for CDI associated with mortality compared with patients with solid tumours and non-cancer patients. Older age, ICU stay and mechanical ventilation, but not presence or type of cancer, predicted the all-cause 30-day mortality.

Failure of intravenous lipid emulsion in treatment of cardiotoxicity caused by mixed overdose including dihydropyridine calcium channel blockers.

INTRODUCTION: Calcium channel blockers and beta-blockers are among the most frequently ingested cardiovascular drugs in self-poisoning causing significant mortality. Intravenous lipid emulsion (ILE) is reported as a potentially novel antidote for treatment of acute poisoning caused by some of these drugs. CASE REPORT: We presented two cases of poisoning with these drugs. The case 1, a 24-year-old woman ingested amplodipine, metformin and gliclazide for self-poisoning. She presented with tachycardia and hypotension. Laboratory analyses revealed hyperglycaemia and metabolic acidosis. Despite the treatment which included fluid resuscitation, vasopressors, intravenous calcium, glucagon and ILE, circulatory shock occurred. The patient died 10 hours after admission due to cardiac arrest refractory to cardiopulmonary resuscitation. The case 2, a 41-year-old man, was found in a coma with empty packages of nifedipine, metoprolol and diazepam tablets. On admission vital signs included Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) of 3, weak palpable pulses, undetectable blood pressure, and irregular breathing with oxygen saturation of 60%. An electrocardiography showed AV block (Mobitz II) with ventricular rate of 44/min with progression to third degree of AV block. In attempt to increase heart rate and blood pressure the following agents were administered: atropine boluses, normal saline with dopamine, glucagon, calcium chloride and ILE. Temporary transvenous pacemaker was placed, electrical capture was recorded, but without improvement in haemodynamics. Three hours after admission cardiac arrest happened and cardiopulmonary resuscitation was unsuccessful. CONCLUSION: Intravenous lipid emulsion may be ineffective in acute poisonings with amlodipine, nifedipine or metoprolol.

Intravenous lipid emulsion in treatment of cardiocirculatory disturbances caused by glyphosate-surfactant herbicide poisoning.

Introduction: Glyphosate is the first widely used herbicide against weed in genetically modified crops. Though glyphosate itself has a low toxicity, commercial products are more dangerous because of increased toxicity due to surfactants addition. There is no specific antidote for the poisoning with glyphosate-surfactant (Gly-SH). In recent times, the efficacy of intravenous lipid emulsion (ILE) administration for the treatment of acute poisoning caused by Gly- SH has been investigated. Case Report: A 50-year-old man was admitted 3 hours after self-poisoning with herbicide containing glyphosate and polyoxyethyleneamine, as a surfactant. On admission, the patient was in a coma, hypotensive (80/50 mmHg) and without spontaneous breathing. Electrocardiogram showed widecomplex tachycardia, and arterial blood gas (ABG) revealed acidosis (pH 7.07). Conventional treatment included mechanical ventilation, intravenous fluids, bicarbonate and dopamine. As there was no improvement, ILE was started. The patient received 100 mL of 20% Intralipid® bolus followed by infusion of 400 mL over 20 minutes. Prior to expiration of infusion, a gradual rise in blood pressure was noted, and within 2 hours sinus rhythm was restored. Conclusion: This case report suggests that the use of ILE may be an additional option for the treatment of cardiocirculatory disturbances caused by commercial products of glyphosate herbicide.

Severe propranolol and ethanol overdose with wide complex tachycardia treated with intravenous lipid emulsion: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Propranolol is a highly lipid-soluble beta-blocker. We describe a case of severe propranolol overdose, with atypical dysrhythmia--wide complex tachycardia--which was successfully treated with lipid emulsion. CASE REPORT: A 31-year-old woman ingested approximately 3.6 g of propranolol along with ethanol. Clinical manifestations of poisoning included coma, seizures, respiratory failure, hypoglycaemia, circulatory shock, and dysrhythmias. An ECG revealed nonspecific intraventricular conduction delay, followed by wide complex supraventricular tachycardia. Toxicological analysis of blood showed ethanol 2.42 g/L and propranolol 4.21 mg/L. The patient responded poorly to conventional therapy, so intravenous lipid emulsion was used. Apart from IV dopamine, the only treatment after the onset of wide complex tachycardia was 20% Intralipid. Transient improvement was noticed after the initial dose of 500 mL; during the infusion of further Intralipid, blood pressure returned to normal and sinus rhythm was re-established. CONCLUSION: We believe that lipid emulsion had a beneficial effect in the treatment of propranolol toxicity.

[Stability investigation of total parenteral nutrition admixture prepared in a hospital pharmacy].

BACKGROUND/AIM: In the cases when nutrition of patients can not be orally nor enterally performed, parenteral nutrition is a method of the therapy that provides more successful and rapid recovery. In that way, hospitalization can be significantly shorter, healing costs reduced and mortality minimized. Total parenteral nutrition (TPN) admixtures are the most complex systems which contain amino acids, carbohydrates, lipid emulsion, macroelectrolytes (Na+, K+, Ca2+, Mg2+, Cl(-), SO4(2-), PO4(3-)), oligoelements, hydro- and liposoluble vitamines, heparin, insulin and water. Concerning the mentioned complexity, special attention should be payed to physicochemical and microbiological stability of a mixture, because of interactions among components, that can be very hard to analyze. The aim of this study was to investigate the problem of stability of TPN admixtures prepared in a hospital pharmacy. METHODS: Admixture TPN was aseptically prepared in laminar air--flow environment on the basis of the specified order in supplementing components and additives to basic solutions. Solutions were kept in sterile multicompartment ethylene-vinyl-acetate bags. After preparation and slow homogenization, TPN admixtures were submitted to physicochemical and microbiological stability analyses in various period of time. The assessment of physical stability of TPN admixture was done on the basis of visual inspection, determination of pH value and measuring of particle size. The investigation of sterility and pyrogenic test were performed according to Ph. Yug. V regulations. RESULTS: Physico-chemical and microbiological analyses were applied and no significant changes in visual sense, pH value and droplet size stability of the TPN admixture were observed during the period of 60 hours The lipid droplets were smaller in size than 5 microm, that is the most common pharmacopoeia requirement. CONCLUSION: The results of our study confirmed that a TPN admixture prepared in a hospital pharmacy can be stored without stability loss for at least 60 hours.