Usage of Meropenem Continuous Infusion for Treatment of Infectious Complications in Orthopedic Elderly Patients with Anemia: A Case Series.

Background and Objectives: The prolonged infusion of meropenem is recommended by guidelines for the treatment of sepsis. However, studies provide controversial data on the advantages of prolonged infusions over intermittent ones. In our opinion, this can be related to age, which possibly distorts the final data, as older people have age-related characteristics. In our study, we analyzed the ventilatory status, laboratory tests and vital signs of the patient and carried out microbiological cultures. Materials and Methods: This was a prospective single-center case series investigation conducted from June 2022 to June 2023. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of continuous infusion in elderly patients with severe infectious complications after orthopedic interventions. The primary endpoints were 28-day survival and the emergence of new multidrug-resistant strains. Secondary endpoints were long-term mortality and length of stay in the ICU. Results: Three patients (median age 65, 100% female) received a continuous infusion of meropenem. Two patients were alive at hospital discharge, and one patient died on the 105th day of hospitalization. Multi-resistant bacteria were observed in one patient. Conclusions: The use of a continuous meropenem infusion in the complex treatment of purulent-septic complications in elderly patients with periprosthetic infection and anemia probably led to clinical improvement in these case reports. However, the emergence of new pan-resistant strains and overall mortality using this infusion technique remains unclear. Further, high-quality RCTs for the elderly are needed.

Case report: Successful experience using continuous infusion of meropenem in a geriatric patient with hip fracture complicated by sepsis.

This article highlights a clinical case of successful treatment of a 79-year-old multimorbid patient with a hip fracture resulting from a household injury. On the first day, the patient's injury was complicated by infection and pneumonia. As a result, arterial hypotension, tachysystole, and respiratory failure progressed. With manifestations of sepsis, the patient was transferred to the intensive care unit. Surgical treatment in such a situation was contraindicated due to the high operational and anesthesiological risks, the unstable severe condition of the patient, as well as the presence of concomitant pathology in the form of coronary heart disease, obesity, and schizophrenia. According to the new sepsis management guideline, it was decided to use a continuous 24-h infusion of meropenem in addition to the complex treatment of sepsis. The use of continuous infusion of meropenem in this clinical situation may have caused the patient's clinical improvement, which increased her quality of life and decreased the length of ICU stay and total hospital stay, despite an unfavorable cumulative prognosis and a high risk of in-hospital mortality.

Case Report: Complex Treatment Using Vibroacoustic Therapy in a Patient With Co-Infection and COVID-19.

The present report highlights a case of successful treatment of a 59-year-old patient who experienced pain, swelling, hyperemia, the presence of a wound of the right knee joint, impaired function of the right lower limb, weakness, fatigue, and labored breathing. Sepsis was detected in the patient as a result of periprosthetic infection with concomitant severe COVID-19. The patient was admitted to the hospital for 59 days, with 57 days of treatment of the patient at the intensive care unit. A therapy of multiple organ failure involved complex treatment using antiviral and combined antibiotic therapy, taking into account the sensitivity of the pathogen to antibiotics; glucocorticoid therapy; anticoagulant therapy; the concept of non-invasive ventilation; and vibroacoustic pulmonary therapy as a method of physiotherapy as well. An integrated approach using a vibroacoustic device in the therapy of the patient with sepsis due to periprosthetic infection with concomitant coronavirus infection had a positive effect despite the lack of etiological treatment against the COVID-19.

Influence of a New "Call-Out Algorithm" for Management of Postoperative Pain and Its Side Effects on Length of Stay in Hospital: A Two-Centre Prospective Randomized Trial.

BACKGROUND: We recently introduced the efficacy safety score (ESS) as a new "call-out algorithm" for management of postoperative pain and side effects. In this study, we report the influence of ESS recorded hourly during the first 8 hours after surgery on the mobility degree, postoperative nonsurgical complications, and length of hospital stay (LOS). METHODS: We randomized 1152 surgical patients into three groups for postoperative observation: (1) ESS group (n = 409), (2) Verbal Numeric Rate Scale (VNRS) for pain group (n = 417), and (3) an ordinary qualitative observation (Control) group (n = 326). An ESS > 10 or VNRS > 4 at rest or a nurse's observation of pain or adverse reaction to analgesic treatment in the Control group served as a "call-out alarm" for an anaesthesiologist. RESULTS: We found no significant differences in the mobility degree and number of postoperative nonsurgical complications between the groups. LOS was significantly shorter with 12.7 ± 6.3 days (mean ± SD) in the ESS group versus 14.2 ± 6.2 days in the Control group (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Postoperative ESS recording in combination with the possibility to call upon an anaesthesiologist when exceeding the threshold score might have contributed to the reductions of LOS in this two-centre study. This trial is registered with NCT02143128.