A pilot project of expert nurses for the follow-up of complex intravenous antimicrobial treatment.

OBJECTIVE: To report a pilot project of expert nurses for outpatient parenteral antimicrobial treatment (OPAT) follow-up. METHODS: Three nurses with specific training on antibiotics started a state-funded programme including: i) consultations for OPAT follow-up; ii) hotline for satellite hospitals; iii) peer training. Patients' data were prospectively collected. A representative sample of patients and physicians was interviewed to learn about their opinion on the project. RESULTS: From December 2020 to December 2021, 118 patients (median age 66.5 years [52-75], male-to-female ratio 2.5) were enrolled, for a total of 621 consultations. Patients were mostly on OPAT for bone and joint infections (n = 76, 64 %) and cardiovascular infections (n = 16, 14 %), for a median duration of 29 days [22-57]. Eleven patients (9 %) required unplanned hospital admissions, and three experienced treatment failure. Most patients (21/22) and physicians in charge (10/10) reported a high level of satisfaction. CONCLUSIONS: Nurses may be important actors for OPAT follow-up.

Changing profile of encephalitis: Results of a 4-year study in France.

CONTEXT: In 2007, we performed a nationwide prospective study to assess the epidemiology of encephalitis in France. We aimed to evaluate epidemiological changes 10years later. METHODS: We performed a 4-year prospective cohort study in France (ENCEIF) from 2016 to 2019. Medical history, comorbidities, as well as clinical, biological, imaging, and demographic data were collected. For the comparison analysis, we selected similar data from adult patients enrolled in the 2007 study. We used Stata statistical software, version 15 (Stata Corp). Indicative variable distributions were compared using Pearson's Chi2 test, and means were compared using Student's t-test for continuous variables. RESULTS: We analyzed 494 cases from 62 hospitals. A causative agent was identified in 65.7% of cases. Viruses represented 81.8% of causative agents, Herpesviridae being the most frequent (63.6%). Arboviruses accounted for 10.8%. Bacteria and parasites were responsible for respectively 14.8% and 1.2% of documented cases. Zoonotic infections represented 21% of cases. When comparing ENCEIF with the 2007 cohort (222 adults patients from 59 hospitals), a higher proportion of etiologies were obtained in 2016-2019 (66% vs. 53%). Between 2007 and 2016-2019, the proportions of Herpes simplex virus and Listeria encephalitis cases remained similar, but the proportion of tuberculosis cases decreased (P=0.0001), while tick-borne encephalitis virus (P=0.01) and VZV cases (P=0.03) increased. In the 2016-2019 study, 32 causative agents were identified, whereas only 17 were identified in the 2007 study. CONCLUSION: Our results emphasize the need to regularly perform such studies to monitor the evolution of infectious encephalitis and to adapt guidelines.

Determinants and consequences of positive valve culture when cardiac surgery is performed during the acute phase of infective endocarditis.

The optimal timing of cardiac surgery in infective endocarditis (IE) remains debated: Early surgery decreases the risk of embolism, and heart failure, but is associated with an increased rate of positive valve culture. To determine the determinants, and the consequences, of positive valve culture when cardiac surgery is performed during the acute phase of IE, we performed a retrospective study of adult patients who underwent cardiac surgery for definite left-sided IE (Duke Criteria), in two referral centres. During the study period (2002-2016), 148 patients fulfilled inclusion criteria. Median age was 65 years [interquartile range, 53-73], male-to-female ratio was 2.9 (110/38). Cardiac surgery was performed after 14 days [5-26] of appropriate antibiotics. Valve cultures returned positive in 46 cases (31.1%). Factors independently associated with positive valve culture were vegetation size ≥ 10 mm (OR 2.83 [1.16-6.89], P = 0.022) and < 14 days of appropriate antibacterial treatment before surgery (OR 4.68 [2.04-10.7], P < 0.001). Positive valve culture was associated with increased risk of postoperative acute respiratory distress syndrome (37.0% vs. 15.7%, P = 0.008) but was associated neither with an increased risk of postoperative relapse nor with the need for additional cardiac surgery. Duration of appropriate antibacterial treatment and vegetation size are independently predictive of positive valve culture in patients operated during the acute phase of IE. Positive valve culture is associated with increased risk of postoperative acute respiratory distress syndrome.

Outpatient parenteral antimicrobial therapy for infective endocarditis: a cost-effective strategy.

OBJECTIVES: We evaluated the benefit/risk ratio of outpatient parenteral antimicrobial therapy (OPAT) in infective endocarditis (IE). METHOD: We performed an observational retrospective study of definite IE (Duke criteria) treated in an infectious diseases unit in 2012. We compared patients having completed the treatment in hospital (H), and those deemed sufficiently stable, and with adequate home environment, for OPAT. The costs were estimated through hospital bills, and, for OPAT, through the costs of drugs and their administration (material, staff), transportation, and outpatient visits. RESULTS: Eighteen out of 39 consecutive patients presenting with IE received OPAT, with a mean hospital stay of 23.5days (vs 34.7days for H group, P=0.014). No severe adverse event related to OPAT was reported. The global saving was estimated at 267,307euros, or 14,850euros per patient. CONCLUSIONS: OPAT in selected patients presenting with IE seems effective, safe, and reduces costs by approximately 15,000euros per patient.

Contribution of 18fluoro-deoxyglucose PET/CT for the diagnosis of infectious diseases.

The diagnosis of some infectious diseases is sometimes difficult to make and new diagnostic tools have been regularly assessed to that end. 18fluoro-deoxyglucose ((18)FDG) positron-emission tomography (PET) coupled with computed tomography (CT) is one of these new procedures. It has been evaluated for numerous infectious diseases with uneven results. A literature review allowed drawing some conclusions. First, (18)FDG-PET/CT is not currently a first-line procedure for infectious diseases. Second, it has proved useful for the evaluation of patients presenting with fever of unknown origin (FUO). Its negative predictive value is 100%: the symptoms of patients experiencing FUO with negative first-line investigations and a negative (18)FDG-PET/CT will almost always spontaneously disappear. Third, (18)FDG-PET/CT also seems to be contributive for the diagnosis of vascular prosthesis infections or osteomyelitis. Fourth, it has promising results for patients presenting with infective endocarditis, especially for secondary infectious foci, or for patients presenting with suspected infection of pacemakers or implanted defibrillator; but results are still preliminary and must be confirmed. Finally(18)FDG-PET/CT cannot be recommended yet for other infectious diseases due to lack of published data.

The features of infectious diseases departments and anti-infective practices in France and Turkey: a cross-sectional study.

The aim of this study was to assess the infectious diseases (ID) wards of tertiary hospitals in France and Turkey for technical capacity, infection control, characteristics of patients, infections, infecting organisms, and therapeutic approaches. This cross-sectional study was carried out on a single day on one of the weekdays of June 17-21, 2013. Overall, 36 ID departments from Turkey (n = 21) and France (n = 15) were involved. On the study day, 273 patients were hospitalized in Turkish and 324 patients were followed in French ID departments. The numbers of patients and beds in the hospitals, and presence of an intensive care unit (ICU) room in the ID ward was not different in both France and Turkey. Bed occupancy in the ID ward, single rooms, and negative pressure rooms were significantly higher in France. The presence of a laboratory inside the ID ward was more common in Turkish ID wards. The configuration of infection control committees, and their qualifications and surveillance types were quite similar in both countries. Although differences existed based on epidemiology, the distribution of infections were uniform on both sides. In Turkey, anti-Gram-positive agents, carbapenems, and tigecycline, and in France, cephalosporins, penicillins, aminoglycosides, and metronidazole were more frequently preferred. Enteric Gram-negatives and hepatitis B and C were more frequent in Turkey, while human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and streptococci were more common in France (p < 0.05 for all significances). Various differences and similarities existed in France and Turkey in the ID wards. However, the current scene is that ID are managed with high standards in both countries.

[Bacterial meningitis: factors related to the delay before appropriate antibiotic administration in the emergency department]. / Méningites bactériennes : facteurs associés au délai d'instauration d'une antibiothérapie adaptée aux urgences.

OBJECTIVES: We had for aim to check the appropriateness of our practices according to French guidelines (17th consensus conference, SPILF 2008) and to identify variables associated with the delay before appropriate measures were implemented. METHODS: Our retrospective observational study (2009-2011) focused on acute bacterial meningitis (ABM) in adults. Data was collected on a standardized questionnaire from medical charts and nurse reports. RESULTS: We included 31 adults presenting with ABM; 29 (93.5%) received ceftriaxone or cefotaxime in the emergency department. Indications for corticosteroids and brain imaging complied with guidelines in respectively 71.0% and 83.9% of cases. The median delays (IQR) were: admission/lumbar puncture (LP), 2h43 [1h09-5h57]; admission/antimicrobials, 3h21 [1h34-5h11]. The indication of suspected ABM in the admission letter was associated with earlier LP (P=0.01), and was almost significantly associated also with faster initiation of adequate antibiotic therapy (P=0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Suspicion of ABM mentioned in the admission letter was associated to a better management in the emergency department.

Current role of CT and whole body MRI in multiple myeloma.

Radiology of bone lacunae can help differentiate between smouldering and symptomatic myeloma. CT seems to be more apt for this purpose than a standard X-ray but appropriate principles must be applied when performing and reading it. Lesions visible in an MRI above all allow myelomas to be monitored during treatment. Because of the radiation dose, whole body CT must be performed with a slice thickness of 2mm, increments of 1.5 and intensity of 40mAs. It should be read associating the reading of the axial slices with reading the mean coronal and sagittal projections of a thickness of 2cm. Whole body MRI must associate T1-weighted sagittal, STIR coronal and b-800 diffusion-weighted axial sequences. Changes in the disease correlate with changes in the diffusion, STIR and T1-weighted images interpreted together. While whole body CT has a place in clinical routine, the indication for whole body MRI still needs to be clarified and has yet to take its place in research protocols.

[Recurrent tick-borne fever: a possible diagnosis in patients returning from Senegal]. / Fièvre recurrente à tiques: un diagnostic non rare au décours d'un séjour touristique au Sénégal.

In Senegal, tick-borne relapsing fever caused by the spirochetes Borrelia crucidurae is the most common cause of fever after malaria in rural areas. However, this is only rarely diagnosed in France, probably because: i) the diagnosis relies on investigations that are not routinely done; ii) even undiagnosed, borreliosis may be cured with empirical antibiotic treatment. We report four observations of tick-borne relapsing fever in patients returning from Senegal: In two patients, the diagnosis relied on the observation of spirochetes in blood smears; in the other two, the diagnosis relied on typical clinico-biological signs, borreliosis serology and exposure. These four cases diagnosed over a four year period in one institution suggest that relapsing fever is not rare in patients returning from West Africa. Patients who return form Senegal with unexplained fever should be investigated with careful examination of blood smears and PCR on blood samples.