Clinical Risk Factors for Infective Endocarditis in Staphylococcus aureus Bacteremia.

Crucial to the management of staphylococcal bacteremia is an accurate evaluation of associated endocarditis, which has both therapeutic and prognostic implications. Because the clinical presentation of endocarditis can be nonspecific, the judicious use of echocardiography is important in distinguishing patients at high risk of developing endocarditis. In the presence of high-risk clinical features, an early transesophageal echocardiogram is warranted without prior transthoracic echocardiography. The purpose of this study was to investigate the clinical risk factors for staphylococcal infective endocarditis that might warrant earlier transesophageal echocardiography and to describe the incidence of endocarditis in cases of methicillin-resistant and methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia. A retrospective case-control study was conducted by means of chart review of 91 patients consecutively admitted to a community hospital from January 2009 through January 2013. Clinical risk factors of patients with staphylococcal bacteremia were compared with risk factors of patients who had definite diagnoses of infective endocarditis. There were 69 patients with bacteremia alone (76%) and 22 patients with endocarditis (24%), as verified by echocardiography. Univariate analysis showed that diabetes mellitus (P=0.024), the presence of an automatic implantable cardioverter-defibrillator/pacemaker (P=0.006) or a prosthetic heart valve (P=0.003), and recent hospitalization (P=0.048) were significantly associated with developing infective endocarditis in patients with S. aureus bacteremia. The incidence of methicillin-resistant and methicillin-sensitive S. aureus bacteremia was similar in the bacteremia and infective-endocarditis groups (P=0.437). In conclusion, identified high-risk clinical factors in the presence of bacteremia can suggest infective endocarditis. Early evaluation with transesophageal echocardiography might well be warranted.

Rheumatoid arthritis-associated corneal ulceration with superimposed infection by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus: a complicated type of corneal melt.

BACKGROUND: Severe extra-articular manifestations of rheumatoid arthritis usually occur in advanced stages of the disease. In particular, ocular involvement may lead to inflammatory corneal ulceration, in which therapy is challenging owing to its association with systemic vasculitis. Close collaboration between ophthalmologists and rheumatologists is paramount in providing the best treatment approach in this sight-threatening condition. CASE REPORT: We present a case of seropositive rheumatoid arthritis associated with corneal melting in the absence of other typical clinical manifestations of rheumatoid arthritis flare. The rheumatoid arthritis-associated corneal ulcer was complicated in our case by concomitant infection with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, which was treated with intravenous vancomycin after an initial antimicrobial ophthalmic solution proved not to be making adequate improvement in the corneal healing. The recurrent corneal melting appeared to be aggravated by the ophthalmic infection while on immunosuppressive regimen. CONCLUSIONS: In patients on biologic agents, intravenous antibiotics must be considered in addition to ophthalmic eye solution in controlling the infectious process. Excluding concomitant ophthalmic infection is equally important before initiation of high-dose steroid and immunosuppressive regimens.

Recurrent silent thyroiditis as a sequela of postpartum thyroiditis.

Thyroiditis encompasses a group of disorders characterized by thyroid inflammation. Though clinically indistinguishable from silent thyroiditis, postpartum thyroiditis occurs in women within 12 months after delivery. Recurrent postpartum thyroiditis in subsequent pregnancies is common, but recurrent silent thyroiditis is rare. We reported a case of patient with recurrent episodes of thyroiditis, unrelated to pregnancy, after an episode of postpartum thyroiditis. It is of interest that postpartum thyroiditis and silent thyroiditis could occur closely to each other; however, the link between these disorders is not well established. This report is to remind physicians of the possibility of recurrent silent thyroiditis in women with a history of postpartum thyroiditis.

Finding the missing link in neuromyelitis optica presenting with recurrent transverse myelitis flares.

Neuromyelitis optica (NMO) is a distinct clinical entity from multiple sclerosis with its own clinical, laboratory and pathological characteristics. Definitive diagnosis of NMO is challenging at times as there can be a long interval between the occurrence of the index event and other neurological deficits which would fulfill the diagnostic criteria. Detection of NMO antibody could serve as an early marker in the disease progression. We present a young woman previously identified to have NMO antibody with recurring episodes of transverse myelitis for 3 years before manifesting with optic neuritis.

Atypical presentation of an advanced obstructive biliary cancer without jaundice.

PATIENT: Female, 60 FINAL DIAGNOSIS: Cholangiocarcinoma Symptoms: Abdominal pain • abdominal discomfort MEDICATION: - Clinical Procedure: - Specialty: Oncology. OBJECTIVE: Unusual natural history/clinical course. BACKGROUND: Cholangiocarcinoma remains to be a challenging case to diagnose and manage as it usually presents in advanced stage and survival rate remains dismal despite the medical breakthroughs. It is usually classified as intrahepatic, perihilar or distal tumor which can lead to bile duct obstruction causing sluggish flow of bile through the biliary tract and promoting increased absorption of bilirubin, bile acids and bile salts into systemic circulation accounting for the occurrence of jaundice, dark-colored urine and generalized pruritus. It usually becomes symptomatic when the tumor has significantly obstructed the biliary drainage causing painless jaundice and deranged liver function with cholestatic pattern. Jaundice occurs in 90% of the cases when the tumor has obstructed the biliary drainage system. A markedly dilated gallbladder as initial presenting feature in the absence of other typical obstructive clinical manifestations of an advanced stage of the cholangiocarcinoma is rare. CASE REPORT: This case report presents an atypical case of an elderly woman who presented with advanced metastatic ductal cholangiocarcinoma with markedly dilated gallbladder and liver mass without other clinical manifestations and laboratory evidence of cholestatic jaundice. CONCLUSIONS: The mere presence of Courvoisier's sign, even in the absence of other signs of biliary obstruction, could be suggestive of advanced neoplastic process along the biliary tract. Laboratory evidence of cholestasis might lag behind the clinical severity of the biliary obstruction in cholangiocarcinoma.

Validation of the selection process of PhilHealth sponsored members in 4 barangays in a municipality in Batangas using the participatory action research

Objective. The present study aims to correlate the LGU list of PhilHealth Sponsored Members in a municipality of Batangas with the list of poor residents as identified by the Participatory Action Research (PAR) methodology. Method. Interview of key informants documented the processes utilized by the LGU in determining PhilHealth beneficiaries for the Sponsored Program and the Participatory Action Research (PAR) survey in the classification of households into poor, middle and rich in four barangays of the municipality. The list of LGU Sponsored members was then cross matched with the PAR household classification. Results. The comparison of the LGU list of Sponsored members and the household classification by the PAR survey showed a wide discrepancy: (1) 464 "Not Found" Sponsored households or 70% of the LGU's Sponsored list; (2) inclusion of the non-poor: 140 middle class families as classified by the PAR survey or 21.1% of the LGU's Sponsored list; and (3) exclusion of 413 or 87.5% of true poor families identified by the PAR Survey. Only 59 families or 8.9% of the LGU Sponsored list were classified as poor families by PAR. Conclusion. PAR offers communities, LGUs and the National Health Insurance Program a tool to validate the coverage of the Sponsored program. LGUs and the PhilHealth should consider such tool or similar tools to validate their identification, selection and enrollment of the poor, which is extremely vital in achieving universal coverage. Given the right tool, communities are in the best position to identify the poor for the Sponsored program. By way of collaboration with the underprivileged themselves, the academe has a role in assisting communities in acquiring collective awareness of their own situation and developing capacity for improving their lives. The academe also has a role in assisting LGUs in improving their health systems and national health programs in validating and improving their implementation. Further studies should be done to investigate the following: the identity of the "not found" SP members; the utilization of PhilHealth benefits by the poor; and the prospect of utilizing the PAR method by other non-academic institutions in monitoring the progress of community programs.

Validation of the selection process of PhilHealth sponsored members in 4 barangays in a municipality in Batangas using the participatory action research

OBJECTIVE: The present study aims to correlate the LGU list of PhilHealth Sponsored Members in a municipality of Batangas with the list of poor residents as identified by the Participatory Action Research (PAR) methodology. METHOD: Interview of key informants documented the processes utilized by the LGU in determining PhilHealth beneficiaries for the Sponsored Program and the Participatory Action Research (PAR) survey in the classification of households into poor, middle and rich in four barangays of the municipality. The list of LGU Sponsored members was then cross matched with the PAR household classification. RESULTS:The comparison of the LGU list of Sponsored members and the household classification by the PAR survey showed a wide discrepancy: (1) 464 "Not Found" Sponsored households or 70% of the LGU's Sponsored list; (2) inclusion of the non-poor: 140 middle class families as classified by the PAR survey or 21.1% of the LGU's Sponsored list; and (3) exclusion of 413 or 87.5% of true poor families identified by the PAR Survey. Only 59 families or 8.9% of the LGU Sponsored list were classified as poor families by PAR. CONCLUSION:PAR offers communities, LGUs and the National Health Insurance Program a tool to validate the coverage of the Sponsored program. LGUs and the PhilHealth should consider such tool or similar tools to validate their identification, selection and enrollment of the poor, which is extremely vital in achieving universal coverage. Given the right tool, communities are in the best position to identify the poor for the Sponsored program. By way of collaboration with the underprivileged themselves, the academe has a role in assisting communities in acquiring collective awareness of their own situation and developing capacity for improving their lives. The academe also has a role in assisting LGUs in improving their health systems and national health programs in validating and improving their implementation. Further studies should be done to investigate the following: the identity of the "not found" SP members; the utilization of PhilHealth benefits by the poor; and the prospect of utilizing the PAR method by other non-academic institutions in monitoring the progress of community programs.

Microbiology and antibiotic susceptibility of organisms in bile cultures from patients with and without cholangitis at an Asian academic medical center.

PURPOSE: To review the epidemiology of microbial isolates from bile cultures taken from patients with and without cholangitis admitted to an Asian academic medical center in order to compare antimicrobial sensitivities and to make recommendations for empiric antimicrobial therapy of patients with cholangitis in the Philippines. METHODS: Routine aerobic bile culture results and corresponding clinical abstracts of surgical patients admitted to an academic medical center over a three-year period were analyzed. RESULTS: The series consisted of 125 patients, 77 with cholangitis (62%) and 48 (38%) without, which was determined according to the Tokyo Guidelines. Patients with cholangitis were significantly more likely to have positive bile cultures (p = 0.012). Gram-negative bacilli were the most common isolates in both patients with (94%) and patients without (95%) cholangitis. For both groups, Escherichia coli (36%) had greatest sensitivity to amikacin, cefepime, ceftriaxone, gentamicin, imipenem-cilastatin meropenem, and piperacillin-tazobactam; Klebsiella pneumoniae (16%) had greatest sensitivity to amikacin, cefepime, ceftriaxone, gentamicin, imipenem-cilastatin meropenem, and piperacillin-tazobactam; and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (12.5%) was most sensitive to cefepime, gentamicin, imipenem-cilastatin meropenem, and piperacillin-tazobactam. CONCLUSIONS: Gram-negative bacilli (or Enterobacteriaceae) (E. coli, K. pneumoniae, P. aeruginosa, and Enterobacter cloacae) were the most common aerobic microbial isolates in bile cultures from patients with cholangitis in the Philippines. Their antimicrobial susceptibility patterns suggest that imipenem-cilastatin (sensitivity 100%), meropenem (100%), amikacin (90-100%), cefepime (75%-100%), ceftriaxone (75%-100%), gentamicin (67%-100%), and piperacillin-tazobactam (50%-100%) would be the most effective antimicrobials for both groups. However, the authors echo the caution from the Surgical Infection Society/Infectious Diseases Society of America against using aminoglycosides as empiric drugs when safer and equally effective regimens are available.

Clinical and microbiological spectrum of necrotizing fasciitis in surgical patients at a Philippine university medical centre.

OBJECTIVE: The study describes the clinical characteristics, bacteriology and risk factors for mortality of patients with necrotizing fasciitis (NF), seen in a university medical centre. METHODS: The medical charts of NF patients admitted to the institution from January 2004 to July 2007 were retrieved and reviewed retrospectively. RESULTS: The majority of the 67 patients included in the study presented with localized nonspecific inflammatory manifestations: tenderness (94%), warmth (86%), oedema (76%), skin necrosis (75%), and ulceration (68%). Diabetes mellitus (22%) was the most common predisposing medical condition. The most frequent isolates were Escherichia coli (44%), Acinetobacter baumannii (19%), Staphylococcus aureus (15%) and Enterococcus faecium (15%). Overall mortality rate was 36%. Risk factors significantly associated with mortality were truncal involvement (p = 0.034), leukocytosis (p = 0.038), acidosis (p = 0.001), hypoalbuminaemia (p = 0.004), hypocalcaemia (p = 0.000) and hyponatraemia (p = 0.023). Logistic regression analysis revealed acidosis [p < 0.05, odds ratio (OR) = 9] and hypoalbuminaemia (p < 0.05, OR = 14) as significant independent risk factors for mortality. CONCLUSION: The identified risk factors can inform clinicians of increased mortality risks for certain patients with NF. They should serve as a trigger for more aggressive surgical and critical care, and antimicrobial therapy for these patients.