Coinfección bacteriana en el paciente COVID-19 crítico: incidencia, impacto y necesidad de tratamiento antibiótico / Bacterial coinfection in the critically-ill COVID-19 patient: incidence, impact and need for antimicrobial therapy

Objetivos. Evaluar la frecuencia de coinfección bacteriana al ingreso en UCI en pacientes con neumonía por SARS-CoV-2, su microbiología e impacto en el pronóstico. El objetivo secun dario fue identificar factores de riesgo de coinfección al ingreso. Métodos. Estudio retrospectivo, se incluyeron pacientes con neumonía por SARS-CoV-2 ingresados en UCI. Definimos coinfección bacteriana por síntomas respiratorios, datos radioló gicos, resultados microbiológicos positivos y clínicamente signi ficativos en muestras obtenidas en las primeras 48 h de ingreso y/o una determinación de procalcitonina ≥ 0,5 ng/mL en las pri meras 48 h. Evaluamos variables demográficas, comorbilidades, datos de la infección por SARS-CoV-2, scores de gravedad, tra tamientos recibidos, necesidad de soporte respiratorio y resulta dos (estancia y mortalidad durante el ingreso en UCI y hospital). Resultados. Se analizaron 182 pacientes, 62 (34.1%) con coinfección bacteriana. La microbiología más frecuente fue S. pneumoniae y M. pneumoniae. El 96.1% de los pacientes re cibieron antibioterapia al ingreso, 98,9% corticoides, 27,5% tocilizumab y 7,7% remdesivir. El 85.7% necesitó ventilación mecánica invasiva. La puntuación en SOFA (OR: 1,315, IC 95% 1,116-1,548) y el retraso en el ingreso en UCI (OR: 0,899, IC 95% 0,831-0,972) se relacionaron con el riesgo de coinfección. La coinfección bacteriana aumenta el riesgo de muerte en el hospital (OR 2,283; IC 95% 1,011-5,151; p=0,047). Conclusiones. La coinfección bacteriana es frecuente en pacientes COVID ingresados en UCI y aumenta el riesgo de muerte. No es posible identificar con seguridad, en el momen to de ingreso, qué pacientes no se benefician de tratamiento antibiótico (AU)

ion upon ICU admission in SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia patients, its microbiology, and impact on prognosis.The secondary ob jective was to identify risk factors for coinfection on admis sion. Methods. Retrospective study, including patients with SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia admitted to the ICU.We defined bac terial coinfection by respiratory symptoms, radiological data, positive and clinically significant microbiological results in samples obtained in the first 48 h of admission and/or a de termination of procalcitonin ≥ 0.5 ng/mL in the first 48 h.We evaluated demographic variables, comorbidities, SARS-CoV-2 infection data, severity scores, treatments received, need for respiratory support and outcomes (ICU and hospital mortality). Results. A total of 182 patients were analyzed, 62 (34.1%) with bacterial coinfection.The most frequent microbiology was S. pneumoniae and M. pneumoniae.96.1% of the patients re ceived antibiotic therapy on admission, 98.9% corticosteroids, 27.5% tocilizumab, and 7.7% remdesivir.85.7% required inva sive mechanical ventilation.The SOFA score (OR: 1.315, 95% CI 1.116-1.548) and the delay in ICU admission (OR: 0.899, 95% CI 0.831-0.972) were related to the risk of coinfection.Bacterial coinfection increases the risk of death in hospital (OR 2.283; 95% CI 1.011.5.151; p=0.047). Conclusions. Bacterial coinfection is common in COVID patients admitted to the ICU and increases the risk of death.It is not possible to identify with certainty, at the time of admis sion, which patients do not benefit from antibiotic treatment (AU)

MulTi-FAST: A Machinability Assessment of Functionally Graded Titanium Billets Produced from Multiple Alloy Powders.

Technological developments in the area of functionally graded multi-material manufacture are poised to disrupt the aerospace industry, providing the means for step-change improvements in performance through tailored component design. However, the challenges faced during the downstream processing, i.e., machining of such functionally graded multi-materials are unclear. In this study, the challenges involved when face-turning billets consisting of multiple alloys are assessed. To achieve this, a cylindrical billet consisting of Ti-64, Ti-6242, Ti-5553 and Beta C alloys was manufactured from powder feedstock using field-assisted sintering technique (FAST) and termed MulTi-FAST billets. A detailed study of the structural integrity during machining at the diffusion bond interfaces of multiple titanium alloy bond pairings in the MulTi-FAST billet was conducted. The machining forces were measured during face-turning to investigate the impact and behaviour of different alloy pairings during a continuous machining operation. The results showed the significant differences in force machining response, surface topography and the type of surface damage was dependent on the direction the titanium alloy graded pairings were machined in. In terms of subsurface microstructural damage, regardless of the machining direction, no critical damage was found in the vicinity of the bonded alloys. The findings provide an insight into the deformation characteristics and challenges faced in the machining of functionally graded components with multiple titanium alloys.