Bacterial sensitivity to fosfomycin in pregnant women with urinary infection

AbstractThe aim this study was to determine the in vitro susceptibility to fosfomycin of bacteria isolated from urine samples of pregnant women with urinary tract infection. Samples of urine culture with bacterial growth of pregnant women were collected from clinical laboratories in Tubarão, state of Santa Catarina, Brazil, between September 2012 and May 2013. In the experimental stage, the colonies were tested for sensitivity to fosfomycin by using the Kirby–Bauer method. The following information relating to the samples was also collected: patients’ age, colony count, type(s) of identified bacterial(s) and result of the antimicrobial sensitivity test. Student's t-test was used for mean comparison. A total of 134 samples were selected for the study. The age of the subjects ranged from 15 to 40 years (mean 26.7). Escherichia coli (Gram-negative) and Staphylococcus aureus (Gram-positive) were the most commonly identified species. In 89% of cases, the microorganisms were sensitive to fosfomycin. E. coli and S. aureus were the main species of bacteria responsible for urinary tract infections in women in the study area. The most prevalent microorganisms in pregnant women with urinary tract infection were susceptible to fosfomycin

Medication discrepancies in a hospital in Southern Brazil:: the importance of medication reconciliation for patient safety

Medication discrepancies are of great concern in hospitals because they pose risks to patients and increase health care costs. The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of inconsistent medication prescriptions to adult patients admitted to a hospital in southern Santa Catarina, Brazil. This was a patient safety study on patients recruited between November 2015 and June 2016. The participants were interviewed and had their medical records reviewed. Discrepant medications were considered those that did not match between the list of medicines taken at home and the prescribed drugs for treatment in a hospital setting. Of the 394 patients included, 98.5% took continuous-use medications at home, with an average of 5.5 medications per patient. Discrepancies totaled 80.2%, The independent variables associated with the discrepancies were systemic arterial hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, vascular disease, number of medications taken at home, and poor documentation of the medications in the medical record. Findings from this study allowed us to conclude there was a high rate of prescription medication misuse. Medication reconciliation is crucial in reducing these errors. Pharmacists can help reduce these medication-related errors and the associated risks and complications

Assessing the overall medication use by elderly people in a Brazilian hospital using the start/stopp criteria version 2

To estimate the frequency of the use of medicines listed in the Screening Tool to Alert Doctors to the Right Treatment (START) and Screening Tool of Older Person’s Prescriptions (STOPP) criteria version 2 among the elderly. A cross-sectional study was conducted on elderly who were attended in medical clinic and cardiology sectors in a hospital in southern Brazil attended at a hospital from February through September 2016. A data-collection tool was used to obtain information on variables, such as demographic and clinical data, and medications used before and during the hospitalization period. The adequacy of the medicines taken was examined with regard to omission (START) or inappropriate use (STOPP). This study was approved by the Research Ethics Committee of the University of Southern Santa Catarina. A total of 307 subjects were included in the final sample. The mean age was 75.2 years (SD = 8; range 65-102). Of the total, 93.5% had had at least one potential prescribing omission (PPO) listed in the START criteria, whereas 95.4% used at least one medicine of the STOPP criteria. PPO was significantly associated with lower mean age (74.9 years, SD = 7.9 versus 79.0 years, SD = 8.8) among the elderly who did not have PPOs detected by the START criteria (p-value=0.03). Furthermore, PPO was associated with longer hospital stay (18 versus 9 days; p-value=0.03). This study revealed inadequate prescription affecting 99.3% of the participating patients. To the best of our knowledge, this was the first to use the START and STOPP criteria, version 2, in Brazil

Adherence to the Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) protocol in breast reconstruction plastic surgery

Introduction: The Enhanced Recovery After Surgery Society (ERAS) protocol has revolutionized perioperative care, improving in-hospital management and outcomes for patients undergoing breast reconstruction plastic surgery. This study evaluated adherence to the ERAS protocol recommendations for plastic surgery in two reference hospitals in the country’s south. Method: Cross-sectional study using a medical record database in two hospitals in southern Brazil from 2018 to 2021. The definition of the variables to be evaluated was based on the most recent ERAS protocol proposed by Temple-Oberle and collaborators. The results were analyzed by descriptive epidemiology. Results: The average rate of compliance with the ERAS protocol per participant was 50.7%. The mean length of stay was 11 hours and 52 minutes. The number of indications with a strong degree of recommendation achieved showed the ability to reduce the length of stay (Spearman ρ = -0.397) (p<0.001). Conclusion: Adherence to perioperative optimization measures in breast reconstruction plastic surgery can reduce patients’ hospital stays. However, the average adherence rate per patient is still low, making it evident the need to optimize the care of patients undergoing this surgery

Incidence of infections associated with the use of invasive devices in an ICU after application of the Improvement Science Method

Objective: To reduce the incidence density of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP), central line-associated bloodstream infection (CLABSI), and catheter-associated urinary tract infection (CAUTI) in the intensive care unit (ICU) using the Improvement Science method. Methods: This was a single-center retrospective cohort study. A collaborative quality improvement team developed and implemented local changes to HAI-related processes and protocols. Pre-intervention, intervention, and post-intervention periods were compared. The study was conducted at the Adult ICU of a hospital in southern Brazil. Variables were analyzed using interrupted time series analysis with segmented linear regression, simple correlation, and hypothesis testing. Results: There was a reduction in the incidence density of all infections. VAP was reduced from 27.2% to 7.2% (p < 0.001), CLABSI from 3.0% to 0.9% (p = 0.017), and CAUTI from 8.3% to 1.8% (p < 0.001). The ICU stay was also reduced from 6.7 to 6 days (p = 0.018). Conclusion: There was an improvement in all the evaluated parameters. Ongoing monitoring of related indicators and adherence to implemented measures are essential to sustain improvements. Applying the Improvement Science methodology can reduce the incidence of HAIs in the ICU

The first survey of human T-cell lymphotropic viruses (HTLV) in HIV/AIDS patients in Santa Catarina State, Brazil

Santa Catarina is a Brazilian State that has reported the lowest prevalence of human T-cell lymphotropic viruses (HTLV-1/2) in blood donors (0.04%). Although it presents ports, airports and roads that facilitate the entrance and dissemination of new infectious agents, no information exists concerning the HTLV-1/2 infections in HIV/AIDS patients. This study searched for HTLV-1/2 antibodies in plasma samples of 625 HIV/AIDS patients from the municipality of Tubarao (Southern Santa Catarina), and disclosed 1.1% of positivity (0.48% HTLV-1, 0.48% HTLV-2 and 0.16% untypeable HTLV), and a positive correlation with the male sex (OR 4.16) and intravenous drug use (OR 35.18). Although the percentage of 1.1% appears to be low, it is 27.5 times higher than the percentage detected in blood donors. Since HTLV-1 and HTLV-2 are circulating in HIV-infected individuals in Southern Santa Catarina, and these retroviruses could cause a differently impact on the HIV/AIDS outcomes, the surveillance of HTLV-1/2 is necessary, and it could support public health policies in preventing the transmission and dissemination of these viruses in this State

Lipohypertrophy and nutritional profile among people living with HIV in Southern Brazil

ABSTRACT: Introduction: People living with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) are generally overweight or have an altered body composition as compared to healthy individuals, showing a change in nutritional profile over time. Objective: The aim of the study was to characterize the nutritional status, estimate the prevalence of lipodystrophy, and examine the association between lipohypertrophy and lipid profile alterations, and other clinical data of HIV-infected individuals. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study on male and female subjects living with HIV, treated at a specialized outpatient clinic, aged 18 years old and over, whether using the antiretroviral therapy or not. Results: The sample consisted of 420 people with a mean age of 43.8 years (standard deviation 11.7). The length of time of the HIV infection averaged 74.6 months, and 91% of the respondents were on antiretroviral therapy. Lipodystrophy prevalence was 35.7%. Of these, 82 (54.7%) presented lipohypertrophy, 61 (40.7%) had lipoatrophy and 7 (4.6%) had a mixed syndrome. Female gender, body mass index, fat percentage, waist circumference and waist-hip ratio were positively associated with the presence of lipohypertrophy (p<0.001). High mean total cholesterol (p=0.015) and LDL fraction (p=0.028) also showed a statistically significant association with lipohypertrophy. The sampled participants had a nutritional profile compatible with overweight or obesity. No association was found between lipohypertrophy and ART and the therapy duration. Conclusion: Considering the consequences of overweight as a cause of various pathological conditions, preventive measures and interventions are highly recommended for this population