Susceptibility Profiles of Isolated Bacteria from Pneumonia Patients in Medical ICU

Objective: To determine the susceptibility profiles of isolated bacteria from pneumonia patients in medical ICU. Methodology: This cross-section observational study was conducted in the Medical ICU of Pakistan Ordinance Factories (POF) Hospital, Wah Cantt, Pakistan, between February and July 2023. The study included 100 patients aged ? 18 years, presented with severe symptoms of lower respiratory tract and exhibited bacterial growth. The patients’ samples were collected from sputum, blood, tracheal secretions, bronchoalveolar lavage, and sent to hospital laboratory for sensitivity and culture analysis. Following overnight incubation, the agar plates were examined for bacterial growth and colonial morphology. Results: Among 100 patients, 48% were female and 52% male. The mean age of the patients was 58.6±14.5 years. 75% of patients were discharged from ICU, while 25% died. Sputum specimens were collected from 60% of patients, blood specimens from 21% of patients, tracheal secretions from 10% of patients, and bronchoalveolar lavage from 9% of patients. 30% tested positive for Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Acinetobacter baumannii. Pseudomonas aeruginosa was detected in 20% of patients, while E. coli was found in 7% of patients. Among gram-positive bacteria, 6% of patients tested positive for Staphylococcus aureus, 3% for MRCONS, 2% for MRSA, and 2% for coagulase-negative staphylococcal organisms. Conclusion: Significant levels of antibiotic resistance observed in isolates of gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria. The presence of increased resistance to multiple antibiotics indicates a high incidence of multidrug-resistant gram-positive and gram-negative organisms

Prognostic Significance of Baseline Neutrophil to Lymphocyte Ratio and Lymphocyte to C-reactive Protein Ratio in COVID-19 Patients

Objective: Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte and lymphocyte-to-C-reactive protein ratios are important prognostic indicators for disease severity measurement among coronavirus patients. To predict the disease severity, CURB-65 scores, and outcome after 14 days of admission using two proxy biomarkers (neutrophil lymphocyte and lymphocyte C-reactive protein ratios) in COVID-19 patients. Methodology: A prospective study was done at the Department of Medicine, Pakistan Ordinance Factory (POF) hospital, Wah Cantt, Pakistan, from April to August 2022. A total of 123 coronavirus patients were included. Patients with clinical manifestations, decreased lymphocyte and leukocyte counts, imaging characteristics of pneumonia, etiological evidence of a positive real time PCR test of blood or respiratory samples, and viral gene sequencing similar to known COVID-19 were measured. Patients underwent laboratory measurements and imaging analysis for biomarker indications. The analysis of the data was conducted using SPSS version 23. Results: The patients mean age was 53.83±16.2 years. Among 123 COVID-19 patients, 80 (65%) were males and 43 (35%) were females. It was found to have high NLR and low LCR in severe disease (p = 0.05, p = 0.01). NLR and LCR showed 11% variance for disease severity (β = 0.143, p = 0.00, and β = -0.293, p = 0.01). NLR and LCR showed 29% variance for CURB 65 scores (β = 0.48, p = 0.634, and β = -0.159, p = 0.08). NLR and LCR showed 22% variance for outcome after 14 days of admission (β=-0.53, p=0.562, & β=-0.132, p=0.149). Conclusion: Neutrophil to lymphocyte and lymphocyte to C-reactive protein ratios are effective prognostic biomarkers for measuring the severity of disease in COVID-19 patients. High neutrophil-to-lymphocyte and low lymphocyte-to-C-reactive protein ratios significantly predict disease severity

Cultivating Critical, Justice-Oriented Data Literacies in a Post-Truth World

Canad