Preventive Antibacterial Therapy in Acute Ischemic Stroke: A Randomized Controlled Trial

BACKGROUND: Pneumonia is a major risk factor of death after acute stroke. In a mouse model, preventive antibacterial therapy with moxifloxacin not only prevents the development of post-stroke infections, it also reduces mortality, and improves neurological outcome significantly. In this study we investigate whether this approach is effective in stroke patients. METHODS: Preventive ANtibacterial THERapy in acute Ischemic Stroke (PANTHERIS) is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in 80 patients with severe, non-lacunar, ischemic stroke (NIHSS>11) in the middle cerebral artery (MCA) territory. Patients received either intravenous moxifloxacin (400 mg daily) or placebo for 5 days starting within 36 hours after stroke onset. Primary endpoint was infection within 11 days. Secondary endpoints included neurological outcome, survival, development of stroke-induced immunodepression, and induction of bacterial resistance. FINDINGS: On intention-to treat analysis (79 patients), the infection rate at day 11 in the moxifloxacin treated group was 15.4% compared to 32.5% in the placebo treated group (p = 0.114). On per protocol analysis (n = 66), moxifloxacin significantly reduced infection rate from 41.9% to 17.1% (p = 0.032). Stroke associated infections were associated with a lower survival rate. In this study, neurological outcome and survival were not significantly influenced by treatment with moxifloxacin. Frequency of fluoroquinolone resistance in both treatment groups did not differ. On logistic regression analysis, treatment arm as well as the interaction between treatment arm and monocytic HLA-DR expression (a marker for immunodepression) at day 1 after stroke onset was independently and highly predictive for post-stroke infections. INTERPRETATION: PANTHERIS suggests that preventive administration of moxifloxacin is superior in reducing infections after severe non-lacunar ischemic stroke compared to placebo. In addition, the results emphasize the pivotal role of immunodepression in developing post-stroke infections. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Controlled-Trials.com ISRCTN74386719

Vitamin A and lung function in CF

AbstractLaboratory evidence suggests that vitamin A could have a protective effect on respiratory status in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF). This study shows a significant correlation between serum vitamin A concentrations and every aspect of lung function tested in 38 patients with stable CF. Serum vitamin D and vitamin E concentrations were also measured but did not show any significant correlations with lung function

Benefits of interventions for respiratory secretion management in adult palliative care patients-a systematic review

BACKGROUND: Respiratory secretions impact negatively on palliative patients. Unfortunately, a gold standard therapy is not yet available. The purpose of this study was to identify which interventions are in use to control respiratory secretions in patients with chronic disease with a poor prognosis and verify their effects on outcomes relevant for palliative care patients. METHODS: A systematic review of the literature with narrative summary was conducted. We searched eight electronic databases in April (6th), 2016. Citation-tracking and reference list searches were conducted. We included randomized controlled trials, crossover trials, observational and qualitative studies regarding interventions for respiratory secretion management in adult patients with chronic diseases that met inclusion criteria indicating short prognosis. RESULTS: Six randomized controlled trials, 11 observational studies, ten crossover trials and one qualitative study were found. Interventions included mechanical insufflation-exsufflation (MIE), expiratory muscle training, manually-assisted cough, tracheotomy, chest physiotherapy, suctioning, air stacking, electrical stimulation of abdominal muscles, nebulized saline, positive expiratory pressure masks, percussive ventilation, high frequency chest wall oscillations. The interventions with most promising benefits to patients in palliative care were manually-assisted cough and mechanical insufflation-exsufflation to promote expectoration and percussive ventilation to improve mucous clearance. CONCLUSION: Therapies, such as manually assisted cough, mechanical insufflation-exsufflation and percussive ventilation, which aim to deal with respiratory secretion, were the most promising treatment for use in palliative care for specific diseases. Nevertheless, the evidence still needs to improve in order to identify which treatment is the best