H1N1 novel influenza A in pregnant and immunocompromised patients

New influenza A (H1N1/09) in three renal transplant patients

The pandemic new influenza A (H1N1/09) virus may be especially threatening for immunosuppressed renal transplant patients as they are at increased risk for complications, prolonged infection and mortality. This is the first case report of renal transplant patients with PCR-confirmed H1N1 respiratory tract infection. They showed a surprisingly mild clinical course despite respiratory fungal or viral co-infections in two cases. Treatment with oseltamivir in standard dosage was immediately started after diagnosis and proved to be rapidly beneficial with respect to clinical outcome and virus shedding without deteriorating renal transplant function.

[Pregnancy and pandemic influenza A(H1N1) 2009. Current concepts for anaesthesia and critical care medicine]

Pregnant women are particularly vulnerable to the pandemic influenza A(H1N1) 2009. Indeed, they are at high risk of developing a severe or fatal form of the disease. The physiological changes and the "immune deviation" from cellular to humoral immunity occurring during pregnancy are hypotheses to explain this vulnerability. Severe forms, mainly viral pneumonias, require an urgent prescription of an effective antiviral therapy. Preventive measures, mainly vaccination, are essential to avoid the appearance of these severe forms.

Surgical emergencies confounded by H1N1 influenza infection - a plea for concern

The outbreak of the H1N1 influenza pandemic resulted in unprecedented, overwhelming exposure in the medical and lay media, with the obvious focus of healthcare providers being on patients in internal medicine or intensive care settings.

Recently, we treated 3 patients with various surgical emergencies who were also diagnosed with active H1N1 influenza. The purpose of this report is to bring the issue of H1N1 flu in association with surgical emergencies to the forefront of the literature, and suggest that surgical diseases might be significantly accentuated in patients with H1N1 influenza.

How I treat influenza in patients with hematologic malignancies

The 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic has heightened the interest of clinicians for options in the prevention and management of influenza virus infection in immunocompromised patients. Even before the emergence of the novel 2009 H1N1 strain, influenza disease was a serious complication in patients with hematologic malignancies receiving chemotherapy or undergoing hematopoietic cell transplantation. Here we review the clinical manifestations of seasonal and 2009 H1N1 influenza and discuss current diagnosis, antiviral treatment, and prophylaxis options. We also summarize infection control and vaccination strategies for patients, family members, and caregivers.