Perspectives in surgical infections: what does the future hold?

Intra-abdominal Infections

Intra-abdominal infections (IAIs) are a common cause of sepsis, and frequently occur in intensive care unit (ICU) patients. IAIs include many diagnoses, including peritonitis, cholangitis, diverticulitis, pancreatitis, abdominal abscess, intestinal perforation, abdominal trauma, and pelvic inflammatory disease. IAIs are the second most common cause of infectious morbidity and mortality in the ICU after pneumonia. IAIs are also the second most common cause of sepsis in critically ill patients, and affect approximately 5% of ICU patients. Mortality with IAI in ICU patients ranges from 5 to 50%, with the wide variability related to the specific IAI present, associated patient comorbidities, severity of illness, and organ dysfunction and failures. It is important to have a comprehensive understanding of IAIs as potential causes of life-threatening infections in ICU patients to provide the best diagnostic and therapeutic care for optimal patient outcomes in the ICU.

Comparative evaluation of the efficacy of a novel tetracycline-coated suture with triclosan-coated and noncoated sutures on bacterial load reduction: A prospective in vitro study

Background

Surgical site infection (SSI) is one of the common postoperative complications observed after various periodontal surgeries, and sutures play a vital role in its causation. Thus, the aim of this study is to evaluate and compare the efficacy of a novel tetracycline-coated suture with triclosan-coated and nonantibacterial-coated sutures on bacterial load reduction to prevent SSI by measuring the zone of inhibition.

Materials and Methods

Twenty systemically healthy individuals with moderate chronic periodontitis were included in this study. Fresh unstimulated saliva was collected from each patient and inoculated on three different blood agar plates. Sutures were divided into three groups (Group A: Tetracycline-coated suture, Group B: Triclosan-coated suture, Group C [control group]: Nonantibacterial-coated suture). The antibacterial efficacy of each suture was evaluated by performing agar diffusion test. The zone of inhibition around each suture was calculated, and statistical analysis was performed for the same using Kruskall-Wallis ANOVA test and Mann-Whitney U-test.

Results

On intergroup comparison, there was a statistically highly significant difference seen for the zone of inhibition between the groups (P < 0.01) with the highest values in Group A (14.45 mm), followed by Group B (1.4 mm) and least in Group C (0 mm).

Conclusion

Tetracycline-coated suture is more efficacious than triclosan-coated suture to reduce bacterial load and further prevent SSIs. However, in vivo clinical trial is must to prove the same.

Appropriate use of antimicrobial prophylaxis: an observational study in 21 surgical wards

BACKGROUND

Surveillance of Surgical Site Infections (SSI) in 2010 found 39 % compliance with hospital guidelines in Piedmont (Italy). The aim of the study was to estimate the appropriate use of antimicrobial prophylaxis and compliance with hospitals guidelines in surgical wards.

METHODS

This survey study took place in 21 surgery wards of 4 public hospitals. Forms were completed by public health resident doctors together with a medical ward referent and infection control nurses. 15 consecutive surgical procedures were randomly chosen from each ward. A total of 320 cases were analyzed. The study period was from July 2012 to January 2013. Data were collected using a survey form. A final score variable from 0 to 4 was given to each case. The results were compared with hospital and international guidelines. Data were analyzed using Epi-Info software.

RESULTS

Of the 320 cases collected, 63 were excluded; of the remaining 257 cases, 56.4 % of the procedures were appropriate (score 4), 15.2 % were acceptable and 28.4 % were not acceptable. The study found an unjustified continuation of antimicrobial prophylaxis in 17.1 % of the 257 cases, an unjustified re-start of antimicrobial therapy in 9.7 % and a re-dosing omission in 7.8 %.

CONCLUSIONS

The study demonstrated critical problems in antimicrobial prophylaxis management in surgical wards due to a lack of compliance between hospitals and national guidelines, a shortage of specific and updated recommendations for some surgical interventions and incorrect local specific procedures. Coordination between local and national recommendations, strengthening of evidence based decisions and continuous sharing of policy updates are needed.

Common complications in the critically ill patient

Critically ill patients in intensive care units are subject to many complications associated with therapy. Many of these complications are health care-associated infections and are related to indwelling devices, including ventilator-associated pneumonia, central line-associated bloodstream infection, catheter-associated urinary tract infection; surgical site infection, venous thromboembolism, deep venous thrombosis, and pulmonary embolus are other common complications. All efforts should be undertaken to prevent these complications in surgical critical care, and national efforts are under way for each of these complications. In this article, epidemiology, risk factors, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of these complications in critically ill patients are discussed.

Fighting fire with fire: is it time to use probiotics to manage pathogenic bacterial diseases?

Probiotics, when considered in clinical practice, have traditionally been used for prophylaxis; however, there is growing data suggesting treatment benefits in numerous disease states. In this review, we focus on probiotics as treatment for and prevention of several acute and chronic infectious processes including Helicobacter pylori, Clostridium difficile, necrotizing enterocolitis, ventilator-associated pneumonia, vancomycin-resistant enterococci, and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. It is inaccurate to generalize findings observed in a single probiotic species to all probiotics. This reasoning is due to the variability of colonizing abilities of native intestinal floras, probiotic or otherwise, secondary to different combinations, doses, and duration of treatments. Given these limitations, multiple animal and human studies have shown anti-inflammatory and selective antimicrobial effects of specific probiotics. Some studies suggest a role for probiotics as supplemental treatment, in combination with antibiotics, for the aforementioned disease processes. It is apparent from this review that the efficacy of probiotics is widely variable and multifaceted. More focused clinical and basic science research is necessary to better understand the treatment potential of various probiotics.

Postoperative pulmonary complications: pneumonia and acute respiratory failure

Postoperative pulmonary complications (atelectasis, pneumonia, pulmonary edema, acute respiratory failure) are common, particularly after abdominal and thoracic surgery, pneumonia and atelectasis being the most common. Postoperative pneumonia is associated with increased morbidity, length of hospital stay, and costs. Few institutions have pneumonia prevention programs for surgical patients, and these should be strongly considered. Acute respiratory failure is a life-threatening pulmonary complication that requires institution of mechanical ventilation and admission to the intensive care unit, and is associated with increased risk for ventilator-associated pneumonia. This article discusses epidemiology, risk factors, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of these pulmonary complications in surgical patients.