scholarly journals Evaluation of a Candida Antigen Detection Method (Cand-Tec): Experience from a University Teaching Hospital

1992 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. 167-172 ◽  
Author(s):  
Todd J Anderson ◽  
Heather E Bryant ◽  
Deirdre L Church

The usefulness of a rapid latex agglutination method for the detection of Candida antigen (Cand-Tec; Ramco Laboratories. Texas) was retrospectively assessed in a university teaching hospital over a one year period. Patients were enrolled when the managing physician requested Cand-Tec testing for confirmation of possible invasive candidal infection. The majority of patients were critically ill; 56% were in the intensive care unit, and 30% subsequently died. Analyses were available from 79 patients and 125 samples. Thirty-three patients were diagnosed as having either definite invasive candidiasis or a high probability of infection based upon clinical, microbiological and tissue criteria. The sensitivity and specificity of Candida antigen detection was determined for doubling titres ≥1:4 to ≥1:16. If a titre of ≥1:4 was used as the diagnostic cut-off level for definite candidal infection, overall sensitivity and specificity were 77% and 69%, respectively, while the positive predictive value was 48%, and the negative predictive value 89%. When patients with a high probability of invasive candidal infection were included in analyses for a cut-off titre of ≥1:4, overall sensitivity and specificity were 70% and 69%, respectively, while the positive predictive value was 68%, and the negative predictive value 71%. The usefulness of the Cand-Tec test was not improved further for any subgroup of patients (including those in the intensive care unit), nor by following serial titres in individual patients. In this experience, the Cand-Tec test did not add enough information to include definitively or exclude invasive candidiasis in this high risk general patient population.

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 9-14
Author(s):  
Md Sirajul Islam ◽  
Md Ali Haider ◽  
Uzzwal Kumar Mallick ◽  
Mohammad Asaduzzaman ◽  
Md Gias Uddin ◽  
...  

Background: The weaning success in intensive care unit patients under mechanical ventilation is very important. Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the efficacy and effects of rapid shallow breathing index (RSBI) in predicting weaning success in patients with prolonged mechanical ventilation more than 48 hours. Methodology: This prospective cohort study was conducted in the Department of Anesthesia, Pain Palliative & Intensive Care Unit of Dhaka Medical College Hospital, Dhaka, Bangladesh from January 2014 to December 2015 for a period of two (02) years. Patients on mechanical ventilation more than 48 hours with the age of 18 to 60 years were included in this study. During the weaning process, the arterial blood gases (ABG) values was checked and the patients was separated from mechanical ventilation. After measuring RSBI, patients was separated from mechanical ventilator and given T-piece trial (1 to 4 hours) and finally extubated as per advice of ICU consultant and observed for 48 hours. The patients were divided in two groups low RSBI ≤105 breath/min/L and high RSBI >105 breath/min/L. These patients were prospectively followed up to 48 hours in ICU and HDU. Result: A total of 117 patients were included in this study. The validity of RSBI evaluation for trail failure was correlated by calculating sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, positive and negative predictive values. The sensitivity of RSBI was 54.5% (95% CI 23.38% to 83.25%) and specificity was 82.1% (95% CI 73.43% to 88.85%). However, positive predictive value and negative predictive value were 24.0% (95% CI 13.84% to 38.30%) and 94.6% (95% CI 90.05% to 97.10%) respectively. The accuracy was found 79.5% (95% CI 71.03% to 86.39%). Receiver-operator characteristic (ROC) were constructed using RSBI of the weaning outcome, which gave a RSBI cut off value of ≥88 as the value with a best combination of sensitivity (72.7%) and specificity (61.3%), accuracy (60.7%), positive predictive value (15.7%), negative predictive value (95.5%) for trail failure. Conclusion: In conclusion the efficacy and effects of rapid shallow breathing index is found low sensitivity with high specificity in predicting weaning success in patients with prolonged mechanical ventilation more than 48 hours. Journal of National Institute of Neurosciences Bangladesh, 2020;6(1): 9-14


2019 ◽  
Vol 35 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dr Aamir Furqan ◽  
Dr Shumaila Ali Rai ◽  
Dr Liaqat Ali ◽  
Dr Rana Altaf Ahmed

Objective: To compare the predicted accuracy of PFR with RSBI for successful spontaneous breathing trail before extubation in intensive care unit. Methods: This cross sectional study was conducted at the ICU of Ch. Pervaiz Ellahi Institute of Cardiology, Multan Medical and Nishtar Medical University Hospital from July, 2017 to January, 2019. PO2/FIO2 and RSBI was measured by a different investigator, before and 20 minutes after the start of SBT. Heart rate, blood pressure and oxygen saturation were continuously measured throughout the trial. Trial outcome was labeled as unsuccessful or successful by the investigator who was blinded to the rapid shallow breathing index and PO2/FiO2 measurements. Patients with SpO2>85%, stable hemodynamics (HR and BP change <20%), stable respiration (RR change <50%), and the absence of (i) signs of labored breathing, (ii) emergence or worsened discomfort, (iii) change in mental status, were labeled as successful in bearing the SBT. Patients were divided into two groups i.e. successful and unsuccessful, gender, Age, GOLD stage, APACHE II score, pCO2, pO2, FiO2 and RSBI score were compared between the two groups after putting all the data in SPSS version 23. Chi square tests and Student’s t-test were used on the continuous data and nominal data, accordingly. The specificity, sensitivity, diagnostic accuracy, negative predictive value and positive predictive value of two threshold values of RSBI and PO2/FiO2 ratio were calculated from the 2X2 contingency tables. Results: RSBI threshold of 130 had 40.4% sensitivity, 51.1% specificity, 55.2% positive predictive value, 36.4% negative predictive value and 44.7% diagnostic accuracy while RSBI threshold of 105 had 94.1% sensitivity, 43.6% specificity, 71.4% positive predictive value, 83.2% negative predictive value and 73.8% diagnostic accuracy. pO2/FiO2>250 had 76.9% sensitivity, 24.5% specificity, 60.4% positive predictive value, 41.5% negative predictive value and 55.9% diagnostic accuracy. Conclusion: Even though neither rapid shallow breathing nor the PFR was enough accurate in prediction of successful extubation but rapid shallow breathing index 105 threshold had higher sensitivity and specificity as compared to RSBI threshold 130PFR. Therefore, RSBI105 is more accurate in predicting the outcome of extubation of ICU patients. doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.35.6.788 How to cite this:Furqan A, Rai SA, Ali L, Ahmed RA. Comparing the predicted accuracy of PO2\FIO2 ratio with rapid shallow breathing index for successful spontaneous breathing trail in Intensive Care Unit. Pak J Med Sci. 2019;35(6):1605-1610.  doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.35.6.788 This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
pp. 205031212110407
Author(s):  
Lindsey A Sellers ◽  
Kathryn M Fitton ◽  
Margaret F Segovia ◽  
Christy C Forehand ◽  
Kevin K Dobbin ◽  
...  

Objectives: Concern for late detection of bacterial pathogens is a barrier to early de-escalation efforts. The purpose of this study was to assess blood, respiratory and urine culture results at 72 h to test the hypothesis that early negative culture results have a clinically meaningful negative predictive value. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed all patients admitted to the medical intensive care unit between March 2012 and July 2018 with blood cultures obtained. Blood, respiratory and urine culture results were assessed for time to positivity, defined as the time between culture collection and preliminary species identification. The primary outcome was the negative predictive value of negative blood culture results at 72 h. Secondary outcomes included sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value of blood, respiratory and urine culture results. Results: The analysis included 1567 blood, 514 respiratory and 1059 urine cultures. Of the blood, respiratory and urine cultures ultimately positive, 90.3%, 76.2% and 90.4% were positive at 72 h. The negative predictive value of negative 72-h blood, respiratory and urine cultures were 0.99, 0.82 and 0.97, respectively. Antibiotic de-escalation had good specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value for finalized negative cultures. Conclusion: Negative blood and urine culture results at 72 h had a high negative predictive value. These findings have important ramifications for antimicrobial stewardship efforts and support protocolized re-evaluation of empiric antibiotic therapy at 72 h. Caution should be used in patients with clinically suspected pneumonia, since negative respiratory culture results at 72 h were weakly predictive of finalized negative cultures.


2015 ◽  
Vol 51 (5) ◽  
pp. 306-310 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lauren Cunningham ◽  
Audrey Cook ◽  
Andrew Hanzlicek ◽  
Kenneth Harkin ◽  
Joseph Wheat ◽  
...  

The objective of this study was to evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of an antigen enzyme immunoassay (EIA) on urine samples for the diagnosis of histoplasmosis in dogs. This retrospective medical records review included canine cases with urine samples submitted for Histoplasma EIA antigen assay between 2007 and 2011 from three veterinary institutions. Cases for which urine samples were submitted for Histoplasma antigen testing were reviewed and compared to the gold standard of finding Histoplasma organisms or an alternative diagnosis on cytology or histopathology. Sensitivity, specificity, negative predictive value, positive predictive value, and the kappa coefficient and associated confidence interval were calculated for the EIA-based Histoplasma antigen assay. Sixty cases met the inclusion criteria. Seventeen cases were considered true positives based on identification of the organism, and 41 cases were considered true negatives with an alternative definitive diagnosis. Two cases were considered false negatives, and there were no false positives. Sensitivity was 89.47% and the negative predictive value was 95.35%. Specificity and the positive predictive value were both 100%. The kappa coefficient was 0.9207 (95% confidence interval, 0.8131–1). The Histoplasma antigen EIA test demonstrated high specificity and sensitivity for the diagnosis of histoplasmosis in dogs.


Blood ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 134 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 4689-4689
Author(s):  
Sriman Swarup ◽  
Somedeb Ball ◽  
Nimesh Adhikari ◽  
Anita Sultan ◽  
Khatrina Swarup ◽  
...  

Introduction: Heparin induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) is a severe prothrombotic condition, usually triggered by exposure to heparin products. It is characterized by platelet activation induced by the formation of antibodies to the platelet factor 4 (PF4)/ heparin polyanion complexes. Diagnostic algorithm includes clinical scoring (4T score) alongside serological test for detection of these antibodies (HIT-Ab), while serotonin release assay (SRA) remains the gold- standard for confirmation. The automated latex immunoturbidometric assay (LIA) has recently been FDA approved as a screening tool for HIT and is a potential alternative to the conventional particle immunofiltration assay (PIFA) for time-sensitive detection of HIT-Ab to guide treatment considerations. We recently introduced LIA in our institution. In this study, we present our experience with LIA in comparison to PIFA in the diagnosis of HIT. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the charts of all the patients on whom a PIFA was ordered between March 2017 and March 2018 in our hospital. We collected information on the results of the PIFA and SRA (if available). We replaced PIFA with LIA for HIT screening. Then, we introduced a structured protocol for diagnosis of HIT in our institution by incorporating 4T scoring alongside LIA order in the electronic medical record (EMR), in December 2018. We reviewed the EMR of all the patients on whom HIT-Ab test (LIA) was ordered between January and June of 2019, and collected similar information as before. All the data were compiled in a single master excel sheet for calculation of performance characteristics (sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values) for both PIFA and LIA. A patient was considered to have the diagnosis of HIT if the result of SRA was available and positive. Results: In the first phase, a total of 31 orders for SRA was noted against 170 PIFA orders. Five patients had a positive SRA, of whom two were PIFA negative. Half the patients with a negative SRA result were positive for PIFA. Hence, the sensitivity and specificity of PIFA test for our study population were noted to be 60% and 50%, respectively. PIFA had a positive predictive value (PPV) of mere 18.75% for the diagnosis of HIT, whereas the negative predictive value (NPV) was found to be 86.66%. Introduction of structured protocol for HIT diagnosis substantially reduced the number of inappropriate SRA orders in the second phase. On review of data for six months with the new HIT-Ab test LIA, SRA was ordered in only eight patients, to go with 69 orders for the LIA. The result of LIA was positive in all three patients with a positive SRA, whereas it was false positive in four instances. Only one patient was negative for both LIA and SRA during this period. LIA was found to be 100% sensitive and 20% specific for the diagnosis of HIT in our sample. PPV and NPV for LIA were 42.85% and 100%, respectively. Conclusion: The sensitivity and specificity of LIA were found to be 100% and 20%, respectively, in our study population, which is different from the earlier report (Warkentin et al. 2017). The small sample size is a limitation of our study. Higher PPV and NPV for LIA, with its quick turnaround time, make it a useful alternative for the time-sensitive determination of post-test probability for HIT in patients. [HIT- Ab- Heparin Induced Thrombocytopenia Antibody, PIFA- Particle Immunofiltration Assay, LIA- Latex Immunoturbidometric Assay, SRA- Serotonin Release Assay, +ve- Positive, -ve - Negative, PPV- Positive Predictive Value, NPV- Negative Predictive Value] Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.


Author(s):  
Dr. Chaturbhuj Prasad Swarnkar ◽  
Dr. Shiv Raj Meena

Background- Rotator cuff tears are one of the most common causes of shoulder pain for which patients seek treatment. As in our daily work, the shoulder joint is the most frequently used, there is higher chance of having shoulder joint injury. The aim of the study is to compare the efficacy of MRI in diagnosing shoulder pathologies in comparison to arthroscopy, considering arthroscopy as the gold standard. Methods- 30 Patient with suspected rotator cuff injury patients, between 18-80 years of age was included in the study. MRI of the shoulder joint was done followed by shoulder arthroscopy. The data collected was analysed for the significant correlation between MRI of shoulder and arthroscopic findings by kappa statistics. Results- The accuracy of MRI in diagnosis of rotator cuff partial tears, was 90%, while sensitivity and specificity was 100.00%, 78.57% and positive predictive value was 84.21% and negative predictive value was 100.00% and accuracy of MRI in diagnosis of rotator cuff full tears, was 86.67%, while sensitivity and specificity was 63.64%, 100.00%) and positive predictive value was 100.00% and negative predictive value was 82.61% in our study. Conclusion- Our study demonstrates a high sensitivity and specificity for the MRI diagnosis of both partial and full thickness rotator cuff tears and good correlation with arthroscopic findings. Keywords: Rotator cuff, Shoulder pain, Arthroscopy, MRI.


2016 ◽  
Vol 54 (7) ◽  
pp. 1918-1921 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joerg Steinmann ◽  
Jan Buer ◽  
Peter-Michael Rath

We retrospectively analyzed the performance and relevance of the SeptiFast assay in detectingAspergillus fumigatusDNA in whole blood samples from 38 critically ill intensive care unit (ICU) patients with probable or proven invasive aspergillosis (IA) and 100 ICU patients without IA. The assay exhibited 66% sensitivity, 98% specificity, a 93% positive predictive value, and an 88% negative predictive value.A. fumigatusDNAemia was associated with poor outcome.


Neurosurgery ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 70 (5) ◽  
pp. 1114-1124 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert T. Wicks ◽  
Gustavo Pradilla ◽  
Shaan M. Raza ◽  
Uri Hadelsberg ◽  
Alexander L. Coon ◽  
...  

Abstract BACKGROUND: Somatosensory evoked potential (SSEP) monitoring is used during intracranial aneurysm surgery to track the effects of anesthesia, surgical manipulation, and temporary clipping. OBJECTIVE: To present the outcomes of 663 consecutive patients (691 cases) treated surgically for intracranial aneurysms who underwent intraoperative SSEP monitoring and to analyze the sensitivity and specificity of significant SSEP changes in predicting postoperative stroke. METHODS: Of 691 surgeries analyzed, 403 (391 anterior circulation, 12 posterior circulation) were unruptured aneurysms and 288 (277 anterior, 11 posterior) were ruptured. Postoperatively, symptomatic patients underwent computed tomography imaging. Positive predictive value, negative predictive value, sensitivity, and specificity were calculated with a Fisher exact test (2-tailed P value). RESULTS: Changes in SSEP occurred in 45 of 691 cases (6.5%): 16 of 403 (4.0%) in unruptured aneurysms and 29 of 288 (10%) in ruptured aneurysms. In unruptured aneurysms, reversible SSEP changes were associated with a 20% stroke rate, but irreversible changes were associated with an 80% stroke rate. In ruptured aneurysms, however, reversible changes were associated with a 12% stroke rate, and irreversible changes were associated with a 42% stroke rate. The overall accuracy of SSEP changes in predicting postoperative stroke was as follows: positive predictive value, 30%; negative predictive value, 94%; sensitivity, 25%; and specificity, 95%. CONCLUSION: Intraoperative SSEP changes are more reliable in unruptured aneurysm cases than in ruptured cases. Whereas irreversible changes in unruptured cases were associated with an 80% stroke rate, such changes in ruptured cases did not have any adverse ischemic sequelae in 58% of patients. This information is helpful during the intraoperative assessment of reported SSEP changes.


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