scholarly journals Impact of antibiotic pretreatment on cultures in children with osteomyelitis and septic arthritis: a retrospective review

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Amanda Lansell ◽  
Yasasvi Vasili ◽  
Parminder S. Suchdev ◽  
Janet Figueroa ◽  
Anjali Kirpalani

Abstract Background In the management of pediatric osteomyelitis or septic arthritis, delay in treatment may affect outcome, while receipt of antibiotics prior to culture may affect culture results. We aimed to determine if pathogen identification decreased in cultures that were pretreated with antibiotics. Methods We conducted a retrospective cohort study of 584 hospitalized children between 30 days and 18 years of age admitted to two tertiary children’s hospitals. Logistic regression assessed the effect of antibiotic duration on blood, bone, joint aspirate, and “other” culture positivity. Results Overall, 42% of blood cultures, 70% of bone cultures, 39% of joint cultures, and 70% of “other” cultures were positive. Compared with children who did not receive antibiotics prior to culture, there were no significant differences in odds of a positive culture in children whose cultures were pretreated with antibiotics for any of the culture types [OR (95% CI) 0.90 (0.56–1.44) for blood cultures, 0.77 (0.25–2.34) for bone cultures, 0.71 (0.39–1.28) for joint cultures, 1.18 (0.58–2.41) “for other” cultures; all p > 0.05]. Furthermore, the duration (hours) of antibiotics in the pretreated cultures was also not a significant predictor of culture positivity (OR ranged from 0.99–1.00 for all cultures, p > 0.05). Conclusions Culture positivity was not associated with antibiotic pretreatment in any of the samples, even for longer duration of antibiotics prior to culture, though the small sample size of subgroups is an important limitation. In pediatric patients hospitalized with osteomyelitis and/or septic arthritis, early initiation of antibiotics may not affect culture positivity.

2016 ◽  
Vol 32 (2) ◽  
pp. 170-176 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher L. McDonald ◽  
Russell P. Saneto ◽  
Lionel Carmant ◽  
Márcio A. Sotero de Menezes

The SCN1A gene has been implicated in the etiology of various forms of epilepsy. New research has linked this gene to specific types of epilepsy, all of which present in infancy or early childhood. This study examines the time course and pathology of pediatric patients who have a mutation in the SCN1A gene in order to open a discussion regarding the key trends of this form of epilepsy as well as important clinical considerations in management for patients who present with symptoms relating to the SCN1A mutations. We retrospectively examined 20 patients who presented to the clinic with focal seizures, as well as were positive for an SCN1A genetic mutation. Despite the small sample size, we were able to find important trends in the time course of the disorder as well as important areas of clinical practice that must be taken into consideration for these patients.


2020 ◽  
Vol 58 (9) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer Dien Bard ◽  
Todd P. Chang ◽  
Rebecca Yee ◽  
Keya Manshadi ◽  
Nhan Lichtenfeld ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Anaerobes are an important but uncommon cause of bloodstream infections (BSIs). For pediatric patients, routine inclusion of an anaerobic blood culture alongside the aerobic remains controversial. We implemented automatic anaerobic blood culture alongside aerobic blood cultures in a pediatric emergency department (ED) and sought to determine changes in recovery of obligate and facultative anaerobes. This was a cohort study in a pediatric ED (August 2015 to July 2018) that began in February 2017. Blood culture positivity results for true pathogens and contaminants were assessed, along with a secondary outcome of time to positivity (TTP) of blood culture. A total of 14,180 blood cultures (5,202 preimplementation and 8,978 postimplementation) were collected, with 8.8% (456) and 7.1% (635) positive cultures in the pre- and postimplementation phases, respectively. Of 635 positive cultures in the postimplementation phase, aerobic blood cultures recovered 7.6% (349/4,615), whereas anaerobic blood cultures recovered 6.6% (286/4,363). In 211/421 (50.0%) paired blood cultures, an organism was recovered in both cultures. The number of cases where organisms were only recovered from an aerobic or an anaerobic bottle in the paired cultures were 126 (30.0%) and 84 (20.0%), respectively. The TTP was comparable regardless of bottle type. Recovery of true pathogens from blood cultures was approximately 7 h faster than recovery of contaminants. Although inclusion of anaerobic blood cultures only recovered 2 (0.69%) obligate anaerobes, it did allow for recovery of clinically significant pathogens that were negative in aerobic blood cultures and supports the routine collection of both bottles in pediatric patients with a concern of bloodstream infections.


2016 ◽  
Vol 64 (4) ◽  
pp. 916.3-917
Author(s):  
R Sogomonian ◽  
H Alkhawam ◽  
N Vyas ◽  
J Jolly ◽  
A Ashraf ◽  
...  

BackgroundEchocardiography has been a popular modality used to aid in the diagnosis of infective endocarditis (IE) with the modified Dukes' criteria. We evaluated the necessity between the uses of either a transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) or transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) in patients with a body mass index (BMI) greater than or equal to 25 kg/m2 and less than 25.MethodsA single-centered, retrospective study of 198 patients between the years of 2005 and 2012 diagnosed with IE based on modified Dukes' criteria. Patients were required to be above the age of 18, undergone an echocardiogram study and had blood cultures to be included in the study.This study was conducted at a major hospital in one of the most diverse communities in the United States, providing a cultural and epidemiologically significant advantage. An approved chart analysis using QuadraMed Computerized Patient Record (QCPR) was retrospectively accessed with data-input and calculations formulated in computerized software.ResultsAmong 198 patients, two echocardiographic groups were evaluated as 158 patients obtained a TTE, 143 obtained a TEE, and 103 overlapped with TEE and TTE. 167 patients were included in the study as 109 (65%) were discovered to have native valve vegetations on TEE and 58 (35%) with TTE. TTE findings were compared to TEE results for true negative and positives to isolate valvular vegetations Overall sensitivity of TTE was calculated to be 67% with a specificity of 93%. Patients were further divided into two groups with the first group having a BMI less than or equal to 25 kg/m2 and the subsequent group with a BMI<25. Patients with a BMI less than or equal to 25 that underwent a TTE study had a sensitivity and specificity of 54% and 92, respectively. On the contrary, patients with a BMI<25 had a TTE sensitivity and specificity of 78% and 95, respectively. Furthermore, we obtained the sensitivities of specific valves diseased from vegetations, visualized by TTE (figure 1). Lastly, we were able to demonstrate a correlation between the different modalities of echocardiography used to the specific organism identified on blood cultures (figure 2).ConclusionCalculating a BMI in patients with suspicion for IE may provide benefit in reducing further diagnostic imaging. Our study demonstrated that patients having a BMI <25 kg/m2 with a negative TTE should refrain from further diagnostic studies with TEE, given the findings of increased sensitivities (figure 3). Patients with a BMI less than or equal to 25 may proceed directly to a TEE, possibly avoiding an additional study with a TTE given the low sensitivities identified in this population. Clinicians should be aware that this study has several limitations, one of which a small sample size that may be increased with a multi-centered study. Further investigations with a larger population may improve and possibly provide similar findings, reinforcing the study.


2021 ◽  
Vol 23 (Supplement_G) ◽  
Author(s):  
Cinzia Mancuso ◽  
Antonio Curcio ◽  
Angelo Lamberti ◽  
Giuseppe Santarpia ◽  
Angela Quirino ◽  
...  

Abstract Aims Device implantation is growing exponentially, as well as associated infections, ranging from isolated pocket erosion to endocarditis and bacteraemia, all worsening the prognosis of patients with frailty and comorbidity. Transvenous lead extraction (TLE) can resolve the complications, although a 1-year mortality risk of up to 25% is reported; despite higher health costs, prolonged hospitalization, and poor quality of life, strategies for predicting increased infection risk and reduced infection incidence are yet missing. Currently applied clinical scores do not consider etiologic microbial agents. We aimed to assess whether PADIT and UPCM scores could be implemented when bacteria or fungi are known to be causative of infection, and how these agents affected the outcome. Methods and results A retrospective analysis of patients undergone cardiac implantable electronic device (CIED) pocket revision, and/or TLE between 2016 and 2021 was performed. For each procedure, microbiological samples of both generator pocket tissue and intracardiac portions of the leads were analysed. In addition, blood cultures were performed in three sets. Transesophageal echocardiography was performed in all cases for ruling out suspected endocarditis. Spearman ad Pearson coefficients were tested for correlation among microorganism, prior infection and/or procedure, PADIT and UPCM scores; a P-value less than 0.05 was considered significant. We analysed 14 patients (10 males, 4 females, mean age ± SD: 72 ± 13): one case (4%) affected by pocket erosion, seven cases (50%) affected by both pocket site and lead infection (with associated bacteraemia in one subject), and one case (4%) due to lead-related infective endocarditis. Of these, five (36%) underwent device replacement, while nine (64%) to extraction or pocket/lead revision. Nine (64%) patients had positive culture examinations (Figure 1). The correlation method gave a statistically significant association between Gram- infection and prior sepsis (r 0.63; P-value 0.02). We considered the number of procedures on the same pocket and/or CIED previous infections as markers of frailty and increased infectious risk. As expected, the PADIT score, but not UPCM, significantly correlated with the number of previous procedures (r 0.70; P-value 0.006). Indeed, both scores had a similar infectious risk prediction. Conclusions In our analysis, predictive PADIT score of infectious risk performed better than UPCM, while both proved their reliability in identifying high-risk patients. The absence of correlation between UPCM score and infective agents is not conclusive, but probably due to the small sample size. Interestingly, growing rate of device reinfection correlates with the risk of Gram- bacterial infection. Thus, the integration of the microbiological data in the current prediction models could significantly increase their performance.


2020 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 131-138
Author(s):  
Ronald Booij ◽  
Marcel van Straten ◽  
Andreas Wimmer ◽  
Ricardo P.J. Budde

Abstract Objective To assess the accuracy of a 3D camera for body contour detection in pediatric patient positioning in CT compared with routine manual positioning by radiographers. Methods and materials One hundred and ninety-one patients, with and without fixation aid, which underwent CT of the head, thorax, and/or abdomen on a scanner with manual table height selection and with table height suggestion by a 3D camera were retrospectively included. The ideal table height was defined as the position at which the scanner isocenter coincides with the patient’s isocenter. Table heights suggested by the camera and selected by the radiographer were compared with the ideal height. Results For pediatric patients without fixation aid like a baby cradle or vacuum cushion and positioned by radiographers, the median (interquartile range) absolute table height deviation in mm was 10.2 (16.8) for abdomen, 16.4 (16.6) for head, 4.1 (5.1) for thorax-abdomen, and 9.7 (9.7) for thorax CT scans. The deviation was less for the 3D camera: 3.1 (4.7) for abdomen, 3.9 (6.3) for head, 2.2 (4.3) for thorax-abdomen, and 4.8 (6.7) for thorax CT scans (p < 0.05 for all body parts combined). Conclusion A 3D camera for body contour detection allows for automated and more accurate pediatric patient positioning than manual positioning done by radiographers, resulting in overall significantly smaller deviations from the ideal table height. The 3D camera may be also useful in the positioning of patients with fixation aid; however, evaluation of possible improvements in positioning accuracy was limited by the small sample size. Key Points • A 3D camera for body contour detection allows for automated and accurate pediatric patient positioning in CT. • A 3D camera outperformed radiographers in positioning pediatric patients without a fixation aid in CT. • Positioning of pediatric patients with fixation aid was feasible using the 3D camera, but no definite conclusions were drawn regarding the positioning accuracy due to the small sample size.


2018 ◽  
Vol 56 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Eleftherios Mylonakis ◽  
Ioannis M. Zacharioudakis ◽  
Cornelius J. Clancy ◽  
M. Hong Nguyen ◽  
Peter G. Pappas

ABSTRACTThe performance of blood culture for monitoring candidemia clearance is hampered by its low sensitivity, especially during antifungal therapy. The T2 magnetic resonance (T2MR) assay combines magnetic resonance with nanotechnology to identify wholeCandidaspecies cells. A multicenter clinical trial studied the performance of T2MR in monitoring candidemia clearance compared to blood culture. Adults with a blood culture positive for yeast were enrolled and had blood cultures and T2MR testing performed on prespecified days. Thirty-one patients completed the trial. Thirteen of the 31 patients (41.9%) had at least one positive surveillance T2MR and/or blood culture result. All positive blood cultures (7/7 [100%]) had an accompanying positive T2MR result with concordance in the identifiedCandidasp., while only 7/23 (30.4%) T2MR results had an accompanying positive blood culture. There was one case of discordance in species identification between T2MR and the preenrollment blood culture with evidence to support deep-seated infection by theCandidaspp. detected by the T2MR assay. Based on the log rank test, there was a statistically significant improvement in posttreatment surveillance using the T2MR assay compared to blood culture (P= 0.004). Limitations of the study include the small sample size and lack of outcome data. In conclusion, the T2MR assay significantly outperformed blood cultures for monitoring the clearance of candidemia in patients receiving antifungal therapy and may be useful in determining adequate source control, timing for deescalation, and optimal duration of treatment. However, further studies are needed to determine the viability ofCandidaspecies cells detected by the T2MR assay and correlate the results with patient outcomes. (This study is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov under registration number NCT02163889.)


Author(s):  
Maha Al Makhamreh ◽  
Denise Stockley

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine how doctoral students experienced mentorship in their supervision context and how the mentorship they received impacted their well-being. Design/methodology/approach An interpretive phenomenological methodology was selected to frame the research design. This research approach seeks to study the individual lived experience by exploring, describing and analyzing its meaning. Findings The findings revealed three different quality levels of mentorship in this context authentic mentorship, average mentorship and below average/toxic mentorship. Doctoral students who enjoyed authentic mentorship experiences were more motivated and satisfied, students who reported average mentorships needed more attention and time from their supervisors, and students who had below average/toxic mentorships were stressed out and depleted. Research limitations/implications A limitation of this study is the lack of generalizability owing to the small sample size typical in qualitative studies. Another limitation is that this research did not include students who quit their programs because of dysfunctional supervision experiences. Practical implications Students and supervisors can use the findings to reflect on their beliefs and practices to evaluate and improve their performances. Also, authentic mentors can benefit from the findings to create a positive culture for all students to receive support. Finally, current supervisory policies can be reviewed in light of this paper’s findings. Social implications The findings show the nature of mentorship in an authoritative context, and how it can be toxic when power is misused. Originality/value This study provides new knowledge in relation to the different types of mentorship experiences that exist in doctoral supervision, and how each type can influence students’ well-being differently. Additionally, it reveals that doctoral students can graduate, even in the face of toxic mentorship, but at the expense of their well-being.


2019 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 22-26
Author(s):  
Jesse Cramer

OBJECTIVE The use of patient-controlled epidural analgesia (PCEA) in pediatric patients has been shown to be safe and effective in managing postoperative pain in children. However, the optimal opioid to use in the epidural regimen remains undetermined. Morphine, hydromorphone, and fentanyl have been the agents most often used, but comparison of effectiveness across studies is difficult. The goal of this study was to compare postoperative pain scores in patients receiving PCEA solutions that contained either ropivicaine plus morphine or ropivicaine plus hydromorphone. METHODS Retrospective chart review was used at a single center to identify pediatric patients between the ages of 5 and 17 years who used a morphine- or hydromorphone-containing PCEA solution postoperatively during an 18-month period. Maximum pain scores were recorded during 2 consecutive 24-hour periods postoperatively. The primary outcome was the number of patients who had a maximum pain score of ≤4 on postoperative day zero and postoperative day 1. RESULTS Forty-six patients met the inclusion criteria and were analyzed. Patients prescribed morphine-containing PCEAs had a significantly higher incidence of maximal pain scores ≤4 in the 48 hours immediately after surgery compared with those patients prescribed hydromorphone-containing PCEAs (p = 0.03). Ropivicaine dosing in the epidural solution did not have a significant effect on pain scores and was not statistically different between opioid groups. Pediatric patients were able to effectively use the PCEA on-demand dose, with patients having pain scores &gt;4 demanding significantly more on-demand doses from the PCEA than those patients with pain scores ≤4 (p ≤ 0.002). No serious adverse events were reported. CONCLUSIONS Morphine-containing PCEAs may have an advantage in controlling postoperative pain in pediatric patients compared with hydromorphone-containing PCEAs. However, the heterogeneous nature of the procedures performed and the small sample size limit the generalizability of this study.


2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (9) ◽  
pp. 2751
Author(s):  
Aneta Olszewska ◽  
Piotr Rzymski

Dental fear and anxiety is a significant issue that affects pediatric patients and creates challenges in oral health management. Considering that the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, along with its associated sanitary regime, social distancing measures and nationwide quarantines, could itself induce public fears, including in children, it is of great interest to explore whether this situation and the necessity of reorganizing dental care could potentially affect the emotional state of pediatric patients facing a need for urgent dental intervention. The present study assessed the emotional state of children ≤ seven years old (n = 25) requiring dental healthcare during a nationwide quarantine in Poland, as well as the anxiety levels of their caregivers. The Faces Anxiety Scale was adopted, and the evaluation was independently performed by the dentist, caregivers and children themselves. The level of anxiety in caregivers was also measured. As demonstrated, children requiring dental intervention during the nationwide quarantine did not reveal a significantly higher anxiety level as compared to the age- and indication-matched pre-pandemic control group (n = 20), regardless of whether their emotional state was evaluated by the dentist, caregivers, or by themselves. However, the share of children scoring the lowest anxiety level in all assessments was smaller in the pandemic group. Boys in the pandemic group had a higher anxiety level, as indicated by a caregiver assessment, and displayed a negative correlation with age in all three types of evaluation. Moreover, caregiver anxiety levels were higher in the pandemic group as compared to the pre-pandemic subset and revealed stronger correlations with the dental anxiety in children. The results suggest that the reorganization of oral healthcare under the pandemic scenario did not have a profound effect on children’s dental anxiety. Nevertheless, findings in young boys highlight that they may be more vulnerable and require special care to mitigate their anxiety and decrease the risk of dentophobia in the future—these observations must be, however, treated with caution due to the small sample size and require further confirmation. Moreover, it is important to reassure caregivers of the safety of the dental visit during the pandemic to minimize the effect of their own anxiety on dental fears in children.


2020 ◽  
Vol 29 (8) ◽  
pp. S44-S49
Author(s):  
Dewansh Goel ◽  
Anilawan Smitthimedhin ◽  
Bhupender Yadav ◽  
Ranjith Vellody ◽  
Meenal Lele ◽  
...  

HIGHLIGHTS Ultrasound shows several venous changes in pediatric PIV-containing veins. Changes were visualized by ultrasound in the absence of physical exam findings. Venous luminal narrowing, wall thickening, and thrombosis may explain PIV failure. Background: Peripheral intravenous catheters (PIVs) are routinely used for venous access in hospitalized pediatric patients to administer fluids and medications and to aspirate blood. Unfortunately, PIVs do not remain functional for the entire duration of intravascular need. We hypothesized that PIV malfunction may be related to venous changes that can be visualized with ultrasound (US) imaging. The purpose of this study was to describe and document such changes in pediatric patients. Methods: This Institutional Review Board-approved study was performed at a tertiary pediatric medical center. Patients underwent US scans of their PIV-containing veins, documenting venous characteristics such as depth, diameter, wall thickness, blood flow, valves, branch points, and presence of thrombus. Patient demographics and PIV characteristics were also recorded. Results: Data from 30 patients including 12 males and 18 females with a mean age of 11 years were analyzed. Mean venous depth and diameter were 2.07 ± 0.13 and 2.02 ± 0.18 mm, respectively. Mean PIV dwell time at time of evaluation was 3.3 days. PIV-associated venous changes were seen in 73% of accessed veins and included lumen narrowing (47%), wall thickening (33%), presence of thrombus (20%), and absence of blood flow around the PIV tip (40%). Conclusion: PIV-associated venous changes are seen with US in the majority of pediatric patients with indwelling PIVs but are not necessarily appreciated on physical exam. These changes may help explain the high rate of pediatric PIV device failure. Given the small sample size, further investigation is needed to better characterize PIV-associated venous changes in children.


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