Microbiological characteristics of bloodstream infections in a reference hospital in northeastern Brazil

Routine blood culture is used for the detection of bloodstream infections by aerobic and anaerobic bacteria and by common pathogenic yeasts. A retrospective study was conducted in a public hospital in Maceió-AL, by collecting data of all medical records with positive blood cultures. Out of the 2,107 blood cultures performed, 17% were positive with Staphylococcus coagulase negative (51.14%), followed by Staphylococcus aureus (11.21%) and Klebsiella pneumoniae (6.32%). Gram-positive bacteria predominated among positive blood cultures, highlighting the group of Staphylococcus coagulase-negative. While Gram-negative bacteria had a higher number of species among positive blood cultures.

Ocorrência de Lesão Pulmonar Aguda relacionada à Transfusão em Hospital de Referência do Ceará: Relato de Caso / Occurrence of Transfusion-related Acute Lung Injury in a Reference Hospital of Ceará: Case Report

Lesão pulmonar aguda relacionada à transfusão (TRALI –Transfusion Related Acute Lung Injury) é uma complicação grave da transfusão sanguínea que cursa essencialmente com desconforto respiratório durante ou dentro de 6 horas depois de completada a transfusão. Apesar de ser considerada rara e a lesão pulmonar ser geralmente transitória, traz preocupação aos profissionais da área da saúde, visto que está associada à alta morbidade dos pacientes que necessitaram de suporte ventilatório, assim como a alta mortalidade. Sua incidência não está bem estabelecida, muito devido à falta de preparo para identificar os casos suspeitos. Assim, os relatos de casos ganham relevância tanto para contribuir que o diagnóstico desta patologia seja alcançado com mais facilidade quanto para estimular que os casos sejam notificados. O presente relato descreve a ocorrência de TRALI em paciente no segundo dia de pós-operatório de cesárea por pré- eclâmpsia e síndrome Hellp que evoluiu com suspeita de hemoperitônio sendo submetida a laparotomia exploratória (LE).---Transfusion related acute lung injury (TRALI) is a serious complication of blood transfusion that evolves mainly with respiratory distress during or within 6 hours after transfusion. Although considered rare and is usually transient lung injury, she brings concern to health professionals, as it is associated with high morbidity of patients requiring ventilatory support, as well as the high mortality. Its incidence is not well established, much due to lack of preparation to identify suspected cases. Thus, case reports gain relevance to contribute to the diagnosis of this condition is more easily achieved as to stimulate the cases are reported. This report describes the occurrence of TRALI in a patient on the second day after surgery by cesarean preeclampsia and HELLP syndrome who developed suspected hemoperitoneum and underwent exploratory laparotomy (LE).

A rare case: Penetrating craneoencefalic trauma by knife

Background: Cranioencephalic penetrating trauma (CPT) is caused by a sharp or short- pointed object that passes through the bone, dura mater, brain and other structures. Its incidence is unknown and few cases are described; penetrating injuries represent 0.4%, therefore there is no protocolized management. Case report: A 24-year-old male patient suffered penetrating trauma at left parietal region with a "knife"; he was sutured and sent home with analgesics. Five days after the trauma, he was admitted for headache, disorientation and decreased visual acuity. X-ray (XR) of Cranium evidencing a foreign body, therefore it is sent to a reference hospital. Evolution: The diagnosis is confirmed by a computerized tomography (CT) scan of the skull with 3-dimensional reconstruction (3D) plus CT angiography (angio CT), which shows "knife" in the left parietal region without vascular compromise. Neurosurgeons perform removal of the foreign body plus a dura mater plasty. Patient stay 12 days hospitalized with a favorable evolution and improvement of neurological symptomatology. Conclusion: CPT due to a knife is an emergency and there is no protocolized management. The removal of the foreign body must be done in a hospital for the risk of lesions of large vessels.

Epidemiological profile of multidrug-resistant and extensively drug-resistant Mycobacterium Tubrculosis among Congolese patients

Background There is paucity of data on the prevalence and distribution of multidrug- Resistant-Tuberculosis (MDR-TB) in the Republic of Congo. Among the challenges resides the implementation of a robust TB resistance diagnostic program using molecular tools. In resource limited settings there is a need to gather data to enable prioritization of actions. The objective of this study was is to implement molecular tools as a best of diagnosing MDR and XDR-TB among presumptive tuberculosis patients referred to reference hospital of Makelekele in Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo. Methods We have conducted a cross-sectional study, including a total of 92 presumptive pulmonary tuberculosis patients and who had never received treatment recruited at the reference hospital of Makelekele from October 2018 to October 2019. The socio-demographic and clinical data were collected as well as sputum samples. Rifampicin resistance was investigated using Xpert (Cepheid) and second-line TB drugs Susceptibility testing were performed by the Brucker HAIN Line Probe Assay (GenoType MTBDRsl VER 2.0 assay) method. Results From the 92 recruited patients, 57 (62%) were found positive for the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex. The prevalence of rifampicin-resistant tuberculosis (RR-TB) was 9.8% (9/92) and importantly 2.2% were pre-XDR/XDR. Conclusion This study showed a high rate of rifampicin resistance and the presence of extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis in the study area in new patients. This study highlights the need for further studies of TB drug resistance in the country.

Hypospadias treatment by tubulated pedicled preputial island flap according to the DUCKETT technique: single-center experience in sub-Saharan Africa

Background Hypospadias is the second most frequent congenital condition in boys after cryptorchidism, with an incidence of 0.3–0.7% compared to 2–4% for cryptorchidism. Since the 1980s, single-stage operations, such as the one described by Duckett, have been adopted by some authors. To assess the results of hypospadias surgery by tubed pedicled preputial island flap (DUCKETT’s procedure) in a West African reference hospital. Methods This is a retrospective and descriptive study that includes 41 patients with hypospadias who underwent DUCKETT procedure by a tubed pedicled preputial island flap during a period of 12 years. After penile degloving, the curvature has been corrected by skin bridging with or without Nesbit’s plication. The urethroplasty was done according to the DUCKETT procedure. Results The patients mean age was 11 ± 8.5 years. All of them had posterior foreskin and a ventral curvature of the penis. The urethral meatus was posterior in 37%. Six of them had a previous hypospadias repair. The complication rate was 58.5%. Wound infection and meatal stenosis occurred in 14.6% and 19.6% of cases, respectively. After a mean follow-up of 20 ± 9 months, total success, relative success and failure rates were 63%, 27% and 10%, respectively. Conclusion The DUCKETT procedure is associated with a high complication rate in our daily practice.

Epidemiological and laboratory profile of patients confirmed with Covid-19 and admitted to a reference hospital

The new coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, which causes COVID-19 is easily transmitted from person to person. About 15% develop severe pneumonia and of these, 6% progress to severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and multiple organ failure. Identify biomarkers that can predict which individuals are likely to be affected by severe disease and are at risk of death is crucial. However, the pathophysiology of the disease is not completely elucidated and the characterization of the clinical profile of people infected with SARS-CoV-2 remains unclear. Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate the epidemiological and laboratory profile of patients confirmed with COVID-19 and admitted to the University Hospital Lauro Wanderley, based on the correlation of laboratory tests to the evolution of the disease, determination of the most influential variables in the worsening of the disease. Data consisted of complete blood count and serum biochemical analyzes. Overall, 74 patients met all criteria of this study and were included, 40 from the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), and 34 from the Infectious Diseases Infirmary (IDP), both exclusively for patients with COVID-19. Based on these findings, patients with increased WBC count, ALT, AST, and LDH should be closely monitored as these factors predict ICU admission and mortality. Among other laboratory parameters, patients admitted to the ICU have higher levels of D-dimer compared to IDI patients. The results suggests that higher levels of D-dimer on admission is related to a worse prognosis of the disease.

Intrabases divergences in the mHealth era: a drug interaction investigation in an infectious-diseases hospital setting

Introduction: Information on potential drug interactions (PDI) are obtained from databases available on the web or through mobile healthcare applications (mHealth), and can prevent unfavorable clinical outcomes for patients. This study compared PDI information available in Micromedex® drug interaction checker, its web version and its mHealth app. Method: A cross-sectional study realized based on a retrospective review of drug prescriptions in a reference hospital in infectology in the Midwest Region of Brazil, 2018. We selected all prescriptions containing two or more drugs. Drugs were classified according to the first level of the Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical (ATC) classification, according to the route of administration and the number of drugs prescribed. PDIs were classified according to the severity system and four-level evidence classification system. Results: This study selected 72 patients, predominantly male, median age of 38 years, average length of stay of 15.8 days, and most diagnosed with HIV/AIDS. The most frequently prescribed anatomical groups according to ATC were digestive system and metabolism (22.1%) and general anti-infectives for systemic use (21.6%). The average number of drugs per prescription was 10.8 (SD±6.7). The Micromedex® mHealth app found 381 PDIs while its web version detected 502 PDIs, with an average of 5.3 and 7.0 and frequency of 61.1% and 72.2%, respectively. According to the severity classification in mHealth and web versions, the following stood out, respectively: 221 and 321 severe; 139 and 149 moderate. The majority (>65%) of identified PDIs had their documentation classified as reasonable. Conclusion: Digital tools although they aid decision-making, are not unanimous and consistent in detecting such interactions.