Barriers to severe acute respiratory coronavirus virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) testing reported by healthcare workers during the first pandemic wave at an academic center in Boston, Massachusetts

Healthcare workers (HCWs) experience barriers to severe acute respiratory coronavirus virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) testing specific to their perceptions of access, and employment factors. A survey was sent to all employees at one Boston hospital to examine their perceived barriers to testing. HCWs who reported difficulty paying their bills were less likely to receive a SARS-CoV-2 test.

Plasmid-Mediated Carbapenem-Hydrolyzing Enzyme KPC-2 in an Enterobacter sp

ABSTRACT A strain of an Enterobacter sp. with reduced susceptibility to imipenem, which produced a plasmid-mediated class A carbapenem-hydrolyzing enzyme, KPC-2 β-lactamase, was isolated from a patient with sepsis at a Boston hospital. This is the first report of the production of a plasmid-encoded KPC-2 β-lactamase by an Enterobacter sp.

Persistent Pulmonary Hypertension in a Newborn With Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia: Successful Management With Tolazoline

Persistent elevation of pulmonary vascular resistance represents a major cause of death in infants with congenital diaphragmatic hernia.1 The present report describes an infant with diaphragmatic hernia in whom persistent pulmonary hypertension associated with severe hypoxemia was successfully treated with tolazoline hydrochloride. CASE REPORT A 3,250-g term boy was born at Boston Hospital for Women to a 31-year-old, gravida 2, para 1 woman. Pregnancy was unremarkable and labor lasted 12 hours. At delivery, Apgar scores were 5 at one minute and 7 at three minutes. There was extreme respiratory distress and hypoxemia. Intubation and a subsequent chest x-ray film led to the diagnosis of a diaphragmatic hernia.