Goran Palčevski

Antibiotic utilization at the university hospital after introducing an antibiotic policy

AbstractObjective: Antibiotic formulary restrictions are among the most popular methods to control antibiotic utilization in hospitals. The aim of the present survey was to investigate the influence of “reserve antibiotic” on antimicrobial utilization at the University Hospital Center (UHC) Rijeka. Methods: At the UHC Rijeka, reserve antibiotic was implemented in July 1997. The antimicrobial drug consumption was monitored 6 months prior to and 6 months after the introduction of the method. Antimicrobial consumption was measured in defined daily doses (DDDs) among the major clinics. Results: Reserve antibiotic has led to a decrease in total antibiotic consumption at the UHC Rijeka (45.9 DDDs/100 bed days vs 32.9 DDDs/100 bed days). Antibiotic utilization decreased in the second semester at most clinics: at the Clinic for Infectious Diseases 41%, at the Anesthesiology and Intensive Care Unit 30%, at the Clinic for Internal Medicine 18% and at the Surgical Clinic 12%. At the Clinic for Gynecology and Obstetrics, the antibiotic utilization remained the same, while at the Pediatric Clinic an increase of 28% in antibiotic utilization was noted. Conclusion: Our study indicates that restriction of usage of some antibacterial agents is a successful method to decrease antibiotic consumption and a way to bring cost savings and helps prevent emergence of resistant microorganisms in hospitals. To improve antimicrobial prescribing, additional methods such as education are required.

Antimicrobial utilization and bacterial resistance at three different hospitals

It has been generally recognized that the prevalence of bacterial resistance among bacteria is an unavoidable consequence of antibiotic use and is positively linked to the overall use of antibacterial drugs. The purpose of this study was to investigate the extent of antimicrobial usage and to evaluate the antimicrobial resistance at three different hospital settings in Croatia: a clinical hospital, a general hospital and a specialized clinic for infectious diseases. In this survey the antimicrobial drug consumption and antimicrobial susceptibility test results were analyzed for the first 6 months of 1997 in three different hospitals in Croatia: the University Hospital Center (UHC), Rijeka, the Clinic for Infectious Diseases ‘Dr Fran Mihaljević’, Zagreb and the Dubrovnik General Hospital. The data were collected from corresponding hospital pharmacy records and microbiology laboratories. Antimicrobial drug utilization was expressed in number of defined daily doses (DDDs) per 100 bed days. High antimicrobial utilization and high resistance rates were found in all three hospitals. At the Clinic for Infectious Diseases, the most frequently used antimicrobials where those of narrow spectrum while at the UHC Rijeka and the Dubrovnik General Hospital the broad spectrum antimicrobials were mostly used. The highest antimicrobial consumption was noted at the Sušak locality of the UHC, Rijeka, where the highest resistance rates of bacteria to antimicrobials were also found. Results of this observational study indicate that attempts should be made to reduce the influence of factors that may lead to emergent resistance. The most effective approach to the prevention of transmission of multidrug-resistant pathogens is preventing the initial emergence of resistance. A rational and strict antibiotic policy is thus of great importance for the optimal use of these agents.

Analysis of antiepileptic drugs use at a university hospital in Croatia

To analyse the consumption rate of new generation antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) compared with traditional AEDs at a university hospital in Croatia. Antiepileptic drugs use was analysed retrospectively for two consecutive years, 2001 and 2002 at Departments of Neurology, Paediatrics, Psychiatry and Neurosurgery at the University Hospital Centre (UHC) Rijeka. The results obtained are expressed as number of defined daily doses (DDDs) per 100 bed days, as proposed by the WHO. The use of new generation AEDs was represented by 2% in 2001 and 5% in 2002. Majority of AEDs administered was taken by the barbiturates in both years. A wide spectrum of AEDs has been used at the Department of Paediatrics. At the Department of Neurology and Psychiatry use of barbiturates and carbamazepine predominated. The use of new AEDs at UHC has increased during the investigation period but it is still rather low compared with traditional AEDs. The similarity of our results with the result of the leading Croatian university hospitals might represent general routine AED prescription in country. Nationally based guidelines may bring more appropriate and rational approach for usage of modern AED. This task should be supported and promoted by international and national neurology associations.

Advances in diagnosis of chronic liver diseases in pediatric patients

BackgroundChronic liver diseases (CLD) present important clinical problem in children with various age-dependent causes. Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) with its increasing prevalence is a major problem with regard to its timely recognition and the need for long-term disease monitoring. At present, a perfect non-invasive method for the evaluation of liver fibrosis is not available.MethodsA non-systematic literature search was performed to summarize the current knowledge about transient elastography (TE) with controlled attenuation parameter (CAP) in children with CLD. Ovid MEDLINE, Ovid EMBASE, Google scholar, and The Cochrane Library databases were searched for relevant articles evaluating TE in the pediatric population.ResultsNormal values of liver stiffness measurements (LSM) according to the age are given, as well as the advantages and disadvantages of the method. The utility of TE in specific liver disease in pediatric population is summarized.ConclusionsTE with CAP is a valuable non-invasive method for the liver-damage assessment. Clinical interpretation of TE results should be made in parallel with the assessment of the patient’s demographics, disease etiology, and essential laboratory parameters.

Generalized edema with hypoproteinemia as initial presentation of celiac disease in a 3-year-old boy: case report

Edema is defi ned as abnormal accumulation of fl uid in the interstitium. Differential diagnosis of generalized edema is very broad. Most often, renal and cardiac causes lead to generalized edema. The potential gastrointestinal causes of edema are liver failure and protein losing enteropathy including celiac disease and protein malnutrition. Generalized edema is rarely an initial manifestat ion of celiac disease. Hereby, we present a case of a 3-year-old boy with celiac disease, initially presented with generalized edema and hypoproteinemia.

Severe myalgia associated with mesalazine treatment in a child with Crohn’s disease

Crohn’s disease (CD) is a chronic inflammatory bowel disease of unknown etiology. It appears before the age of 18 years in 30% of all patients and may affect all parts of the gastrointestinal (GI) system and all layers of its wall with characteristic alternations of intact and affected areas. It is characterized by exacerbations. Clinical manifestations are diverse and depend on the segment of the GI system that is affected and the presence/absence of complications and extra-intestinal manifestations. The main goal of treatment is the rapid achievement of the remission state with no clinical or laboratory signs of the disease and no adverse drug reactions (ADRs). Most treatment guidelines include a therapeutic regimen of sulfasalazine or its derivates and corticosteroids as the drugs of choice. We report here a rare case of severe myalgia in a 13year-old child following mesalazine treatment for CD. The causality assessment of the ADR as “probable” was based on positive dechallenge and rechallenge. Case report