Necmettin Ünal

Impact of a multidimensional infection control approach on central line-associated bloodstream infections rates in adult intensive care units of 8 cities of Turkey: findings of the International Nosocomial Infection Control Consortium (INICC)

BackgroundCentral line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABs) have long been associated with excess lengths of stay, increased hospital costs and mortality attributable to them. Different studies from developed countries have shown that practice bundles reduce the incidence of CLAB in intensive care units. However, the impact of the bundle strategy has not been systematically analyzed in the adult intensive care unit (ICU) setting in developing countries, such as Turkey. The aim of this study is to analyze the impact of the International Nosocomial Infection Control Consortium (INICC) multidimensional infection control approach to reduce the rates of CLAB in 13 ICUs of 13 INICC member hospitals from 8 cities of Turkey.MethodsWe conducted active, prospective surveillance before-after study to determine CLAB rates in a cohort of 4,017 adults hospitalized in ICUs. We applied the definitions of the CDC/NHSN and INICC surveillance methods. The study was divided into baseline and intervention periods. During baseline, active outcome surveillance of CLAB rates was performed. During intervention, the INICC multidimensional approach for CLAB reduction was implemented and included the following measures: 1- bundle of infection control interventions, 2- education, 3- outcome surveillance, 4- process surveillance, 5- feedback of CLAB rates, and 6- performance feedback on infection control practices. CLAB rates obtained in baseline were compared with CLAB rates obtained during intervention.ResultsDuring baseline, 3,129 central line (CL) days were recorded, and during intervention, we recorded 23,463 CL-days. We used random effects Poisson regression to account for clustering of CLAB rates within hospital across time periods. The baseline CLAB rate was 22.7 per 1000 CL days, which was decreased during the intervention period to 12.0 CLABs per 1000 CL days (IRR 0.613; 95% CI 0.43 – 0.87; P 0.007). This amounted to a 39% reduction in the incidence rate of CLAB.ConclusionsThe implementation of multidimensional infection control approach was associated with a significant reduction in the CLAB rates in adult ICUs of Turkey, and thus should be widely implemented.

Postoperative analgesia in children using preemptive retrobulbar block and local anesthetic infiltration in strabismus surgery

Background and Objectives. Postoperative pain management in pediatric strabismus patients is infrequently studied. Pediatric patients can be mobilized earlier if postoperative pain is minimized. In this study, two different regional anesthetic techniques, retrobulbar block and local infiltration, were compared with a “no block” control group for the postoperative management of pain in pediatric patients undergoing elective strabismus surgery. Methods. Thirty patients were randomly allocated to one of the study groups: group 1 (n = 10) control, group 2 (n = 10) retrobulbar block, and group 3 (n = 10) subconjunctival bupivacaine infiltration. The parameters that were evaluated during the early postoperative period (6 hours) were circulatory, pain scores by Visual Analog Scale (VAS) and Modified Pediatric Objective Pain Scale (MPOPS), additional analgesic requirement, nausea, and vomiting. The parameters that were evaluated after discharge from the hospital (on postoperative days 1 and 2) through questionnaires were additional analgesic requirement, nausea, vomiting, sleep disturbances, activity, and appetite. Results. Group 3 had significantly higher VAS and MPOPS scores at postoperative 120, 180, 240, 300, and 360 minutes than groups 1 and 2 (P < .05). Patients in group 2 seemed to have a higher incidence of nausea and vomiting both in the early (6 hours) and late postoperative (postoperative days 1 and 2) periods; however, the difference was not statistically significant. Group 2 required less analgesic compared with groups 1 and 3 during the late postoperative period. Late postoperative activity and appetite were better in groups 2 and 3. Conclusions. Because there was no significant difference in terms of postoperative analgesia in the retrobulbar block or subconjunctival local anesthetic infiltration groups compared with the control group, we suggest that conventional methods of pain treatment are adequate for postoperative analgesia in strabismus surgery.

Fatal polyarteritis nodosa with gastrointestinal involvement in a child.

Polyarteritis nodosa (PAN) is a necrotizing angiitis that predominantly affects small- and medium-sized arteries. Polyarteritis nodosa occurs rarely during childhood. Boys and girls seem to be equally affected, with a peak at the age of 10 years. Rarely, severe and fatal gastrointestinal involvement is seen in PAN. Here, we report a 15-year-old boy with PAN, who had gastrointestinal involvement with multiple aneurysms of the hepatic and superior mesenteric arteries. This involvement could be demonstrated with conventional angiography and gastrointestinal bleeding scintigraphy. The progression of the symptoms and the decrease in the size of the aneurysms were noted after combination treatment with cyclophosphamide and prednisolone, but there was severe bleeding from small bowel, and it was taken under control by resection of jejunum. However, the patient died because of sepsis. In conclusion, severe gastrointestinal involvement in PAN is usually fatal despite aggressive therapy, as is the case in our patient.

Growth and Survival of Holstein and Brown Swiss Calves Reared Outdoors in Individual Hutches

The effects of outdoor raising of Brown Swiss and Holstein replacement calves in individual hutches were studied on a farm having northern Mediterranean climatic conditions. A total of 240 female calves was used with 30 calves of each breed and born in each of the four seasons. The animals were kept for 3 months in individual hutches and then in groups of 10 until 6 months of age. The birth weights of the Brown Swiss and Holstein calves were 37.2±0.21 and 37.9±0.22, respectively. The average birth weights were highest in spring and lowest in winter. Breed and seasonal effects were evident at 6 months. The live weights for the two breeds at 6 months were 114.1±1.3 and 126.3±1.5 kg, respectively. The numbers of health disorders were significantly higher in the first month of life. Mortalities occurred in the following months, being 2.5% in Holsteins and 5% in Brown Swiss by 6 months of age. The results indicated that calves can be reared outdoors successfully.

Impact of the International Nosocomial Infection Control Consortium (INICC) Multidimensional Hand Hygiene Approach, over 8 years, in 11 cities of Turkey

Aims: To evaluate the effectiveness of the International Nosocomial Infection Control Consortium (INICC) Multidimensional Hand Hygiene Approach in Turkey and analyse predictors of poor hand hygiene compliance. Design: An observational, prospective, interventional, before-and-after study was conducted from August 2003 to August 2011 in 12 intensive care units (ICU) of 12 hospitals in 11 cities. The study was divided into a baseline and a follow-up period and included random 30-minute observations for hand hygiene compliance in ICU. The hand hygiene approach included administrative support, supplies availability, education and training, reminders in the workplace, process surveillance, and performance feedback. Results: We observed 21,145 opportunities for hand hygiene. Overall hand hygiene compliance increased from 28.8% to 91% (95% CI 87.6–93.0, p 0.0001). Multivariate and univariate analyses showed that several variables were significantly associated with poor hand hygiene compliance: males vs. females (39% vs. 48%; 95% CI 0.79–0.84, p 0.0001), ancillary staff vs. physicians (35% vs. 46%, 95% CI 0.73–0.78, p 0.0001), and adult vs. pediatric ICUs (42% vs. 74%, 95% CI 0.54–0.60, p 0.0001). Conclusions: Adherence to hand hygiene was significantly increased with the INICC Hand Hygiene Approach. Specific programmes should be directed to improve hand hygiene in variables found to be predictors of poor hand hygiene compliance.

Therapeutic plasma exchange in an intensive care unit (ICU): A 10-year, single-center experience

Therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE) is a blood purification method that effectively allows for the removal of waste substances by separating out plasma from other components of blood and the removed plasma is replaced with solutions such as albumin and/or plasma, or crystalloid/colloid solutions. Plasma exchange therapies are becoming increasingly essential, being used in daily practice in critical care settings for various indications, either as a first-line therapeutic intervention or as an adjunct to conventional therapies. This retrospective clinical study analyzes 10-year therapeutic plasma exchange activity experience in an 18-bed ICU at a tertiary care university hospital with a large, critically-ill patient population. Medical records of 1188 plasma exchange procedures on 329 patients with different diagnoses admitted from January 2000 to July 2010 were evaluated. The aim of the study was to determine the TPE indications and outcomes of the patients who underwent TPE in the ICU with conventional therapy. The secondary endpoints were to determine the differences between different patient groups (septic vs. non-septic indications) in terms of adverse events and procedural differences.

Double filtration plasmapheresis for a case of Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever

Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF), is a fatal viral infection transmitted to humans through a tick bite or exposure to blood or tissues of viremic hosts. The clinical presentation is characterized by sudden onset high fever, headache, myalgia, abdominal pain and nausea-vomiting followed by gastrointestinal, urinary, respiratory tract and brain hemorrhage. Laboratory findings include leucopenia, thrombocytopenia, elevated liver enzymes, prolonged prothrombin time and activated partial thromboplastin time. We report a case of CCHF who was treated with a combination of DFPP and ribavirin therapy. As a result of this multimodal treatment, patients clinical symptoms and laboratory findings improved gradually.

Epidemiology of sepsis in intensive care units in Turkey: a multicenter, point-prevalence study

BackgroundThe prevalence and mortality of sepsis are largely unknown in Turkey, a country with high antibiotic resistance. A national, multicenter, point-prevalence study was conducted to determine the prevalence, causative microorganisms, and outcome of sepsis in intensive care units (ICUs) in Turkey.MethodsA total of 132 ICUs from 94 hospitals participated. All patients (aged > 18 years) present at the participating ICUs or admitted for any duration within a 24-h period (08:00 on January 27, 2016 to 08:00 on January 28, 2016) were included. The presence of systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS), severe sepsis, and septic shock were assessed and documented based on the consensus criteria of the American College of Chest Physicians and Society of Critical Care Medicine (SEPSIS-I) in infected patients. Patients with septic shock were also assessed using the SEPSIS-III definitions. Data regarding demographics, illness severity, comorbidities, microbiology, therapies, length of stay, and outcomes (dead/alive during 30 days) were recorded.ResultsOf the 1499 patients included in the analysis, 237 (15.8%) had infection without SIRS, 163 (10.8%) had infection with SIRS, 260 (17.3%) had severe sepsis without shock, and 203 (13.5%) had septic shock. The mortality rates were higher in patients with severe sepsis (55.7%) and septic shock (70.4%) than those with infection alone (24.8%) and infection + SIRS (31.2%) (p < 0.001). According to SEPSIS-III, 104 (6.9%) patients had septic shock (mortality rate, 75.9%). The respiratory system (71.6%) was the most common site of infection, and Acinetobacter spp. (33.7%) were the most common isolated pathogen. Approximately, 74.9%, 39.1%, and 26.5% of Acinetobacter, Klebsiella, and Pseudomonas spp. isolates, respectively, were carbapenem-resistant, which was not associated with a higher mortality risk. Age, acute physiology and chronic health evaluation II score at ICU admission, sequential organ failure assessment score on study day, solid organ malignancy, presence of severe sepsis or shock, Candida spp. infection, renal replacement treatment, and a nurse-to-patient ratio of 1:4 (compared with a nurse-to-patient ratio of 1:2) were independent predictors of mortality in infected patients.ConclusionsA high prevalence of sepsis and an unacceptably high mortality rate were observed in Turkish ICUs. Although the prevalence of carbapenem resistance was high in Turkish ICUs, it was not associated with a higher risk for mortality.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov ID NCT03249246. Date: August 15, 2017. Retrospectively registered.

Gene expression levels in some candidate genes for mastitis resistance, milk yield,and milk quality of goats reared under different feeding systems

* Correspondence: unaln@ankara.edu.tr

Outcomes of Antepartum and Postpartum Obstetric Admissions to the Intensive Care Unit of A Tertiary University Hospital: An 8-Year Review

Objective Although their rates are decreasing, pregnancy-related mortality and morbidity are problems worldwide. In this study, we aimed to review the characteristics, diagnoses, required interventions and outcomes of obstetric patients admitted between 2006 and 2014 to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of a tertiary university hospital to provide an indicator for improving the management of critically ill obstetric patients. Methods A retrospective study of hospital records of obstetric admissions to the ICU was conducted. Results The pregnancy-related ICU admission rate was 0.21% among all deliveries during the study period. Nine antepartum (mean gestational age: 23 weeks) and 48 postpartum (mean gestational age: 34 weeks) obstetric ICU admissions were included. Most obstetric patients admitted antepartum were primiparous (88.8%), whereas those admitted postpartum were multiparous (64.6%). The mean ICU stay was 7 days among the patients admitted antepartum and 6 days among those admitted postpartum. Common medical reasons for ICU admission were respiratory failure and HELLP syndrome in both groups; DIC and eclampsia were also medical reasons causing ICU admission among the postpartum patients. Mechanical ventilation and blood derivative transfusion were the most common interventions required during the ICU stay of the obstetric patients. Maternal death was unique to the patients admitted postpartum (6 patients, 12.5%). Conclusion We reviewed obstetric admissions to our institution over an 8-year period. We believe that a nationwide study in Turkey that provides an indicator of the frequency, reasons of ICU admission and outcome of obstetric patients is required to improve the quality of intensive care.