Shlomi Codish

A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial of Selective Digestive Decontamination Using Oral Gentamicin and Oral Polymyxin E for Eradication of Carbapenem-Resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae Carriage

OBJECTIVE To assess the effectiveness of selective digestive decontamination (SDD) for eradicating carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (CRKP) oropharyngeal and gastrointestinal carriage. DESIGN A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial with 7 weeks of follow-up per patient. SETTING A 1,000-bed tertiary-care university hospital. PATIENTS Adults with CRKP-positive rectal swab cultures. METHODS Patients were blindly randomized (1 :1) over a 20-month period. The SDD arm received oral gentamicin and polymyxin E gel (0.5 g 4 times per day) and oral solutions of gentamicin (80 mg 4 times per day) and polymyxin E (1 x 10(6) units 4 times per day for 7 days). The placebo arm received oral placebo gel 4 times per day and 2 placebo oral solutions 4 times per day for 7 days. Strict contact precautions were applied. Samples obtained from the throat, groin, and urine were also cultured. RESULTS Forty patients (mean age ± standard deviation, 71 ± 16 years; 65% male) were included. At screening, greater than or equal to 30% of oropharyngeal, greater than or equal to 60% of skin, and greater than or equal to 35% of urine cultures yielded CRKP isolates. All throat cultures became negative in the SDD arm after 3 days (P < .0001). The percentages of rectal cultures that were positive for CRKP were significantly reduced at 2 weeks. At that time, 16.1% of rectal cultures in the placebo arm and 61.1% in the SDD arm were negative (odds ratio, 0.13; 95% confidence interval, 0.02-0.74; P < .0016). A difference between the percentages in the 2 arms was still maintained at 6 weeks (33.3% vs 58.5%). Groin colonization prevalence did not change in either arm, and the prevalence of urine colonization increased in the placebo arm. CONCLUSIONS This SDD regimen could be a suitable decolonization therapy for selected patients colonized with CRKP, such as transplant recipients or immunocompromised patients pending chemotherapy and patients who require major intestinal or oropharyngeal surgery. Moreover, in outbreaks caused by CRKP infections that are uncontrolled by routine infection control measures, SDD could provide additional infection containment.

The role of cardiac troponin I as a prognosticator in critically ill medical patients: a prospective observational cohort study

IntroductionMyocardial injury is frequently unrecognized in intensive care unit (ICU) patients. Cardiac troponin I (cTnI), a surrogate of myocardial injury, has been shown to correlate with outcome in selected groups of patients. We wanted to determine if cTnI level measured upon admission is an independent predictor of mortality in a heterogeneous group of critically ill medical patients.MethodsWe conducted a prospective observational cohort study; 128 consecutive patients admitted to a medical ICU at a tertiary university hospital were enrolled. cTnI levels were measured within 6 h of admission and were considered positive (>0.7 ng/ml) or negative. A variety of clinical and laboratory variables were recorded.ResultsBoth cTnI positive and negative groups were similar in terms of age, sex and pre-admission co-morbidity. In a univariate analysis, positive cTnI was associated with increased mortality (OR 7.0, 95% CI 2.44–20.5, p < 0.001), higher Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) II scores and a higher rate of multi-organ failure and sepsis. This association between cTnI and mortality was more pronounced among elderly patients (>65 years of age). Multivariate analysis controlling for APACHE II score revealed that elevated cTnI levels are not independently associated with 28-day mortality.ConclusionIn critically ill medical patients, elevated cTnI level measured upon admission is associated with increased mortality rate. cTnI does not independently contribute to the prediction of 28-day mortality beyond that provided by APACHE II.

Therapy with mud compresses for knee osteoarthritis: comparison of natural mud preparations with mineral-depleted mud.

Mud pack therapy is an alternative mode of treatment for rheumatic diseases. It is based on the application of heated mud packs to the entire body or to specific areas, such as over joints. The aim of the current study was to evaluate the efficacy of treatment with mud compresses at patients’ homes for osteoarthritis of the knee.Fifty-eight patients with osteoarthritis of the knee were enrolled in a prospective, double-blinded, controlled study. Forty patients were treated with natural mineral-rich mud compresses and 18 patients were treated with mineral-depleted mud compresses. Mud compresses were applied 5 times each week during 3 weeks for a total of 15 treatments. Patients were assessed at baseline, at completion of the 3-week treatment period, and twice after the conclusion of the treatment period—after 1 month and after 3 months.The main outcome measures were the Lequesne Index of severity of knee osteoarthritis, patient self-assessment of pain, and severity of knee pain on a visual analog scale. A reduction of 20% or more in the pain scores was considered clinically significant.In the group treated with natural mud compresses, a significant reduction in knee pain was observed at all assessments. Similarly, improvement in the Lequesne Index was seen at the end of therapy and a month after treatment. In the control group, given mineral-depleted mud compresses, no significant change in knee pain was seen at any assessment. Improvement in the Lequesne Index was seen 1 and 3 months after completion of the therapy, but not at the end of therapy. Seventy-two percent of the patients in the treatment group had an improvement of >20% in self-assessment of knee pain, compared with 33% in the control group (p = 0.005).The data suggest that treatment with mud compresses, but only in their natural form, temporarily relieves pain in patients with osteoarthritis of the knees. We believe that treatment with mud compresses might augment conventional medical therapy in these patients.

Manifestations of three HHV-8-related diseases in an HIV-negative patient: immunoblastic variant multicentric Castleman's disease, primary effusion lymphoma, and Kaposi's sarcoma.

We describe a 73‐year‐old HIV negative patient who presented with symptomatic hypoglycemia. Over the course of several months she was diagnosed with three human herpesvirus‐8 related diseases: multicentric Castlemans disease, primary effusion lymphoma and Kaposis sarcoma. No improvement was observed following cytotoxic therapy and she died 16 months after her initial presentation. The etiology of the hypoglycemia remained obscure over the course of this patients disease. This case is the first report of a patient with three human herpesvirus‐8 related diseases, and the first report of severe hypoglycemia as the presenting symptom of any of these diseases. Am. J. Hematol. 65:310–314, 2000.

Dramatic increase in laboratory-diagnosed human cutaneous leishmaniasis cases in southern Israel, 2007–2013

Abstract Background: Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is an endemic zoonosis in southern Israel. In recent years, substantial urbanization has been taking place in this region. The introduction of populations into endemic foci was previously reported to facilitate human CL outbreaks. Our aim was to describe a continuous CL outbreak in southern Israel, through laboratory reports of CL diagnosis. Methods: The Soroka University Medical Center parasitology laboratory is the major laboratory confirming CL cases in our region. Data regarding patients referred to the hospital for CL diagnosis were collected retrospectively. Cases were defined by microscopic findings of skin lesion biopsies. Results: The annual number of cases sent for CL laboratory confirmation increased from a mean of 77 ± 9 in the years 2007–2010 to 178, 327, and 528 in the years 2011, 2012, and 2013, respectively. The respective increase in annual confirmed/positive cases of CL was from 36 ± 12 to 117, 171, and 282, leading to respective increase in CL rate (per 100 000) from 5.8 ± 1.9 to 18.4, 26.3, and 42.7. The outbreak was mainly (> 60%) observed in the north-west area of the region. Conclusions: In conclusion, a sevenfold increase in laboratory-confirmed CL was observed in southern Israel in 2007–2013, probably reflecting a bigger outbreak, possibly related to urban expansion bordering with CL foci.

Dobutamine stress echocardiography in women with systemic lupus erythematosus: increased occurrence of left ventricular outflow gradient

Dobutamine stress echocardiography(DSE) is an accurate noninvasivetest used for the diagnosis and evaluation of patients with known or suspected coronary artery disease (CAD). The aim of this study was to determine the rate of positive findings in DSE, to define the echocardiographic and clinical characteristicsof women with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and to evaluate the safety of DSE in SLE patients.Thirty consecutiveSLE patients were enrolled in the study and underwentDSE study. The mean age of patients was 44 years (range 20-76). Mean duration of SLE was 8.1 years and mean SLEDAI was 5.5. None of the DSE tests performed were positive for myocardial ischaemia. A left ventricular outflow gradient (LVOG) was found in 15/28 (54%) patients who completed the test, a result higher than the reported 20% prevalence of this finding in the literature. There were no significant differences in baseline characteristics between patients who developed a gradient and patients in whom a gradient was not found. There were no significant adverse effects during the study. In the general population, LVOG has been reported to be associated with an increased rate of chest discomfort and with a significantly lower prevalence of CAD. Whether this is true for SLE patients requires further study.

Use patterns of health information exchange systems and admission decisions: Reductionistic and configurational approaches

BACKGROUND Research that endeavors to identify the value of electronic health information exchange (HIE) systems to the healthcare industry and, specifically, to clinical decision making is often inconclusive or theory-based. Studies seeking to identify how clinical decisions relate to patterns of actual HIE use, often by analyzing system log files, generally rely on dichotomous distinctions between system use and no-use, disregard the availability of information in the system, and control for few user characteristics. OBJECTIVE We aim at empirically exploring the associations between use patterns of HIE systems and subsequent clinical decisions on the basis of broad definitions of use patterns, available information, and control variables. METHODS We examine the decision to admit critically-ill patients either to the intensive care unit (ICU) or to another ward at a busy emergency department in the period 2010-2012. Using HIE log files, use patterns are characterized by the variables of number of users, volume, diversity, granularity, duration, and content. We test the association between HIE use patterns and the admission decision, after controlling for multiple demographic, clinical, physician, and situational variables and for available HIE information. This association is examined by taking a reductionistic approach that focuses on independent use variables and a configurational approach that focuses on use profiles. RESULTS Five use profiles were identified, the largest of which (46.95% of encounters) described basic HIE access. ICU admission is more probable when the HIE system is perused by multiple users (odds increase by 31%) and when use profiles include prolonged screen viewing (odds increase by 159%) or access to diverse and multiple types of information, specifically on test results, procedures, and previous encounters. DISCUSSION Reductionistic and configurational approaches yield complementary insights, which advance the understanding of how actual HIE use is associated with clinical decision making. The study shows that congruent profiles of HIE use enhance the predictability of the admission decision beyond what can be explained by independent variables of HIE use.

Use patterns of health information exchange through a multidimensional lens

Insights about patterns of system use are often gained through the analysis of system log files, which record the actual behavior of users. In a clinical context, however, few attempts have been made to typify system use through log file analysis. The present study offers a framework for identifying, describing, and discerning among patterns of use of a clinical information retrieval system. We use the session attributes of volume, diversity, granularity, duration, and content to define a multidimensional space in which each specific session can be positioned. We also describe an analytical method for identifying the common archetypes of system use in this multidimensional space. We demonstrate the value of the proposed framework with a log file of the use of a health information exchange (HIE) system by physicians in an emergency department (ED) of a large Israeli hospital. The analysis reveals five distinct patterns of system use, which have yet to be described in the relevant literature. The results of this study have the potential to inform the design of HIE systems for efficient and effective use, thus increasing their contribution to the clinical decision-making process.

Balancing Volume and Duration of Information Consumption by Physicians: The Case of Health Information Exchange in Critical Care

BACKGROUND The realization of the potential benefits of health information exchange systems (HIEs) for emergency departments (EDs) depends on the way these systems are actually used. The attributes of volume of information and duration of information processing are important for the study of HIE use patterns in the ED, as cognitive load and time constraints may result in a trade-off between these attributes. Experts and non-experts often use different problem-solving strategies, which may be consequential for their system use patterns. Little previous research focuses on the trade-off between volume and duration of system use or on the factors that affect it, including user expertise. OBJECTIVES This study aims at exploring the trade-off of volume and duration of use, examining whether this relationship differs between experts and non-experts, and identifying factors that are associated with use patterns characterized by volume and duration. METHODS The research objectives are pursued in the context of critically-ill patients, treated at a busy ED in the period 2010-2012. The primary source of internal and external data is an HIE linked to 14 hospitals, over 1300 clinics, and other clinical facilities. We define four use profiles based on the attributes of duration and volume: quick and basic, quick and deep, slow and basic, and slow and deep. The volume and duration of use are computed using HIE log files as the number of screens and the time per screen, respectively. Each session is then classified into a specific profile based on distances from predefined profile centroids. Experts are physicians that are board-certified in emergency medicine. We test the distribution of use profiles and their associations with multiple variables that describe the patient, physician, situation, information available in the HIE system, and use dynamics within the encounter. RESULTS The quick and basic profile is the most prevalent. While available admission summaries are associated with quick and basic use, lab and imaging results are associated with slower or deeper use. Physicians who are the first to use the system or are sole users during an encounter are less inclined to quick and deep use. These effects are intensified for experts. DISCUSSION A trade-off between volume and duration is identified. While system use is overall similar for experts and non-experts, the circumstances in which a certain profile is more likely to be observed vary across these two groups. Information availability and multiple-physician dynamics within the encounter emerge as important for the prediction of use profiles. The findings of this study provide implications for the design, implementation, and research of HIE use.

Effectiveness of stringent decontamination of computer input devices in the era of electronic medical records and bedside computing: A randomized controlled trial

Bedside computing may lead to increased hospital-acquired infections mediated by computer input devices handled immediately after patient contact. We compared 2 decontamination methods in 2 types of wards. We found high baseline contamination rates, which decreased following decontamination, but the rates remained unacceptably high. Decontamination was more effective in intensive care units compared with medical wards and when using alcohol-based impregnated wipes compared with quaternary ammonium-based impregnated wipes.