Shungo Yamamoto

Impact of infectious diseases service consultation on diagnosis of infective endocarditis

Abstract Background: The infectious diseases (ID) consultation service is a new clinical entity in Japan. We examined the impact of ID consultation on the diagnosis of infective endocarditis (IE) at a large teaching hospital in Japan. Methods: Routine consultation with an ID service for cases of positive blood culture was implemented at Kameda Medical Center in November 2004. In addition, ID service doctors started to give lectures on ID to doctors and also provided local guidelines on ID. We compared the incidence of IE during a 3-y and 10-month period before intervention with that during a 5-y and 2-month period after intervention. The modified Duke criteria were used to confirm the diagnosis of definite IE. Patients who fulfilled the criteria for definite IE were included in the analysis. Results: Twenty-seven cases of IE were diagnosed before the implementation of routine consultation, and 76 cases after. The respective incidences of IE were 48.7 and 84.8 per 100,000 patients discharged from the hospital (p = 0.01). The relapse rate of IE within 6 months was significantly lower in patients who underwent routine consultation (22.2% vs 2.2%; p = 0.02). Conclusion: Routine consultation with an ID service for cases of positive blood culture, together with consecutive lecturing and local guidelines by ID specialists, resulted in improved detection of IE and a reduced relapse rate within 6 months. Timely consultation with an ID specialist in bacteraemia cases may be beneficial for improving the outcomes of patients in this setting.

Body Temperature at the Emergency Department as a Predictor of Mortality in Patients With Bacterial Infection

AbstractHypothermia is a risk factor for death in intensive care unit (ICU) patients with severe sepsis and septic shock. In the present study, we investigated the association between body temperature (BT) on arrival at the emergency department (ED) and mortality in patients with bacterial infection.We conducted a retrospective cohort study in consecutive ED patients over 15 years of age with bacterial infection who were admitted to an urban teaching hospital in Japan between 2010 and 2012. The main outcome measure was 30-day in-hospital mortality. Each patient was assigned to 1 of 6 categories based on BT at ED admission. We conducted multivariable logistic regression analysis to adjust for predictors of death.A total of 913 patients were enrolled in the study. The BT categories were <36, 36 to 36.9, 37 to 37.9, 38 to 38.9, 39 to 39.9, and ≥40 °C, with respective mortalities of 32.5%, 14.1%, 8.7%, 8.2%, 5.7%, and 5.3%. Multivariable analysis showed that the risk of death was significantly low in patients with BT 37 to 37.9 °C (adjusted odds ratio [AOR]: 0.2; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.1–0.6, P = 0.003), 38–38.9 °C (AOR: 0.2; 95% CI 0.1–0.6, P = 0.002), 39–39.9 °C (AOR: 0.2; 95% CI 0.1–0.5, P = 0.001), and ≥40 °C (AOR: 0.1; 95% CI 0.02–0.4, P = 0.001), compared with hypothermic patients (BT <36 °C).The higher BT on arrival at ED, the better the outcomes observed in patients with bacterial infection were.

Mycotic aneurysm caused by Edwardsiella tarda successfully treated with stenting and suppressive antibiotic therapy: a case report and systematic review

BackgroundMycotic aneurysm is an uncommon disease which could be fatal without appropriate treatment. Although standard therapy for mycotic aneurysms consists of resection of the infected aorta and in situ graft replacement, some treat with endovascular stent-grafting because patients may not tolerate graft replacement due to underlying diseases. There are 6 more reported cases of mycotic aneurysm caused by Edwardsiella tarda. With the exception of our case, all underwent resection and debridement of the infected aorta or vascular prosthesis. Herein we report the first case ever of mycotic aneurysm caused by E. tarda, successfully treated with stenting and suppressive antibiotic therapy without resection of the infected aorta.Case presentationA 65-year-old Japanese woman with cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma complained of fatigue. Her work up revealed a ruptured aneurysm of the descending aorta. She went through endovascular stent-graft placement. Edwardsiella tarda grew from blood cultures, which led to the diagnosis of mycotic aneurysm. Edwardsiella tarda is a Gram negative bacillus which rarely causes infections in humans. In the case of bacteremia, its mortality is reported to be very high and all reported cases with mycotic aneurysm caused by E. tarda ended up with resection of the infected aorta.ConclusionOur case shows that in the case of mycotic aneurysm caused by E. tarda, endovascular stent-graft placement could be an alternative to in situ graft replacement.

Body Mass Index Change and Hospitalization Risk in Elderly Hemodialysis Patients: Results from Japanese Dialysis Outcomes and Practice Patterns Study

Background: Short-term weight gains and losses are associated with a lower and higher mortality risk, respectively, in patients undergoing hemodialysis (HD). However, little is known about their association with the risk of subsequent hospitalization. Methods: In a prospective cohort of 1,804 HD patients aged ≥65 years enrolled in the Japanese Dialysis Outcomes and Practice Patterns Study phases 3 (2005–2008) and 4 (2009–2011), we examined the associations between changes in body mass index (BMI) over a 4-month baseline period (<–3%, –3 to <–1%, –1 to <1% [reference], 1 to <3%, and ≥3%) and subsequent risk of all-cause, cardiovascular, and noncardiovascular hospitalization using Cox models with adjustment for potential confounders. Results: During a median follow-up of 1.2 years, we noted 1,028 incident hospitalizations for any cause, including 275 and 753 hospitalizations for cardiovascular and noncardiovascular causes, respectively. An L-shaped association was observed between BMI change and all-cause hospitalization. The multivariable-adjusted hazard ratios (HRs; 95% CI) of all-cause hospitalization associated with BMI changes of <–3%, –3 to <–1%, 1 to <3%, and ≥3% (vs. –1 to <1%) were 1.29 (1.01–1.65), 1.22 (0.98–1.51), 1.04 (0.83–1.29), and 1.10 (0.83–1.45), respectively. Qualitatively similar associations were present for cardiovascular-related hospitalization (corresponding HRs [95% CI]: 1.58 [1.06–2.37], 1.09 [0.75–1.58], 0.99 [0.72–1.36], and 0.91 [0.51–1.64], respectively) but not for noncardiovascular-related hospitalization (corresponding HRs [95% CI]: 1.19 [0.90–1.57], 1.26 [0.99–1.59], 1.06 [0.84–1.35], and 1.18 [0.86–1.63], respectively). Conclusions: Decreases in BMI over a relatively short-term period were independently associated with higher risk of subsequent hospitalization, particularly cardiovascular-related hospitalization, among elderly HD patients.

Development and efficacy of a clinician-targeted refresher course for treating nonpneumonia respiratory tract infections

In 2017, the Japanese government published an evidence‐based manual describing the appropriate use of antibiotics in outpatient settings to tackle the problem of antimicrobial resistance. To fill the evidence‐practice gap, we developed a clinician‐targeted course aimed at improving clinician skills in the daily clinical practice of treating acute respiratory tract infections (RTIs) based on the manual. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of the course.