W. David Hager

The microbiology and therapy of acute pelvic inflammatory disease in hospitalized patients

We examined microbial isolates from the endocervical and peritoneal cavity of 30 women hospitalized with acute PID. Patients were randomly assigned to one of two antibiotic regimens: amoxicillin, 6 gm by mouth every 24 hours, or aqueous penicillin G, 30 million units and gentamicin, 180 to 240 mg intravenously every 24 hours. We measured response by quantifying physical examination findings. Neisseria gonorrhoeae was isolated from the cervix of 24 patients (80%) and from the peritoneal cavity of 10 (33%). Other peritoneal isolates included Enterobacteriaceae in five patients, Ureaplasma urealyticum in five, Mycoplasma hominis in six, and Chlamydia trachomatis in three. Bacteroides melaninogenicus, the most frequent anaerobe, was isolated in 11 cases. Bacteroides fragillis was not isolated from any specimen. The cure rates were the same for both regimens: three patients failed on each. Four women required total abdominal hysterectomy and unilateral or bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy.

Prevention of perinatal group B streptococcal infection: Current controversies

Group B streptococcus (GBS) is the most frequent cause of neonatal sepsis in the United States. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued guidelines for its prevention in 1996. This article details areas of controversy with those guidelines and offers recommendations for resolution. We recommend that a prevention policy be adopted by all hospitals. If a screening-based policy is chosen, compliance is essential. Penicillin is the antibiotic of choice for GBS prevention. Increasing resistance to clindamycin and erythromycin might eliminate them as alternative choices in patients allergic to penicillin. Group B streptococcal prophylaxis might not be necessary in women who have repeat elective cesarean delivery. In asymptomatic women, a positive urine culture for GBS should be considered clinically equivalent to a positive vaginal or rectal sample for screening. Neonatal sepsis caused by organisms other than GBS must be monitored carefully by all hospitals providing obstetrics services.

Pelvic actinomycosis in women using intrauterine contraceptive devices

Several recent reports have indicated the possible association between pelvic infection caused by Actinomyces and the use of intrauterine contraceptive devices. Seven cases of infection or colonization of the female genital tract have been detected among women using intrauterine contraceptive devices (IUDs) at Grady Memorial Hospital, Atlanta, Georgia, from March, 1975, until May, 1977. No single IUD type has been incriminated. The shortest duration of consecutive IUD use before the diagnosis was two and a half years. Six of these cases were detected incidentally at the time of endometrial or endocervical biopsy. The diagnosis in each case was made histologically. One patient presented with severe pelvic inflammatory disease and had Actinomyces identified. This is the first reported death associated with pelvic actinomycosis in a woman using an IUD. This organism must be considered as a possible pathogen whenever a patient with an IUD develops pelvic inflammatory disease.

Guidelines for the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of postoperative infections

Bacterial contamination of the operative site is a common occurrence in obstetrics and gynecology. The widespread use of antibiotic prophylaxis has reduced but not eliminated serious postoperative infections. For most operations, a single dose of a limited-spectrum drug has been as effective as a multidose regimen. In the differential diagnosis it is important to consider cellulitis, abscess, necrotizing fasciitis and septic pelvic thrombophlebitis. Abscess and necrotizing fasciitis are expected to require invasive therapy in addition to antibiotics, while cellulitis and septic pelvic thrombophlebitis should respond to medical management alone. Although a postoperative fever is a warning sign of possible infection, it may also be caused by the antibiotics that are given for treatment. The use of prolonged courses of antibiotics once the patient is clinically well is discouraged. While clinical guidelines are provided for use in the diagnosis and management of postoperative infections, these recommendations are intended for general direction and not as an exclusive management plan.

Treatment of Sporadic Acute Puerperal Mastitis

Objective: The purposes of this study were to compare the efficacy of amoxicillin and cephradine for the treatment of sporadic acute puerperal mastitis (SAPM) and to evaluate the microbiology and clinical parameters of this infection. Methods: We conducted a prospective, randomized, single-blinded study comparing amoxicillin, 500 mg orally q 8 h for 7 days, and cephradine, 500 mg orally q 6 h for 7 days. The diagnostic criteria for SAPM included a temperature of ≥37.56℃ (≥99.6℉) and erythema and tenderness of the breast(s). Results: Twenty-seven consecutive outpatients with SAPM were evaluated for admission to the study, and 25 of these were enrolled. The mean temperature at enrollment was 38.17℃ (100.7℉), with a mean WBC count of 11,440/μl. The most frequent bacterial isolates from expressed milk were Staphylococcus aureus (7), staphylococcal species (coagulase negative) (8), and α-hemolytic streptococci (4). There were no significant differences between the 2 antibiotic regimens in cure rate, mean days to resolution of symptoms, or recurrence within 30 days. Both of the treatment failures and 1 of the 3 recurrences within 30 days were amoxicillin-treated patients whose cultures grew S. aureus. Conclusions: Oral amoxicillin and cephradine appear equally effective in the treatment of SAPM. Staphylococci were the most frequent isolates from the milk of women with mastitis.

Amniotic fluid analysis in Rh-sensitized pregnancies☆

This paper delineates the results of analysis of 234 Rh-sensitized pregnancies. It is now possible to predict the outcome in an Rh-isoimmunized pregnancy based only on the mean amniotic fluid, delta 450. This is an improvement over past methods since it does not depend upon calculation of weeks of pregnancy.

Promiscuity and public health: some clinical and ethical issues.

At the University of Kentucky Albert B. Chandler Medical Center, Medical Ethics Grand Rounds Conferences are held to discuss ethical problems underlying clinical decisions. This conference was organized by Dr. Joseph Engelberg, Professor of Physiology and Biophysics, and moderated by Dr. Susan Abbott Associate Professor of Anthropology. This conference is edited by Dr. Robert C. Noble, Professor of Medicine. Parts of this report have been changed in minor ways to protect the anonymity of persons involved.