Yazdan Yazdanpanah

Outcome of Diabetic Foot Osteomyelitis Treated Nonsurgically: A retrospective cohort study

OBJECTIVE—The purpose of this article was to identify criteria predictive of remission in nonsurgical treatment of diabetic foot osteomyelitis. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS—Diabetic patients who were initially treated without orthopedic surgery for osteomyelitis of the toe or metatarsal head of a nonischemic foot between June 2002 and June 2003 in nine French diabetic foot centers were identified, and their medical records were reviewed. Remission was defined as the absence of any sign of infection at the initial or contiguous site assessed at least 1 year after the end of treatment. A total of 24 demographic, clinical, and therapeutic variables including bone versus swab culture–based antibiotic therapy were analyzed. RESULTS—Fifty consecutive patients aged 62.2 ± 11.1 years (mean ± SD) with diabetes duration of 16 ± 10.9 years were included. The mean duration of antibiotic treatment was 11.5 ± 4.21 weeks. Bone biopsy was routinely available in four of the nine centers. Overall patient management was similar in the different centers except for the use of rifampin, which was recorded more frequently in patients from centers in which a bone biopsy was available. At the end of a 12.8-month posttreatment mean follow-up, 32 patients (64%) were in remission. Bone culture–based antibiotic therapy was the only variable associated with remission, as determined by both univariate (18 of 32 [56.3%] vs. 4 of 18 [22.2%], P = 0.02) and multivariate analyses (odds ratio 4.78 [95% CI 1.0–22.7], P = 0.04). CONCLUSIONS—Bone culture–based antibiotic therapy is a factor predictive of success in diabetic patients treated nonsurgically for osteomyelitis of the foot.

Efficacy and tolerance of rifampicin–linezolid compared with rifampicin–cotrimoxazole combinations in prolonged oral therapy for bone and joint infections

Both linezolid and cotrimoxazole are antibiotics that are well suited for oral therapy of bone and joint infections (BJI) caused by otherwise resistant Gram-positive cocci (GPC) (resistance to fluoroquinolones, maccolides, betalactamines). However, in this context, no data are currently available regarding the safety and tolerance of these antibiotics in combination with rifampicin. The objective of this study was to compare the efficacy and safety of a combination of rifampicin and linezolid (RLC) with those of a combination of rifampicin and cotrimoxazole (RCC) in the treatment of BJI. Between February 2002 and December 2006, 56 adult patients (RLC, n = 28; RCC, n = 28), including 36 with infected orthopaedic devices (RLC, n = 18; RCC, n = 18) and 20 with chronic osteomyelitis (RLC, n = 10; RCC, n = 10), were found to be eligible for inclusion in this study. Patients who discontinued antibiotic therapy within 4 weeks of commencing treatment were considered to represent cases of treatment failure and were excluded. Rates of occurrence of adverse effects were similar in the two groups, at 42.9% in the RLC group and 46.4% in the RCC group (p = 1.00), and led to treatment discontinuation in four (14.3%) RLC and six (21.4%) RCC patients. Cure rates were found to be similar in the two groups (RLC, 89.3%, RCC, 78.6%; p = 0.47). Prolonged oral RLC and RCC therapy were found to be equally effective in treating patients with BJI caused by resistant GPC, including patients with infected orthopaedic devices. However, the lower cost of cotrimoxazole compared with linezolid renders RCC an attractive treatment alternative to RLC. Further larger clinical studies are warranted to confirm these preliminary results.

Risk factors for early catheter‐related infections in cancer patients

Early catheter‐related infection is a serious complication in cancer treatment, although risk factors for its occurrence are not well established. The authors conducted a prospective study to identify the risk factors for developing early catheter‐related infection.

Impact of Herpes simplex virus load and red blood cells in cerebrospinal fluid upon herpes simplex meningo-encephalitis outcome

BackgroundHerpes simplex encephalitis (HSE) often leads to severe disability or death. Factors usually associated with outcome include Simplified Acute Physiology Score, age and delay of initiation of acyclovir treatment.Our aim was to determine the impact of Herpes simplex virus (HSV) load in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) upon HSE outcome.MethodsWe retrospectively determined HSV load in the CSF of 43 patients with confirmed HSE, hospitalized in northern France from 1998 to 2005, using CSF samples collected the day of hospital admission and stored at −20°C. We analyzed the association between HSV load and mortality/morbidity by the Glasgow Outcome Scale. Fisher’s exact test and Wilcoxon’s test were used for statistical analysis.ResultsThe M/F sex ratio was 1.7 and median patient age was 61 years. Median HSV load in CSF was 2.0 log copies/μL (IQR 25-75=1.2-2.6). The mortality rate was 32.6% six months after HSE diagnosis. Higher age was associated with mortality (p=0.03). Longer delay in acyclovir initiation tended to be associated with higher mortality but did not reach statistical significance (p=0.08). Severe disability and death due to HSV were associated with a higher Knaus score (p=0.004), later acyclovir initiation (p=0.006), older age (p=0.04) and presence of red blood cells in CSF (p=0.05). HSV load in CSF was neither associated with mortality (p=1.00) nor with morbidity (p=0.90).ConclusionIn this study, HSV load in CSF was not found to be associated with poor outcome in patients with HSE. These data do not support measurement of HSV load at admission in patients with HSE.

Vancomycin flush as antibiotic prophylaxis for early catheter-related infections: a cost-effectiveness analysis

BackgroundEarly catheter-related infection (CRI) remains a severe complication in cancer patients. Some recent data suggest that vancomycin flush (VF) administered on the day of catheter insertion could reduce the CRI incidence, but VF could also induce infections by vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus sp. (VRE).Materials and methodsSo, we had conducted a decision model analysis of the cost and the effectiveness of three preventive strategies: absence of VF, VF in all cases, and VF in high-risk patients. The main outcome was absence of CRI and absence of VRE. Inputs were extracted from literature data. Variable uncertainty was explored by one- and two-way sensitivity analyses and best/worst case analysis. Model uncertainty was explored by Monte Carlo probabilistic sensitivity analysis.ResultsIn base case, compared to absence of VF, the VF strategy in high-risk patients was the best strategy, in terms of cost (reduction cost estimated at

Treatment of bone and joint infections caused by Gram-negative bacilli with a cefepime–fluoroquinolone combination

190 per patient) and benefit (probability of infection estimated at 98.1% versus 96.6%). The VF strategy in all cases was strongly dominated. These findings were confirmed by sensitivity analysis.ConclusionsVF in high-risk patients, such as defined in literature, is beneficial and cost-saving. Nevertheless, further investigations are needed to define better the probability and the cost of VRE, which are the two variables driving the model.