Candida albicans Germ-Tube Antibody: Evaluation of a New Automatic Assay for Diagnosing Invasive Candidiasis in ICU Patients.

Testing for Candida albicans germ-tube antibody IFA IgG assay (CAGTA) is used to detect invasive candidiasis infection. However, most suitable assays lack automation and rapid single-sample testing. The CAGTA assay was adapted in an automatic monotest system (invasive candidiasis [CAGTA] VirClia IgG monotest (VirClia), a chemiluminescence assay with ready-to-use reagents that provides a rapid objective result.

Efficacy and safety of caspofungin in critically ill patients. ProCAS Study.

Introduction: Caspofungin is an echinocandin with proven efficacy in invasive candidiasis (IC) and invasive aspergillosis (IA). ProCAS is a study sponsored by the Working Group of the Infectious Diseases of the Spanish Society of Intensive Care Medicine, which analyzes the effectiveness and safety of caspofungin in routine clinical practice conditions in the critically ill.

Methods: A prospective, multicenter, observational study designed to estimate the clinical effectiveness and safety of caspofungin acetate in the treatment of IC and IA in patients refractory to or intolerant of conventional antifungal therapy.

Prospectively defined indicators to improve the safety and quality of care for critically ill patients: a report from the Task Force on Safety and Quality of the European Society of Intensive Care Medicine (ESICM).

Objectives: To define a set of indicators that could be used to improve quality in intensive care medicine.

Methodology: An European Society of Intensive Care Medicine Task Force on Quality and Safety identified all commonly used key quality indicators. This international Task Force consisted of 18 experts, all with a self-proclaimed interest in the area.