Appropriateness of Empiric Initiation of Meropenem in the Intensive Care Unit as Determined by Internal Medicine Residents.

Objective: To evaluate the appropriateness of empiric initiation of meropenem in the intensive care unit (ICU) and to determine the agreement between internal medicine (IM) residents and infectious diseases (ID) physicians/pharmacists on appropriateness.

Design: Retrospective observational study.

Setting: ICU in a tertiary care community teaching hospital.

A Case Report of Herpes Simplex-1 Viral Encephalitis Complicated by Hemorrhagic Conversion.

Herpes simplex virus (HSV) encephalitis is the most common cause of nonendemic sporadic encephalitis in the United States. Treatment with acyclovir has been proven to reduce mortality by 50%. Antiviral therapy should be initiated immediately in patients with clinical suspicion of viral encephalitis and should not be delayed by serological confirmation of the diagnosis.