Publications by authors named "Grazia Rinaudo"
Article Synopsis
- Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a significant concern in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs), and active epidemiological surveillance helps monitor microbial changes to reduce healthcare-associated infections.
- A study in Palermo NICUs compared pre-pandemic (March 2014-February 2020) and pandemic periods (March 2020-February 2022), revealing a decrease in multi-drug resistant bacteria carriage overall during the pandemic, although some harmful bacteria like CARBA-R+ and MRSA worsened.
- Ongoing surveillance for multi-drug resistant organisms (MDRO) in NICUs is essential to mitigate the impacts of healthcare-associated infections, both socially and economically.
Background: Antimicrobial resistance in neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) patients is a threat, due to the frequent use of antimicrobial treatment and invasive devices in fragile babies. Since 2014 an active surveillance program of multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria (MDR-GNB) carriage has been in place in the five NICUs of Palermo, Italy. In 2017 an increase in the prevalence of MDR-GNB, and in particular of extended-spectrum β-lactamases-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae (ESBL-KP), was observed in "Civico" hospital NICU.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe reverse flow in the aortic arch in newborn is a rare finding due to congenital heart disease with blood "stealing" from the descending aorta or severe left ventricular outflow tract obstruction and to extracardiac abnormalities as systemic arteriovenous malformation. We describe a female newborn with unexpected reverse flow in the aortic arch due to severe persistent pulmonary hypertension (PPH). The presence of reverse flow in the aortic arch in PPH, secondary to compromised LV output, was rarely reported and investigated but can be a helpful sign of worse clinical course and poor prognosis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjectives: We performed a 1-year prospective surveillance study on MRSA colonization within the five NICUs of the metropolitan area of Palermo, Italy. The purpose of the study was to assess epidemiology of MRSA in NICU from a network perspective.
Methods: Transfer of patients between NICUs during 2014 was traced based on the annual hospital discharge records.
Background: Intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) and small for gestational age (SGA) birth have been considered possible indicators of the presence of malformations. The aim of this study is to evaluate such relationships in a population of newborns, along with other epidemiological and auxological parameters, in particular the ponderal index (PI).
Methods: We analyzed the birth data of 1093 infants, classified according to weight for gestational age as SGA, appropriate for gestational age (AGA) or large for gestational age (LGA).