Impact of implementing a vancomycin protocol to reduce kidney toxicity: A comparative study.

Vancomycin is a frequently used antibiotic for treating severe infections caused by multidrug-resistant, Gram-positive pathogens. To ensure its effectiveness and minimize the risk of nephrotoxicity, safe administration and dose monitoring are crucial. Understanding the impact of vancomycin serum levels on clinical outcomes is of paramount importance, necessitating improved knowledge on its use, dose monitoring, nephrotoxicity, and safe administration.

The use of the peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC) in the hospital environment.

The study aimed to analyze the history of the use of the peripherally inserted central catheters in adult patients admitted to hospital from 2000 to 2007. The historical cohort approach was used with retrospective data collection from medical records of the Catheter Group of the Moinhos de Vento Hospital Association in Porto Alegre, RS, totaling 229 catheters inserted. The growth curve in the use of the PICC was from 1 catheter inserted in 2000 to 57 in 2007.