Inverse Probability Weighting Enhances Absolute Risk Estimation in Three Common Study Designs of Nosocomial Infections.

Purpose: When studying nosocomial infections, resource-efficient sampling designs such as nested case-control, case-cohort, and point prevalence studies are preferred. However, standard analyses of these study designs can introduce selection bias, especially when interested in absolute rates and risks. Moreover, nosocomial infection studies are often subject to competing risks.

The incidence and outcomes of healthcare-associated respiratory tract infections in non-ventilated neurocritical care patients: Results of a 10-year cohort study.

The incidence of healthcare-associated respiratory tract infections in non-ventilated patients (NVA-HARTI) in neurosurgical intensive care units (ICUs) is unknown. The impact of NVA-HARTI on patient outcomes and differences between NVA-HARTI and ventilator-associated healthcare-associated respiratory tract infections (VA-HARTI) are poorly understood. Our objectives were to report the incidence, hospital length of stay (LOS), ICU LOS, and mortality in NVA-HARTI patients and compare these characteristics to VA-HARTI in neurocritical care patients.

ERAS for Head and Neck Tissue Transfer Reduces Opioid Usage, Peak Pain Scores, and Blood Utilization.

Objectives: We implement a novel enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) protocol with pre-operative non-opioid loading, total intravenous anesthesia, multimodal peri-operative analgesia, and restricted red blood cell (pRBC) transfusions. 1) Compare differences in mean postoperative peak pain scores, opioid usage, and pRBC transfusions. 2) Examine changes in overall length of stay (LOS), intensive care unit LOS, complications, and 30-day readmissions.

Adjunctive transferrin to reduce the emergence of antibiotic resistance in Gram-negative bacteria.

Background: New strategies are needed to slow the emergence of antibiotic resistance among bacterial pathogens. In particular, society is experiencing a crisis of antibiotic-resistant infections caused by Gram-negative bacterial pathogens and novel therapeutics are desperately needed to combat such diseases. Acquisition of iron from the host is a nearly universal requirement for microbial pathogens-including Gram-negative bacteria-to cause infection.

Implementing an infection control and prevention program decreases the incidence of healthcare-associated infections and antibiotic resistance in a Russian neuro-ICU.

Background: The impact of infection prevention and control (IPC) programs in limited resource countries such as Russia are largely unknown due to a lack of reliable data. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of an IPC program with respect to healthcare associated infection (HAI) prevention and to define the incidence of HAIs in a Russian ICU.

Methods: A pioneering IPC program was implemented in a neuro-ICU at Burdenko Neurosurgery Institute in 2010 and included hand hygiene, surveillance, contact precautions, patient isolation, and environmental cleaning measures.

Healthcare-associated ventriculitis and meningitis in a neuro-ICU: Incidence and risk factors selected by machine learning approach.

Purpose: To define the incidence of healthcare-associated ventriculitis and meningitis (HAVM) in the neuro-ICU and to identify HAVM risk factors using tree-based machine learning (ML) algorithms.

Methods: An observational cohort study was conducted in Russia from 2010 to 2017, and included high-risk neuro-ICU patients. We utilized relative risk analysis, regressions, and ML to identify factors associated with HAVM development.

Surgical correction of pectus arcuatum.

Background: Pectus arcuatum is a rear congenital chest wall deformity and methods of surgical correction are debatable.

Methods: Surgical correction of pectus arcuatum always includes one or more horizontal sternal osteotomies, resection of deformed rib cartilages and finally anterior chest wall stabilization. The study is approved by the institutional ethical committee and has obtained the informed consent from every patient.