ELECTRONIC CIGARETTE--A WAY OF SMOKING CESSATION?

Specialists have the ethical obligation to promote smoking cessation using evidence-based therapeutic strategies. In the context of the growing popularity of the electronic cigarettes (ECs), the smokers asking us about it and we must be ready to provide expert advice. With the evidence available to date we must be cautious in recommending of the smokers to use ECs for smoking cessation because these have not proven superiority over drugs used for smoking cessation approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), ECs are not FDA approved, short-term safety data shows that they cause airway reactivity and health risk of exposure to ECs in the long term is unknown.

[Etiology of ventilator-associated pneumonia at the Cardiovascular Surgery Clinic of Iaşi].

Aim: We want to assess the etiology of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) and emergence of resistant phenotypes for greater efficiency of the first-line antimicrobial treatment post-cardiac surgery. The study focuses on patients with VAP post-cardiac surgery at the Institute of Cardiovascular Surgery between April 2nd 2002 and August 27th 2008, divided in two groups, before and after June 14th, 2005.

Material And Methods: The tracheal aspirates were examined quantitatively (microscopy, culture).

[Fungi as emergent etiologic agents in ventilator-associated pneumonia after cardiac surgery].

Unlabelled: Evaluation of the fungal involvement in the etiology of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) after cardiac surgery. The study had as target the patients diagnosed with VAP after cardiac surgery at the Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases in Iaşi, between April 2nd 2002 and December 31st 2009.

Material And Method: Our study included only cases with fungal etiology of VAP.