How do we transfuse children in Italy? Results of a national survey.

Background: Adherence to optimal practices in the preparation and issuance of pediatric blood components can significantly influence patient care outcomes. This study aims to examine the blood banking procedures across prominent Italian children's hospitals, with the goal of identifying both consistent and potentially divergent standards within this field.

Materials And Methods: A survey was conducted among the blood banks affiliated with the Italian Association of Pediatric Hospitals.

The burden of colonization and infection by carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae in the neuro-rehabilitation setting: a prospective six-year experience.

We describe the high burden of carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae (CPE) colonization and infection in a neuro-rehabilitation hospital in Italy over a 6-year period. Overall, 9.3% of patients were found to be CPE carriers on admission; the rates of CPE in-hospital acquisition and CPE-BSI were 9.

Superficial swab versus deep-tissue biopsy for the microbiological diagnosis of local infection in advanced-stage pressure ulcers of spinal-cord-injured patients: a prospective study.

Objective: To assess the predictive value of superficial ulcer swab culture to make a microbiological diagnosis of deep wound infections in spinal cord injury (SCI) patients with advanced-stage pressure ulcers.

Methods: From July 2011 to February 2014, we performed a prospective, single-centre study on adult SCI patients undergoing scheduled surgical debridement and reconstruction for advanced-stage pressure ulcers, at Montecatone Rehabilitation Institute, a 150-bed hospital dedicated to SCI care. Three superficial ulcer swabs were preoperatively collected using the Levine technique, then sent for culture.

An Antimicrobial Stewardship Program Based on Systematic Infectious Disease Consultation in a Rehabilitation Facility.

OBJECTIVE To assess the impact of an antimicrobial stewardship program (ASP) on antibiotic consumption, Clostridium difficile infections (CDI), and antimicrobial resistance patterns in a rehabilitation hospital. DESIGN Quasi-experimental study of the periods before (from January 2011 to June 2012) and after (from July 2012 to December 2014) ASP implementation. SETTING 150-bed rehabilitation hospital dedicated to patients with spinal-cord injuries.

Isolation of Enterobacter aerogenes carrying blaTEM-1 and blaKPC-3 genes recovered from a hospital Intensive Care Unit.

Enterobacter aerogenes has recently emerged as an important hospital pathogen. In this study, we showed the emergence of E. aerogenes isolates carrying the blaKPC gene in patients colonized by carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae strains.