Piperacillin/Tazobactam Use vs Cefepime May Be Associated With Acute Decompensated Heart Failure.

Background: Piperacillin/tazobactam (PTZ) has been cautiously used or avoided in patients with a history of heart disease due to concern for heart failure (HF) exacerbation given its relatively high sodium content. However, no prior studies have established this association.

Methods: The Antimicrobial Stewardship Team at the James H.

Mycobacterium chimaera infection masquerading as a lung mass in a healthcare worker.

, a nontuberculous mycobacterium, is a member of the complex (MAC). This microorganism has recently gained significant notoriety for its association with outbreaks in patients exposed to contaminated heater -cooler devices used during open heart surgeries. We report a case of pulmonary infection in a healthcare worker who presented with cough, low grade fever and weight loss with evidence of a lung mass that was initially thought to be a tumor on CT scan imaging.

Peritoneal lavage using chlorhexidine gluconate at the end of colon surgery reduces postoperative intra-abdominal infection in mice.

Background: The use of peritoneal lavage with antiseptic solutions after bowel surgery remains controversial. This study compared peritoneal lavage using chlorhexidine gluconate at low concentrations and normal saline in mice with cecal ligation and perforation.

Methods: A total of 180 mice were randomized to six groups.

Pulmonary infection with caseating mediastinal lymphadenitis caused by Mycobacterium gordonae.

It is often difficult to discern true mycobacterial infection from colonization due to Mycobacterium gordonae (M. gordonae) since this organism is ubiquitous and is commonly an innocuous saprophyte. This study reports a rare case of caseating hilar adenopathy and pulmonary disease caused by M.

Combining cytomorphology and serology for the diagnosis of cat scratch disease.

Cat scratch disease (CSD) is a self limited zoonotic disease that presents most commonly as a regional lymphadenopathy. We are reporting a case of a 25-year-old male patient who presented with fever and large right inguinal lymphadenopathy. The diagnosis of cat scratch disease was confirmed based on the characteristic cytopathological features on aspirate smears from the lymph node and the serological titers for Bartonella henselae.

Guide to selection of fluoroquinolones in patients with lower respiratory tract infections.

Newer fluoroquinolones such as levofloxacin, moxifloxacin, gatifloxacin and gemifloxacin have several attributes that make them excellent choices for the therapy of lower respiratory tract infections. In particular, they have excellent intrinsic activity against Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae, Moraxella catarrhalis and the atypical respiratory pathogens. Fluoroquinolones may be used as monotherapy to treat high-risk patients with acute exacerbation of chronic bronchitis, and for patients with community-acquired pneumonia requiring hospitalisation, but not admission to intensive care.

Methicillin-resistant staphylococcal infections: an important consideration for orthopedic surgeons.

Postoperative infections in joint prostheses and fracture-fixation devices commonly involve both MRSA and methicillin resistant coagulase-negative staphylococcus. In addition, community-acquired MRSA has also become an important consideration when infected patients are admitted to the hospital from the community. Preoperative colonization with MRSA and methicillin resistant coagulase-negative staphylococcus increases the risk of postoperative surgical site infections in orthopedic patients.