Background: Catheter-related bloodstream infections remain costly with no simple prevention. We report preliminary results of a phase I trial of ethanol-lock administration to prevent mediport catheter-related bloodstream infections in children.
Methods: Twelve patients receiving intravenous antibody treatments for neuroblastoma were enrolled. On 4 days of each 5-day antibody cycle, 70% ethanol was administered instead of heparin to dwell in each patient's mediport overnight. We used clinical monitoring/questionnaires to assess symptoms and measured blood ethanol levels and liver functions. Patients were tracked for positive blood cultures. Time to infection for ethanol-lock-treated patients was compared with historical controls.
Results: We administered 123 ethanol-locks. No adverse symptoms attributable to ethanol occurred; one patient's urticaria worsened. Blood ethanol levels averaged 11 mg/dL. The study was voluntarily suspended after 3 patients' catheters became occluded, 1 of which fractured. A positive blood culture occurred in 1 (8%) of 12 patients, but suspension of the study precluded statistical power to detect impact on time to infection.
Conclusions: Although children with mediport catheters exhibited nontoxic blood ethanol levels and a low rate of bloodstream infections following prophylactic ethanol-lock use, there was a high incidence of catheter occlusion. Adjustments are necessary before adopting ethanol-locks for routine prophylaxis against catheter infections in children.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
---|---|
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4572738 | PMC |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jpedsurg.2010.05.014 | DOI Listing |
Pathology
December 2024
Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Sydney Children's Hospital, Randwick, NSW, Australia; Department of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, Sydney Children's Hospital, Randwick, NSW, Australia; School of Clinical Medicine, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
Paediatric blood cultures are vital for the diagnosis of paediatric bloodstream infections. Quality of paediatric blood culture collection, processing and reporting depend on multiple factors, with a paucity of literature describing these in practice. We conducted separate surveys of clinicians and laboratory staff to assess quality standards and knowledge related to paediatric blood culture collection, analysis, and interpretation to identify improvement opportunities.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEur Respir J
January 2025
Center for Experimental and Molecular Medicine (CEMM), Amsterdam UMC location University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Introduction: Immune response dysregulation has been implicated in the development of intensive care unit (ICU)-acquired pneumonia. We aimed to determine differences in the longitudinal blood transcriptional response between patients who develop ICU-acquired pneumonia (cases) and those who do not (controls).
Methods: We performed a case-cohort study in mechanically ventilated trauma and surgery patients with ICU stays >2 days, enrolled in 30 hospitals across Europe.
J Matern Fetal Neonatal Med
December 2025
Departamento de Ginecología y Obstetricia, Fundación Valle del Lili, Cali, Colombia.
Objective: Maternal sepsis continues to be a maternal health problem associated with 75,000 deaths per year worldwide, representing a greater burden in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Although the Shock Index (SI) has been widely studied in postpartum hemorrhage and in non-obstetric populations, it has not yet been widely studied in sepsis. We aimed to identify the relationship between Shock Index and suspected sepsis in pregnant and postpartum patients to explore the use of Shock index in the context of maternal sepsis and its relationship with sepsis-related outcomes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Control Release
January 2025
Key Laboratory of Drug-Targeting and Drug Delivery System of the Education Ministry and Sichuan Province, Sichuan Engineering Laboratory for Plant-Sourced Drug and Sichuan Research Center for Drug Precision Industrial Technology, West China School of Pharmacy, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China.. Electronic address:
Sepsis is a life-threatening disease characterized by excessive systemic inflammation and coagulopathy. Platelets and neutrophils form a "dangerous alliance" through crosstalk, promoting the inflammatory cytokine storm and coagulation disorders during sepsis. Platelet-neutrophil crosstalk leads to the formation of platelet-neutrophil complexes (PNCs), which are the central "protagonists" of this "dangerous alliance.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBiochem Pharmacol
January 2025
Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of Drug Target Identification and Delivery, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240 PR China; National Key Laboratory of Innovative Immunotherapy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240 PR China. Electronic address:
Multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS) is the major cause of mortality of patients in intensive care units. The elusive mechanisms of tissue damage in MODS and limited therapeutic options encourage us to seek effective therapies to MODS. PANoptosis has recently been proven to be the key player in both heat stress and sepsis-mediated MODS.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEnter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!