Background: Emergency departments (ED) are frequently visited after suspected rabies exposure (SRE) and the potential need for rabies post-exposure prophylaxis (R-PEP). However, data on the number of visits, patients' demographics, travel history and the medical treatment is still rare. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess the number of R-PEP and the appropriateness of medical management including wound treatment, vaccination regime and immunoglobulin application following SRE in a university hospital ED.
Method: We conducted a monocentric retrospective observational study on emergency patients treated in the ED of the LMU University Hospital, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Germany, between June 1st 2023 and January 31st 2024. Patients requiring post-exposure prophylaxis due to SRE abroad or in Germany were included. Demographic data, travel history, clinical findings, wound treatment, and R-PEP vaccination regimen were recorded.
Results: During the observation period of 245 days 43 patients presented to our ED for R-PEP. There was a total of 51 presentation appointments, as 5 patients returned for further treatment. Most patients (27, 52.9 %) presented at the ED on a Saturday, Sunday, or a public holiday. 17 (39.5 %) patients had a category II exposure, and 26 (60.5 %) had a category III exposure. In our ED, there were 28 (55.0 %) active vaccinations and 23 (45.0 %) both active and passive vaccinations.
Conclusions: Our data show that patients frequently present for R-PEP in ED. Therefore, there is a high need for education on indication for R-PEP and for implementation of precise R-PEP treatment guidelines in daily clinical practice.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
|---|---|
| http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.tmaid.2024.102750 | DOI Listing |
Publication Analysis
Top Keywords
Similar Publications
Association of an HIV-Prediction Model with Uptake of Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP).
Appl Clin Inform
January 2025
Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases and Geographic Medicine, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, United States.
Background: Global efforts aimed at ending human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) incidence have adapted and evolved since the turn of the century. The utilization of machine learning incorporated into an electronic health record (EHR) can be refined into prediction models that identify when an individual is at greater HIV infection risk. This can create a novel and innovative approach to identifying patients eligible for preventative therapy.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe Deadly Details: How Clear and Complete Are Publicly Available Sources of Human Rabies Information?
Trop Med Infect Dis
January 2025
Infectious Diseases Epidemiology Unit, School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC 3004, Australia.
Human rabies is preventable but almost always fatal once symptoms appear, causing 59,000 global deaths each year. Limited awareness and inconsistent access to post-exposure prophylaxis hinder prevention efforts. To identify gaps and opportunities for improvement in online rabies information, we assessed the readability, understandability, actionability, and completeness of online public rabies resources from government and health agencies in Australia and similar countries, with the aim of identifying gaps and opportunities for improvement.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFA Survey of the Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices of a Sample of Albanian Medical Students in Relation to Occupational Exposure to Biological Agents.
Diseases
January 2025
Department of Biomedicine and Prevention, University of Rome Tor Vergata, 00133 Rome, Italy.
(1) Background: Exposure to blood carries the risk of transmission of many infectious diseases. Healthcare workers (HCWs), including hospital-based medical students, face high and often under-reported rates of exposure to needlestick and sharps injuries. Previous studies have shown that students' knowledge of infection control varies, highlighting the importance of pre-placement training.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFA global review of national guidelines of post-exposure prophylaxis for the prevention of HIV.
J Int AIDS Soc
January 2025
Melbourne Sexual Health Centre, Alfred Health, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Introduction: The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends the use of antiretroviral drugs as post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) for preventing HIV acquisition for occupational and non-occupational exposures. To inform the development of global WHO recommendations on PEP, we reviewed national guidelines of PEP for their recommendations.
Methods: Policies addressing PEP from 38 WHO HIV priority countries were obtained by searching governmental and non-governmental websites and consulting country and regional experts; these countries were selected based on HIV burden, new HIV acquisitions and the number of HIV-associated deaths.
COVID-19 impact on HIV PrEP uptake and retention at selected health facilities in Eswatini.
Afr J Prim Health Care Fam Med
December 2024
School of Public Health, Faculty of Community and Health Sciences, University of the Western Cape, Cape Town.
Background: Oral pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) uses antiretroviral medication to reduce HIV risk in HIV-negative individuals. Despite its effectiveness, global uptake faces policy and accessibility challenges. In Eswatini, PrEP introduction in 2017 showed promise despite stigma and COVID-19 disruptions.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWant AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?
Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!