REDS study: Retrospective effectiveness study of dalbavancin and other standard of care of the same IV antibiotic class in patients with ABSSSI.

Objectives: Acute bacterial skin and skin-structure infections (ABSSSIs) are a common source of morbidity in both the community and hospital settings. The current standard of care (SoC) requires multiple-dose intravenous (IV) regimens, which are associated with high hospitalisation rates, concomitant event risks and costs. Dalbavancin is a lipoglycopeptide, long-acting antibiotic that is effective against Gram-positive microorganisms, including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).

Efficacy and safety of eravacycline: A meta-analysis.

Objectives: This study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy and safety of eravacycline, a recently approved fluorocycline for treatment of complicated intra-abdominal infections (cIAIs).

Methods: PubMed, EMBASE and three trial registries were searched for randomised controlled trials (RCTs) comparing the efficacy and safety of eravacycline versus comparators. Odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated using random-effects models.

Efficacy and safety of cefiderocol or best available therapy for the treatment of serious infections caused by carbapenem-resistant Gram-negative bacteria (CREDIBLE-CR): a randomised, open-label, multicentre, pathogen-focused, descriptive, phase 3 trial.

Background: New antibiotics are needed for the treatment of patients with life-threatening carbapenem-resistant Gram-negative infections. We assessed the efficacy and safety of cefiderocol versus best available therapy in adults with serious carbapenem-resistant Gram-negative infections.

Methods: We did a randomised, open-label, multicentre, parallel-group, pathogen-focused, descriptive, phase 3 study in 95 hospitals in 16 countries in North America, South America, Europe, and Asia.

Personal protective equipment and intensive care unit healthcare worker safety in the COVID-19 era (PPE-SAFE): An international survey.

Purpose: To survey healthcare workers (HCW) on availability and use of personal protective equipment (PPE) caring for COVID-19 patients in the intensive care unit (ICU).

Materials And Method: A web-based survey distributed worldwide in April 2020.

Results: We received 2711 responses from 1797 (67%) physicians, 744 (27%) nurses, and 170 (6%) Allied HCW.

Antimicrobial therapeutic drug monitoring in critically ill adult patients: a Position Paper.

Purpose: This Position Paper aims to review and discuss the available data on therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) of antibacterials, antifungals and antivirals in critically ill adult patients in the intensive care unit (ICU). This Position Paper also provides a practical guide on how TDM can be applied in routine clinical practice to improve therapeutic outcomes in critically ill adult patients.

Methods: Literature review and analysis were performed by Panel Members nominated by the endorsing organisations, European Society of Intensive Care Medicine (ESICM), Pharmacokinetic/Pharmacodynamic and Critically Ill Patient Study Groups of European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ESCMID), International Association for Therapeutic Drug Monitoring and Clinical Toxicology (IATDMCT) and International Society of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy (ISAC).

Comparison of the Safety and Tolerance Profile of Micafungin with that of Other Echinocandins and Azoles in Patients with Pre-existing Child-Pugh B or C Liver Disease: A Case-Control Retrospective Study.

Introduction: To assess the association between exposure to micafungin, other echinocandins, or azoles and the development of short-term liver injury (STLI) or long-term liver injury (LTLI) in patients with Child-Pugh B or C liver disease.

Methods: Multicenter case-control study of patients with Child-Pugh B or C liver disease who received antifungals (AF) for ≥ 72 h (May 2009-May 2015) in six Spanish and Italian hospitals. All micafungin patients were randomly matched with one patient who received another echinocandin and with one patient who received azole treatment.

The interplay between acute bacterial skin and skin structure infections and depression: a vicious circle of major clinical importance.

Purpose Of Review: Previous studies suggest an association between depression and increased risk of various type of infections, including acute bacterial skin and skin structure infections (ABSSSI). Here, we review the latest advancement in our understanding of immunity in patients with depression and its relevance to disease management and diagnosis, with a special focus on patients suffering from ABSSSI.

Recent Findings: Recent studies have highlighted the role of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, neuro-endocrine stress signaling pathways and behavioral attitudes (substance abuse and homelessness) in the pathogenesis of infections in depressed patients.

Bloodstream infections in critically ill patients: an expert statement.

Bloodstream infection (BSI) is defined by positive blood cultures in a patient with systemic signs of infection and may be either secondary to a documented source or primary-that is, without identified origin. Community-acquired BSIs in immunocompetent adults usually involve drug-susceptible bacteria, while healthcare-associated BSIs are frequently due to multidrug-resistant (MDR) strains. Early adequate antimicrobial therapy is a key to improve patient outcomes, especially in those with criteria for sepsis or septic shock, and should be based on guidelines and direct examination of available samples.

Therapeutic Drug Monitoring of Antifungal Drugs: Another Tool to Improve Patient Outcome?

Introduction: This study aimed to examine the relationship among adequate dose, serum concentration and clinical outcome in a non-selected group of hospitalized patients receiving antifungals.

Methods: Prospective cross-sectional study performed between March 2015 and June 2015. Dosage of antifungals was considered adequate according to the IDSA guidelines, whereas trough serum concentrations (determined with HPLC) were considered adequate as follows: fluconazole > 11 µg/ml, echinocandins > 1 µg/ml, voriconazole 1-5.

Efficacy of a "Checklist" Intervention Bundle on the Clinical Outcome of Patients with Candida Bloodstream Infections: A Quasi-Experimental Pre-Post Study.

Introduction: To evaluate the clinical impact of a comprehensive care bundle for the management of candidemia.

Methods: A quasi-experimental pre-post study was implemented. During the pre-intervention period (May 2014-September 2015), a non-mandatory antifungal stewardship program (ASP) was implemented, and patients with candidemia were visited by an infectious disease specialist who provided diagnostic and therapeutic advice according to standard of care as soon as possible.

Time to appropriate antibiotic therapy is a predictor of outcome in patients with bloodstream infection caused by KPC-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae.

Background: Bloodstream infections (BSIs) by Klebsiella pneumoniae carbapenemase (KPC)-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae (Kp) are associated with high mortality. The aim of this study is to assess the relationship between time to administration of appropriate antibiotic therapy and the outcome of patients with BSI due to KPC-Kp hospitalized in intensive care unit (ICU).

Methods: An observational study was conducted in the ICUs of two academic centers in Italy.

Incremental value of FDG-PET/CT to monitor treatment response in infectious spondylodiscitis.

Objective: To assess the added value of serial 2-deoxy-2-[18F]fluoro-D-glucose (FDG) uptake analysis in predicting clinical response to treatment in infectious spondylodiscitis (IS). We sought to analyze changes in quantitative FDG-PET/CT parameters among patients with clinical response or treatment failure and to compare the sensitivity and specificity of serial FDG-PET/CT and MRI in predicting treatment response in IS.

Materials And Methods: This retrospective study consisted of 68 FDG-PET/CT examinations in 34 patients performed before and after at least 2 weeks of antibiotic treatment.

Cost-effectiveness analysis comparing ceftazidime/avibactam (CAZ-AVI) as empirical treatment comparing to ceftolozane/tazobactam and to meropenem for complicated intra-abdominal infection (cIAI).

Background: The rising incidence of resistance to currently available antibiotics among pathogens, particularly Gram-negative pathogens, in complicated intra-abdominal infections (cIAIs) has become a challenge for clinicians. Ceftazidime/avibactam (CAZ-AVI) is a fixed-dose antibiotic approved in Europe and the United States for treating (in combination with metronidazole) cIAI in adult hospitalised patients who have limited or no alternative treatment options. The approval was based on the results of RECLAIM, a Phase III, parallel-group, comparative study (RECLAIM 1 [NCT01499290] and RECLAIM 2 [NCT01500239]).

Management of vertebral osteomyelitis over an eight-year period: The UDIPROVE (UDIne PROtocol on VErtebral osteomyelitis).

Objectives: Vertebral osteomyelitis (VO) is a compelling clinical entity for clinicians because of its insidious and indolent course, which makes diagnosis difficult.

Methods: All patients with a suspected diagnosis of VO were analyzed over an 8-year period (January 2009 to January 2017). The UDIPROVE protocol (UDIne PROtocol on VErtebral osteomyelitis) was applied in all cases.

Important new therapies for methicillin-resistant .

: Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections represent a leading cause of infection-related morbidity and mortality worldwide. There has been a welcome increase in the number of agents available for the treatment of MRSA infection over the last decade and several clinical trials are currently investigating the role of new experimental strategies.: The purpose of this manuscript is to review the efficacy and safety of recently approved anti-MRSA molecules as well as some newer agents currently under investigation with a specific focus on the potential role of these drugs in everyday clinical practice.

Emerging drugs for treating methicillin-resistant .

: In clinical practice, methicillin-resistant (MRSA) represents a major threat and has been associated with high rates of inadequate antibiotic treatment and significant increases in morbidity, mortality, and overall healthcare costs. The association between the prescription of an inappropriate or delayed antibiotic and impaired clinical outcomes has been widely described. : To address the threat of MRSA, many new therapeutic options with a peculiar activity against MRSA have been recently developed and approved.