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CDC Guidelines Could Cut Bloodstream Infections From Dialysis
Posted 8 days ago by Drugs.com
TUESDAY, May 14 – Dialysis facilities could cut bloodstream infection rates among their patients by up to half by following a set of recommendations from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, according to new research. The CDC suggested that adopting their protocols could save lives and reduce health care costs. "Dialysis patients often have multiple health concerns, and the last thing they need is a bloodstream infection from dialysis," CDC director Dr. Tom Frieden said in an agency news release. "These infections are preventable. CDC has simple tools that dialysis facilities can use to help ensure patients have access to the safe health care they deserve." In 2010 alone, more than 380,000 people in the United States required hemodialysis for end-stage kidney disease. In the majority of patients, this treatment is started with a central line, which is a tube that a ... Read more
Related support groups: Bacterial Infection, Hemodialysis, Peritoneal dialysis
Penicillin Prevents Return of Leg Infection Called Cellulitis: Study
Posted 1 May 2013 by Drugs.com
WEDNESDAY, May 1 – For people who have suffered from cellulitis of the leg, a long course of low-dose penicillin prevents the painful infection from returning, British researchers report. Once the penicillin is stopped, however, its protective effect diminishes and the condition can flare up again, the researchers noted. "Low-dose penicillin substantially reduces the risk of further episodes of leg cellulitis in those who have had two or more previous episodes," said lead researcher Hywel Williams, a professor of dermato-epidemiology at the University of Nottingham. "The penicillin reduced recurrences from 37 percent in the group taking placebo to 22 percent in those taking penicillin," Williams said. "But this effect only occurred in the period that folks took the penicillin. When they stopped the 12 months of penicillin, the protective effect wore off." Cellulitis is a common ... Read more
Related support groups: Bacterial Infection, Penicillin, Penicillin-VK, Bicillin LA, V-Cillin K, Ledercillin VK, Pen-V, A-Cillin, Bicillin L-A, Truxcillin VK, Isoject Permapen, Veetids, PC Pen VK, Pen-Vee K, Beepen-VK, Pfizerpen
FDA Medwatch Alert: Piperacillin and Tazobactam for Injection, USP 40.5 grams: Recall - Precipitation or Crystallization in IV Bag or IV Line Upon Reconstitution
Posted 30 Apr 2013 by Drugs.com
ISSUE: Apotex Corp. notified healthcare professionals it is conducting, on behalf of the manufacturer Hospira, Inc., a voluntary nationwide recall of 15 lots of Piperacillin and Tazobactam for Injection, USP 40.5 grams, to the hospital/healthcare provider/user level. The impacted lots may show precipitation/ crystallization in IV bag or IV line after reconstitution. The product can also be identified by NDC number 60505-0773-00 and UPC 360505077304. The product was distributed nationwide in the United States to wholesalers, distributors, HMOs, home infusion and long term care service providers. See Press Release for a list of affected lot numbers Hospira stated that administration of precipitated Piperacillin/Tazobactam in an IV bag or IV line may result in local reactions such as phlebitis, renal impairment, end-organ embolism and ischemia, and/or vasculitis (because the precipitate ... Read more
Related support groups: Bacterial Infection, Zosyn, Piperacillin/Tazobactam
Antibiotic Prescribing Rates Vary by Region: Report
Posted 10 Apr 2013 by Drugs.com
WEDNESDAY, April 10 – The chances that your doctor will give you antibiotics when you're sick may be influenced by geography, new research reveals. It's tough to know exactly what factors contributed to the regional variations the research team found in antibiotic prescription rates, said study author Lauri Hicks, medical director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "Why is West Virginia more than double compared to Alaska? I imagine there are provider factors, patient factors and cultural factors that are all shaping the impact," Hicks said. Some patients may pressure physicians to give them what they perceive as a "quick fix" so they can get back to work sooner or return their sick child to day care, Hicks added. Unfortunately, that contributes to the growing problem of antibiotic resistance, she said. "We should be thinking of antibiotics not as a magic bullet, ... Read more
Related support groups: Doxycycline, Bactrim, Bacterial Infection, Cephalexin, Penicillin, Azithromycin, Cipro, Levaquin, Zithromax, Augmentin, Ciprofloxacin, Keflex, Sulfamethoxazole, Erythromycin, Bactrim DS, Minocycline, Biaxin, Clarithromycin, Avelox, Tetracycline
Experimental Staph Vaccine Fails to Work, Study Finds
Posted 2 Apr 2013 by Drugs.com
TUESDAY, April 2 – An experimental vaccine does not reduce the risk of staph infections in patients who have had heart or chest surgery, a large new study finds. The study included more than 7,000 thousand adult cardiothoracic patients. About half of them received an injection of the "V710" vaccine 14 to 60 days before their surgery, while the others received a placebo. At 90 days after surgery, Staphylococcus aureus infections showed up in 22 of 3,528 vaccinated patients and in 27 of 3,517 patients who received the placebo. No significant differences in effectiveness were ever seen between the vaccine and placebo groups during the study. The researchers also found that patients who received the vaccine had more negative side effects in the 14 days after vaccination than those who received the placebo (31 percent vs. 22 percent), including serious problems (1.7 percent vs. 1.3 ... Read more
Related support groups: Surgery, Bacterial Infection
Drug-Resistant 'Superbug' May Spread Among Patients, Study Finds
Posted 29 Mar 2013 by Drugs.com
FRIDAY, March 29 – Drug-resistant bacteria that cause lung infections in people with cystic fibrosis can be passed indirectly from person to person, a new study finds. Between 3 percent and 10 percent of cystic fibrosis patients in the United States and Europe are infected with multi-drug resistant Mycobacterium abscessus, and the numbers are rising. The difficult-to-treat infection causes progressive lung damage. In this study, researchers conducted DNA tracking of a multi-drug resistant M. abscessus outbreak that occurred among 31 cystic fibrosis patients at a British treatment center between 2007 and 2011. Despite tight infection-control measures, patient-to-patient transmission was common, according to the study, published online March 29 in the journal The Lancet. The researchers were unable to pinpoint the exact method of cross-infection between the patients. They said it likely ... Read more
Related support groups: Bacterial Infection, Cystic Fibrosis
Black Children Less Likely to Get Antibiotics: Study
Posted 19 Mar 2013 by Drugs.com
TUESDAY, March 19 – Black children are less likely than other children to be given antibiotics and less likely to be given the most powerful antibiotics to treat acute respiratory tract infections, new research suggests. Does this represent a previously unrecognized bias against black children? Probably not, said the researchers and other experts. Instead, it's more likely that non-black children are getting more antibiotics than they should be. "We hypothesize that this discrepancy reflects over-prescribing, both for all antibiotics and for the relative proportion of broad-spectrum antibiotics, to non-black patients, rather than under-prescribing to black patients," wrote the researchers led by Dr. Jeffrey Gerber, of the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, who added that more study of this pattern should be conducted. Dr. Allison Bartlett, a pediatric infectious disease specialist at ... Read more
Related support groups: Bacterial Infection
Efforts to Prevent Hospital-Based Infection Falling Short, Survey Finds
Posted 14 Mar 2013 by Drugs.com
THURSDAY, March 14 – Increased efforts to halt the spread of an intestinal superbug aren't having a major impact, according to a national survey of infection prevention specialists in the United States. Hospitals and other health care facilities need to do even more to reduce rates of Clostridium difficile infection, including hiring more infection prevention staff and improving monitoring of cleaning efforts, according to the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC). Each year, about 14,000 Americans die from C. difficile infection. Deaths related to C. difficile infection rose 400 percent between 2000 and 2007, partly due to the appearance of a stronger strain, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In addition, the infections add at least $1 billion a year to U.S. health care costs. In January, APIC surveyed 1,100 members ... Read more
Related support groups: Bacterial Infection
'Nightmare' Bacteria Spreading in U.S. Hospitals, Nursing Homes: CDC
Posted 5 Mar 2013 by Drugs.com
TUESDAY, March 5 – A "nightmare" bacteria that is resistant to powerful antibiotics and kills half of those it infects has surfaced in nearly 200 U.S. hospitals and nursing homes, federal health officials reported Tuesday. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said 4 percent of U.S. hospitals and 18 percent of nursing homes had treated at least one patient with the bacteria, called Carbapenem-Resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE), within the first six months of 2012. "CRE are nightmare bacteria. Our strongest antibiotics don't work and patients are left with potentially untreatable infections," CDC Director Dr. Thomas Frieden said in a news release. "Doctors, hospital leaders and public health [officials] must work together now to implement CDC's 'detect and protect' strategy and stop these infections from spreading." CRE are in a family of more than 70 bacteria called ... Read more
Related support groups: Bacterial Infection
Report Details Steps to Boost Patient Safety
Posted 5 Mar 2013 by Drugs.com
TUESDAY, March 5 – Experts estimate that many tens of thousands of people in the United States die each year from medical errors, unproven treatments, bad diagnoses and preventable problems such as bedsores. Now, a federal health care agency is urging the medical world to follow 10 strategies to improve safety for patients. The strategies range from the straightforward – keep hands clean – to the complicated, including a series of measures to prevent pneumonia in people on ventilators. The agency also supports the use of checklists to prevent a variety of complications. At first glance, the strategies seem fairly simple to implement because they mainly require changes in the protocol of treating patients. But it's not an easy task, said Dr. Rainu Kaushal, director of the Center for Healthcare Informatics and Policy at Weill Cornell Medical College, in New York City. "Practicing ... Read more
Related support groups: Bacterial Infection
Health Tip: Take Antibiotics Only When Needed
Posted 17 Jan 2013 by Drugs.com
-- The more you take an antibiotic unnecessarily, the more likely bacteria can adapt and become resistant to the drug. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention offers this advice to help prevent antibiotic resistance: Ask your doctor whether you need an antibiotic to treat your illness. Consider whether there are other ways to help you feel better that don't involve an antibiotic. Never take an antibiotic to treat a viral infection, such as the flu or common cold. An antibiotic can only treat infections that are bacterial, not viral. Always take an antibiotic exactly as prescribed by your doctor. Never skip a dose or stop taking it before your prescription is finished. Never take an antibiotic that was prescribed for someone else. Read more
Related support groups: Doxycycline, Bactrim, Bacterial Infection, Penicillin, Azithromycin, Cipro, Levaquin, Zithromax, Ciprofloxacin, Sulfamethoxazole, Erythromycin, Bactrim DS, Minocycline, Biaxin, Clarithromycin, Avelox, Tetracycline, Levofloxacin, Doryx, Sulfasalazine
Many Americans Still in the Dark About Antibiotic Resistance
Posted 13 Nov 2012 by Drugs.com
TUESDAY, Nov. 13 – Americans are not as smart about antibiotics and antibiotic resistance as they should be, a new poll shows. For instance, although almost 90 percent of Americans know that antibiotics are effective for treating bacterial infections, more than a third also erroneously believed the drugs can fight viral infections such as the common cold or the flu. "It's a common misperception that antibiotics can cure the common cold, and unnecessary overuse of antibiotics for illnesses like colds is dumping fuel on a wildfire of resistance," said Dr. Lauri Hicks, medical director of the "Get Smart: Know When Antibiotics Work" program at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The number of antibiotic-resistant "superbugs" is soaring. In 2005, almost 370,000 Americans were hospitalized with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), up from only about 2,000 in ... Read more
Related support groups: Amoxicillin, Doxycycline, Bactrim, Bacterial Infection, Cephalexin, Penicillin, Azithromycin, Cipro, Levaquin, Zithromax, Ciprofloxacin, Keflex, Sulfamethoxazole, Trimethoprim, Erythromycin, Bactrim DS, Minocycline, Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus Infection, Biaxin, Macrobid
Medicare/Medicaid Policy Shift Didn't Budge Hospital Infection Rates: Study
Posted 10 Oct 2012 by Drugs.com
WEDNESDAY, Oct. 10 – A 2008 shift in Medicare/Medicaid policy that cut off reimbursements for costs related to preventable infections in hospitals did not improve infection rates, new research indicates. The change, mandated by Congress, meant hospitals would no longer receive payments for the treatment of certain patient infections if they occurred after a patient was admitted for care. The purpose of the new policy was to nudge hospitals into reining in the incidence of avoidable infections that included catheter-associated bloodstream and urinary tract infections and ventilator-associated pneumonia. But this new analysis, involving data collected from nearly 400 hospitals, revealed that a downward trend in such infections was actually under way well before the policy took effect. "What we found basically was that infection rates have been steadily declining since 2006, but this ... Read more
Related support groups: Bacterial Infection
Eyes May Possess Infection-Killing Power: Study
Posted 1 Oct 2012 by Drugs.com
FRIDAY, Sept. 28 – Eye proteins that can kill harmful bacteria may prove useful in developing new powerful and inexpensive antimicrobial drugs, according to a new study. The finding was made by University of California, Berkeley, researchers investigating why eyes are so resistant to infection. They noticed that there is no bacteria living on the surface of the eye, unlike other surfaces of the body. They also discovered that tissue from the eye's cornea – the transparent part of the eye that covers the pupil and iris – could destroy a number of types of bacteria in lab experiments. "It is very difficult to infect the cornea of a healthy eye. We've even used tissue paper to damage the eye's surface cells and then plastered them with bacteria, and still had trouble getting bacteria to enter the cornea. So we proposed that maybe there were antimicrobial factors that are unique to the ... Read more
Related support groups: Bacterial Infection
Doctors' Intuition May Be Key to Spotting Infections in Kids
Posted 26 Sep 2012 by Drugs.com
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 26 – Doctors who have a gut feeling about a serious infection in a child should take action on that intuition, according to a new study. In young children, serious infection is often hard to diagnose and can be "like finding a needle in a haystack," according to background information in the report, which was published online Sept. 25 in the journal BMJ. A doctor's intuition that something is seriously wrong may have more diagnostic value than many symptoms and signs, the report suggested. For the study, researchers in England and Belgium looked at nearly 3,900 children aged 16 and younger in Belgium, who were assessed by primary care doctors in 2004. Of those children, 21 were later admitted to the hospital with a serious infection. Nine of those 21 were not referred for further care after the initial primary care assessment, even though the doctor confessed that they ... Read more
Related support groups: Bacterial Infection
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Urinary Tract Infection, Bacterial Vaginitis, Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus Infection, Bacteremia, Tetanus, Streptococcal Infection, Bartonellosis, Actinomycosis, Tuberculosis, view more... Meningitis -- Meningococcal, Anthrax, Nocardiosis, Legionella Pneumonia, Brucellosis, Meningitis -- Pneumococcal, Atypical Mycobacterial Infection, Pertussis, Leprosy, Tularemia (Rabbit Fever), Tularemia, Cutaneous Bacillus anthracis, Fusospirochetosis - Trench Mouth, Infectious Endocarditis, Granuloma Inguinale, Meningitis -- Haemophilus influenzae, Meningitis -- Streptococcus Group B, Diphtheria, Glanders, Q Fever, Botulism, Infections
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amoxicillin, doxycycline, Bactrim, cephalexin, penicillin, clindamycin, metronidazole, azithromycin, Cipro, view more... Levaquin, Zithromax, Augmentin, Flagyl, ciprofloxacin, Keflex, sulfamethoxazole, Bactrim DS, minocycline, vancomycin, Avelox, levofloxacin, Doryx, cefuroxime, Cleocin, Rocephin, Septra, Amoxil, garlic, Ceftin, tobramycin, Zyvox, ceftriaxone, gentamicin, Septra DS, chloramphenicol, Flagyl IV, Vibramycin, sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim, Metro, Monodox, Ancef, cefazolin, amoxicillin/clavulanate, SMZ-TMP DS, Sulfatrim, Vancocin, Cleocin HCl, Doxy 100, moxifloxacin, Garamycin, Augmentin XR, Cleocin Pediatric, nafcillin, sulfisoxazole, Nebcin, kanamycin, Minocin, oxacillin, Chloromycetin, Vibra-Tabs, Sulfatrim Pediatric, procaine penicillin, cephradine, cefoxitin, Zmax, Augmentin ES-600, Trimox, Amoclan, Bactrim IV, Cotrim DS, Doxy-Caps, Bactrim Pediatric, Cleocin Phosphate, Bethaprim, Cotrim, Vancocin HCl, cilastatin/imipenem, Primaxin IM, linezolid, Cipro IV, Garlic Oil, Tobi, lincomycin, Zartan, Velosef, Gantrisin, Timentin, V-Cillin K, Ledercillin VK, Pen-V, Beepen-VK, Uroplus DS, Truxcillin VK, Gantanol, A-Cillin, Truxazole, Gantrisin Pediatric, Uroplus, PC Pen VK, Apo-Amoxi, L-Mycin, Ocudox, Avelox IV, Lincorex, Pen-Vee K, Bactramycin, Wycillin, Raxar, Levaquin Leva-Pak, Kantrex, Morgidox, Ximino, Cotrim Pediatric, Bethaprim Pediatric, Co-trimoxazole, Oraxyl, Vancocin HCl Pulvules, Lyphocin, Keftab, Septra IV, DisperMox, Dynacin, Lincocin, Doxy 200, Cresylate, Myrac, Veetids, Kefzol, Proquin XR, Primaxin IV, Pfizerpen, Cipro XR, Zinacef, grepafloxacin, clavulanate/ticarcillin, cefotetan, aztreonam, m-cresyl acetate, netilmicin, Mefoxin, Cefotan, Azactam, Cipro Cystitis Pack, Cidomycin, Metro IV, Flagyl 375, Panixine, Biocef, Protostat, Metryl, Isoject Permapen, Bactocill, Netromycin, Moxilin, Amoxicot, Nallpen, Unipen, Chloracol, Septopal, Doxy-D, Kefurox, Biomox, Wymox, Nebcin Pediatric, Bicillin L-A