These results may translate into decreased patient morbidity, mortality, healthcare costs, and length of stay. Additional studies are needed to establish the most effective probiotic and dosing for reducing diarrhea.
Bottom line: Twice-daily consumption of probiotic drinks can decrease the risk of antibiotic-induced diarrhea.
Citation: Hickson M, D’Souza AL, Muthu N, et al. Use of probiotic Lactobacillus preparation to prevent diarrhoea associated with antibiotics: randomized double blind placebo controlled trial. BMJ. 2007 Jul 14;335(7610):80.
What Organisms Commonly Cause Healthcare-Associated Pneumonia in Nonhospitalized Patients?
Background: Changes in practice patterns have resulted in a large number of patients who regularly interact with healthcare but aren’t admitted to the hospital (e.g., those receiving dialysis or home healthcare). These patients develop nosocomial-type infections rather than infections from traditionally community-acquired organisms.
Study design: Prospective observational for three years.
Setting: A large teaching hospital in Barcelona, Spain.
Synopsis: A total of 727 patients were stratified into community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) or healthcare-associated pneumonia (HCAP) groups based on whether they had:
- Received home intravenous therapy;
- Attended a hospital or hemodialysis clinic or had chemotherapy in the preceding 30 days;
- Were admitted to an acute care facility for at least two days in the preceding 90 days; or
- Resided in a nursing home.
The HCAP group tended to be older, have higher comorbidities (particularly cerebrovascular disease or malignancy), have previously received antibiotics, and have higher pneumonia severity indices.
The putative organisms were similar in both groups with Streptococcus pneumoniae representing the most common pathogen. HCAP patients had higher rates of penicillin, erythromycin, and levofloxacin resistance; aspiration pneumonia; longer lengths of stay; and 30-day mortality. Inappropriate therapy occurred more commonly in the HCAP group (5.6% versus 2.0%). Such therapy was defined as the absence of antibiotics targeting suspect pathogens, the use of antibiotics to which the bacteria were not susceptible, or the failure to start anaerobic coverage for aspiration pneumonia.
Bottom line: Outpatients who come in frequent contact with the healthcare system while presenting with pneumonia are more likely to have drug-resistant organisms similar to those seen in nosocomial pneumonia. Further, they tend to have inappropriate or inadequate antimicrobial therapy, longer hospital stays, and increased risk of death.
Citation: Carratalà J, Mykietiuk A, Fernández-Sabe N, et al. Health care-associated pneumonia requiring hospital admission. Arch Intern Med. 2007;167(13):1393-1399. TH