The Use of Oritavancin as Consolidation Therapy for Infective Endocarditis Caused by spp.

Oritavancin is emerging as a potential alternative to standard antibiotic regimens in the treatment of infective endocarditis caused by gram-positive bacteria, though evidence remains limited. We hereby report 7 cases of enterococcal endocarditis treated with oritavancin as consolidation therapy, resulting in 6 cures and 1 relapse.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa bloodstream infections in internal medicine wards: A large Italian multicenter retrospective study.

Introduction: This large, multicenter, Italian retrospective study aimed to describe clinical characteristics and risk factors associated with 30-day mortality in patients with Pseudomonas aeruginosa bloodstream infections (PA-BSI) admitted to internal medicine wards (IMW). To enhance clinical decision-making, we also developed and internally validated a bedside prognostic model to predict the 30-day mortality risk.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective, multicenter cohort study across 14 public hospitals in Italy, analyzing all adult patients admitted to IMW with PA-BSI between 2021 and 2022.

The expanding role of 16s ribosomal RNA PCR in the management of patients with infective endocarditis undergoing cardiac surgery.

Background: Aetiological diagnosis and targeted antibiotic therapy are essential to improve the prognosis of patients with infective endocarditis. Molecular tests on blood have been reported to be effective in identifying the causative organism and are recommended when blood cultures are negative. The role of molecular tests on the surgically excised valve is still unclear and needs further investigation.

A systematic review of dalbavancin efficacy as a sequential therapy for infective endocarditis.

Introduction: Dalbavancin is an antibiotic characterized by an extended half-life and efficacy against methicillin-resistant Staphylococci. Currently, there are only narrative reviews summarizing the evidence about the use of dalbavancin for infective endocarditis (IE), many of which are focused primarily on its use as consolidation therapy. For this reason, we conducted a systematic review to describe the clinical efficacy and the safety of dalbavancin in IE treatment.

Epidemiology, time course, and risk factors for hospital-acquired bloodstream infections in a cohort of 14,884 patients before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Objective: COVID-19 pandemic has changed in-hospital care and was linked to superimposed infections. Here, we described epidemiology and risk factors for hospital-acquired bloodstream infections (HA-BSIs), before and during COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: This retrospective, observational, single-center real-life study included 14,884 patients admitted to hospital wards and intensive care units (ICUs) with at least one blood culture, drawn 48 h after admission, either before (pre-COVID,  = 7382) or during pandemic ( = 7502, 1203 COVID-19+ and 6299 COVID-19-).

The Hidden Cost of COVID-19: Focus on Antimicrobial Resistance in Bloodstream Infections.

Antibiotic resistance is one of the greatest growing public health threats and a worldwide priority. According to the WHO, drug-resistant diseases may cause 10 million deaths a year by 2050 and have a substantial impact on the global economy, driving up to 24 million people into poverty. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has exposed the fallacies and vulnerability of healthcare systems worldwide, displacing resources from existing programs and reducing funding for antimicrobial resistance (AMR) fighting efforts.

Empiric Antifungal Therapy for Intra-Abdominal Post-Surgical Abscesses in Non-ICU Patients.

The role of empiric antifungals for post-surgical abscesses (PSAs) is controversial, and international guidelines on invasive mycoses focus on bloodstream infections. We analyzed a retrospective cohort of 319 patients with PSA at a tertiary-level hospital in Italy during the years 2013-2018. Factors associated with empiric antifungal administration were analyzed and compared with factors associated with fungal isolation from the abdomen.

Sarilumab plus standard of care standard of care for the treatment of severe COVID-19: a phase 3, randomized, open-labeled, multi-center study (ESCAPE study).

Background: Among interleukin-6 inhibitors suggested for use in COVID-19, there are few robust evidences for the efficacy of sarilumab. Herein, we evaluated the efficacy and safety of sarilumab in severe COVID-19.

Methods: In this phase 3, open-labeled, randomized clinical trial, conducted at 5 Italian hospitals, adults with severe COVID-19 pneumonia (excluding mechanically ventilated) were randomized 2:1 to receive intravenous sarilumab (400 mg, repeatable after 12 h) standard of care (SOC) (arm A) or to continue SOC (arm B).

Incidence of bloodstream infections due to multidrug-resistant pathogens in ordinary wards and intensive care units before and during the COVID-19 pandemic: a real-life, retrospective observational study.

Purpose: SARS-COV-2 pandemic led to antibiotic overprescription and unprecedented stress on healthcare systems worldwide. Knowing the comparative incident risk of bloodstream infection due to multidrug-resistant pathogens in COVID ordinary wards and intensive care-units may give insights into the impact of COVID-19 on antimicrobial resistance.

Methods: Single-center observational data extracted from a computerized dataset were used to identify all patients who underwent blood cultures from January 1, 2018 to May 15, 2021.

Interferon gamma-induced protein 10 (IP-10) for the early prognosis of the risk for severe respiratory failure and death in COVID-19 pneumonia.

Objectives: Elevated concentrations of soluble urokinase plasminogen activator receptor (suPAR) predict progression to severe respiratory failure (SRF) or death among patients with COVID-19 pneumonia and guide early anakinra treatment. As suPAR testing may not be routinely available in every health-care setting, alternative biomarkers are needed. We investigated the performance of C-reactive protein (CRP), interferon gamma-induced protein-10 (IP-10) and TNF-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) for predicting SRF or death in COVID-19.

A Case of Ralstonia pickettii Bloodstream Infection and the Growing Problem of Healthcare Associated Infections in Frail Older Adults.

Frailty is a clinically measurable state of vulnerability to developing increased dependency and/or mortality when exposed to a stressor. Chronic diseases, aggressive treatments, antibiotic overuse, microbiota changes, immune senescence, and increased use of medical devices and implants (i.e.

Prognostic Role of Serum Procalcitonin Measurement in Adult Patients Admitted to the Emergency Department with Fever.

Fever is one of the most common presenting complaints in the Emergency Department (ED). This study aimed at evaluating the prognostic role of serum Procalcitonin (PCT) measurement among adult patients admitted to the ED with fever. This is a retrospective cross-sectional study including all consecutive patients admitted to ED with fever and subsequently hospitalized in a period of six-year (January 2014 to December 2019).

Salivary Biomarkers in COVID-19 Patients: Towards a Wide-Scale Test for Monitoring Disease Activity.

Unlabelled: The ongoing outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which impairs the functionality of several organs, represents a major threat to human health. One of the hardest challenges in the fight against COVID-19 is the development of wide-scale, effective, and rapid laboratory tests to control disease severity, progression, and possible sudden worsening. Monitoring patients in real-time is highly demanded in this pandemic era when physicians need reliable and quantitative tools to prioritize patients' access to intensive care departments.

Characteristic of IgA and IgG antibody response to SARS-CoV-2 infection in an Italian referral COVID-19 Hospital.

Introduction: Antibody response plays a fundamental role in the natural history of infectious disease. A better understanding of the immune response in patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection could be important for identifying patients at greater risk of developing a more severe form of disease and with a worse prognosis.

Methods: We performed a cross-sectional analysis to determine the presence and the levels of both anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG and IgA in a cohort of hospitalized patients with confirmed infection at different times in the natural history of the disease.

The Burden of Clostridioides Difficile Infection during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Retrospective Case-Control Study in Italian Hospitals (CloVid).

Data on the burden of infection (CDI) in Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients are scant. We conducted an observational, retrospective, multicenter, 1:3 case (COVID-19 patients with CDI)-control (COVID-19 patients without CDI) study in Italy to assess incidence and outcomes, and to identify risk factors for CDI in COVID-19 patients. From February through July 2020, 8402 COVID-19 patients were admitted to eight Italian hospitals; 38 CDI cases were identified, including 32 hospital-onset-CDI (HO-CDI) and 6 community-onset, healthcare-associated-CDI (CO-HCA-CDI).

Antibiotic appropriateness and adherence to local guidelines in perioperative prophylaxis: results from an antimicrobial stewardship intervention.

Objectives: Surgical antibiotic prophylaxis (SAP) represents a major indication of antibiotic consumption worldwide. The present study aims to report the results of an enabling, long-term AMS intervention conducted between 2013 and 2019 on an Italian University Hospital performing more than 40.000 surgical interventions per year.

Daptomycin-based aminoglycoside-sparing therapy for streptococcal endocarditis: a retrospective multicenter study.

Streptococci still represent common etiologic agents of infective endocarditis (IE). Although renal failure is frequently reported as an aminoglycoside-associated adverse event, last international guidelines recommend a beta-lactam/gentamicin combination therapy. We retrospectively evaluated the use of daptomycin-based aminoglycoside-sparing combination therapy for the treatment of streptococcal IE in seven referral hospitals in Italy.

Sarilumab use in severe SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia.

Background: Interleukin-6 signal blockade showed preliminary beneficial effects in treating inflammatory response against SARS-CoV-2 leading to severe respiratory distress. Herein we describe the outcomes of off-label intravenous use of Sarilumab in severe SARS-CoV-2-related pneumonia.

Methods: 53 patients with SARS-CoV-2 severe pneumonia received intravenous Sarilumab; pulmonary function improvement or Intensive Care Unit (ICU) admission rate in medical wards, live discharge rate in ICU treated patients and safety profile were recorded.

Social media as a tool for scientific updating at the time of COVID pandemic: Results from a national survey in Italy.

In the face of the rapid evolution of the COVID-19 pandemic, healthcare professionals on the frontline are in urgent need of frequent updates in the accomplishment of their practice. Hence, clinicians started to search for prompt, valid information on sources that are parallel to academic journals. Aim of this work is to investigate the extent of this phenomenon.

Procalcitonin, white blood cell count and C-reactive protein as predictors of S. aureus infection and mortality in infective endocarditis.

Background: Infective endocarditis (IE) is characterized by high rates of in-hospital death, and Staphylococcus aureus infection predicts a worse prognosis. We aimed to assess if admission inflammatory biomarkers (white blood cell - WBC - count, C-reactive protein - CRP, and procalcitonin) are informative on microbiological etiology and short-term outcomes.

Methods: Data from 236 patients admitted for IE from January 2013 to June 2018 were retrieved from a multicenter registry.