Search results for "Intensive care units"
showing 10 items of 251 documents
Work environment, volume of activity and staffing in neonatal intensive care units in Italy: results of the SONAR-nurse study
2016
Background Neonatal units’ volume of activity, and other quantitative and qualitative variables, such as staffing, workload, work environment, care organization and geographical location, may influence the outcome of high risk newborns. Data about the distribution of these variables and their relationships among Italian neonatal units are lacking. Methods Between March 2010-April 2011, 63 neonatal intensive care units adhering to the Italian Neonatal Network participated in the SONAR Nurse study. Their main features and work environment were investigated by questionnaires compiled by the chief and by physicians and nurses of each unit. Twelve cross-sectional monthly-repeated surveys on diff…
A novel VIM‐type metallo‐beta‐lactamase (VIM‐14) in a Pseudomonas aeruginosa clinical isolate from a neonatal intensive care unit
2011
AbstractA Pseudomonas aeruginosa highly resistant to carbapenems was isolated in a neonatal intensive care unit in Palermo, Italy. The strain was found to carry a novel VIM‐type enzyme, classified as VIM‐14. The novel enzyme differs from VIM‐4 in a G31S mutation. VIM‐14 was harboured in a class 1 integron with a new organization. The integron carried the genes aac7, blaVIM‐14, blaOXA‐20 and aac4 in that order.
Ongoing spread of colistin-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae in different wards of an acute general hospital, Italy, June to December 2011.
2012
We describe polyclonal spread of colistin-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae in an acute general hospital in Italy. Between June and December 2011, 58 colistin-resistant K. pneumoniae isolates were recovered from 28 patients admitted to different wards, but mainly in the intensive care units. All isolates were tested for drug susceptibility and the presence of beta-lactamase (bla) genes. Clonality was investigated by repetitive extragenic palindromic (rep)-PCR and multilocus sequence typing (MLST). Fifty-two isolates had minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) for colistin of 6-128 mg/L, carried blaKPC3 and were attributed to sequence type ST258. The remaining six isolates were susceptible to…
Preventive strategies and factors associated with surgically treated necrotising enterocolitis in extremely preterm infants: an international unit su…
2019
ObjectivesTo compare necrotising enterocolitis (NEC) prevention practices and NEC associated factors between units from eight countries of the International Network for Evaluation of Outcomes of Neonates, and to assess their association with surgical NEC rates.DesignProspective unit-level survey combined with retrospective cohort study.SettingNeonatal intensive care units in Australia/New Zealand, Canada, Finland, Israel, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and Tuscany (Italy).PatientsExtremely preterm infants born between 240to 286weeks’ gestation, with birth weights<1500 g, and admitted between 2014–2015.ExposuresNEC prevention practices (probiotics, feeding, donor milk) using responses of an o…
Antimicrobial Lessons From a Large Observational Cohort on Intra-abdominal Infections in Intensive Care Units
2021
Severe intra-abdominal infection commonly requires intensive care. Mortality is high and is mainly determined by disease-specific characteristics, i.e. setting of infection onset, anatomical barrier disruption, and severity of disease expression. Recent observations revealed that antimicrobial resistance appears equally common in community-acquired and late-onset hospital-acquired infection. This challenges basic principles in anti-infective therapy guidelines, including the paradigm that pathogens involved in community-acquired infection are covered by standard empiric antimicrobial regimens, and second, the concept of nosocomial acquisition as the main driver for resistance involvement. I…
Enteral feeding policies for extremely low birth weight infants. A survey in 74 Italian neonatal intensive cAre units
1999
Background: Enterai feeding for infants with birth weight1000 g (ELBWI) is still a controversial issue. The aim of the present survey was to ascertain the attitudes of Italian neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) regarding this point. Method: A questionnaire, with multiple choice answers, regarding the timing of enteral feeding, its progression, the different techniques utilised, the eventual use of fortifiers and the interrupting criteria, was mailed to 92 Italian NICUs. Results: 74 NICUs all over the country participated in the study.1153 ELBWI were hospitalised in 1996 in these Units. Enterai feeding for babies between 501 g and 750 g is started on the 1st day of life in 23.3% of the NI…
An ensemble approach to short-term forecast of COVID-19 intensive care occupancy in Italian Regions
2020
Abstract The availability of intensive care beds during the COVID‐19 epidemic is crucial to guarantee the best possible treatment to severely affected patients. In this work we show a simple strategy for short‐term prediction of COVID‐19 intensive care unit (ICU) beds, that has proved very effective during the Italian outbreak in February to May 2020. Our approach is based on an optimal ensemble of two simple methods: a generalized linear mixed regression model, which pools information over different areas, and an area‐specific nonstationary integer autoregressive methodology. Optimal weights are estimated using a leave‐last‐out rationale. The approach has been set up and validated during t…
Personal protective equipment and intensive care unit healthcare worker safety in the COVID-19 era (PPE-SAFE): An international survey
2020
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. For routine care, most (1557, 58%) reportedly used FFP2/N95 masks, waterproof long sleeve gowns (1623; 67%), and face shields/visors (1574; 62%). Powered Air-Purifying Respirators were used routinely and for intubation only by 184 (7%) and 254 (13%) respondents, respectively. Surgical masks were used for routine care by 289 (15%) and 47 (2%) for…
Monitoring neonatal fungal infection with metabolomics
2014
Abstract The objective of our study was to evaluate the capability of the metabolomics approach to identify the variations of urine metabolites over time related to the neonatal fungal septic condition. The study population included a clinical case of a preterm neonate with invasive fungal infection and 13 healthy preterm controls. This study showed a unique urine metabolic profile of the patient affected by fungal sepsis compared to urine of controls and it was also possible to evaluate the efficacy of therapy in improving patient health.
False-positive LSD testing in urine samples from intensive care patients.
1998
Unexpected positive results for lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) were found in urine samples from 12 patients in an intensive care unit in a routine screening using the CEDIA DAU assay. None of these test results could be confirmed by high-performance liquid chromatography analysis, but all samples contained the mucolytic drug ambroxol. Further studies demonstrated that ambroxol exhibits a significant cross-reactivity in the CEDIA DAU LSD assay. Therefore, positive LSD results obtained with the CEDIA DAU assay have to be critically evaluated, particularly during the cold season, when infections of the respiratory tract often result in more frequent use of mucolytic medications.