Have a High Threshold for Thoracentesis When Looking for a Source of Infection
Have a High Threshold for Thoracentesis When Looking for a Source of Infection Deba Sarma MD The onset of a new fever or presence of a new or increasing leukocytosis…
Give Special Consideration to the Extended-Spectrum Beta-Lactamase-Producing Organisms Before Administering Antibiotics
Give Special Consideration to the Extended-Spectrum Beta-Lactamase-Producing Organisms Before Administering Antibiotics John J. Lewin III PharmD Extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)-producing organisms represent one of the largest infectious disease–related challenges in the…
Consider possible fungal infection in patients with hypothermia and bradycardia
Consider possible fungal infection in patients with hypothermia and bradycardia Suneel Khetarpal MD Andrew J. Kerwin MD Infections in the intensive care unit (ICU) remain a major source of morbidity…
Pay Attention to the Morphology Reported By the Microbiology Lab for Fungal Cultures
Pay Attention to the Morphology Reported By the Microbiology Lab for Fungal Cultures Shelley S. Magill MD William G. Merz PhD Fungi cause a wide variety of diseases in the…
Check for Cryptosporidium in Immunosuppressed Patients with Chronic, Severe, or Refractory Diarrhea
Check for Cryptosporidium in Immunosuppressed Patients with Chronic, Severe, or Refractory Diarrhea Ala’ S. Haddadin MD Diarrhea, the principal manifestation of intestinal infection among the critically ill, affects approximately one-third…
Treat Black Lips or a Black Spot on the Oral Mucosa as a Surgical Emergency
Treat Black Lips or a Black Spot on the Oral Mucosa as a Surgical Emergency Aruna K. Subramanian MD Mucormycosis is the common name given to several different diseases caused…
Remember that Lack of Positive Blood Cultures does not Rule Out Bacterial Endocarditis
Remember that Lack of Positive Blood Cultures does not Rule Out Bacterial Endocarditis Harjot K. Singh MD Aruna K. Subramanian MD Infective endocarditis (IE) is generally defined by vegetative cardiac…
Know How to Calculate the Clinical Pulmonary Infection Score
Know How to Calculate the Clinical Pulmonary Infection Score B. Robert Gibson MD Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) refers to pneumonia that occurs more than 48 hours after patients are intubated and…
Remember that Enterococcus is a Rare Invasive Pulmonary Tract Infection
Remember that Enterococcus is a Rare Invasive Pulmonary Tract Infection Aruna K. Subramanian MD Enterococci rarely cause lower respiratory tract infections, though they are capable of colonizing the oropharynx. Respiratory…
Administer an Antibiotic Before Urinary Tract Obstruction is Relieved
Administer an Antibiotic Before Urinary Tract Obstruction is Relieved Jennifer Miles-Thomas MD Bacteriuria can become bacteremia with associated systemic complications in the setting of urinary tract obstruction. Most bacteria enter…
