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Query: UMLS:C0032285 (pneumonia)
 54,520 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Cefotaxime 2 g every 12 h was administered to adults with severe nosocomial pneumonia in a prospective noncomparative study. The results confirmed that this regimen is adequate and appropriate therapy for nosocomial pneumonia, with the combination of cefotaxime and an aminoglycoside reserved for cases where multiresistant, Gram-negative bacterial infections are strongly suspected.
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PMID:Prospective evaluation of twice-daily cefotaxime in the treatment of hospitalized patients with severe infections. 758 32

To evaluate what has been the most effective surgical treatment for massive lower gastrointestinal bleeding, we reviewed the records of 31 patients who underwent colon resection for hemodynamic instability and/or the need for continued transfusions. These 31 patients underwent either segmental colectomy (21 patients) or subtotal colectomy (10 patients). Resections were performed for diverticular disease (19 patients), angiodysplasia (eight patients), acute ulceration (three patients), and polyps (one patient). The re-bleeding rate (mean follow-up 1 year) for subtotal colectomy was 0 per cent, segmental resection with positive angiography was 14 per cent, and segmental resection with negative angiography was 42 per cent. The complication rate including myocardial infarction, ARDS, pneumonia, and renal failure was highest (83 per cent) in those patients receiving segmental resection with a negative angiogram. The mortality rate was also highest for segmental resection patients with negative angiography (57 per cent). The results of this review suggest that segmental resection should be performed when the bleeding site is identified angiographically. Subtotal colectomy should be reserved for massive bleeding with negative angiography.
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PMID:The management of massive lower gastrointestinal bleeding. 821 70

DNA amplification by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is a promising method for the detection of Pneumocystis carinii in immunosuppressed patients. The sensitivity and specificity of the PCR technique has been assessed in comparison with the immunofluorescence method (IF) on bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF). Results correlated in 43 (78.8%) of 52 cases studied. P. carinii PCR gave positive results with BALF from all 32 patients found to have P. carinii pneumonia (PCP); IF gave positive results with 26 of them. PCR was more sensitive and as specific as IF. However, at the present time, we do not believe that it is clinically useful for detection of P. carinii in BALF samples. P. carinii DNA amplification by PCR should be reserved for testing IF-negative BALF samples from patients judged clinically to have PCP.
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PMID:Diagnosis of Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia: specificity and sensitivity of polymerase chain reaction in comparison with immunofluorescence in bronchoalveolar lavage specimens. 851 Jan 38

Major changes have occurred in the epidemiology of community-acquired pneumonia recently. The emergence of new pathogens emphasises the need for continued vigilance in the diagnosis of pneumonia while changes in the microorganism or in the host have resulted in exciting new aspects of several old pathogens. Clinical and radiologic signs are unreliable in predicting the infecting organisms. Thus initial therapy is nearly always empiric. This approach often requires good clinical judgement and a knowledge of local epidemiological patterns in choosing an appropriate regimen. State-of-the-art invasive diagnostic procedures are usually reserved for pneumoniae that fail to resolve with initial treatment. Non-specific measures like stabilisation of underlying medical conditions, adequate nutrition and cessation of smoking or alcohol may help prevent the development of community-acquired pneumonia. On a larger scale, influenza and pneumococcal vaccinations are cost-effective preventive measures.
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PMID:Community-acquired pneumonia. 888 44

Pneumonia in children may be caused by a variety of agents each requiring a different treatment approach. Lack of a simple and reliable method for establishing an etiologic diagnosis in most cases forces the physician to make therapeutic decisions based on the age of the patient, clinical presentation, radiographic findings, and the knowledge of the likely organisms. When a more specific diagnosis is sought, several noninvasive and invasive techniques are available. Among the first group are sputum examination, cultures of blood, sputum and respiratory tract specimens, rapid antigen detection tests, and serology. Those in the later group, which is usually reserved for critically ill patients or those with underlying immunodeficiency, include pleurocentesis, bronchoalveolar lavage, transbronchial biopsy, and open-lung biopsy. The indications and potential advantages of these tests are discussed in this review.
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PMID:Diagnostic approach to pneumonia in children. 888 70

Streptococcus pneumoniae is the most common cause of pediatric invasive infections and an important cause of morbidity and mortality. In the past, S. pneumoniae responded universally to penicillin until nonsusceptible isolates were first noted in the 1960s. Before 1990, penicillin-nonsusceptible isolates remained a minor component of all reported isolates. Since that time, 20-30% of isolates in many centers in the United States and up to 50% of isolates in some other countries are penicillin-nonsusceptible. Of greater concern has been the development of isolates which are nonsusceptible to more than one antimicrobial agent. This review presents data on pediatric invasive pneumococcal disease in Arkansas and outlines the new treatment recommendations which have been developed in response to these problems. Streptococcus pneumoniae is an important pathogen worldwide and is considered the most common etiology of bacterial sinusitis, otitis media, pneumonia, meningitis and bacteremia. Before 1990, 95-96% of pneumococcal isolates were susceptible to penicillin. The first report of penicillin-nonsusceptible S. pneumoniae was made by Hansman and Bullen in 1967, who identified the strain in the sputum of a patient with hypogammaglobulinemia. Soon thereafter, penicillin-nonsusceptible pneumococci were reported in New Guinea and Australia as well. Over the last several years, the incidence of penicillin-nonsusceptible isolates has greatly increased. Of particular concern is the concomitant increase in the number of organisms that are nonsusceptible to more than one antimicrobial agent. Due to the development of such isolates, clinicians are having to approach patients with invasive disease due to pneumococci more cautiously. In an attempt to clarify confusion with terminology, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have recommended the same nomenclature be used to classify resistance for all organisms: nonsusceptible organisms are those with an MIC (minimal inhibitory concentration) greater than or equal to that defined for the intermediate category of resistance and the term resistant should be reserved for those organisms with an MIC greater than or equal to that defined for the resistant category. Therefore, resistant isolates are a subgroup of the nonsusceptible isolates.
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PMID:The approach to treatment of invasive pneumococcal disease in the 1990s. 939 28

Most textbook authors still endorse penicillin G as the specific antibiotic of choice for pneumococcal pneumonia. However, problems with early precise etiologic diagnosis of pneumonia and the emergence of drug-resistant pneumococci cause penicillin to be seldom used for this purpose today. A third explanation for the infrequent use of penicillin is lack of clear consensus dosing guidelines. Emergence of pneumococci resistant to the newer cephalosporins and concerns about overuse of vancomycin, however, have prompted renewed interest in the development of precise, rapid methods for diagnosis of pneumococcal pneumonia with the implication that penicillin might be used more frequently. We review several issues concerning penicillin dosing: intermittent vs continuous therapy, high dose vs low dose, relationship of dose to resistance, and cost-effective pharmacology. An optimum "high-dose" regimen for life-threatening pneumococcal pneumonia in a 70-kg adult consists of a 3 million unit (mu) loading dose followed by continuous infusion of 10 to 12 mu of freshly prepared drug every 12 h. The maintenance dose should be reduced in elderly patients and in patients with renal failure according to the following formula: dose (mu/24 h = 4+[creatinine clearance divided by 7]). This regimen provides a penicillin serum level of 16 to 20 microg/mL, which should suffice for all but the most highly resistant strains (minimum inhibitory concentration > or = 4 microg/mL). Newer cephalosporins and vancomycin can be reserved for patients with suspected meningitis or endocarditis or for localities in which highly resistant pneumococci are known to be prevalent.
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PMID:Penicillin dosing for pneumococcal pneumonia. 940 65

Nuclear medicine is an important tool in the diagnostic evaluation of patients with a variety of nonosseous infections. In the immunocompetent population labeled leukocyte imaging is the radionuclide procedure of choice, with Gallium imaging reserved for those situations in which the leukocyte study is nondiagnostic or cannot be performed. Fever of unknown origin is caused by infection in less than one-third of cases, and therefore the number of positive leukocyte studies will be relatively low. The negative leukocyte study is also useful, however, as it has been demonstrated that a negative study excludes, with a high degree of certainty, focal infection as the cause of an FUO. In the cardiovascular system, labeled leukocyte scintigraphy is very useful for diagnosing mycotic aneurysms and infected prosthetic vascular grafts, with a sensitivity of about 90%. The specificity of the study is somewhat more variable--false positive results have been described in perigraft hematomas, graft thrombosis, bleeding, and pseudoaneurysms. In the central nervous system, labeled leukocyte imaging can provide important information about the etiology of contrast enhancing brain lesions identified on computed tomography, i.e., distinguishing between neoplasm and infection. In the immunocompromised population, typified by the AIDS patient, Gallium scintigraphy is the radionuclide procedure of choice for diagnosing opportunistic diseases. In the thorax, a normal Gallium scan, in the setting of a negative chest X-ray, virtually excludes pulmonary disease. A negative Gallium scan in a patient with an abnormal chest X-ray and Kaposi's sarcoma study suggests that the patient's respiratory problems are related to Kaposi's sarcoma. Focal pulmonary parenchymal uptake is most often associated with bacterial pneumonia, although Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia can occasionally present in this fashion. Diffuse pulmonary parenchymal uptake of Gallium can be due to numerous causes, but in general, the more intense the uptake, the greater the likelihood that the patient has P. carinii pneumonia. Lymph node uptake is most often due to lymphoma or mycobacterial disease. In the abdomen, Gallium is also useful for detecting nodal disease. but is not reliable for detecting large bowel disease. Labeled leukocyte imaging should be performed when colitis is a concern. Both 18FDG PET and 201Tl SPECT imaging of the brain are useful for distinguishing between central nervous system lymphoma and toxoplasmosis in the HIV (+) patient. On both studies, lymphoma manifests as a focus of increased tracer uptake, whereas toxoplasmosis shows little or no uptake of either tracer.
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PMID:Radionuclide imaging of nonosseous infection. 1023 Feb 81

The number of nosocomial infections caused by Acinetobacter baumannii has increased in recent years. The purposes of this study are to discover the risk factors of transmission to prevent the nosocomial infection of A. baumannii. We retrospectively studied 36 patients with A. baumannii bacteremia at China Medical College Hospital from January 1996 to December 1997. There were 23 males and 13 females. All bacteremia were acquired nosocomially. Malignancy (n = 8) and intracranial hemorrhage (n = 6) were the most common underlying diseases. Only one patient on arterial line disclosed intraarterial catheter-related A. baumannii bacteremia and 3 patients had evidence of A. baumannii pneumonia. Twenty-one patients (58%) had central venous catheters in place at the onset of bacteremia, but none was proven to be catheter-related infection. There were 32 patients (89%) with unknown portal of entry. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that potential risk factors related to A. baumannii bacteremia were prior antimicrobial therapy (P < 0.05). The most common clinical features of A. baumannii bacteremia were, in descending order, fever, leukocytosis, thrombocytopenia and hypotension. Eleven patients (30.6%) died directly from A. baumannii bacteremia. All isolates were resistant to ampicillin, cephalothin, cefonicid and moxalactam. The most alarming evidence was that 19% of isolates showed resistance to imipenem. Our findings emphasized that A. baumannii bacteremia had the following characteristics: usually acquired nosocomially, unknown portal of entry, and high multiresistance, especially the increasing resistance rate to imipenem. Imipenem must be reserved as a last-line agent to treat A. baumannii infections, so we want to suggest that the treatment of choice for A. baumannii is gentamicin, amikacin or ceftazidime.
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PMID:Acinetobacter baumannii bloodstream infection: clinical features and antimicrobial susceptibilities of isolates. 1046 22

The majority of patients undergoing pectus excavatum repair can be safely anesthetized with routine clinical preoperative evaluation and chest radiography. Electrocardiography, echocardiography, arterial blood gas, and pulmonary function tests should be reserved for patients with suspected coexisting conditions, such as mitral valve prolapse, skeletal abnormalities, Marfan's syndrome, and pulmonary disease. The choice of surgical repair and the advisability of placement of an epidural catheter or intercostal blocks for perioperative pain management should be discussed with the surgical team. Postoperatively, patients should be carefully monitored for signs of tension pneumothorax and pneumonia.
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PMID:Repair of pectus excavatum. Anesthetic considerations. 1080 32


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