ESBLEC is an important cause of COBSI due to E. coli. Clinicians should consider adequate empirical therapy with coverage of these pathogens for patients with risk factors.

AimsThe purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness, feasibility, and safety of a 4-week high-intensity inspiratory muscle training (hi-IMT) in patients with chronic heart failure (CHF). Methods and resultsA double-blind randomized clinical trial was carried out in 22 patients with CHF. Participants were assigned to the hi-IMT or sham-IMT group. The trainer device was a prototype of the Orygen-Dual Valve w . The training workloads were adjusted weekly at the inspiratory pressure which allowed the performance of 10 consecutive maximal repetitions (10RM). Main outcomes were strength and endurance of the respiratory muscles assessed by maximal respiratory pressures (PI max and PE max ) and a 10RM manoeuvre, respectively. Twenty-one patients presented impairment in respiratory muscle strength and endurance. Patients in the hi-IMT group showed a significant improvement in both strength and endurance: inspiratory muscle strength in the intervention group increased 57.2% compared with 25.9% in the control group (P ¼ 0.001). The percentage change in endurance was 72.7% for the hi-IMT group compared with 18.2% in the sham-IMT group (P , 0.001). No adverse effects occurred during the intervention. ConclusionA 4-week hi-IMT with the use of the Orygen-Dual Valve w is shown to be an effective, feasible, and safe tool to improve weakness and fatigue of the inspiratory muscles. The key point of this study is to discuss immediate practical implications in terms of respiratory muscle dysfunction postulated as a potential prognostic factor and as an additional therapeutic target. Trials registration

Extended-spectrum-␤-lactamase (ESBL)-producing Escherichia coli (ESBLEC) is an increasing cause of community and nosocomial infections worldwide. However, there is scarce clinical information about nosocomial bloodstream infections (BSIs)caused by these pathogens. We performed a study to investigate the risk factors for and prognosis of nosocomial BSIs due to ESBLEC in 13 Spanish hospitals. Risk factors were assessed by using a case-control-control study; 96 cases (2 to 16% of all nosocomial BSIs due to E. coli in the participating centers) were included; the most frequent ESBL was CTX-M-14 (48% of the isolates). We found CTX-M-15 in 10% of the isolates, which means that this enzyme is emerging as a cause of invasive infections in Spain. By repetitive extragenic palindromic sequence-PCR, most isolates were found to be clonally unrelated. By multivariate analysis, the risk factors for nosocomial BSIs due to ESBLEC were found to be organ transplant (odds ratio [OR] ‫؍‬ 4.8; 95% confidence interval [CI] ‫؍‬ 1.4 to 15.7), the previous use of oxyimino-␤-lactams (OR ‫؍‬ 6.0; 95% CI ‫؍‬ 3.0 to 11.8), and unknown BSI source (protective; OR ‫؍‬ 0.4; 95% CI ‫؍‬ 0.2 to 0.9), and duration of hospital stay (OR ‫؍‬ 1.02; 95% CI ‫؍‬ 1.00 to 1.03). The variables independently associated with mortality were a Pitt score of >1 (OR ‫؍‬ 3.9; 95% CI ‫؍‬ 1.2 to 12.9), a high-risk source (OR ‫؍‬ 5.5; 95% CI ‫؍‬ 1.4 to 21.9), and resistance to more than three antibiotics, apart from penicillins and cephalosporins (OR ‫؍‬ 6.5; 95% CI ‫؍‬ 1.4 to 30.0). Inappropriate empirical therapy was not associated with mortality. We conclude that ESBLEC is an important cause of nosocomial BSIs. The previous use of oxyimino-␤-lactams was the only modifiable risk factor found. Resistance to drugs other than penicillins and cephalosporins was associated with increased mortality.Gram-negative organisms are an important cause of nosocomial bloodstream infections (BSIs) (33), particularly when the source of the BSI is the urinary, respiratory, or gastrointestinal tract. Recently, the reemergence of Gram-negative organisms as a cause of primary BSIs has also been reported (1). In the United States, Escherichia coli is the fifth most common cause of nosocomial BSIs and is the first most common cause among Gram-negative organisms, and BSIs caused by E. coli are reported to be associated with a crude mortality rate of 22% (34); in Spain, it is the second most common cause of nosocomial BSIs (23).In recent years, extended-spectrum ß-lactamases (ESBLs), particularly those of the CTX-M family, have spread worldwide among E. coli strains inside and outside hospitals (20,26); consequently, the prevalence of BSIs caused by ESBL-producing E. coli has significantly increased (24, 28). ESBLs confer resistance to penicillins and cephalosporins and are frequently associated with resistance to fluoroquinolones, aminoglycosides, and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (18); thus, ESBLproducing microorganisms are frequently truly multidrug resistant. Both antibiotic resistance a...

Kidney transplant recipients might be at higher risk for severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19). However, risk factors for relevant outcomes remain uncertain in this population. This is a multicentric kidney transplant cohort including 104 hospitalized patients between March 4 and April 17, 2020. Risk factors for death and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) were investigated, and clinical and laboratory data were analyzed. The mean age was 60 years. Forty‐seven patients (54.8%) developed ARDS. Obesity was associated to ARDS development (OR 2.63; P = .04). Significant age differences were not found among patients developing and not developing ARDS (61.3 vs 57.8 years, P = .16). Seventy‐six (73%) patients were discharged, and 28 (27%) died. Death was more common among the elderly (55 and 70.8 years, P < .001) and those with preexisting pulmonary disease (OR 2.89, P = .009). At admission, higher baseline lactate dehydrogenase (257 vs 358 IU/mL, P = .001) or ARDS conferred higher risk of death (HR 2.09, P = .044). In our cohort, ARDS was equally present among young and old kidney recipients. However, the elderly might be at higher risk of death, along with those showing higher baseline LDH at admission.