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Simple interventions in common clinical practice applied in a coordinated way as a part of a bundle care are effective in reducing mortality in ventilated ICU patients. More prospective controlled studies are needed to define the effect of ventilator bundles on survival outcomes.

PurposeThe overuse, misuse, and underuse of antimicrobial agents often lead to the spread of antibiotic-resistant microorganisms. The aim of our study was to describe the pattern of antibiotic prescriptions for acute respiratory tract infections (RTIs) among the adult population and the factors associated with antibiotic prescribing.Patients and methodsThe study involved patients who visited a general practitioner with suspected acute RTI. Patients with diagnosis of acute sinusitis, acute pharyngitis, acute bronchitis, and influenza were included in the study. We evaluated the presence of an indication for antibiotic therapy for selected diseases according to international guidelines. The appropriateness of any prescribed molecule was also evaluated.ResultsA total of 1,979 cases of acute RTIs were included: 1,196 (60.4%) pharyngitis, 359 (18.2%) bronchitis, 234 (11.8%) influenza, and 190 (9.6%) sinusitis. An antibiotic prescription was given in 67.3% of the consultations and was not indicated by the guidelines in 66.5% of the total RTIs. Macrolides were the most frequently prescribed antibiotics accounting for 32.5% of all those prescribed, followed by amoxicillin with clavulanic acid (31.1%) and fluoroquinolones (14.2%). The highest overprescription was associated with pharyngitis (65.9%) and the lowest with influenza (4.9%). A throat swab was performed only in 11 of all the patients with a diagnosis of acute pharyngitis.ConclusionThe present study showed a very high frequency of nonevidence-based prescription of antibiotics at the primary care level. Future improvement programs should focus on development of evidence-based guidelines, access to postgraduate training, and better availability of diagnostic tools.

BackgroundThe study aimed to evaluate the distribution of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs), the incidence rates and device utilization ratio (DUR) of device-associated infections (DAIs), as well as the distribution and patterns of antimicrobial resistance of the responsible pathogens.MethodsEligible patients who were admitted to an adult Intensive Care Unit (ICU) from May 1, 2013 to December 31, 2016 were included in the surveillance. Demographics, intrinsic and extrinsic risk factors, information regarding infection and isolated pathogens with antibiogram results were collected.ResultsOne thousand two hundred eighty-three patients were included in the surveillance. One hundred forty-seven HAIs were detected with a cumulative incidence of 9.2 per 100 patients 4-year period and an incidence rate of 17.4 per 1000 patient days. Fifty-six out of 1283 patients were affected by at least one episode of ICU-acquired pneumonia, and 72.7% of these were associated with intubation. ICU-acquired bloodstream infections (BSIs) occurred in 4.4% of patients and 89.5% were catheter-related. ICU-acquired urinary tract infections (UTIs) occurred in 1% of patients, with 84.6% of the episodes being associated with the use of an urinary catheter. The pattern of antimicrobial-resistance in the isolates showed, among the Gram-positive bacteria, that 66.6% and 16.6% of Staphylococcus epidermidis were oxacillin and teicoplanin resistant, respectively. Among the Gram-negative bacteria, carbapenem resistance was found in 91.6% of Acinetobacter baumannii and 28.5% of Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates.ConclusionsThe majority of HAIs in the ICU studied were associated with the use of invasive devices. Since a significant proportion of these HAIs are considered preventable, reinforcement of the evidence-based preventive procedures are needed.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1186/s13756-018-0337-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Background and purpose: Athletes participating in contact or collision sports have a great chance of acquiring Staphylococcus aureus infections. The risk factors for colonization and infections include frequent antibiotic use, close contact situations, skin trauma, sharing of sports equipment, and poor hygiene. Therefore, our specific goals were to determine (1) prevalence of S. aureus among different types of contact sport athletes which were barely studied in the European region, (2) antimicrobial resistance of S. aureus isolates, and (3) association of carriage with particular risk factors of spor t practices. Patients and methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among contact or collision sport athletes in Italy. A questionnaire was used to gather information about sociodemographic characteristics, specific sport activities, and participants’ health conditions. Swabs were collected from the nares, oropharynx, and fingers and tested for S. aureus isolation and antimicrobial susceptibility. Results: S. aureus was carried by 42% of 238 enrolled athletes. Colonization was associated with number of weekly training days, sharing of sports equipment, not taking a shower immediately after training, and a previous history of pharyngitis or sinusitis and skin manifestations. Isolates were resistant to clindamycin (24.8%) and erythromycin (15.8%). Of all athletes, 1.3% carried methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA); MRSA were 3% of all S. aureus isolates. No strains were resistant to sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim. Conclusion: Our results have shown a high prevalence of S. aureus carriage and a relevant resistance to antimicrobials used for the treatment of S. aureus infections. Prevention efforts aimed at reducing S. aureus colonization, and thus potentially reducing infections, should be improved.