The Journal of antimicrobial chemotherapy
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J. Antimicrob. Chemother. · Mar 2012
Voriconazole drug monitoring in the management of invasive fungal infection in immunocompromised children: a prospective study.
To evaluate voriconazole plasma level monitoring in immunocompromised children and determine the relationship of plasma levels with dose, safety and efficacy. ⋯ Our study confirms the large variability in voriconazole trough plasma levels in children and a trend to non-linear pharmacokinetics in older patients. In addition, doses significantly higher than those recommended in younger children seem warranted and a significant relationship between plasma voriconazole above the normal range and some adverse events is confirmed.
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J. Antimicrob. Chemother. · Mar 2012
Review Meta AnalysisAntibiotic prophylaxis in cardiac surgery: systematic review and meta-analysis.
Antibiotic prophylaxis is recommended in cardiac surgery. Current debate concerns the type of antibiotic(s), dosing and the duration of prophylaxis. ⋯ Evidence supports second- or third-generation cephalosporins for cardiac surgery prophylaxis and points at a possible advantage of prophylaxis prolongation up to 48 h post-operatively.
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J. Antimicrob. Chemother. · Mar 2012
Prevalence of surgical site infections before and after the implementation of a multimodal infection control programme.
In order to assess the prevalence of surgical site infections (SSIs) before and after the implementation of a multimodal infection control programme including the realization of a campaign to increase compliance with guidelines for antimicrobial prophylaxis, we designed and conducted the present study involving all 20 of the surgical departments of a large teaching hospital in Catania, Italy. ⋯ The approach used in this study remains a feasible method of evaluating the burden of SSIs using repeated prevalence surveys. The results provide evidence of a significant decreasing trend in the SSI rate following the infection control intervention. Furthermore, our study underlines the need to develop evidence-based guidelines in collaboration with surgeons, to achieve consensus before implementation in order to improve compliance with antimicrobial prophylaxis and, finally, decrease SSI rates.