Can J Infect Dis Med
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Analgesic interventions are not commonly administered during childhood vaccination, despite the fact that two-thirds of children are afraid of needles and one-tenth are noncompliant with immunization. ⋯ Children reported that managing vaccination pain is important and that analgesic interventions should routinely be used. Incorporating pain management in the process of vaccination has the potential to improve children's experiences with vaccination and promote more positive attitudes and behaviours.
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Can J Infect Dis Med · Jan 2013
Emergency department surveillance as a proxy for the prediction of circulating respiratory viral disease in Eastern Ontario.
Seasonal outbreaks of winter respiratory viruses are responsible for increases in morbidity and mortality in the community. Previous studies have used hospitalizations, intensive care unit and emergency department (ED) visits as indicators of seasonal influenza incidence. ⋯ These findings support the use of an Emergency Department Syndromic Surveillance system to track the incidence of respiratory viral disease in the community. These methods are efficient and can be performed using automated electronic data entry versus the inherent delays in the primary care sentinel surveillance system, and can aid the timely implementation of preventive and preparatory health interventions.
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Can J Infect Dis Med · Jan 2013
The impact of serum vancomycin levels and minimum inhibitory concentrations of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus on mortality in patients with nosocomial pneumonia.
Vancomycin is the treatment of choice for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections; however, treatment failure is not uncommon, even when the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of the MRSA strain is within the susceptible range for vancomycin. ⋯ Patients with severe hospital-acquired pneumonia presented with MRSA isolates with low to intermediate vancomycin MICs in the ICU setting. At the Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre (Porto Alegre, Brazil), the 30-day mortality rate was high, and was similar among patients with severe hospital-acquired pneumonia infected with MRSA isolates that exhibited MICs of ≤1.5 μg/mL determined using the E-test method and ≤1.0 μg/mL determined using the broth microdilution method in those who achieved optimal serum vancomycin levels. The APACHE II scores which provides an overall estimate of ICU mortality were independently associated with mortality in the present study, regardless of the MICs determined. Molecular markers, such as the agrII gene, were not associated with higher mortality in the present study.
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Can J Infect Dis Med · Jan 2012
Cost comparison of linezolid versus vancomycin for treatment of complicated skin and skin-structure infection caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in Quebec.
In Canada, complicated skin and skin-structure infection (cSSSI) caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is usually treated with antibiotics in hospital, with a follow-up course at home for stable patients. The cost implications of using intravenous and oral linezolid instead of intravenous vancomycin in Canadian clinical practice have not been examined. ⋯ Using linezolid instead of vancomycin to treat MRSA-related cSSSI, for hospital and home courses combined, may reduce health care resource utilization and costs in Quebec.