Deutsche medizinische Wochenschrift
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Dtsch. Med. Wochenschr. · Aug 2013
[Effectiveness of a hospital-wide educational programme for infection control to reduce the rate of health-care associated infections and related sepsis (ALERTS)--methods and interim results].
Health care associated infections (HAIs) are one of the most frequent complications of hospital care, associated with increased morbidity, mortality and considerable extra costs for the health care system. The overarching objective of the ALERTS study is to demonstrate the feasibility of a hospitalwide programme to reduce the burden of HAIs and related sepsis of at least 20 %. ⋯ Our numbers reveal that a high number of HAIs are missed using CDC-definitions and therefore the magnitude of the problem might be underestimated. Furthermore, a high percentage of HAIs progress from localized infection to severe sepsis or septic shock, requiring ICU treatment.
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Travelers diarrhea affects millions of tourists each year. Most cases are caused by a variety of bacterial enteropathogens: toxigenic Escherichia coli, Campylobacter, Shigella, Salmonella, Aeromonas, Plesiomonas and non-cholera vibrios. ⋯ Chronic gastrointestinal disease in returning travelers often is caused by parasitic pathogens like Giardia lamblia. The impact of prevention of travelers diarrhea is limited, therefore travelers should be informed about early self-treatment.
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Since the last decade important advances in diagnostics, understanding and the ablation techniques of ventricular tachycardia (VT) have been made. Both, patients with idiopathic VT and patients with structural heart disease and scar-related VT undergo VT ablation, that targets the underlying substrate responsible for VT development. ⋯ Successful mapping and ablation of mono- and polymorphic VT and ventricular fibrillation is achieved at specialized centers and is associated with reduced hospitalizations and mortality in patients with recurrent ICD shocks. This article describes the mechanisms of VTs, current mapping and ablation techniques and the results and complications of VT ablation at experienced VT ablation centers.