Internal medicine journal
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Internal medicine journal · Nov 2021
Consensus guidelines for antifungal stewardship, surveillance and infection prevention, 2021.
Invasive fungal diseases (IFD) are serious infections associated with high mortality, particularly in immunocompromised patients. The prescribing of antifungal agents to prevent and treat IFD is associated with substantial economic burden on the health system, high rates of adverse drug reactions, significant drug-drug interactions and the emergence of antifungal resistance. As the population at risk of IFD continues to grow due to the increased burden of cancer and related factors, the need for hospitals to employ antifungal stewardship (AFS) programmes and measures to monitor and prevent infection has become increasingly important. ⋯ Specific recommendations are provided for quality processes for the prevention of IFD in the setting of outbreaks, during hospital building works, and in the context of Candida auris infection. Recommendations are detailed for the implementation of IFD surveillance to enhance detection of outbreaks, evaluate infection prevention and prophylaxis interventions and to allow benchmarking between hospitals. Areas in which information is still lacking and further research is required are also highlighted.
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Internal medicine journal · Nov 2021
Oromandibular parafunction in chronic graft-versus-host disease: novel association and treatment approach.
Chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD) complicating allogeneic haemopoietic stem cell transplantation rarely involves the nervous system; oromandibular parafunction has not been previously reported. We describe five patients with cGVHD, presenting with bruxism, limitation of mouth opening, jaw locking, pain and masseter hypertrophy. Pathophysiological mechanisms are discussed. Targeted botulinum toxin injections were an effective treatment with minimal side-effects.
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Internal medicine journal · Nov 2021
Consensus guidelines for optimising antifungal drug delivery and monitoring to avoid toxicity and improve outcomes in patients with haematological malignancy and haemopoietic stem cell transplant recipients, 2021.
Antifungal agents can have complex dosing and the potential for drug interaction, both of which can lead to subtherapeutic antifungal drug concentrations and poorer clinical outcomes for patients with haematological malignancy and haemopoietic stem cell transplant recipients. Antifungal agents can also be associated with significant toxicities when drug concentrations are too high. ⋯ These guidelines provide recommendations on antifungal drug monitoring and TDM-guided dosing adjustment for selected antifungal agents, and include suggested resources for identifying and analysing antifungal drug interactions. Recommended competencies for optimal interpretation of antifungal TDM and dose recommendations are also provided.
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Internal medicine journal · Nov 2021
'Anxiety is still ongoing!' Evaluation of the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on anxiety severity of physicians working in the internal medicine department after 1 year: a collaborative cross-sectional study.
The COVID-19 pandemic has increased anxiety in society and particularly in healthcare workers, as shown with a questionnaire in our centre at the beginning of the pandemic. In this collaborative study, we aimed to evaluate the effects of the pandemic on anxiety 1 year later by applying the same questionnaire to the physicians working in the same department. ⋯ As in the first survey, female gender, having family members over 65 years of age, and having family members with chronic diseases were significantly associated with high anxiety scores and levels. There were no statistically significant differences between the first and second survey participants in any of the anxiety scales, which means anxiety persists.
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Internal medicine journal · Nov 2021
Avoidable healthcare costs of spinning-induced rhabdomyolysis: a case series.
Spinning-induced rhabdomyolysis (SIR) is a well documented cause of exertional rhabdomyolysis. We aim to raise awareness and to call for preventive action towards avoidable healthcare costs associated with SIR. To this end, we describe three cases of SIR, associated healthcare costs and possible preventive strategies. We propose that community-based preventive measures should be considered in addressing the economic consequences of SIR.