Tag: pneumonia
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The gastropulmonary route of infection: fact or fiction?
In the 1990s – when I started my PhD – this was a relevant and intensely debated question. Now, almost 35 years later, we finally have the answer.
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Nebulized amikacin and VAP prevention (part 2): the art of circular reasoning
Three months ago, a French investigator-initiated, multicenter, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study reported that nebulized amikacin reduced the occurrence of VAP. Positive cultures of endotracheal aspirates were part of (the few) diagnostic criteria for VAP. My response was that “the possibility of artificial sterilization of microbiological cultures through nebulized amikacin is…
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Hypervirulent Klebsiella: the next pandemic?
Last week, ECDC issued a risk assessment on the emergence of hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae ST23 carrying carbapenemase genes in Europe, concluding that “there is a possibility of potentially untreatable infections in previously healthy adults”.
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Macrolides for community-acquired pneumonia: to add or not to add?
Should patients hospitalized with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) be treated with macrolides added to a beta-lactam antibiotic? This is a long-lasting discussion.
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Nebulized amikacin: preventing positive cultures or VAP?
An impressive French study evaluating the effects of nebulized amikacin on the occurrence of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) brought back old memories and a reminder that science moves slowly.