scholarly journals An Overview of the Treatment Options Used for the Management of COVID-19 in Pakistan: Retrospective Observational Study (Preprint)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hashaam Akhtar ◽  
Samar Akhtar ◽  
Fazal-Ul Rahman ◽  
Maham Afridi ◽  
Sundas Khalid ◽  
...  

BACKGROUND Since the first reports of COVID-19 infection, the foremost requirement has been to identify a treatment regimen that not only fights the causative agent but also controls the associated complications of the infection. Due to the time-consuming process of drug discovery, physicians have used readily available drugs and therapies for treatment of infections to minimize the death toll. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study is to provide a snapshot analysis of the major drugs used in a cohort of 1562 Pakistani patients during the period from May to July 2020, when the first wave of COVID-19 peaked in Pakistan. METHODS A retrospective observational study was performed to provide an overview of the major drugs used in a cohort of 1562 patients with COVID-19 admitted to the four major tertiary-care hospitals in the Rawalpindi-Islamabad region of Pakistan during the peak of the first wave of COVID-19 in the country (May-July 2020). RESULTS Antibiotics were the most common choice out of all the therapies employed, and they were used as first line of treatment for COVID-19. Azithromycin was the most prescribed drug for treatment. No monthly trend was observed in the choice of antibiotics, and these drugs appeared to be a random but favored choice throughout the months of the study. It was also noted that even antibiotics used for multidrug resistant infections were prescribed irrespective of the severity or progression of the infection. The results of the analysis are alarming, as this approach may lead to antibiotic resistance and complications in immunocompromised patients with COVID-19. A total of 1562 patients (1064 male, 68.1%, and 498 female, 31.9%) with a mean age of 47.35 years (SD 17.03) were included in the study. The highest frequency of patient hospitalizations occurred in June (846/1562, 54.2%). CONCLUSIONS Guidelines for a targeted treatment regime are needed to control related complications and to limit the misuse of antibiotics in the management of COVID-19.

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S179-S180
Author(s):  
Thana Khawcharoenporn ◽  
Pimjira Kanoktipakorn

Abstract Background Data existing on effectiveness of antibiotic prophylaxis (AP) for transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) are limited in the era of antibiotic resistance. Methods A 4-year prospective observational cohort study was conducted among patients undergoing TURP in an academic tertiary-care hospital during 2016–2019. Patients were excluded if pre-operative (pre-op) urine cultures were not sent or grew mixed (>2) organisms, or they had pre-op urinary tract infection (UTI) or lost follow-up after TURP. Appropriateness of AP was defined as 1) correct dosing and duration and narrowest spectrum according to the hospital AP guidelines and local epidemiology and 2) being active against uropathogens isolated from the pre-op culture. Primary outcome was the rate of UTI within 30 days post TURP compared between appropriate antibiotic prophylaxis (AAP) and inappropriate antibiotic prophylaxis (IAP) groups. Results 342 patients were screened and 61 were excluded. Of the 281 patients included, 139 (49%) received AAP and 142 (51%) received IAP. The reasons for IAP were prescribing too broad-spectrum antibiotics (57%), inactive antibiotics (41%) and incorrect dosing (2%). Pre-op urine cultures were no growth in 148 patients (53%). Among the 133 positive urine cultures with 144 isolates, Escherichia coli (52%) was the most commonly isolated. Thirty-one percent of these 144 isolates produced extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) and 23 (16%) isolates were multidrug-resistant. The resistant rates of Enterobacteriaceae were 73% for ciprofloxacin, 65% for TMP-SMX and 46% for ceftriaxone. The two most commonly prescribed prophylactic antibiotics were ceftriaxone (51%) and ciprofloxacin (34%). The rate of UTI within 30 days post-TURP was significantly higher in IAP group compared to AAP group (47% vs 27%; P< 0.001). Prescribing inactive prophylactic antibiotics was the independent factor associated with 30-day post-TURP UTI (adjusted odds ratio 2.88; P=0.001). Conclusion Appropriate antibiotic prophylaxis significantly reduced UTI within 30 days of elective TURP. Obtaining pre-op urine culture and prescribing an active prophylactic agent are critical for preventing post-TURP UTI in the era of antibiotic resistance. Disclosures All Authors: No reported disclosures


mSphere ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 1 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Valerie J. Price ◽  
Wenwen Huo ◽  
Ardalan Sharifi ◽  
Kelli L. Palmer

ABSTRACT Enterococcus faecalis is a bacterium that normally inhabits the gastrointestinal tracts of humans and other animals. Although these bacteria are members of our native gut flora, they can cause life-threatening infections in hospitalized patients. Antibiotic resistance genes appear to be readily shared among high-risk E. faecalis strains, and multidrug resistance in these bacteria limits treatment options for infections. Here, we find that CRISPR-Cas and restriction-modification systems, which function as adaptive and innate immune systems in bacteria, significantly impact the spread of antibiotic resistance genes in E. faecalis populations. The loss of these systems in high-risk E. faecalis suggests that they are immunocompromised, a tradeoff that allows them to readily acquire new genes and adapt to new antibiotics. Enterococcus faecalis is an opportunistic pathogen and a leading cause of nosocomial infections. Conjugative pheromone-responsive plasmids are narrow-host-range mobile genetic elements (MGEs) that are rapid disseminators of antibiotic resistance in the faecalis species. Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat (CRISPR)-Cas and restriction-modification confer acquired and innate immunity, respectively, against MGE acquisition in bacteria. Most multidrug-resistant E. faecalis isolates lack CRISPR-Cas and possess an orphan locus lacking cas genes, CRISPR2, that is of unknown function. Little is known about restriction-modification defense in E. faecalis. Here, we explore the hypothesis that multidrug-resistant E. faecalis strains are immunocompromised. We assessed MGE acquisition by E. faecalis T11, a strain closely related to the multidrug-resistant hospital isolate V583 but which lacks the ~620 kb of horizontally acquired genome content that characterizes V583. T11 possesses the E. faecalis CRISPR3-cas locus and a predicted restriction-modification system, neither of which occurs in V583. We demonstrate that CRISPR-Cas and restriction-modification together confer a 4-log reduction in acquisition of the pheromone-responsive plasmid pAM714 in biofilm matings. Additionally, we show that the orphan CRISPR2 locus is functional for genome defense against another pheromone-responsive plasmid, pCF10, only in the presence of cas9 derived from the E. faecalis CRISPR1-cas locus, which most multidrug-resistant E. faecalis isolates lack. Overall, our work demonstrated that the loss of only two loci led to a dramatic reduction in genome defense against a clinically relevant MGE, highlighting the critical importance of the E. faecalis accessory genome in modulating horizontal gene transfer. Our results rationalize the development of antimicrobial strategies that capitalize upon the immunocompromised status of multidrug-resistant E. faecalis. IMPORTANCE Enterococcus faecalis is a bacterium that normally inhabits the gastrointestinal tracts of humans and other animals. Although these bacteria are members of our native gut flora, they can cause life-threatening infections in hospitalized patients. Antibiotic resistance genes appear to be readily shared among high-risk E. faecalis strains, and multidrug resistance in these bacteria limits treatment options for infections. Here, we find that CRISPR-Cas and restriction-modification systems, which function as adaptive and innate immune systems in bacteria, significantly impact the spread of antibiotic resistance genes in E. faecalis populations. The loss of these systems in high-risk E. faecalis suggests that they are immunocompromised, a tradeoff that allows them to readily acquire new genes and adapt to new antibiotics.


Author(s):  
Bhuvaneshwari Gunasekar

Objective: The multiple antibiotic resistance (MAR) indexing and finding Multidrug resistant (MDR) bacteria will help to indicate the origin from high risk of contamination where the antibiotics are often used. Hence this study was carried out to give the MAR index of non-fermenting Gram negative bacilli in a tertiary care hospital which would help our infection control team also.Methods: Drug resistance was tested by Kirby bauer’s disc diffusion method. MAR index was calculated using the formula, a/b (were a= number of antibiotics to which the organism was resistant and b= total number of antibiotics to which the organism was tested).Results: Out of 240 Gram negative non-fermenters isolated, 117 (49%) strains were greater than 0.2 of MAR index, 95(81%) was from in-patient department. 73(62%) were hospitalized for more than 3 days, 44 (38%) was from surgery department. 49(42%) was wound specimen. Out of 117 multiple antibiotic resistant isolates 99 (85%) were MDR isolates.Conclusion: 51% prevalence of isolates >0.2 MAR index shows that the source of contamination can still be brought up down by proper surveillance and management with proper usage of  surface and skin disinfectants especially in surgery ward where the MAR index has indicated more usage of antibiotics


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Monika Kaushal ◽  
Yamuna Tulasi ◽  
Ayush Kaushal ◽  
Aditya Rakhecha ◽  
Rafiq Memon ◽  
...  

Abstract ObjectivesTo assess newborn care practices, clinical characters and risks of mother to child transmission during rooming in and breastfeeding in infants born to mothers with COVID-19.DesignRetrospective observational study.Participants5 Tertiary care centers located in the UAE. Infants born to mothers diagnosed with COVID-19 at the time of delivery, born between April 1st and October 30th 2020.MethodsIn this retrospective observational study, we analyzed the newborn care practices in various tertiary care hospitals and the rate of transmission of SARS-CoV-2 from mother to infant (vertical or horizontal) while rooming in, breastfeeding and post discharge. Results40 infants were born to mothers with COVID-19 at the time of delivery. One infant tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 after birth and had respiratory symptoms and fever. 23 of the well infants were roomed in during their hospital stay and were breastfed. In 8 cases, the mother and baby were separated and isolated from the time of birth till discharge. 95% of the discharged infants were rooming in with mothers, 45% of the infants were exclusively breastfed and 55% were on mixed feeding (breast milk and formula milk) at the follow-up. None of the infants developed significant health issues or symptoms attributable to SARS-CoV-2.ConclusionThe risk of mother to infant transmission of COVID-19 in the perinatal period is very low. Our study reaffirms the AAP guidelines that rooming in and breastfeeding of newborns born to COVID-19 positive mothers is safe without an increased risk of transmission by following mandated safety precautions.


2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
Kevin John John ◽  
Karthik Gunasekaran ◽  
John Davis Prasad ◽  
Divya Mathew ◽  
Sohini Das ◽  
...  

We conducted a retrospective observational study to describe the clinical profile and outcomes of patients admitted with a diagnosis of dengue fever in a tertiary hospital in South India. A total of 159 patients admitted from April 2014 to October 2018 were included in the study. Vomiting (70.4%), myalgia (60.4%), headache (42.1%), abdominal pain (38.4%), bleeding (38%), and rash (37.1%) were the most common symptoms at presentation. The mean duration of hospital stay was 4.9 days (SD ± 2.4), and the median cost was INR 19,708 ($285) (IQR INR 12,968–32,056 ($188–$305)). Major bleeding was associated with elevated SGOT and SGPT, severe dengue, and secondary dengue. Mortality was associated with elderly age; elevated total leukocyte count, serum bilirubin, serum creatinine, SGOT, and SGPT; and high SOFA score. In view of these observations, we recommend stratifying patients according to the WHO classification of dengue and avoiding the use of thrombocytopenia as a single marker of the severity of the illness.


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