Active clinical trials for "Bacteremia"

Background and rationale: Antimicrobial resistance is a global public health threat. An increasing number of Gram-negative bacteria isolates worldwide are resistant to virtually all antibiotics including carbapenems. Although polymyxins are the current gold standard antibiotic for treatment of severe extensively drug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria (XDR-GNB - defined in Appendix I) infections, resistance development on therapy and treatment failures are common. Combination antibiotics therapy have better in vitro efficacy, but have not been formally tested in a prospective trial. We will conduct a Phase IIB, prospective, open-label, randomized-controlled trial in 4 major Singaporean hospitals, with balanced treatment assignments achieved by permuted block randomization, stratified by hospital. There will be 75 subjects per arm, with the subjects in the comparator arm receiving standard-dose polymyxin B while the intervention arm will receive a second antibiotic, doripenem, with polymyxin B against the bacterial isolate in question. Subjects with ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) will additionally receive nebulized colistin. The primary outcome is 30-day mortality while secondary outcomes include microbiological clearance, time to defervescence, and toxicity of therapy, presence of secondary infections due to new multi-drug resistant bacteria and length of ICU stay. Plasma drug levels will be measured by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. Hypothesis: The underlying primary hypothesis is that combination antibiotic therapy (IV polymyxin B + IV doripenem) is superior to mono-antibiotics therapy (IV polymyxin B) in reducing 30-day mortality from XDR-GNB infections.

Bacteremia represents the presence of live germs in the blood stream. Patients with gum disease show damaged tissues and seem to be more susceptible to bacteremia. In fact, daily activities such as mastication can induce bacteremia in these patients. Dental procedures related to bleeding also induce bacteremia. However, there are many questions that should be clarified. Among them, clinical strategies that are able to reduce the levels of germs in blood should be determined. This desirable effect could be particularly important for some patients, for example, for those at higher risk for endocarditis. Therefore, this study tested if 0.12% chlorhexidine solution used as a single mouth rinse before dental instrumentation could reduce the levels of bacteria in the blood. In addition, the occurrence and magnitude of bacteremia in patients with gum disease were investigated by two different laboratorial techniques. After receiving verbal and written explanations and after signed the informed consent form, 80 systemically healthy volunteers diagnosed with gum disease having dental plaque and tartar were randomly allocated in one the following groups: a) mouth-rinse use and dental instrumentation and b) dental instrumentation with no mouth rinse. In a preliminary visit volunteers underwent a complete periodontal examination which included clinical measurements (inflammatory and debris accumulation indicators), microbial (tongue and dental plaque samples collected with paper points), saliva (to determine volume and biological indicators) and gingival crevicular fluid sampling (to monitor gingival inflammation profile). In the next visit, dental instrumentation was performed under local anesthesia, after the mouth rinse single use in the most diseased periodontal teeth/quadrant. Blood samples were collected before any dental procedure, 2 and 6 minutes after dental instrumentation. Oral hygiene instructions and periodontal treatment were performed in additional visits according to individual needs. Finally, the relation between bacteremia and several indicators of periodontal status was investigated.

Acute illness is the most common presentation of children attending ambulatory care settings. Serious infections (e.g. meningitis, sepsis, pyelonephritis, pneumonia) are rare, but their impact is quite large (increased morbidity, mortality, induced fear in parents and defensive behaviour in clinicians). Early recognition and adequate referral of serious infections are essential to avoid complications (e.g. hearing loss after bacterial meningitis) and their accompanied mortality. Secondly, we aim to reduce the number of investigations, referrals, treatments and hospitalisations in children who are diagnosed with a non-serious infection. Apart from the cost-effectiveness, this could lead to less traumatic experiences for the child and less fear induction for the concerned parent. Finally, we aim to support the clinicians to rationalise their antibiotic prescribing behaviour, resulting in a reduction of antibiotic resistance in the long run.

Currently in Canada, either 4% sodium citrate or heparin 1,000-10,000 U/ml solutions are "locked" into hemodialysis catheters between dialysis sessions to prevent thrombosis. The use of an ethanol/sodium citrate locking solution may have advantages over either of these agents alone. The investigators hypothesize that the 30 % ethanol/4% sodium citrate catheter locking solution is safe and effective in the prevention of catheter-related infections and thrombosis.

The major purposes of this prospective, randomized, clinical study are to: Determine and compare the true incidence, nature, magnitude, and duration (INMD) of bacteremia (bacteria found in the bloodstream) resulting from a highly invasive dental office procedure (tooth extraction) and a minimally invasive and naturally occurring source of bacteremia (tooth brushing); Measure the effect of the American Heart Association's guidelines for amoxicillin prophylaxis (preventive treatment) on the INMD of bacteremia resulting from a single tooth extraction.

The purpose of this study is to assess the safety and efficacy of ceftobiprole versus a comparator in hospitalized patients with bacteremia.

Patients in the intensive care unit are at risk for many infections because the severity of illness and the procedures necessary to care for them. This study is designed to look at a change in bathing procedure as a method to reduce infections. Currently, patients at John H. Stroger Hospital are cleansed with soap and water. However, preliminary data from a previous study at Rush University Medical Center showed that a chlorhexidine (CHG)-impregnated cloth (2% CHG Antiseptic Cloth system, Sage Products, Inc.) decreased skin bacteria and may lessen bacteria in the blood stream. The 2% CHG Antiseptic Cloth system is a non-irritating, no-rinse, cleansing and moisturizing product that contains 2% chlorhexidine gluconate. The goal of this proposed study is to further evaluate the effectiveness of the 2% CHG Antiseptic Cloth system compared with soap and water in cleansing the skin and preventing bacteria from entering the bloodstream.

The performance and clinical impact of two diagnostic systems will be evaluated using whole blood samples that are collected in parallel with samples for blood culture. As the rapid diagnostic systems will have the largest impact on severely ill patients (in need of a fast diagnosis) with bacterial infection, the evaluation will be performed in patients suspected of bacteraemia. During the study the new systems will be used in parallel with routine blood cultures. In alternating periods of 1 month, the results of the diagnostic system will be communicated to treating physicians (intervention) or not revealed (control). Blood culture results will be reported throughout the complete study period. Patients with suspected sepsis at the Emergency Department (ED), the department of infectious diseases/nephrology, and the department of haemodialysis will be included. In routine care, two blood culture sets (2x2 bottles) per patient are collected. One extra blood sample (EDTA tube, 9 ml of blood) will be sampled for each routine set of blood cultures. In addition, the clinical data of the patients will be collected. The samples will be sent to the clinical laboratory where samples are tested with the new systems during regular working hours in batches of 8 samples per run (2-3 runs per day). On average, 10%-20% of the blood cultures drawn on the presumption of bacteraemia yield bacterial pathogens. Previous data show that 13% of patients yield positive blood cultures. Thus, in order to collect blood samples of 100 new episodes of bacteraemia approximately 1000 patients (2000 blood cultures + 1000 EDTA tubes) have to be collected for each system (2000 patients in total). The results of the systems will be used to evaluate the clinical utility of the system regarding time to antibiotic treatment change and bacteraemia management. The system will be used directly for the diagnosis of patients, resulting in a possible change of treatment strategy. However, routine blood culture practices will still be done during the whole study period.

The purpose of this study is to assess the clinical impact of a rapid multiplex PCR blood culture identification panel on time to optimal antimicrobial therapy when compared to conventional microbiological culture methods in children hospitalized in a low resource setting in Guatemala City.

Previous research has shown that applying certain treatments can reduce both the number of infections and the presence of resistant bacteria in the intensive care (ICU) and its patients. These treatments have been used as standard care throughout the world for many years, but they have not been compared to each other yet. The investigators aim to evaluate the effect of 3 different treatments on the occurrence of resistant bacteria and bacterial infections in the ICU and to establish which treatment is the best. All adult patients undergoing mechanical ventilation are eligible for this study and will receive treatment according to the study scheme. Twice weekly, sputum and rectal samples will be obtained to measure the effects. All ICU-patients will receive standard treatment, consisting of daily body washing with an antiseptic (chlorhexidine 2%), oral care and a hand-hygiene program for health care workers as endorsed by the WHO. According to 4 different study periods, each participant will receive one of the following extra treatments depending on his or her admission date: Standard treatment only (this is the control group) Chlorhexidine 1% oral gel, this is an antiseptic. Antibiotic mouth paste containing 3 different antibiotics (selective oropharyngeal decontamination, SOD). Antibiotic mouth paste and suspension for the stomach and intestines containing 3 different antibiotics (selective digestive decontamination, SDD). All treatments will be given 4 times daily with the purpose of killing harmful bacteria in the mouth (CHX, SOD,SDD) and digestive tract (SDD). During the study the investigators will examine the effect of these treatments on: the occurrence of blood stream infections with certain bacteria cross-transmission of certain bacteria between patients presence of these bacteria in the respiratory tract of the patients patient survival Benefits: Previous research has shown that these interventions can reduce infections in intensive care patients. Risks: The interventions performed (both cultures and treatment) are considered safe and are already given as standard care in many ICUs throughout the world. There is a slight risk that bacteria become resistant to antibiotics: this will be monitored closely during the trial.