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Biomedical subjects

Y Siegman-Igra

Publications and source records attributed to Y Siegman-Igra.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Oral ciprofloxacin treatment of Pseudomonas aeruginosa osteomyelitis.

Twenty-two adult patients with osteomyelitis due to Pseudomonas aeruginosa were enrolled in an open, prospective cooperative study to determine the efficacy of oral ciprofloxacin therapy in a dosage of 750 mg twice a day. Twenty patients received a complete course of treatment and could be assessed for efficacy. There were 12 men and 8 women, with a mean age of 55 years. Six patients had undergone previous, unsuccessful attempts at therapy. Eight patients had clinically important underlying conditions. The most common sites of infection were the sternum (six patients), hip (four patients), vertebrae (four patients), and tibia (two patients). Initial surgical debridement was performed in 18 of the 20 assessable patients. The mean duration of treatment was 2.85 months (range, 1 to 4 months), and that of the follow-up was 27 months (range, 6 to 52 months). Cure was achieved in 19 of the 20 (95%) patients. The only significant adverse effect (which prompted discontinuation of therapy) was severe nausea in one case. Oral ciprofloxacin coupled with adequate debridement is an effective, convenient, and safe therapy in patients with acute and subacute P. aeruginosa osteomyelitis.

Adolescent

Serious infectious complications of midsternotomy: a review of bacteriology and antimicrobial therapy.

49 patients with severe infectious complications of midsternotomy incision were treated at our referral center over a 3-year period. 43 species of microorganisms were identified in 38 patients, the most common being Pseudomonas aeruginosa (37%) and Staphylococcus aureus (30%). Most of the patients underwent aggressive debridement and chest wall reconstruction by muscle transposition in combination with antimicrobial therapy. Antimicrobial therapy was given perioperatively according to the in vitro susceptibility of the organisms. Treatment was continued beyond this period for 2-3 weeks in patients with extensive deep seated infection or in those with positive cultures from intraoperative specimens. Some patients needed a longer course of up to 6-8 weeks antimicrobial therapy because of insufficient response to the shorter course. In all, 45/49 patients had complete wound healing. 28 recovered within 2-5 weeks and 16 required a more protracted course with additional surgery in 8; 1 wound did not heal after 20 months and 4 patients died from non-infectious complications. Due to the lack of specific guidelines in the literature as to the proper choice and length of administration of antimicrobial therapy for midsternotomy wound infection, and in view of these favorable results, we recommend our protocol in the treatment of midsternotomy wound infection (in combination with appropriate surgery).

Anti-Bacterial Agents

Septicemia from biliary tract infection.

One hundred four strains of microorganisms were isolated from the blood in 76 episodes of septicemia originating from biliary tract infection. The 70 patients involved included 40 with acute cholecystitis without previous surgery, 17 with cholangitis following previous surgery, and 13 patients with malignant disease, with or without previous surgery. The most common organisms were Escherichia coli, Klebsiella, Streptococcus, and Proteus. Various streptococci, most of them from group D, were involved in 21% of the episodes. Twenty-five patients underwent surgery following the bacteremia. In ten of 12 operations performed shortly after the septicemia, bile culture yielded the same organism(s) as in the blood. The types of organisms in blood, and especially the important role of streptococci, must be taken into consideration when choosing antibiotics for therapy for and prevention of biliary septicemia.

Aged

Polymicrobial bacteremia.

Of 585 bacteremic episodes studied prospectively at Rokach Hospital during a 4-year period (1980-1983), 70 (12%) episodes observed in 67 patients were due to multiple species. A total of 170 strains of microorganisms were involved, 2-5 per bacteremic episode: 130 (76%) were aerobic Gram-negative bacilli, 36 (21%) were Gram-positive cocci (most of them streptococci) and 4 isolates (2%) were Candida. The most common sources of infection were the urinary tract (31 episodes), intra-abdominal foci (22 episodes, half of them from biliary tract), and skin or soft tissue infection (14 episodes). At least one organism was also recovered from a local focus of infection in more than 50% of cases. Many patients had severe underlying diseases in addition to old age. People with biliary infection had, however, a relatively lower frequency of underlying disease. Fifty-six percent of the episodes were hospital-acquired, primarily those related to urinary infection with indwelling catheters, intra-abdominal abscess and infected burns. Twenty-eight patients (42%) died as a result of the bacteremia. Polymicrobial bacteremia was found to be quite common in the population studied, and the urinary tract was the most important portal of entry, especially in the older patients.

Aged

Septic complications following endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography: the experience in Tel Aviv Medical Center.

At the Tel-Aviv Medical Center, five of 720 (0.69%) patients undergoing endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) subsequently developed septicaemia. One of these patients (0.14%) died as a direct result and three other septicaemic patients died from other complications. The most important risk factor associated with infectious complications was obstructive jaundice. Retrospective analysis of our data revealed that no cases of septicaemia developed in patients given prophylactic antibiotics, whereas 4.3% of patients who received no prophylactics developed infectious complications. Prophylactic antibiotics are therefore recommended for patients undergoing ERCP who have biliary obstruction.

Adult

AIDS in Israel, 1987.

Between mid-1982 and 1 January 1988, 35 cases of AIDS among permanent residents of Israel were reported to the Israel Ministry of Health. In contrast to the experience in the United States and Europe, the semiannual incidence rates of AIDS are low and have increased slowly over the past 6 years (0.6 to 1.1 cases/million). Risk factors for AIDS were identified in 34 patients: homosexuality in 18, hemophilia in 14 and blood transfusions in 2. Seventeen of the 18 homosexuals were most likely infected abroad, and all hemophilia patients had received imported commercial clotting factors. The two patients associated with blood transfusion received blood donated in Israel. The spectrum of clinical presentations and opportunistic pathogens is similar to that reported in the Western world, except for one case of disseminated Mycobacterium simiae infection. Sexual relations abroad of local homosexuals and receipt of imported clotting factors by Israeli hemophiliacs are currently the most important risk factors for AIDS in Israel. However, the prevalence of HIV infection among Israeli homosexuals is still low and is probably indicative of the more conservative life-style, the later introduction of the virus, and the earlier application of safe sex, in comparison with other Western countries. Furthermore, since spread of the virus seems to be increasing among Israeli i.v. drug abusers, attention should be focused on this group as well, so as to prevent a major outbreak of AIDS in Israel.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome

Shigella bacteremia in adults. A report of five cases and review of the literature.

Shigella bacteremia is rare, occurring mainly in children. We describe five adult patients with Shigella bacteremia and review data on 22 cases reported in the English-language medical literature. Eighteen (67%) of 27 patients had either an underlying condition or were aged older than 65 years. Most patients had clinical signs of acute febrile gastroenteritis. However, in six patients, the organism was not isolated from stool. Species isolated from blood included Shigella flexneri in 11 patients, Shigella sonnei in eight, and Shigella boydii and Shigella dysenteriae in one patient each. Isolation of the bacterium from blood only was associated with a high mortality rate, in contrast to its isolation both from blood and stool. It is suggested that blood cultures should be obtained from elderly or immunocompromised patients with acute febrile gastroenteritis to detect shigellemia as well as bacteremia caused by other enteric pathogens, such as Salmonella or Campylobacter.

Adult

Ecthyma gangrenosum without bacteremia. Report of six cases and review of the literature.

We encountered six patients with ecthyma gangrenosum due to Pseudomonas aeruginosa who, uncharacteristically, had no evidence of bacteremia prior to the institution of antibiotic therapy. Seven similar cases have previously been reported in the English-language medical literature. These 13 patients resembled those with classic ecthyma gangrenosum accompanied by Pseudomonas septicemia in being immunocompromised and neutropenic and having skin lesions at similar sites. The most striking difference between these two groups of patients was a significantly lower mortality rate for the nonbacteremic patients. These findings suggest that ecthyma gangrenosum can occur as a primary skin lesion in the absence of bacteremia. Patients with this particular subtype of infection appear to have a better prognosis than those having a preceding bacteremia.

Aged

Control of a Serratia marcescens outbreak in a maternity hospital.

During the period between October 1984 and January 1985, an outbreak of Serratia marcescens took place in the Serlin Maternity Hospital in Tel-Aviv. Four major and six minor infections were noted in newborn and preterm infants. An additional group of 24 neonates were asymptomatic carriers of S. marcescens. Extensive control measures were undertaken, including closing the SCBU to further admissions and the opening of a new SCBU. Other measures included maintaining babies in cohort groups, strict handwashing, and use of gloves and gowns. There was also intensified encouragement of breast feeding and thorough cleansing and disinfection of the SCBU and nurseries. After 3 months, the outbreak was controlled. No identified source for the outbreak was detected. We feel that the extensive measures employed were responsible for controlling the outbreak within a relatively short time.

Bacteriological Techniques

Bacteremic infections in granulopenic patients in Israel.

Forty-four bacteremic, granulopenic patients hospitalized during a 4-year period (between 1980 and 1983) in the Tel Aviv Medical Center are reviewed. Fifty-four organisms were recovered from the 44 patients, including 17 strains in 8 patients (18%) in mixed infections. Eighty-three percent of the organisms were gram-negative and 17% gram-positive. The most common organism was Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Seventy percent of the infections were hospital acquired, and the most common focus of infection was the urinary tract. The most resistant strains of microorganisms grew in hospital-acquired infections and in people who were already receiving antimicrobials. These findings differ somewhat from previously published data.

Adolescent

Tuberculosis in a general hospital: high incidence of extrapulmonary disease.

Twenty six patients with tuberculosis were admitted between 1979 and 1982 to the Tel Aviv Medical Center. Most were immigrants from Eastern Europe. In contrast to previous studies, patients were relatively young (mean age 57 years) and lacked predisposing medical illness. Eighteen (69%) had extrapulmonary infections, half of which involved the genitourinary tract. Two instances of miliary tuberculosis were diagnosed at autopsy.

Adult

Visceral leishmaniasis presenting as fever of unknown origin.

A 41-year-old male presented with a prolonged febrile disease with marked splenomegaly. Bone marrow and liver biopsy smears and cultures for Leishmania were repeatedly negative and there was no hyperglobulinemia. Leishmania parasites were ultimately demonstrated only in the spleen at laparotomy, performed because of severe pancytopenia. The epidemiology of leishmaniasis in Israel is reviewed.

Adult