Characteristics and outcome of patients developing endocarditis following hematopoietic stem cell transplantation

Infective endocarditis in paediatric population

Infective endocarditis is very uncommon in children; however, when it does arise, it can lead to severe consequences. The biggest risk factor for paediatric infective endocarditis today is underlying congenital heart defects. The most common causative organisms are Staphylococcus aureus and the viridans group of streptococci. The spectrum of symptoms varies widely in children and this produces difficulty in the diagnosis of infective endocarditis. Infective endocarditis in children is reliant on the modified Duke criteria. The use of blood cultures remains the most effective microbiological test for pathogen identification. However, in blood culture-negative infective endocarditis, serology testing and IgG titres are more effective for diagnosis. Imaging techniques used include echocardiograms, computed tomography and positron emission tomography. Biomarkers utilised in diagnosis are C-reactive protein, with recent literature reviewing the use of interleukin-15 and C-C motif chemokine ligand for reliable risk prediction. The American Heart Association (AHA) and European Society of Cardiology (ESC) guidelines have been compared to describe the differences in the approach to infective endocarditis in children. Medical intervention involves the use of antimicrobial treatment and surgical interventions include the repair and replacement of cardiac valves. Quality of life is highly likely to improve from surgical intervention.Conclusion: Over the past decades, there have been great advancements in clinical practice to improve outcomes in patients with infective endocarditis. Nonetheless, further work is required to better investigative and manage such high risk cohort. What is Known: • The current diagnostic techniques including 'Duke's criteria' for paediatric infective endocarditis diagnosis • The current management guidelines utilised for paediatric infective endocarditis What is New: • The long-term outcomes of patients that underwent medical and surgical intervention • The quality of life of paediatric patients that underwent medical and surgical intervention.

Allogeneic stem cell transplantation in a blast-phase chronic myeloid leukemia patient with carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae tricuspid valve endocarditis: A case report

In chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), the occurrence of blastic transformation is rare. Treatment outcome is generally poor. Allogeneic stem cell transplantation (allo-SCT) is the only potentially curative treatment option for advanced-phase CML. Infections caused by carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (CRKP) isolates are associated with high morbidity and mortality rates, particularly in patients with haematological malignancies. Infection and colonization by these multiresistant bacteria may represent a challenge in SCT recipients for the management of post-transplantation complications, as well as for the eligibility to receive a transplant in patients who acquire the pathogen prior to the procedure. We herein report the case of a blast-phase CML patient with a highly resistant, CRKP-associated tricuspid valve endocarditis, who was treated with a combination of systemic antimicrobial therapy and surgical valve repair, and subsequently underwent a successful allo-SCT.

Infections in Leukemia and Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation

Infections are one of the most common complications in patients diagnosed with leukemia and serve as a major obstacle to treatment. Through the early 1970s, infections were the most common cause of death in patients diagnosed with acute leukemia, but improvement in treatment and supportive care over the past few decades, coupled with expanded prophylaxis and prevention regimens, have led to reduction in both the frequency and severity of infections. Regardless, due in part to an aging cancer population and the diversity of cancer treatments and procedures, infectious diseases remain a major cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with leukemia.

Clinical and microbiologic features of multivalvular endocarditis

Multivalvular endocarditis accounts for 15% of all endocarditis. The mechanisms of spread of the infection differs whether endocarditis is only left-sided (involving both the mitral and aortic valves) or bilateral. In left-sided bivalvular endocarditis, it is often a secondary mitral lesion following a primary aortic endocarditis. Multivalvular endocarditis often results in severe and extensive cardiac lesions, well described at echocardiography and frequently responsible for severe heart failure. Patients often need surgery, which consists of radical debridement of all the infected tissue with reconstruction using different types of prostheses; therefore, the surgery may be very complex. The goal should be an early diagnosis of endocarditis to avoid spread of the infection to more than one valve, to improve the prognosis for those patients.

[Intensive care support of patients after stem cell transplantation]

Within the hematologic therapy procedures, stem cell transplantation (SCT) represents the most extensive and invasive intervention. Those patients have certain risks for several bacterial, viral, as well as fungal infections during the different stages of transplantation. Especially in allogenic transplantation, discrimination of non-infectious, mostly immunologic complications like graft-versus-host reactions or VOD (veno-occlusive disease) is crucial, and often represents a therapeutic challenge. An adequate intensive care therapy of these patients can only be achieved with the knowledge of the specific complications of SCT. This review starts with an overview of the SCT stages with their corresponding infectious and noninfectious complications, followed by the discussion of organ specific pulmonary, renal, cardiac, gastrointestinal, hepatic and neurological complications of stem cell transplantation.

Critical care considerations of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation

OBJECTIVE

To review the available clinical data on the critical care complications of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT).

DATA SOURCE

The MEDLINE database and references from the identified articles related to the critical care in HSCT.

CONCLUSION

HSCT is an important treatment for a variety of malignant and nonmalignant conditions. The procedure is, however, limited by significant complications that may involve every organ of the body. Up to 40% of HSCT recipients are admitted to the intensive care unit as a result of severe complications related to the transplantation. The outcome of those critically ill patients has been traditionally poor. However, recent advances in the transplantation procedure, diagnostic studies, antimicrobial prophylaxis and therapy, and intensive care unit care have improved the outcome of these patients. The increasing number of HSCTs performed annually, the unique complications that develop in these patients, and the improvement in the intensive care unit outcome make knowledge about the critical care aspect of HSCT an essential part of the current practice of critical care medicine.