Infectious Diseases Society of America.

Staphylococcus aureus is a major human pathogen that causes a wide range of clinical infections. It is a leading cause of bacteremia and infective endocarditis as well as osteoarticular, skin and soft tissue, pleuropulmonary, and device-related infections. This review comprehensively covers the epidemiology, pathophysiology, clinical manifestations, and management of each of these clinical entities. The past 2 decades have witnessed two clear shifts in the epidemiology of S. aureus infections: first, a growing number of health care-associated infections, particularly seen in infective endocarditis and prosthetic device infections, and second, an epidemic of community-associated skin and soft tissue infections driven by strains with certain virulence factors and resistance to β-lactam antibiotics. In reviewing the literature to support management strategies for these clinical manifestations, we also highlight the paucity of high-quality evidence for many key clinical questions.

Staphylococcus aureus Infections: Epidemiology, Pathophysiology, Clinical Manifestations, and Management

The British Thoracic Society first published management guidelines for community acquired pneumonia in children in 2002 and covered available evidence to early 2000. These updated guidelines represent a review of new evidence since then and consensus clinical opinion where evidence was not found. This document incorporates material from the 2002 guidelines and supersedes the previous guideline document.

https://thorax.bmj.com/content/thoraxjnl/66/Suppl_2/ii1.full.pdf

British Thoracic Society guidelines for the management of community acquired pneumonia in children: update 2011

This report continues the longest running programme of Confidential Enquiries into maternal deaths worldwide, and shows a welcome decrease in the overall rate of maternal death across the United Kingdom. In addition, it includes, for the first time, Confidential Enquiries into maternal deaths occurring in Ireland. The importance of this report lies in going “beyond the numbers” and recognising the death of every woman during or after pregnancy as a tragedy from which it is incumbent upon us, as health professionals, service planners or policymakers to learn lessons to improve future care. We must recognise that each woman included in this report leaves behind a bereaved family on whom the impact of her death will be lifelong. We owe it to those left behind to learn from the death of their mother, partner, daughter or friend and to make changes for the future to prevent other women from dying. The focus of this report is therefore clearly to the future, on the actions, small and large, that we as a community or an individual can make to continue to improve the quality of maternity care across the UK and Ireland. As such, it is also enhanced by the inclusion, for the first time, of Confidential Enquiries into the care of women with severe complications in pregnancy, but who survived, thus broadening the messages to improve care yet further. As always, the focus is not in attributing blame, but on improving future mothers’ care. Maternal deaths from genital tract sepsis have fallen significantly, but as this report shows, infections from all causes are an important cause of maternal death. This report spans the period of the influenza A/H1N1 pandemic, which severely affected pregnant women in particular. Some women died before immunisation was introduced, but a number of unvaccinated women died after the vaccination programme began, and, more recently, some women died from non-pandemic type seasonal influenza. The compelling message for the future has to be the importance of continuing the programme of vaccination against influenza in pregnancy in the UK and Ireland, working to maximise uptake and hence to ensure we prevent future influenza-related maternal deaths. At the same time, and as highlighted across many areas of the health service, early identification of pregnant and postpartum women whose medical condition is deteriorating and rapid actions to diagnose and treat pregnant and postpartum women with suspected sepsis will save lives. The importance of routine measurements such as pulse, temperature, respiratory rate and blood pressure in any ill pregnant women cannot be over-emphasised. Pregnant women can appear relatively well and yet become seriously ill with sepsis very quickly. Midwives, doctors and other health professionals need to “think sepsis” and implement sepsis bundles, including giving antibiotics within an hour of the diagnosis being suspected. The consistent year on year decrease in direct maternal deaths is evidence of commitment to and success in improving the care of women with obstetric complications in pregnancy throughout the health service. However, we still need to plan for the care of women with known co-existing medical complications in pregnancy. The majority of women who die during or after pregnancy in the UK and Ireland die from indirect causes, that is, from an exacerbation of their pre-existing diseases. Commitment to improve care for these women is needed across all professional organisations and groups, working alongside researchers to provide the evidence to ensure that we can provide the best care for women pre-pregnancy, during and after pregnancy. Throughout the report, areas of guidance where care can be improved have been clearly highlighted; an obvious area in which specific guidance is lacking is for the care of women with epilepsy in pregnancy. As Chief Medical and Nursing Officers we are committed to ensuring the development of such guidance and hence optimal care for mothers with epilepsy. This report would not be possible without the dedication and commitment of health professionals throughout the UK and Ireland. In particular, we would like to thank the dedicated assessors who review each individual woman’s death in order to identify actions to improve care in the future. This work is carried out without remuneration and in the assessors own time, because of their commitment to continuous quality improvement. It behoves health service provider organisations including hospitals, health boards, executives and trusts to continue to recognise the importance of this work at both a national and local level and allow assessors dedicated time for it to continue. We therefore welcome the findings in the report that will ultimately help improve outcomes for mothers and their families across the UK and Ireland.

Saving Lives, Improving Mothers' Care: Lessons learned to inform future maternity care from the UK and Ireland Confidential Enquiries into Maternal Deaths and Morbidity 2009-2012

### Monitoring, precautions and complications

### Hypoxaemia

### Cardiac arrhythmias

### Bleeding complications

https://thorax.bmj.com/content/thoraxjnl/68/Suppl_1/i1.full.pdf

British Thoracic Society guideline for diagnostic flexible bronchoscopy in adults: accredited by NICE.

A summary of the initial management of patients admitted to hospital with suspected community acquired pneumonia (CAP) is presented in fig 8. Tables 4 and 5, respectively, summarise (1) the relevant microbiological investigations and (2) empirical antibiotic choices recommended in patients with CAP.



Figure 8 
Hospital management of community acquired pneumonia (CAP) in the first 4 h. CXR, chest x ray; DBP, diastolic blood pressure; SBP, systolic blood pressure.



View this table:

Table 4 
Recommendations for the microbiological investigation of community acquired pneumonia (CAP)



View this table:

Table 5 
Initial empirical treatment regimens for community acquired pneumonia (CAP) in adults



### Investigations ( Section 5 )

#### When should a chest radiograph be performed in the community?

1. It is not necessary to perform a chest radiograph in patients with suspected CAP unless:

2. 

#### When should a chest radiograph be performed in hospital?

1. All patients admitted to hospital with suspected CAP should have a chest radiograph performed as soon as possible to confirm or refute the diagnosis. [D] The objective of any service should be for the chest radiograph to be performed in time for antibiotics to be administered within 4 h of presentation to hospital should the diagnosis of CAP be confirmed.

#### When should the chest radiograph be repeated during recovery?

1. The chest radiograph need not be repeated prior to hospital discharge in those who have made a satisfactory clinical recovery from CAP. [D]

2. A chest radiograph should be arranged after about 6 weeks for all those patients who have persistence of symptoms or physical signs or who are at higher risk of underlying malignancy (especially smokers and those aged >50 years) whether or not they have been admitted to hospital. [D]

3. Further investigations which may include bronchoscopy should be considered in patients with persisting signs, symptoms …

https://thorax.bmj.com/content/thoraxjnl/64/Suppl_3/iii1.full.pdf

BTS guidelines for the management of community acquired pneumonia in adults: update 2009.

1. It is not necessary to perform a chest radiograph in patients with suspected CAP unless: – The diagnosis is in doubt and a chest radiograph will help in a differential diagnosis and management of the acute illness. [D] – Progress following treatment for suspected CAP is not satisfactory at review. [D] – The patient is considered at risk of underlying lung pathology such as lung cancer. [D]

/pdf/british-thoracic-society-guidelines-for-the-management-of-ldck1bdir5.pdf

M Wani

Papers

BTS guidelines for the management of community acquired pneumonia in adults: update 2009.

British Thoracic Society guidelines for the management of community acquired pneumonia in adults: update 2009