Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

Federico Pallavicini

Publications and source records attributed to Federico Pallavicini.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

Nosocomial bloodstream infections among human immunodeficiency virus-infected patients: incidence and risk factors.

To assess the incidence of nosocomial bloodstream infections (NBSIs) in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients, and to analyze the main associated risk factors, we performed a 1-year multicenter prospective study of patients with advanced HIV infection who were consecutively admitted to 17 Italian infectious diseases wards. As of May 1999, a total of 65 NBSIs (4.7%) occurred in 1379 admissions, for an incidence of 2.45 NBSIs per 1000 patient-days. Twenty-nine NBSIs were catheter-related bloodstream infections, with a rate of 9.6 central venous catheter-associated infections per 1000 device-days. Multivariate analysis indicated that variables independently associated with NBSIs included active injection drug use, a Karnofsky Performance Status score of <40, presence of a central venous catheter, and length of hospital stay. Mortality rates were 24.6% and 7.2% among patients with and without NBSIs, respectively (P<.00001). In the era of highly active antiretroviral therapy, NBSIs continue to occur frequently and remain severe and life-threatening manifestations.

AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections↗

A "progressive" visual loss.

An unusual cause of acute-onset and progressively worsening visual loss is presented. A 60-year-old woman was referred for left homonymous hemianopsia to our Emergency Medicine Department because of a suspected vascular accident. Ten years earlier she had been diagnosed as having chronic lymphocytic leukemia. Brain computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging revealed "bilateral foci of white matter abnormalities in the occipital regions, compatible with a diagnosis of progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy". Her cerebrospinal fluid was positive for papovavirus JC. Progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy due to papovavirus JC, a typical complication in AIDS patients, is a rare complication in patients with other immunosuppressive conditions, such as chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗