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Antimicrobial Drug Interactions

By Tiffany Ward

October 9th, 2018

Dr. Ward reviews basic concepts about antimicrobial drug interactions. She begins by discussing the basic classification scheme, and then moves on to discuss several commonly recognized adverse drug interactions, as well as some that are commonly forgotten. She also reviews the topic of QT drug prolongation, the interaction between daptomycin and statins, as well as the most relevant azole interactions. She reviews serotonergic interactions, especially with linezolid. Lastly, she reviews the interaction between valproic acid and carbapenems. And the best reference sources for reviewing adverse drug interactions with antimicrobials are also discussed.

Viral Hemorrhagic Fevers

By Awais Chugtai, MD

August 30th, 2018

Dr. Chugtai reviews the family of Viral Hemorrhagic Fevers. He starts out by discussing transmission factors and major common symptoms for the class of disorders. He then covers the Bunyaviridae, including Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome and Rift Valley Fever. Dr. Chugtai then mentions the hemorrhagic fevers, including Ebola and Marburg viruses. Other hemorrhagic fevers dicussed includes Nipah virus disease and Hendra virus disease. Lastly, he discusses the flaviviruses, including Tick-borne encephalitis (TBE).

Infections of Intravascular Catheters

By Richard L. Oehler, MD

August 17th, 2018

In this updated talk, Dr. Oehler discusses the assessment and management of infections of central catheters. Dr. Oehler begins his talk by covering the epidemiology of central line infections, including the most common organisms involved, and covers the different types of intravascular devices. He then discusses the mechanisms by which central line associated bloodstream infections (CLABSI’s) occur, differentiating hematogenous, hub-related, entry site, and infusate-related etiologies. He also covers infection risk factors, the diagnostic workup, and under what circumstances device removal is necessary. Infection management in the context of specific pathogens is also addressed. Furthermore, Dr. Oehler discusses the concept of antibiotic lock therapy and how it can be an adjunctive management strategy. Lastly, Dr. Oehler differentiates between insertion site and exit site infections where they relate to tunneled catheters and offers a summary of the 5 most effective approaches to reducing CLABSIs in the hospital setting.

Infections in Pregnancy

By Natan Kraitman, MD

August 3rd, 2018

Dr. Kraitman reviews the management and treatment of infections occurring in the pregnant female. He initially reviews medication pregnancy risk categories, and then through interactive case review, goes over several examples where antimicrobial agents are used that are contraindicated in pregnancy. He reviews interactions relevant to HIV/AIDS, AIDS associated opportunistic infections, Tuberculosis, Malaria, CMV, Syphilis, and Listeria. He closes by providing information on useful reference resources for managing infections in pregnancy.

The Host with the Most

By Garo Akoghlanian, MD

July 9th, 2018

The relationship between genetics and infectious diseases is explored. Dr. Akoghlanian also discusses the immune system’s innate and adaptive components, and presents pathogen-host interactions at different levels of the immune system. Lastly, the major types of iatrogenic, acquired, and genetic immune deficiencies are presented, including IgA deficiency, Common variable immhunodeficiency, terminal complement deficiency, MPO deficiency, Chediak-Higashi syndrome, CGD, and others.

Fever in the Burn Patient

By Seetha Lakshmi, MD

June 1st, 2018

Dr. Lakshmi discusses the infectious evaluation of burn patients. She relates the common sources of fever, the principles of burn management, and both common and uncommon infections in the burn victim. Lastly, she mentions other infectious conditions not directly related to the burn exposure that must also be considered.

Inflammatory Markers as A Decision Support Tool in Infectious Diseases

By Anteneh Addisu, MD

May 23rd, 2018

Dr. Addisu looks at inflammation, and how it can be used as a marker of certain physiologic processes such as infection. He then differentiates the different types of acute phase reactants that are well-described markers of inflammation. He focuses upon the two most widely used markers, the erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and the C-reactive protein, and compares and contrasts the two. Next, he discusses the procalcitinin and the white blood cell (WBC) count. He closes by contrasting the activity of different inflammatory markers (IM’s) in infectious syndromes such as sepsis and endocarditis, and briefly touches upon several novel assays which show promise as IM’s of the future.

Zoonoses and Globalization

By Mindy Sampson, DO

May 7th, 2018

In the midst of the 2019-2020 Coronavirus pandemic, the concept of “zoonotic” infections–and how previously unknown diseases can transfer from the animal kingdom to humans–is facing more attention than ever.  In this spirit, we present this encore lecture originally presented by Dr. Mindy Sampson in 2018. Dr. Sampson looks at the underlying features of a zoonotic disease. She then discusses how increasing globalization has interwoven with zoonoses to produce widespread outbreaks of Yellow fever, SARS, Nipah Virus, and Ebola virus disease. Among the most notable of the Zoonotic diseases of the last several decades is HIV, and she presents a fascinating review of how this retrovirus originated from primates and then spread around the world in only a relatively short period of time.  She also recounts the 1918 Spanish Influenza pandemic and the factors that led it to spread around the world in just a few months.

Social Stewardship

By Jaela Fredenrich, PharmD

April 30th, 2018

Drawing inspiration from sessions she attended at IDWeek 2017, Dr. Fredenrich discusses the sociological aspects of antimicrobial stewardship, including the strategies that can be employed to change the prescribing habits of frontline clinicians. She discusses the social determinants of antibiotic prescribing, such as clinician-clinician relationships, patient expectations, fear of adverse consequences, and other pressures. Dr. Fredenrich also discusses everyday barriers, such as trust-building and knowledge sharing that can improve the overall success of an antibiotic stewardship program.

Fundamental Concepts of Study Design

By Ambuj Kumar, MD

April 17th, 2018

Dr. Kumar relates some of the basic concepts behind medical study design, enabling the listener to utilize simple tools to be able to review the medical literature with a critical eye. He also addresses the question, “What constitutes BEST evidence?” Dr. Kumar also reviews basic statistical concepts, including prevalence/pre-test probability, sensitivity and specificity, negative and positive predictive value, likelihood ratios, and post-test probability. The talk is a very easily understandable and relatable discussion of evidence-based medicine.