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Abstract Long-term respirator users admitted to intensive care units need to be transferred to a respiratory care center (RCC) for weaning. It may cause malnutrition in critical care patients, which may manifest as a reduction in respiratory muscle mass, lower ventilatory capacity, and decreased respiratory tolerance. This study aimed to assess that if the patients’ nutritional status were improved, it could help RCC patients to wean from respirators. All participants were recruited from the RCC of a medical foundation in the city and Taipei Tzu Chi Hospital. The indicators include serum albumin level, respirator detachment index, maximum inspiratory pressure (PImax), rapid shallow breathing index, and body composition measurements. We recorded the length of hospital stay, mortality, and RCW (respiratory care ward) referral rate for these participants and analyzed the differences in relevant research indicators between those who were and weren’t weaned off. 43 of 62 patients were weaned from respirators, while 19 failed. The resuscitation rate was 54.8%. Patients with respirator weaning had a lower number of RCC admission days (23.1 ± 11.1 days) than respirator-dependent patients (35.6 ± 7.8 days, P

Background: It is unknown whether there are differences between bacteremia caused by carbapenem resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (CRAB) and carbapenem resistant Acinetobacter nosocomialis (CRAN). This study aims to investigate the differences, especially in clinical outcomes, between patients with bacteremia caused by CRAB or CRAN. Methods: This is a 9-year retrospective study comparing the clinical manifestations, antimicrobial susceptibilities, and clinical outcomes of 71 patients with CRAB bacteremia and 64 patients with CRAN bacteremia. Results: Patients with CRAB were more likely to have hematologic malignancies and presented with more shock episodes than those with CRAN. CRAB isolates were more resistant to various classes of antimicrobials except colistin, and therefore the patients with CRAB bacteremia were more likely to receive inappropriate antimicrobial therapies. The 14-day mortality was significantly higher in patients with CRAB (40.8% vs. 14.1%; p = 0.001), and in this study, acquisition of CRAB was identified as an independent risk factor for mortality (odds ratio = 4.003; 95% confidence interval = 1.566-10.231; p = 0.004). Conclusions: CRAB and CRAN bacteremia are different in clinical characteristics, antimicrobial susceptibilities, and mortality rates. Genomic species identification should be performed in the study of carbapenem resistant Acinetobacters to better delineate the role of different species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Supplementation with select nutrients facilitate wound healing, thereby supporting the association between nutrition and wound healing. In recent years, studies have assessed the relationship of amino acid supplements and basic nutrition with wound healing. The present study is a case report on about a 35-year-old woman whose wound measured 0.7 × 1 cm2 after laparoscopic surgery but did not heal for more than 5 weeks after surgery and drainage tube removal. Nutritional care comprising the required calories and a high-protein diet was initiated. The average actual daily calorie intake was 1,556 kcal (88% of the required amount), and the average daily protein intake was 91 g (126% of the required amount). After 11 days on a diet containing mixed amino acids (arginine, glutamine, and beta-hydroxy-beta-methylbutyrate), the wound size reduced from 0.7 × 1 cm2 to 0.3 × 0.5 cm2. The case findings suggest that the provision of sufficient calories and protein nutrition, supplemented with mixed amino acids containing arginine, glutamine, and beta-hydroxy-beta-methylbutyrate can contribute to the healing of chronic wounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]