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The use of left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) is increasingly more common as the availability of donor organs in relation to failing hearts is outstandingly limited. Infections are the most common complications in LVAD recipients, particularly those caused by Staphylococcus spp. Refractory LVAD-related infections are not uncommon as achieving adequate source control is often not feasible before heart transplantation. Evidence suggest that cefazolin plus ertapenem is effective in refractory methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA) bacteremia, but this approach has not been described in LVAD recipients. In this article, we report two cases of refractory MSSA bacteremia in LVAD recipients that were successfully treated with salvage therapy with cefazolin plus ertapenem and subsequent heart transplantation. This treatment strategy should be considered in patients with refractory LVAD-associated infection due to MSSA that are not responding to standard treatment.

Background Remdesivir is efficacious for severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in adults, but data in pregnant women are limited. We describe outcomes in the first 86 pregnant women with severe COVID-19 who were treated with remdesivir. Methods The reported data span 21 March to 16 June 2020 for hospitalized pregnant women with polymerase chain reaction–confirmed severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection and room air oxygen saturation ≤94% whose clinicians requested remdesivir through the compassionate use program. The intended remdesivir treatment course was 10 days (200 mg on day 1, followed by 100 mg for days 2–10, given intravenously). Results Nineteen of 86 women delivered before their first dose and were reclassified as immediate “postpartum” (median postpartum day 1 [range, 0–3]). At baseline, 40% of pregnant women (median gestational age, 28 weeks) required invasive ventilation, in contrast to 95% of postpartum women (median gestational age at delivery 30 weeks). By day 28 of follow-up, the level of oxygen requirement decreased in 96% and 89% of pregnant and postpartum women, respectively. Among pregnant women, 93% of those on mechanical ventilation were extubated, 93% recovered, and 90% were discharged. Among postpartum women, 89% were extubated, 89% recovered, and 84% were discharged. Remdesivir was well tolerated, with a low incidence of serious adverse events (AEs) (16%). Most AEs were related to pregnancy and underlying disease; most laboratory abnormalities were grade 1 or 2. There was 1 maternal death attributed to underlying disease and no neonatal deaths. Conclusions Among 86 pregnant and postpartum women with severe COVID-19 who received compassionate-use remdesivir, recovery rates were high, with a low rate of serious AEs., Among 86 pregnant and postpartum women with severe coronavirus disease 2019 who received compassionate-use remdesivir, recovery rates from serious infection were high with a low rate of serious adverse events.

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bacteremia continues to cause significant morbidity and mortality despite advances in medical therapy. Vancomycin therapy remains the standard of care for most cases of MRSA bacteremia but has pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic limitations, dosing complications, and known toxicity. Welcomed clinical trials have recently addressed some of the controversies that plague this field, including optimization of vancomycin dosing and use of combination therapy. In this review, we discuss these trials and their implications for clinical care and future research.

Reactivation of Chagas disease has been described in immunosuppressed patients, but there is a paucity of literature describing reactivation in patients on immunosuppressive therapies for the treatment of autoimmune rheumatic diseases. We describe a case of Chagas disease reactivation in a woman taking azathioprine and prednisone for limited cutaneous systemic sclerosis (lcSSc). Reactivation manifested as indurated and erythematous cutaneous nodules. Sequencing of a skin biopsy specimen confirmed the diagnosis of Chagas disease. She was treated with benznidazole with clinical improvement in the cutaneous lesions. However, her clinical course was complicated and included disseminated CMV disease and subsequent septic shock due to bacteremia. Our case and review of the literature highlight that screening for Chagas disease should be strongly considered for patients who will undergo immunosuppression for treatment of autoimmune disease if epidemiologically indicated.

Summary Background Whether nodular lesions have specific risk-factors or influence outcomes in lung transplant recipients with invasive aspergillosis, is not fully known. Methods The study population consisted of 64 consecutive lung transplant recipients with proven or probable invasive aspergillosis. Nodules, with or without halo/air crescent-sign were considered nodular presentations. Outcomes assessed were response rate (successful versus unsuccessful outcome) and all-cause mortality at 12 weeks. Results Overall, 34 patients had nodular and 30 had non-nodular lesions. Presence of nodular lesions was less likely to be associated with renal failure at baseline (adjusted OR 0.21, 95% CI, 0.04–0.97, p = 0.047), CMV infection (adjusted OR 0.18, 95% CI 0.04–0.75, p = 0.019) and receipt of antifungal prophylaxis (adjusted OR 0.22, 95% CI, 0.06–0.88, p = 0.032). Successful outcome and mortality rates in the study patients were 64.0% (41/64) and 25.0% (16/64), respectively. Nodular aspergillosis was associated with significantly higher successful outcome (adjusted OR 3.35, 95% CI, 1.06–10.54, p = 0.039) and lower mortality at 12 weeks (adjusted OR 0.20, 0.05–0.78, p = 0.021). Conclusions Lung transplant recipients with nodular lesions due to invasive aspergillosis had better outcomes than those without such lesions.

In current practice, human immunodeficiency virus-infected (HIV(+) ) candidates with CD4 >200 cells/mm(3) are eligible for kidney transplantation; however, the optimal pretransplant CD4 count above this threshold remains to be defined. We evaluated clinical outcomes in patients with baseline CD4 >350 and

Background Incidence, characteristics, and risk-factors for invasive aspergillosis (IA)-associated immune reconstitution syndrome (IRS) in lung transplant recipients are not known. Methods Patients comprised 68 lung transplant recipients with proven/probable IA followed for 12 months. IRS was defined based on previously proposed criteria. Results In all, 7.3% (5/68) of the patients developed IRS based on aforementioned criteria, a median of 56 days after initiation of antifungal therapy. This entity was associated with heart–lung transplantation (p = 0.006), anti T-cell agent use (p = 0.003), discontinuation of calcineurin inhibitor agent (p = 0.002), and disseminated IA (p = 0.069). In a risk assessment model, IRS developed in 0% (0/55) of the patients with none of the aforementioned factors, 28.6% (2/7) with one, 33.3% (1/3) with two, and in 1/1 patient with 3 factors (X2 for trend p = 0.0001). Three out of 5 patients with IRS died and 2 of 3 deaths in this group were due to chronic rejection. Conclusions Overall 7% of the lung transplant recipients with IA appear to develop an IRS-like entity. Clinically assessable factors can identify patients at risk for post-transplant IA-associated IRS. Deaths due to chronic rejection were significantly higher in patients with IRS than those without IRS.