Vosol

The VPT Safety Trial (VPS) compares two common antibiotic combinations to see how they affect the kidneys of patients in the hospital with serious infections. Both combinations are approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The goal is to help doctors know which combination is safer so they can make better choices for their patients.

End stage liver disease or cirrhosis is a major cause of mortality in the United States and the world. Other than targeting the underlying cause, such as alcohol cessation and antiviral therapy, very few medical treatments can change the natural history of cirrhosis. Malnutrition is one of the few potentially modifiable factors that have been associated with cirrhosis severity and poor prognosis. The transition metal copper (Cu) is an essential trace metal that must be acquired from diet. Its metabolism is primarily regulated by the liver in its role as a master regulator of nutrients. In 2019, the investigators reported that Cu deficiency defined by below normal serum or liver concentrations occurred in a wide range of liver disorders and was associated with a severe disease phenotype. Improvement in liver function was observed in 2 of the 3 patients who received Cu supplementation. In 2023, the investigators conducted a longitudinal cohort study utilizing clinical, serum and liver explant tissue data from 183 cirrhosis patients. The investigators showed that Cu deficiency was associated with 2-fold higher infection rate and a more than 3-fold increase in the risk of death compared to patients with normal Cu status. These preliminary findings and the well-established importance of Cu in human health prompted the investigators to design the current pilot randomized, placebo-controlled, crossover trial to determine the effect of Cu supplementation on Cu dependent biochemical changes, patient safety and patient reported outcomes in cirrhosis.

The goal of this study is to compare two different ways of dosing cefepime, an antibiotic for very sick patients - the usual approach to dosing or a new dosing method. The new dosing method uses only doses that are available in normal care, but choosing between the different doses is based on more information about the patient's body including their kidney function. The primary purpose of this study is to test how easy it is for healthcare professionals to use the new dosing method and how best to conduct the trial. The study will also assess if the new dosing method helps patients recover faster and reduces side effects.

This clinical trial is designed to evaluate if adding the Karius Spectrum™ plasma test to usual care diagnostic tests, compared to usual care testing alone, among immunocompromised participants presenting with suspected infection in the outpatient setting leads to faster infection diagnosis and treatment. Participants will give a blood sample one time to be used for the testing. Information about the participant's illness and any treatments within 30 days following enrollment will be recorded.

Surgical site infections (SSIs) are associated with increased patient morbidity, mortality, and healthcare costs. ESKAPE (Enterococcus, S. aureus, Klebsiella, Acinetobacter, Pseudomonas, and Enterobacter spp.) pathogens are particularly pathogenic because they have increased capacity to acquire resistance and virulence traits. The investigators have proven that a multifaceted program involving improved basic perioperative preventive measures can generate substantial reductions in S. aureus transmission and significant reductions in SSIs (88% reduction as compared to usual care). In this study, the investigators aim to examine the relative effectiveness of each component of this program in controlling ESKAPE transmission and reducing SSIs and to identify an optimal implementation strategy for national dissemination. Randomization occurs at the site level, and sites adopt preventative programs. This work will improve perioperative patient safety for the 51 million patients who undergo surgery each year.

This study will evaluate the effect of an iodine impregnated barrier dressing on device pocket swab culture positivity. Minimizing contamination during the implant procedure can be one of the potential improvements to prevent CIED infections. Patients requiring a lead change, battery change or device upgrade will be eligible. This is a randomized, blinded study where participants will be randomized to having the barrier dressing applied before any incision is made (experimental group) or applying the dressing just prior to collecting the culture swab (control group). Patients and the staff taking the culture swab at the end of the procedure are blinded as to which group the participant is randomized to.

The purpose of this study is to compare infection rates when patients, elected for primary or aseptic revision THA / TKA, have a single intravenous antibiotic dose versus one single intravenous antibiotic dose in combination with intra-articular antibiotics. This is a prospective, randomized clinical survey on selected outcome measurements on 1834 subjects who will be recruited in a period of about 2 years.

The investigators propose a home hospital model of care that substitutes for treatment in an acute care hospital. Limited studies of the home hospital model have demonstrated that a sizeable proportion of acute care can be delivered in the home with equal quality and safety, reduced cost, and improved patient experience.