Monica K Sikka's research while affiliated with Oregon Health and Science University and other places

... 8 In practice, many inpatient-based health care professionals recommend that people with IDU-associated infections remain hospitalized for prolonged periods because of the concern that they will inject drugs into indwelling central venous catheters, thereby risking another infection or death. 9 While prolonged hospitalizations might be justified to prevent selfharm, they may also infringe on patient autonomy. Patient autonomy is one of the central principles of medical ethics; 10 however, patients are often not given the ability to choose among medically feasible options which align with their values. ...

... Bhagat et al. performed a retrospective review of BJI patients treated with IV therapy who would meet eligibility criteria for oral therapy using the OVIVA guidance at a single institution. 5 Exclusions comprised: Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia, endocarditis, other current infection, septic shock, or illness without optimal oral therapy options (as per OVIVA protocol). Using microbiologic data, potential oral therapy candidates were identified via record review. ...

... As such, a total of 12 studies with 52 cases of Corynebacterium PJI were included. Among these, there were 31 total knee arthroplasties (TKAs), 16 total hip arthroplasties (THAs), 4 elbow prosthesis and one shoulder prosthesis (Table 1) [15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26]. Cases were reported from North America, Europe and Asia between 1994 and 2022. ...

... Suboptimal management of these conditions may increase the likelihood of antibacterial regimen nonadherence and decrease patients' chances at successful outcomes. Multiple interventions have been studied in this population, including OPAT use in patients with adequate housing and support systems [40], as well as utilization of multidisciplinary collaboration with addiction consult services, case management, and patient preference to develop unique solutions [41]. Prescribing buprenorphine or other medications for SUD in addition to antibacterial therapy also improved outcomes [42,43], including 1 month mortality in patients with infective endocarditis [42]. ...

... However, RT-PCR requires trained personnel, sophisticated and expensive equipment for sample processing, and has limitations such as long testing time. In addition, because RT-PCR can detect minute amounts of viruses, even viruses that have lost transmissibility after healing may be detected (4). In addition to RT-PCR, antigen test and loop mediated isothermal amplification(LAMP)can be used to diagnose COVID-19. ...

... Infections can range from localised skin and soft-tissue infections such as cellulitis, to systemic invasive infections such as bloodstream infections, infective endocarditis (IE), bone and joint infections and epidural abscesses. [1][2][3][4] Worldwide, hospitalisations for infections related to injecting drug use are increasing. 1 2 5-11 In the USA, there was an 18-fold increase in hospitalisations for 'bacteraemia/sepsis' among PWIDs in Oregon between 2008 and 2018 12 while the ...

... The opioid crisis has fueled an epidemic of overdose deaths and related infectious diseases 1 . The number of persons seeking emergency care and hospitalization related to opioid use disorder and related conditions has steadily increased 2 .Invasive infections related to Opioid and related substance use disorder (OUD/SUD) including staphylococcal bacteremia, endocarditis, and osteoarticular infections often require prolonged hospitalization and parenteral antimicrobial therapy 3,4 System barriers, including exclusion from traditional home Outpatient Parenteral antimicrobial therapy (OPAT) programs, unavailability of alternate settings for infusion and patient factors 5 including active substance use, psychiatric comorbidities, adverse social determinants of health, and homelessness make OPAT in this population challenging. Stigma and conflict with care teams can also result in high rates of non-adherence to therapy including self-directed discharge, and incomplete treatment. ...

... The urgent need for insurance payers such as Medicare to reimburse home infusions due to the pandemic has been recently called upon by medical practitioners. 13,14 When ITCs and skilled facility use cannot be avoided, cloistering of SARS-CoV-2 positive patients within these facilities may provide useful in decreasing transmission risks. Additionally, minimizing infusion times to decrease time spent in these settings can be employed, if supported by pharmacodynamics. ...

... 10 MAC-PD is increasingly recognized among US veterans. 11,12 The Jesse Brown Veterans Affairs Medical Center (JBVAMC) in south/west Chicago serves a large, predominantly Black male population of veterans many of whom are socioeconomically underresourced, and half are aged ≥ 65 years. We observed that initiation of guideline-directed therapy in veterans with MAC-PD at JBVAMC varied among health care professionals (HCPs) in the pulmonary clinic. ...

... Because S. maltophilia most commonly infects the respiratory tract, which is known to have an acidic pH (5.6 to 6.7), especially during infection, it is vital to understand the expected activity of antimicrobial treatment options in this environment (28). This is particularly true when the environment in which in vitro susceptibility (29,30). The primary findings from the current work are 2-fold. ...