Infection

Aims and Missions

• Develop educational tools to improve the prescription of antibiotics in critically ill patients. The Section endorsed a practical version of the PACT module. Improve the link with infection groups of other European (e.g. ESCMID, ERS) and American societies (SCCM, CHEST, ATS) or other Sections (Nursing, Sepsis, Peri-operative intensive care) of the Society. This leadership is an opportunity to develop the mission of the group and to increase their visibility.
• Develop cooperative research activities between members of the Section.

• Develop actions to better manage and prevent ventilator-associated pneumonia, the major cause of nosocomial infection in the ICU.

   

   

The infection section has a working group on Pneumonia that was officially approved in November 2007 by the ESICM (see below) 

Chair and deputy 

Claude Martin - Marseille, France
George Dimopulos - Athens, Greece 

Membership 

There are currently 96 voting members and 693 registered members. Only the voting members of the Section may elect the chair and the deputy. Should you wish to be one of the members of this Section or wish to change your Section registration, Please go to My data. 

Activities 

A primary goal will be to develop actions to recognize the impact of inadequate antibiotic prescription on outcome in severe sepsis and specific infection sites. The number of abstracts related to the infection Section regularly increased over the last years. In 2008, for the Lisbon Congress, we received 141 abstracts, of which 84% were accepted.

 
Use and misuse of antibiotics is a priority of the Section. A thematic session in conjunction with the ESCMID will be held in Barcelona. We are interested in developing collaboration with other Societies, the pharmaceutical industry and other stakeholders for educational initiatives to improve the rate of adequacy of empirical antibiotic prescription. Pneumonia, either community-acquired or nosocomial (VAP) is the second priority. A thematic session on what is new in pneumonia is organized in each congress. Competency-based sessions on management of diagnosis, empiric therapy and de-escalation are stimulated. We follow the rule that pneumonia is a global challenge with local responses. An European approach to the management of pneumonia is visualized as part of the leadership of our Society. A PACT module on Severe infection is now available.

Some research activities are ongoing or completed. We had a European survey on oral care for intubated patients and preliminary data were presented in Barcelona (2006). The 'EU-VAP project', an epidemiologic study involving 3-5 sites per country which was launched in October 2005 is completed. A second research project, EU-VAP 2 will be designed. An electronic CRF will facilitate management of data and enrolment of more centers. Jordi Rello will offer funds from his university to help this research project. The funds will support a fellow to participate in the project (any member < 40 years, from the section, can contact Jordi Rello. Another ongoing project is Euro-short : a short antibiotic treatment for nosocomial-acquired bacteremia, contact Jean-François Timsit.

A project to build a network on 'Antimicrobial prescription in the critically ill patient' is also ongoing. Anyone interested in helping with the work of the Section or getting involved in the research interests of the Section can either contact me directly or through the Brussels office.

Another priority of the section is to participate in a project to validate usefulness of a care bundle for the management of HAP. Jean Chastre and Jordi Rello are in connection with the ESCMID to select the variables to set European bundles.

 
 We encourage you to participate in the Section activities and will be delighted to welcome you in Lisbon.  

Meetings agenda and minutes 

The next meeting of this Section will take place as follow:

Room BM2

Lisboa Congress Centre (CCL)

Monday 22 September 2008

14.30-16.30