Skip to main content

Advertisement

Log in

Inpatient infectious disease consultations requested by surgeons at a comprehensive cancer center

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Supportive Care in Cancer Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose

The aim of this study was to describe the value of infectious disease specialist consultations for surgeons at comprehensive cancer centers.

Methods

A total of 151 cancer surgery inpatients were retrospectively assessed during a 12-month period. We focused on the characteristics of the infectious disease consultations from surgical departments: the referring surgical divisions, the referral phases, and the reasons for the infectious disease consultations.

Results

Three-quarters of all consultation requests were made after the day of surgery. Approximately, 60 % of these requests were made within 30 days after surgery for cancer. The reasons for the infectious disease consultations could be classified into three categories: diagnosis and management (54 %), management of established infections (44 %), and surgical antimicrobial prophylaxis (3 %). The most requested reason for consultations was the diagnosis and management of fever or elevated inflammatory markers of unknown etiology. Among the management of established infections, the antimicrobial management of surgical site infections was most frequently requested.

Conclusions

Many surgeons would prefer infectious disease specialists to assume a more direct role in the care of difficult or perplexing cases (such as fevers of unknown origin) while also maintaining a traditional relationship in which the consultant recommends antimicrobial agents during a perioperative period. Particularly at cancer centers where oncology specialists account for a significant proportion of the providers, the knowledge and skill of infectious disease physicians are valued.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Granwehr BP, Kontoyiannis DP (2013) The impact of infectious diseases consultation on oncology practice. Curr Opin Oncol 25:353–359. doi:10.1097/CCO.0b013e3283622c32

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  2. Pongas G, Hamilos G, Rolston KV, Kontoyiannis DP (2012) Formal adult infectious disease specialist consultations in the outpatient setting at a comprehensive cancer center (1998–2008): diverse and impactful. Support Care Cancer 20:261–265. doi:10.1007/s00520-010-1065-9

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Yinnon AM (2001) Whither infectious diseases consultations? Analysis of 14,005 consultations from a 5-year period. Clin Infect Dis 33:1661–1667. doi:10.1086/323760

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Sipahi OR, Tasbakan M, Pullukcu H, Arda B, Yamazhan T, Mizrakci S, Senol S, Atalay S, Koseli D, Arsu G, Calik S, Sipahi H, Buke C, Ulusoy S (2007) Accuracy of consultations performed by infectious diseases trainees and factors associated with adherence to them. Int J Infect Dis 11:518–523. doi:10.1016/j.ijid.2007.02.003

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Pavese P, Sellier E, Laborde L, Gennai S, Stahl JP, Francois P (2011) Requesting physicians’ experiences regarding infectious disease consultations. BMC Infect Dis 11:62. doi:10.1186/1471-2334-11-62

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Sellier E, Pavese P, Gennai S, Stahl JP, Labarere J, Francois P (2010) Factors and outcomes associated with physicians’ adherence to recommendations of infectious disease consultations for inpatients. J Antimicrob Chemother 65:156–162. doi:10.1093/jac/dkp406

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Gennai S, Francois P, Sellier E, Vittoz JP, Hincky-Vitrat V, Pavese P (2011) Prospective study of telephone calls to a hotline for infectious disease consultation: analysis of 7,863 solicited consultations over a 1-year period. Eur J Clin Microbiol Infect Dis 30:509–514. doi:10.1007/s10096-010-1111-z

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Grupper M, Potasman I (2008) Formal adult infectious disease outpatient consultations: a retrospective 6-year survey. Infection 36:543–548. doi:10.1007/s15010-008-7397-4

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Rush TJ (2001) The role of the infectious disease specialist in pancreatic surgery. Surg Clin N Am 81:647–650. doi:10.1016/S0039-6109(05)70150-X

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Arbo MJ, Fine MJ, Hanusa BH, Sefcik T, Kapoor WN (1993) Fever of nosocomial origin: etiology, risk factors, and outcomes. Am J Med 95:505–512. doi:10.1016/0002-9343(93)90333-K

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Borer A, Gilad J, Meydan N, Schlaeffer P, Riesenberg K, Schlaeffer F (2004) Impact of regular attendance by infectious disease specialists on the management of hospitalised adults with community-acquired febrile syndromes. Clin Microbiol Infect 10:911–916. doi:10.1111/j.1469-0691.2004.00964.x

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Weinstein RA (1998) Nosocomial infection update. Emerg Infect Dis 4:416–420. doi:10.3201/eid0403.980320

    Article  PubMed Central  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Salerno SM, Hurst FP, Halvorson S, Mercado DL (2007) Principles of effective consultation: an update for the 21st-century consultant. Arch Intern Med 167:271–275. doi:10.1001/archinte.167.3.271

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  14. Petrak RM, Sexton DJ, Butera ML, Tenenbaum MJ, MacGregor MC, Schmidt ME, Joseph WP, Kemmerly SA, Dougherty MJ, Bakken JS, Curfman MF, Martinelli LP, Gainer RB (2003) The value of an infectious diseases specialist. Clin Infect Dis 36:1013–1017. doi:10.1086/374245

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Conflict of interest

None

Disclosures

None

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ichiro Kawamura.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Kawamura, I., Kurai, H. Inpatient infectious disease consultations requested by surgeons at a comprehensive cancer center. Support Care Cancer 23, 3011–3014 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-015-2669-x

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-015-2669-x

Keywords

Navigation