A panel of national experts was convened by the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) to update the 2005 guidelines for the treatment of skin and soft tissue infections (SSTIs). The panel's recommendations were developed to be concordant with the recently published IDSA guidelines for the treatment of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infections. The focus of this guideline is the diagnosis and appropriate treatment of diverse SSTIs ranging from minor superficial infections to life-threatening infections such as necrotizing fasciitis. In addition, because of an increasing number of immunocompromised hosts worldwide, the guideline addresses the wide array of SSTIs that occur in this population. These guidelines emphasize the importance of clinical skills in promptly diagnosing SSTIs, identifying the pathogen, and administering effective treatments in a timely fashion.

Daptomycin pharmacokinetics were studied in adult volunteers who were moderately obese (body mass index [BMI] = 25-39.9 kg/m2) or morbidly obese (BMI > or =40 kg/m2) and a matched (gender, age, renal function) nonobese (BMI between 18.5 and 24.9 kg/m2) control group. All subjects received a dose of 4 mg/kg total body weight (TBW) by intravenous infusion (30 minutes). Daptomycin plasma half-life, the fraction of the dose excreted unchanged in urine, and daptomycin absolute renal clearance (mL/h) were unchanged as a function of obesity. The absolute volume of distribution (Vz and Vss) and plasma clearance (CL) for daptomycin were higher in obese subjects as compared to nonobese matched controls. The rate of change of Vz and CL with increasing BMI was greater when these pharmacokinetic parameters were expressed in absolute terms compared to when they were normalized for TBW or ideal body weight. This suggests that increases in body mass associated with obesity are proportionality higher than the corresponding increases in Vd and CL. Exposure to daptomycin in obese subjects (Cmax, AUC) was increased 25% and 30%, respectively, compared to nonobese matched controls, well within the range that was previously determined to be safe and well tolerated. Daptomycin may be dosed based on total body weight, and no adjustment in daptomycin dose or dose regimen should be required based solely on obesity.

Hypertension is a leading risk factor for the development of cardiovascular disease. In 2017, the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association published a new guideline for the prevention, detection, evaluation, and management of hypertension. The guideline adjusts the clinical parameters for diagnosis and management of hypertension. In this article we summarize the updates and provide some background on these changes as they relate to nursing practice implications, with specific implications for women's health.

The standard recommendation for treating chronic osteomyelitis is 6 weeks of parenteral antibiotic therapy. However, oral antibiotics are available that achieve adequate levels in bone, and there are now more published studies of oral than parenteral antibiotic therapy for patients with chronic osteomyelitis. Oral and parenteral therapies achieve similar cure rates; however, oral therapy avoids risks associated with intravenous catheters and is generally less expensive, making it a reasonable choice for osteomyelitis caused by susceptible organisms. Addition of adjunctive rifampin to other antibiotics may improve cure rates. The optimal duration of therapy for chronic osteomyelitis remains uncertain. There is no evidence that antibiotic therapy for >4-6 weeks improves outcomes compared with shorter regimens. In view of concerns about encouraging antibiotic resistance to unnecessarily prolonged treatment, defining the optimal route and duration of antibiotic therapy and the role of surgical debridement in treating chronic osteomyelitis are important, unmet needs.