[Epidemiology and long-term outcome of sepsis in elderly patients]. / Epidemiología y pronóstico tardío de la sepsis en ancianos.

OBJECTIVES: A study was made of the epidemiological data of sepsis requiring admission to the ICU in patients over 65 years of age, with an evaluation of independent predictors of survival at 2 years. DESIGN: A prospective cohort study was made. PATIENTS: Patients meeting criteria for sepsis upon admission to the ICU. SETTING: A 40-bed ICU in a tertiary hospital. RESULTS: The study group included 237 elderly patients (≥ 65 years of age) and 281 controls (<65 years of age) (n=518). At least one chronic comorbid condition was present in 70% of the elderly patients as compared to only 56.1% of patients under age 65 (P<.01). There were several epidemiological differences between the groups: the prevalence of chronic diseases (diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and chronic heart failure), presentation as septic shock (52.3% vs 42%; P<.05), and the abdomen as the source of sepsis (52% vs 36%; P<.01) were all more frequent in elderly patients. Nine percent of the global patients discharged from hospital died in the 2-year follow-up period, but this rate reached 20% among the elderly. Independent predictors of 2-year mortality in the elderly were: chronic heart failure (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR] 2.24, 95% confidence interval [CI 95%] 1.28-3.94; P<.01), acute renal failure (aHR 3.64, 95%CI 2.10-6.23; P<.01), acute respiratory failure (aHR 3.67, 95%CI 2.31-5.86; P<.01), and inappropriate empirical antimicrobial therapy (aHR 2.19, 95%CI 1.32-3.62; P<.01). CONCLUSIONS: Sepsis showed different demographic characteristics and clinical presentations in the elderly. In the aging cohort, after adjusting for potential confounders, inadequate empirical antimicrobial therapy was associated to a 2-fold decrease in survival at two years.

Role Of Intravenous Iron Over Nonsurgical Transfusions In Major Burns.

Anemia is a frequent condition in burn patients due to a mixture of blood loss and chronic inflammation. Transfusions increase the probability of serious infections and reduce overall survival, especially when unrelated to perioperative blood loss. Once the surgical phase in burn patients is completed, the role of parenteral iron administration in the reduction of subsequent transfusions is not well established. Burn patients subjected to at least two surgeries and presenting progressive anemia after concluding the surgical phase, without major symptoms, were selected (n=12). Those patients with confirmed iron deficiency were treated with intravenous (i.v.) ferric carboxymaltose (n=8). Subsequently, these patients were compared with a group of 18 control patients selected from our historical database (n=1375), matching controls by age (±5 years), sex, and TBSA burn (±6%). The objective was to verify if i.v. iron administration reduced the need for blood transfusions after the surgical phase. The analysis concluded that none of the cases treated required transfusions compared to 44% of the controls. There were no side effects related to the i.v. iron infusion. This result suggests that i.v. iron supplementation with ferric carboxymaltose could be an alternative in anemic patients without major symptoms once the surgical phase is completed. Iron deficiency should be assessed and i.v. supplementation must be administered if required in burn patients showing progressive anemia.

L'anémie, à la fois par pertes sanguines et inflammation, est fréquente chez les brûlés. Les transfusions, en particulier lorsque l'anémie n'est pas liée à la chirurgie, sont corrélées à la survenue d'infections sévères et à la mortalité. Une fois la phase chirurgicale terminée, le rôle de la thérapie martiale intraveineuse sur l'épargne transfusionnelle est mal connu. Nous avons évalué 12 patients brûlés, ayant été opérés au moins 2 fois et ne devant plus l'être, qui développaient une anémie progressive bien tolérée. Les 8 patients ayant une carence martiale ont reçu du carboxymaltose ferrique intraveineux. Ils ont été comparés avec 18 patients témoins, sélectionnés dans notre base de données de 1 375 dossiers, appariés sur l'âge +/- 5 ans, le sexe et la surface brûlée +/- 6%, l'objectif étant de vérifier si le traitement permettait effectivement de réduire les transfusions. Effectivement, aucun des patients traités n'a été transfusé, contre 44% des témoins. Aucun effet secondaire n'a été observé après administration de fer. Ceci suggère que des patients brûlés, chirurgie terminée, anémiques pauci- symptomatiques par carence martiale devraient recevoir un traitement martial IV.