The prediction of functional decline in older hospitalised patients.

BACKGROUND: thirty to sixty per cent of older patients experience functional decline after hospitalisation, associated with an increase in dependence, readmission, nursing home placement and mortality. First step in prevention is the identification of patients at risk. OBJECTIVE: to develop and validate a prediction model to assess the risk of functional decline in older hospitalised patients. DESIGN: development study: cohort study (n = 492). Validation study: secondary data analysis of a cohort study (n = 484) in an independent population. Both with follow-up after 3 months. Functional decline was defined as a decline of at least one point on the Katz ADL index at follow-up compared with pre-admission status. SETTING: development study: general internal medicine wards of two university hospitals and one regional hospital. Validation study: general internal wards of an university hospital. SUBJECTS: patients ≥65 years acutely admitted and hospitalised for at least 48 h. RESULTS: thirty-five per cent of all patients in the development cohort and 32% in the validation cohort developed functional decline. A four-item model could accurately predict functional decline with an AUC of 0.71. At threshold 2 sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values were 87, 39, 43 and 85%, respectively. In the validation study, this was, respectively, 0.68, 89, 41, 41 and 89%. CONCLUSION: pre-admission need for assistance in instrumental activities of daily living, use of a walking device, need for assistance in travelling and no education after age 14, are the items of a prediction model to identify older patients at risk for functional decline following hospital admission. The strength of the model is that it relies on four simple questions and this makes it easy to use in clinical practice and easy to administer.

Full loss of residual renal function causes higher mortality in dialysis patients; findings from a marginal structural model.

BACKGROUND: Declining residual renal function, as indicated by the glomerular filtration rate (GFR), is associated with an increased mortality risk in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) on dialysis. METHODS: We monitored GFR and mortality in 1800 haemodialysis (HD) and peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients in 1996-2006. We used a marginal structural model to estimate the causal effects both of GFR when it was not completely lost and of the subsequent full loss of GFR on mortality, avoiding the drawbacks of standard regression models that include covariates to adjust for confounding. Instead, effect estimates were adjusted for possible baseline and time-varying confounders using inverse probability weighting. RESULTS: We estimated a hazard ratio (HR) corresponding to the effect of the full loss of GFR on mortality, as compared to not having fully lost GFR, of 1.50 [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.09-2.07]. The HR corresponding to the effect of GFR when GFR is not (yet) fully lost on mortality was 0.97 (95% CI 0.92-1.02) (per mL/min/1.73 m(2)). We found no significant difference in the effect of GFR on mortality between patients starting on PD and HD. CONCLUSIONS: Preventing or delaying the full loss of GFR can improve survival in dialysis patients. This supports the importance that is given to the effect of treatment options for patients with ESRD on the rate of decline of the residual renal function.

Progression of aortic calcification is associated with disorders of mineral metabolism and mortality in chronic dialysis patients.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies have shown that simple imaging methods may be useful for detection of vascular calcifications in dialysis patients. Based on annual, plain chest X-rays during follow-up on dialysis, we studied the associations of mineral metabolism with the presence and progression of aortic calcification. In addition, we assessed the impact of aortic calcification on mortality. METHODS: Three hundred and eighty-four patients who started haemodialysis or peritoneal dialysis between 1997 and 2007 were included (age 61 ± 15 years, 64% male, 61% haemodialysis). Annual chest X-rays were screened for calcification in the aortic arch, and patients were categorized as having no, moderate or severe calcification. Progression was defined as an increase in calcification category during follow-up on dialysis. RESULTS: At baseline, 96 (25%) patients had severe, 205 (53%) patients had moderate and 83 (22%) patients had no aortic calcification. For 237 of the 288 patients with no or moderate calcifications at baseline, X-rays were available for follow-up. During follow-up (mean 2.3 years), aortic calcification progressed in 71 patients (30%). We found that baseline plasma calcium > 9.5 mg/dL and iPTH > 300 pg/mL were associated with progression [odds ratios of 3.1, 95% confidence interval (1.2-8.2) and 4.4 (1.4-14.1), respectively]. Progression of aortic calcification was significantly associated with increased risk of all-cause mortality (hazard ratio: 1.9; 95% CI: 1.2-3.1) and cardiovascular mortality (hazard ratio: 2.7; 95% CI: 1.3-5.6). CONCLUSIONS: Aortic calcification progressed in almost a third of the patients during dialysis. Hypercalcaemia and hyperparathyroidism were associated with an increased risk of progression. Progression of aortic calcification was significantly related to an increased mortality risk.

In vitro fertilization with preimplantation genetic screening.

BACKGROUND: Pregnancy rates in women of advanced maternal age undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF) are disappointingly low. It has been suggested that the use of preimplantation genetic screening of cleavage-stage embryos for aneuploidies may improve the effectiveness of IVF in these women. METHODS: We conducted a multicenter, randomized, double-blind, controlled trial comparing three cycles of IVF with and without preimplantation genetic screening in women 35 through 41 years of age. The primary outcome measure was ongoing pregnancy at 12 weeks of gestation. The secondary outcome measures were biochemical pregnancy, clinical pregnancy, miscarriage, and live birth. RESULTS: Four hundred eight women (206 assigned to preimplantation genetic screening and 202 assigned to the control group) underwent 836 cycles of IVF (434 cycles with and 402 cycles without preimplantation genetic screening). The ongoing-pregnancy rate was significantly lower in the women assigned to preimplantation genetic screening (52 of 206 women [25%]) than in those not assigned to preimplantation genetic screening (74 of 202 women [37%]; rate ratio, 0.69; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.51 to 0.93). The women assigned to preimplantation genetic screening also had a significantly lower live-birth rate (49 of 206 women [24%] vs. 71 of 202 women [35%]; rate ratio, 0.68; 95% CI, 0.50 to 0.92). CONCLUSIONS: Preimplantation genetic screening did not increase but instead significantly reduced the rates of ongoing pregnancies and live births after IVF in women of advanced maternal age. (Current Controlled Trials number, ISRCTN76355836 [controlled-trials.com].).

Ventilation with lower tidal volumes as compared with conventional tidal volumes for patients without acute lung injury: a preventive randomized controlled trial.

INTRODUCTION: Recent cohort studies have identified the use of large tidal volumes as a major risk factor for development of lung injury in mechanically ventilated patients without acute lung injury (ALI). We compared the effect of conventional with lower tidal volumes on pulmonary inflammation and development of lung injury in critically ill patients without ALI at the onset of mechanical ventilation. METHODS: We performed a randomized controlled nonblinded preventive trial comparing mechanical ventilation with tidal volumes of 10 ml versus 6 ml per kilogram of predicted body weight in critically ill patients without ALI at the onset of mechanical ventilation. The primary end point was cytokine levels in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid and plasma during mechanical ventilation. The secondary end point was the development of lung injury, as determined by consensus criteria for ALI, duration of mechanical ventilation, and mortality. RESULTS: One hundred fifty patients (74 conventional versus 76 lower tidal volume) were enrolled and analyzed. No differences were observed in lavage fluid cytokine levels at baseline between the randomization groups. Plasma interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels decreased significantly more strongly in the lower-tidal-volume group ((from 51 (20 to 182) ng/ml to 11 (5 to 20) ng/ml versus 50 (21 to 122) ng/ml to 21 (20 to 77) ng/ml; P = 0.01)). The trial was stopped prematurely for safety reasons because the development of lung injury was higher in the conventional tidal-volume group as compared with the lower tidal-volume group (13.5% versus 2.6%; P = 0.01). Univariate analysis showed statistical relations between baseline lung-injury score, randomization group, level of positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP), the number of transfused blood products, the presence of a risk factor for ALI, and baseline IL-6 lavage fluid levels and the development of lung injury. Multivariate analysis revealed the randomization group and the level of PEEP as independent predictors of the development of lung injury. CONCLUSIONS: Mechanical ventilation with conventional tidal volumes is associated with sustained cytokine production, as measured in plasma. Our data suggest that mechanical ventilation with conventional tidal volumes contributes to the development of lung injury in patients without ALI at the onset of mechanical ventilation. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ISRCTN82533884.

Cortisol, interleukins and S100B in delirium in the elderly.

In independent studies delirium was associated with higher levels of cortisol, interleukin(IL)s, and S100B. The aim of this study was to simultaneously compare cortisol, IL-6, IL-8, and S100B levels in patients aged 65years and older admitted for hip fracture surgery with and without delirium. Cortisol, IL-6, IL-8, and S100B were assayed in repeated blood samples. 120 patients (mean age 84years, 62 patients with delirium) were included. Highest levels of IL-8 (27.1, 95% Confidence Interval (CI): 13.6-53.1pg/ml) and cortisol (666, 95% CI: 475-859nmol/L) were before delirium, but of IL-6 (84.3, 95% CI: 46.5-151.4pg/mL) and S100B (0.18, 95% CI: 0.12-0.24 microg/L) during delirium. In multivariable analysis cortisol, LogIL-6, and LogS100B were significantly associated with delirium, but adjusted for pre-existing cognitive impairment, only LogS100B remained significantly associated. Cortisol, IL-6 and S100B may have a role in the pathogenesis of delirium, but S100B is the strongest independent marker.

Serum S100B in elderly patients with and without delirium.

OBJECTIVE: Elevation of S100B has been shown after various neurologic diseases with cognitive dysfunction. The aim of this study was to compare the serum level of S100B of patients with and without delirium and investigate the possible associations with different subtypes of delirium. METHODS: Acutely admitted medical patients aged 65 years or more were included from 2005 through 2008. Delirium was diagnosed by Confusion Assessment Method, delirium subtype by Delirium Symptom Interview and preexistent global cognitive function by the 'Informant Questionnaire on Cognitive Decline-short form'. S100B levels were determined in serum by electrochemiluminescence immunoassay. RESULTS: Samples of 412 patients were included, 91 during delirium, 35 after delirium and 286 of patients without delirium. Patients with delirium (31%) were significantly older, 81.5 versus 76.6 years (p < 0.001) and experienced significantly more often preexistent cognitive and functional impairment (p < 0.001). S100B level differed significantly (p = 0.004) between the three groups: median 0.07 microg/L (inter-quartile ranges: 0.05-0.14 microg/L) during delirium, 0.12 microg/L (0.05-0.29 microg/L) after delirium and 0.06 microg/L (0.03-0.10 microg/L) in patients without delirium. Combining the impact of cognitive impairment, infection and age on S100B, highest S100B was observed in the oldest patients after delirium with preexistent cognitive impaired and infection. Delirium subtype and S100B level were not significantly correlated. CONCLUSION: Higher S100B levels were found in patients with delirium than in patients without delirium, with highest levels of S100B in samples taken after delirium. Future studies are needed to elucidate the mechanism responsible for the increase of S100B and the possible association with long term cognitive impairment.

Assessing the prevalence of modifiable risk factors in older patients visiting an ED due to a fall using the CAREFALL Triage Instrument.

OBJECTIVE: Falls in older people are a common presenting complaint. Knowledge of modifiable risk factors may lead to a more tailored approach to prevent recurrent falls and/or fractures. We investigated prevalence of 8 modifiable risk factors for recurrent falling and/or a serious consequence of the fall among older patients visiting the emergency department after a fall with the Combined Amsterdam and Rotterdam Evaluation of Falls Triage Instrument (CTI), a self-administrated questionnaire that consists of questions concerning demographics, possible cause(s) of the fall, and questions relating to (modifiable) risk factors for falling. METHODS: After treatment for their injuries, 1077 consecutive patients 65 years or older visiting the accident and emergency department due to a fall were evaluated by the CTI. The following were assessed: impaired vision, mobility disorder, fear of falling, mood disorder, high risk of osteoporosis, orthostatic hypotension, incontinence, and polypharmacy. RESULTS: The percentage of respondents who returned the questionnaire was 59.3%. The mean (SD) age was 78.5 (7.5) years, and 57.8% experienced a fall with serious consequences. There were 60.9% of patients with a recurrent fall versus 51% with a first fall who experienced with a serious consequence (P = .025). Age and risk factors mobility disorder (odds ratio [OR], 1.9; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.1-3.3), high risk of osteoporosis (OR, 2.0; 95% CI, 1.2-3.2), incontinence (OR, 1.7; 95% CI, 1.0-2.7), fear of falling (OR, 2.2; 95% CI, 1.3-3.7), and orthostatic hypotension (OR, 2.4; 95% CI, 1.4-4.2) were independently associated with a recurrent fall. Age and high risk of osteoporosis were the only risk factors predicting a serious consequence of a fall (OR, 4.6; 95% CI, 2.9-7.2). CONCLUSIONS: Age and 5 modifiable risk factors assessed with the CTI were independently associated with a recurrent fall. Only high risk of osteoporosis was associated with a serious consequence.

Identification of older hospitalised patients at risk for functional decline, a study to compare the predictive values of three screening instruments.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To establish a screening instrument for identifying older hospitalised patients at risk for functional decline by comparing the predictive values of three screening instruments: identification of seniors at risk, care complexity prediction instrument and hospital admission risk profile. BACKGROUND: After being hospitalised, 30-60% of older patients experience a decline in functioning, resulting in a decreased quality of life and autonomy. DESIGN: A prospective cohort study. METHODS: Included were patients, aged 65 years and older, acutely admitted to a general internal ward of a university teaching hospital. Within 48 hours after hospital admission, baseline data were completed--demographic, cognitive, social and pre-admission functional status and the screening instruments. Three months after discharge, functional status was measured by telephone interview. The Katz index was used to measure functional status (six activities). Functional decline was defined as a decline of at least one point on the Katz index at three months after discharge compared to pre-admission state. RESULTS: Included were 177 patients; mean age was 77.6 years and 51.7 % were male. Functional decline was found in 27.8% of all patients. Sensitivity, specificity and area under receiver operating curve for identification of seniors at risk (ISAR) were 93, 39% and 0.67, respectively. The corresponding results for the care complexity prediction instrument (COMPRI) were 70, 62% and 0.69 and for the hospital admission risk profile (HARP) 21, 89% and 0.56. CONCLUSION: The discriminative values of both identification of seniors at risk and care complexity prediction instrument are fair. Hospital admission risk profile shows the poorest results. Identification of seniors at risk shows the best ability to predict those patients at risk for functional decline and seems to be the easiest instrument in clinical practice. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: Identifying patients at risk for functional decline is a first step in prevention, followed by geriatric assessment and targeted interventions. Studying the validity of existing instruments is necessary before implementation in clinical practice.

Genetic polymorphisms in the DRD2, DRD3, and SLC6A3 gene in elderly patients with delirium.

Dopamine excess appears to be critical in the final common pathway of delirium. The aim of this study was to investigate whether genetic polymorphisms in three dopamine-related genes (the dopamine receptor 2 (DRD2), dopamine receptor 3 (DRD3), and the dopamine transporter (SLC6A3) gene) were associated with delirium. Patients aged 65 years and older acutely admitted to the medical department or to the surgical department following hip fracture were included. Delirium was diagnosed by the Confusion Assessment Method. Sixteen single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and one variable number of tandem repeats in the SLC6A3 gene, nine SNPs in the DRD2 gene, and six SNPs in the DRD3 gene were genotyped. Fifty percent of the 115 surgical patients and 34% of the 605 medical patients experienced delirium. Delirious patients were older and had more frequently pre-existing functional and cognitive impairment (P < 0.001). After correction for multiple testing, one SNP in the SLC6A3 gene (rs393795) was associated with reduced risk of delirium (P = 0.032). Adjusted for age, cognitive impairment, and functional impairment, three SNPs in the DRD2 gene and seven SNPs in the SLC6A3 gene were associated with delirium; none of these associations was significant after correction for multiple testing. Variations in the SLC6A3 gene and possibly the DRD2 gene were associated with delirium. Although validation of these results is needed our results support a role for the dopamine transporter and dopamine receptor 2 in the pathogenesis of delirium.

The association of the dopamine transporter gene and the dopamine receptor 2 gene with delirium, a meta-analysis.

Delirium is the most common neuropsychiatric syndrome in elderly ill patients. Previously, associations between delirium and the dopamine transporter gene (solute carrier family 6, member 3 (SLC6A3)) and dopamine receptor 2 gene (DRD2) were found. The aim of this study was to validate whether markers of the SLC6A3 and DRD2 genes are were associated with delirium in independent populations. Six European populations collected DNA of older delirious patients. Associations were determined per population and results were combined in a meta-analysis. In total 820 medical inpatients, 185 cardiac surgery patients, 134 non-cardiac surgery patients and 502 population-based elderly subjects were included. Mean age was 82 years (SD 7.5 years), 598 (36%) were male, 665 (41%) had pre-existing cognitive impairment, and 558 (34%) experienced delirium. The SLC6A3 rs393795 homozygous AA genotype was more frequent in patients without delirium in all populations. The meta-analysis showed an Odds Ratio (OR) for delirium of 0.4 (95% confidence interval (C.I.) 0.2-0.6, P = 0.0003) for subjects with AA genotype compared to the AG and GG genotypes. SLC6A3 marker rs1042098 showed no association with delirium. In meta-analysis the DRD2 rs6276 homozygous GG genotype showed an OR of 0.8 for delirium (95% C.I. 0.6-1.1, P = 0.24). When subjects were stratified for cognitive status the rs6276 GG genotype showed ORs of 0.6 (95% C.I. 0.4-1.0, P = 0.06) and 0.8 (95% C.I. 0.5-1.5, P = 0.51) for delirium in patients with and without cognitive impairment, respectively. In independent cohorts, a variation in the SLC6A3 gene and possibly the DRD2 gene were found to protect for delirium.

Disordered mineral metabolism is not a risk factor for loss of residual renal function in dialysis patients.

BACKGROUND: Recent studies showed that mineral metabolism disorders are associated with renal function loss in pre-dialysis patients, but their effects in dialysis patients are less well established. We examined associations between parameters of mineral metabolism and loss of residual renal function (RRF) in dialysis patients. METHODS: We included 1468 incident haemodialysis (HD) and peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients who were not anuric at dialysis initiation from NECOSAD, a prospective multicentre cohort study. We studied the effects of plasma calcium, phosphorus, calcium-phosphorus product and intact PTH concentrations on loss of RRF. Cox regression models were applied to calculate relative risks of total loss of RRF, defined as anuria during the first 3 years of dialysis. The rate of decline of RRF over time was calculated using general linear mixed models. RESULTS: The mean (SD) age was 59 (15), 62% were men and 59% were treated with HD. We found that both HD and PD patients with the highest phosphorus (P < 0.0001) and calcium-phosphorus product (P < 0.0001) levels had the lowest baseline residual glomerular filtration rate (rGFR) values. During follow-up, 136 HD (15%) and 67 PD patients (12%) became anuric. After adjustment for baseline rGFR, there were no significant associations between parameters of mineral metabolism and the risk of becoming anuric. There were also no differences in the rate of decline in RRF between categories of plasma concentrations. CONCLUSION: Disordered mineral metabolism was neither associated with the risk of becoming anuric, nor with the rate of decline in RRF in dialysis patients. Differences in decline were mainly attributable to the baseline rGFR value.

The association between delirium and the apolipoprotein E epsilon 4 allele: new study results and a meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVES: To determine a possible association between Apolipoprotein E (APOE)sigma4-allele and delirium in a large cohort and combining these current data with former studies in a meta-analysis. DESIGN: Combination of a new prospective cohort study and meta-analysis. SETTING: Medical department and orthopedic/traumatology department of University hospital from 2003 to 2007. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 656 patients aged 65 years and older acutely admitted with a medical diagnosis or after hip fracture. MEASUREMENTS: Confusion Assessment Method for delirium, Informant Questionnaire on Cognitive Decline-short form for predelirium global cognitive impairment, and Katz Index of Activities of Daily Living for functionality. APOE was genotyped by mass spectrometer. A meta-analysis was performed combining the current data with published studies analyzing the association between the APOE sigma4-allele and the delirium. RESULTS: : The 49% of the 76 surgical patients and 35% of the 580 medical patients experienced delirium. Delirious patients were significantly older (82 versus 77 years) and had more frequently functional (66% versus 26%) and cognitive impairment (86% versus 29%) than nondelirious patients. The odds ratio (OR) for delirium adjusted for age, cognitive, and functional impairment of sigma4 carriers compared with non-sigma4 carriers was 1.7 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.1-2.6). Four studies were added to the meta-analysis, which included 1,099 patients in total. The OR for delirium in the meta-analysis was 1.6 (95% CI: 0.9-2.7) of sigma4 carriers compared with non-sigma4 carriers. CONCLUSIONS: This study and meta-analysis suggest an association between delirium and the APOE sigma4 allele.

The role of genetics in delirium in the elderly patient.

Delirium is an important neuropsychiatric syndrome in the elderly that is associated with an increase in mortality, impaired physical and cognitive recovery, and increased healthcare costs. Two important gaps in daily practice with delirium are the pathophysiological obscurity and the low recognition rates. Genetics offers the possibility to contribute knowledge to both of these gaps with its unique and diverse techniques. However, genetic studies in delirium have been scarce until recently, due to the nature of the diagnosis, the etiology of the syndrome, and the pitfalls inherent in the design of genetic studies. This review describes the barriers of this field of research and the implications for our current knowledge of delirium.

Markers of cerebral damage during delirium in elderly patients with hip fracture.

BACKGROUND: S100B protein and Neuron Specific Enolase (NSE) can increase due to brain cell damage and/or increased permeability of the blood-brain-barrier. Elevation of these proteins has been shown after various neurological diseases with cognitive dysfunction. Delirium is characterized by temporal cognitive deficits and is an important risk factor for dementia. The aim of this study was to compare the level of S100B and NSE of patients before, during and after delirium with patients without delirium and investigate the possible associations with different subtypes of delirium. METHODS: The study population were patients aged 65 years or more acutely admitted after hip fracture. Delirium was diagnosed by the Confusion Assessment Method and the subtype by Delirium Symptom interview. In maximal four serum samples per patient S100B and NSE levels were determined by electrochemiluminescence immunoassay. RESULTS: Of 120 included patients with mean age 83.9 years, 62 experienced delirium. Delirious patients had more frequently pre-existing cognitive impairment (67% vs. 18%, p < 0.001). Comparing the first samples during delirium to samples of non-delirious patients, a difference was observed in S100B (median 0.16 versus 0.10 microg/L, p = < 0.001), but not in NSE (median 11.7 versus 11.7 ng/L, p = 0.97). Delirious state (before, during, after) (p < 0.001), day of blood withdrawal (p < 0.001), pre- or postoperative status (p = 0.001) and type of fracture (p = 0.036) were all associated with S100B level. The highest S100B levels were found 'during' delirium. S100B levels 'before' and 'after' delirium were still higher than those from 'non-delirious' patients. No significant difference in S100B (p = 0.43) or NSE levels (p = 0.41) was seen between the hyperactive, hypoactive and mixed subtype of delirium. CONCLUSION: Delirium was associated with increased level of S100B which could indicate cerebral damage either due to delirium or leading to delirium. The possible association between higher levels of S100B during delirium and the higher risk of developing dementia after delirium is an interesting field for future research. More studies are needed to elucidate the role of S100B proteins in the pathophysiological pathway leading to delirium and to investigate its possibility as biomarker for delirium.

Proteomic profiling of plasma and serum in elderly patients with delirium.

The aim of this study was to compare plasma and serum protein profiles in elderly acute hip fracture patients with and without delirium. The spectra from surface-enhanced laser desorption ionization (SELDI) using time-of-flight (TOF) mass spectrometry of 16 patients without and 16 patients with delirium (two groups of eight and eight) scored using the Confusion Assessment Method were compared. The most discriminating peak of 15.9 kDa in plasma in a testing group of eight patients with delirium to eight patients without delirium was confirmed in an independent validation group. Taking both groups together, three discriminating peaks of 7.97, 15.9, and 16.0 kDa were found in delirious patients. These peaks presumably correspond to hemoglobin-beta, its doubly charged ion, and its glycosylated form.

Weaning automation with adaptive support ventilation: a randomized controlled trial in cardiothoracic surgery patients.

BACKGROUND: Adaptive support ventilation (ASV) is a microprocessor-controlled mode of mechanical ventilation that switches automatically from controlled ventilation to assisted ventilation and selects ventilatory settings according to measured lung mechanics. METHODS: In a randomized controlled trial, non-fast-track coronary artery bypass grafting patients' lungs were ventilated with ASV or pressure-controlled/pressure-support ventilation (control) to compare time until tracheal extubation, duration of controlled ventilation versus assisted ventilation, and ventilation characteristics. RESULTS: One hundred twenty-eight consecutive patients were randomized. ASV patients had their tracheas extubated after median 16.4 and interquartile range 12.5-20.8 hr, and control patients after 16.3 (13.7-19.3) hr, respectively (P = 0.97). The percentage of time patients were on assisted ventilation (expressed as the median percentage of total duration of ventilation) was 43% (28%-67%) in the ASV group and 52% (33%-75%) in the control group (P < 0.05). However, the number of switches from controlled to assisted ventilation was higher in the ASV group (43.0 [14.0-74.0]) than in the control group (4.0 [2.0-9.0]) (P < 0.001). In ASV patients, mean tidal volumes were significantly larger during controlled ventilation than in control patients (8.6 +/- 0.8 mL/kg predicted body weight vs 7.1 +/- 1.4 mL/kg predicted body weight; P = 0.05), and no differences in tidal volumes were found during assisted ventilation. CONCLUSION: Weaning automation with ASV is feasible and safe in non-fast-track coronary artery bypass grafting patients. Time until tracheal extubation with ASV equals time until tracheal extubation with standard weaning and allows for frequent (automatic) switches between controlled and assisted ventilation.

No beneficial effect of preimplantation genetic screening in women of advanced maternal age with a high risk for embryonic aneuploidy.

BACKGROUND: Human preimplantation embryos generated through in vitro fertilization (IVF) or intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) treatments show a variable rate of numerical chromosome abnormalities or aneuploidies. Preimplantation genetic screening (PGS) has been designed to screen for aneuploidies in high risk patients, with the aim of improving live birth rates in IVF/ICSI. We assessed whether the effect of PGS on live births rates differs in women of advanced maternal age with variable risks for embryonic aneuploidy, and weighed these effects against the results obtained after IVF/ICSI without PGS. METHODS: The effect of PGS on live birth rates was compared between groups defined by maternal age, number of previous miscarriages, semen quality, total amount of recombinant FSH (rFSH) administered during ovarian stimulation and total number of top-quality embryos, using data from a randomized controlled trial among women of advanced maternal age (35-41 years). RESULTS: There was no significant differential effect of PGS in groups based on maternal age (P-value of interaction 0.16), the number of previous miscarriages (P-value of interaction 0.93), semen quality (P-value of interaction 0.26), rFSH dose (P-value of interaction 0.15) or the number of top-quality embryos (P-value of interaction 0.59). Live birth rates after IVF/ICSI with PGS were lower in all groups when compared with live birth rates after IVF/ICSI without PGS. CONCLUSIONS: The paradigm that the effect of PGS is determined by a woman's risk for embryonic aneuploidy seems incorrect. In fact, PGS has no clinical benefit over standard IVF/ICSI in women of advanced maternal age regardless of their risk for embryonic aneuploidy.

Prognostication in acutely admitted older patients by nurses and physicians.

BACKGROUND: The process of prognostication has not been described for acutely hospitalized older patients. OBJECTIVE: To investigate (1) which factors are associated with 90-day mortality risk in a group of acutely hospitalized older medical patients, and (2) whether adding a clinical impression score of nurses or physicians improves the discriminatory ability of mortality prediction. DESIGN: Prospective cohort study. PARTICIPANTS: Four hundred and sixty-three medical patients 65 years or older acutely admitted from November 1, 2002, through July 1, 2005, to a 1024-bed tertiary university teaching hospital. MEASUREMENTS: At admission, the attending nurse and physician were asked to give a clinical impression score for the illness the patient was admitted for. This score ranged from 1 (high possibility of a good outcome) until 10 (high possibility of a bad outcome, including mortality). Of all patients baseline characteristics and clinical parameters were collected. Mortality was registered up to 90 days after admission. MAIN RESULTS: In total, 23.8% (n = 110) of patients died within 90 days of admission. Four parameters were significantly associated with mortality risk: functional impairment, diagnosis malignancy, co-morbidities and high urea nitrogen serum levels. The AUC for the baseline model which included these risk factors (model 1) was 0.76 (95% CI 0.71 to 0.82). The AUC for the model using the risk factors and the clinical impression score of the physician (model 2) was 0.77 (0.71 to 0.82). The AUC for the model using the risk factors and the clinical impression score of the nurse (model 3) was 0.76 (0.71 to 0.82) and the AUC for the model, including the baseline covariates and the clinical impression score of both nurses and physicians was 0.77 (0.72 to 0.82). Adding clinical impression scores to model 1 did not significantly improve its accuracy. CONCLUSION: A set of four clinical variables predicted mortality risk in acutely hospitalized older patients quite well. Adding clinical impression scores of nurses, physicians or both did not improve the discriminating ability of the model.

Adaptive support ventilation with percutaneous dilatational tracheotomy: a clinical study.

We determined the need for changes in minute ventilation with adaptive support ventilation after percutaneous dilatational tracheotomy under endoscopic guidance in 34 intensive care unit patients. During the procedure, minute ventilation was not changed; only maximum pressure limits were adjusted, if necessary. After insertion of the tracheotomy, cannula minute ventilation was adjusted only if Paco(2)-values changed >or=0.5 kPa from baseline. In 74% of patients, adaptive support ventilation was unable to maintain minute ventilation during the use of the endoscope, mandating pressure limitation adjustments. In a minority of patients (26%), minute ventilation had to be adjusted to achieve similar Paco(2) values.