Risk assessment and rate of readmission within 30 days of discharge after hospitalization for acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

INTRODUCTION: Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) hospitalized for an exacerbation are at risk of early readmission for any reason within 30 days of discharge. Understanding the frequency and risk factors related to readmission can provide valuable input for the development of readmission reduction strategies. The aim of this study was to investigate the frequency, specific risk factors and the cost analysis of early readmission for any reason within 30 days after discharge of the patients hospitalized for acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD). MATERIALS AND METHODS: In a prospective comparative case series study, 110 patients over 40 years of age who were hospitalized with AECOPD were included. The frequency of readmissions within 30 days of discharge after hospitalization for AECOPD was investigated. Those who were admitted to any hospital for any reason within 30 days after discharge were classified as the readmission group. Whereas nonhospitalized patients were defined as the nonreadmission group. Demographic, clinical, therapeutic, laboratory and financial data of the groups were evaluated. RESULT: Thirty-four (30.9%) COPD patients were readmitted during the first 30 days post index hospitalization. In multivariate analysis, the best predictors of early readmission were the low forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) predicted % (FEV1%) (OR= 0.961, %95 CI 0.927-0.997 p= 0.034) and COPD diagnosis time (OR= 0.908, %95 CI 0.838-0.983 p= 0.017). Mean length of stay of the second hospitalization was longer than both the readmitted and nonreadmitted groups (8.3, 8.1 and 7.8 days respectively). While mean cost of second hospitalization was 1189$, mean cost of index hospitalization of the readmission group was 794$ and that of index hospitalization of nonreadmission group was 582$. CONCLUSIONS: The frequency of readmissions within 30 days after discharge of the patients hospitalized for AECOPD are common and costly. Low FEV1 percentage and lower diagnosis time were found to be significant predictors for readmission within 30 days of the index hospitalization.

Impact of vaccination on ICU admissions of hospitalized COVID-19 patients in a country with a heterologous vaccine policy.

INTRODUCTION: Vaccination against coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) is highly effective in preventing severe disease and mortality. Adenoviral vector and mRNA vaccines were effective against intensive care unit (ICU) admission, but the effectiveness of inactivated vaccine on ICU admission was unclear. We aimed to evaluate the effect of vaccination status on ICU admission in hospitalized COVID-19 patients in a country with heterologous vaccination policy. METHODOLOGY: This is a retrospective multicenter study conducted in three hospitals in Izmir, Turkey between 1 January 2021 and 31 March 2022. Patients aged ≥ 18 years and hospitalized due to COVID-19 were included in the study. Patients who had never been vaccinated and patients who had been vaccinated with a single dose were considered unvaccinated. A logistic regression analysis was performed for evaluating risk factors for ICU admission. RESULTS: A total of 2,110 patients were included in the final analysis. The median age was 66 years (IQR, 53-76 years) and 54% of the patients were vaccinated. During the study period, 407 patients (19.3%) were transferred to the ICU due to disease severity. Patients who were admitted to the ICU were older (median age 68 vs. 65 years, p < 0.001); and the number of unvaccinated individuals was higher among ICU patients (57% vs. 45%, p < 0.001). In multivariate regression analysis, being unvaccinated was found to be the most important independent risk factor for ICU admission with an OR of 2.06 (95% CI, 1.64-2.59). CONCLUSIONS: Vaccination against COVID-19 is effective against ICU admission and hospital mortality.

Does Telerehabilitation for Coronavirus Disease 2019 Patients Discharged with Oxygen Shorten the Time of Weaning from Oxygen?

OBJECTIVE: Early pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) and acute and post-acute mobilization with telemonitoring and telerehabilitation (TR) have been recommended for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients. We aimed to compare the duration of weaning from oxygen in patients with hypoxemic COVID-19 who received PR and those who did not. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This study was designed as a quasi-experimental study and was conducted on patients discharged with oxygen supplementation between December 2021 and May 2022. They were compared with patients who received PR and those who did not in terms of the duration of oxygen use. RESULTS: A total of 61 patients (9 women in each group) completed the study. The mean age was 65 ± 12. Thirty patients underwent PR (group 1) and the remaining 31 patients were classified as control group (group 2). When the groups were compared in terms of duration of oxygen use, patients who performed PR were statistically significant shorter duration than those who did not (P = .012). In addition, PR improved their quality of life compared to group 2. CONCLUSION: It was concluded that although PR has many indications, it is also effective, feasible, and safe in prolonged infections and it was thought that TR may also be effective as supervised PR.

Procalcitonin and CRP as Biomarkers in Discrimination of Community-acquired Pneumonia and Exacerbation of COPD.

BACKGROUND: Serum procalcitonin (PCT) and C-reactive protein (CRP) are markers of systemic inflammation and bacterial infection. We aimed to compare the usefulness of procalcitonin and CRP in patients with community-acquired pneumonia and exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). METHODS: A total of 116 consecutive patients were included in the study: 76 with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in group 1, and 40 with pneumonia in group 2. RESULTS: Median serum CRP level was 44 mg/L in the COPD group and 132 mg/L in the pneumonia group. Median value of serum PCT was found to be 0.07 in the COPD group and 0.14 ng/mL in the pneumonia group. Serum PCT and CRP levels were significantly higher in the pneumonia group compared to the COPD group (p<0.001). The area under the ROC curve was 0.788 (CI: 0.704-0.872) for CRP and 0.699 (CI: 0.599-0.800) for procalcitonin to identify pneumonia. CONCLUSIONS: Procalcitonin and CRP levels were significantly higher in patients with community-acquired pneumonia presenting to the emergency department with indications for hospitalization than in patients with exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Serum CRP and procalcitonin concentrations were strongly correlated. CRP might be a more valuable marker in these patients with lower respiratory tract infections.