Pain intensity and imaging at the initial phase of acute pyelonephritis.

OBJECTIVE: To identify predictive factors of urological complication on imaging findings in women with pyelonephritis aged 18 to 65 years. METHODS: We performed an observational, retrospective, single-center study. The medical charts of women diagnosed with pyelonephritis at the emergency department from 2010 to 2015 were reviewed. Only patients who underwent an imaging study at the emergency department and with microbiologically confirmed pyelonephritis were included for analysis. The primary endpoint was the presence of urological complications on imaging findings. The secondary endpoint was treatment changes after imaging diagnosis. RESULTS: Of the 193 women enrolled, 88 (45.6%) had urological complication(s) on imaging findings. The multivariate analysis revealed that history of urolithiasis (OR=2.41; P=0.01) and pain requiring morphine use (OR=5.29; P=0.009) were predictive of urological complications on imaging findings. Of the 120 women with uncomplicated pyelonephritis who underwent imaging studies, 45% had urological complication, resulting in a treatment change in 36.7% of patients. The multivariate analysis revealed that age>40 years (OR=4.58; P=0.02) and pain requiring morphine use (OR=3.78; P=0.02) were predictive of urological complication(s) on imaging findings and of treatment change based on imaging findings (OR=6.76; P=0.005 and OR=4.19; P=0.01 respectively) in this subgroup. CONCLUSIONS: Pain requiring morphine use, age, and history of urolithiasis are independent predictors of urological complications on imaging findings in patients with acute pyelonephritis.

Are there good and bad responders to prehospital thrombolysis in the acute phase of myocardial infarction? OPTIMAL study rationale.

The effectiveness of thrombolytics has been clearly demonstrated in more than half the cases in the large cohorts of patients selected for trials during the acute phase of myocardial infarction. At individual level, thrombolysis will clinically either succeed or fail so, for the medical team managing the patient, choice of treatment may be likened to a gamble which in the best of cases (most often) leads to an uncomplicated success and, in the worst of cases, failure worsened by a severe complication. OPTIMAL is a multidisciplinary and multicentre, prospective cohort study associating mobile medical teams and interventional cardiology units to test the hypothesis that the outcome of prehospital thrombolysis does not depend on chance alone but also varies according to demographic, etiological, clinical and logistic factors involved in the occurrence and management of myocardial infarction. The primary objective of this French study, conducted over one year on more than 800 subjects, is to identify the predictors of the results of prehospital thrombolysis from a very early angiographic evaluation. The results for this cohort may be useful for setting up appropriate management strategies for acute myocardial infarction, from the prehospital phase (thrombolysis or not) up to in-hospital orientation of the patients (angiography room or Intensive Care Unit) and to determine the most judicious time for coronary angiography. OPTIMAL is to date the largest prospective serie of prehospital thrombolysis evaluated by an early angiographic control.

[Epidemiology and management of stroke patients in emergency departments of the Centre region of France]. / Enquête observationnelle: les accidents vasculaires cérébraux aux urgences en région Centre (étude AVC Centre).

INTRODUCTION: Stroke is a leading cause of death and disability. Patients with suspected stroke are usually managed in emergency departments (ED). Stroke units must be created in our country, but only few French epidemiological data are available to define needs in stroke care. OBJECTIVE: A prospective study was planned to evaluate epidemiology and stroke care for patients with suspected stroke admitted in the 22 ED of our region in the center of France during a two-month period. METHODS: Patients with suspected stroke seen at the 22 ED were prospectively followed until discharge or one month after admission. Data on demographic characteristics, mode of transport, delay of arrival and imaging, clinical findings at arrival, department of admission, diagnosis, Rankin scale at day 7, in-hospital mortality, and outcome at a month were collected. A global statistical analysis and a comparison between rural and urban ED were performed. RESULTS: Five hundred and ninety-eight patients were included. Mean age was 75 years. Median admission delay was 4 hours and 52 minutes. Predominant mode of transport was a private ambulance. A CT scan was obtained in 91 p.cent of cases with a median delay of 2 hours and 30 minutes. Only a third of the patients were admitted in departments of Neurology. Final diagnosis was: ischemic stroke (61 p.cent), transient ischemic attack (16 p.cent), hemorrhagic stroke (10 p.cent), other vascular disease (3 p.cent), non vascular disease (10 p.cent). In-hospital mortality was 20 p.cent, factors significantly associated with death rate were elevated age and a Glasgow coma scale<10 at admission. Mean length of stay was 12 days for stroke patients. At one month, 63 percent of patients were discharged to their home, 28 percent were transferred to an institution or in a rehabilitation unit, and 15 percent were still hospitalized. Significant differences in stroke care were found between rural and urban ED. CONCLUSION: This prospective study provides epidemiological data for our region. Creation of stroke units and definition of acute stroke networks are necessary to improve stroke care.

Predictors of infarct artery patency after prehospital thrombolysis: the multicentre, prospective, observational OPTIMAL study.

OBJECTIVE: To identify predictors of early TIMI 3 flow patency of the infarct-related artery after prehospital thrombolysis in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) using data from a "real-world" population, and to develop a nomogram for triaging patients to emergency angiography. DESIGN: Multicentre, observational, prospective, cohort study. SETTING: 79 Hospitals in France with a prehospital mobile intensive care unit and a coronary care unit with 24 h access to coronary angiography. PATIENTS: 997 Patients with STEMI. INTERVENTIONS: All patients received prehospital thrombolysis within 6 h of symptom onset and angiography was performed within 6 h of thrombolysis. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Coronary patency (TIMI flow). RESULTS: The median age of the population was 59 years and the sample comprised 18% women. After multivariable logistic regression analysis, predictors of TIMI 3 flow in the infarct-related artery were current/previous smoking (odds ratio (OR) = 1.60, 95% confidence interval 1.15 to 2.22), < or =5 leads with ST-segment elevation before thrombolysis (OR = 1.59, 1.12 to 2.25), Killip class I (OR = 1.96, 1.05 to 3.67), chest pain relief (OR = 1.62, 1.17 to 2.25) and ST-segment resolution > or =70% (OR = 1.76, 1.29 to 2.38). A nomogram was developed to assess the probability of TIMI 3 flow, according to smoking status, number of leads with ST elevation before thrombolysis, Killip class, chest pain relief and ST-segment resolution. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides quantitative data for predicting success of prehospital thrombolysis. The nomogram is a simple tool for predicting likelihood of coronary patency, based on clinical and electrocardiographic data. It may help to identify patients who require emergency angiography and rescue percutaneous coronary intervention.