Demographic characteristics and delayed neurological sequelae risk factors in carbon monoxide poisoning.

AIM: Carbon monoxide (CO) is a colorless, odorless gas and tasteless. CO poisoning (COP) is one of the most frequently encountered inhalation poisonings. The most common cause of morbidity in COP is delayed neurological sequelae (DNS). DNS is the occurrence of neuropsychiatric findings within 2-240 days after discharge of patients with COP and there are no definitive diagnostic criteria. The aim of our study is; to determine the risk factors and incidence of DNS. METHOD: Our study is a retrospective, observational study. Patients with the diagnosis of COP in the emergency department between 2015 and 2016 were included in the study. Patients age, gender, findings in the initial physical examination (PE) and neurological examination (NE), blood carboxyhemoglobin (COHb) level, relation between hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) treatment and DNS were assessed. RESULTS: Total of 72 patients were included in the study. Mean age was 33.43 ±â€¯20.89. It was determined that pathological findings in the initial NE are a significant predictive factor for DNS (Odds ratio 18.600, p:0.004). Significant relation between NE and HBO treatment was present (p:00.1). There was no statistically significant relationship between initial COHb level and receiving HBO treatment (p:0.9). Median COHb level of patients with DNS was 30 (min:10, max: 43), median COHb level of patients without DNS was 25 (min:10, max:44) and there was no statistically significant relationship between the two groups according to COHb levels (p:0.7). CONCLUSION: Pathological findings in the initial neurological examination had a predictive value for delayed neurological sequelae in patients with carbon monoxide poisoning.

Results of a Real-world Study of Enzalutamide and Abiraterone Acetate With Prednisone Tolerability (REAAcT).

BACKGROUND: The objective of this study was to evaluate differences in tolerability in patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer treated with enzalutamide (ENZA) or abiraterone acetate plus prednisone (AA+P). PATIENTS AND METHODS: This was a phase IV, prospective, open-label, multicenter, real-world study. Patients were prescribed ENZA or AA+P at the treating physician's discretion. Computerized tests of 4 cognitive domains (Cogstate), patient-reported outcomes (European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire-Core 30 [EORTC QLQ-30], Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Fatigue [FACIT-Fatigue], Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Cognitive Function [FACT-Cog]), and patient/caregiver surveys were assessed at baseline and 2 months. Safety data were collected. RESULTS: Of 100 treated patients, 92 were evaluable (46/arm). Baseline characteristics were similar, with mild cognitive impairment observed in ∼20% of patients. The FACIT-Fatigue demonstrated a statistically significant worsening from baseline of -4.00 (95% confidence interval, -6.61 to -1.39) for ENZA compared with AA+P, -0.01 (95% confidence interval, -2.40 to 2.38). Overall, more adverse events (AEs) and more AEs of fatigue were reported with ENZA versus AA+P (52% vs. 36% and 26% vs. 8%, respectively). Grade 3/4 AEs were similar (4% vs. 6%). Unique neuropsychiatric AEs reported with ENZA included amnesia, cognitive disorders, memory impairment, and confusional state; those for AA+P included cerebrovascular accident, presyncope, and spinal cord compression. Clinically meaningful cognitive decline was seen in 4 patients on ENZA versus 1 patient on AA+P. However, the overall mean changes from baseline for the Cogstate tests, the EORTC QLQ-C30, and the FACT-Cog assessment were similar and showed no meaningful change. Caregiver survey responses noted more fatigue with ENZA and more moodiness with AA+P compared with patient responses. CONCLUSIONS: Although baseline values were similar, more fatigue and neurocognitive differences were observed with ENZA compared with AA+P.

Postoperative Confusion in Patients with Parkinson Disease Undergoing Deep Brain Stimulation of the Subthalamic Nucleus.

BACKGROUND: Deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the subthalamic nucleus (STN) is an established treatment for patients with Parkinson disease. One adverse event is the development of postoperative confusion. The aim of this study was to report the incidence and associated factors of postoperative confusion after STN DBS surgery. METHODS: This was a retrospective cohort study by chart review of patients with Parkinson disease who underwent STN DBS in a Brazilian public academic hospital from January 2013 to October 2017. The primary outcome was the incidence of postoperative confusion. The association of the outcome and imaging and clinical variables was evaluated. RESULTS: Among 49 patients who underwent STN DBS for Parkinson disease, the incidence of postoperative confusion was 26.5% (95% confidence interval 15%-41.1%). Univariate analysis identified the following variables associated with development of confusion: age (63.2 ± 7.8 years vs. 55.4 ± 9.1 years, P = 0.009), disease duration (16.5 ± 5.1 years vs. 13.2 ± 4.2 years, P = 0.027), Charlson comorbidity index (2 [interquartile range 1-3] vs. 1 [0-1 interquartile range], P = 0.002), width of the third ventricle (5.4 ± 2.1 mm vs. 4 ± 1.6 mm, P = 0.018), and cella media index (5 ± 1 vs. 5.6 ± 0.8, P = 0.018). After adjustment, Charlson comorbidity index remained significant (adjusted relative risk 1.64, 95% confidence interval 1.17-2.3, P = 0.004). CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of postoperative confusion in this cohort was 26.5%. After analysis of confounding factors, the Charlson comorbidity index was significantly associated with postoperative confusion.

Caracterização dos incidentes de quedas de pacientes adultos internados em um hospital universitário / Caracterización de los incidentes de caídas de pacientes adultos internados en un hospital universitario / Characterization of the adult patients' falling incidents in a university hospital

Resumo OBJETIVO Avaliar as notificações e caracterizar os incidentes de quedas dos pacientes adultos internados em unidades clínicas e cirúrgicas de um hospital universitário na região sul do país, no período de 2011 a 2014. MÉTODO Estudo descritivo, transversal e retrospectivo, realizado no período de dezembro de 2016 a dezembro de 2017. A amostra foi de 1112 notificações, abrangendo todos os pacientes internados que foram notificados com ocorrência de quedas no período estudado. Os dados foram analisados por meio de estatística descritiva e analítica. RESULTADOS Foram predominantes na amostra os pacientes do sexo feminino e idosos, onde 69,4% dos incidentes não apresentaram dano. A ocorrência de quedas foi significativamente maior no período noturno. Limitação para deambular e estar desacompanhado foram os fatores mais prevalentes nas condições do paciente antes da queda. CONCLUSÃO Queda é um evento multifatorial que necessita avaliação periódica dos fatores de risco pela equipe para planejar sua prevenção.

Resumen OBJETIVO Evaluar las notificaciones y caracterizar los incidentes de caídas de los pacientes adultos internados en unidades clínicas y quirúrgicas de un hospital universitario en la región sur del país, en el período 2011 a 2014. MÉTODO Estudio descriptivo, transversal y retrospectivo, realizado en el período de diciembre de 2016 a diciembre de 2017. La muestra fue de 1112 notificaciones, abarcando a todos los pacientes internados que fueron notificados con ocurrencia de caídas en el periodo estudado. Los datos fueron analizados por medio de estadística descriptiva y analítica. RESULTADOS: Fueron predominantes en la muestra los pacientes del sexo femenino y ancianos, donde el 69,4% de los incidentes no presentaron daño. La ocurrencia de caídas fue significativamente mayor en el período nocturno. La limitación para deambular y estar desatendido fueron los factores más prevalentes en las condiciones del paciente antes de la caída. CONCLUSIÓN La caída es un evento multifactorial que necesita evaluación periódica de los factores de riesgo por el equipo para planificar su prevención.

Abstract OBJECTIVE To evaluate the occurrences and to characterize the falling incidents of adult patients hospitalized in clinical and surgical units of a university hospital in the southern region of the country, in the period from 2011 to 2014. METHOD Descriptive, cross-sectional and retrospective study, carried out from December 2016 to December 2017. The sample consisted of 1112 reports, covering all hospitalized patients who were notified with falls occurring in the studied period. Data were analyzed using descriptive and analytical statistics. RESULTS Female and elderly patients were predominant in the sample, in which 69.4% of the incidents did not present any damage. The occurrence of falls was significantly higher at night. Limitation to walking and being unaccompanied were the most prevalent factors in the patient's conditions before the fall. CONCLUSION The fall is a multifactorial event that requires periodic evaluation of the risk factors by the team to plan their prevention.

The use of point-of-care ultrasound to diagnose patent foramen ovale in elective hip and knee arthroplasty patients and its association with postoperative delirium.

PURPOSE: Hip and knee arthroplasty surgeries are associated with embolism of materials such as air, cement, and fat. Patent foramen ovale (PFO) is a common congenital cardiac condition that has been reported to lead to paradoxical embolism. This observational study aimed to investigate if the presence of a PFO was associated with an increased risk of postoperative delirium in patients undergoing primary elective hip or knee arthroplasties. METHOD: This was a prospective cohort study at a tertiary teaching hospital. We enrolled patients undergoing primary elective hip or knee arthroplasty who did not have any risk factors for embolism or delirium. Bedside transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) with a bubble study was performed on all patients to detect the presence of PFO. The primary outcome was postoperative delirium as assessed by the standardized Confusion Assessment Method. Secondary outcomes included the ease of performing a TTE bubble study in the perioperative setting, the quality of the TTE images, length of stay, major cardiovascular and neurologic complications, and effects of anesthetic or analgesic management techniques on delirium. RESULTS: Two hundred two patients completed the study. The median [interquartile range] duration of stay was 2 [2-3] days. Only 16 patients (8%) had a positive bubble study. Postoperative delirium was observed in only one patient. Major adverse events were not seen. The inter-rater reliability for the TTE image quality scores was fair (kappa statistic = 0.22). CONCLUSION: Given the very low incidence of PFO and postoperative delirium in this study, we could not form any conclusions regarding the impact of a PFO on important outcomes including delirium or other major adverse events. No recommendation can be made regarding screening for PFO in patients scheduled for lower extremity arthroplasty surgery. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT02400892). Registered 27 March 2015.

Peripheral nerve blocks for hip fractures.

BACKGROUND: Various nerve blocks with local anaesthetic agents have been used to reduce pain after hip fracture and subsequent surgery. This review was published originally in 1999 and was updated in 2001, 2002, 2009 and 2017. OBJECTIVES: This review focuses on the use of peripheral nerves blocks as preoperative analgesia, as postoperative analgesia or as a supplement to general anaesthesia for hip fracture surgery. We undertook the update to look for new studies and to update the methods to reflect Cochrane standards. SEARCH METHODS: For the updated review, we searched the following databases: the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL; 2016, Issue 8), MEDLINE (Ovid SP, 1966 to August week 1 2016), Embase (Ovid SP, 1988 to 2016 August week 1) and the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL) (EBSCO, 1982 to August week 1 2016), as well as trial registers and reference lists of relevant articles. SELECTION CRITERIA: We included randomized controlled trials (RCTs) involving use of nerve blocks as part of the care provided for adults aged 16 years and older with hip fracture. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Two review authors independently assessed new trials for inclusion, determined trial quality using the Cochrane tool and extracted data. When appropriate, we pooled results of outcome measures. We rated the quality of evidence according to the GRADE Working Group approach. MAIN RESULTS: We included 31 trials (1760 participants; 897 randomized to peripheral nerve blocks and 863 to no regional blockade). Results of eight trials with 373 participants show that peripheral nerve blocks reduced pain on movement within 30 minutes of block placement (standardized mean difference (SMD) -1.41, 95% confidence interval (CI) -2.14 to -0.67; equivalent to -3.4 on a scale from 0 to 10; I2 = 90%; high quality of evidence). Effect size was proportionate to the concentration of local anaesthetic used (P < 0.00001). Based on seven trials with 676 participants, we did not find a difference in the risk of acute confusional state (risk ratio (RR) 0.69, 95% CI 0.38 to 1.27; I2 = 48%; very low quality of evidence). Three trials with 131 participants reported decreased risk for pneumonia (RR 0.41, 95% CI 0.19 to 0.89; I2 = 3%; number needed to treat for an additional beneficial outcome (NNTB) 7, 95% CI 5 to 72; moderate quality of evidence). We did not find a difference in risk of myocardial ischaemia or death within six months, but the number of participants included was well below the optimal information size for these two outcomes. Two trials with 155 participants reported that peripheral nerve blocks also reduced time to first mobilization after surgery (mean difference -11.25 hours, 95% CI -14.34 to -8.15 hours; I2 = 52%; moderate quality of evidence). One trial with 75 participants indicated that the cost of analgesic drugs was lower when they were given as a single shot block (SMD -3.48, 95% CI -4.23 to -2.74; moderate quality of evidence). AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: High-quality evidence shows that regional blockade reduces pain on movement within 30 minutes after block placement. Moderate-quality evidence shows reduced risk for pneumonia, decreased time to first mobilization and cost reduction of the analgesic regimen (single shot blocks).

Dementia-related adverse events in PARADIGM-HF and other trials in heart failure with reduced ejection fraction.

AIMS: Inhibition of neprilysin, an enzyme degrading natriuretic and other vasoactive peptides, is beneficial in heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF), as shown in PARADIGM-HF which compared the angiotensin receptor-neprilysin inhibitor (ARNI) sacubitril/valsartan with enalapril. As neprilysin is also one of many enzymes clearing amyloid-ß peptides from the brain, there is a theoretical concern about the long-term effects of sacubitril/valsartan on cognition. Therefore, we have examined dementia-related adverse effects (AEs) in PARADIGM-HF and placed these findings in the context of other recently conducted HFrEF trials. METHODS AND RESULTS: In PARADIGM-HF, patients with symptomatic HFrEF were randomized to sacubitril/valsartan 97/103 mg b.i.d. or enalapril 10 mg b.i.d. in a 1:1 ratio. We systematically searched AE reports, coded using the Medical Dictionary for Regulatory Activities (MedDRA), using Standardized MedDRA Queries (SMQs) with 'broad' and 'narrow' preferred terms related to dementia. In PARADIGM-HF, 8399 patients aged 18-96 years were randomized and followed for a median of 2.25 years (up to 4.3 years). The narrow SMQ search identified 27 dementia-related AEs: 15 (0.36%) on enalapril and 12 (0.29%) on sacubitril/valsartan [hazard ratio (HR) 0.73, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.33-1.59]. The broad search identified 97 (2.30%) and 104 (2.48%) AEs (HR 1.01, 95% CI 0.75-1.37), respectively. The rates of dementia-related AEs in both treatment groups in PARADIGM-HF were similar to those in three other recent trials in HFrEF. CONCLUSION: We found no evidence that sacubitril/valsartan, compared with enalapril, increased dementia-related AEs, although longer follow-up may be necessary to detect such a signal and more sensitive tools are needed to detect lesser degrees of cognitive impairment. Further studies to address this question are warranted.

A mortality prediction rule for non-elderly patients with community-acquired pneumonia.

BACKGROUND: No mortality prediction rule is suited for non-elderly patients with community-acquired pneumonia. Therefore, we tried to create a mortality prediction rule that is simple and suitable for non-elderly patients with community-acquired pneumonia. METHODS: Because of low mortality at young age, we used information from an administrative database that included A-DROP data. We analysed the rate and risk factors for in-hospital community-acquired pneumonia-associated death among non-elderly patients and created a mortality prediction rule based on those risk factors. RESULTS: We examined 49,370 hospitalisations for patients aged 18-64 years with community-acquired pneumonia. The 30-day fatality rate was 1.5%. Using regression analysis, five risk factors were selected: patient requires help for feeding, the existence of malignancy, confusion, low blood pressure, and age 40-64 years. Each risk factor of our proposed mortality risk scoring system received one point. A total point score for each patient was obtained by summing the points. The negative likelihood ratio for the score 0 group was 0.01, and the positive likelihood ratio for the score ≥4 group was 19.9. The area under the curve of the risk score for non-elderly (0.86, 95% confidence interval: 0.84-0.87) was higher than that of the A-DROP score (0.72, 95% confidence interval: 0.70-0.74) (P < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: Our newly proposed mortality risk scoring system may be appropriate for predicting mortality in non-elderly patients with community-acquired pneumonia. It showed a possibility of a better prediction value than the A-DROP and is easy to use in various clinical settings.

Symptom trends in the last year of life from 1998 to 2010: a cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Calls for improvement in end-of-life care have focused attention on the management of pain and other troubling symptoms at the end of life. OBJECTIVE: To describe changes in pain intensity and symptom prevalence during the last year of life from 1998 to 2010. DESIGN: Observational study. SETTING: The HRS (Health and Retirement Study), a nationally representative longitudinal survey of community-dwelling U.S. residents aged 51 years or older. PARTICIPANTS: 7204 HRS participants who died while enrolled in the study and their family respondents. MEASUREMENTS: Proxy-reported pain during the last year of life and other symptoms for at least 1 month during the last year of life. Trends in pain intensity and symptom prevalence were analyzed for all decedents and within the categories of sudden death, cancer, congestive heart failure or chronic lung disease, and frailty. RESULTS: Between 1998 and 2010, proxy reports of the prevalence of any pain increased for all decedents from 54.3% (95% CI, 51.6% to 57.1%) to 60.8% (CI, 58.2% to 63.4%), an increase of 11.9% (CI, 3.1% to 21.4%). Reported prevalences of depression and periodic confusion also increased for all decedents by 26.6% (CI, 14.5% to 40.1%) and 31.3% (CI, 18.6% to 45.1%), respectively. Individual symptoms increased in prevalence among specific decedent categories, except in cancer, which showed no significant changes. The prevalence of moderate or severe pain did not change among all decedents or in any specific decedent category. LIMITATION: Use of proxy reports and limited information about some patient and surrogate variables. CONCLUSION: Despite national efforts to improve end-of-life care, proxy reports of pain and other alarming symptoms in the last year of life increased from 1998 to 2010. PRIMARY FUNDING SOURCE: National Institute of Nursing Research.

Emergence delirium is related to the invasiveness of strabismus surgery in preschool-age children.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the correlation between preoperative anxiety and emergence delirium (ED), and to identify other factors that contribute to ED (such as invasiveness of surgery), in preschool-age paediatric patients undergoing strabismus surgery. METHODS: This prospective observational study enrolled Korean children (aged 2-5 years), scheduled for strabismus surgery. After completing the modified Yale Preoperative Anxiety Scale, general anaesthesia was induced. Postoperatively, Pediatric Anesthesia Emergence Delirium (PAED) scores (used as an index of the degree of ED) and a four-point delirium scale (ED incidence), were collected and measured every 5 min. Patients were categorized according to the degree of surgical invasiveness: group U-S, single-muscle correction in a unilateral eye; group U-M, multiple-muscle correction in a unilateral eye; group B-S, single-muscle correction in bilateral eyes; group B-M, multiple-muscle correction in bilateral eyes. RESULTS: A total of 90 paediatric patients participated in the study. Maximum PAED scores did not correlate with the presence of preoperative anxiety. The maximum PAED score of group B-M was significantly higher than scores observed in other groups. CONCLUSIONS: Preoperative anxiety was not related to ED in preschool-age paediatric patients undergoing strabismus surgery. The incidence and severity of ED was higher in patients who underwent more complicated strabismus surgery, compared with those undergoing simpler procedures.

Statin use and incident dementia: a nationwide cohort study of Taiwan.

BACKGROUND: Statins are widely used in clinical treatment. However, an U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued health alert has raised concerns for the adverse effects of statin-associated confusion and memory loss in the elderly people. It is necessary to clarify the relationship between statin use and risk of incident dementia as well as whether class effects exist. METHODS: In this population-based retrospective cohort study, total 33,398 patients aged ≥ 60 years were selected from a subset of the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Databases and followed up for tracking the occurrence of any type of dementia from 2000 to 2010. The Cox proportional hazards models were used. RESULTS: Compared to nonusers, statin users had a significantly lower risk of incident dementia (hazard ratio [HR], 0.78; 95% CI, 0.72-0.85, p<0.001). The potency and the cumulative duration of statin utilized were associated with the reducing risk of dementia. After stratifying by gender, the risk of incident dementia was lower in female statin users (HR, 0.76; 95% CI, 0.68-0.85, p<0.001) than in male statin users (HR, 0.86; 95% CI, 0.75-0.98, p=0.024). Higher potency and longer cumulative duration of statin use were required for reducing the risk of incident dementia in male patients than in female patients. CONCLUSION: Statin use was associated with a significantly lower risk of dementia in the elderly patients in Taiwan. The potency and the cumulative duration of statin utilized played critical roles.

Chronic fatigue in adult survivors of childhood cancer: associated symptoms, neuroendocrine markers, and autonomic cardiovascular responses.

BACKGROUND: Chronic fatigue (CF) is a common late effect after childhood cancer. OBJECTIVE: Based on findings among patients with the chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), this study explored symptoms, neuroendocrine markers, and autonomic cardiovascular responses associated with CFS in childhood cancer survivors. METHODS: Long-term survivors of childhood lymphoma and acute lymphoblastic leukemia reporting CF were compared with survivors without CF. Data included patient-reported outcomes, clinical examination, head-up tilt test, and neuroendocrine markers in the blood and the urine. RESULTS: Of 102 included survivors, 15 were excluded from comparative analyses because of significant co-morbidity or pregnancy. Of the remaining 87 participants (median age 33.0 years, follow-up time 25.2 years), 35 had CF and 52 did not have CF. Compared with non-CF controls, CF cases reported a significantly (P < 0.01) higher frequency of symptoms typical of the CFS (muscle or joint pain or both and feeling confused/disoriented) and symptoms of autonomic dysfunction (palpitations, feeling intermittently heat and cold, and watery diarrhea). CF cases and controls did not differ regarding autonomic cardiovascular responses to orthostatic stress, but the CF group had lower levels of plasma adrenocorticotrophic hormone (P = 0.002) and higher levels of urine norepinephrine (P = 0.017). CONCLUSIONS: Survivors with CF reported a high symptom-burden compared with controls. There were few differences between both the groups regarding biomarkers, but slight alterations of the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis and sympathetic nervous activity were detected. CF in cancer survivors has features in common with the CFS, but further efforts are required to clarify the pathophysiology.

A new tool to asses risk of wandering in hospitalized patients.

This article describes the development and implementation of a wandering screening and intervention program based on identifying hospitalized patients with impaired cognition and mobility. A wandering screening tool developed by a multidisciplinary team was linked to appropriate levels of interventions available in the electronic health record. Advanced practice nurses (APNs) confirmed the accuracy of screening and interventions by bedside nurses for all patients who screened positive. Of 1,528 patients hospitalized during a 3-week period, 48 (3.1%) screened positive for wandering. At-risk patients were older (age ≥ 65) (66.7%), those admitted to surgical units (41.7%), Caucasian (89.6%), and men (58.3%). Thirteen (27.1%) had dementia and 45 (93.8%) had impaired cognition. Of those patients who screened positive for wandering, the APNs agreed with the bedside nurses' assessment in 79.2% of cases (38/48) about wandering risk and 89.5% (34/38 true positives) for the interventions. A two-item wandering screening tool and intervention was feasible for use by bedside nurses. Further studies are needed to determine whether this tool is effective in preventing wandering.

[Anesthesia in the elderly]. / Anesthésie de la personne âgée.

A growing number of old or very old patients benefits from a surgical procedure. Age is an independent risk factor of postoperative mortality and postoperative complications including cognitive dysfunction. The choice of anesthetic technique does not significantly modify this risk. Preventive strategies and preoperative procedures can be implemented. A multidisciplinary management involving all care providers around the patient is essential to reduce the risk of dependence after surgery which is higher in this population. Early postoperative rehabilitation is recommended in the elderly to improve the prognosis.

Predicting mortality among older adults hospitalized for community-acquired pneumonia: an enhanced confusion, urea, respiratory rate and blood pressure score compared with pneumonia severity index.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Pneumonia Severity Index (PSI) predicts mortality better than Confusion, Urea >7 mmol/L, Respiratory rate >30/min, low Blood pressure: diastolic blood pressure <60 mm Hg or systolic blood pressure <90 mm Hg, and age >65 years (CURB-65) for community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) but is more cumbersome. The objective was to determine whether CURB enhanced with a small number of additional variables can predict mortality with at least the same accuracy as PSI. METHODS: Retrospective review of medical records and administrative data of adults aged 55 years or older hospitalized for CAP over 1 year from three hospitals. RESULTS: For 1052 hospital admissions of unique patients, 30-day mortality was 17.2%. PSI class and CURB-65 predicted 30-day mortality with area under curve (AUC) of 0.77 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.73-0.80) and 0.70 (95% CI: 0.66-0.74) respectively. When age and three co-morbid conditions (metastatic cancer, solid tumours without metastases and stroke) were added to CURB, the AUC improved to 0.80 (95% CI: 0.77-0.83). Bootstrap validation obtained an AUC estimate of 0.78, indicating negligible overfitting of the model. Based on this model, a clinical score (enhanced CURB score) was developed that had possible values from 5 to 25. Its AUC was 0.79 (95% CI: 0.76-0.83) and remained similar to that of PSI class. CONCLUSIONS: An enhanced CURB score predicted 30-day mortality with at least the same accuracy as PSI class did among older adults hospitalized for CAP. External validation of this score in other populations is the next step to determine whether it can be used more widely.

Admission Norton scale scores (ANSS) are associated with post-operative complications following spine fracture surgery in the elderly.

We sought to determine if low ANSS, usually associated with high pressure ulcer risk, are also associated with post-operative complications following spine fracture surgery in the elderly. This was a retrospective cross-sectional study conducted at the division of orthopedic surgery in a tertiary medical center between January 2008 and October 2010. The medical charts of consecutive elderly (≥ 65 years) patients admitted for spine fracture surgery were studied for the following measurements: ANSS, demographic data, co-morbidities, and post-operative complications. Except for pressure ulcers, post-operative complications included: acute coronary syndrome, acute renal failure, confusion, pneumonia, urinary tract infection, venous thromboembolism, and wound infection. The final cohort included 90 patients: 66 (73.3%) females and 24 (26.7%) males. Mean age for the entire cohort was 78.9 ± 0.7 years. Most patients had lumbar fractures (n=49; 54.4%) or thoracal fractures (n=26; 28.9%). Most patients underwent kyphoplasty (n=65; 72.2%). Mean ANSS was 15.9 ± 0.3, and 29 (32.2%) patients had low (<15) ANSS. Patients with low ANSS had significantly more post-operative complications relative to patients with high ANSS (1.0 ± 0.2 vs. 0.2 ± 0.1; p<0.0001). Among all post-operative complications, urinary tract infection was independently associated with ANSS (p<0.0001). Binary regression analysis showed that ANSS were independently associated with post-operative complications (p=0.001). We conclude that low ANSS are associated with post-operative complications and urinary tract infection in particular, following spine fracture surgery in the elderly. Hence, the Norton scoring system may be used for predicting and preventing post-operative complications in this population.

Admission Norton scale scores (ANSS) and postoperative complications following hip fracture surgery in the elderly.

We sought to determine if low ANSS, usually associated with high pressure ulcer risk, are also associated with postoperative complications and in-hospital mortality following hip fracture surgery in the elderly. This was a retrospective cross-sectional study conducted in a tertiary medical center. The medical charts of consecutive elderly (≥ 65 years) patients admitted for hip fracture surgery were studied for the following measurements: ANSS, demographic data, co-morbidities, postoperative complications, the need for revision procedures, and in-hospital mortality. Except for pressure ulcers, postoperative complications included: acute coronary syndrome, acute renal failure, confusion, pneumonia, urinary tract infection, venous thromboembolism, and wound infection. The final cohort included 269 patients: 198 (73.6%) females and 71 (26.4%) males. Mean age for the entire cohort was 82.8 ± 0.4 years. Most patients underwent an internal fixation (n=146; 54.3%) or hemiarthroplasty (n=92; 34.2%). Overall, 110 (40.9%) patients had low (<15) ANSS. Patients with low ANSS had significantly more postoperative complications relative to patients with high ANSS (0.77 ± 0.09 vs. 0.23 ± 0.04; p<0.0001). Among all postoperative complications, urinary tract infection was independently associated with low ANSS (p<0.0001). ANSS were independently associated with postoperative complications (p<0.0001), the need for revision procedures (p=0.019), and in-hospital mortality (p=0.016). We conclude that the Norton scoring system may be used for predicting postoperative complications and in-hospital mortality following hip fracture surgery in the elderly.

Predictive value and validation of the NEECHAM Confusion Scale using DSM-IV criteria for delirium as gold standard.

BACKGROUND: Delirium is common among older people in hospital and various instruments have been developed for detecting delirium. One of these, the NEECHAM Confusion Scale, is easy for nurses to administrate but needs to be tested further. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: The aim of the present study was to assess the validity and predictive value of the NEECHAM Confusion Scale. METHODS: The study was conducted among 149 patients aged ≥ 65, who had undergone surgery for a hip fracture. The patients were observed daily using DSM-IV criteria for delirium. The NEECHAM Confusion Scale was performed upon admission and prior to discharge. RESULTS: The incidence of DSM-IV related delirium was 24%. Patients who scored below 25 points on the NEECHAM scale had a 12 times higher risk of developing DSM-IV related delirium. During admission, the sensitivity of NEECHAM was zero because all patients with DSM-IV delirium were excluded, the specificity was 75%. On discharge, it was 100% and 91% respectively. CONCLUSIONS: This study adds to the body of knowledge that NEECHAM discriminates for delirium. It is a valid and reliable screening instrument for predicting delirium. The instrument can be used for clinical practice to identify patients who are at risk of contracting delirium and when considering prevention measures.