A Simple Assessment of the Eating and Swallowing Functions in Elderly Patients with Pneumonia.

It is important to assess the eating and swallowing functions of elderly people because they often develop aspiration pneumonia due to dysphagia. The most reliable modalities for assessing the eating and swallowing functions are videofluoroscopic examinations and videoendoscopic evaluations; however, these diagnostic modalities often cannot be performed in elderly people. Therefore, we established the Assessment of Swallowing Ability for Pneumonia (ASAP), which is an assessment of eating and swallowing functions in elderly patients with pneumonia that can be conducted by all health care professionals, and examined the usefulness thereof. The subjects included 130 patients with pneumonia (58 males, 72 females, average age: 82.2 ± 13.0) who had been admitted to the internal medicine department at our hospital between January 2016 and June 2016. The coefficient of correlation between ASAP and the Mann Assessment of Swallowing Ability (MASA) was 0.97, indicating a strong correlation, and the area under the curves (AUC) between the ASAP and the degrees of severity were 0.98, 0.95, and 0.94, respectively. We suggest that ASAP can be useful as a modality for assessing the eating and swallowing functions in elderly patients with pneumonia.

Using oral health assessment to predict aspiration pneumonia in older adults.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the significance of comprehensive assessment of oral health using the revised oral assessment guide (ROAG) in older adults with pneumonia. BACKGROUND: Oral health plays a major role in the eating-swallowing process. The role of comprehensive assessment of oral health in older adults with aspiration pneumonia has not been evaluated in detail. The ROAG is a screening tool for comprehensive assessment and has been shown to have a high sensitivity and specificity for the assessment of oral health. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively studied 238 adults with pneumonia, aged 65 years and above, in whom the ROAG score had been assessed between December 2014 and June 2016. Participants were divided into two groups based on aspiration risk, as defined by Marik et al; correlation between the ROAG score and the risk of aspiration was evaluated. RESULTS: Two hundred and fifteen adults (90.3%) were found to be at aspiration risk. According to the ROAG score, mild-to-moderate and severe oral problems were noted in 38 (16.0%) and 200 (84.0%) adults, respectively. Aspiration risk was noted in 68.4% and 94.5% of adults with mild-to-moderate and severe oral problems, respectively (P < .0001). The area under the receiver operating characteristics curve for ROAG to predict aspiration risk was 0.72 (95% confidence interval: 0.60-0.84). Furthermore, a high ROAG score was an independent predictor of aspiration risk in our study population. CONCLUSION: In clinical practice, oral health assessment using ROAG can help predict aspiration risk in older adults with pneumonia.

Frequent Oxygen Desaturation During Sleep on the Day of Bronchoscopy Evaluated by Continuous Pulse Oximeter Monitoring.

To perform a bronchoscopy safely, it is very important to make a risk assessment before and after the procedure. There have been no reports of hypoxemia during sleep on the day after a bronchoscopic examination; therefore, we evaluated the oxygen saturation status during sleep on the days before and after bronchoscopy. Thirty patients that underwent bronchoscopy were studied. Continuous pulse oximetry monitoring was performed on the day before bronchoscopy and the day when the bronchoscopy was performed. The average oxygen saturation levels and the oxygen desaturation index (ODI) were evaluated. There was a significant increase (P < 0.05) in the ODI-3% during sleep on the day of the bronchoscopy compared to the day before the bronchoscopy. Clinicians should pay careful attention to hypoxia not only during bronchoscopy, but also during sleep on the night following the procedure.

[Tracheobronchitis as an extraintestinal manifestation of Crohn's disease].

A 27-year-old woman with Crohn's disease, who had sustained clinical remission for two years following treatment with mesalazine and nutrition therapy, was admitted to our hospital complaining of dry cough, mild dysphagia, and slight fever. A computed tomography of the chest demonstrated an increase in the thickness of the tracheal wall. Bronchoscopy showed a diffusely erythematous and edematous mucosa with whitish granular lesions in the trachea and main carina. Bronchial biopsy specimens showed epithelioid cell granuloma. We diagnosed tracheobronchitis as an extraintestinal manifestation of Crohn's disease. She was treated with 40mg/day prednisolone. Her symptoms improved immediately. However, dry cough recurred two months after prednisolone treatment, and further treatment with inhaled steroids was prescribed. Tracheobronchial involvement in Crohn's disease is rare, with only 13 cases having been reported. Tracheal involvement should be considered in Crohn's disease patients with respiratory symptoms.

[Efficacy and safety of levofloxacin in patients with nursing and healthcare-associated pneumonia].

Levofloxacin (LVFX) is one of respiratory quinolones with wide spectrum of antimicrobial efficacy for Gram-positive and -negative bacteria and also atypical bacteria, and 500 mg of intravenous LVFX infusion has recently been able to use once daily based on pharmacokinetics-pharmacodynamics in Japan. So far, there had been no reports of the prospective studies evaluating efficacy and safety of LVFX in patients with nursing and healthcare-associated pneumonia (NHCAP). This study was conducted to evaluate prospectively the efficacy and safety of LVFX in patients with NHCAP categories B and C (other antibacterial agents were allowed to use with LVFX) according to Japanese guideline for NHCAP by the Japanese Respiratory Society (JRS). LVFX 500 mg was intravenously administered once daily, and the clinical efficacy and safety were evaluated by clinical symptoms, peripheral blood laboratory findings and chest X-rays. Sixty-two patients (average age was 81.2 years old, female/male was 22/40) were firstly registered and evaluated for the safety of LVFX, and eventually 54 patients were enrolled for the evaluation of clinical efficacy of LVFX. The percentage of these 54 patients aged over 65 years old was 96.3%, NHCAP category B/C was 33/21. The efficacy of LVFX in all 54 patients evaluated was 85.2% (categories B/C of NHCAP was 81.8/90.5%). In addition, the efficacies of LVFX in each pneumonia severity category by A-DROP system by JRS in NHCAP patients were 100% in mild, 86.7% in moderate, 77.8% in severe/very severe. Nine patients (2 with liver dysfunction, 6 with renal dysfunction and 1 with thrombocytopenia) out of 62 patients were reported to have possible adverse effects of LVFX. All of the patients with liver and renal dysfunctions after starting LVFX administration demonstrated mild dysfunctions and continued LVFX treatment, and these dysfunctions normalized soon after cessation of LVFX. LVFX was changed to other antibacterial agent in one patient with thrombocytopenia, and also thrombocytopenia was normalized thereafter. In conclusion, LVFX is effective and relatively safe for categories B and C in patients with NHCAP.

[A case of rapidly ruptured pericostal tuberculosis from calcified pleural mass].

A 25-year-old Chinese man with no medical history of pulmonary tuberculosis visited to a hospital for an evaluation of chest X-ray abnormal findings of routine health checkup. Chest computed tomography (CT) demonstrated chest wall mass surrounded by calcified walls in the right anterior chest wall. Eighteen months later, he found subcutaneous mass lesion in the right hypochondriac lesion, and this mass became painful in 5 days. Therefore he visited our hospital, and his chest CT showed low density mass with thickened calcified walls in the right anterior thoracic space, small amount of right pleural effusion and subcutaneous localized mass. A needle aspiration of the right subcutaneous mass demonstrated that the specimen were all negative for acid-fast bacilli smear, culture and PCR for M. tuberculosis. On the contrary, right pleural effusion showed positive for PCR for M. tuberculosis, in spite of negative results of acid-fast bacilli smear and culture. Pericostal tuberculosis that was progressed by the rupture of old calcified tuberculous empyema in the chest wall was confirmed. Antituberculous chemotherapy, chest tube drainage for right subcutaneous mass and pleural decortication and empyema were successfully performed. Pericostal tuberculosis should be differentially considered when the calcified mass in the chest wall changes its shape.

Clinical efficacy of assessment of swallowing ability for pneumonia and other assessment tools for occurrence and mortality from pneumonia among older inpatients in a long-term care hospital.

BACKGROUND: Aspiration pneumonia is an important condition in elderly patients and detecting dysphagia early can help clinicians identify patients with a high risk of aspiration pneumonia. We previously reported the usefulness of the Assessment of Swallowing Ability for Pneumonia (ASAP) in predicting the occurrence of and mortality from pneumonia in patients in acute care hospitals; however, there are very few reports on the utility of this screening test for patients in stable condition. METHODS: Elderly patients in stable condition (n = 133) without pneumonia were prospectively enrolled. Associations between ASAP, Functional Independence Measure (FIM), Controlling Nutrition Status (CONUT), and Charlson Co-morbidity Index (CCI) scores and occurrence of/mortality from pneumonia during hospitalization were evaluated. RESULTS: The occurrence of pneumonia was observed in 27 (20.3%) patients, and 18 (13.5%) died during hospitalization. Multivariate analysis showed that low ASAP score and low FIM motor were independent predictors for the occurrence of pneumonia, and low ASAP score was an independent predictor for mortality from pneumonia. Areas under the curve for ASAP, FIM motor, FIM cognition, and CONUT scores were 0.895 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.829-0.960), 0.913 (95% CI, 0.860-0.968), 0.841 (95% CI, 0.761-0.921), and 0.753 (95% CI, 0.649-0.858), respectively, for occurrence, and 0.881 (95% CI, 0.807-0.955), 0.904 (95% CI, 0.860-0.949), 0.829 (95% CI, 0.727-0.931), 0.746 (95% CI, 0.617-0.874), respectively, for mortality. CONCLUSION: The ASAP and FIM motor are useful for predicting the occurrence of and mortality from pneumonia in elderly inpatients in long-term care hospitals.

[A case of rhabdomyolysis caused by saw palmetto of healthy foods].

An 82-year-old man visited our hospital when he developed a fever of over 38 degrees C after having consumed 5 types of health foods. He had previously been treated for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, hypertension and hyperuricemia. Blood examination on admission revealed renal dysfunction, marked elevation of C-reactive protein, and an elevated level of serum creatine kinase. According to the laboratory data and his clinical history, rhabdomyolysis complicated by acute renal failure was suspected, but his condition improved and his fever was reduced with fluid infusion. As a drug lymphocyte stimulation test was positive for only saw palmetto in the 5 health foods, we diagnosed the case as rhabdomyolysis induced by saw palmetto. We believe that this is the first case of a health food being the cause of rhabdomyolysis.

Evaluating a novel swallowing assessment as a predictor of mortality and recurring pneumonia in elderly patients with pneumonia.

BACKGROUND: Assessment of swallowing functions in elderly people with pneumonia is important. Videofluoroscopic and videoendoscopic examinations have been known as reliable assessments of swallowing functions. However, it is often difficult to use these tools in patients with pneumonia due to their poor condition and/or inadequate hospital facilities. We have previously constructed the Assessment of Swallowing Ability for Pneumonia (ASAP) as a straightforward evaluation for swallowing function. This study investigates the efficacy of the ASAP in predicting several outcomes in elderly patients with pneumonia. METHODS: Elderly patients with pneumonia (n = 130) who were admitted to Tobata Kyoritsu Hospital from January to June 2016 were enrolled prospectively. Associations between their ASAP scores and in-hospital mortality, recurrence of pneumonia within 30 days, 6-month mortality, and detection of antibiotic-resistant bacteria were evaluated. RESULTS: Lower ASAP scores were associated with higher rates of in-hospital mortality, recurrence of pneumonia, and 6-month mortality. The areas under the curve were 0.84 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.72-0.96) for in-hospital mortality, 0.76 (95% CI, 0.67-0.85) for recurrence of pneumonia, 0.74 (95% CI, 0.64-0.84) for 6-month mortality, and 0.67 (95% CI, 0.52-0.82) for detection of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Multivariate analysis showed that a lower ASAP score was an independent risk factor for in-hospital mortality, recurrence of pneumonia, and 6-month mortality. CONCLUSIONS: The ASAP was useful for predicting short- and long-term mortalities and recurrence of pneumonia.

Evaluation of the Mann Assessment of Swallowing Ability in Elderly Patients with Pneumonia.

Elderly pneumonia patients have various underlying diseases and social backgrounds, and it is difficult to predict their mortality using the current severity assessment tools. However, aspiration is a risk factor for mortality in pneumonia patients. In the evaluation of aspiration, endoscopic and video fluoroscopic methods are reliable but cannot be performed in all pneumonia patients. We evaluated the significance of the Mann Assessment of Swallowing Ability (MASA) in these patients. This study was prospectively performed between December 2014 and June 2015, and all adult hospitalized patients with pneumonia were consecutively enrolled. The MASA score was evaluated soon after admission. The outcome measures were in-hospital mortality, a recurrence of pneumonia within 30 days, 6-month mortality, and the detection of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. A total of 153 patients were ultimately included. The proportion of in-hospital mortality was greater among the severe MASA score patients than normal score patients (p < 0.01), as was the proportion of recurrence of pneumonia (p < 0.01) and 6-month mortality (p < 0.01). In addition, patients with a moderate MASA score more often experienced recurrence of pneumonia than normal score patients (p < 0.05). Furthermore, patients with a mild MASA score more often experienced recurrence of pneumonia (p < 0.01) and 6-month mortality (p < 0.05) than normal score patients. The areas under the curve were 0.74 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.67-0.82) for in-hospital mortality, 0.75 (95% CI, 0.68-0.82) for recurrence of pneumonia, 0.72 (95% Cl, 0.64-0.81) for 6-month mortality, and 0.60 (95% CI, 0.46-0.73) for detection of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. A multivariate analysis showed an abnormal MASA score to be an independent risk factor for the recurrence of pneumonia (p = 0.001) and 6-month mortality (p = 0.005). The MASA is useful for predicting the mortality and recurrence of pneumonia in elderly patients.

Impact of the number of aspiration risk factors on mortality and recurrence in community-onset pneumonia.

INTRODUCTION: The clinical significance of the number of aspiration risk factors in patients with pneumonia is unknown as yet. In the present study, we clarify the significance of the number of aspiration risk factors for mortality and recurrence in pneumonia patients. METHODS: This study included 322 patients hospitalized with pneumonia between December 2014 and June 2016. We investigated associations between the number of aspiration risk factors present (orientation disturbance, bedridden, chronic cerebrovascular disease, dementia, sleeping medications and gastroesophageal disease) and 30-day and 6-month mortality, and pneumonia recurrence within 30 days. RESULTS: Patients were categorized by number of risk factors present into groups of 0-1, 2, 3, and 4 or more. Of a total of 322 patients, 93 (28.9%) had 0-1 risk factors, 112 (34.8%) had 2, 88 (27.3%) had 3, and 29 (9.0%) had 4 or more risk factors. The percentages of patients with recurrence of pneumonia were 13.0%, 33.0%, 43.2%, and 54.2% in the 0-1, 2, 3, and 4 or more risk factor groups, respectively. The percentages of patients with 30-day mortality were 2.2%, 5.4%, 11.4%, and 24.1%, and those of patients with 6-month mortality were 6.6%, 24.5%, 30.7%, and 50.0%, in the 0-1, 2, 3, and 4 or more risk factor groups, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The number of aspiration risk factors was associated with increases in both mortality and recurrence in pneumonia patients. Therefore, in clinical practice, physicians should consider not only the presence of aspiration risks but also the number of aspiration risk factors in these patients.