Performance of SOAR (systolic blood pressure, oxygenation, age and respiratory rate) scoring criteria in community-acquired pneumonia: a prospective multi-centre study.

BACKGROUND: severity assessment in community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is important as it is associated with significant mortality. In this study, we compared a previously suggested severity assessment rule for CAP- SOAR (systolic blood pressure, oxygenation, age and respiratory rate)- against the CURB-65 criteria. METHODS: we conducted a prospective study in three hospitals in Norfolk and Suffolk, UK. Consecutive patients with CAP were scored for severity with CURB-65 (n = 190), and SOAR (when there was sufficient information, n = 112). Mortality data was collected at 6 weeks. RESULTS: there were 100 males (53%). The age range was 18-101 years (mean 72 years, median 76 years). Sixty-five (34%) had severe pneumonia by CURB-65, and 56 patients out of 112 (50%) had severe pneumonia by SOAR. Patients with severe CAP were significantly more likely to be older, female, and to have higher urea levels and a lower PaO(2):FiO(2) ratio on admission. There were a total of 54 deaths during follow-up (33 of these in the SOAR-categorised group). There were 32 deaths (50%) in the severe and 22 deaths (18%) in the non-severe groups by CURB-65. There were 23 deaths (70%) in the severe and 22 deaths (30%) in the non-severe groups by SOAR. For CURB-65, sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values were 60.6, 72.2, 47.6 and 81.4%. For SOAR, the respective values were 69.7%, 58.2, 41.1 and 82.1%. CONCLUSION: SOAR had demonstrably better sensitivity, but lower specificity compared with CURB-65 in this patient cohort. SOAR might be more suitable for assessing disease severity as an alternative or adjunct to CURB-65, particularly in the elderly.

Spontaneous expulsion of a sharp foreign body.

Accidental foreign body aspiration is more common in children than in adults. It is one of the most common causes of accidental death in young children. Retrieval of the foreign body by rigid or flexible bronchoscopy is successful in the majority of cases. We describe a case of a 14-year-old girl who inhaled a scarf pin. Flexible bronchoscopy was partly successful and managed to bring the pin up from a segmental bronchus into the left lower lobe bronchus and then into the throat. Unfortunately, it was reaspirated by the patient into the lower trachea. A rigid bronchoscopy under general anesthesia was planned; however, the patient managed to cough the foreign body out spontaneously, thus avoiding further interventions.

Prediction of mortality in community-acquired pneumonia in hospitalized patients.

INTRODUCTION: Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is common and associated with a significant mortality. Currently recommended criteria to assess severity of CAP could be improved. METHODS: We derived 2 new criteria CARSI [confusion, age (<65, ≥65 to <85 or≥ 85), respiratory rate and shock index] and CARASI, where shock index is replaced by temperature-adjusted shock index based on previous observations. By using data of a prospective study performed in Norfolk and Suffolk, United Kingdom, we compare these new indices with the CURB-65 criteria. RESULTS: A total of 190 patients were included (men, 53%). The age range was 18 to 101 years (median, 76 years). There were a total of 54 deaths during a 6-week follow-up, all within 30 days of admission. Sixty-five (34%) had severe pneumonia by CURB-65. Using CARSI and CARASI, 39 (21%) and 36 (19%) had severe pneumonia, respectively. Sensitivity was slightly less, but specificity was higher with CARSI and CARASI indices than that of CURB-65. Positive and negative predictive values in predicting death during 6-week follow-up were comparable among 3 indices examined. The receiver operating characteristic curve values (95% confidence interval) for the criteria were 0.67 (0.60-0.75) for CURB-65, 0.64 (0.60-0.71) for CARSI and 0.64 (0.57-0.71) for CARASI. Comparing receiver operating characteristic curves for CURB-65 versus CARSI, or CURB-65 versus CARASI, there was no evidence of a difference between the tools, P = 0.35 and 0.33, respectively. There was good agreement, which was strongly statistically significant (kappa = 0.56, P < 0.0001 and kappa = 0.54, P < 0.0001, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Both CARSI and CARASI are useful in predicting deaths associated with CAP, including older patients, and may be particularly useful in the emergency and community settings.

Are shock index and adjusted shock index useful in predicting mortality and length of stay in community-acquired pneumonia?

BACKGROUND: Community Acquired Pneumonia (CAP) is a common infection which is associated with a significant mortality. Shock index, heart rate divided by blood pressure, has been shown to predict mortality in several conditions including sepsis, acute myocardial infarction and traumatic injuries. Very little is known about the prognostic value of shock index in community acquired pneumonia (CAP). OBJECTIVE: To examine the usefulness of shock index (SI) and adjusted shock index (corrected to temperature) (ASI) in predicting mortality and hospital length of stay in patients admitted to hospital with CAP. METHODS: A prospective study was conducted in three hospitals in Norfolk & Suffolk, UK. We compared risk of mortality and longer length of stay for low (=<1.0, i.e. heart rate =< systolic BP) and high (>1.0, i.e. heart rate > systolic BP) SI and ASI adjusting for age, sex and other parameters which have been shown to be associated with mortality in CAP. RESULTS: A total of 190 patients were included (males=53%). The age range was 18-101 years (median=76 years). Patients with SI & ASI >1.0 had higher likelihood of dying within 6 weeks from admission. The adjusted odds ratio for 30 days mortality were 2.48 (1.04-5.92; p=0.04) for SI and 3.16 (1.12-8.95; p=0.03) for ASI. There was no evidence to suggest that they predict longer length of stay. CONCLUSION: Both SI and ASI of >1.0 predict 6 weeks mortality but not longer length of stay in CAP.

Confusion, Urea, Respiratory Rate and Shock Index or Adjusted Shock Index (CURSI or CURASI) criteria predict mortality in community-acquired pneumonia.

BACKGROUND: Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is common and associated with a significant mortality. Shock index, heart rate divided by systolic blood pressure, has been shown to be associated with outcome in sepsis. OBJECTIVE: To examine the usefulness of two new criteria CURSI (confusion, urea, respiratory rate and shock index), and CURASI where shock index is replaced by temperature adjusted shock index in mortality assessment of CAP. METHODS: A prospective study was conducted in Norfolk and Suffolk, UK. We explored the usefulness of CURSI and CURASI which we derived and performed mapping exercise using a different cohort. In this study we compared these new indices with the CURB-65 criteria in correctly predicting mortality in CAP. RESULTS: A total of 190 patients were included (males=53%). The age range was 18-101 years (median=76 years). There were a total of 54 deaths during a six-week follow-up. All died within 30-days. Sixty-five (34%) had severe pneumonia by CURB-65. Using CURSI and CURASI, 71(37%) and 69(36%) had severe pneumonia, respectively. The sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values in predicting death during six-week follow-up were comparable among three indices examined. The Receiver Operating Characteristic curve values (95%CI) for the criteria were 0.67(0.60-0.75) for CURB-65, 0.67(0.59-0.74) for CURSI and 0.66(0.58-0.74) for CURASI (p>0.05). There were strong agreements between these three indices (Kappa values > or =0.75 for all). Repeating analyses in those who were aged 65years and over (n=135) did not alter the results. CONCLUSIONS: Both CURSI and CURASI are similarly useful to CURB-65 in predicting deaths associated with CAP including older patients.

An unusual presentation of metastatic adenocarcinoma of lung: a case report.

We report an unusual patient with primary adenocarcinoma of lung causing malignant pleural and pericardial effusions. The diagnosis was made only at autopsy as his staging computed tomography scan of chest was negative for an obvious mass lesion within the lung or pleura. Prior to his death, his symptoms were erroneously managed as left ventricular failure and community-acquired pneumonia.

CT bronchoscopy in the diagnosis of Williams-Campbell syndrome.

Williams-Campbell syndrome, a rare disorder, is characterized by a congenital deficiency of cartilage, typically involving the fourth to the sixth order bronchi, and resulting in expiratory airway collapse and bronchiectasis. The authors report a patient with Williams-Campbell syndrome with type II respiratory failure due to extensive cystic bronchiectasis and secondary emphysema. CT of the thorax showed the affected bronchi had characteristic ballooning on inspiration and collapse on expiration. Three-dimensional images of the tracheobronchial tree were constructed from a volume of data acquired by thin-slice CT scanning. Apart from confirming expiratory collapse of the affected bronchi, these images revealed an absence of the cartilage ring impressions in the bronchial wall, extending bilaterally from the mainstem down to subsegmental bronchi, suggesting cartilage deficiency.