Prevalence of comorbidities and the prognostic value of the PROFUND index in a hospital cardiology unit. / Prevalencia de pluripatología y valor pronóstico del índice PROFUND en una unidad de hospitalización de Cardiología.

INTRODUCTION: The aim of this study was to understand the prevalence of comorbidities and the usefulness of the PROFUND index for the prognostic stratification of patients with comorbidities in a hospital cardiology unit. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We consecutively analysed all patients hospitalized in 2012 in the department of cardiology. We recorded the comorbidities, length of stay, hospital mortality, Charlson indices and PROFUND indices. In the patients with comorbidities, we also recorded the readmissions and mortality during a 1-year follow-up. RESULTS: The study included 1,033 patients (mean age, 67±13.1 years; 35% women), 381 (36.9%) of whom had comorbidities, with a mean Charlson index of 6.4±1.7 and a mean PROFUND index of 2.5±2.5. Compared with the other patients, the patients with comorbidities were older (72 vs. 64 years, p<.001), had a higher mortality rate (2.9% vs. 1.1%, p=.046) and longer hospital stays (8±5.5 vs. 6±5.7 days, p<.001) and were more often admitted for heart failure (42.3% vs. 15.8%, p<.001). The PROFUND index was independently associated with overall mortality (hazard ratio [HR], 1.13; 95% CI: 1.01-1.27; p=.034) and with the presence of major adverse events during the 12-month follow-up (HR, 1.09; 95% CI: 1.01-1.18; p=.026). CONCLUSIONS: A high percentage of patients hospitalized in the department of cardiology had comorbidities. These patients had a higher prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors, longer stays and greater hospital mortality. The PROFUND index independently predicted mortality and adverse events during the follow-up.

Bacteriemia neumocócica en el anciano: características clínicas y factores pronósticos / Pneumococcal bacteriemia in the elderly. Clinical features and prognostic factors

Objetivos: Analizar la epidemiología y el espectro clínico, así como identificar factores pronósticos de la bacteriemia neumocócica en el paciente anciano. Pacientes y método: De forma prospectiva, se seleccionó a pacientes ancianos diagnosticados de bacteriemia neumocócica en dos hospitales de la provincia de Málaga durante el período 1995-2001 y se compararon con un grupo control de pacientes de menos de 65 años diagnosticados consecutivamente de bacteriemia neumocócica. Para identificar factores pronósticos se realizó un análisis multivariante por regresión logística. Resultados: Se seleccionaron 72 casos de bacteriemia neumocócica en ancianos, con una edad media (desviación estándar) de 73,4 (6,9) años, el 61,1 por ciento varones. La incidencia anual media de bacteriemia neumocócica en los ancianos fue de 15,1 casos/100.000 habitantes. Ningún paciente había recibido previamente vacunación neumocócica. Los factores predisponentes más frecuentes fueron: enfermedad pulmonar obstructiva crónica (40,3 por ciento) y diabetes mellitus (25 por ciento). El origen pulmonar fue la fuente de infección más frecuente en los ancianos (el 81,9 por ciento frente al 65,3 por ciento; p < 0,05; odds ratio [OR]: 2,5; intervalo de confianza [IC]: 1,1-5,6). En el 13,9 por ciento de los casos no se pudo determinar la fuente de infección. La tasa de resistencia a penicilina fue del 23,6 por ciento. La mortalidad fue superior entre los ancianos (el 34,7 frente al 18,1 por ciento; p < 0,05; OR: 2,4; IC: 1,1-5,7 por ciento). Los factores pronósticos asociados con mortalidad de forma independiente en la bacteriemia neumocócica del anciano fueron hipoalbuminemia, presencia de infiltrados pulmonares multilobares y confusión, lo que generó un modelo con una especificidad del 97,9 por ciento y un valor predictivo positivo del 88,9 por ciento. Conclusiones: La bacteriemia neumocócica en el anciano es una entidad frecuente, cuyo origen más común es el pulmonar, y se asocia con una alta mortalidad. Se describe un modelo pronóstico con alto poder predictivo (AU)

Derrame pleural de presentación alternante y espondilodiscitis tuberculosa / Pleural effusion alternating with tuberculous spondylodiscitis

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Postoperative spondylodiskitis: etiology, clinical findings, prognosis, and comparison with nonoperative pyogenic spondylodiskitis.

We studied 31 cases of postoperative pyogenic spondylodiskitis (POS), comparing them with 72 cases of nonpostoperative pyogenic spondylodiskitis (NPOS). POS represents 30.1% of cases of pyogenic spondylodiskitis. The onset of symptoms occurred an average (+/-SD) of 27.7 (+/- 25.3) days following surgery. Predisposing factors were less frequent in POS than NPOS cases (P = .002). Neurological complications and inflammatory signs in the spine were more frequent with POS than with NPOS (P = .002 and P < .00001). Coagulase-negative Staphylococcus and anaerobic bacteria were more frequent in POS than in NPOS (P = .0001 and P = .05). Percutaneous bone biopsies yielded the etiology in 66.7% of cases, open bone biopsies in 100%, blood cultures in 55.6%, and cultures of adjacent foci in 94.4%. Eleven patients (35.5%) were cured with antimicrobial treatment, but surgical treatment was necessary in 64.5%. No relapses or deaths were recorded. Seventeen patients (54.8%) had severe functional sequelae, which were associated with inflammatory signs in the spine (P = .033), higher levels of leukocytosis (P = .05), higher erythrocyte sedimentation rates (P = .05), and paravertebral abscesses (P = .04).

Pyogenic, tuberculous, and brucellar vertebral osteomyelitis: a descriptive and comparative study of 219 cases.

OBJECTIVES: To describe a large series of patients with vertebral osteomyelitis (VO), and to compare the clinical, biological, radiological, and prognostic features of pyogenic (PVO), tuberculous (TVO), and brucellar vertebral osteomyelitis (BVO). METHODS: A retrospective multicentre study, which included 219 adult patients with VO with confirmed aetiology, who were diagnosed between 1983 and 1995 in two tertiary care centres. Of these patients, 105 (48%) had BVO, 72 (33%) PVO, and 42 (19%) TVO. RESULTS: One hundred and forty eight (67.6%) patients were male and 71 (32.4%) female. The mean (SD) age was 50.4 (16.4) years (range 14-84) and the mean (SD) duration of symptoms before the diagnosis was 14 (16.8) weeks. In 127 patients (57.9%) the vertebral level involved was lumbar, in 70 (31.9%) thoracic, and in 16 (7.3%) cervical. One hundred and nineteen patients (54.4%) received only medical treatment and 100 (45.6%) required both medical and surgical treatment. The presence of diabetes mellitus, intravenous drug abuse, underlying chronic debilitating diseases or immunosuppression, previous infections, preceding bacteraemia, recent vertebral surgery, leucocytosis, neutrophilia, and increased erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) were significantly associated to PVO. A prolonged clinical course, thoracic segment involvement, absence of fever, presence of spinal deformity, neurological deficit, and paravertebral or epidural masses, were significantly more frequent in the group of TVO. The need for surgical treatment and the presence of severe functional sequelae were more frequent in the groups of PVO and TVO. CONCLUSION: There are significant clinical, biological, radiological, and prognostic differences between BVO, PVO, and TVO. These differences can point to the causal agent and orient the initial empirical medical treatment while awaiting a final microbiological diagnosis.