All-cause Mortality Due to Bacteremia during a 60-Day Non-Physician Healthcare Worker Strike

This study explored all-cause mortality of bacteremia diagnosed during a 60-day non-physician healthcare worker strike in 2008. A significant change, with 5.0% (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.2-8.7%, P < .01) absolute risk increase, was seen in 90-day mortality during the strike (n = 598) compared with the rest of the study period 2000-2015 (n = 75 647)

Inhaled corticosteroids and risk of lower respiratory tract infection with Moraxella catarrhalis in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Background Use of inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) is common in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and has been associated with an increased risk of pneumonia. Moraxella catarrhalis is one of the most common bacterial causes of infectious exacerbation in COPD. Currently, to our knowledge, no studies have investigated if ICS increases the risk of lower respiratory tract infection with M. catarrhalis in patients with COPD.Objective To investigate if accumulated ICS use in patients with COPD, is associated with a dose-dependent risk of infection with M. catarrhalis.Methods This observational cohort study included 18 870 persons with COPD who were registered in The Danish Register of COPD. Linkage to several nationwide registries was performed.Exposure to ICS was determined by identifying all prescriptions for ICS, redeemed within 365 days prior to study entry. Main outcome was a lower respiratory tract sample positive for M. catarrhalis. For the main analysis, a Cox multivariate regression model was used.We defined clinical infection as admission to hospital and/or a redeemed prescription for a relevant antibiotic, within 7 days prior to 14 days after the sample was obtained.Results We found an increased, dose-dependent, risk of a lower respiratory tract sample with M. catarrhalis among patients who used ICS, compared with non-users. For low and moderate doses of ICS HR was 1.65 (95% CI 1.19 to 2.30, p=0.003) and 1.82 (95% CI 1.32 to 2.51, p=0.0002), respectively. In the group of patients with highest ICS exposure, the HR of M. catarrhalis was 2.80 (95% CI 2.06 to 3.82, p&lt;0.0001). Results remained stable in sensitivity analyses. 87% of patients fulfilled the criteria for clinical infection, and results remained unchanged in this population.Conclusion Our study shows a dose-dependent increased risk of infection with M. catarrhalis associated to ICS exposure

Mortality and exacerbations associated with Stenotrophomonas maltophilia in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. A regional cohort study of 22,689 outpatients

Abstract Objectives The clinical significance of Stenotrophomonas maltophilia in patients with COPD is poorly understood. We aimed to determine whether a lower respiratory tract culture positive for S. maltophilia in COPD patients was independently associated with increased risk of death and hospitalisation for exacerbation of COPD. Methods An observational cohort study following outpatients with COPD in Eastern Denmark between 2010 and 2018, with a follow-up period of five years. Presence of S. maltophilia was treated as a time-varying exposure, where patients were considered exposed at the time of the first isolation of S. maltophilia from the lower respiratory tract. The hazard ratio (HR) of death and hospitalisation for acute exacerbations of COPD was assessed using a Cox proportional hazards regression. Results Of the total 22,689 patients 459 (2.0%) had a lower respiratory sample positive for S. maltophilia. A total of 7,649 deaths (S. maltophilia positive: 243 (52.9%) and S. maltophilia negative: 7,406 (34.4%)) and 24,912 hospitalisations for exacerbation of COPD (S. maltophilia positive: 1,100 in 459 patients and S. maltophilia negative: 23,821 in 22,230 patients) were registered during the study period. We found that a lower respiratory tract culture positive for S. maltophilia was associated with both increased mortality: HR 3.3 (95% CI 2.6–4.3), and hospitalisation for exacerbation of COPD: HR 3.4 (95% CI 2.8–4.1). Conclusions A lower respiratory tract culture positive for S. maltophilia in COPD patients was associated with a substantially increased mortality and hospitalisation for exacerbation of COPD. Randomised controlled trials are proposed to determine whether S. maltophilia should be the target of antibiotic treatment

Additional file 1 of Mortality and exacerbations associated with Stenotrophomonas maltophilia in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. A regional cohort study of 22,689 outpatients

Supplementary Material

Use of inhaled corticosteroids and risk of acquiring Pseudomonas aeruginosa in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

BACKGROUND: Inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) are commonly used to treat COPD and are associated with increased risk of pneumonia. The aim of this study was to assess if accumulated use of ICS is associated with a dose-dependent risk of a positive airway culture with Pseudomonas aeruginosa in patients with COPD. METHODS: We conducted a multiregional epidemiological cohort study including Danish COPD patients followed in outpatient clinics during 2010–2017. ICS use was categorised based on accumulated prescriptions redeemed 365 days prior to cohort entry. Cox proportional hazard regression model was used to estimate the risk of acquiring P. aeruginosa. Propensity score matched models were used as sensitivity analyses. RESULTS: A total of 21 408 patients were included in the study, of which 763 (3.6%) acquired P. aeruginosa during follow-up. ICS use was associated with a dose-dependent risk of P. aeruginosa (low ICS dose: HR 1.38, 95% CI 1.03 to 1.84, p=0.03; moderate ICS dose: HR 2.16, 95% CI 1.63 to 2.85, p<0.0001; high ICS dose: HR 3.58, 95% CI 2.75 to 4.65, p<0.0001; reference: no ICS use). A propensity matched model confirmed the results (high ICS dose compared with no/low/moderate ICS dose: HR 2.05, 95% CI 1.76 to 2.39, p p<0.0001). CONCLUSION: Use of ICS in patients with COPD followed in Danish outpatient clinics was associated with a substantially increased and dose-dependent risk of acquiring P. aeruginosa. Caution should be taken when administering high doses of ICS in severely ill patients with COPD. These results should be confirmed in comparable cohorts and other settings