Carbapenemase-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae in elderly frail patients admitted to medical wards

Carbapenemase-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae (CPKP) is rapidly emerging as a leading nosocomial infection in many countries, especially in Italy where it is considered endemic. In this paper we briefly summarize the main characteristics of this outbreak, focusing on its recent spread to elderly frail patients admitted to internal medicine and geriatric wards. Severity of disease, clinical complexity and a large number of comorbidities seem to be major risk factors in clinical practice, although scientific evidence is still lacking, since until now studies have been carried out mainly in intensive care settings. We also discuss the possible role of gut microbiota in CPKP colonization onset and the possible role of pre-probiotics in promoting eradication

Defining SARS-CoV-2 breakthrough infection needing hospitalization in mass vaccination era: from disease-centered to patient-centered care

After the implementation of mass vaccination campaigns, breakthrough infections by SARS-CoV-2 are being increasingly observed worldwide, due to high pervasiveness of viral spread, emergence of novel variants, progressive ease of restrictive measures and waning protection against infection. Although breakthrough infections have generally lower clinical severity than COVID-19 in unvaccinated subjects, a consistent number of patients may still require hospitalization. These patients are generally old, frail and with a high number of comorbidities. Despite COVID-19-related symptoms are generally milder, they may still exhibit complicated clinical course for their intrinsic clinical complexity. The organization of hospital care should thus consider the changing epidemiology of patients admitted with SARS-CoV-2 infection in the post-vaccine era, to improve the quality and appropriateness of care

The Geriatric Patient: The Ideal One for Chest Ultrasonography? A Review From the Chest Ultrasound in the Elderly Study Group (GRETA) of the Italian Society of Gerontology and Geriatrics (SIGG)

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the current evidence on the use of point-of-care chest ultrasonography in older patients and geriatric settings and present the current state of the art of chest ultrasound applications. DESIGN: Special article based on a literature review with narrative analyses and expert clinical knowledge. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: All studies performed in a geriatric setting were included. Observational and intervention studies and meta-analyses including participants aged ≥70 years were also considered, even if not specifically focused on a geriatric setting. MEASURES: Data on participant characteristics, diagnostic accuracy of chest ultrasonography, and outcomes were collected for each considered study. Data were analyzed and discussed with a particular focus on the possible applications and advantages of chest ultrasonography in geriatric medicine, underlining the possible areas of future research. RESULTS: We found only 5 studies on the diagnostic accuracy and prognostic relevance of chest ultrasonography in geriatrics. However, several studies performed in emergency departments, intensive care units, and internal medicine wards included a large number of participants ≥70 years old; they suggest that chest ultrasonography may represent a valid aid to the diagnostics of acute dyspnea, pneumonia, acute heart failure, pneumothorax, and pleural diseases, with an accuracy in some cases superior to standard x-rays, especially when mobility limitation is present. Diaphragm ultrasonography may also represent a valid tool to guide mechanical ventilation weaning in older patients with acute respiratory failure. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: Chest ultrasonography may represent a valid bedside diagnostic aid to the management of acute respiratory diseases in older patients. However, specific evidence is lacking for geriatric patients. Future research will need to focus on defining the reference standards and the diagnostic accuracy for older patients with frailty and multimorbidity, cost-efficacy and cost-effectiveness of the technique, its impact for clinical outcomes, and role for follow-up in the post-acute care

Fad diets and their effect on urinary stone formation

Abstract: The influence of unhealthy dietary habits on urinary stone formation has been widely recognized in literature. Dietary advice is indeed the cornerstone prescription for prevention of nephrolithiasis as well. However, only a small amount of medical literature has addressed the influence of popular or fad diets, often self-prescribed for the management of obesity and overweight or for cultural beliefs, on the risk of kidney stones. Thereby in this paper we analyze the current knowledge on the effects of some popular diets on overall lithogenic risk. High-protein diets, like Dukan diet, raise some concerns, since animal proteins are able to increase urinary calcium and to decrease urinary citrate excretion, thus leading to a high overall lithogenic risk. Low-carbohydrate diets, like Atkins diet or zone diet, may have a protective role against kidney stone formation, but there are also evidences stating that this dietary approach may rise calciuria and decrease citraturia, since it is generally associated to a relatively high intake of animal proteins. Vegan diet can be harmful for urinary stone disease, especially for the risk of hyperuricemia and micronutrient deficiencies, even if only few studies have addressed this specific matter. On the other side, the benefits of a lacto-ovo-vegetarian diet on kidney stone prevention have been largely emphasized, provided that the intake of calcium and oxalate is balanced. Traditional Mediterranean diet should exert a protective effect on nephrolithiasis as well, even if specific studies have not been carried out yet. High phytate and antioxidant content of this diet have however demonstrated to be beneficial in preventing the formation of new or recurrent calculi. Anyway, at the current state of knowledge, the most effective dietary approach to prevent kidney stone disease is a mild animal protein restriction, a balanced intake of carbohydrates and fats and a high intake of fruit and vegetables. Other fundamental aspects, which are often neglected in fad diets, are a normal intake of milk and dairy products and salt restriction. All these nutritional aspects should be greatly taken into account when patients who are willing to undergo fad or commercial diets ask for dietary advice

Chest ultrasound in italian geriatric wards: Use, applications and clinicians’ attitudes

Background and aims. Bedside chest ultrasound has emerged as a versatile and accurate diagnostic tool for the management of respiratory conditions in several clinical settings, integrating traditional imaging. The current utilization of this technique in geriatric hospital wards is still unknown. Our aim was to assess availability, uses and applications of chest ultrasonography in a convenience sample of 25 Italian geriatric wards. Methods. A questionnaire, based on the current literature state-of-the-art, was e-mailed to head doctors of geriatric wards of Italian hospitals. The questionnaire explored ultrasound equipment availability, practice of chest ultrasound, expertise of ward physicians, clinical indications, and perceived impact on patient care. Results. Ultrasound equipment was available in 92% of wards, and chest ultrasound was performed in 82% of cases. Among the wards where chest ultrasound was performed, it was considered as routine assessment in only 52% of cases, mainly for diagnosis of pleural effusions (95%) and acute heart failure (89%), assessment of volemic state (79%), and assistance to invasive procedures (79%). It was used in emergency/ urgency assessment of acute dyspnea in only 53% of cases. In most wards, only three or less physicians were able to perform chest ultrasound. In 53% of cases, head doctors declared that they perceived benefits of chest ultrasound in patient care in only selected cases. Conclusions. Chest ultrasound utilization in Italian geriatric wards is inhomogeneous, and the number of trained physicians is still limited. Geriatricians’ attitude towards chest ultrasound is generally cautious. Research and training programs are needed to spread the correct use of this technique in geriatric practice

Delirium in COVID-19: epidemiology and clinical correlations in a large group of patients admitted to an academic hospital

Background: Delirium incidence and clinical correlates in coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) pneumonia are still poorly investigated. Aim: To describe the epidemiology of delirium in patients hospitalized for suspect COVID-19 pneumonia during the pandemic peak in an academic hospital of Northern Italy, identify its clinical correlations and evaluate the association with mortality. Methods: The clinical records of 852 patients admitted for suspect COVID-19 pneumonia, defined as respiratory symptoms or fever or certain history of contact with COVID-19 patients, plus chest CT imaging compatible with alveolar-interstitial pneumonia, were retrospectively analyzed. Delirium was defined after careful revision of daily clinical reports in accordance with the Confusion Assessment Method criteria. Data on age, clinical presentation, comorbidities, drugs, baseline lab tests and outcome were collected. The factors associated with delirium, and the association of delirium with mortality, were evaluated through binary logistic regression models. Results: Ninety-four patients (11%) developed delirium during stay. They were older (median age 82, interquartile range, IQR 78–89, vs 75, IQR 63–84, p < 0.001), had more neuropsychiatric comorbidities and worse respiratory exchanges at baseline. At multivariate models, delirium was independently and positively associated with age [odds ratio (OR) 1.093, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.046–1.143, p < 0.001], use of antipsychotic drugs (OR 4.529, 95% CI 1.204–17.027, p = 0.025), serum urea and lactate-dehydrogenase at admission. Despite a higher mortality in patients with delirium (57% vs 30%), this association was not independent of age and respiratory parameters. Conclusions: Delirium represents a common complication of COVID-19 and a marker of severe disease course, especially in older patients with neuropsychiatric comorbidity

Is lung ultrasound score a useful tool to monitoring and handling moderate and severe COVID-19 patients in the general ward? An observational pilot study

Lung ultrasound is a well-established diagnostic tool in acute respiratory failure, and it has been shown to be particularly suited for the management of COVID-19-associated respiratory failure. We present exploratory analyses on the diagnostic and prognostic performance of lung ultrasound score (LUS) in general ward patients with moderate-to-severe COVID-19 pneumonia receiving O2 supplementation and/or noninvasive ventilation. From March 10 through May 1, 2020, 103 lung ultrasound exams were performed by our Forward Intensive Care Team (FICT) on 26 patients (18 males and 8 females), aged 62 (54 – 76) and with a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 30.9 (28.7 – 31.5), a median 6 (5 – 9) days after admission to the COVID-19 medical unit of the University Hospital of Parma, Italy. All patients underwent chest computed tomography (CT) the day of admission. The initial LUS was 16 (11 – 21), which did not significantly correlate with initial CT scans, probably due to rapid progression of the disease and time between CT scan on admission and first FICT evaluation; conversely, LUS was significantly correlated with PaO2/FiO2 ratio throughout patient follow-up [R = − 4.82 (− 6.84 to − 2.80; p < 0.001)]. The area under the receiving operating characteristics curve of LUS for the diagnosis of moderate-severe disease (PaO2/FiO2 ratio ≤ 200 mmHg) was 0.73, with an optimal cutoff value of 11 (positive predictive value: 0.98; negative predictive value: 0.29). Patients who eventually needed invasive ventilation and/or died during admission had significantly higher LUS throughout their stay

Accounting for frailty and multimorbidity when interpreting high-sensitivity troponin I tests in oldest old

Background Older patients evaluated in Emergency Departments (ED) for suspect Myocardial Infarction (MI) frequently exhibit unspecific elevations of serum high-sensitivity troponin I (hs-TnI), making interpretation particularly challenging for emergency physicians. The aim of this longitudinal study was to identify the interaction of multimorbidity and frailty with hs-TnI levels in older patients seeking emergency care. Methods A group of patients aged≥75 with suspected MI was enrolled in our acute geriatric ward immediately after ED visit. Multimorbidity and frailty were measured with Cumulative Illness Rating Scale (CIRS) and Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS), respectively. The association of hs-TnI with MI (main endpoint) was assessed by calculation of the Area Under the Receiver-Operating Characteristic Curve (AUROC), deriving population-specific cut-offs with Youden test. The factors associated with hs-TnI categories, including MI, CFS and CIRS, were determined with stepwise multinomial logistic regression. The association of hs-TnI with 3-month mortality (secondary endpoint) was also investigated with stepwise logistic regression. Results Among 268 participants (147 F, median age 85, IQR 80–89), hs-TnI elevation was found in 191 cases (71%, median 23 ng/L, IQR 11–65), but MI was present in only 12 cases (4.5%). hs-TnI was significantly associated with MI (AUROC 0.751, 95% CI 0.580–0.922, p = 0.003), with an optimal cut-off of 141 ng/L. hs-TnI levels ≥141 ng/L were significantly associated with CFS (OR 1.58, 95% CI 1.15–2.18, p = 0.005), while levels <141 ng/L were associated with the cardiac subscore of CIRS (OR 1.36, 95% CI 1.07–1.71, p = 0.011). CFS, but not hs-TnI levels, predicted 3-month mortality. Conclusions In geriatric patients with suspected MI, frailty and cardiovascular multimorbidity should be carefully considered when interpreting emergency hs-TnI testing

Comorbidities and disease severity as risk factors for carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae colonization: report of an experience in an internal medicine unit

Carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (CRKP) is an emerging multidrug-resistant nosocomial pathogen, spreading to hospitalized elderly patients. Risk factors in this setting are unclear. Our aims were to explore the contribution of multi-morbidity and disease severity in the onset of CRKP colonization/infection, and to describe changes in epidemiology after the institution of quarantine-ward managed by staff-cohorting