Validity of pneumonia severity index and CURB-65 severity scoring systems in community acquired pneumonia in an indian setting.

Background. Little information is available from India regarding prognostic factors in patients with community acquired pneumonia (CAP). Methods. Hospital-based prospective study to test the validity of pneumonia severity index (PSI) and the confusion, urea, respiratory rate, blood pressure, age over 65 years (CURB-65) risk scoring systems in patients with CAP (n=150). Results. Although both CURB-65 class ³III and PSI class ³IV were 100% sensitive in predicting death, CURB-65 class ³III had a higher specificity (74.6%) than PSI class ³IV (52.2%) when used to predict death. In both PSI and CURB-65 risk scoring systems, mortality rate, need for intensive care unit (ICU) admission, prolonged need for intravenous (I.V.) antibiotics, prolonged duration of hospital stay and need for admission to ICU increased progressively with increasing scores. The PSI class ³IV was more sensitive in predicting ICU admission than CURB-65. The duration of hospital stay was found to have a weak but significant correlation with PSI and CURB-65 criteria. Defervescence time also had a very weak but significant correlation with PSI and CURB-65 criteria. Duration of I.V. antibiotics had a moderately strong correlation with CURB-65 criteria but a weak correlation with PSI criteria. Conclusions. Both PSI and CURB-65 were found to have equal sensitivity to predict death from CAP. Specificity of CURB- 65 was higher than that of PSI. However, PSI was more sensitive in predicting ICU admission than CURB-65.

Study of current management of community acquired pneumonia and strategies for improvement

To see that the patients admitted with community acquired pneumonia [CAP] are managed in accordance with British Thoracic society recommendations and guidelines. All patients admitted with Community-Acquired Pneumonia in medical wards admitted in large district general hospital setting in UK, were audited. The study period was between September and October 2002. Permission for the study was taken from the local hospital trust audit department. Seventy one sets of notes were reviewed leaving 38 patients appropriate for inclusion into the study. The findings observed in the record revealed that, Respiratory rate was not recorded in 36.8% [n=14] patients, level of confusion not recorded in 47.4% [n=18], Blood cultures not sent in 42.1% [n=16] patients, sputum not sent for culture in 47.4% [n=18] cases. Inappropriate antibiotics used 18.4% [n=7], treatment time of senior review not documented in 36.8% [n=14], radiographic findings not documented in 13% [n=5] cases. No follow up arrangements were made in 13.2% [n=5]. Average time of senor review was 6 hours and average time of antibiotic given after admission was 2 hours. This audit shows that even in a developed country with well-established guidelines for management of different diseases, guidelines for management of community-acquired pneumonia are not strictly adhered to. More efforts need to be made for dissemination and implementation of these guidelines

Neumonía grave del adulto adquirida en la comunidad / Severe community-acquired pneumonia in adults

Patients with severe community acquired pneumonia (CAP) need continuous surveillance and monitoring at intensive care units (ICU), where they can receive specialized support as mechanical ventilation and/or hemodynamic support. Patients that require ICU admittance represent 10 to 30% of all patients interned because a pneumonia. In this category, high complication rate, prolonged hospital stay and high mortality rate are the rule. The American Thoracic Society (ATS) criteria for severe pneumonia establishes the following main criteria: necessity of mechanical ventilation and presence of septic shock; minor criteria: systolic blood pressure < 90 mmHg, radiological multilobar involvement and PaO2/FiO2 < 250 mmHg. British Thoracic Society (BTS) criteria for severe CAP are: respiratory rate over 30 breaths/min, diastolic blood pressure under 60 mmHg, BUN > 20 mg/dl and mental confusion. In all patients with CAP it is recommended the evaluation of its severity at admission. This evaluation should be done in conjunction with an experienced physician, and if criteria for poor prognosis are met, an early admission to ICU is recommended. ATS and BTS modified criteria (CURB) are useful in this procedure. In severely ill patients with CAP it is recommended to perform the following microbiological analysis: sputum Gram stain and culture, blood culture, pleural fluid Gram stain and culture, if present and tapped, Legionella pneumophila urine antigen test, influenza A and B antigen detection tests (epidemic period: autumn and winter), and serology for atypical bacteria (Mycoplasma pneumoniae and Chlamydia pneumoniae).

El paciente con neumonía grave adquirida en la comunidad es aquel que necesita de la vigilancia y monitorización de una Unidad de Cuidados Intensivos (UCI) donde, si es necesario, puede recibir apoyo especializado con conexión a un ventilador mecánico y/o soporte hemodinámico. Los pacientes que requieren tratamiento en la UCI representan entre 10 y 30% de los pacientes hospitalizados por neumonía. En esta categoría, la tasa de complicaciones, estadía en el hospital y mortalidad son elevadas. Los criterios para neumonía grave de la Sociedad Americana de Tórax (American Thoracic Society-ATS) son: criterios mayores: necesidad de ventilación mecánica y presencia de shock séptico; criterios menores: presión sistólica < 90 mmHg, compromiso radiográfico multilobar y PaO2/FiO2 < 250 mmHg. Los criterios para NAC grave de la Sociedad Británica de Tórax (British Thoracic Society-BTS) son: frecuencia respiratoria mayor de 30 resp/min, presión diastólica menor de 60 mmHg, nitrógeno ureico > 20 mg/dl y confusión mental. En todos los pacientes con neumonía adquirida en la comunidad se recomienda evaluar la gravedad de la infección en el momento de su admisión al hospital. Esta evaluación es preferible realizarla junto a un médico con experiencia y, si presenta criterios de mal pronóstico, se sugiere trasladar precozmente a la UCI. Son útiles para esta evaluación los criterios de la ATS y los criterios de la BTS modificados (CURB). En los pacientes con neumonía grave adquirida en la comunidad se recomienda solicitar los siguientes exámenes microbiológicos: tinción de Gram y cultivo de expectoración, hemocultivos, tinción de Gram y cultivo de líquido pleural, antígeno urinario de Legionella pneumophila, antígenos de virus influenza A y B (período epidémico de otoño-invierno), y serología para microorganismos atípicos (Mycoplasma pneumoniae y Chlamydia pneumoniae).

Diseño de un índice pronóstico clinico para el manejo de la neumonía del adulto adquirida en la comunidad / Development of an instrument to assess the severity of community acquired pneumonia among hospitalized patients

BACKGROUND: Community acquired pneumonia (CAP) severity assessment is crucial. AIM: To develop a practical clinical severity assessment model for stratifying immunocompetent adult patients hospitalized with CAP into different management groups. PATIENTS AND METHODS: During a 24 months period, 455 adult patients (250 male, mean age 69 +/- 19 years old) were evaluated. All the relevant clinical information recorded and they were followed during hospital stay until discharge or death. Mortality until 30 days after admission was determined. RESULTS: The mean hospital length of stay was 9.9 +/- 9.4 days and 76% had an underlying disease. In hospital mortality was 7.6% and 10.1% at 30 days follow up. Admission prognostic factors associated with high mortality at 30 days follow up were: advanced age, presence of comorbidity, suspicion of aspiration, duration of symptoms < or = 2 days, altered mental status, absence of cough, fever and cbills, low blood pressure, tachypnea, hypoxemia and multilobar radiographic pulmonary infiltrates. A clinical prognostic index derived from a logistic regression analysis including five independent variables associated with mortality (confuson, comorbidity, low systolic blood pressure, temperature < 37.5 degrees C and respiratory rate > 20/min), enabled patients to be stratified according to increasing risk of mortality: class 1: 0.9%, class 2: 4.9%, class 3: 14.2%, and class 4: 35.6%. CONCLUSION: A simple clinical severity assessment tool based on confusion, comorbidity, blood pressure, temperature and respiratory rate could be used to stratify patients with CAP into different risk class categories and management groups.

Reglas de predicción en neumonía adquirida en la comunidad / Prediction rules in community acquired pneumonia

The determination of site of care is an essential decision in the management of patients with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). Patients with mild to moderate CAP may be safely treated at home. Instead, those patients with severe pneumonia must be hospitalized to assure an effective treatment. Severity of CAP is associated with mortality that depends both on the patient's frailty and the intensity of lung inflammation. Because there is no single predictor factor to assess prognosis, diverse prediction rules have been developed to establish severity of CAP and guide the decision of site of care. In our country a new prediction rule, derived from hospitalized patents that incorporate simple clinical variables has been developed. However, this rule requires to be validated in the ambulatory setting before its wide spread use is suggested. Prediction rules are objective and relatively accurate models to assess prognosis that may aid clinicians to evaluate patient's risks and to improve hospitalization decisions. Nevertheless, although the prediction rules may guide the initial management of patients with CAP, they are not intended to replace the clinical judgment, which remains as the art of medicine.

Mycoplasma pneumoniae community-acquired pneumonia at three hospitals in Bangkok.

BACKGROUND: Mycoplasma pneumoniae is one of the common causes of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) in children and young adults. In Thailand, there has been no prospective study to evaluate the prevalence, clinical features and laboratory findings of M. pneumoniae in adult patients with CAP. METHOD: The authors prospectively investigated the cause of CAP in adult patients at three general hospitals from September 1998 to August 1999. Paired sera were tested for M. pneumoniae infection by using particle agglutination and definite diagnosis was based on a fourfold increase in antibody titer. RESULTS: Seventeen (21.3%) of 80 patients had pneumonia due to M. pneumoniae. Mean age was 28.3 years old (range 18-40). The most common clinical manifestations were cough (100% of cases), fever (82.4% of cases), and headache (47% of cases). Eighty-eight per cent of these patients were classified as class I category, according to the ATS guideline. All patients had a white blood cell count between 4,000-12,000 cells/mm3. In addition, the common radiographic manifestations were alveolar shadowing (53%), and mixed alveolar and interstitial shadowing (29.4%). Sixteen cases (94%) were treated with the appropriate antibiotic and all patients survived without complication. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that M. pneumoniae is a common cause of CAP in Bangkok, Thailand. This type of pneumonia usually occurs in young adults and can usually be treated as ambulatory patients.

Antimicrobial therapy for community-acquired pneumonia in adults

This is part of the series of practice guidelines commissioned by the Brazilian Society for Infectious Diseases through its Practice Guidelines Committee. The purpose of these guidelines is to provide assistance to clinicians in the antimicrobial treatment of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) in immunocompetent adults. Panel members and consultants are experts in adult infectious diseases. The guidelines are evidence based where possible. The recommendations included in this document were elaborated based on the most frequently isolated pathogens and their antimicrobial susceptibilities. The etiology was based mainly on international studies, since there are very few regional data. On the other hand, the antimicrobial susceptibilities of main bacterial causes of CAP were based on the results of several antimicrobial resistance surveillance studies recently performed in Brazil. Other reference guidelines for the treatment of CAP, such as those elaborated by the Infectious Diseases Society of America and by the Canadian Infectious Diseases Society, were also discussed by the group during the elaboration of this document.