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.

Hierbas medicinales y graves efectos adversos: angioedema de úvula causado por uso de Ecballium elaterium / Herbal medicines and severe adverse effects: uvular angioedema caused by Echballium elaterium

Herbal medicine is a growing alternative for established medicine. Many plants and herbs are currently in use for a myriad of diseases and symptoms. However, there are many reports in the literature of life-threatening adverse effects of these drugs. We report a 39 years old male, that consulted for pain in the nostrils and severe nasal obstruction, that appeared two hours after instilling Ecballium elaterirum in the nostrils. On physical examination, uvular edema was observed. The patient was successfully managed with intravenous betametasone and chlorphenamine.

Neumonía adquirida en la comunidad en el adulto hospitalizado. Cuadro clínico y factores pronósticos / Community-acquired pneumonia in hospitalized adult patients. Clinical presentation and prognostic factors

BACKGROUND: Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is a serious health problem in Chile. AIM: To study prognostic factors on admission and outcome of CAP, in immune competent adult patients, hospitalized in the Catholic University Clinical Hospital. PATIENTS AND METHODS: All adult patients admitted with a CAP in a period of 2 years were prospectively studied. Patients with immunodeficiency, solid tumors or receiving oral adrenal steroids were excluded from the study. RESULTS: In the study period, 463 patients (69 +/- 19 years, 55 per cent male) were evaluated. Ninety four percent were treated with 2nd or 3rd generation cephalosporins. Mean hospital length of stay was 10 days. Mortality during hospital stay was 8 per cent and in the ensuing 30 days, it was 12 per cent. Bacterial etiology was established in 25 per cent of cases. The most frequent pathogens isolated were Streptococcus pneumoniae (10.2 per cent), Haemophilus influenzae (3.7 per cent), Staphylococcus aureus (2.8 per cent) and Gram negative bacilli (5.2 per cent). Admission prognostic factors associated with hospital mortality were an age over 65 years, presence of comorbidity, chronic neurological and hepatic disease, suspicion of aspiration, duration of symptoms for less than 3 days, presence of dyspnea and altered mental status, absence of cough, fever and chills; low blood pressure, tachypnea, metabolic acidosis, hypoxemia, high blood urea nitrogen, hypernatremia, hyperkalemia, hyperphosphatemia, hypoalbuminemia, multilobar radiographic pulmonary infiltrates, bacteremia, high risk categories of the Fine Index (IV and V), and admission to Intermediate Care Unit or ICU. CONCLUSIONS: The features of community acquired pneumonia of these patients are similar to those reported abroad.