Predictors and Outcomes of Oral Anticoagulant Deprescribing in Geriatric Inpatients With Atrial Fibrillation: A Retrospective Multicenter Cohort Study.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate prevalence and predictors of oral anticoagulant therapy (OAT) deprescribing in older inpatients with atrial fibrillation (AF), and its association with 1-year incidence of major clinical outcomes. DESIGN: Multicenter retrospective cohort study. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: Inpatients aged ≥75 years with known AF on OAT at admission discharged from 3 Italian acute geriatric wards between January 2014 and July 2018. METHODS: Data from a routine Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment (CGA), along with OAT status at discharge were recorded. One-year incidence of all-cause death, stroke or systemic embolism (SSE), and major and clinically relevant nonmajor bleeding (MB/CRNMB) were retrieved from administrative databases. Associations were explored through multilevel analysis. RESULTS: Among 1578 patients (median age 86 years, 56.3% female), OAT deprescription (341 patients, 21.6%) was associated with bleeding risk, functional dependence and cognitive impairment, and inversely, with previous SSE and chronic AF. Incidences of death, SSE, and MB/CRNMB were 56.6%, 1.5%, and 4.1%, respectively, in OAT-deprescribed patients, and 37.6%, 2.9%, and 4.9%, respectively, in OAT-continued patients, without significant differences between groups. OAT deprescription was associated with all-cause mortality [adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 1.41, 95% CI 1.68-1.85], along with older age, comorbidity burden, cognitive impairment, and functional dependence, but with neither SSE nor MB/CRNMB incidence, as opposed to being alive and free from SSE and MB/CNRMB, respectively (aOR 0.68, 95% CI 0.25-1.82, and aOR 0.95 95% CI 0.49-1.85, respectively). Conversely, OAT deprescription was associated with higher odds of being dead than alive both in patients free from SSE and in those free from MB/CRNMB. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: CGA-based OAT deprescribing is common in acute geriatric wards and is not associated with increased SSE. The net clinical benefit of OAT in geriatric patients is strongly related with the competing risk of death, suggesting that functional and cognitive status, as well as residual life expectancy, should be considered in clinical decision making in this population.

Predictors of In-Hospital Mortality in Older Inpatients with Suspected Infection.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the rate and predictors of death in older individuals with suspected infection at any time during hospital stay in a geriatric acute ward and the prognostic ability of different tools [quick Sequential (Sepsis-related) Organ Failure Assessment (qSOFA), Modified and National Early Warning Scores (MEWS) and (NEWS)] in such population. DESIGN: Prospective observational single-center cohort study. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: Among patients admitted to an acute geriatric unit of an Italian University Hospital with at least 1 sepsis risk factor, all subjects with suspected infection at admission or during hospital stay (defined as antibiotic prescription and associated culture test) were considered. METHODS: A geriatric assessment including comorbidity and social, functional, and cognitive status was performed for each patient. Clinical parameters were evaluated at least twice daily throughout hospital stay; qSOFA, MEWS, and NEWS were derived, with positive cutoffs set at ≥2, ≥5, and ≥7, respectively. RESULTS: Among 305 older inpatients (median age 86.0 years, 49.2% female), 21% died during hospital stay. Sepsis was diagnosed in 31.8% of the overall sample and in 64.1% of deceased patients. Deceased patients showed a significantly higher prevalence of prior institutionalization, functional dependence, cognitive impairment, and multimorbidity. The prognostic accuracy of the qSOFA score at infection onset was only fair (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve 0.72; 95% CI, 0.65-0.79, P < .001) and comparable with that of MEWS and NEWS. After multivariable analysis, in-hospital death was positively associated with male sex [odds ratio (OR), 2.11; 95% CI, 1.01-4.44; P = .048] and abnormal white blood cells count (OR, 4.93; 95% CI, 2.36-10.29; P < .001), platelet count (OR, 2.61; 95% CI, 1.10-6.16; P = .029) and serum creatinine (OR, 2.70; 95% CI, 1.30-5.61; P = .008), along with any of the score considered, and negatively associated with autonomy in instrumental activities (OR, 0.78; 95% CI, 0.68-0.90; P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: Prognosis in older inpatients with infection or sepsis appears to be determined both by the geriatric characteristics and by the severity of the acute event, expressed by recommended tools and blood test results.

[Taking care of the caregiver: evaluation of the degree of satisfaction, stress levels and expectations of caregivers of patients attending an ambulatory unit for Alzheimer disease evaluation]. / Prendersi cura del caregiver: valutazione del grado di soddisfacimento, dello stress e delle aspettative di caregiver afferenti ad un ambulatorio Unità di Valutazione Alzheimer.

According to literature, challenges associated with caregiving of demented should be taken into great consideration. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the knowledge about dementia and health services dedicated to demented care among the caregivers of the patients attending our Dementia Ambulatory, caregivers' level of autonomy in taking care of the demented patients, their levels of stress and the degree of their satisfaction as the services provided by our Dementia Ambulatory. Our data show how a memory clinic needs to take care of both patients and their caregivers, with particular stress on caregiver specific education and well-being.