A case of upside-down stomach that was effectively treated by postprandial repositioning.

An 88-year-old woman with a history of stomach perforation and lumbar compression fracture was admitted to our hospital with a chief complaint of continuous vomiting, which she had experienced since the previous day. She showed vomiting, spontaneous pain and tenderness from the epigastric fossa through the left flank. In addition, she had marked kyphosis. On a CT scan, although the fornix was located in the abdominal cavity, the antrum and body had escaped into the thoracic cavity. A large volume of gastric content was observed. The patient was diagnosed with upside-down stomach from gastric volvulus and a hiatal hernia. Although we recommended surgery, the patient and her family did not agree with it. Thus, conservative therapy was selected. The patient's symptoms showed a significant improvement after the placement of a nasogastric tube, fasting and fluid therapy. After stabilization, an endoscopic examination was performed. The release of the gastric volvulus was confirmed and the nasogastric tube was removed. We instructed the patient to perform postprandial repositioning, which was based on the running shape of the digestive tract with the goal of achieving the passage of food and preventing a relapse of vomiting. The patient was instructed to first place herself in the right lateral decubitus position and then the prone position after eating. There was no recurrence of vomiting after the patient resumed eating. She was therefore discharged from our hospital. Upside-down stomach is usually an indication for surgery. However, in elderly patients, the fixation of the stomach to the abdominal wall has been reported to occur after endoscopic reduction, and conservative treatment was thus selected in this case.We herein reported a case in which postprandial repositioning was used to treat upside-down stomach.

[Long-term care level as a predictor of a poor outcome in elderly patients with pneumonia].

AIM: To determine factors associated with physical decline and a poor prognosis after hospitalization in physically dependent elderly patients with acute pneumonia. METHODS: The subjects included 112 geriatric patients (86.8±5.5 years old) with acute pneumonia consecutively admitted to an inpatient unit of Geriatric Medicine, Kyorin University Hospital in the period from April 2012 to March 2013. All patients were generally treated with broad-spectrum antibiotics according to nursing- and healthcare-associated pneumonia (NHCAP) guidelines. The patients' baseline severity of pneumonia was evaluated according to the A-Drop score and their physical dependency was assessed according to the JABC score before and after admission. RESULTS: The patients were categorized into the community acquired pneumonia group (CAP) (n=29) and NHCAP group (n=83). The patients in the NHCAP group had a longer hospital stay (NHCAP vs. CAP: 33 vs. 21 days, p=0.02), higher A-Drop scores (2.88±0.80 vs. 2.45±0.87 points, p=0.02) and were more frequently diagnosed with aspiration pneumonia (89.2% vs. 42.9%, p<0.0001) than those in the CAP group. Three patients in the CAP group (10.3%) and 13 patients in the NHCAP group (15.7%) died during their hospital stay (p=0.69). Although the rest of the patients were successfully treated for pneumonia, their physical dependency progressed after admission in both groups (p<0.0001). After adjusting for age, gender and the JABC score before admission, NHCAP (risk ratio against CAP: 6.2, 95% CI 1.2-32.2, p=0.03) and a serum albumin lower than 2.5 g/dl (RR: 7.8, 95%CI 1.7-35.7, p<0.01) were significantly associated with the progression of physical dependency after admission. CONCLUSIONS: The diagnosis of NHCAP is a risk factor for the progression of physical dependency. Therefore, palliative care may be an optional approach for frail patients.

[Examination of cases of pseudogout in succession to inflammatory disease in the elderly].

AIM: Pseudogout is an important causative disease of febrile illness in elderly patients. We experienced cases of pseudogout during or after the progression of inflammatory disease. METHODS: We investigated 14 patients with pseudogout admitted to the Department of Geriatric Medicine at Kyorin University Hospital. Seven patients who developed inflammatory disease prior to the onset of pseudogout are described in greater detail. RESULTS: The affected joint was the knee joint in 12 of 14 cases. Other joints were affected in four cases, and four patients had more than two affected joints in this series. Clear joint cartilage calcification was noted on X-rays in nine of 14 cases, and CPPD crystals were detected in two patients treated with joint puncture. NSAIDs were administered in all cases for treatment. Seven patients had a preceding inflammatory disease, with infectious disease in all cases. Repeat elevation of temperature and inflammatory reactions were seen in seven cases, with progression to bimodal disease in two cases. The average duration of antimicrobial use was 11 days. In three cases, the average duration of antimicrobial use was 33 days, and two or more antimicrobials were used for long-term treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Pseudogout appears as delayed infective disease and fever of unknown origin in the elderly. This condition may easily be overlooked until joint symptoms become apparent. It is extremely important to keep pseudogout in mind as a differential diagnosis of thermogenesis in elderly patients.