Implementation of the Frailty Index in hospitalized older patients: Results from the REPOSI register

BACKGROUND

Frailty is a state of increased vulnerability to stressors, associated to poor health outcomes. The aim of this study was to design and introduce a Frailty Index (FI; according to the age-related accumulation of deficit model) in a large cohort of hospitalized older persons, in order to benefit from its capacity to comprehensively weight the risk profile of the individual.

METHODS

Patients aged 65 and older enrolled in the REPOSI register from 2010 to 2016 were considered in the present analyses. Variables recorded at the hospital admission (including socio-demographic, physical, cognitive, functional and clinical factors) were used to compute the FI. The prognostic impact of the FI on in-hospital and 12-month mortality was assessed.

RESULTS

Among the 4488 patients of the REPOSI register, 3847 were considered eligible for a 34-item FI computation. The median FI in the sample was 0.27 (interquartile range 0.21-0.37). The FI was significantly predictive of both in-hospital (OR 1.61, 95%CI 1.38-1.87) and overall (HR 1.46, 95%CI 1.32-1.62) mortality, also after adjustment for age and sex.

CONCLUSIONS

The FI confirms its strong predictive value for negative outcomes. Its implementation in cohort studies (including those conducted in the hospital setting) may provide useful information for better weighting the complexity of the older person and accordingly design personalized interventions.

Dynamics of the hazard for distant metastases after ipsilateral breast tumor recurrence according to estrogen receptor status: An analysis of 2851 patients

BACKGROUND

Breast cancer (BC) patients with ipsilateral breast tumor recurrence (IBTR) are at high risk of developing distant metastases (DM). We aimed to evaluate the risk pattern of developing DM, with respect to the occurrence of IBTR, in a large series of patients homogeneously treated by conservative surgery (QUART) with a considerably long follow-up.

METHODS

Piecewise exponential model was used to investigate DM dynamics conditioning on known prognostic factors and IBTR occurrence as time dependent covariate. The model was extended to account for the timescale induced by IBTR, namely the time elapsed since IBTR to the endpoint.

RESULTS

Among 2851 BCE patients receiving QUART, 209 were assessable for IBTR. After a median follow-up of 129 months, 588 patients presented DM (CCI = 27.3%) as first event and 92 (CCI = 48.8%) following IBTR. Primary tumor size and nodal status confirmed their prognostic value. The hazard for DM was early and high in Estrogen Receptor (ER) negative BC patients; while it was initially low but increases during follow-up in ER positive cases. Patients experiencing IBTR showed DM dynamic similar to that following primary tumor, with a sudden increased risk within 24 months from surgery, regardless the time elapsed since QUART.

CONCLUSION

BC patients experiencing IBTR showed a sudden and sustained risk of DM following surgery. Our findings are consistent with the hypothesis that IBTR occurrence might act as a "time resector" for risk of DM, and provide a rationale for proper surveillance guidelines and systemic therapy for optimizing BC recurrence and appropriate choice of treatment.

Caregivers' misperception of the severity of hip fractures

PURPOSE

The aim of our study was to evaluate how the caregiver of a hip fracture patient perceives the patient's health status and autonomy in the period immediately preceding the acute event and whether these judgments are actually in line with the prognosis predicted by the medical team caring for the patient in the rehabilitation structure.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

We enrolled 147 patients of both sexes, aged ≥65 years, who were referred to our center following surgical treatment of hip fractures of various nature. At the beginning of the rehabilitation program, each patient's caregiver was asked to complete the Blaylock Risk Assessment Screening Score (BRASS) questionnaire. The same questionnaire was compiled contemporaneously by the doctor taking care of the patient.

RESULTS

Analysis of the data shows that the caregivers tend to assign lower scores than the doctor, with a mean difference in agreement with the Bland-Altman plot of -2.43, 95% CI=-2.93 to -1.93, t-test P<0.001. Furthermore, differences in objectivity emerge in the evaluation of the clinical problems of the patient in a borderline clinical condition.

CONCLUSION

This study revealed that caregivers systematically misperceive the clinical situation of hip fracture patients prior to the acute event. Altered perception of such an important factor can lead to a general lack of satisfaction with the outcome achieved by the patient at the end of the rehabilitation process. We therefore believe that an adequate, effective communication between the people making up the health care team and the patient's social and family network is the foundation of the rehabilitation process. It is precisely on this foundation that the individual's care and assistance need to be assembled.

Epidemiology of Serratia marcescens infections in NICU of a teaching and research hospital in northern Italy

BACKGROUND

Serratia marcescens (Sm) is a known cause of infection and colonization in neonates receiving intensive care. The aim of this study was to identify the risk factors for colonization and infection with Sm in Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) of a tertiary care Hospital.

METHODS

A casecontrol study was conducted from January to December 2011 in neonates admitted to the NICU. Cases are patients with a microbiologically confirmed infection or colonization, controls were randomly chosen among patients admitted to the same NICU.

RESULTS

Globally, 39 acquired infections or colonizations were identified. Among factors related to pregnancy, only premature delivery was independently associated to the risk of infection; as well as mechanical ventilation and catheterization for parenteral nutrition, considering indwelling devices. Prolonged administration with antibiotics were also related to the risk of infection. Among Sm strains which have been tested to antibiotics, all have been resistant to amoxicillin/clavulanic acid and to colistin.

CONCLUSION

This study confirms the association between Sm infection or colonization and low gestational age. Invasive medical devices and medications, strictly necessary in caresupport of preterm neonates, are likely related to Sm infection too. Preventive control strategies are expected to be effective in the control of Sm spread in NICUs.

Defining Aging Phenotypes and Related Outcomes: Clues to Recognize Frailty in Hospitalized Older Patients

Background

Because frailty is a complex phenomenon associated with poor outcomes, the identification of patient profiles with different care needs might be of greater practical help than to look for a unifying definition. This study aimed at identifying aging phenotypes and their related outcomes in order to recognize frailty in hospitalized older patients.

Methods

Patients aged 65 or older enrolled in internal medicine and geriatric wards participating in the REPOSI registry. Relationships among variables associated to sociodemographic, physical, cognitive, functional, and medical status were explored using a multiple correspondence analysis. The hierarchical cluster analysis was then performed to identify possible patient profiles. Multivariable logistic regression was used to verify the association between clusters and outcomes (in-hospital mortality and 3-month postdischarge mortality and rehospitalization).

Results

2,841 patients were included in the statistical analyses. Four clusters were identified: the healthiest (I); those with multimorbidity (II); the functionally independent women with osteoporosis and arthritis (III); and the functionally dependent oldest old patients with cognitive impairment (IV). There was a significantly higher in-hospital mortality in Cluster II (odds ratio [OR] = 2.27, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.15-4.46) and Cluster IV (OR = 5.15, 95% CI = 2.58-10.26) and a higher 3-month mortality in Cluster II (OR = 1.66, 95% CI = 1.13-2.44) and Cluster IV (OR = 1.86, 95% CI = 1.15-3.00) than in Cluster I.

Conclusions

Using alternative analytical techniques among hospitalized older patients, we could distinguish different frailty phenotypes, differently associated with adverse events. The identification of different patient profiles can help defining the best care strategy according to specific patient needs.

Appropriateness of antiplatelet therapy for primary and secondary cardio- and cerebrovascular prevention in acutely hospitalized older people

AIMS

Antiplatelet therapy is recommended for the secondary prevention of cardio- and cerebrovascular disease, but for primary prevention it is advised only in patients at very high risk. With this background, this study aims to assess the appropriateness of antiplatelet therapy in acutely hospitalized older people according to their risk profile.

METHODS

Data were obtained from the REPOSI register held in Italian and Spanish internal medicine and geriatric wards in 2012 and 2014. Hospitalized patients aged ≥65 assessable at discharge were selected. Appropriateness of the antiplatelet therapy was evaluated according to their primary or secondary cardiovascular prevention profiles.

RESULTS

Of 2535 enrolled patients, 2199 were assessable at discharge. Overall 959 (43.6%, 95% CI 41.5-45.7) were prescribed an antiplatelet drug, aspirin being the most frequently chosen. Among patients prescribed for primary prevention, just over half were inappropriately prescribed (52.1%), being mainly overprescribed (155/209 patients, 74.2%). On the other hand, there was also a high rate of inappropriate underprescription in the context of secondary prevention (222/726 patients, 30.6%, 95% CI 27.3-34.0%).

CONCLUSIONS

This study carried out in acutely hospitalized older people shows a high degree of inappropriate prescription among patients prescribed with antiplatelets for primary prevention, mainly due to overprescription. Further, a large proportion of patients who had had overt cardio- or cerebrovascular disease were underprescribed, in spite of the established benefits of antiplatelet drugs in the context of secondary prevention.

Abstract P2-06-07: Risk of metastases after ipsilateral breast tumour recurrence changes overtime according to patient and tumour characteristics: Implications for treatment

To evaluate the risk of systemic disease of early breast cancer (EBC) patients undergoing breast conservative surgery between 1970 - 2000 and experiencing ipsilateral breast tumour recurrence (IBTR). Patients and Methods The study population included EBC patients randomly assigned onto 5 Milan prospective trials (n= 915) or comparably treated outside clinical trials (n= 1060) with quadrantectomy followed by radiotherapy and with known primary tumor characteristics. Multivariable regression analysis was performed via the piecewise exponential. The model accounts other than known prognostic factors, including age, menopausal status, pathologic size, nodal status and time dependent effect for estrogen receptor (ER) for the IBTR occurrence as time dependent covariate (i.e. switching from 0 to 1 at the time of surgery for IBTR). Also the new time scale induced by IBTR occurrence, namely time elapsed since surgery for IBTR to the end-point of interest, was accounted for in the model.

Results Median follow-up was 124 months (IQ Range 96.6 – 179). At the time of analysis, 504 patients were died, 470 presented with systemic disease and 150 with IBTR as first breast cancer event. IBTR was associated with a high risk of systemic disease. This risk was dependent on primary tumor characteristics, including T size, 2 versus 1 (HR 1.79 95% CI 1.46 – 2.21), and nodal status, N1 versus N0 (HR 1.61, 95% CI 1.32 – 1.98), and N2 versus N0 (HR 3.91, 95% CI 3.13 – 4.89). Of note, ER-negative cohort had a slightly earlier and higher hazard of events overtime compared with ER-positive cohort, which, instead, presented higher hazard estimates over the long follow-up period. The most important finding concerned the new timescale induced by IBTR occurrence that revealed to have definite prognostic value, and suggest that patients with IBTR as compared with patients with no IBTR have a sudden and at least 5-fold increase of risk of systemic disease within 2 years following second surgery; of note, this risk decreases thereafter, though it never desappears. Conclusion Breast cancer patients experiencing IBTR are at increased risk of systemic disease. This risk changes overtime and is different according to initial patient and primary tumor characteristics, and hormonal receptor status. The definition of different patterns of BC recurrence can improve BC care through surveillance guidelines and can guide the design of tailored clinical studies.

Citation Format: Gennaro M, Di Cosimo S, Ardoino I, Veneroni S, Mariani L, de Braud F, Daidone MG, Biganzoli E, Demicheli R. Risk of metastases after ipsilateral breast tumour recurrence changes overtime according to patient and tumour characteristics: Implications for treatment [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2016 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2016 Dec 6-10; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P2-06-07.

Predictability of anthropomorphic measurements in implant selection for breast reconstruction: a retrospective cohort study

Background

Preoperative implant planning for breast reconstruction is often at risk of being changed perioperatively. This study examined which factors are associated with a change of implant selection.

Methods

Women who had unilateral two-stage breast reconstruction between 2002 and 2007 were studied. Inclusion criteria were photographic evidence of preoperative skin markings indicating breast dimensions and a selected implant model. Multivariable logistic regression was used to identify variables associated with a changed selection.

Results

Among the 496 women studied, 308 preoperative implant choices (62.1%) were changed during surgery. A change in plan was significantly associated with symmetrization surgery involving contralateral reduction mammaplasty (OR = 1.92; 95% CI, 1.12 to 3.29) and contralateral mastopexy (OR = 2.26; 95% CI, 1.29 to 3.96), but not with BMI. The required implant width changed more than 0.5 cm in 70 cases (14.1%) while height changed more than 0.5 cm in 215 cases (43.2%). The likelihood of a change was high for large preoperative widths (OR = 9.66 for 15.5 cm) and small preoperative heights (OR = 2.97 for 10.5 cm). At a mean follow-up of 16.6 months, patient satisfaction was good or average in 92.1% of cases and 5.9% of implants had been replaced with another model, indicating that the perioperative implant selection was usually appropriate.

Conclusions

This study documents the frequency with which implant choices, despite accurate preoperative planning, are changed perioperatively as a result of relatively small differences in anthropomorphic measurements. Perioperative recalculation of breast dimensions may have an advantage in terms of patient reoperation rates. Changes in width were less frequent than changes in height and projection. Contralateral surgery, large width, and small height were the most influential factors.

Level of Evidence: Level IV, risk / prognostic study.

Risk factors and epidemiology of Acinetobacter baumannii infections in a university hospital in Northern Italy: A case-control study

BACKGROUND

Acinetobacter baumannii has emerged as a major cause of outbreaks of hospital-associated infections with increased morbidity and mortality among those affected.

METHODS

We performed a 1:1 matched case-control study involving 68 cases in a teaching hospital in Northern Italy. Risk factors included general health conditions, comorbidities, diagnostic and therapeutic procedures, and antibiotic therapies. A multiple correspondence analysis (MCA) was performed to highlight possible association patterns among risk factors. After this, a conditional logistic regression model was applied.

RESULTS

The combined results of the MCA and univariate regression models suggest that invasive procedures performed before intensive care unit admission, in particular bronchoscopy (odds ratio, 48.06) and oxygen therapy (odds ratio, 2.11), are associated with development of an infection. Malnutrition or obesity, lack of self-sufficiency, and severe liver diseases also proved to be significantly associated with infection. When analyzing antibiotic therapies, both the number of molecules administered and duration of therapy were significantly associated.

CONCLUSIONS

Early recognition of patients at high risk, environmental hygiene control measures, appropriate antibiotic prescriptions, especially regarding carbapenems, and high-quality training of health care workers in all hospital departments are all key aspects for prevention and control of Acinetobacter infection. Further studies are needed to investigate the role of antibiotics on microbial competition dynamics in relation to multidrug-resistant outbreaks.

The recurrence pattern following delayed breast reconstruction after mastectomy for breast cancer suggests a systemic effect of surgery on occult dormant micrometastases

The purpose of this study was to characterize the recurrence dynamics in breast cancer patients after delayed reconstruction. We hypothesized that surgical reconstruction might stimulate dormant micrometastases and reduce time to recurrence. All mastectomy breast cancer patients with delayed surgical reconstruction at Haukeland University Hospital, between 1977 and 2007, n = 312, were studied. Our control group consisted of 1341 breast cancer patients without reconstruction. For each case, all patients in the control group with identical T and N stages and age ±2 years were considered. A paired control was randomly selected from this group. 10 years after primary surgery, 39 of the cases had relapsed, compared to 52 of the matched controls. The reconstructed group was analyzed for relapse dynamics after mastectomy; the first peak in relapses was similarly timed, but smaller than for the controls, while the second peak was similar in time and size. Second, the relapse pattern was analyzed with reconstruction as the starting point. A peak in recurrences was found after 18 months, and a lower peak at the 5th-6th year. The height of the peak correlated with the extent of surgery and initial T and N stages. Timing of the peak was not affected, neither was the cumulative effect. The relapse pattern, when time origin is placed both at mastectomy and at reconstruction, is bimodal with a peak position at the same time points, at 2 years and at 5-6 years. The timing of the transition from dormant micrometastases into clinically detectable macrometastases might be explained by an enhancing effect of surgery.

Adherence to antibiotic treatment guidelines and outcomes in the hospitalized elderly with different types of pneumonia

BACKGROUND

Few studies evaluated the clinical outcomes of Community Acquired Pneumonia (CAP), Hospital-Acquired Pneumonia (HAP) and Health Care-Associated Pneumonia (HCAP) in relation to the adherence of antibiotic treatment to the guidelines of the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) and the American Thoracic Society (ATS) in hospitalized elderly people (65 years or older).

METHODS

Data were obtained from REPOSI, a prospective registry held in 87 Italian internal medicine and geriatric wards. Patients with a diagnosis of pneumonia (ICD-9 480-487) or prescribed with an antibiotic for pneumonia as indication were selected. The empirical antibiotic regimen was defined to be adherent to guidelines if concordant with the treatment regimens recommended by IDSA/ATS for CAP, HAP, and HCAP. Outcomes were assessed by logistic regression models.

RESULTS

A diagnosis of pneumonia was made in 317 patients. Only 38.8% of them received an empirical antibiotic regimen that was adherent to guidelines. However, no significant association was found between adherence to guidelines and outcomes. Having HAP, older age, and higher CIRS severity index were the main factors associated with in-hospital mortality.

CONCLUSIONS

The adherence to antibiotic treatment guidelines was poor, particularly for HAP and HCAP, suggesting the need for more adherence to the optimal management of antibiotics in the elderly with pneumonia.

Widen NomoGram for multinomial logistic regression: an application to staging liver fibrosis in chronic hepatitis C patients

The interpretation of regression models results can often benefit from the generation of nomograms, 'user friendly' graphical devices especially useful for assisting the decision-making processes. However, in the case of multinomial regression models, whenever categorical responses with more than two classes are involved, nomograms cannot be drawn in the conventional way. Such a difficulty in managing and interpreting the outcome could often result in a limitation of the use of multinomial regression in decision-making support. In the present paper, we illustrate the derivation of a non-conventional nomogram for multinomial regression models, intended to overcome this issue. Although it may appear less straightforward at first sight, the proposed methodology allows an easy interpretation of the results of multinomial regression models and makes them more accessible for clinicians and general practitioners too. Development of prediction model based on multinomial logistic regression and of the pertinent graphical tool is illustrated by means of an example involving the prediction of the extent of liver fibrosis in hepatitis C patients by routinely available markers.

Drug survival and reasons for discontinuation of the first course of biological therapy in 301 juvenile idiopathic arthritis patients

The objective of this study was to determine long-term effectiveness and safety of 1st biological treatment (BT) in a cohort of 301 juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) patients (pts), non-responders to disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs), in terms of drug survival (continuation rate on therapy) and to identify the baseline predictors of treatment discontinuation. Each JIA pt enrolled in BT is prospectively assessed at the start of treatment and then every 2 months for the evaluation of safety and efficacy according to ACR-Pedi30 criteria. All clinical charts of pts who started a BT between November 1999 and July 2010 have been reviewed. Survival analysis methods suitable for competing risks were used to study time to drug discontinuation due to disease control (defined according to Wallace criteria) or failure [adverse event (AE), lack of efficacy (LaE) or loss of efficacy (LoE) according ACR-Pedi30]. A number of 301 JIA pts, non-responders or intolerant to DMARDs and treated with one or more cycles of BT, were identified. Median disease duration, from onset to the beginning of 1st BT, was 7.8 years (interquartil range 2.21-15.1). In total, there were 294 1st corses with anti-TNF agents, 5 with abatacept and 2 with anakinra. A number of 298 pts were included in the analysis for drug discontinuation (3 pts with no follow-up data after their first dose of BT were excluded). The median follow-up on treatment, before discontinuation due to every cause, was 53.7 months (range 0.45-124.45). One hundred and sixty-five pts discontinued BT: 27 due to disease control, 135 because of failure (78 AEs, 12 LaE and 45 LoE), 3 pts temporarily stopped for pregnancy. Among 135 pts who discontinued for failure, 117 switched to a 2nd BT. Among 27 pts who discontinued due to remission, 13 pts restarted on BT for relapse of disease activity (10 pts restarted with the same BT, 3 switched to a different one). Predictors of discontinuation due to AE were female gender (P=0.01) and longer disease duration (P=0.02). Predictors of discontinuation due to LaE or LoE were systemic onset and polyarthritis FR positive (vs other JIA subtypes) (P&lt;0.05) and use of mAb-anti-TNF (vs sTNFR) (P=0.02). Predictors of discontinuation due to inactive disease were male gender and shorter disease duration (P&lt;0.05). Although only few pts discontinued BT due to a complete and persistent disease control, the majority of them remained on BT for a long time, suggesting that in our cohort of JIA pts, affected by a severe long lasting refractory disease, BT was globally well tolerate and efficacious in controlling the disease.

Nailfold capillaroscopy in systemic sclerosis: data from the EULAR scleroderma trials and research (EUSTAR) database

OBJECTIVE

The aims of this study were to obtain cross-sectional data on capillaroscopy in an international multi-center cohort of Systemic Sclerosis (SSc) and to investigate the frequency of the capillaroscopic patterns and their disease-phenotype associations.

METHODS

Data collected between June 2004 and October 2011 in the EULAR Scleroderma Trials and Research (EUSTAR) registry were examined. Patients' profiles based on clinical and laboratory data were obtained by cluster analysis and the association between profiles and capillaroscopy was investigated by multinomial logistic regression.

RESULTS

62 of the 110 EUSTAR centers entered data on capillaroscopy in the EUSTAR database. 376 of the 2754 patients (13.65%) were classified as scleroderma pattern absent, but non-specific capillary abnormalities were noted in 55.48% of the cases. Four major patients' profiles were identified characterized by a progressive severity for skin involvement, as well as an increased number of systemic manifestations. The "early" and "active" scleroderma patterns were generally observed in patients with mild/moderate skin involvement and a low number of disease manifestations, while the "late" scleroderma pattern was found more frequently in the more severe forms of the disease.

CONCLUSION

These data indicate the importance of capillaroscopy in SSc management and that capillaroscopic patterns are directly related to the extent of organ involvement.

Multi-marker network in ST-elevation myocardial infarction patients undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention: when and what to measure

BACKGROUND

Data on the correlations between biomarkers to suggest cost-effective multi-marker (MM) panels predictive for ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients are lacking. We sought to explore the relationship between cardiac troponin I (cTnI), C-reactive protein (CRP), B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP), and chromogranin A (CgA) accounting for biomarkers' profiles detected within 48h from successful primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI).

METHODS

In 73 STEMI patients cTnI, CRP, BNP, and CgA were measured before PPCI and 6, 24, and 48h later. STATIS methods generalizing Principal Component Analysis on three-way data sets were employed to extract information about: 1) similarities between patients, 2) contribution of each time of sampling and 3) correlations between biomarkers' profiles.

RESULTS

STEMI patients who underwent successful PPCI emerged to have a homogeneous profile tailored on biomarkers' evaluation within 48h. Their measurements at 24h contributed the most variability and information both to patients' and to biomarkers' profiles. BNP and cTnI were highly correlated and explained the 40.1% of the total variance, whereas CgA resulted independent and explained the 26.3% of the total variance.

CONCLUSIONS

Markers' measurements at 24h after PPCI contributed most information to the definition of patients' profile. BNP and cTnI resulted interchangeable in a MM panel for reporting about the extent of necrosis.

Significance of ipsilateral breast tumor recurrence after breast conserving treatment: role of surgical removal

OBJECTIVE

To analyze the pattern over time (dynamics) of further recurrence and death after ipsilateral breast tumor recurrence (IBTR) in breast cancer patients undergoing breast conserving treatment (BCT).

METHODS

A total of 338 evaluable patients experiencing IBTR were extracted from a database of 3,293 patients undergoing BCT. The hazard rates for recurrence and mortality throughout 10 years of follow-up after IBTR were assessed and were compared to the analogous estimates associated to the primary treatment.

RESULTS

In a time frame with the time origin at the surgical treatment for IBTR, the hazard rate for further recurrence displays a bimodal pattern (peaks at the second and at the sixth year). Patients receiving mastectomy for IBTR reveal recurrence and mortality dynamics similar to that of node positive (N+) patients receiving mastectomy as primary surgery, apart from the first two-three years, when IBTR patients do worse. If the patients with time to IBTR longer than 2.5 years are considered, differences disappear.

CONCLUSIONS

The recurrence and mortality dynamics following IBTR surgical removal is similar to the corresponding dynamics following primary tumor removal. In particular, patients with time to IBTR in excess of 2.5 years behave like N+ patients following primary tumor removal. Findings may be suitably explained by assuming that the surgical manoeuvre required by IBTR treatment is able to activate a sudden growing phase for tumor foci most of which, as suggested by the systemic model of breast cancer, would have reached the clinical level according to their own dynamics.