Multidimensional prognostic index (MPI) predicts non-invasive ventilation failure in older adults with acute respiratory failure

The multidimensional prognostic index (MPI) predicts long-term mortality in old type 2 diabetes mellitus patients: a 13-year follow-up study

PURPOSE

The Multidimensional Prognostic Index (MPI) is a tool capable of holistically frame older patients in different settings and affected by different pathologies, establishing a risk of adverse events. Among them, type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), a common metabolic disease in the elderly, is responsible for complications and deaths. Few previous works have focused specifically on MPI and DM, and none have followed up the patients for more than 3 years. The aim of the present study is to analyze MPI accuracy in predicting mortality in a cohort of T2DM patients followed-up for 13 years.

METHODS

The enrolled subjects were evaluated with MPI, identifying three levels of risk: MPI1 (low risk, 0.0-0.33), MPI2 (moderate risk, 0.34-0.66), and MPI3 (severe risk, 0.67-1.0), and with glycated hemoglobin, and years since T2DM diagnosis.

RESULTS

One hundred and seven patients met the inclusion criteria. MPI3 was excluded by further analysis since it was made up of only three patients. Overall, cognitive performances, autonomies in daily living, nutritional status, risk of pressure injuries, comorbidities, and taken drugs were better (p ≤ 0.0077) in MPI1 than MPI2; moreover, the story of T2DM was shorter (p = 0.0026). Cox model showed an overall 13-year survival of 51.9%, and survival rates were significantly smaller in MPI2 (HR: 4.71, p = 0.0007). Finally, increased age (HR: 1.15), poorer cognitive abilities (HR: 1.26), vascular (HR: 2.15), and kidney (HR: 2.17) diseases were independently associated with death.

CONCLUSION

Our results prove that MPI predicts short-, mid-, and even long-term mortality in T2DM patients, whose death seems to be related to age and cognitive status, and even more to vascular and kidney diseases.

Biomarkers for risk stratification and antibiotic stewardship in elderly patients

PURPOSE

Optimal treatment of infections in the elderly patients population is challenging because clinical symptoms and signs may be less specific potentially resulting in both, over- and undertreatment. Elderly patients also have a less pronounced immune response to infection, which may influence kinetics of biomarkers of infection.

METHODS

Within a group of experts, we critically reviewed the current literature regarding biomarkers for risk stratification and antibiotic stewardship in elderly patients with emphasis on procalcitonin (PCT).

RESULTS

The expert group agreed that there is strong evidence that the elderly patient population is particularly vulnerable for infections and due to ambiguity of clinical signs and parameters in the elderly, there is considerable risk for undertreatment. At the same time, however, this group of patients is particularly vulnerable for off-target effects from antibiotic treatment and limiting the use of antibiotics is therefore important. The use of infection markers including PCT to guide individual treatment decisions has thus particular appeal in geriatric patients. For the elderly, there is evidence that PCT is a valuable biomarker for assessing the risk of septic complications and adverse outcomes, and helpful for guiding individual decisions for or against antibiotic treatment. There is need for additional educational efforts regarding the concept of "biomarker-guided antibiotic stewardship" for health care providers caring for elderly patients.

CONCLUSION

Use of biomarkers, most notably PCT, has high potential to improve the antibiotic management of elderly patients with possible infection for improving both, undertreatment and overtreatment. Within this narrative review, we aim to provide evidence-based concepts for the safe and efficient use of PCT in elderly patients.

A multidimensional approach to older patients during COVID-19 pandemic: a position paper of the Special Interest Group on Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment of the European Geriatric Medicine Society (EuGMS)

PURPOSE

The COVID-19 pandemic has been a dramatic trigger that has challenged the intrinsic capacity of older adults and of society. Due to the consequences for the older population worldwide, the Special Interest Group on Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment (CGA) of the European Geriatric Medicine Society (EuGMS) took the initiative of collecting evidence on the usefulness of the CGA-based multidimensional approach to older people during the COVID-19 pandemic.

METHODS

A narrative review of the most relevant articles published between January 2020 and November 2022 that focused on the multidimensional assessment of older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic.

RESULTS

Current evidence supports the critical role of the multidimensional approach to identify older adults hospitalized with COVID-19 at higher risk of longer hospitalization, functional decline, and short-term mortality. This approach appears to also be pivotal for the adequate stratification and management of the post-COVID condition as well as for the adoption of preventive measures (e.g., vaccinations, healthy lifestyle) among non-infected individuals.

CONCLUSION

Collecting information on multiple health domains (e.g., functional, cognitive, nutritional, social status, mobility, comorbidities, and polypharmacy) provides a better understanding of the intrinsic capacities and resilience of older adults affected by SARS-CoV-2 infection. The EuGMS SIG on CGA endorses the adoption of the multidimensional approach to guide the clinical management of older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Safety Assessment of Low-Flow Oxygenation Device: Quasi-Experimental Study

The objective of this study was to verify the feasibility of using an Oxygenation Device with Reservoir and Positive End-Expiratory Pressure (ODRPEEP; DORPEEP in Spanish) and to analyze its safety with respect to mask leaks and carbon dioxide retention measured upon expiration. A quasi-experimental pilot study was designed with eight volunteers in two experiments to determine the degree of leaks from the device, according to the observation of water vapor particle diffusion, on the one hand, and of thermal images on the other. The results from this study showed that the mask from the DORPEEP^© device at is tightest fit provided an adequate seal, although not fully airtight. In the thermal images and in the experiment with water vapor in our study, dispersions were mainly observed in the lower area in individuals with a beard. The DORPEEP^© device was shown to have only slight leaks.

Biomarkers of aging in real life: three questions on aging and the comprehensive geriatric assessment

Measuring intrinsic, biological age is a central question in medicine, which scientists have been trying to answer for decades. Age manifests itself differently in different individuals, and chronological age often does not reflect such heterogeneity of health and function. We discuss here the value of measuring age and aging using the comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA), cornerstone of geriatric medicine, and operationalized assessment tools for prognosis. Specifically, we review the benefits of employing the multidimensional prognostic index (MPI), which collects information about eight domains relevant for the global assessment of the older person (functional and cognitive status, nutrition, mobility and risk of pressure sores, multi-morbidity, polypharmacy, and co-habitation), in the evaluation of the functional status, and in the prediction of health outcomes for older adults. Further integration of biological markers of aging into multidimensional prognostic tools is warranted, as well as actions which could facilitate prognostic assessments for older persons in all healthcare settings.

Can the Multidimensional Prognostic Index Improve the Identification of Older Hospitalized Patients with COVID-19 Likely to Benefit from Mechanical Ventilation? An observational, prospective, multicenter study

Objective

Data on prognostic tools for indicating mechanical ventilation in older people with COVID-19 are still limited. The aim of this research was to evaluate if the Multidimensional Prognostic Index (MPI), based on the Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment (CGA), may help physicians in identifying older hospitalized patients affected by COVID-19 who might benefit from mechanical ventilation.

Design

Longitudinal, multicenter study.

Settings and Participants

502 older people hospitalized for COVID-19 in 10 European hospitals.

Methods

MPI was calculated using 8 different domains typical of the CGA. A propensity score, Cox's regression analysis was used for assessing the impact of mechanical ventilation on rehospitalization/mortality for 90 days' follow-up, stratified by MPI = 0.50. The accuracy of MPI in predicting negative outcomes (ie, rehospitalization/mortality) was assessed using the area under the curve (AUC), and the discrimination with several indexes like the Net Reclassification Improvement (NRI) and the Integrated Discrimination Improvement (IDI).

Results

Among 502 older people hospitalized for COVID-19 (mean age: 80 years), 152 were treated with mechanical ventilation. In the propensity score analysis, during the 90-day follow-up period, there were 44 rehospitalizations and 95 deaths. Mechanical ventilation in patients with MPI values ≥ 0.50, indicating frailer participants, was associated with a higher risk of rehospitalization/mortality (hazard ratio 1.56, 95% CI 1.09-2.23), whereas in participants with MPI values < 0.50 this association was not significant. The accuracy of the model including age, sex, respiratory parameters, and MPI was good (AUC = 0.783) as confirmed by an NRI of 0.2756 (P < .001) and an IDI of 0.1858 (P < .001), suggesting a good discrimination of the model in predicting negative outcomes.

Conclusions and Implications

MPI could be useful for better individualizing older people hospitalized by COVID-19 who could benefit from mechanical ventilation.

Prevalence of multidimensional frailty and pre-frailty in older people in different settings: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Frailty is a common condition in older people. The epidemiological data available, however, are mainly based on the physical frailty phenotype. An extensive literature has suggested that frailty should be identified using a multidimensional approach. Based on these recommendations, we estimated the prevalence of frailty and pre-frailty in the older population, using the multidimensional prognostic index (MPI), a common tool for defining multidimensional frailty. We searched several databases until 10th May 2021 for studies reporting the prevalence of frailty according to MPI values. MPI was categorized, where possible, in < 0.33 (robustness), 0.33-0.66 (pre-frailty) and > 0.66 (frailty) or using a RECursive Partition and AMalgamation approach. A meta-analysis of the prevalence, with the correspondent 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of pre-frailty and frailty was performed stratified by setting (population-based, ambulatory, nursing home, and hospital). Among 177 papers initially screened, we included 57 studies for a total of 56,407 older people. The mean age was 78.6 years, with a slight prevalence of women (58%). The overall prevalence of multidimensional frailty (MPI-3) was 26.8% (95%CI: 22.1-31.5), being higher in nursing home setting (51.5%) and lower in population-based studies (13.3%). The prevalence of pre-frailty (MPI-2) was 36.4% (95%CI: 33.1-39.7), being higher in hospital setting (39.3%) and lower in nursing home (20%). In conclusion, frailty and pre-frailty, according to a multidimensional definition, are common in older people affecting, respectively, one person over four and one over three. Our work further strengths the importance of screening frailty in older people using a multidimensional approach.

The multidimensional prognostic index (MPI) for the prognostic stratification of older inpatients with COVID-19: A multicenter prospective observational cohort study

Background

The topic of prognosis in COVID-19 research may be important in adopting appropriate clinical decisions. Multidimensional prognostic index (MPI) is a frailty assessment tool widely used for stratifying prognosis in older people, but data regarding inpatients, affected by COVID-19, are not available.

Objectives

To evaluate whether MPI can predict in-hospital mortality and the admission to intensive care unit (ICU) in older inpatients hospitalized for COVID-19 infection.

Methods

In this longitudinal, Italian, multi-center study, older patients with COVID-19 were included. MPI was calculated using eight different domains typical of comprehensive geriatric assessment and categorized in three groups (MPI 1 ≤ 0.33, MPI 2 0.34–0.66, MPI 3 > 0.66). A multivariable Cox's regression analysis was used reporting the results as hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs).

Results

227 older patients hospitalized for SARS-CoV-2 infection were enrolled (mean age: 80.5 years, 59% females). Inpatients in the MPI 3 were subjected less frequently than those in the MPI 1 to non-invasive ventilation (NIV). In the multivariable analysis, people in MPI 3 experienced a higher risk of in hospital mortality (HR = 6.30, 95%CI: 1.44–27.61), compared to MPI 1. The accuracy of MPI in predicting in hospital mortality was good (Area Under the Curve (AUC) = 0.76, 95%CI: 0.68–0.83). People in MPI 3 experienced a significant longer length of stay (LOS) in hospital compared to other participants. No association between MPI and ICU admission was found.

Conclusions

Frailty- as assessed by high MPI score - was associated with a significant higher risk of in-hospital mortality, longer LOS, and lower use NIV, whilst the association with ICU admission was not significant. These findings suggest that prognostic stratification by using the MPI could be useful in clinical decision making in older inpatients affected by COVID-19.

[Pneumonia in old age]

Die Pneumonie ist eine bei alten Menschen häufige und schwere Erkrankung. Sie steht in dieser Patientengruppe an vierter Stelle der zum Tode führenden Erkrankungen. Die Diagnose kann oft aufgrund einer atypischen klinischen Präsentation schwierig sein. Daher sollte bei jeder Verschlechterung eines alten Menschen ursächlich auch an eine Pneumonie gedacht werden. Geriatrische Probleme wie Gebrechlichkeit und physische und psychische Einschränkungen sollten ebenso erfasst werden wie die soziale Situation, da alle diese Faktoren prognoserelevant sind. Prognostisch ungünstiger verlaufen Pneumonien, die im Pflegeheim oder von Pflegebedürftigen erworben wurden. Sie gelten zwar als ambulant erworben, sollten dennoch besonders beachtet werden. Die Behandlung unterscheidet sich nicht grundsätzlich von der Behandlung jüngerer Patient, sollte aber besondere Situationen wie den in einer Patientenverfügung festgelegten Patientenwunsch bei der Therapieplanung berücksichtigen. Gerade ältere Menschen zeigen unter einer COVID(coronavirus disease)-19-Infektion oft atypische klinische Bilder, sodass bei akuten Veränderungen im Alter auch daran zu denken ist.