Frequent Reason For Hospital Admission Research Articles

Abstract P144: Association Of Hypertension With Reasons For Admission In Young Hospitalized Patients

Background: Early onset of hypertension can contribute to harmful impacts on cardiovascular and brain health, which may manifest as coronary artery disease and strokes. In this analysis, we examined the most common reasons for hospitalization among patients with coexisting diagnoses of hypertension and compared lists among different age groups. Methods: We scrutinized the 2020 National Inpatient Sample dataset to locate all patients with a history of hypertension. We assessed the 10 most frequent diagnoses for hospital admission among hypertensive patients across age categories. Results: For the year 2020, there were a total of 8,661,206 hospitalizations for patients with a history of hypertension. Of these, 559,513 cases (6.5%), were in patients under 40 years of age. Within this group, the top ten admission reasons did not include NSTEMI or cerebral infarction compared to the quartiles of patients greater than the age of 40 (Figure 1). Conclusion: Younger patients were a small minority among hospitalized patients with hypertension. The top ten reasons for hospitalization in younger patients did not include diseases that are frequently associated with hypertension such as cerebral infarction and NSTEMI; conversely, these were frequent reasons for hospital admission in middle and older aged patients. Further studies are needed to characterize the severity of hypertension in each age category as well as the degree to which it influences the top reasons for admission.

Which congestion presentation pattern on the physical findings is associated with future adverse events? A cluster analysis in the multicenter acute heart failure registry.

Clinical congestion is the most frequent reason for hospital admission in patients with acute heart failure (AHF). However, few studies have investigated the patterns and prognostic implication of the physical congestion using unbiased and robust statistical methods. A hierarchical agglomerative clustering analysis was performed in the multicenter Japanese AHF registry (N = 3151) with the distance calculated by Jaccard's distance for jugular vein distention (JVD), leg edema, S3, crackles, and orthopnea. The primary outcome was a composite of cardiac death and heart failure readmission within 1-year. At the time of admission, the median number of prevalent congestive signs was 2. We identified three phenogroups: 'no physical congestions' (N = 251); 'congestion without JVD' (N = 1415); and 'congestion with JVD' (N = 1495). Patients in 'no physical congestion' were the youngest (median 75 [62, 83] years) with the lowest systolic blood pressure (122 [106, 142] mmHg). Patients in 'congestion without JVD', and 'congestion with JVD' were similar in terms of age (77 [67, 84] vs. 78 [69, 84] years) and systolic blood pressure (138 [118, 160] vs. 137 [118, 158] mmHg). While 30-day mortality was similar (4.0%, 3.7%, and 4.3% in 'no physical congestion,' 'congestion without JVD,' and 'congestion with JVD', respectively), the patients in 'congestion with JVD' were at the highest risk for the primary outcome (adjusted hazard ratio 1.79, 95% CI 1.26-2.55 when 'no physical congestion' was a reference). Our clustering analysis demonstrated that congestion signs, particularly JVD, allowed identification of AHF phenogroups with distinct clinical characteristics and long-term outcomes.

Renal Involvement in Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients: Epidemiology, Risk Factors, and Correlation with Outcomes

Background: While respiratory tract symptoms are the most frequent reasons for hospital admission in COVID-19 patients, renal involvement is common and is associated with worse outcomes. The aim of this study was to determine the incidence, risk factors and outcome of Acute Kidney Injury (AKI) in hospitalized COVID-19 patients in a referral center.
 Methods: In a retrospective review, patients hospitalized for COVID-
 19 from February 2020 through April 2020 in a referral COVID center were studied. Demographic data, pre-existing comorbidities and drug history, along with laboratory data at presentation and during admission were recorded. AKI was diagnosed based on Kidney Disease Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) criteria. Data were analyzed to determine the incidence, risk factors and mortality of AKI.
 Results: Finally, 200 patients were included, with a mean age of 60.5 years. Of these, 126 (63%) developed AKI and this number was 73.5% among the ICU-admitted patients. Patients who developed AKI were 4.29 times more likely to die. Pre-existing CKD, treatment with immunosuppressant, ICU admission, and the need for hemodialysis, were significantly associated with mortality. Among the eleven renal transplant recipients in this study, we found that a prior renal transplant was not associated with a higher rate of AKI but was significantly associated with increased mortality after correcting for age and gender.
 Conclusion: Our findings showed a high incidence of AKI in patients admitted due to COVID-19, with a higher risk in ICU patients and it was a significant predictor of mortality. Further research is encouraged to understand the etiology of AKI, along with the long-term outcomes in the patients.

Measurement of Procalcitonin as an Indicator of Severity in Patients With Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Admitted With Respiratory Illness.

IntroductionExacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are a frequent reason for hospital admission and a major cause of morbidity and mortality. A useful biomarker or indicator of disease severity at the time of presentation could help guide treatment and identify those with poor prognosis who need early aggressive intervention. We hypothesized that patients who present to the hospital with COPD exacerbations who are found to have elevated procalcitonin (PCT) levels will have worse outcomes such as longer admissions, increased intensive care unit (ICU) utilization, and more frequent readmissions than those with normal levels, regardless of presence or absence of infiltrate on initial chest X-ray (CXR).MethodsWe conducted a retrospective chart review of patients admitted to our facility with a respiratory complaint and a diagnosis of COPD to examine the relation between PCT and disease severity. A total of 156 unique encounters were reviewed, with 87 included in the final data set. Data was collected on baseline medical conditions as well as clinical status at the time of presentation. Primary endpoints included the need for overnight ICU admission, hospital length of stay greater than seven days, and repeat visit within 30 days of discharge. Secondary endpoints included the need for intubation at the time of admission, in-hospital mortality or discharge to hospice, and ICU length of stay.ResultsPatients with elevated PCT levels (>0.25ng/mL) had a significantly increased likelihood of a need for ICU admission (odds ratio 3.18) and hospital length of stay greater than seven days (odds ratio 3.38). There was no statistically significant difference in the Emergency Department readmission rate or any of the secondary outcomes.ConclusionsOur data suggests that PCT may be a useful early biomarker for patients with COPD presenting with an acute respiratory illness.

Therapy of supraventricular and ventricular arrhythmias in adults with congenital heart disease-narrative review.

Arrhythmias are among the most common late complications in adults with congenital heart disease (ACHD) and a frequent reason for hospital admission. Both, supraventricular and ventricular arrhythmias, not only cause debilitating symptoms, but may be life-threatening by increasing risk of stroke, causing or worsening heart failure and being associated with sudden death. Substrate and risk for arrhythmia differs widely between congenital defects with specific arrhythmias being much more common in some patients than others. Atrial macroreentrant arrhythmias are particularly frequent in patients with atrial septal defects and repair that involves atrial incisions including patients with transposition of the great arteries (TGA) and atrial switch. Accessory pathways and related arrhythmias are often associated with Ebstein's anomaly and congenitally corrected TGA. Monomorphic ventricular arrhythmias occur in patients with ventricular incisions, namely patients with Tetralogy of Fallot. Changes in surgical repair techniques influence arrhythmia prevalence and substrate as well as anatomical access for catheter ablation procedures. In addition, epidemiologic changes associated with improved long-term survival will further increase the prevalence of atrial fibrillation in ACHD. This article summarizes current understanding of prevalence of specific arrhythmias, underlying mechanisms, medical and interventional treatment options and their outcome in ACHD.

Reasons for Hospitalization of Patients with Acute Pulmonary Embolism Based on the Hestia Decision Rule.

The Hestia criteria can be used to select pulmonary embolism (PE) patients for outpatient treatment. The subjective Hestia criterion "medical/social reason for admission" allows the treating physician to consider any patient-specific circumstances in the final management decision. It is unknown how often and why this criterion is scored. This is a patient-level post hoc analysis of the combined Hestia and Vesta studies. The main outcomes were the frequency of all scored Hestia items in hospitalized patients and the explicit reason for scoring the subjective criterion. Hemodynamic parameters and computed tomography-assessed right ventricular (RV)/left ventricular (LV) ratio of those only awarded with the subjective criterion were compared with patients treated at home. From the 1,166 patients screened, data were available for all 600 who were hospitalized. Most were hospitalized to receive oxygen therapy (45%); 227 (38%) were only awarded with the subjective criterion, of whom 51 because of "intermediate to intermediate-high risk PE." Compared with patients with intermediate risk PE (RV/LV ratio > 1.0) treated at home (179/566, 32%), hospitalized patients with only the subjective criterion had a higher mean RV/LV ratio (mean difference +0.30, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.19-0.41) and a higher heart rate (+18/min, 95% CI 10-25). No relevant differences were observed for other hemodynamic parameters. The most frequent reason for hospital admission was oxygen therapy. In the decision to award the subjective criterion as sole argument for admission, the severity of the RV overload and resulting hemodynamic response of the patient was taken into account rather than just abnormal RV/LV ratio.

Evaluation of the Prescription Pattern of Antimicrobial Agents in Hospitalised Paediatric Patients in a Tertiary Care Hospital of Kathmandu, Nepal


 
 
 
 Introduction: Infectious diseases are one of the most frequent reasons for hospital admission for children and antimicrobials are commonly used to treat them. There is higher prevalence of irrational prescriptions of antimicrobials in such population. This study was conducted to survey the pattern of antimicrobial prescription in Paediatric inpatient.
 Material and Methods: This was retrospective, descriptive, observational study. The data was collected from prescription records. The paediatric population included in the study was categorised into three age groups. A total of 87 prescriptions were studied and the information was recorded in performa. Data were recorded in MS Excel and Graph Pad Prism version 6 was used for analysis.
 Results: The number of male child was outnumbered by female child. The average age of the patient on antimicrobial prescription was 5.34 ± 2.18 years. The mean duration of hospital stay was 6.17 ± 2.01 days. The common indications for antimicrobial prescriptions were upper respiratory tract infections, diarrhoeal illness, urinary tract infections, enteric fever, etc. The antimicrobials prescription rate was 1.33. Oral route was found to be commonly used than parenteral route. The generic prescription rate was 33.6%. The most common drug prescribed was ceftriaxone followed by amoxicillin + clavulanic acid, ciprofloxacin, metronidazole and amikacin. The 62.5% of antimicrobials were prescribed from National Essential List of Medicines.
 Conclusion: This study highlights the prescription pattern of antimicrobial agents in hospitalised Paediatric population in a tertiary care hospital.
 
 
 

Spironolactone to increase natriuresis in congestive heart failure with cardiorenal syndrome

Background: Signs and symptoms of volume overload are the most frequent reason for hospital admission in acute heart failure (AHF). Diuretics are mainstay treatment, but their optimal type and dose regimen remain unclear, especially in patients with cardiorenal syndrome.Methods: This prospective study aimed to include 80 AHF patients with volume overload and cardiorenal syndrome. Through a 2 × 2 factorial design, patients were randomised towards (1) combinational treatment with acetazolamide and low-dose loop diuretics versus high-dose loop diuretics; and (2) open-label oral spironolactone 25 mg OD given upfront versus at discharge. Here reported are the results of the spironolactone treatment arm after complete follow-up of 34/80 patients (since the study was stopped because of slow recruitment). The primary study end-point was incident hypokalaemia (<3.5 mmol/L) or hyperkalaemia (>5.5 mmol/L).Results: Serum potassium derangements were numerically less frequent in the upfront versus discharge spironolactone group, yet this result was underpowered due to incomplete study recruitment (hyperkalaemia: 6% vs. 11%; hypokalaemia: 13% vs. 28%, respectively; p-value = .270). Natriuresis after 24 h was higher in the upfront vs. discharge spironolactone group (314 ± 142 vs. 200 ± 91 mmol/L, respectively; p-value = .010). Relative change in plasma NT-proBNP level after 72 h was similar among both groups (−16 ± 29% vs. −5 ± 45%, respectively; p value = .393), with no difference in all-cause mortality (p-value = .682) or the combination of all-cause mortality and heart failure readmission (p-value = .799).Discussion: Spironolactone use upfront in AHF patients at high risk for cardiorenal syndrome is safe and increases natriuresis.

Improving the prognostic value of blunt abdominal trauma scoring systems in children

Purpose Blunt abdominal trauma (BAT) is a frequent reason for hospital admission and a significant cause of death in children older than 2 years of age. Mechanisms causing abdominal injuries are predominantly motor vehicle accidents, falls, and intentional injuries. Blunt trauma accounts for 90% of pediatric injuries. There are many scoring systems that are designed to monitor victims of BAT and to predict victims who may require conservative management and those who may require surgical intervention. None of these scoring systems is perfect and fulfill the data for accurate prediction of the prognosis of these victims. We assessed three different clinical scoring systems and their prognostic properties alone and after their modification by adding a plain, erect, abdominal radiographic film to improve their prognostic values. Patients and methods We included all patients presenting with BAT older than 2 years and younger than 18 years. All children were subjected to three different trauma scoring systems. We evaluated all children using Pediatric Trauma Score, Clinical Abdominal Score System, and Blunt Abdominal Trauma in Children. We then added plain, erect, abdominal radiographic films to these systems. Results A total of 250 children with BAT were subjected to three different scoring systems. Among them, 58% were boys and 42% were girls. The cause for BAT in two hundred and two cases was car accidents, falling from heights in seven, and kicks and abuse in 41 cases. The mean time until hospital arrival was 2 h. The mean age was 15 years. The mean time for every scoring system was 5 min. Radiographic imaging showed positive signs of trauma (air under diaphragm, elevated copula of diaphragm) in 45 patients. Conclusion Adding a simple radiographic film in the erect position of the abdomen and lower chest markedly improved the prognostic value of the different scoring systems included. Keywords : children, scoring systems, trauma

Hospitalization of elderly diabetic patients: characteristics, reasons for admission, and gender differences.

BackgroundUnderstanding the differences in characteristics, gender, and common causes for admission in hospitalized elderly diabetic patients provides a theoretical basis for their successful management. This study explored the reasons and gender differences in hospitalizations of elderly patients with diabetes mellitus.MethodsPatients aged ≥60 years who had received a diagnosis of diabetes by the time of discharge, from 1 January 2011 to 1 January 2014, were retrospectively enrolled. Hospitalization data of the patients were collected, and reasons for hospitalization were analyzed based on chief complaints and principle diagnosis.ResultsThe most frequent reasons stated for admission were related to the chronic complications of diabetes (42.1 %), seconded by hyperglycemia (26.4 %) and infection (15.7 %). Ketonuria, ketonemia, or diabetic ketoacidosis was more commonly seen in women than men, whereas diabetic nephropathy and neoplasms were more frequently found in men than women. Regarding infection as a cause of hospitalization, the 4 main types were respiratory tract (44.5 %), urinary tract (20.3 %), gastrointestinal (14.8 %), and skin and soft tissue (10.9 %). Respiratory tract infection was significantly more common in men (61.4 %) than women (31 %, P = 0.001), whereas urinary tract infection was more frequent in women (29.6 %) than men (8.8 %, P = 0.004).ConclusionThe most frequent reasons for hospital admission in elderly diabetic patients were chronic complications of diabetes, hyperglycemia, and infection. Men and women differed in reasons for hospital admission.

The characteristics of advanced cancer patients followed at home, but admitted to the hospital for the last days of life.

Information regarding advanced cancer patients followed at home who are admitted to the hospital in the last days of life are lacking. The aim of this study was to assess the characteristics of patients who were hospitalized in the last days of life after being assisted by a home palliative care team. The secondary outcome was to identify possible risk factors for hospitalization. The charts were analyzed of a consecutive sample of advanced cancer patients admitted to hospital wards in the last days of life after being followed at home by a palliative care team. Of 550 consecutive patients followed at home, 138 (25.1%) were admitted to the hospital. Younger patients were more likely to die in the hospital. In a logistic risk analysis adjusted for age, patients with lung and head-neck cancer were more likely to die in the hospital. Patients having a female relative or a female consort as a caregiver were more likely to die at home. CAGE-positive patients (7.25%), and patients with a shorter period of home assistance were more likely transported to hospital before dying (p=0.00 and p<0.024, respectively). The most frequent reason for hospital admission was dyspnea. Admission was more frequent to the oncology ward. Patients who were admitted to the hospital died after a mean of 10.2days (SD 8.2, range 0-40). This study provides preliminary data on the risk factors of hospitalization at the end of life for advanced cancer patients followed at home.

Surgical management of abnormal uterine bleeding in fertile age women.

Abnormal uterine bleeding is a common gynecological disease and represents one of the most frequent reasons for hospital admission to a specialist unit, often requiring further surgical treatment. Following the so-called PALM-COEIN system we will attempt to further clarify the surgical treatments available today. The first group (PALM) is characterized by structural lesions, which may be more appropriately treated by means of surgical management. Although hysterectomy remains the definitive and decisive choice, there are many alternative techniques available. These minimally invasive procedures offer the opportunity for a more conservative approach. Precise and accurate counseling facilitates better patient selection, based on the patient's desires, age and disease type, allowing treatment to be individually tailored to each woman.

Prediction of risk of in-hospital geriatric complications in older patients with hip fracture

Hip fracture in older persons is a frequent reason for hospital admission and a substantial workload in orthopedic wards for geriatric liaison teams. However, robust patients who do not present in-hospital complications may not need geriatric liaison. For the sake of triage, we studied the ability of usual admission scores to identify patients who will not develop in-hospital complications, and who may therefore not be included in the overworked geriatric liaison teams. A retrospective cohort of consecutive community- living elderly patients (age ≥ 75 yrs), admitted for traumatic hip fracture in the orthopedic divisions of a teaching hospital over 18 months was examined. The predictive value of commonly used frailty scores (ISAR, VIP, KATZ) to rule out the incidence of three frequent and preventable in-hospital acute geriatric events (major behavioral problems, pressure sores, falls) was assessed by ROC curves and negative likelihood ratio (-LR). Of 145 older persons with hip fracture (median age 84 years; 76% women; 57% living alone, 44% with pre-existing geriatric syndromes), 81 (56%) presented some acute geriatric events (AGE), i.e. major behavioral problems (46%), pressure sores (19%) and/or falls (5%). The three frailty admission scores showed low power for AGE prediction (area under the ROC curve: 53- 58%) and identification of patients who will not present in-hospital AGE (-LR>0.5 at the most sensitive cut-off). None of the three scores helped in the triage of patients according to their risk of future in-hospital AGE. All older patients with hip fracture, irrespective of their admission frailty-robustness profile, should receive geriatric evaluation and intervention.

Treatment of Heart Failure With Normal Ejection Fraction

Opinion StatementHeart failure (HF) is a major cause of mortality and morbidity and one of the most frequent reasons for hospital admission in the United States and Europe. Currently, more than 50% of HF patients have a normal (N) left ventricular (LV) ejection fraction (EF) (LVEF >50%). The main pathophysiologic processes involved in HFNEF are increased LV stiffness and abnormal relaxation, resulting in impaired LV filling. Hypertension and myocardial ischemia are the most common causes of HFNEF. Precipitating factors include volume overload, tachycardia, physical exercise, systemic stressors (such as fever and infection), arrhythmia, increased salt intake, and use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. There is little evidence to guide treatment, as previously HFNEF patients have been excluded from clinical trials on the basis of a normal LVEF. Survival improved over time in patients with reduced (R) EF (HFREF) (LVEF <40%), reflecting the beneficial effects of treatment in this phenotype. However, survival did not improve for HFNEF patients. The approach to the treatment of HFNEF patients should focus on reducing LV filling pressure, controlling hypertension, modifying ischemia, and improving LV relaxation. Therefore, diuretics are suitable for HFNEF patients to reduce ventricular filling pressure. Hypertension can be treated by using multiple agents if necessary. Drugs of particular interest and recommended to treat hypertension are calcium channel blockers (CCBs) and antagonists of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system, such as angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs), and aldosterone antagonists. Ischemic heart disease can be treated with antiplatelet therapy, anticoagulants, and β-blockers. Heart rate control in atrial fibrillation can be achieved with β-blockers and digoxin. Finally, ACE inhibitors and ARBs could potentially decrease LV hypertrophy in hypertensive patients with HFNEF.

National Survey on Abdominal Trauma Practices of Pediatric Surgeons

Pediatric blunt abdominal trauma is a frequent reason for hospital admission, but there are no established guidelines to assess these patients. Our study aims to evaluate the diagnostic process used by pediatric surgeons in Switzerland to evaluate abdominal trauma. A scenario-based survey was carried out among Swiss pediatric surgeons. Respondents were asked to report on their management of children with blunt abdominal trauma. The response rate was 46% (26 of 54). The clinical signs considered the most important were abdominal examination and palpation (100%), auscultation (81%), external genital exam (77%) and Glasgow Coma Scale (77%). The most frequent laboratory exams requested were urine analysis (100%), complete blood count (96%), liver function tests (85%) and coagulation tests (77%). 42% of the physicians asked for an abdominal ultrasound for every patient with blunt abdominal trauma. 58% reported that some patients do not need a CT scan despite anomalies in the initial workup. There were significant variations in the clinical assessment of patients with minor blunt abdominal trauma. Abnormal ultrasounds, but not abnormal liver functions tests, prompted clinicians to obtain CT scans. When evaluating the probability of organ injury after a full workup, clinicians relied on the results of the ultrasound but not on liver function tests. A normal CT scan did not appear to reassure physicians if the patient still presented with mild abdominal pain. There is a wide variation in the clinical assessment, request for laboratory tests and use of radiological exams among Swiss pediatric surgeons. Further studies are required on the evaluation of abdominal organ injuries in children.

W1570: Racial and Ethnic Differences in Presentation, Etiology, and Outcomes of Upper Gastrointestinal Bleeding

Acute gastrointestinal bleeding is a frequent reason for hospital admission. We hypothesized that in patients with upper gastrointestinal bleeding (UGIB), different cultural customs or practices may influence the development of certain upper GI conditions and therefore investigated whether a specific ethnic background influences presentations and/or outcomes.

Clinical deterioration during antituberculosis treatment in Africa: incidence, causes and risk factors.

BackgroundHIV-1 and Mycobacterium tuberculosis cause substantial morbidity and mortality. Despite the availability of antiretroviral and antituberculosis treatment in Africa, clinical deterioration during antituberculosis treatment remains a frequent reason for hospital admission. We therefore determined the incidence, causes and risk factors for clinical deterioration.MethodsProspective cohort study of 292 adults who initiated antituberculosis treatment during a 3-month period. We evaluated those with clinical deterioration over the following 24 weeks of treatment.ResultsSeventy-one percent (209/292) of patients were HIV-1 infected (median CD4+: 129 cells/μL [IQR:62-277]). At tuberculosis diagnosis, 23% (34/145) of HIV-1 infected patients qualifying for antiretroviral treatment (ART) were receiving ART; 6 months later, 75% (109/145) had received ART. Within 24 weeks of initiating antituberculosis treatment, 40% (117/292) of patients experienced clinical deterioration due to co-morbid illness (n = 70), tuberculosis related illness (n = 47), non AIDS-defining HIV-1 related infection (n = 25) and AIDS-defining illness (n = 21). Using HIV-1 uninfected patients as the referent group, HIV-1 infected patients had an increasing risk of clinical deterioration as CD4+ counts decreased [CD4+>350 cells/μL: RR = 1.4, 95% CI = 0.7-2.9; CD4+:200-350 cells/μL: RR = 2.0, 95% CI = 1.1-3.6; CD4+<200 cells/μL: RR = 3.0, 95% CI = 1.9-4.7]. During follow-up, 26% (30/117) of patients with clinical deterioration required hospital admission and 15% (17/117) died. Fifteen deaths were in HIV-1 infected patients with a CD4+<200 cells/μL.ConclusionsIn multivariate analysis, HIV-1 infection and a low CD4+ count at tuberculosis diagnosis were significant risk factors for clinical deterioration and death. The initiation of ART at a CD4+ count of <350 cells/μL will likely reduce the high burden of clinical deterioration.

Drug-induced confusional states: the usual suspects?

Acute confusional state (ACS) is a frequent reason for hospital admission. This study examines retrospectively the frequency by which individual drugs were found responsible for ACS. Drug-induced ACS was found in 65 (18.8%) of 346 hospital admissions for acute confusion. The most frequent causative substances were dopaminergic drugs in Parkinsonian patients (24.2%), diuretics (15.1%), tricyclic or tetracyclic antidepressants (13.6%) and benzodiazepines (13.6%). Almost half of the patients were demented, and in one-third of these, dementia had not been diagnosed hitherto. The data suggest that diuretics by way of causing hyponatraemia are as relevant a cause of ACS as dopaminergic or anticholinergic substances.

Outpatient management of patients with low-risk upper-gastrointestinal haemorrhage: multicentre validation and prospective evaluation

Upper-gastrointestinal haemorrhage is a frequent reason for hospital admission. Although most risk scoring systems for this disorder incorporate endoscopic findings, the Glasgow-Blatchford bleeding score (GBS) is based on simple clinical and laboratory variables; a score of 0 identifies low-risk patients who might be suitable for outpatient management. We aimed to evaluate the GBS then assess the effect of a protocol based on this score for non-admission of low-risk individuals. Our study was undertaken at four hospitals in the UK. We calculated GBS and admission (pre-endoscopy) and full (post-endoscopy) Rockall scores for consecutive patients presenting with upper-gastrointestinal haemorrhage. With receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curves, we compared the ability of these scores to predict either need for clinical intervention or death. We then prospectively assessed at two hospitals the introduction of GBS scoring to avoid admission of low-risk patients. Of 676 people presenting with upper-gastrointestinal haemorrhage, we identified 105 (16%) who scored 0 on the GBS. For prediction of need for intervention or death, GBS (area under ROC curve 0.90 [95% CI 0.88-0.93]) was superior to full Rockall score (0.81 [0.77-0.84]), which in turn was better than the admission Rockall score (0.70 [0.65-0.75]). When introduced into clinical practice, 123 patients (22%) with upper-gastrointestinal haemorrhage were classified as low risk, of whom 84 (68%) were managed as outpatients without adverse events. The proportion of individuals with this condition admitted to hospital also fell (96% to 71%, p<0.00001). The GBS identifies many patients presenting to general hospitals with upper-gastrointestinal haemorrhage who can be managed safely as outpatients. This score reduces admissions for this condition, allowing more appropriate use of in-patient resources.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in patients admitted with heart failure

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is an important differential diagnosis in patients with heart failure (HF). The primary aims were to determine the prevalence of COPD and to test the accuracy of self-reported COPD in patients admitted with HF. Secondary aims were to study a possible relationship between right and left ventricular function and pulmonary function. Prospective substudy. Systematic screening at 11 centres. Consecutive patients (n = 532) admitted with HF requiring medical treatment with diuretics and an episode with symptoms corresponding to New York Heart Association class III-IV within a month prior to admission. Forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV(1)) and forced vital capacity (FVC) were measured by spirometry and ventricular function by echocardiography. The diagnosis of COPD and HF were made according to established criteria. The prevalence of COPD was 35%. Only 43% of the patients with COPD had self-reported COPD and one-third of patients with self-reported COPD did not have COPD based on spirometry. The prevalence of COPD in patients with preserved left ventricular ejection fraction (i.e. LVEF >or=45%) was significantly higher than in patients with impaired LVEF (41% vs. 31%, P = 0.03). FEV(1) and FVC were negatively correlated with right ventricular end-diastolic diameter and tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion and FVC positively correlated with systolic gradient across the tricuspid valve. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is frequent in patients admitted with HF and self-reported COPD only identifies a minority. The prevalence of COPD was high in both patients with systolic and nonsystolic HF.