All-cause In-hospital Mortality Research Articles

How COVID-19 and malaria are strikingly alike: A short review

COVID-19 is a severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) that began in Wuhan, China, in late 2019 and has since spread globally, disrupting efforts to contain it. In Africa, the COVID-19 infection may be influenced by malaria coinfection. Global health is severely hampered by the co-infection of COVID-19 and malaria, especially in areas where both illnesses are endemic. Studies that have already been conducted indicate that those who have co-infection may have more severe symptoms and a higher risk of dying, even though there is little information on the prevalence and consequences of co-infection. More studies and focused initiatives are required to address this issue because of the difficulties in diagnosing the two diseases and the possibility that co-infection would worsen already existing health inequities. Methodology: This review follows the guidelines of PRISMA. In this article, we reviewed published articles from 2019 to May 2023 on COVID-19 and malaria co-infection that might influence the ontology of COVID-19. Results: Sub-Saharan African countries have fewer COVID-19 cases due to factors like young populations, warm weather, lack of proper diagnosis, malaria history, and antimalarial drug use. Population genetics also influence COVID-19 dynamics. Clinical and pathological similarities between malaria and COVID-19 have confused diagnosis and treatment in Africa. Conclusion: Understanding the dynamics of COVID-19 infection in Sub-Saharan Africa and how another endemic disease like malaria shapes it can provide insights into how to tailor successful diagnostic, intervention, and control plans that lower disease morbidity and mortality. Coinfection with COVID-19 and malaria is related to expanded all-cause in-hospital mortality compared to mono-infection with serious acute respiratory disorder coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).

Multifactorial risk factors for hospital readmissions among patients with symptoms of advanced heart failure.

Economic burden of heart failure is attributed to hospital readmissions. Previous studies assessing risk factors for readmissions have focused on single group of risk factors, were limited to 30-day readmissions, or did not account for competing risk of mortality. This study investigates the biological, socio-economic, and behavioural risk factors predicting hospital readmissions while accounting for the competing risk of mortality. In this prospective cohort study, we recruited 250 patients hospitalized with symptoms of advanced heart failure [New York Heart Association (NYHA) Class III and IV] between July 2017 and April 2019. We analysed their baseline survey data and their hospitalization records over the next 4.5years (July 2017 to January 2022). We used a joint-frailty model to determine the multifactorial risk factors for all-cause and unplanned hospital readmissions and mortality. At the time of recruitment, patients' mean (SD) age was 66 (12) years, majority being male (72%) and NYHA class IV (68%) with reduced ejection fraction (72%). 87% of the patients had poor self-care behaviours, 51% had diabetes and 56% had weak grip strength. Within 2years of a hospital admission, 74% of the patients had at least one readmission. Among all readmissions during follow-up, 68% were unplanned. Results from the multivariable regression analysis shows that the independent risk factors for hospital readmissions were biologic-weak grip strength [hazard ratio (95% CI): 1.59 (1.06, 2.13)], poor functional status [1.79 (0.98, 2.61)], diabetes [1.42 (0.97, 1.86)]; behavioural-poor self-care [1.66 (0.84, 2.49)], and socio-economic-preference for maximal life extension at high cost for those with high education [1.98 (1.17, 2.80)]. Risk factors for unplanned hospital readmissions were similar. A higher hospital readmission rate increased the risk of mortality [1.86 (1.23, 2.50)]. Other risk factors for mortality were biologic-weak grip strength [3.65 (0.57, 6.73)], diabetes [2.52 (0.62, 4.42)], socio-economic-lower education [2.45 (0.37, 4.53)], and being married [2.53 (0.37, 4.69)]. Having a private health insurance [0.40 (0.08, 0.73)] lowered the risk for mortality. Risk factors for hospital readmissions and mortality are multifactorial. Many of these factors, such as weak grip strength, diabetes, poor self-care behaviours, are potentially modifiable and should be routinely assessed and managed in cardiac clinics and hospital admissions.

Association of congestive heart failure (CHF) with incidence rates of enteric infections and gram-negative sepsis (GNS) in patients with hepato-pancreatico-biliary cancers (HPBCs).

567 Background: ChronicCHF leads to volume overload and can cause bowel wall edema. This may compromise local immune defense and promote increased translocation of gut bacteria into the blood.HPBCs can cause biliary tract obstruction which is also associated with bacteremia. Additionally, cancer treatments are associated with an increased risk of clostridium difficile infection (CDI), regardless of antibiotic exposure. While associations between cancer and increased infection rates are well-established, we questioned whether concomitant CHF increases this risk further in the HPBC population. We therefore investigated whether concomitant CHF and HPBC influenced CDI, other infectious gastroenteritis (IGE), GNS rates or all-cause-hospital mortality. Methods: A retrospective study was conducted by obtaining patients with HPBC through the application of specific ICD 10 codes from the National Inpatient Sample 2020, a large publicly available database of inpatient hospital stays incorporating data from hospitals across 48 U.S. states. Among this cohort, patients with chronic CHF were further identified by applying all CHF-specific ICD 10 codes. All patients with HPBC were divided into two groups, one with CHF (group A) and the other without CHF (group B). Outcomes were compared between the two groups using multivariate regression analysis (MVRA) adjusting for demographic factors, hospital-specific characteristics like location, bed size, etc., comorbidities including obesity, diabetes, hypertension, prior cardiovascular events, HIV, CKD, OSA, etc., prior coronary intervention/surgery as well as alcohol, smoking or substance use. Results: 211,790 patients were identified with HPBC. 40.55% were female. 18,955 patients (9.95%) were found to have chronic CHF. The incidence of GNS was higher in group A compared to group B in the MVRA (Adjusted (Ad) OR: 1.4, CI 1.07-1.95, p=0.015). However, there was no difference in the incidence rate of CDI between groups A and B (Ad OR: 1.0, CI 0.71-1.50, p=0.86). Similarly, the two groups had no difference in other IGE (Ad OR: 1.0, CI 0.71-1.37, p=0.96). All-cause hospital mortality was slightly higher in group A than group B but failed to reach statistical significance (Ad OR: 1.1, CI: 0.99-1.29, p=0.069). Conclusions: GNS was more common in patients with HPBC who also had comorbid chronic CHF. Future investigations may focus on the effect of increased GNS on outcomes beyond hospitalization, correlation between the severity of CHF and GNS as well as primary site of HPBC and infection risk. Based on this signal-finding analysis, it is postulated that early inter-disciplinary collaboration between oncology and cardio-oncology/cardiology may have special significance in the management of patients with chronic CHF and HPBCs, the latter of which already carries a dismal prognosis.

Transcaval versus Supra-Aortic Vascular Accesses for Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement: A Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis.

A growing body of evidence suggests that extrathoracic vascular accesses for transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) yield favorable outcomes and can be considered as primary alternatives when the gold-standard transfemoral access is contraindicated. Data comparing the transcaval (TCv) to supra-aortic (SAo) approaches (transcarotid, transsubclavian, and transaxillary) for TAVR are lacking. We aimed to compare the outcomes and safety of TCv and SAo accesses for TAVR as alternatives to transfemoral TAVR. A systematic review with meta-analysis was performed by searching PubMed/MEDLINE and EMBASE databases for all articles comparing TCv-TAVR against SAo-TAVR published until September 2023. Outcomes included in-hospital or 30-day all-cause mortality (ACM) and postoperative complications. A total of three studies with 318 TCv-TAVR and 179 SAo-TAVR patients were included. No statistically significant difference was found regarding in-hospital or 30-day ACM (relative risk [RR] 1.04, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.47-2.34, p = 0.91), major bleeding, the need for blood transfusions, major vascular complications, and acute kidney injury. TCv-TAVR was associated with a non-statistically significant lower rate of neurovascular complications (RR 0.39, 95%CI 0.14-1.09, p = 0.07). These results suggest that both approaches may be considered as first-line alternatives to transfemoral TAVR, depending on local expertise and patients' anatomy. Additional data from long-term cohort studies are needed.

The outcome and risk factors associated with central and peripheral nervous system involvement in hospitalized COVID-19 patients: a retrospective cohort study.

SARS-CoV-2 infection can affect any organ, including both the central nervous system (CNS) and peripheral nervous system (PNS). The aim of this study was to explore the outcome and risk factors associated with the involvement of either CNS or PNS in a cohort of hospitalized COVID-19 patients. We performed a retrospective observational cohort study of hospitalized adult patients with COVID-19, between May 2020 and December 2022, presenting with new onset neurological disabilities any time after admission. We included 115 patients, 72 with CNS manifestations and 43 with PNS involvement. The CNS manifestations were COVID-19-associated encephalopathy, headache, neurovascular events, and seizures in 80.5, 43, 31.9, and 11.1% of patients, respectively. The neurovascular events were ischemic stroke in 17 (23.6%) patients, hemorrhagic stroke in 6 (8.3%) patients, venous thrombosis in 1 (1.4%) patient, and subarachnoid hemorrhage in 1 (1.4%) patient. Cranial nerve involvement was the most frequent PNS manifestation in 34 (79%) cases, followed by mononeuritis in 5 (11.6%) patients and polyneuropathy in 4 (9.3%) patients. The affected cranial nerves were the vestibulocochlear nerve in 26 (60.5%) patients, the olfactory nerve in 24 (55.8%) patients, the oculomotor nerves in 5 (11.6%) patients, and the facial nerve in 1 (2.3%) patient. Two patients (9.3%) presented with polyneuritis cranialis. Older age (HR = 1.02, 95% CI: 1.003-1.037, p = 0.01), COVID severity (HR = 2.53, 95% CI: 1.42-4.5, p = 0.002), ischemic cardiac disease (HR = 2.42, 95% CI: 1.05-5.6, p = 0.03), and increased D-dimers (HR = 1.00, 95% CI: 1.00-1.00, p = 0.02) were independently associated with the development of CNS manifestations. The factors associated with in-hospital mortality were age (HR = 1.059, 95% CI: 1.024-1.096, p = 0.001), C-reactive protein (HR = 1.006, 95% CI: 1.00-1.011, p = 0.03), CNS involvement (HR = 9.155, 95% CI: 1.185-70.74, p = 0.03), and leucocyte number (HR = 1.053, 95% CI: 1.026-1.081, p < 0.001). COVID-19-associated encephalopathy was the most common CNS manifestation in our study, but neurovascular events are also important considering the overlap between inflammatory and prothrombotic pathways, especially in severe cases. CNS involvement was associated with in-hospital all-cause mortality. PNS findings were various, involving mostly the cranial nerves, especially the vestibulocochlear nerve.

Potassium levels and the risk of all-cause and cardiovascular mortality among patients with cardiovascular diseases: a meta-analysis of cohort studies

BackgroundAbnormal blood potassium levels are associated with an increased risk of cardiometabolic diseases and mortality in the general population; however, evidence regarding the association between dyskalemia and mortality among patients with cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains inconclusive. This study aimed to evaluate the association of potassium levels with all-cause and cardiovascular mortality among patients with CVD.MethodsPubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library databases were searched up to August 2023 to identify relevant cohort studies among patients with CVD, such as myocardial infarction, stroke, and heart failure. Abnormal potassium levels were considered as hypokalemia or hyperkalemia. The primary outcomes were all-cause mortality based on follow-up length (including in-hospital, short-term and long-term mortality) and cardiovascular mortality. The methodological quality of included studies was assessed by using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. The pooled relative risks (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated using random-effects models. Restricted cubic splines were applied to explore the dose-response relationship.ResultsThirty-one cohort studies involving 227,645 participants with an average age of 68.3 years were included in the meta-analysis, all of which achieved moderate to high quality. Hyperkalemia was significantly associated with an approximately 3.0-fold increased risk of all-cause in-hospital mortality (RR:2.78,95CI%:1.92,4.03), 1.8-fold of all-cause short-term mortality (RR:1.80, 95CI%:1.44,2.27), 1.3-fold of all-cause long-term mortality (RR:1.33, 95CI%:1.19,1.48) and 1.2-fold of cardiovascular mortality (RR:1.19, 95CI%:1.04,1.36). Similar positive associations were also observed between hypokalemia and risk of all-cause mortality and cardiovascular mortality. The RRs of all-cause in-hospital, short-term, long-term mortality and cardiovascular mortality with hyperkalemia were attenuated to 2.21 (95CI%:1.60,3.06), 1.46(95CI%:1.25,1.71), 1.23 (95CI%:1.09,1.39) and 1.13 (95CI%:1.00,1.27) when treating hypokalemia together with normokalemia as the reference group. A U-shaped association was observed between potassium levels and mortality, with the lowest risk at around 4.2 mmol/L.ConclusionsBoth hypokalemia and hyperkalemia were positively associated with the risk of mortality in patients with CVD. Our results support the importance of potassium homeostasis for improving the CVD management.RegistrationPROSPERO, CRD42022324337.

SARS-CoV-2 vaccination and risk of infectious diseases in hospitalized older patients.

Vaccinations, for example flu vaccine, may be a cause of cross-reactive immunostimulation that prevents a larger spectrum of infections. However, whether SARS-CoV-2 vaccinations may also determine this effect is unclear. This study aims, first, to assess the incidence of infections at hospital admission and during the hospitalization in older inpatients vaccinated and unvaccinated against SARS-CoV-2; second, to compare length of hospital stay and in-hospital mortality between vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals. This retrospective study included 754 older inpatients admitted to the Geriatrics and Orthogeriatrics Units of the University Hospital of Ferrara (Italy) between March 2021 and November 2021. Sociodemographic and health-related data, and the diagnosis of infections at hospital admission and during hospitalization were collected from medical records. The sample's mean age was 87.2years, 59.2% were females, and 75.5% were vaccinated against SARS-CoV-2. Vaccinated individuals had 36% lower odds of intra-hospital infections (OR = 0.64, 95%CI 0.44-0.94) and 39% lower in-hospital death (HR = 0.61, 95%CI 0.39-0.95), also after adjusting for potential confounders, while no significant results emerged about infections at hospital admission. Considering the hospitalization's endpoints, SARS-CoV-2 vaccination was associated with a lower probability of being transferred to long-term care or other hospital departments than returning home (OR = 0.63, 95%CI 0.40-0.99). In older inpatients, SARS-CoV-2 vaccination seems to be associated with a lower likelihood of intra-hospital infectious diseases not caused by SARS-CoV-2 and all-cause in-hospital mortality. The vaccination coverage in the older population could limit not only the onset and severity of COVID-19 but also the occurrence of other infectious diseases.

P14 Study of Prescribing patterns and Effectiveness of Ceftolozane/Tazobactam Real-world Analysis (SPECTRA): results from a multinational, multicentre observational study

Abstract Background Ceftolozane/tazobactam (C/T) has demonstrated efficacy to treat complicated intra-abdominal infections (cIAI), complicated urinary tract infections (cUTI) and hospital acquired bacterial and ventilator-associated bacterial pneumonia. However, physicians, providers, and other stakeholders including payers want broader real-world evidence to inform clinical decisions and optimize healthcare resource use. Methods SPECTRA is a multinational, multicentre, retrospective, inpatient, observational study of patients treated with C/T in Australia, Austria, Germany, Italy, Mexico, Spain and the UK. Adult inpatients treated with ≥48 h of C/T were included. Demographics, clinical characteristics, treatment management patterns, and outcomes were analysed. Results There were 687 patients from 38 participating hospitals in 7 countries. The average age was 57.6 years (SD ±17.3), and most were male (456, 66.4%). The majority had at least one comorbidity (563, 82.0%), with the most common being heart disease (208, 30.3%), immunocompromised state (207, 30.1%) and chronic pulmonary disease (195, 28.4%). The most common indications were pneumonia (204, 29.7%), sepsis (147, 21.4%) and cIAI (106, 15.4%); 162 (23.6%) had multiple sites of infection and 245 (35.7%) were polymicrobial infections. Median C/T treatment was 12.0 days (IQR 11.0). Half of the patients were admitted to the ICU (343, 49.9%), 43.4% of which was related to the infection. Clinical success was 66.1%. All-cause in-hospital mortality was 22.0% with 8.7% being infection related. The 30 day all-cause readmission was 9.8% and 4.7% were infection related. Conclusions C/T was used to treat infections among critically ill patients and for multi-source, polymicrobial infections. Despite the complexity of the patients in this real-world analysis, most C/T patients had beneficial outcomes that are similar to results of controlled clinical trials.

COVID-19 Related Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome versus Classical Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome Patients: Inflammatory Biomarkers as Predictors of Mortality in Pulmonary Septic Shock.

Coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19)-related severe acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) differs pathophysiological from other pulmonary septic shock-related ARDS. Thus, we assessed whether all-cause in-hospital mortality differs for severe COVID-19-related and classical severe ARDS and which inflammatory biomarkers can predict mortality among these patients. This single-center, retrospective, observational cohort study included pulmonary septic shock patients (n = 114) with COVID-19-related and classical severe ARDS admitted in the Intensive Care Unit. Patients with a mean age of 73 (IQR 62-82), predominantly male (63%), were divided into two groups based on outcomes: survivors (n = 50) and non-survivors (n = 64). COVID-19-related severe ARDS (n = 48) accounts for 75% of deaths. Present comorbidities like heart disease (p = 0.043), neurologic disorders (p = 0.018), and liver disease (p = 0.038) were associated with in-hospital mortality, as well. Regarding inflammatory biomarkers, the AUC/c-statistic was 0.656 (95% CI: 0.53-0.759) for leukocytes, 0.613 (95% CI: 0.509-0.717) C-reactive protein (CRP) and 0.651 (95% CI: 0.548-0.753) for procalcitonin in predicting all-cause in-hospital mortality among patients with pulmonary septic shock and severe ARDS. Patients with pulmonary septic shock and with COVID-19-related severe ARDS had a higher incidence of in-hospital mortality than those with classical severe ARDS. The high value of leukocytes, C-reactive protein, and procalcitonin were predictive for all-cause in-hospital mortality in patients with pulmonary septic shock and ARDS. Infection with COVID-19 was an independent predictor of in-hospital mortality in the presence of ARDS.

Predictive value of glycoprotein DKK3 for early neurological deterioration after ischemic stroke

ObjectiveTo explore the value of serum Dickkopf-3 (sDKK3) in predicting Early Neurological Deterioration (END) and in-hospital adverse outcomes in acute ischemic stroke (AIS) patients. MethodsAIS patients (n = 200) were included and assessed by the National Institutes of Health Stroke Rating Scale. Serum Dkk3 levels were assessed by ELISA. END was defined as an increase of ≥ 4 points in NIHSS score within 72h. The biological threshold of sDKK3 level and END occurrence were predicted based on X-tile software. Primary outcomes were END and all-cause death, and the secondary outcome was ICU admission during hospitalization. The logistic regression model and Cox risk regression model were applied to evaluate the relationship between DKK3 level and END incidence, all-cause in-hospital mortality, and in-hospital adverse outcomes (ICU admission). ResultsDuring hospitalization, the incidence of END in patients with AIS was 13.0 %, and the mortality rate within 7 days after END was 11.54 % (3/26). In patients below the serum DKK3 cutoff (93.0 pg/mL), the incidence of END was 43.5 % (20/48). Patients with lower sDKK3 levels were associated with a 1.188-fold increased risk of developing END (OR = 1.188, 95 % CI 1.055‒1.369, p < 0.0001). However, there was no significant association with admission to the ICU. sDKK3 below the threshold (93.0 pg/mL) was a risk factor for death. ConclusionPredictive threshold levels of serum DKK3 based on X-tile software may be a potential predictive biomarker of in-hospital END in patients with AIS, and low levels of DKK3 are independently associated with increased in-hospital mortality.

THE PREDICTIVE POWER OF SIMPLE SYSTEMIC INFLAMMATORY PARAMETERS FOR IN–HOSPITAL MORTALITY IN ELDERLY PATIENTS

Introduction: We evaluated the predictive power of systemic inflammatory parameters, including the neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio, C-reactive protein/ albumin ratio, monocyte/eosinophil ratio, and platelet/lymphocyte ratio, for allcause in-hospital mortality in elderly. Materials and Method: This single–center and retrospective study enrolled 46,563 patients aged ≥65 years who presented to the emergency department due to various complaints from June 2019 to June 2022. We evaluated the demographics, clinical characteristics, laboratory data, and clinical outcomes of the patients. Results: A total of 3,385 hospitalized patients, 1,808 males and 1,577 females, were included in the study. The average age was 76.25±7.35 years. The overall mortality rate was 11.73%. Nonsurvivors had significantly elevated neutrophil/lymphocyte, C-reactive protein/albumin, monocyte/eosinophil, and platelet/lymphocyte ratios compared to survivors (p=0.0001 for all comparisons). Elevated neutrophil/lymphocyte and C-reactive protein/albumin ratios were determined as independent predictors of mortality. A neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio ≥9.41 had 46.97% sensitivity and 79.99% specificity for predicting mortality. While the positive predictive value was 23.7%, the negative predictive value was 91.9%. Additionally, a C-reactive protein/albumin ratio ≥13.18 was identified as the cut-off for mortality, with 57.07% sensitivity and 69.91% specificity. Its positive and negative predictive values were 20.1% and 92.5%, respectively. Conclusion: Mean serum neutrophil/lymphocyte and C-reactive protein/ albumin ratios on hospital admission were associated with all-cause mortality in hospitalized patients aged ≥65 years. However, their sensitivity and positive predictive value were relatively low. Nevertheless, negative predictive value for both were significantly high. This implies that these parameters could be used to determine the elderly at a lower risk of mortality. Keywords: Aged; Biomarkers; Decision Making; Mortality.

Assessing the predictive value of the controlling nutritional status score on all-cause mortality during hospitalization in patients with acute decompensated heart failure: a retrospective cohort study from Jiangxi, China.

Nutritional status is closely associated with the prognosis of heart failure. This study aims to assess the relationship between the Controlling Nutritional Status (CONUT) score and in-hospital mortality among patients with acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF) in Jiangxi, China. A retrospective cohort study was conducted. Multivariable Cox regression models and restricted cubic spline regression were employed to evaluate the relationship between the CONUT score and in-hospital mortality in ADHF patients from Jiangxi, China. The predictive value of the CONUT score for in-hospital mortality in ADHF patients was analyzed using receiver operating characteristic curves. Subgroup analyses were performed to identify risk dependencies of the CONUT score in specific populations. The study included 1,230 ADHF patients, among whom 44 (3.58%) mortality events were recorded. After adjusting for confounding factors, a positive correlation was found between the CONUT score and the risk of in-hospital mortality in ADHF patients. Restricted cubic spline regression analysis indicated a non-linear relationship between the CONUT score and the risk of in-hospital mortality in ADHF patients, estimating a rapid increase in mortality risk when the CONUT score exceeded 5. Receiver operating characteristic analysis demonstrated a good predictive value of the CONUT score for all-cause mortality events in ADHF patients [area under the curve = 0.7625, optimal threshold = 5.5]. Additionally, a relatively higher risk associated with the CONUT score was observed in male patients and those with concomitant cerebral infarction. This study reveals a positive correlation between the CONUT score and the risk of in-hospital mortality in ADHF patients. Based on the findings of this study, we recommend maintaining a CONUT score below 5 for patients with ADHF in Jiangxi, China, as it may significantly contribute to reducing the risk of in-hospital all-cause mortality.

Respiratory syncytial virus-related hospital stays in adults in France from 2012 to 2021: A national hospital database study

BackgroundRespiratory syncytial virus (RSV) causes lower respiratory tract infections (LRTI) that may lead to hospitalization or death. The present study aimed to assess the burden of RSV infections in hospitalized adults. MethodsRSV-related hospitalizations were identified from the nationwide hospital claims database in France (PMSI) from 2012 to 2021 using ICD-10 codes J12.1, J20.5, J21.0 or B97.4, and outcomes assessment focused on 2016–2020. In-hospital outcomes included length of stay, need for intensive care (ICU) and in-hospital all-cause mortality. Post-discharge outcomes included 30-day readmission for decompensation, 90-day RSV-related readmission, and 30 and 60-day in-hospital mortality. ResultsA cumulated number of 17 483 RSV-related stays were identified representing a rate of 72.0 cases per million stays. The outcomes assessment included 12,987 patients: 55.8 % were females and the mean age was 74.1 ± 16.4 years, with 57 % ≥ 75 years. Most of patients (78.6 %) had at least one comorbidity, mainly chronic respiratory (56.3 %) and cardiovascular diseases (41.3 %), or diabetes (23.5 %). A co-infection was found in 22.4 %, primarily bacterial (12 %). The mean length of stay was 12.3 ± 13.1 days. Overall, 10.9 % were admitted to an ICU and in-hospital mortality was 7.3 %. In-hospital outcomes were higher in cases of co-infection. Among 12 033 patients alive at discharge from the index stay, 6.5 % were readmitted with RSV within 90 days, 8.1 % for decompensation within 30 days, and 5.6 % died within 60-day. ConclusionThis study demonstrated the high burden of RSV infections in older adults and those with chronic conditions, and the need for preventive strategies.

Mechanical Versus Bioprosthetic Aortic Valve Replacement in Patients Undergoing Bentall Procedure.

The widely used Bentall procedure is the criterion standard treatment for aortic root pathology. Studies comparing the long-term outcomes of bioprosthetic and mechanical valves in patients undergoing the Bentall procedure are limited. Patients who underwent the Bentall procedure with a bioprosthetic or mechanical valve between 2001 and 2018 were identified from Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database. The primary outcome of interest was all-cause mortality. Inverse probability of treatment weighting was performed to compare the 2 prosthetic types. In total, 1052 patients who underwent the Bentall procedure were identified. Among these patients, 351 (33.4%) and 701 (66.6%) chose bioprosthetic and mechanical valves, respectively. After inverse probability of treatment weighting, no significant differences in the in-hospital mortality (odds ratio, 0.96 [95% CI, 0.77-1.19]; P=0.716) and all-cause mortality (34.1% vs. 38.1%; hazard ratio, 0.90 [95% CI, 0.78-1.04]; P=0.154) were observed between the groups. The benefits of relative mortality associated with mechanical valves were apparent in younger patients and persisted until ≈50 years of age. No differences in survival benefits were observed between the valves in patients who underwent the Bentall procedure. Additionally, bioprosthetic valves may be a reasonable choice for patients aged >50 years when receiving the Bentall procedure in this valve-in-valve era.

In-hospital and 1-year outcomes of patients without modifiable risk factors presenting with acute coronary syndrome undergoing PCI: a Sex-stratified analysis.

A considerable proportion of patients admitted with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) have no standard modifiable cardiovascular risk factors (SMuRFs: hypertension, diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia, and cigarette smoking). The outcomes of this population following percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) are debated. Further, sex differences within this population have yet to be established. This retrospective cohort study included 7,847 patients with ACS who underwent PCI. The study outcomes were in-hospital mortality, all-cause mortality, and major adverse cardio-cerebrovascular events (MACCE). The association between the absence of SMuRFs (SMuRF-less status) and outcomes among all the patients and each sex was assessed using logistic and Cox proportional hazard regressions. Approximately 11% of the study population had none of the SMuRFs. During 12.13 [11.99-12.36] months of follow-up, in-hospital mortality (adjusted-odds ratio (OR):1.51, 95%confidence interval (CI): 0.91-2.65, P:0.108), all-cause mortality [adjusted-hazard ratio (HR): 1.01, 95%CI: 0.88-1.46, P: 0.731], and MACCE (adjusted-HR: 0.93, 95%CI:0.81-1.12, P: 0.412) did not differ between patients with and without SMuRFs. Sex-stratified analyses recapitulated similar outcomes between SMuRF+ and SMuRF-less men. In contrast, SMuRF-less women had significantly higher in-hospital (adjusted-OR: 3.28, 95%CI: 1.92-6.21, P < 0.001) and all-cause mortality (adjusted-HR:1.41, 95%CI: 1.02-3.21, P: 0.008) than SMuRF+ women. Almost one in 10 patients with ACS who underwent PCI had no SMuRFs. The absence of SMuRFs did not confer any benefit in terms of in-hospital mortality, one-year mortality, and MACCE. Even worse, SMuRF-less women paradoxically had an excessive risk of in-hospital and one-year mortality.

A Detailed Analysis of Cardiac Rehabilitation on 180-Day All-Cause Hospital Readmission and Mortality.

Cardiac rehabilitation (CR) is endorsed for coronary artery disease (CAD), but studies report inconsistent findings regarding efficacy. The objective of this study was to determine whether confounding factors, potentially contributing to these heterogeneous findings, impact the effect of CR on all-cause readmission and mortality. Patients (n = 2641) with CAD, CR eligible, and physically able were identified. Electronic medical records were inspected individually for each patient to extract demographic, clinical characteristic, readmission, and mortality information. Patients (n = 214) attended ≥1 CR session (CR group). Survival was considered free from: all-cause readmission; or composite outcome of all-cause readmission or death. Cox proportional hazards models, adjusting for demographics, comorbidities, and discharge criteria, were used to determine HR with 95% CI and to compare 180-d survival rates between the CR and no-CR groups. During 180 d of follow-up, 12.1% and 18.7% of the CR and non-CR patients were readmitted to the hospital. There was one death (0.5%) in the CR group, while 98 deaths (4.0%) occurred in the non-CR group. After adjustment for age, sex, race, depression, anxiety, dyslipidemia, hypertension, obesity, smoking, type 2 diabetes, and discharge criteria, the final model revealed a significant 42.7% reduction in readmission or mortality risk for patients who attended CR (HR = 0.57: 95% CI, 0.33-0.98; P = .043). Regardless of demographic characteristics, comorbidities, and cardiovascular discharge criteria, the risk of 180-d all-cause readmission or death was markedly decreased in patients who attended CR compared with those who did not.

Type B Aortic Dissection Management: A Narrative Review of Guidelines and Systematic Reviews.

Surgical or medical treatment for type B or descending aortic dissections with difficult presentation or stable hemodynamics is debatable. This study aimed to review the type B aortic dissection therapy to assess safety and effectiveness. Online databases of PubMed, Science Direct, Web of Science, Cochrane, and Scopus were searched for relevant systematic reviews, guidelines, and meta-analysis studies on the management of type B aortic dissection, up to July 2023. The conclusions were qualitatively synthesized. Best medical therapy (BMT], thoracic aortic endovascular repair (TEVAR), and open surgeries (OS) were management approaches. Hemodynamics classify type B aortic dissection as complex or simple. Both examples reveal decreased in-hospital all-cause mortality with TAVR than OS. Guidelines recommend TEVAR for difficult situations and OS if it fails. Complication analyses favour TEVAR, however left subclavian artery coverage without revascularization increases stroke risk. Studies show Type B aortic dissection is simpler than TEVAR and BMT. Acute or subacute presentation did not affect reintervention rates between treatments. TEVAR had a greater early stroke risk than BMT but a decreased long-term aortic-related and all-cause mortality. The best data showed no differences in in-hospital mortality or early re-intervention between regimens. BMT reduced early stroke but increased late all-cause death. In conclusion, addressing Type B aortic dissection is complicated, depending on presentation and hemodynamics. TEVAR is best for difficult patients, however BMT and OS also work. TEVAR may reduce in-hospital mortality but increase early stroke risk.

Hospital Outcomes in Medical Patients With Alcohol-Related and Non–Alcohol-Related Wernicke Encephalopathy

ObjectiveTo conduct a nationwide retrospective cohort study to assess trends and hospitalization-associated outcomes in patients with Wernicke encephalopathy. Patients and MethodsIn this nationwide retrospective cohort study, we used in-hospital claims data of patients hospitalized with Wernicke encephalopathy in Switzerland from January 1, 2012, to December 31, 2020. We estimated incidence rates per 100,000 person-years among the overall Swiss population stratified by alcohol and non–alcohol-induced Wernicke encephalopathy. The primary outcome was all-cause in-hospital mortality. Secondary outcomes included progression to Korsakoff syndrome and 1-year hospital readmission. We estimated odds ratios (ORs) for binary outcomes. ResultsIt was found that 4098 of 4393 hospitalizations (93.3%) for Wernicke encephalopathy during the 8-year study were alcohol-related. Incidence rates for hospitalizations were 14-fold higher in alcohol-related compared with non–alcohol-related Wernicke encephalopathy (5.43 vs 0.39 per 100,000 person-years). The risk for in-hospital mortality was significantly lower in patients with alcohol-related vs non–alcohol-related Wernicke encephalopathy (3.2% vs 8.5%; adjusted OR, 0.38; 95% CI, 0.23 to 0.62). Patients with alcohol-related Wernicke encephalopathy had higher risk for development of Korsakoff syndrome (16.9% vs 1.7%; adjusted OR, 10.64; 95% CI, 4.37 to 25.92) and 1-year hospital readmission (31.6% vs 18.7%; adjusted OR, 1.4; 95% CI, 1.04 to 1.88). ConclusionIn this Swiss nationwide cohort study, Wernicke encephalopathy was a rare but serious cause for hospitalization and mainly alcohol-related. Patients with alcohol-related Wernicke encephalopathy had lower risks of in-hospital mortality but were more likely to develop Korsakoff syndrome and be readmitted to the hospital.

Impact of stress hyperglycemia ratio, derived from glycated albumin or hemoglobin A1c, on mortality among ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction patients

BackgroundStress hyperglycemia ratio (SHR), associated with adverse outcomes in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), has several definitions. This study aims to assess the prognostic value of SHR, derived from hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) or glycated albumin (GA), to mortality.MethodsThe study comprised 1,643 STEMI patients who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in two centers. SHR1 was calculated using fasting blood glucose (FBG)/GA, while SHR2 was calculated using the formula FBG/(1.59*HbA1c-2.59). The primary endpoints were in-hospital death and all-cause mortality, with a median follow-up duration of 1.56 years.ResultsHigher SHR1 and SHR2 values are associated with increased risks of in-hospital death and all-cause mortality. Each standard deviation increase in SHR1 corresponded to a 39% and 22% escalation in in-hospital death and all-cause mortality, respectively. The respective increases for SHR2 were 51% and 26%. Further examinations validated these relationships as linear. Additionally, the areas under the curve (AUC) for in-hospital death were not significantly different between SHR1 and SHR2 (p > 0.05). Incorporating SHR1 or SHR2 into the base model significantly improved the discrimination and risk reclassification for in-hospital and all-cause mortality. A subgroup analysis revealed that the effects of SHR1 and SHR2 were more pronounced in patients with hypercholesteremia.ConclusionSHR1 and SHR2 have emerged as robust and independent prognostic markers for STEMI patients undergoing PCI. The SHR calculation based on either HbA1c or GA can provide additional predictive value for mortality beyond traditional risk factors, helping to identify high-risk STEMI patients.

The Hospitalist-Oncologist co-ManagemEnt (HOME) system improves hospitalization outcomes of patients with cancer

BackgroundThe hospitalist system has been introduced to improve the quality and safety of inpatient care. As its effectiveness has been confirmed in previous studies, the hospitalist system is spreading in various fields. However, few studies have investigated the feasibility and value of hospitalist-led care of patients with cancer in terms of quality and safety measures. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of the Hospitalist-Oncologist co-ManagemEnt (HOME) system.MethodsBetween January 1, 2019, and January 31, 2021, we analyzed 591 admissions before and 1068 admissions after the introduction of HOME system on January 1, 2020. We compared the length of stay and the types and frequencies of safety events between the conventional system and the HOME system, retrospectively. We also investigate rapid response system activation, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, unplanned intensive care unit transfer, all-cause in-hospital mortality, and 30-day re-admission or emergency department visits.ResultsThe average length of stay (15.9 days vs. 12.9 days, P < 0.001), frequency of safety events (5.6% vs. 2.8%, P = 0.006), rapid response system activation (7.3% vs. 2.2%, P < 0.001) were significantly reduced after the HOME system introduction. However, there was no statistical difference in frequencies of cardiopulomonary resuscitation and intensive care unit transfer, all-cause in-hospital morality, 30-day unplanned re-admission or emergency department visits.ConclusionsThe study suggests that the HOME system provides higher quality of care and safer environment compared to conventional oncologist-led team-based care, and the efficiency of the medical delivery system could be increased by reducing the hospitalization period without increase in 30-day unplanned re-admission.