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Objective: To analyse the relationship between the primary diagnosis on admission to an Acute Geriatric Unit (AGU) and the risk of hospital mortality and one year after discharge, Material and Methods: A longitudinal study was conducted on patients admitted to the Central Hospital AGU Red Cross in Madrid in 2009. The admission diagnosis was grouped by Diagnosis Related Groups (DRGs). The date of death was collected from the medical charts and the National Death Index Ministry of Health report. The main outcome of study was the association between diagnoses on admission and functional impairment at discharge (measured as a loss of 10 or more points between the Barthel Index at discharge and that on admission), mortality during hospitalization, at 3 months and one year after discharge. The multivariate analysis was adjusted for age, sex, comorbidity, functional and cognitive status, and serum albumin., Results: The study included1147 patients, with a mean age of 86.7 years (SD±6.7), and 66% were women. During admission, 10.1% of patients died and 36.6% had functional impairment at discharge. After discharge, 25.5% died at 3 months, and 42.2% at one year. The distribution of the primary diagnoses at admission (between parentheses hospital mortality and at year) were heart failure, 21.4% (8.1% and 37.4%), pneumonia,13.3% (12.3% and 46.4%), and aspiration pneumonia, 4.7% (27.5%, y 71%), respiratory diseases,13.3% (6.6% and 38.2%), urinary infection,10.2% (5.1% and 42.7%), and stroke (excluding AIT), 9.9% (13.3% and 46.9%). In the multivariate analysis, only admissions due to aspiration pneumonia were independently associated with increased risk of hospital mortality (odds ratio, 2.23; 95% CI=1.13 to 44.42), and stroke with increased risk of functional impairment at discharge (odds ratio, 6.01; 95% CI=3.42-10.57). No diagnosis was independently associated with increased risk of death at 3 months and at year, Conclusions: Admission from aspiration pneumonia carries an increased risk of death in elderly patients hospitalised for acute medical conditions. After discharge, the risk of death must be attributed to factors other than the admission diagnosis., (Copyright © 2015 SEGG. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.)

Background and Objective: To compare the glomerular filtration rate (GFR) of patients aged 75 and older without known renal disease estimated by the MDRD-4-IDMS (MDRD) formula, urine 24h creatinine clearance (24h-CC) and Cockroft-Gault (CG) formula., Patients and Methods: There were included 70 persons aged 75 and older from the geriatric external consultation. We compared the MDRD against the CG and the 24h-CC., Results: Means of GFR were: 24h-CC: 56,60 + or - 22,79 ml/min/1.73 m(2) and CG: 54,27 + or - 15,25 ml/min/1.73 m(2), significantly lower than with MDRD: 69,78 + or - 18,53 ml/min/1.73 m(2) (p<0.001). Age was correlated with the difference between CG and MDRD (coefficient of correlation: 0,59; r(2):0,34; p<0,001). Moderate agreement was obtained between MDRD with CG (k coefficient = 0.37; CI95%=0.19-0.55) and MDRD with 24-CC (k coefficient = 0.39; CI95% = 0.22-0.57)., Conclusions: The MDRD and CG formulas to estimate the FGR in people aged 75 and older are not interchangeable. There are needed specific studies in old people to establish the most precise formula., (Copyright 2009 Elsevier España, S.L. All rights reserved.)

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the risk of mortality, functional decline and institutionalization, as well as the hospital cost associated with patients with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection in an Acute Geriatric Unit (AGU)., Material and Methods: We retrospectively gathered data on patients admitted to the AGU over a 5-year period (from 1/1/2001 to 1/1/06). Mortality, institutionalization, functional impairment at discharge, length of hospital stay, and hospital costs were compared between patients with and without MRSA. MRSA infection was documented by the microbiology department using culture and antibiogram, as well as by clinical diagnosis of hospital infection registered in the medical record., Results: Data were obtained from 47 patients with MRSA (mean age 86.15+/-5.5 years) and from 4281 patients without MRSA (mean age 85.25+/-6 years). MRSA-infected patients had higher mortality (25.5% vs. 7.7%, p<0.001), worse functional status at discharge (Barthel index 39.43+/-33.05 vs. 55.24+/-34.99, p<0.01) and more frequent institutionalization (29% vs. 9%, p<0.001). Longer length of hospital stay (22.15+/-13.67 vs. 10.64+/-7.69 days, p<0.001) and higher hospital cost per patient (7517.71+/-4639.59 vs 3611.21+/-2609.98 euro, p<0.001) were also observed. In the multivariate analysis adjusted by age, sex, and baseline functional and cognitive status, MRSA infection was independently associated with higher mortality (OR=3.92; 95% CI=1.95-7.86), worse functional status at discharge (OR=2.48; 95% CI=1.22-5.01), institutionalization at discharge (OR=6.50; 95% CI=2.60-12.22), and substantial increase in length of hospital stay (Beta coefficient=11.55 days; 95% CI=9.32-13.75)., Conclusion: MRSA infection in the AGU is associated with higher mortality, worse functional status at discharge and a higher incidence of institutionalization, as well as significantly longer length of stay and higher hospital costs.

We present four cases of patients admitted to an acute geriatric unit with a presumptive diagnosis of bronchiolitis obliterans organizing pneumonia between 2001 and 2005. Because of the difficulty of performing transbronchial biopsy in these patients, who showed a variety of clinical presentations, the suspected diagnosis was based on clinical and radiological findings and a favorable response to empirical corticosteroid treatment. The clinical and radiological features of this entity in the elderly, as well as the therapeutic options, are reviewed.