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Background: Transthoracic strain elastosonography (TSE) is being increasingly studied for estimating lung-pleura interface stiffness in pulmonary fibrosis. To date, no data exist on its application in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Objectives: The aim of this article was to describe the TSE pattern in patients with COPD and healthy subjects, either smokers or nonsmokers, and evaluate the feasibility of this technique for early detection of COPD in smokers. Methods: Nineteen patients with COPD, twenty-one healthy smokers, and twenty healthy nonsmokers underwent spirometry and TSE. Elastosonography was performed by one ultrasound-certified operator on 12 different scans for each participant, on right and left sides, anteriorly and posteriorly, on upper and lower lobes. For each scan, lung-pleura interface stiffness index (SI) was calculated, and the average SI on all 12 scans (SI-12) and on posterior basal scans (SI-PB) was calculated and used for comparisons among groups of participants and correlations with spirometric parameters. Results: Patients with lung injury (i.e., with COPD or healthy smokers) exhibited significantly increased lung-pleura interface stiffness on TSE, measured by SI-12 and SI-PB, than healthy nonsmokers (p < 0.05). Unlike SI-12, SI-PB was able to discriminate between subjects with lung injury and healthy nonsmokers on receiver operating characteristics analysis (area under the curve 0.846, 95% confidence interval 0.730–0.926, p < 0.001) and correlated with forced expiratory volume in the first second (r = −0.31, p = 0.018). Conclusion: The measurement of lung-pleura interface stiffness by TSE in posterior basal scans was able to discriminate patients with lung injury from healthy nonsmokers. The role of TSE for detecting early lung damage in COPD should be further investigated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aims of this study were to describe the characteristics of patients hospitalized with delta SARS-CoV-2 breakthrough infection, and to identify factors associated with pneumonia on chest Computed Tomography (CT) and mortality. The clinical records of 229 patients (105 F), with a median age of 81 (interquartile range, IQR, 73–88) years old, hospitalized between June and December 2021 after completion of the primary vaccination cycle, were retrospectively analyzed, retrieving data on comorbidities, Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS), clinical presentation and outcomes. Multimorbidity (91.7% with ≥2 chronic illnesses) and frailty (61.6% with CFS ≥ 5) were highly prevalent. CFS (OR 0.678, 95% CI 0.573–0.803, p < 0.001) and hypertension were independently associated with interstitial pneumonia. Mortality was 25.1% and unrelated with age. PaO2/FiO2 on blood gas analysis performed upon admission (OR 0.986, 95% CI 0.977–0.996, p = 0.005), and CFS (OR 1.723, 95% CI 1.152–2.576, p = 0.008) were independently associated with mortality only in subjects < 85 years old. Conversely, serum PCT levels were associated with mortality in subjects ≥ 85 years old (OR 3.088, 95% CI 1.389–6.8628, p = 0.006). In conclusion, hospitalization for COVID-19 breakthrough infection mainly involved geriatric patients, with those aged ≥ 85 more characterized by decompensation of baseline comorbidities rather than typical COVID-19 respiratory symptoms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/Objectives: Although SARS-CoV-2 infection is a significant risk factor for venous thromboembolism (VTE), data on the impact of the use of non-invasive ventilation support (NIVS) to mitigate the risk of VTE during hospitalization are scarce. Methods: Data for 1471 SARS-CoV-2 patients, hospitalized in a single hub during the first pandemic wave, were collected from clinical records, including symptom duration and type, information on lung abnormalities on chest computed tomography (CT), laboratory parameters and the use of NIVS. Determining VTE occurrence during hospital stays was the main endpoint. Results: Patients with VTE (1.8%) had an increased prevalence of obesity (26% vs. 11%), diabetes (41% vs. 21%), higher CHA2DS2VASC score (4, IQR 2–5 vs. 3, IQR 1–4, age- and sex-adjusted, p = 0.021) and cough (65% vs. 44%) and experienced significantly higher rates of NIVS (44% vs. 8%). Using a stepwise multivariate logistic regression model, the prevalence of electrocardiogram abnormalities (odds ratio (OR) 2.722, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.039–7.133, p = 0.042), cough (OR 3.019, 95% CI 1.265–7.202, p = 0.013), CHA2DS2-VASC score > 3 (OR 3.404, 95% CI 1.362–8.513, p = 0.009) and the use of NIVS (OR 15.530, 95% CI 6.244–38.627, p < 0.001) were independently associated with a risk of VTE during hospitalization. NIVS remained an independent risk factor for VTE even after adjustment for the period of admission within the pandemic wave. Conclusions: Our study suggests that NIVS is a risk factor for VTE during hospitalization in SARS-CoV-2 patients. Future studies should assess the optimal prophylactic strategy against VTE in patients with a SARS-CoV-2 infection candidate to non-invasive ventilatory support. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/Objectives: Older patients are subject to a high number of Emergency Department (ED) visits and hospitalizations. Innovative strategies to manage geriatric urgencies in the community are thus needed. Methods: In this prospective observational study, we examined the case mix of a hospital-based domiciliary urgent care service tailored to older patients, called Multidisciplinary Mobile Unit (MMU), from January to September 2023. The service, activated by general practitioners or territorial specialists during workdays, provided domiciliary geriatric assessment, point-of-care diagnostics, including multi-site ultrasound and lab tests, and therapeutical measures, including intravenous treatment and insertion of invasive devices, with the goal of reaching on-site stabilization and avoiding ED referral. We collected data regarding multimorbidity, polypharmacy, and frailty according to the Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS), reasons for MMU activation, and diagnostic and therapeutical services provided. The assessed outcomes were immediate hospitalization after a visit, 30-day admission, and 30-day mortality. Results: Participants (n = 205, 102 M) were mostly aged (median age 83 years old), with multimorbidity and frailty (CFS median 6). The most frequent reasons for MMU activation were dyspnea (49%), cough (34%), and musculoskeletal pain (17%), while the commonest diagnostic test provided was thoracic ultrasound (81%). Only five patients (2.4%) were hospitalized immediately after MMU visit. The 30-day rate of hospitalization was 10.2%, with age, cancer, and abdominal pain as independent predictors on a stepwise binary logistic regression model. 30-day mortality was 4.9%. Conclusions: The MMU model is a feasible strategy to manage geriatric urgencies, especially involving the cardiorespiratory system, is associated with good outcomes and may prevent ED visits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Older patients evaluated in Emergency Departments (ED) for suspect Myocardial Infarction (MI) frequently exhibit unspecific elevations of serum high‐sensitivity troponin I (hs‐TnI), making interpretation particularly challenging for emergency physicians. The aim of this longitudinal study was to identify the interaction of multimorbidity and frailty with hs‐TnI levels in older patients seeking emergency care. Methods: A group of patients aged≥75 with suspected MI was enrolled in our acute geriatric ward immediately after ED visit. Multimorbidity and frailty were measured with Cumulative Illness Rating Scale (CIRS) and Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS), respectively. The association of hs‐TnI with MI (main endpoint) was assessed by calculation of the Area Under the Receiver‐Operating Characteristic Curve (AUROC), deriving population‐specific cut‐offs with Youden test. The factors associated with hs‐TnI categories, including MI, CFS and CIRS, were determined with stepwise multinomial logistic regression. The association of hs‐TnI with 3‐month mortality (secondary endpoint) was also investigated with stepwise logistic regression. Results: Among 268 participants (147 F, median age 85, IQR 80–89), hs‐TnI elevation was found in 191 cases (71%, median 23 ng/L, IQR 11–65), but MI was present in only 12 cases (4.5%). hs‐TnI was significantly associated with MI (AUROC 0.751, 95% CI 0.580–0.922, p = 0.003), with an optimal cut‐off of 141 ng/L. hs‐TnI levels ≥141 ng/L were significantly associated with CFS (OR 1.58, 95% CI 1.15–2.18, p = 0.005), while levels <141 ng/L were associated with the cardiac subscore of CIRS (OR 1.36, 95% CI 1.07–1.71, p = 0.011). CFS, but not hs‐TnI levels, predicted 3‐month mortality. Conclusions: In geriatric patients with suspected MI, frailty and cardiovascular multimorbidity should be carefully considered when interpreting emergency hs‐TnI testing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim. To investigate the clinical significance of procalcitonin (PCT) elevation on hospital admission for coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) and its association with mortality in oldest old patients (age > 75 years). Methods. The clinical records of 1074 patients with chest high-resolution computed-tomography (HRCT) positive for interstitial pneumonia and symptoms compatible for COVID-19, hospitalized in medical wards during the first pandemic wave in a single academic center in Northern Italy, were retrospectively analyzed. All patients had serum PCT testing performed within six hours from admission. Information on COVID-19-related symptoms, comorbidities, drugs, autonomy in daily activities, respiratory exchanges, other routine lab tests, and outcomes were collected. Clinical characteristics were compared across different admission PCT levels and ages. The association of admission PCT with mortality was tested separately in participants aged > 75 and ≤75 years old by stepwise multivariate Cox regression model with forward selection. Results. With increasing classes of PCT levels (<0.05, 0.05-0.49, 0.5-1.99, and ≥2 ng/ml), there was a significant trend (P < 0.0001) towards older age, male gender, wider extension of lung involvement on HRCT, worse respiratory exchanges, and several other laboratory abnormalities. Each incremental PCT class was associated with increased risk of hospital death at multivariate models in subjects older than 75 (hazard ratio for PCT ≥ 2 vs. <0.05 ng/ml: 30.629, 95% confidence interval 4.176-224.645, P = 0.001), but not in subjects aged 75 or younger. Conclusions. In patients admitted for COVID-19, PCT elevation was associated with several clinical, radiological, and laboratory characteristics of disease severity. However, PCT elevation was strongly associated with hospital mortality only in oldest old subjects (age > 75). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Older multimorbid frail subjects have been severely involved in the coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) pandemic. The aim of this retrospective study is to compare the clinical features and outcomes of patients admitted in different phases of the outbreak in a COVID-19 hospital hub, with a particular focus on age, multimorbidity, and functional dependency. The clinical records of 1264 patients with clinical and radiological features compatible with COVID-19 pneumonia admitted in February–June, 2020, were analyzed, retrieving demographical, clinical, laboratory data, and outcomes. All variables were compared after stratification by the period of admission (first phase: rising slope of pandemic wave; second phase: plateau and falling slope), age, results of the first reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test for detection of severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), multimorbidity (≥2 chronic diseases), and presence of disability. Factors independently associated with hospital mortality were determined by multivariate forward-selection logistic regression. Patients admitted during the second phase were older, more frequently multimorbid, disabled, and of female gender. However, on admission they exhibited milder respiratory impairment (PaO2/FiO2 268, IQR 174–361, vs. 238, IQR 126–327 mmHg, p < 0.001) and lower mortality (22% vs. 27%, p < 0.001). Age, respiratory exchanges, positive RT-PCR test, number of chronic diseases (odds ratio (OR) 1.166, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.036–1.313, p = 0.011), and disability (OR 1.927, 95% CI 1.027–3.618, p = 0.022) were positively associated with mortality, while admission during the second phase exhibited an inverse association (OR 0.427, 95% CI 0.260–0.700, p = 0.001). In conclusion, older multimorbid patients were mainly hospitalized during the second phase of the pandemic wave. The prognosis was strongly influenced by the COVID-19 phenotype and period of admission, not just by age, multimorbidity, and disability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Effective treatments for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) are urgently needed. We hypothesized that colchicine, by counteracting proinflammatory pathways implicated in the uncontrolled inflammatory response of COVID-19 patients, reduces pulmonary complications, and improves survival. Methods: This retrospective study included 71 consecutive COVID-19 patients (hospitalized with pneumonia on CT scan or outpatients) who received colchicine and compared with 70 control patients who did not receive colchicine in two serial time periods at the same institution. We used inverse probability of treatment propensity-score weighting to examine differences in mortality, clinical improvement (using a 7-point ordinary scale), and inflammatory markers between the two groups. Results: Amongst the 141 COVID-19 patients (118 [83.7%] hospitalized), 70 (50%) received colchicine. The 21-day crude cumulative mortality was 7.5% in the colchicine group and 28.5% in the control group (P = 0.006; adjusted hazard ratio: 0.24 [95%CI: 0.09 to 0.67]); 21-day clinical improvement occurred in 40.0% of the patients on colchicine and in 26.6% of control patients (adjusted relative improvement rate: 1.80 [95%CI: 1.00 to 3.22]). The strong association between the use of colchicine and reduced mortality was further supported by the diverging linear trends of percent daily change in lymphocyte count (P = 0.018), neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (P = 0.003), and in C-reactive protein levels (P = 0.009). Colchicine was stopped because of transient side effects (diarrhea or skin rashes) in 7% of patients. Conclusion: In this retrospective cohort study colchicine was associated with reduced mortality and accelerated recovery in COVID-19 patients. This support the rationale for current larger randomized controlled trials testing the safety/efficacy profile of colchicine in COVID-19 patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To investigate the association between vitamin D deficiency (25-hydroxyvitamin D <20 ng/mL) and idiopathic calcium nephrolithiasis (ICN).Methods: A total of 884 patients with ICN (363 males, mean age of 51 ± 14) and 967 controls (162 males, mean age of 59 ± 15) from an area with no food fortification policy were considered following a case-control study design. Patients were enrolled at a third-level outpatient stone clinic. Controls were selected from a laboratory database after exclusion of those with nephrolithiasis, bone, endocrine, liver, and kidney diseases. Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin-D (25-OH-D), date of test, presence/history of diabetes, and cardiovascular disease including hypertension were recorded for all subjects. Serum parathormone, calcium, phosphorus, and urinary factors of lithogenic risk were available in stone formers (SF). After univariate statistical analysis, propensity score matching with conditional logistic regression was used to control for the possible effects of covariates.Results: The prevalence of 25-OH-D <20 ng/mL was 56% in SF and 44% in controls (P <.001), with median levels of 18 ng/mL [interquartile range (IQR) of 12-24)] versus 23 ng/mL (IQR of 14-30) (age and sex adjusted P <.001). After a fully adjusted conditional logistic regression analysis, performed on propensity-matched cohorts (442 SF, 442 controls), there was a statistically significant association between vitamin D deficiency and odds of nephrolithiasis (estimated odds ratio of 2.29, confidence interval 95% 1.74-3.02, P <.001). 25-OH-D levels were not different in hypercalciuric and normocalciuric SF (median and IQR of 18 ng/mL and 13-23 vs 19 ng/mL and 13-26, respectively, P = .2).Conclusions: SF have lower serum 25-OH-D levels than controls. The role of hypovitaminosis D in the onset of ICN should be better reconsidered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The prognostic value of quick Sepsis-related Organ Failure Assessment (qSOFA) score in geriatric patients is uncertain. We aimed to compare qSOFA vs. Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (SIRS) criteria for mortality prediction in older multimorbid subjects, admitted for suspected sepsis in a geriatric ward. We prospectively enrolled 272 patients (aged 83.7 ± 7.4). At admission, qSOFA and SIRS scores were calculated. Mortality was assessed during hospital stay and three months after discharge. The predictive capacity of qSOFA and SIRS was assessed by calculating the Area Under the Receiver Operating Characteristic Curve (AUROC), through pairwise AUROC comparison, and multivariable logistic regression analysis. Both qSOFA and SIRS exhibited a poor prognostic performance (AUROCs 0.676, 95% CI 0.609–0.738, and 0.626, 95% CI 0.558–0.691 for in-hospital mortality; 0.684, 95% CI 0.614–0.748, and 0.596, 95% CI 0.558–0.691 for pooled three-month mortality, respectively). The predictive capacity of qSOFA showed no difference to that of SIRS for in-hospital mortality (difference between AUROCs 0.05, 95% CI −0.05 to 0.14, p = 0.31), but was superior for pooled three-month mortality (difference between AUROCs 0.09, 95% CI 0.01–0.17, p = 0.029). Multivariable logistic regression analysis, accounting for possible confounders, including frailty, showed that both scores were not associated with in-hospital mortality, although qSOFA, unlike SIRS, was associated with pooled three-month mortality. In conclusion, neither qSOFA nor SIRS at admission were strong predictors of mortality in a geriatric acute-care setting. Traditional geriatric measures of frailty may be more useful for predicting adverse outcomes in this setting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Serum procalcitonin and highsensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) elevations have been associated with pneumonia in adults. Our aim was to establish their diagnostic usefulness in a cohort of hospitalized multimorbid patients =65 years old admitted to hospital with acute respiratory symptoms. Methods: With a retrospective cohort study design, all multimorbid patients =65 years-old with acute respiratory symptoms admitted to an internal medicine hospital ward in Italy from January to August 2013 were evaluated. Pneumonia diagnosis, comorbidities expressed through Cumulative Illness Rating Scale (CIRS), setting of living, length of stay, serum hs-CRP and procalcitonin at admission were collected for each patient. Data were analyzed with Mann-Whitney's U test and multivariate Cox logistic regression analysis. A Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve was used to verify each biomarker's association with pneumonia diagnosis. Results: Four hundred fifty five patients (227 M) were included in the study, of whom 239 with pneumonia (138 M, mean age 80 ± 13) and 216 without pneumonia (89 M, mean age 80 ± 14). After adjustment for age and sex, median levels of hs-CRP were significantly higher in patients with pneumonia (116 mg/L, IQR 46.5-179.0, vs 22.5 mg/dl, IQR 6.9-84.4, p < 0.0001), while procalcitonin median levels were not (0.22 ng/ml IQR 0.12- 0.87, vs 0.15 ng/ml, IQR 0.10-0.35, p = 0.08). The ROC analysis showed that, unlike procalcitonin, hs- CRP values were predictive of pneumonia (AUC 0.76, 95% CI 0.72-0.79, p < 0.0001, cut-off value 61 mg/L), even after adjustment for possible confounders including nursing home residence and dementia. Serum hs-CRP levels >61 mg/L were independently associated with a 3.59-fold increased risk of pneumonia (OR 3.59, 95% CI 2.35-5.48, p < 0.0001). Conclusion: In elderly multimorbid patients who require hospital admission for respiratory symptoms, serum hs-CRP testing seems to be more useful than procalcitonin for guiding the diagnostic process when clinical suspicion of pneumonia is present. Procalcitonin testing might hence be not recommended in this setting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]