Background: Pneumonia is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in older adults. The role of frailty assessment in older adults with pneumonia is not well defined. Our purpose of the study was to investigate 30-day clinical course and functional outcomes of pneumonia in older adults with different levels of frailty. Methods: A prospective cohort was conducted at a university hospital in Seoul, Korea with 176 patients who were 65 years or older and hospitalized with pneumonia. A 50-item deficit-accumulation frailty index (FI) (range: 0–1; robust < 0.15, pre-frail 0.15–0.24, mild-to-moderately frail 0.25–0.44, and severely frail ≥ 0.45) and the pneumonia severity CURB-65 score (range: 0–5) were measured. Primary outcome was death or functional decline, defined as worsening dependencies in 21 daily activities and physical tasks in 30 days. Secondary outcomes were intensive care unit admission, psychoactive drug use, nasogastric tube feeding, prolonged hospitalization (length of stay > 15 days), and discharge to a long-term care institution. Results: The population had a median age 79 (interquartile range, 75–84) years, 68 (38.6 %) female, and 45 (25.5 %) robust, 36 (47.4 %) pre-frail, 37 (21.0 %) mild-to-moderately frail, and 58 (33.0 %) severely frail patients. After adjusting for age, sex, and CURB-65, the risk of primary outcome for increasing frailty categories was 46.7 %, 61.1 %, 83.8 %, and 86.2 %, respectively (p = 0.014). The risk was higher in patients with frailty (FI ≥ 0.25) than without (FI < 0.25) among those with CURB-65 0–2 points (75 % vs. 52 %; p = 0.022) and among those with CURB-65 3–5 points (93 % vs. 65 %; p = 0.007). In addition, patients with greater frailty were more likely to require nasogastric tube feeding (robust vs. severe frailty: 13.9 % vs. 60.3 %) and prolonged hospitalization (18.2 % vs. 50.9 %) and discharge to a long-term care institution (4.4 % vs. 59.3 %) (p < 0.05 for all). Rates of intensive care unit admission and psychoactive drug use were similar. Conclusions: Older adults with frailty experience high rates of death or functional decline in 30 days of pneumonia hospitalization, regardless of the pneumonia severity. These results underscore the importance of frailty assessment in the acute care setting.

Isolated fractures of the greater trochanter (GT) of the femur are uncommon and few studies have assessed the diagnosis and appropriate therapeutic schedule for these fractures. The current data regarding assessment of isolated fractures of the GT are limited to a few reviews based on the experience of a single institution. Therefore, we asked the following questions: (1) what proportion of cases has an associated extension of the fracture into the intertrochanteric region in isolated GT fracture and (2) what are the treatment options and outcomes of GT fractures with occult intertrochanteric fractures. We conducted a systematic review of published studies that evaluated patients who displayed isolated GT fracture on routine radiographic examination and underwent a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan because of the suspicion of extension into the intertrochanteric region. A structured literature review of multiple databases (PubMed, EMBASE, CINAHL, and Cochrane systematic reviews) referenced articles from 1950 to 2015. A total of 110 patients were identified from 7 published studies. MRI documented isolated GT fractures diagnosed on initial radiographs in only 11 of 110 patients (10 %). In 99 patients (90 %), MRI examinations revealed extension of the fracture into the intertrochanteric region. Surgical fixation was necessary for 61 patients, with a pooled percentage of 55 %. No complications were observed after surgery. Our study has helped to elucidate further the assessment of isolated fracture of the GT. We believe that MRI is a reasonable option for patients presenting with isolated GT fracture on plain radiographs.

Objective: Little information is available to guide treatment strategies regarding patients with unexpected positive cultures (UPC), including Propionibacterium acnes (PA), without overt signs of infection in revision shoulder arthroplasty (RSA). The purpose of our study was to analyze the prevalence, clinical meaning, treatment and prognosis of UPC in RSA. Data sources and study selection We performed a systematic review of the literature between 1950 and 2013 for all studies reporting on UPC for PA. Studies with the prevalence and prognosis of patients with UPC in RSA were analyzed. Results Six studies meeting our inclusion criteria yielded data for 1 402 patients who underwent a total of 1405 RSA. Based on the available data, following RSA 235 shoulders had UPCs with a pooled percentage of 16.7% (235/1405). The most commonly isolated bacteria from shoulders following RSA with UPCs was PA with pooled percentages of 63.4% (149/235). Occurrence of true infection from UPCs after RSA was seen in 24 shoulders (24/235, 10.2%). Antibiotic use did not influence the rate of the occurrence of true infection from UPCs (P=0.498). Conclusions: Our study showed a low risk of having a true infection from UPCs after RSA without clinical signs of pre-operative infection at the time of the surgery. Therefore, prolonged antibiotic therapy may not be necessary in these patients.

This study aimed to investigate the epidemiology of candidemia and evaluate the impact of adherence to the candidemia guideline defined by the European Confederation of Medical Mycology Quality of Clinical Candidemia Management (EQUAL) Candida score. Adult candidemia patients ≥ 19 years diagnosed at a tertiary care hospital in the Republic of Korea from 2013 to 2018 were enrolled (period 1 2013–2015, period 2 2016–2018). There was a total of 223 patients. The annual incidence of candidemia increased from 0.43 to 1.33 cases per 1000 admissions between 2013 and 2018, p < 0.001. A significant increase of fluconazole-resistant C. parapsilosis candidemia was noted in period 2 (35.3%) when compared to period 1 (0.0%), p = 0.020. The 30-day mortality rate was not different between period 1 and 2 (43.5% vs. 48.1%, p = 0.527). Multivariate analysis revealed that a Charlson comorbidity index score ≥ 4, neutropenia, duration of hospital stay ≥ 21 days before candidemia diagnosis, septic shock, mycological failure, and EQUAL Candida score < 15 were significantly associated with 30-day mortality. An increase in the incidence of candidemia and fluconazole resistance in the non-albicans Candida species over time was observed. Disease severity, comorbidities, and lower adherence to the candidemia guideline were associated with mortality.

Kim JH. Infect Chemother. 2022 Dec;54:e88. https://doi.org/10.3947/ic.2022.0162

Kim JH, et al. J Korean Med Sci. 2019 Dec;35(2):e18. https://doi.org/10.3346/jkms.2020.35.e18