scholarly journals Early identification of severe community-acquired pneumonia: a retrospective observational study

2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. e000438 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frances S Grudzinska ◽  
Kerrie Aldridge ◽  
Sian Hughes ◽  
Peter Nightingale ◽  
Dhruv Parekh ◽  
...  

BackgroundCommunity-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is a leading cause of sepsis worldwide. Prompt identification of those at high risk of adverse outcomes improves survival by enabling early escalation of care. There are multiple severity assessment tools recommended for risk stratification; however, there is no consensus as to which tool should be used for those with CAP. We sought to assess whether pneumonia-specific, generic sepsis or early warning scores were most accurate at predicting adverse outcomes.MethodsWe performed a retrospective analysis of all cases of CAP admitted to a large, adult tertiary hospital in the UK between October 2014 and January 2016. All cases of CAP were eligible for inclusion and were reviewed by a senior respiratory physician to confirm the diagnosis. The association between the CURB65, Lac-CURB-65, quick Sequential (Sepsis-related) Organ Failure Assessment tool (qSOFA) score and National Early Warning Score (NEWS) at the time of admission and outcome measures including intensive care admission, length of hospital stay, in-hospital, 30-day, 90-day and 365-day all-cause mortality was assessed.Results1545 cases were included with 30-day mortality of 19%. Increasing score was significantly associated with increased risk of poor outcomes for all four tools. Overall accuracy assessed by receiver operating characteristic curve analysis was significantly greater for the CURB65 and Lac-CURB-65 scores than qSOFA. At admission, a CURB65 ≥2, Lac-CURB-65 ≥moderate, qSOFA ≥2 and NEWS ≥medium identified 85.0%, 96.4%, 40.3% and 79.0% of those who died within 30 days, respectively. A Lac-CURB-65 ≥moderate had the highest negative predictive value: 95.6%.ConclusionAll four scoring systems can stratify according to increasing risk in CAP; however, when a confident diagnosis of pneumonia can be made, these data support the use of pneumonia-specific tools rather than generic sepsis or early warning scores.

Author(s):  
Hai Hu ◽  
Ni Yao ◽  
Yanru Qiu

ABSTRACT Objectives: A simple evaluation tool for patients with novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) could assist the physicians to triage COVID-19 patients effectively and rapidly. This study aimed to evaluate the predictive value of 5 early warning scores based on the admission data of critical COVID-19 patients. Methods: Overall, medical records of 319 COVID-19 patients were included in the study. Demographic and clinical characteristics on admission were used for calculating the Standardized Early Warning Score (SEWS), National Early Warning Score (NEWS), National Early Warning Score2 (NEWS2), Hamilton Early Warning Score (HEWS), and Modified Early Warning Score (MEWS). Data on the outcomes (survival or death) were collected for each case and extracted for overall and subgroup analysis. Receiver operating characteristic curve analyses were performed. Results: The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve for the SEWS, NEWS, NEWS2, HEWS, and MEWS in predicting mortality were 0.841 (95% CI: 0.765-0.916), 0.809 (95% CI: 0.727-0.891), 0.809 (95% CI: 0.727-0.891), 0.821 (95% CI: 0.748-0.895), and 0.670 (95% CI: 0.573-0.767), respectively. Conclusions: SEWS, NEWS, NEWS2, and HEWS demonstrated moderate discriminatory power and, therefore, offer potential utility as prognostic tools for screening severely ill COVID-19 patients. However, MEWS is not a good prognostic predictor for COVID-19.


2021 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ying Su ◽  
Min-jie Ju ◽  
Rong-cheng Xie ◽  
Shen-ji Yu ◽  
Ji-li Zheng ◽  
...  

Background: Early Warning Scores (EWS), including the National Early Warning Score 2 (NEWS2) and Modified NEWS (NEWS-C), have been recommended for triage decision in patients with COVID-19. However, the effectiveness of these EWS in COVID-19 has not been fully validated. The study aimed to investigate the predictive value of EWS to detect clinical deterioration in patients with COVID-19.Methods: Between February 7, 2020 and February 17, 2020, patients confirmed with COVID-19 were screened for this study. The outcomes were early deterioration of respiratory function (EDRF) and need for intensive respiratory support (IRS) during the treatment process. The EDRF was defined as changes in the respiratory component of the sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA) score at day 3 (ΔSOFAresp = SOFA resp at day 3–SOFAresp on admission), in which the positive value reflects clinical deterioration. The IRS was defined as the use of high flow nasal cannula oxygen therapy, noninvasive or invasive mechanical ventilation. The performances of EWS including NEWS, NEWS 2, NEWS-C, Modified Early Warning Scores (MEWS), Hamilton Early Warning Scores (HEWS), and quick sepsis-related organ failure assessment (qSOFA) for predicting EDRF and IRS were compared using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC).Results: A total of 116 patients were included in this study. Of them, 27 patients (23.3%) developed EDRF and 24 patients (20.7%) required IRS. Among these EWS, NEWS-C was the most accurate scoring system for predicting EDRF [AUROC 0.79 (95% CI, 0.69–0.89)] and IRS [AUROC 0.89 (95% CI, 0.82–0.96)], while NEWS 2 had the lowest accuracy in predicting EDRF [AUROC 0.59 (95% CI, 0.46–0.720)] and IRS [AUROC 0.69 (95% CI, 0.57–0.81)]. A NEWS-C ≥ 9 had a sensitivity of 59.3% and a specificity of 85.4% for predicting EDRF. For predicting IRS, a NEWS-C ≥ 9 had a sensitivity of 75% and a specificity of 88%.Conclusions: The NEWS-C was the most accurate scoring system among common EWS to identify patients with COVID-19 at risk for EDRF and need for IRS. The NEWS-C could be recommended as an early triage tool for patients with COVID-19.


2021 ◽  
pp. 108482232110304
Author(s):  
Grace F. Wittenberg ◽  
Michelle A. McKay ◽  
Melissa O’Connor

Two-thirds of older adults have multimorbidity (MM), or co-occurrence of two or more medical conditions. Mild cognitive impairment (CI) is found in almost 20% of older adults and can lead to further cognitive decline and increased mortality. Older adults with MM are the primary users of home health care services and are at high risk for CI development; however, there is no validated cognitive screening tool used to assess the level of CI in home health users. Given the prevalence of MM and CI in the home health setting, we conducted a review of the literature to understand this association. Due to the absence of literature on CI in home health users, the review focused on the association of MM and CI in community-dwelling older adults. Search terms included home health, older adults, cognitive impairment, and multimorbidity and were applied to the databases PubMed, CINAHL, and PsychInfo leading to eight studies eligible for review. Results show CI is associated with MM in older adults of increasing age, among minorities, and in older adults with lower levels of education. Heart disease was the most prevalent disease associated with increased CI. Sleep disorders, hypertension, arthritis, and hyperlipidemia were also significantly associated with increased CI. The presence of MM and CI was associated with increased risk for death among older adults. Further research and attention are needed regarding the use and development of a validated cognitive assessment tool for home health users to decrease adverse outcomes in the older adult population.


Infection ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giuseppe Vittorio De Socio ◽  
Anna Gidari ◽  
Francesco Sicari ◽  
Michele Palumbo ◽  
Daniela Francisci

Abstract Purpose Clinical scores to rapidly assess the severity illness of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) could be considered of help for clinicians. Recently, a specific score (named COVID-GRAM) for severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection, based on a nationwide Chinese cohort, has been proposed. We routinely applied the National Early Warning Score 2 (NEWS2) to predict critical COVID-19. Aim of this study is to compare NEWS2 and COVID-GRAM score. Methods We retrospectively analysed data of 121 COVID-19 patients admitted in two Clinics of Infectious Diseases in the Umbria region, Italy. The primary outcome was critical COVID-19 illness defined as admission to the intensive care unit, invasive ventilation, or death. Accuracy of the scores was evaluated with the area under the receiver-operating characteristic curve (AUROC). Differences between scores were confirmed used Hanley–McNeil test. Results The NEWS2 AUROC curve measured 0.87 (standard error, SE 0.03; 95% CI 0.80–0.93; p < 0.0001). The COVID-GRAM score AUROC curve measured 0.77 (SE 0.04; 95% CI 0.68–0.85; p < 0.0001). Hanley–McNeil test showed that NEWS2 better predicted severe COVID-19 (Z = 2.03). Conclusions The NEWS2 showed superior accuracy to COVID-GRAM score for prediction of critical COVID-19 illness.


Circulation ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 132 (suppl_3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Donna M Miller

A change in patient condition is a dynamic process which can go unrecognized and result in a failure to rescue. Changes in patients’ vital signs can precede adverse events many hours before critical events such as cardiac arrest or emergent transfer to the Intensive Care Unit occurs. Quantitative assessment tools are used to predict risk and need for additional resources at the bedside. These tools are referred to as Early Warning Scoring Systems. The Royal College of Physicians developed a standardized tool called the National Early Warning Score (NEWS, 2012) that uses a variety of physiologic parameters to assess risk and establish a trigger threshold for summoning additional resources. Purpose: Early warning scoring tools have been found to be reliable and accurate in predicting patient decompensation. However, data from instruments are only as reliable and accurate as the caregiver who obtains and documents the parameters. The purpose of this study was to establish inter rater reliability between the RN and PCA using NEWS. Design, Sample, Setting, Procedures: This study was conducted on the clinical units of a 104 bed Long Term Acute Care Hospital (LTCH) system. These units accept patients directly from Intensive Care Units who require intense services to maintain their trajectory toward recovery. The NEWS provides a way for early detection of patient decompensation which can prevent readmission to acute care and the subsequent financial implications The convenience sample consisted of 22 RNs and 6 PCAs. Consented subjects reviewed an unfolding case study that portrayed a typical patient on the LTCH unit. Subjects were asked to circle the parameter ranges on the NEWS tool that corresponded to physiologic values in the scenario. Findings: Krippendorff’s alpha was utilized to determine the level of agreement among the raters examining the three scenarios. An alpha value of 0.94 was obtained indicating a high level of agreement among the raters. Conclusion: The NEWS can serve as a reliable adjunct to the provision of safe patient care. While it is not the sole source for determining


2020 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
pp. 175628722091661 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea Haren ◽  
Rajni Lal ◽  
David Walker ◽  
Rajesh Nair ◽  
Judith Partridge ◽  
...  

Background: Radical cystectomy (RC) and urinary diversion are the recommended treatment for patients with muscle invasive bladder cancer. This is complex surgery, associated with significant patient morbidity and mortality. Frailty has been shown to be an independent risk factor for adverse outcomes in several surgical populations. Preoperative assessment of frailty is advocated in current guidelines but is not yet standard clinical practice. Aims: This systematic review and narrative synthesis aims to examine whether patients undergoing RC are assessed for frailty, what tools are used, and whether an association is found between frailty and adverse outcomes in this population. Results: Nine studies, published within the last 4 years, describe the use of tools reporting to measure frailty in the RC population. All demonstrate increased risk of adverse postoperative outcomes with higher frailty levels. Only one study used a validated frailty tool. The majority of studies measure frailty using variations on a tool derived from a large database (ACS-NSQIP) effectively counting co-morbidities, rather than assessing the multidomain nature of the frailty syndrome. Conclusion: The recognition of frailty as an important consideration in the perioperative period is welcome. This systematic review and narrative synthesis demonstrates the need for collaboration in research and delivery of clinical care for older surgical patients. Such collaboration may provide clarity regarding terms such as frailty and multimorbidity, preventing the development of assessment tools inaccurately measuring these discreet syndromes interchangeably. More accurate assessment of patients in terms of frailty, multimorbidity and functional status may allow better modification and shared decision making leading to improved postoperative outcomes in older patients undergoing RC.


2018 ◽  
Vol 27 (3) ◽  
pp. 238-242
Author(s):  
Cheryl Gagne ◽  
Susan Fetzer

Background Unplanned admissions of patients to intensive care units from medical-surgical units often result from failure to recognize clinical deterioration. The early warning score is a clinical decision support tool for nurse surveillance but must be communicated to nurses and implemented appropriately. A communication process including collaboration with experienced intensive care unit nurses may reduce unplanned transfers. Objective To determine the impact of an early warning score communication bundle on medical-surgical transfers to the intensive care unit, rapid response team calls, and morbidity of patients upon intensive care unit transfer. Methods After an early warning score was electronically embedded into medical records, a communication bundle including notification of and telephone collaboration between medical-surgical and intensive care unit nurses was implemented. Data were collected 3 months before and 21 months after implementation. Results Rapid response team calls increased nonsignificantly during the study period (from 6.47 to 8.29 per 1000 patient-days). Rapid response team calls for patients with early warning scores greater than 4 declined (from 2.04 to 1.77 per 1000 patient-days). Intensive care unit admissions of patients after rapid response team calls significantly declined (P = .03), as did admissions of patients with early warning scores greater than 4 (P = .01), suggesting that earlier intervention for patient deterioration occurred. Documented reassessment response time declined significantly to 28 minutes (P = .002). Conclusion Electronic surveillance and collaboration with experienced intensive care unit nurses may improve care, control costs, and save lives. Critical care nurses have a role in coaching and guiding less experienced nurses.


2019 ◽  
pp. archdischild-2019-317055
Author(s):  
Marie Emilie Lampin ◽  
Alain Duhamel ◽  
Hélène Behal ◽  
Morgan Recher ◽  
Francis Leclerc ◽  
...  

ObjectivePaediatric early warning scores (EWS) were developed to detect deterioration in paediatric wards or emergency departments. The aim of this study was to assess the relationship between three paediatric EWS and clinical deterioration detected by the nurse in paediatric intermediate care units (PImCU).MethodsThis was a prospective, observational, multicentre study at seven French regional hospitals that included all children <18 years of age. Clinical parameters included in three EWS (Paediatric Advanced Warning Score, Paediatric Early Warning Score and Bedside Paediatric Early Warning System) were prospectively recorded every 8 hours or in case of deterioration. The outcome was a call to physician by the nurse when a clinical deterioration was observed. The cohort was divided into derivation and validation cohorts. An updated methodology for repeated measures was used and discrimination was estimated by the area under the receiver-operating curve.ResultsA total of 2636 children were included for 14 708 observations to compute a posteriori the EWS. The discrimination of the three EWS for predicting calls to physicians by nurses was good (range: 0.87–0.91) for the derivation cohort and moderate (range: 0.71–0.76) for the validation cohort. Equations for probability thresholds of calls to physicians, taking into account the time t, the score at time t and the score at admission, are available.ConclusionThese three EWS developed for children in paediatric wards or emergency departments can be used in PImCU to detect a clinical deterioration and predict the need for medical intervention.


2011 ◽  
Vol 56 (4) ◽  
pp. 195-202 ◽  
Author(s):  
H A Carmichael ◽  
E Robertson ◽  
J Austin ◽  
D Mccruden ◽  
C M Messow ◽  
...  

Removal of the intensive care unit (ICU) at the Vale of Leven Hospital mandated the identification and transfer out of those acute medical admissions with a high risk of requiring ICU. The aim of the study was to develop triaging tools that identified such patients and compare them with other scoring systems. The methodology included a retrospective analysis of physiological and arterial gas measurements from 1976 acute medical admissions produced PREEMPT-1 (PRE-critical Emergency Medical Patient Triage). A simpler one for ambulance use (PREAMBLE-1 [PRE-Admission Medical Blue-Light Emergency]) was produced by the addition of peripheral oxygen saturation to a modification of MEWS (Modified Early Warning Score). Prospective application of these tools produced a larger database of 4447 acute admissions from which logistic regression models produced PREEMPT-2 and PREAMBLE-2, which were then compared with the original systems and seven other early warning scoring systems. Results showed that in patients with arterial gases, the area under the receiver operator characteristic curve was significantly higher in PREEMPT-2 (89·1%) and PREAMBLE-2 (84.4%) than all other scoring systems. Similarly, in all patients, it was higher in PREAMBLE-2 (92.4%) than PREAMBLE-1 (88.1%) and the other scoring systems. In conclusion, risk of requiring ICU can be more accurately predicted using PREEMPT-2 and PREAMBLE-2, as described here, than by other early warning scoring systems developed over recent years.


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