Impact of pneumonia on hospitalizations due to acute exacerbations of COPD.

Background And Aims: Pneumonia is often diagnosed among patients hospitalized with acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD). The aims of this study were to find the proportion of patients with pneumonia among admissions due to AECOPD and whether pneumonia has impact on the length of stay (LOS), usage of non-invasive ventilation (NIV) or the in-hospital mortality.

Methods: Retrospectively, all hospitalizations in 2005 due to AECOPD in the Departments of Internal and Respiratory Medicine in one Swedish and two Norwegian hospitals were analyzed.

A Scandinavian audit of hospitalizations for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

In Scandinavia no large audits of hospitalizations for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) have been performed, and data on adherence to national guidelines are scarce. The aims of the present study were to audit hospitalizations for COPD exacerbations in three Scandinavian hospitals with respect to incidence, patient population and standards of hospital care. Retrospectively all hospitalizations in the Departments of Internal and Respiratory Medicine in Ostersund Hospital (Sweden), Aalesund Hospital (Norway) and Trondheim University Hospital (Norway) from Jan 1 to Dec 31, 2005, with discharge ICD-10 diagnoses J43-J44, J96 + J44 or J13-18 + j44 were registered.