Publications by authors named "Federica Sganga"
Article Synopsis
- The trauma mortality rate is higher in elderly patients due to age-related physiological changes and frailty, necessitating specialized management guidelines to improve outcomes and minimize unnecessary procedures.
- Expert surgeons reviewed literature and developed evidence-based recommendations for geriatric trauma care, focusing on frailty assessment, early activation of trauma protocols, and multimodal pain management.
- Key practices include administering antibiotics selectively for certain traumatic injuries, ensuring timely venous thromboembolism prevention, and involving palliative care teams to address end-of-life discussions with a holistic approach.
Purpose: Vaccinations, for example flu vaccine, may be a cause of cross-reactive immunostimulation that prevents a larger spectrum of infections. However, whether SARS-CoV-2 vaccinations may also determine this effect is unclear. This study aims, first, to assess the incidence of infections at hospital admission and during the hospitalization in older inpatients vaccinated and unvaccinated against SARS-CoV-2; second, to compare length of hospital stay and in-hospital mortality between vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: To show the importance of geriatricians in the assessment and treatment of patients with terminal illnesses requiring palliative care.
Methods: This was a retrospective epidemiological study, in which the authors used data relating to 229 patients with terminal stage cancer/advanced chronic diseases, which were evaluated by a palliative care team and collected from January to December 2018.
Results: The average age of the sample was 72 years.
Aim: To analyse the presence and treatment of infections in hospitalised terminal patients by identifying potential risk factors.
Methods: We conducted a retrospective study using health data from 229 terminally ill patients (evaluated by our hospital palliative care team (HPCT) hospitalised from January to December 2018.
Results: A total of two types of infections were identified: blood flow infection (through blood cultures) and pneumonia (through radiological examinations), while the other cases of infection remained unknown.
Aim: To investigate the association between a hospital palliative care unit assessment and hospital outcome.
Methods: This was a prospective cohort study. Data were assessed from all patients treated and followed by the hospital palliative care team (HPCT) from November 2016 until December 2017.
Aim: To comparatively investigate the effects of hyperpolypharmacy and potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs) on functional decline in older patients after hospital discharge.
Methods: Our series consisted of 733 patients aged ≥65 consecutively enrolled in a multicenter observational longitudinal study. PIMs were defined on the basis of updated versions of Beers and STOPP criteria.
Aim: Drugs may interact with geriatric syndromes by playing a role in the continuation, recurrence or worsening of these conditions. Aim of this study is to assess the prevalence of interactions between drugs and three common geriatric syndromes (delirium, falls and urinary incontinence) among older adults in nursing home and home care in Europe.
Methods: We performed a cross-sectional multicenter study among 4023 nursing home residents participating in the Services and Health for Elderly in Long-TERm care (Shelter) project and 1469 home care patients participating in the Identifying best practices for care-dependent elderly by Benchmarking Costs and outcomes of community care (IBenC) project.
Objective: Among elderly individuals with dementia, the use of antipsychotics has been associated with serious adverse events including ischemic stroke and death. Multiple medications can interact with antipsychotics and increase the risk of such adverse events. The purpose of this retrospective, longitudinal cohort study was to estimate the prevalence of potential antipsychotic drug interactions and their effect on increasing the risk of death among cognitively impaired elderly individuals treated with antipsychotics.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAim: To assess the predictors of readmission among older adults hospitalized in acute care wards.
Methods: A prospective cohort study was carried out among 921 hospitalized older adults participating in the CRiteria to Assess Appropriate Medication Use among Elderly Complex Patients (CRIME) project. The primary outcome of the study was rehospitalization within 1 year after discharge from acute care hospitals.
Aim: Several factors can affect antipsychotic prescriptions, among which, caregivers. However, whether being assisted by a care worker might increase the rate of antipsychotic prescriptions at discharge from acute care hospital has not been previously investigated. We aimed to investigate whether being assisted by a care worker is associated with increased use of antipsychotics among older patients discharged from acute care hospitals.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAim: To investigate the prevalence and clinical correlates of overprescribing and underprescribing of low molecular weight heparins (LMWHs) for thromboprophylaxis among older medical inpatients.
Methods: Eight hundred seventy six patients (mean age 81.5 ± 7.
Aim: To assess the impact of hospitalization on modification of drug burden among elderly patients.
Methods: The present prospective cohort study was carried out in acute care hospitals in Italy. The difference in the number of drugs used before hospital admission and those prescribed at discharge was calculated.
Aim: To investigate if older adults using multiple drugs have an increased risk of rehospitalization and mortality after hospital discharge.
Methods: This was a prospective cohort study carried out in acute care hospitals. The primary outcomes of the study were rehospitalization and mortality within 1 year after discharge from acute care hospitals.