Efficacy and safety of subcutaneous administration of ceftazidime as a salvage therapy in geriatrics: a case report.

Ceftazidime is a third-generation cephalosporin used for the treatment of Gram-negative bacteria only approved for parenteral use by intravenous and intramuscular route. In some clinical situations, off-label subcutaneous injection could be a salvage route for the administration of antibiotics, especially in geriatrics, despite the paucity of evidence about efficacy and safety. We report a case of a successful and well-tolerated subcutaneous ceftazidime therapy in a 90-year-old woman for the treatment of an acute urinary tract infection caused by Pseudomonas aeruginosa with therapeutic drug monitoring data.

[Antibiotic prescription usage and assessment in geriatric patients].

Due to the high risk of infection, the geriatric population is regularly subjected to antibiotics. Faced with bacterial resistance, particularly among elderly dependent patients, it is essential to promote proper use and correct prescription of antibiotics. A study evaluated antibiotic prescription in a geriatric hospital with 598 beds and highlighted the importance of collaboration between geriatricians and infectious disease specialists.

[Towards the development of the orthogeriatric care model].

The frequency and seriousness of fractures in frail elderly people has led to the creation of an orthogeriatric service in Paris, between Ambroise-Paré and Sainte-Périne hospitals. This care model, focused on early postoperative geriatric follow-up and rehabilitation care, has resulted in an increase in the flow of trauma patients admitted to Sainte-Périne, reduced mortality and higher home-discharge rate.

Physical exercise and weight loss for hip and knee osteoarthritis in very old patients: a systematic review of the literature.

Background: Rheumatologic and geriatric scholarly organisations recommendations for the management of hip and knee osteoarthritis, which emphasise the usefulness of non-pharmacological therapies, are not scaled according to patient's age and physical condition. We conducted a systematic review of clinical trials on exercise and weight loss in hip and knee osteoarthritis in very old patients.

Methods: Electronic search in MEDLINE, EMBASE, PASCAL database, systematic search of the Cochrane Reviews, manual search in guidelines, meta-analyses and identified relevant articles.

[Urinary incontinence in the elderly].

Urinary incontinence affects approximately three million women in France. Its frequency increases with age. It impacts quality of life.

[Clinical trials in very elderly people: the point of view of geriatricians].

Background: Very elderly subjects (aged > or =80 years) and polypathological elderly subjects experience frequent and serious adverse drug effects. They are nevertheless still excluded from clinical research.

Methods: We questioned geriatricians through a questionnaire about the usefulness and feasibility of randomised controlled trials (RCTs) in this population.

Randomized controlled drug trials on very elderly subjects: descriptive and methodological analysis of trials published between 1990 and 2002 and comparison with trials on adults.

Background: Very elderly subjects (VES; aged 80 years or older) constitute a special population as they frequently present multiple diseases (polypathology). Results from trials on general adult populations therefore cannot be extrapolated to VES. We performed a census of randomized controlled trials (RCT) on VES published between 1990 and 2002, and carried out a descriptive and methodological analysis of these RCT/VES, comparing them with matched RCT on general adult populations (control RCT, RCT/C).