Assessing the mortality risk in older patients hospitalized with a diagnosis of sepsis: the role of frailty and acute organ dysfunction.

Background: A prognostic stratification of mortality risk in older patients with sepsis admitted to medical wards is often challenging.

Aims: To evaluate the ability of the Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score, serum biomarkers (lactate and C-Reactive Protein, CRP), and measures of comorbidity and frailty in predicting in-hospital and 6-month mortality in a cohort of older patients admitted to an Acute Geriatric Unit (AGU) with a diagnosis of sepsis.

Methods: All patients aged 70 years and over consecutively admitted to our AGU with sepsis in the study period were included.

Frailty, post-operative delirium and functional status at discharge in patients with hip fracture.

Objective: To explore the effect of frailty, alone and in combination with post-operative delirium (POD), on the risk of poor function at discharge in patients with hip fracture (HF).

Methods: This is a prospective cohort study of patients with HF admitted to an Orthogeriatric Unit (OGU) between October 1, 2011 and March 15, 2019. POD was assessed using the 4AT and the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) 5-edition criteria.

The 4-DSD: A New Tool to Assess Delirium Superimposed on Moderate to Severe Dementia.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to create, standardize, and validate a new instrument, named 4-DSD, and determine its diagnostic accuracy in the diagnosis of delirium in subjects with moderate to severe dementia.

Design: Multicenter cross-sectional observational study.

Setting And Participants: Older patients consecutively admitted to acute and rehabilitation hospital wards.

Feasibility and safety of self-expandable metal stent in nonmalignant disease of the lower gastrointestinal tract.

In recent years, self-expandable metal stents (SEMSs) have been employed to treat benign gastrointestinal strictures secondary to several conditions: Acute diverticulitis, radiation colitis, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), and postanastomotic leakages and stenosis. Other applications include endometriosis and fistulas of the lower gastrointestinal tract. Although it may be technically feasible to proceed to stenting in the aforementioned benign diseases of the lower gastrointestinal tract, the outcome has been reported to be poor.

The impact of psychomotor subtypes and duration of delirium on 6-month mortality in hip-fractured elderly patients.

Objective: Studies exploring the incidence and impact of the psychomotor subtypes of postoperative delirium (POD) on the survival of hip fracture patients are few, and results are inconsistent. We sought to assess the incidence of POD subtypes and their impact, in addition to delirium duration, on 6-month mortality in older patients after hip-fracture surgery.

Methods: This is a prospective study involving 571 individuals admitted to an Orthogeriatric Unit within a 5-year period with a diagnosis of hip fracture.

Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography in the elderly: results of a retrospective study and a geriatricians' point of view.

Background: The incidence of biliary tract pathology is growing with an age-related trend, and progresses as the population ages. Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) represents the gold standard for treatment in these cases, but evidence about its safety in the elderly is still debated.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the clinical records of all patients aged ≥65 undergoing ERCP between July 2013 and July 2015.

Early endoscopic ultrasonography in acute biliary pancreatitis: A prospective pilot study.

Aim: To investigate the clinical usefulness of early endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS) in the management of acute biliary pancreatitis (ABP).

Methods: All consecutive patients entering the emergency department between January 2010 and December 2012 due to acute abdominal pain and showing biochemical and/or radiological findings consistent with possible ABP were prospectively enrolled. Patients were classified as having a low, moderate, or high probability of common bile duct (CBD) stones, according to the established risk stratification.

Chromogranin A in diagnosing and monitoring patients with gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine neoplasms: a large series from a single institution.

Background/aims: Plasma chromogranin A (CgA) is the most widely used biochemical biomarker in the diagnostic workup and follow-up of gastroenteropancreatic neuroendo- crine neoplasms (GEP-NENs). Herein, we assessed the clinical utility of CgA in diagnosing and monitoring a large series of GEP-NENs.

Patients And Methods: A total of 181 GEP-NEN patients (87 males, 94 females) with pancreatic (n = 81) and gastrointestinal neoplasms (n = 100) were included; 99 patients had grade (G)1 NENs (Ki-67 ≤2%), 57 G2 NENs (Ki-67 3-20%) and 25 G3 NENs (Ki-67 >20%); 81 patients had tumor-node-metastasis (TNM) stage I, 14 stage II, 17 stage III and 69 stage IV cancer.

Prospective evaluation of early endoscopic ultrasonography for triage in suspected choledocholithiasis: results from a large single centre series.

Background: Endoscopic ultrasonography is accurate, safe, and cost-effective in diagnosing common bile duct stones, thus suggesting the possibility to avoid invasive endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography.

Aim: To prospectively evaluate the diagnostic and therapeutic performance of early endoscopic ultrasonography in suspected choledocholithiasis.

Patients And Methods: All consecutive patients presenting to the Emergency Department with suspicion of choledocholithiasis between January 2010 and January 2012 were evaluated and categorized as low, moderate, or high probability of choledocholithiasis, according to accepted criteria.