[Lung diseases in the elderly. Assessment of guidelines for the probabilistic prescription of antibiotics in a department of geriatric care].

Objective: We developed a prescribing guideline containing recommendations for the initial empirical antibiotic therapy in community or nosocomial pneumonia. The aim of the present study was to examine the impact of this measure.

Method: The prescribing guideline was implemented in May 1999.

Intraindividual reproducibility of postprandial hypotension.

Background: Postprandial hypotension (PPH) is increasingly recognized as a common cause of falls and syncopes in the elderly. The diagnosis of PPH is based on the measurement of meal-induced blood pressure (BP) changes. Although the problem of intraindividual reproducibility of PPH is of clinical importance, it has not been extensively studied.