Contributions of individual qSOFA elements to assessment of severity and for prediction of mortality.

Background: The quick sequential [sepsis-related] organ failure assessment (qSOFA) acts as a prompt to consider possible sepsis. The contributions of individual qSOFA elements to assessment of severity and for prediction of mortality remain unknown.

Methods: A total of 3974 patients with community-acquired pneumonia were recruited to an observational prospective cohort study.

Updating cut-off values of severity scoring systems for community-acquired pneumonia to orchestrate more predictive accuracy.

The assessment of severity is crucial in the management of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). It remains unknown whether updating cut-off values of severity scoring systems orchestrate improvement in predictive accuracy. 3,212 patients with CAP were recruited to two observational prospective cohort studies.

qSOFA predicted pneumonia mortality better than minor criteria and worse than CURB-65 with robust elements and higher convergence.

Background: Limited data are available on the discriminatory capacity of quick sequential [sepsis-related] organ failure assessment (qSOFA) versus IDSA/ATS minor criteria for predicting mortality in patients with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP).

Methods: An observational prospective cohort study of 2116 patients with CAP was performed. Construct validity was determined using Cronbach α.

Scored minor criteria for severe community-acquired pneumonia predicted better.

Background: Infectious Disease Society of America/American Thoracic Society (IDSA/ATS) minor criteria for severe community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) are of unequal weight in predicting mortality, but the major problem associated with IDSA/ATS minor criteria might be a lack of consideration of weight in prediction in clinical practice. Would awarding different points to the presences of the minor criteria improve the accuracy of the scoring system? It is warranted to explore this intriguing hypothesis.

Methods: A total of 1230 CAP patients were recruited to a retrospective cohort study.

Priority for Treatment and Intensive Care of Patients With Non-Severe Community-Acquired Pneumonia.

Background: The Infectious Disease Society of America/the American Thoracic Society (IDSA/ATS) minor criteria for severe community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) are of unequal weight in predicting mortality. It is unclear whether the patients with non-severe CAP meeting the minor criteria most strongly associated to mortality should have the priority for treatment and intensive care. It is warranted to explore this intriguing hypothesis.

Modified IDSA/ATS Minor Criteria for Severe Community-Acquired Pneumonia Best Predicted Mortality.

It is not clear whether the IDSA/ATS minor criteria for severe community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) could be simplified or even be modified to orchestrate improvements in predicting mortality.A retrospective cohort study of 1230 CAP patients was performed to simplify and to modify the scoring system by excluding 4 noncontributory or infrequent variables (leukopenia, hypothermia, hypotension, and thrombocytopenia) and by excluding these variables and then adding age ≥65 years, respectively. The simplification and modification were tested against a prospective 2-center validation cohort of 1409 adults with CAP.

CUR-65 Score for Community-Acquired Pneumonia Predicted Mortality Better Than CURB-65 Score in Low-Mortality Rate Settings.

Background: It is not clear whether low-blood pressure criterion could be removed from CURB-65 (confusion, urea >7 mmol/L, respiratory rate ≥30/min, low blood pressure and age ≥65 years) score to orchestrate an improvement in identifying patients with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) in low-mortality rate settings.

Methods: A retrospective cohort study of 1,230 CAP patients was performed to simplify the CURB-65 scoring system by excluding low-blood pressure variable. The simplification was validated in a prospective 2-center cohort of 1,409 adults with CAP.

Mortality among severe community-acquired pneumonia patients depends on combinations of 2007 IDSA/ATS minor criteria.

Objectives: The individual 2007 Infectious Disease Society of America (IDSA)/American Thoracic Society (ATS) minor criteria for severe community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) are of unequal weight in predicting mortality. It is not clear whether the combinations of predictive findings might imply diverse severities or different mortalities.

Methods: A prospective two centre cohort study was performed of 385 severe CAP patients fulfilling three or more IDSA/ATS minor criteria amongst 1430 patients.

Associations of radiological features in Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia.

Introduction: The associations of radiological features with clinical and laboratory findings in Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection are poorly understood. The purpose of this study was to assess the associations.

Material And Methods: A retrospective cohort study of 1230 patients with community-acquired pneumonia was carried out between January 2005 and December 2009.

Weight of the CURB-65 criteria for community-acquired pneumonia in a very low-mortality-rate setting.

Objective: The CURB-65 score is a simple well validated tool for the assessment of severity in community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). The weight of each criterion in very low-mortality-rate settings is unclear. The purpose of this study was to determine the weight in such setting.

Weight of the IDSA/ATS minor criteria for severe community-acquired pneumonia.

Background: The 2007 Infectious Disease Society of America (IDSA)/American Thoracic Society (ATS) guidelines defined severe community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) when patients fulfilled three out of nine minor criteria. Whether each of the criteria is of equal weight is not clear. The purpose of this study was to determine the weight of the minor criteria.