Withholding or starting antibiotic treatment in patients with dementia and pneumonia: prediction of mortality with physicians' judgment of illness severity and with specific prognostic models.
BACKGROUND
To help decision makers plan treatment, the authors assessed clinical predictors of mortality from nursing home-acquired pneumonia in patients with dementia.


METHODS
Pneumonia patients treated without (n = 165) or with antibiotics (n = 541) were enrolled in a prospective cohort study in 61 nursing homes.


RESULTS
In both groups, clinical judgment of illness severity was a strong predictor for 1-week mortality. Despite large differences in frailty and mortality (83% in untreated patients and 15% in treated patients), separate multivariable logistic models included similar specific predictors.


CONCLUSIONS
Despite profound differences between the 2 independent groups, predictors for short-term mortality were largely similar. We found that, when combined with physicians' clinical judgment, 3 readily assessed predictors (respiratory rate, fluid intake, and eating dependency) helped predict mortality. Our results, if confirmed in an independent population, can help make decision making about antibiotic treatment of pneumonia in patients with dementia more evidence-based.
van der Steen
Jenny T
JT
Institute for Research in Extramural Medicine (EMGO Institute), VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, Netherlands. j.vandersteen@vumc.nl
Ooms
Marcel E
ME
van der Wal
Gerrit
G
Ribbe
Miel W
MW
D000368:Aged; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003428:Cross Infection / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000401:mortality; D020000:Decision Support Systems, Clinical; D003661:Decision Support Techniques; D003704:Dementia / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007600:Judgment; D008297:Male; D009426:Netherlands / Q000453:epidemiology; D009735:Nursing Homes; D011014:Pneumonia / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000401:mortality / Q000503:physiopathology; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians' / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011379:Prognosis; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D028761:Withholding Treatment / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents