title: Community acquired pneumonia in internal medicine: a one-year retrospective study based on pneumonia severity index.
abstract: Community acquired pneumonia (CAP) represents the sixth cause of death and the first cause of death for an infectious disease in the USA. The aim of the present study is to evaluate how CAP is managed in a hospital setting, with particular attention to the wards of internal medicine, compared to the recommendations based and validated PSI (Pneumonia Severity Index). 42 subjects were included in the study, 25 males and 17 females. According to the PSI, nine (21%) patients were classified in class I, two (5%) in class II, ten (24%) in class III, fifteen (36%) in class IV and six (14%) in class V. Three patients died during the stay in the hospital (2 males and 1 female), all in the highest PSI class (V). According to the criteria used to evaluate the adequacy of the admission to the hospital, twentyeight patients were classified in the HRG, with an appropriate admission, whilst fourteen (33%) were in the LRG, with an inappropriate admission to the hospital. The data of the study confirm the validity of a PSI based strategy for the management of CAP since admittance to the hospital. This approach is not yet widely implemented in Italy, and a better dialogue between hospital and health system representatives would be convenient, to reduce costs and ensure the safety of patients affected by CAP.
authors.affiliation: Biomedical Sciences, University G. D'Annunzio, Chieti, Italy. griccioni@hotmail.com
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Riccioni
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Di Pietro
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Staniscia
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: De Feudis
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Traisci
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Capani
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ferrara
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Di Ilio
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Di Tano
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: D'Orazio
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D015331:Cohort Studies; D017714:Community-Acquired Infections / Q000145:classification / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000401:mortality; D005260:Female; D006748:Hospital Departments; D017052:Hospital Mortality; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D007388:Internal Medicine; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D007902:Length of Stay; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018410:Pneumonia, Bacterial / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000401:mortality; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013997:Time Factors