Risk Factors For Mortality From Infectious Diseases Among Elderly From Long-Term Care Facilities

Background: The purpose of this study was to analyze risk factors for mortality in elderly residents who had acquired infections in long-term care facilities (LTCF) and were transferred to an acute care hospital. Methods: A retrospective medical record review was conducted in Okinawa Chubu Hospital, a 550-bed community teaching hospital in Okinawa, Japan. Study population included elderly LTCF residents in central Okinawa with signs or symptoms suggestive of infectious diseases or referred with probable infections that were transferred to an acute care hospital from 1995 to 1999. The medical records were reviewed and data were analyzed by stepwise logistic regression. Results: Two hundred patients (median age, 83 years) with diagnosis of infections were evaluated during the 5-year study period. Overall, 23 patients (11.5%) died. Independent predictors of mortality were lower respiratory tract infection, history of hip fracture, systolic blood pressure less than 100 mmHg, and serum creatinine greater than 1.5mg/dl.