Personer med långvarig smärta är en stor patientgrupp inom primärvården i Sverige med olika bakgrund och hälsa. Interdisciplinärt multimodalt smärtrehabiliteringsprogram (IPRP) är en behandlingsmetod som används både i specialist- och primärvård för patienter med långvarig smärta. Denna studie är en retrospektiv registerstudie där svar från självrapporterade enkäter analyserats. Syftet var att undersöka om självskattad hälsorelaterad livskvalitet, fysisk funktion, aktivitetsnivå, ångest och depression skiljer sig mellan patienter med låg respektive hög utbildningsnivå hos de som genomgått IPRP för långvarig smärta inom primärvården i Sverige. Studien undersökte skillnader mellan grupperna både vid baslinje och 1-års uppföljning samt skillnader i förändring däremellan. Resultaten visade statistiskt signifikanta skillnader vid baslinje och 1-års uppföljning vad gäller hälsorelaterad livskvalitet och fysisk funktion. För ångest och depression var skillnaderna enbart signifikanta vid 1-års uppföljning. Skillnaden i förändring mellan grupperna var signifikant för ångest och depression. Gruppen med hög utbildningsnivå skattade högre hälsorelaterad livskvalitet och bättre fysisk funktion. Det var även en mindre andel patienter med diagnosen ångest och depression i den gruppen och de förbättrades i större utsträckning vad gäller ångest och depression. Denna studie indikerar att utbildningsnivå är en bakgrundsfaktor som hälso- och sjukvården bör ta hänsyn till för att bidra till en mer jämlik hälsa i befolkningen. Det behövs mer forskning där resultat jämförs mellan patienter med låg och hög utbildningsnivå som genomgått IPRP för långvarig smärta då detta är en forskningslucka.

There are few data on the associations between anaemia, allogeneic blood transfusion (ABT), patient blood management, and outcome after arthroplasty in the UK. National agencies nevertheless instruct NHS Trusts to implement blood conservation measures including preoperative anaemia management. Internationally, blood management programmes show encouraging results. METHODS: We retrospectively audited 717 primary hip or knee arthroplasties in a UK general hospital and conducted regression analyses to identify outcome predictors. We used these data to modify previously published algorithms for UK practice and audited its introduction prospectively. The retrospective audit group served as a control. RESULTS: Preoperative haemoglobin (Hb) concentration predicted ABT (odds ratio 0.25 per 1 g dl(-1), P<0.001). It also predicted the length of stay (LOS, effect size -0.7 days per 1 g dl(-1), P=0.004) independently of ABT, including in non-anaemic patients. Patient blood management implementation was associated with lower ABT rates for hip (23-7%, P<0.001) and knee (7-0%, P=0.001) arthroplasty. LOS for total hip replacement and total knee replacement decreased from 6 (5-8) days to 5 (3-7) and 4 (3-6) days, respectively, after algorithm implementation (P<0.001). The all-cause re-admission rate within 90 days decreased from 13.5% (97/717) before to 8.2% (23/281) after algorithm implementation (P=0.02). CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that preoperative Hb predicts markers of arthroplasty outcome in UK practice. A systematic approach to optimize Hb mass before arthroplasty and limit Hb loss perioperatively was associated with improved outcome up to 90 days after discharge.

To assess the validity of case mix adjustment methods used to derive standardised mortality ratios for hospitals, by examining the consistency of relations between risk factors and mortality across hospitals. DESIGN: Retrospective analysis of routinely collected hospital data comparing observed deaths with deaths predicted by the Dr Foster Unit case mix method. SETTING: Four acute National Health Service hospitals in the West Midlands (England) with case mix adjusted standardised mortality ratios ranging from 88 to 140. PARTICIPANTS: 96 948 (April 2005 to March 2006), 126 695 (April 2006 to March 2007), and 62 639 (April to October 2007) admissions to the four hospitals. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Presence of large interaction effects between case mix variable and hospital in a logistic regression model indicating non-constant risk relations, and plausible mechanisms that could give rise to these effects. RESULTS: Large significant (P<or=0.0001) interaction effects were seen with several case mix adjustment variables. For two of these variables-the Charlson (comorbidity) index and emergency admission-interaction effects could be explained credibly by differences in clinical coding and admission practices across hospitals. CONCLUSIONS: The Dr Foster Unit hospital standardised mortality ratio is derived from an internationally adopted/adapted method, which uses at least two variables (the Charlson comorbidity index and emergency admission) that are unsafe for case mix adjustment because their inclusion may actually increase the very bias that case mix adjustment is intended to reduce. Claims that variations in hospital standardised mortality ratios from Dr Foster Unit reflect differences in quality of care are less than credible.

No / We retrospectively reviewed the hospital records of 68 patients who had been referred with an injury to the posterolateral corner of the knee to a specialist knee surgeon between 2005 and 2009. These injuries were diagnosed based on a combination of clinical testing and imaging and arthroscopy when available. In all, 51 patients (75%) presented within 24 hours of their injury with a mean presentation at eight days (0 to 20) after the injury. A total of 63 patients (93%) had instability of the knee at presentation. There was a mean delay to the diagnosis of injury to the posterolateral corner of 30 months (0 to 420) from the time of injury. In all, the injuries in 49 patients (72%) were not identified at the time of the initial presentation, with the injury to the posterolateral corner only recognised in those patients who had severe multiple ligamentous injuries. The correct diagnosis, including injury to the posterolateral corner, had only been made in 34 patients (50%) at time of referral to a specialist knee clinic. MRI correctly identified 14 of 15 injuries when performed acutely (within 12 weeks of injury), but this was the case in only four of 15 patients in whom it was performed more than 12 weeks after the injury. Our study highlights a need for greater diligence in the examination and investigation of acute ligamentous injuries at the knee with symptoms of instability, in order to avoid failure to identify the true extent of the injury at the time when anatomical repair is most straightforward.

No / To assess clinical outcomes and cost-effectiveness of using a two-layer cohesive compression bandage (TLCCB; Coban 2) compared with a two-layer compression system (TLCS; Ktwo) and a four-layer compression system (FLCS; Profore) in treating venous leg ulcers (VLUs) in clinical practice in the UK, from the perspective of the National Health Service (NHS). METHOD: This was a retrospective analysis of the case records of VLU patients, randomly extracted from The Health Improvement Network (THIN) database (a nationally representative database of clinical practice among patients registered with general practitioners in the UK), who were treated with either TLCCB (n=250), TLCS (n=250) or FLCS (n=175). Clinical outcomes and health-care resource use (and costs) over six months after starting treatment with each compression system were estimated. Differences in outcomes and resource use between treatments were adjusted for differences in baseline covariates. RESULTS: Patients' mean age was 75 years old and 57% were female. The mean time with a VLU was 6-7 months and the mean initial wound size was 77-85 cm2. The overall VLU healing rate, irrespective of bandage type, was 44% over the six months' study period. In the TLCCB group, 51% of wounds had healed by six months compared with 40% (p=0.03) and 28% (p=0.001) in the TLCS and FLCS groups, respectively. The mean time to healing was 2.5 months. Patients in the TLCCB group experienced better health-related quality of life (HRQoL) over six months (0.374 quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) per patient), compared with the TLCS (0.368 QALYs per patient) and FLCS (0.353 QALYs per patient). The mean six-monthly NHS management cost was pound2,413, pound2,707 and pound2,648 per patient in the TLCCB, TLCS and FLCS groups, respectively. CONCLUSION: Despite the systems studied reporting similar compression levels when tested in controlled studies, real-world evidence demonstrates that initiating treatment with TLCCB, compared with the other two compression systems, affords a more cost-effective use of NHS-funded resources in clinical practice, since it resulted in an increased healing rate, better HRQoL and a reduction in NHS management cost. The evidence also highlighted the lack of continuity between clinicians managing a wound, the inconsistent nature of the administered treatments and the lack of specialist involvement, all of which may impact on healing. DECLARATION OF INTEREST: This study was supported by an unrestricted research grant from 3M Health Care, UK. 3M Health Care had no influence on the study design, the collection, analysis, and interpretation of data, or on the writing of, and decision to submit for publication, the manuscript.

No / Increasing pressure on health care budgets highlights the need for clinicians to understand the true costs of wound care, in order to be able to defend services against indiscriminate cost cutting. Our aim was to develop and test a straightforward method of measuring treatment costs, which is feasible in routine practice. The method was tested in a prospective study of leg ulcer patients attending three specialist clinics in the UK. A set of ulcer-related health state descriptors were defined on the basis that they represented distinct and clinically relevant descriptions of wound condition ['healed', 'progressing'; 'static''deteriorating; 'severe' (ulcer with serious complications)]. A standardised data-collection instrument was used to record information for all patients attending the clinic during the study period regarding (i) the health state of the ulcer; (ii) treatment received during the clinic visit and (iii) treatment planned between clinic visits. Information on resource use was used to estimate weekly treatment costs by ulcer state. Information was collected at 827 independent weekly observations from the three study centres. Treatment costs increased markedly with ulcer severity: an ulcer which was 'deteriorating' or 'severe' cost between twice and six times as much per week as an ulcer which was progressing normally towards healing. Higher costs were driven primarily by more frequent clinic visits and by the costs of hospitalisation for ulcers with severe complications. This exercise has demonstrated that the proposed methodology is easy to apply, and produces information which is of value in monitoring healing and in potentially reducing treatment costs.

La stratégie du créancier face à l'inexécution est une réalité masquée par les théories, elle est tacite dans les analyses. Les éléments qui la composent sont étudiés tour à tour de façon à découvrir une institution qui est composée de mécanismes interdépendants ayant chacun son propre ressort. À partir de l'article 1184 du Code civil, il a fallu saisir l'esprit de la résolution, des qualifications qu'elle comprend, expressément et tacitement, dans l'optique de vérifier les connaissances présentés comme certaines afin de projeter l'institution dans une perspective d'avenir.À travers huit thématiques constitutives de la résolution, il est question d'opérer un tri dans les connaissances relatives au domaine de l'action, à la disqualification de la force majeure, à l'inexécution du contrat par le débiteur dûment constatée par une mise en demeure. Le juge une fois saisi, le créancier bénéficie ainsi de l'option entre résolution ou exécution forcée conférée par l'article 1184 alinéa 2, amenant au caractère judiciaire - fort discuté - de l'action. Enfin, la résolution produit des effets apparents sur le contrat : la rétroactivité mais surtout des effets caractéristiques : l'extinction et les restitutions qui sont issues de la décision judiciaire de résolution.Si le concept de résolution a été étudié à travers son fondement, son histoire ou encore ses formes diverses, il restait à explorer l'envers de cette théorie dans une relecture critique rappelant sa fonction première : permettre au créancier de protéger le contrat face au phénomène d'inexécution. / Creditor's strategy in case of breach of contract is often avoided because of full theories.It could be described as a tacit phenomenon. Elements of judicial dissolution are studied in a way to discover a legal institution made by independent mechanisms which each have their own spring. Starting with article 1184 of French Civil Code, the aim of the study was to grasp the spirit of "judicial dissolution" of contract, also the legal institutions it contains, formally or tacitly, checking all the law doctrinal knowledge, supposed to be certain and proposing a perspective for this particular judicial termination of contract.Judicial dissolution composed of eight themes is a study trying to share into a mass knowledge relative to the action's area, the fortuitous event (irresistible force), the breach of contract itself, which is officially established into a formal notice. When the judge is seized, the creditor has a legal option between dissolution or enforced performance offered by article 1184 paragraph 2, which leads to the question of judicial characteristic - involving an important argument - of the dissolution.Finally, judicial dissolution causes apparent consequences : retrospective effect on contract but, overall, there are specific effects : termination of contract involving return of goods, values and performances between parties coming from the judicial decision.If dissolution's concept had been studied before into its fundamentals, its story or its diverse forms, it allows to explore the reverse side of this theory into as a new critical reading which recalls the original function of this legal action : to permit creditor to defend in case of breach of contract

Os objetivos deste estudo foram identificar os fatores de risco para complicações pulmonares pós-operatórias em pacientes laringectomizados por carcinoma espinocelular de laringe, assim como os fatores de risco para apresentação de metástases pulmonares e os fatores de risco para apresentação de segundo tumores primários em pulmão destes pacientes no período de 1985 a 1996. O estudo consistiu em uma análise retrospectiva de 291 pacientes admitidos no Hospital do Câncer A. C. Camargo, no período de 1985 a 1996, portadores de carcinoma espinocelular de laringe, submetidos a tratamento cirúrgico com intenção curativa seguido ou não de radioterapia. Foram analisados as variáveis demográficas, as comorbidades, a localização do sítio primário, o estadiamento clínico, o tratamento do tumor primário e do pescoço, o tratamento radioterápico, a diferenciação celular, as margens cirúrgicas, as recidivas locais, as recidivas regionais, a presença de complicações maiores, de complicações menores, as metástases pulmonares e a presença de múltiplos tumores primários pulmonares. O teste de associação do qui-quadrado foi utilizado para análise univariada descritiva das diversas variáveis comparando-se os grupos com complicação pulmonar e sem complicação pulmonar. A análise multivariada através da regressão logística foi utilizada na determinação dos fatores de risco para apresentação de metástases pulmonares e múltiplos tumores primário pulmonares. A incidência de complicações pulmonares foi de 31,3%, foram identificados como fatores de risco para complicações pulmonares somente a epiglote (p=0,004; RR 2,1), tendo a variável gênero associação marginal (p=0,081; RR 2,8). As metástases pulmonares tiveram incidência de 7,2%, na análise univariada foram identificados como fatores de risco o estadiamento N (p=0,032), diferenciação histológica (p=0,004), margens cirúrgicas (p=0,017) e recidivas locoregionais (0,002). Os múltiplos tumores primários pulmonares apresentaram incidência de 3,1% e na análise univariada foram identificados como fatores de risco o estadiamento N (p=0,048) e sítio aritenóide (p=0,001). Na análise multivariada foram significativos somente a diferenciação histológica: moderamente diferenciado (p=0,007; RR 2,9) e pouco diferenciado (p=0,032; RR 4,0); e as margens cirúrgicas: exíguas (p=0,003; RR 6,4) para apresentação de metástases pulmonares e múltiplos tumores pulmonares. Este estudo demonstra a importância do estadiamento clínico como fator de risco para complicações pulmonares, metástases à distância e múltiplos tumores primário em pulmão. Os fatores de risco determinantes para aparecimento de metástases pulmonares e múltiplos tumores primários pulmonares foram a diferenciação histológica e as margens cirúrgicas / Objective: To identify the risk factors to postoperative pulmonary complications in laryngeal cancer patients submitted to surgical treatment, the risk factors to development of lung metastasis and second lung primary tumor. Patients and Methods: Retrospective study of a cohort of 291 patients admitted at Hospital do Câncer A.C.Camargo from January, 1985 to December 1996. All patients were submitted to some kind of laryngectomy with curative intent as part of treatment of a proven laryngeal cancer, followed or not by radiotherapy. The following variables were analized: demographic, comorbidities, primary site, clinical stage, primary and neck surgical treatment, histopathologic differentiation grade, surgical margins, recurrences, postoperative pulmonary complications, lung metastasis and second lung primary tumor. The univariate and multivariate analysis were utilized to built the model to predict the risks factors and the factors of prognostic significance. Results: The overall pulmonary complications incidence were 31,3%, epiglottis were identified as significant single risk factor to pulmonary complications (p=0.004; RR 2,1). Lung metastasis had 7,2% incidence to this, the risk factors were N stage (p=0.032 ), histopathologic differentiation grade (p=0.004), surgical margins (p=0.017) and locoregional recurrence (p=0.002). The second lung primary tumor incidence were 3,1%, univariate analysis showed N stage (p=0,048) and arithenoid site (p=0,001) as significant risk factors. The multivariate analysis showed the histopathologic differentiation: moderate grade (p=0.007 RR 2,9) and poor grade (p=0.032 RR 4,0) and surgical margins: close (p=0.003 RR 6,4) as prognostic factors to deveopment of lung metastasis and second lung primary tumor. Conclusions: This study showed the clinical stage importance as risk factor to development of postoperative pulmonary complication, lung metastasis and second lung primary tumor in laryngectomy cancer patients. The prognostic factors associated with lung metastasis and second lung primary tumor were the histopathologic differentiation and the surgical margins

INTRODUÇÃO: A endomiocardiofibrose (EMF) é uma doença típica de países tropicais, na qual ocorre a deposição de uma capa fibrosa na região endomiocárdica com graves consequências clínicas. A patogenia da EMF ainda não foi elucidada, mas uma das principais hipóteses etiológicas sugere que a EMF seja consequência de um processo inflamatório crônico com envolvimento de respostas imunes Th2 pós-infestação helmíntica, mediada por eosinófilos nas fases iniciais da doença. Neste estudo avaliamos o perfil da resposta imune e inflamatória, assim como o perfil de proteínas expressas no endomiocárdio afetado, para compreender melhor os mecanismos envolvidos na patogênese da EMF. MÉTODOS: Foram coletadas amostras de plasma e soro de pacientes com diagnóstico de EMF e de indivíduos saudáveis, para dosagens de 6 citocinas plasmáticas do perfil Th1/Th2, Proteína C Reativa ultrassensível (PCRus), IgE total e IgE específico contra aero-alérgenos prevalentes e alérgenos de helmintos. A análise proteômica do endomiocárdio afetado de quatro pacientes com EMF submetidos à ressecção cirúrgica da fibrose, levou à identificação por espectrometria de massas, de proteínas separadas previamente por gel 1D e 2D. Análises in silico de vias funcionais e redes ligando as proteínas identificadas também foram realizadas. Eosinofilia em sangue periférico, assim como dados clínicos e ecocardiográficos, foram avaliados retrospectivamente. RESULTADOS: Foram selecionados 27 pacientes em estágio avançado da EMF, portadores de disfunção diastólica e/ou valvar. Todas as amostras de plasma analisadas apresentaram níveis detectáveis de pelo menos uma das citocinas avaliadas. As citocinas IL-6, TNF-?, IL-10 e IL-4 foram detectadas em pelo menos 74% das amostras, sendo que os níveis de IL-6, TNF-? e IL-10 se apresentaram significantemente elevados em comparação com os detectados nos indivíduos saudáveis. Foi observada correlação positiva entre os níveis de todas as citocinas avaliadas. Apenas 33% dos pacientes apresentaram algum episódio isolado de eosinofilia periférica ao longo do tempo, sendo que 11% apresentaram hipereosinofilia. Os níveis de IgE total foram semelhantes aos observados na população controle. A análise proteômica permitiu identificar 140 proteínas distintas no tecido endomiocárdico, das quais 18 eram provenientes da matriz extracelular. As análises in silico indicaram IL-6 e TNF-? como dois dos principais indutores da expressão das proteínas identificadas e a principal via canônica envolvida nas proteínas identificadas foi a: \"Resposta de Fase Aguda\". Coincidentemente, os níveis de PCRus encontraram-se significativamente aumentados nos portadores de EMF. CONCLUSÕES: Elevados níveis de citocinas pró e anti-inflamatórias e de PCRus sugerem a presença de perfil inflamatório misto (Th1/Th2) nas fases avançadas da patogênese da EMF. A pouca expressão da eosinofilia descarta sua participação ativa na patogênese da fase avançada da doença, mas não é possível excluir sua participação nas fases iniciais. Nossos dados permitem levantar a hipótese que os níveis elevados de citocinas inflamatórias modulem a expressão de proteínas- incluindo as de fase aguda- no tecido endomiocárdico de pacientes portadores de EMF / INTRODUCTION: Endomyocardial fibrosis (EMF) is a typical disease in tropical countries, characterized by the fibrous deposition in the endomyocardium, with severe clinical manifestations. EMF pathogenesis is still unclear, but one of the major hypothesis suggests that EMF could be a consequence of a chronic inflammatory process with possible involvement of a Th2 immune responses after helminthiasis, mediated by eosinophils, which could contribute to pathogenesis in the early stages of the disease. In this study, we evaluated the inflammatory response profile and the protein expression profile of the affected endomyocardium, to understand the mechanisms involved in this pathogenesis. METHODS: Plasma and serum samples were collected from the 27 patients diagnosed with advanced stage EMFand from healthy controls, to mensured plasma levels of 6 cytokines belonging to the Th1/Th2 cytokine profiles, ultrasensitive C Reactive Protein (CRP), total and allergen-specific serum IgE against prevalent and helminthic allergens. Proteomic analysis of tissue samples obtained from 4 EMF patients submitted to surgical resection of affected endomyocardial tissue allowed the identification of proteins by mass spectrometry, after separation by 1D and 2D electroforesis. In silico analysis of functional pathways and networks connecting the proteins identified in the EMF cardiac tissue was also performed. Blood peripheral eosinophilia, clinical and echocardiography data were evaluated retrospectively. RESULTS: All EMF patients displayed detectable plasma levels of at least one of the cytokines tested. We found that TNF-?, IL-6, IL-4 and IL-10 were each detected in at least 74% of tested sera, and plasma levels of IL10, IL6 and TNF-? were significantly higher than controls. Plasma levels of such cytokines positively correlated with each other. Only 33% of the patients presented any episode of blood eosinophilia along time, and 11% of these patients presented hypereosinophilia. Total IgE levels were similar to those from healthy subjects. Proteomic analysis allowed the identification of 140 distinct proteins from the resected endomiocardium of the EMF patients, 18 of which belonging to the extracellular matrix. In silico analysis indicated IL-6 and TNF-? as two of the major gene expression inducers of the identified proteins in our analysis, and the Acute Phase Response was identified as the major canonical pathway involved with the identified set of proteins. Similarly, CRP levels were significantly increased in the EMF patients. CONCLUSIONS: Increased levels of an inflammatory/anti-inflammatory circulating cytokines (Th1/Th2), along with increased CRP levels, suggested the presence of a mixed inflammatory profile in EMF advanced stage. The number of EMF patients with blood eosinophilia does not support the active participation of eosinophils in pathogenesis of advanced EMF. However, it is not possible to exclude the participation in the pathogenesis early stages. Our data support the hypothesis that the increased levels of inflammatory cytokines modulate protein expression -including proteins of the acute phase response - in the endomyocardial tissue of EMF patients

INTRODUÇÃO: Neutropenia febril (NF) é frequente complicação quimioterapia para tumores sólidos e é de suma importância a identificação dos pacientes de alto risco para o seu desenvolvimento. OBJETIVOS: Caracterização clínica, laboratorial e dos fatores de risco para NF em pacientes admitidos para antibioticoterapia. MATERIAL E MÉTODOS: Estudo retrospectivo de todos os pacientes consecutivamente internados com NF no ICESP (Instituto do Câncer do Estado de São Paulo) entre maio de 2008 e maio de 2012. Critérios de inclusão: idade >= 16 anos, diagnóstico de NF (temperatura axilar >= 37,8ºC e neutrófilos < 500/mm3 ou entre 500-1000/mm³ com tendência à queda) em pacientes portadores de tumor sólido. Dados clínico-laboratoriais e de evolução foram coletados; realizada análise univariada e multivariada a fim de investigar a relação entre os fatores de risco e o desenvolvimento de complicações. RESULTADOS: 333 episódios de NF em 295 pacientes com tumores sólidos foram avaliados. Idade mediana de 57 anos (16-88), 150 do sexo feminino (51%). Os sítios primários das neoplasias mais frequentes foram mama (15%), pulmão (14%), sarcomas (13%), colorretal (10%), estômago (9%), cabeça e pescoço (8%) e testículo (5%). 31 pacientes (10%) apresentaram mais de um episódio de NF. À admissão, a mediana de contagem de neutrófilos foi 690/mm3, e a mediana de MASCC atribuído 19 (7-26). Sítios de infecção mais comumente identificados foram pulmão (19%), trato urinário (15%), corrente sanguínea (13%), abdominal (10%) e partes moles (8%); quanto à etiologia, bacilos Gram-negativos isolados em 36 (11%) episódios e cocos Gram-positivos em 15 (9%). Mediana de internação de 10 dias (0-106 dias). Alguma complicação grave foi identificada em 248 (74%) episódios, sendo que hipotensão (47%), admissão em UTI (35%), insuficiência renal (30%), insuficiência respiratória (19%) e alteração do estado mental (17%) as mais comuns (> 10%). A mortalidade foi 14% (46 pacientes). A análise univariada revelou como fatores de risco para complicações idade >= 60 anos (OR 3.1, 95%CI 1.75-5.47, p 0.0001), controle sistêmico da neoplasia (OR 0.51, 95%CI 0.31-0.85, p 0.01), DPOC (OR 4.45, CI95% 1.71 - 11.54, p 0.0016), presença de sintomas ao diagnóstico (OR 2.16, CI95% 1.26-3.69, p 0.0063), desidratação (OR 4.63, CI95% 2.57-8.31, p<0.0001) e regular ou mau estado geral (OR 3.31, CI95% 1.93-5.68, p<0.0001). Na análise multivariada, permaneceram como fatores de risco a desidratação (OR 3.7, CI95% 2.09-6.78, p 0.000009), DPOC (OR 3.7, CI 95% 1.27-11.04, p 0.0166) e idade >= 60 anos (OR 2.5, CI95% 1.37-4.58, p 0.0029). O modelo multivariado corretamente classificou os episódios como de alto risco em 75% dos eventos. Elaboramos um novo escore de risco baseado nos valores de OR, onde pacientes desidratados receberam quatro pontos, aqueles com DPOC três pontos e aqueles com idade >= 60 anos, dois pontos. O escore final corresponde à soma das parcelas acima. Consideramos os pacientes como de alto risco com escore > 5 pontos (sensibilidade 72%, especificidade 64%). CONCLUSÕES: Complicações clínicas graves são comuns durante os episódios de NF, em pacientes com tumores sólidos. DPOC, idade >= 60 anos e desidratação representam fatores de risco para o desenvolvimento de complicações. Um novo escore de fácil execução foi proposto, o qual deverá ser validado prospectivamente / BACKGROUND: Febrile neutropenia (FN) is a frequent complication during chemotherapy in solid tumors, and to identify those patients (pts) with higher risk of developing complications during FN episodes is important. Here we aimed to characterize those risk factors for severe complications during FN episodes in pts with solid tumors, admitted for intravenous antibiotics. MATERIAL AND METHODS: It is a retrospective study of all consecutive pts admitted with FN at ICESP (Instituto do Câncer do Estado de São Paulo) between May/2008 and May/2012. Eligibility criteria included: age >= 16y, the diagnosis of FN (documented axillary temperature greater than 37.8°C, and neutrophil count < 500/mm3 or expected to fall below 500/mm3) as an adverse event of chemotherapy for a solid tumor. Potentially life-threatening complications during FN episodes were collected and univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to assess the relationship between risk factors and these complications. RESULTS: 333 FN episodes in 295 pts with solid tumors were studied. Median age was 57 y (16-88), 150 female (51%). Most frequent primary sites included: breast (15%), lung (14%), bone/soft tissues (13%), colorectal (10%), stomach (9%), head & neck (8%) and testis (5%). 31 pts (10%) presented more than 1 FN episode. At admission, median neutrophil count was 690/mm3, and the median MASCC score was 19 (7-26). Infection sites were identified as pulmonary (19%), urinary tract (15%), bloodstream (13%), abdominal (10%) and soft tissues (8%), and regarding etiology, Gram-negative bacilli could be isolated in 36 (11%) and Gram-positive cocci in 15 FN episodes (9%). All pts were admitted with a median duration of hospital stay of 10 d (0-106 d). Overall, a severe complication as a consequence of FN was detected in 248 episodes (74%), being hypotension (47%), ICU admission (35%), renal failure (30%), respiratory failure (19%) and altered mental state (17%) the most common (> 10%), and 46 pts died (14%). A univariate analysis revealed age >= 60y (OR 3.1, 95%CI 1.75-5.47, p 0.0001), controlled cancer (OR 0.51, 95%CI 0.31-0.85, p 0.01), previous COPD (OR 4.45, CI95% 1.71 - 11.54, p 0.0016), presence of symptoms (OR 2.16, CI95% 1.26-3.69, p 0.0063) or dehydration (OR 4.63, CI95% 2.57-8.31, p < 0.0001) and regular or bad general condition (OR 3.31, CI95% 1.93-5.68, p < 0.0001) as risk factors for complications. On multivariate analysis, only dehydration (OR 3.7, CI95% 2.09-6.78, p 0.000009), previous COPD (OR 3.7, CI 95% 1.27-11.04, p 0.0166) and age >= 60y (OR 2.5, CI95% 1.37-4.58, p 0.0029) were associated with severe complications. The multivariate model correctly classified 75% of all FN episodes as complicated. We elaborated a new risk score based on the OR, where dehydrated pts scored 4 points, those with COPD 3 points and those with age >= 60y 2 points. The final score was calculated by the sum of all above. We have considered as high risk pts those who scored > 5 points (sensitivity 72%, specificity 64%). CONCLUSIONS: Severe complications were common during febrile neutropenic episodes in pts with solid tumors. COPD, age >= 60 y and dehydration represent clinically significant risk factors for severe complications in FN pts. A new score was proposed, though it should be prospectively validated