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[Significance of multiple organ failure for the prognosis of surgical intensive care patients].

BACKGROUND: The association of multiple organ failure and acute prognosis is an established fact in intensive care medicine. However, it is unclear whether the number of failing organs is an independent determinant of acute mortality, and whether there are additional effects on long-term outcome. METHODS: We performed a retrospective, observational cohort study using prospectively collected data from March 1993, through February 2005. Three different cohorts were analysed: patients with a short-term intensive care unit (ICU) stay (group I, ICU length of stay > 4 days), with a long-term ICU stay (group II, ICU length of stay > 28 days), and all patients requiring renal replacement therapy during ICU stay (group III). Organ failure was defined according to a modified Goris score. An independent effect of the number of failing organs on patient prognosis was evaluated after adjusting for more than 15 covariables. Acute prognosis was analysed in group I, whereas long-term prognosis was studied in groups II and III. RESULTS: The maximum number of failing organs was an independent determinant of acute prognosis in patients of group I, and of long-term prognosis in groups II and III. CONCLUSION: The effect of multiple organ failure on long-term prognosis emphasizes the importance of this variable for patient outcome. Therefore, multiple organ failure must be part of all therapeutic concepts in critical care. Within those, preventive measures are definitively preferable to keep the number of failing organs as small as possible.

APACHE↗

The epidemiology and prognosis of glomerulonephritis in Denmark 1985-1997.

BACKGROUND: The existence of a national renal biopsy register and a national terminal uraemia status register in Denmark provides an opportunity to study the prognosis of glomerulonephritis (GN), and factors influencing prognosis. METHODS: Multivariate analysis of 2380 renal biopsies with GN performed between 1985 and 1997 was done to determine the influence of clinical and histological factors on prognosis. RESULTS: The incidence of GN (39/mo/year) and individual diagnoses did not change during the period. After 10 years, 32%, were dead, 13% terminally uraemic, 5%, uraemic and 50% well. Older age increased mortality, but not the incidence of renal failure after the first year. Male sex increased both mortality and incidence of renal failure (34 vs 24% at 10 years, P < 0.001). The diagnoses could be divided into three prognostic groups compared with the general population: a good prognostic group (minimal change GN and membranous GN ), with a relative mortality of three and a combined renal and patient mortality of four; a poor prognostic group [crescentic GN, HUS/TTP, chronic GN] with relative mortalities of 8-19 and 13-33, respectively; and the remainder with mortalities of 4-7 and 6-12. The presence of multiple glomerular pathology, chronic GN, nephrosclerosis and chronic interstitial nephropathy worsened the prognosis, while the presence of immune deposits only worsened the prognosis of focal segmental glomerulopathy. Mortality was related to uraemia and co-morbidity at biopsy, and to the incidence of renal failure. Renal failure was correlated to uraemia and hypertension at biopsy but not to nephrotic syndrome or atherosclerosis. All vascular complications were increased and were positively related to hypertension and negatively correlated to the incidence of uraemia. Crescentric glomerulonephritis combined with anti-GBM disease had a worse prognosis than Wegener's granulomatosis, with microscopic polyangiitis and pauci-immune disease occupying an intermediate position. The prognosis of mesangioproliferative GN was unaffected by the presence of IgA nephropathy and systemic lupus erythematosus.

Adolescent↗

Prognosis of hematologic malignancies does not predict intensive care unit mortality.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the correlation between specific prognosis of hematologic malignancies on the one hand and intensive care unit and hospital mortality in critically ill patients with hematologic malignancies on the other hand. DESIGN: Observational study during a 10-yr period. SETTING: A 22-bed medical-surgical intensive care unit. PATIENTS: A total of 84 consecutive patients with nonterminal hematologic malignancies with medical complications requiring intensive care. INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENTS: Demographic factors, acute physiology and organ dysfunction scores, microbiology, therapeutic support, and hematologic factors data on admission and during the intensive care unit stay were collected, together with mortality follow-up. Based on specific-disease prognostic factors and related published survival curves, the prognosis of hematologic malignancies was assessed and defined as good, intermediate, or poor according to a 3-yr survival probability of >50%, 20-50%, or <20%, respectively. MAIN RESULTS: Prognosis of hematologic malignancies does not predict intensive care unit or hospital mortality and almost reaches significance for 6-mo mortality (53%, 71%, and 84% rate for patients with good, intermediate, and poor prognosis, respectively, p =.058), but it determines long-term survival (p =.008). Intensive care unit, hospital, and 6-mo overall mortality rates were 38%, 61%, and 75%, respectively. Using multivariate analysis, intensive care unit mortality was best predicted on admission by respiratory failure and fungal infection, whereas hospital mortality was predicted by the number of organ failures, the bone marrow transplant status, and the presence of fungal infection. The Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II and the Simplified Acute Physiology Score II had no prognostic value, whereas the difference of the Multiple Organ Dysfunction Score between at the time of admission and at day 5 allowed quick prediction of hospital mortality. Diseases with the poorest 6-mo prognosis were acute myeloid leukemia and non-Hodgkin lymphoma. CONCLUSION The severity of the underlying hematologic malignancies does not influence intensive care unit or hospital mortality. Short-term prognosis is exclusively predicted by acute organ dysfunctions and by a pathogen's aggressiveness. Therefore, reluctance to admit patients with nonterminal hematologic malignancies to the intensive care unit based only on the prognosis of their underlying hematologic malignancy does not seem justified.

APACHE↗

'Hitting you over the head': oncologists' disclosure of prognosis to advanced cancer patients.

The disclosure of prognosis to terminally ill patients has emerged as a recent concern given greater demands for patient involvement in medical decision-making in the United States. As part of the informed consent process, American physicians are legally and ethically obligated to provide information to such patients about risks, benefits, and alternatives of all available treatment options including the use of experimental therapies. Although not legally required, the disclosure of terminal prognosis is ethically justified because it upholds the principle of self-determination and enables patients to make treatment decisions consistent with their life goals. To understand oncologists' attitudes about disclosing prognostic information to cancer patients with advanced disease, we interviewed fourteen oncologists and conducted one focus group of medical fellows. Although oncologists reported to disclose prognosis in terms of cancer not being curable, they tend to avoid using percentages to convey prognosis. Oncologists' reported reluctance to disclosing prognosis was conveyed through the use of metaphors depicting the perceived violent impact of such information on patients. Oncologists' reluctance to disclose prognosis and preserve patient hope are held in check by their need to ensure that patients have 'realistic expectations' about therapy. We discuss these data in light of the cultural, ethical, and legal dimensions of prognosis disclosure, patient hope and the doctor-patient relationship, and recommend ways to enhance the communication process.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗

Surgical techniques and visual prognosis in retinal detachment due to macular hole.

In 250 eyes with retinal detachment due to macular hole, the visual prognosis of each surgical technique was evaluated. (1) Macular diathermy adversely affected the visual prognosis. (2) Macular buckling+macular diathermy produced a poorer visual prognosis than macular buckling alone. (3) The visual prognosis resulting from gas tamponade alone or vitrectomy+gas tamponade was better than that resulting from macular diathermy. It is not clear whether there is a significant difference in visual prognosis between gas tamponade alone and vitrectomy+gas tamponade. (4) Macular laser photocoagulation does not adversely affect the visual prognosis. Judging from these results, gas tamponade, which has the possibility of better visual prognosis and less operation stress, should be selected as the initial technique.

Electrocoagulation↗

Concepts and practice of prognosis in psychiatry.

The frequency with which prognosis is made in psychiatry is not known. This paper reports a study of the frequency and content of prognosis as recorded by staff psychiatrists and residents in a psychiatric teaching hospital. In addition, a review was carried out on the use of prognosis in ten psychiatric textbooks. The findings suggest that closer attention should be given to the teaching of prognosis. There is a clear need to consider moving away from the close dependence of prognosis on diagnosis, and from the unidimensional view of prognosis. Reasons are given for developing a prognosis, and suggestions are made regarding the organization of the prognostic statement.

Depressive Disorder↗

Stage II colon cancer prognosis prediction by tumor gene expression profiling.

PURPOSE: This study mainly aimed to identify and assess the performance of a microarray-based prognosis predictor (PP) for stage II colon cancer. A previously suggested 23-gene prognosis signature (PS) was also evaluated. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Tumor mRNA samples from 50 patients were profiled using oligonucleotide microarrays. PPs were built and assessed by random divisions of patients into training and validation sets (TSs and VSs, respectively). For each TS/VS split, a 30-gene PP, identified on the TS by selecting the 30 most differentially expressed genes and applying diagonal linear discriminant analysis, was used to predict the prognoses of VS patients. Two schemes were considered: single-split validation, based on a single random split of patients into two groups of equal size (group 1 and group 2), and Monte Carlo cross validation (MCCV), whereby patients were repeatedly and randomly divided into TS and VS of various sizes. RESULTS: The 30-gene PP, identified from group 1 patients, yielded an 80% prognosis prediction accuracy on group 2 patients. MCCV yielded the following average prognosis prediction performance measures: 76.3% accuracy, 85.1% sensitivity, and 67.5% specificity. Improvements in prognosis prediction were observed with increasing TS size. The 30-gene PS were found to be highly-variable across TS/VS splits. Assessed on the same random splits of patients, the previously suggested 23-gene PS yielded a 67.7% mean prognosis prediction accuracy. CONCLUSION: Microarray gene expression profiling is able to predict the prognosis of stage II colon cancer patients. The present study also illustrates the usefulness of resampling techniques for honest performance assessment of microarray-based PPs.

Aged↗

Relationship of the blood endotoxin concentration and prognosis in dogs with pyometra.

The blood concentrations of endotoxin in dogs with pyometra (n = 45) were compared with those in healthy dogs (n = 17). The blood endotoxin concentrations in the healthy dogs (n = 17), in those with good prognosis (n = 41) and those with poor prognosis (n = 4) were 3.4 +/- 2.8 pg/ml, 9.5 +/- 11.3 pg/ml and 74.2 +/- 18.3 pg/ml, respectively. The concentrations in the dogs with good prognosis and poor prognosis were significantly (p < 0.01) higher than those in the healthy dogs. The dogs with poor prognosis had significantly (p < 0.01) higher endotoxin concentrations than those with good prognosis. Blood endotoxin concentrations were measured in 9 dogs after surgery, and were found to be decreased. These results suggest the possible involvement of endotoxin in the pathophysiological changes due to pyometra in dogs, and also that the blood endotoxin concentration could be used as a marker to determine prognosis.

Animals↗

Construction and clinical significance of a predictive system for prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma.

AIM: The aims of this study were to explore individualized treatment method for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients whose maximum tumor size was less than 5 cm to improve prognosis and survival quality. METHODS: Thirty cases of primary HCC patients undergoing tumor resection were retrospectively analyzed (resection group). All the tumors were proved as primary HCC with pathologic examination. The patients were divided into two groups according to follow-up results: group A, with tumor recurrence within 1 year after resection; group B, without tumor recurrence within 1 year. Immunohistochemical stainings were performed using 11 kinds of monoclonal antibodies (AFP, c-erbB2, c-met, c-myc, HBsAg, HCV, Ki-67, MMP-2, nm23-H1, P53, and VEGF), and expressing intensities were quantitatively analyzed. Regression equation using factors affecting prognosis of HCC was constructed with binary logistic method. HCC patients undergoing percutaneous microwave coagulation therapy (PMCT) were also retrospectively analyzed (PMCT group). Immunohistochemical stainings of tumor biopsy samples were performed with molecules related to HCC prognosis, staining intensities were quantitatively analyzed, coincidence rate of prediction was calculated. RESULTS: In resection group, the expressing intensities of c-myc, Ki-67, MMP-2 and VEGF in cancer tissue in group A were significantly higher than those in group B (t = 2.97, P = 0.01; t = 2.42, P = 0.03<0.05; t = 2.57, P = 0.02<0.05; t = 3.43, P = 0.004<0.01, respectively); the expressing intensities of 11 kinds of detected molecules in para-cancer tissue in groups A and B were not significantly different (P>0.05). The regression equation predicting prognosis of HCC is as follows: P(1) = 1/[1+e(-(3.663-0.412mycc-2.187Ki-67c-0.397vegfc))]. It demonstrates that prognosis of HCC in resection group was related with c-myc, Ki-67 and VEGF expressing intensity in cancer tissue. In PMCT group, the expressing intensities of c-myc, Ki-67 and VEGF in cancer tissue in group A were significantly higher than those in group B (t = 4.57, P = 0.000<0.01; t = 2.08, P = 0.04<0.05; t = 2.38, P = 0.02<0.05, respectively); the expressing intensities of c-myc, Ki-67 and VEGF in para-cancer tissue in groups A and B were not significantly different (P>0.05). The coincidence rate of patients undergoing PMCT in group A was 88.00% (22/25), in group B 68.75% (11/16), the total coincidence rate was 80.49% (33/41). CONCLUSION: The regression equation is accurate and feasible and could be used for predicting prognosis of HCC, it helps to select treatment method (resection or PMCT) for HCC patients to realize individualized treatment to improve prognosis.

Adult↗

[Study on the relationship between vascular invasion and prognosis in patients with locally confined renal cell carcinoma].

BACKGROUND: There exists controversy concerning the relationship between the vascular invasion and the prognosis in the locally confined renal cell carcinoma (RCC). We have tried to study on the relationship between the vascular invasion and the prognosis in these patients. METHODS: Of the five hundred and forty-eight patients with RCC who did not have lymph node and distant metastasis, the 464 patients without having the micro- and/or macro-vascular invasion (tumour thrombus) were analysed as the control, and the remaining 85 with micro- and/or macro-vascular invasion were subject to this study. RESULTS: There observed a significantly favourable prognosis in the patients with RCC who did not have the vascular invasion (pV0) compared with the patients who had the vascular invasion (pV1a: n = 43, P = 0.00068, pV1b: n = 34, 0 < P < 0.00006, pV2: n = 8, P = 0.012). Furthermore, the patients with pV1a showed a significantly favourable prognosis compared with the patients with pV1b (p = 0.00032), and the patients with pV2 (0 < P < 0.00006), and the patients with pV1b (P = 0.00032), and the patients with pV2 (0 < P < 0.00006), and the patients with pV1b also showed a significantly favourable prognosis compared with the patients with pV2 (0 < P < 0.0006). As to the relationship between the tumour size and vascular invasion (V-stage) the tumour size got larger along with the elevation of the V-stage, and there also observed a significant difference of the tumour size between the patients with pV10 and pV1a (P = 0.00578), with pV0 and pV1b (0 < P < 0.000061) and pV0 and pV2 (P = 0.0002). The same result was obtained in the relationship between the localization of the tumour and prognosis, i.e., the patients with pV2 showed a higher frequency of larger occupation of the tumour within the kidney compared with other V-stage patients. Regarding the recurrence rate, there observed a tendency toward high frequency of recurrence along with the elevation of V-stage. Furthermore, there observed an untoward relationship between the elevation of the V-stage and the periods of recurrence after nephrectomy. In an effort to analyse the disease-free survival, there observed a significant difference among the patients with pV0, pV1a, pV1b and pV2. CONCLUSION: We conclude that the vascular invasion is a very important prognostic factor in the patients with locally confined RCC. Furthermore, along with the elevation of the V-stage, it directly reflects the poorer prognosis.

Carcinoma, Renal Cell↗

[Prenatal diagnosis of congenital diaphragmatic hernia: evaluation of the prognosis].

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate prognostic prenatal factors of congenital diaphragmatic hernia. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We designed a retrospective study of 34 patients with congenital diaphragmatic hernia. The infants were delivered at the Edouard Herriot Hospital between September 1, 1994 and June 30, 1998. We excluded cases of pregnancy termination. After eliminating 4 cases, we studied 30. The factors studied were: polyhydramnios, transverse abdominal diameter, hepatic and umbilical vein deviation, mediastinal deviation, intrathoracic location of the stomach. Prenatal karyotype and echocardiography were systematically obtained. RESULTS: Total perinatal mortality was 53% and was 48% in case of unique diaphragmatic hernia. Prognosis was poorer if the diaphragmatic hernia was associated with another malformation (perinatal mortality: 80%, 4/5 cases), or in case of preterm delivery (83%, 5/6 cases). Factors associated with poor prognosis were: polyhydramnios, transverse abdominal diameter below the 5(th) percentile and major hepatic deviation. Diagnosis before 25 weeks was not associated with poor prognosis. Intrathoracic stomach was a good diagnostic sign, but did not allow an assessment of prognosis. CONCLUSION: Diagnosis of congenital diaphragmatic hernia was made before 25 weeks in 77% of the cases. It was not a factor of poor prognosis. As other authors, we found that prenatal association with another malformation (especially cardiac malformation) polyhydramnios, deviation of the liver, and abdominal transverse diameter below the 5(th) percentile were factors of poor prognosis. But it was difficult to determine the prenatal prognosis. Improvement is needed.

Adult↗

[14-year experience with implantable cardioverter/defibrillators: determination of prognosis and discharge behavior].

BACKGROUND: The treatment of life threatening ventricular arrhythmias with implantable cardioverter/defibrillators (ICD) has become the therapy of choice; the survival benefit of ICD treatment compared to drug therapy in patients with aborted sudden cardiac death (SCD) and hemodynamically unstable ventricular tachycardia has been proven. In addition for the primary prevention of SCD in high risk patients, ICD therapy is gaining growing acceptance. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We analyzed the long-term follow-up of 274 consecutive patients (211 male, 63 female, age 59 +/- 12 years, left ventricular ejection fraction 39 +/- 15%) provided with an ICD between 1984 and 1998. The aim of the study was to ascertain the survival rate in different subgroups and to discover determining factors of ICD discharge and prognosis. RESULTS: Long-term survival probability at 10 resp. 14 years was 84 resp. 65% for the total collective, and the freedom of event probability (neither shocks nor antitachycardiac pacing from the ICD) to 28% each. The risk to die from SCD was below 3% over time. The most pronounced differences regarding prognosis ensued from dividing the collective into heart insufficiency stages. Thus in NYHA class I and II versus III and IV, the cumulative event rate was 61% vs 82% at 5 years, and survival rate amounted to 94 vs 63% at 5 years and 87% vs 30% at 14 years (p < 0.001). Calculating the relative benefit of ICD therapy survival benefit provided by the ICD was shown to decrease significantly after 5 years for patients in NYHA class III/IV, while it increased progressively for patients in NYHA class I/II up to 10 years. Additional determinants of prognosis and ICD discharge rate were identified left ventricular ejection fraction, age and tendency for the basic cardiac disease, however neither the result of electrophysiological testing nor the results of non-invasive risk stratification. In patients with ischemic heart disease, revascularization procedures improved prognosis only in tendency, while the effect of ICD therapy was significant. In patients with the non-obstructive form of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy ICD, discharges occurred in about 50% of patients; in contrast patients with surgical myectomy for obstructive cardiomyopathy showed no events during follow-up. In patients with chronic inflammatory heart disease and normal left ventricular function (LVF), a very low event rate was expected if patients were treated by immunosuppressive drugs. Patients with dilated cardiomyopathy did not differ from patients with ischemic heart disease with respect to prognosis and ICD discharge rate. CONCLUSION: Significant determinants of prognosis and ICD discharge rate are left ventricular function, age and with limitations the basic cardiac disease. In contrast to patients with better LVF relative survival benefit decreases significantly after 5 years in patients with a worse LVF. Patients with aborted SCD and preserved LVF experience half the ICD discharges compared to patients with poor LVF and gain at the same time a normalization of life expectancy. Causative treatment of the basic disease has an impact on the overall prognosis and event rate, but should in general not influence the decision for IDC implantation in high risk patients.

Adult↗

[Clinical course of disease and prognosis in patients with ischemic heart disease with stable angina pectoris, caused by stenosing coronary atherosclerosis (data from a a 20-year study].

AIM: To study a course and prognosis of ischemic heart disease (IHD) with stable angina pectoris (SAP) caused by stenotic coronary atherosclerosis (SCA) by 20-year follow-up data. MATERIAL AND DATA: Prognosis of survival was made in 318 patients with SAP due to SCA. RESULTS: The results of a 20-year study show that prognosis in IHD patients depends on SAP severity (by the functional class), exercise tolerance (by the exercise test), severity of coronary bed affection and of left ventricular contractility affection as assessed by coronary- and ventriculography. If lethality of the test subjects was not higher than in the population, the patient had good prognosis associated with one-vessel lesion, normal myocardial contractile function, high exercise tolerance, absence of the leading risk factors. CONCLUSION: The multivariance analysis with stepwise selection enabled the design of the model of the integral prognostic index (IPI) for the studied patients. The IPI index under 1.86 suggests a favourable prognosis, 1.87-2.33--an intermediate prognosis and in IPI higher than 2.34--unfavourable prognosis. Early surgery is recommended for patients with high IPI.

Adaptation, Physiological↗

GP discussion of prognosis with patients with severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: Recent research shows that health professionals do not communicate about prognosis with patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) as openly as with patients who have cancer. AIM: To identify strategies that general practitioners (GPs) can use to facilitate discussion of prognosis with patients who have COPD. DESIGN OF STUDY: Telephone interviews of 15 GPs and five respiratory consultants on the topic of discussing prognosis with patients who have severe COPD. SETTING: Participating doctors worked in the Auckland region of New Zealand. METHOD: GPs and consultants were selected purposively to detect unique and shared patterns from diversity in how prognosis is discussed with patients with severe COPD. An interview guide was developed from a literature review and results of our earlier postal survey of GPs. Transcripts of audiotaped interviews were analysed independently and then together by three authors, using a general inductive approach. RESULTS: Seven strategies were identified that GPs had used or could use to facilitate discussion of prognosis with patients with COPD. These were: be aware of implications of diagnosis; use uncertainty to ease discussion; build relationship with patients; be caring and respectful; begin discussion early in disease course; identify and use opportunities to discuss prognosis; and work as a team. CONCLUSION: A number of suggested strategies can be used to facilitate discussion of prognosis with patients who have severe COPD.

Adult↗

[Clinical studies on endocrine therapy of prostatic carcinoma (3): Histopathological features of prostatic carcinoma and its prognosis].

We investigated how histopathological features, such as structural atypism (SAT), nuclear anaplasia (NAN) and Gleason's pattern, influence the prognosis of patients receiving endocrine therapy. Patients with SAT 3 or NAN 3 clearly had a lower survival rate and a shorter survival period than those with other grades of SAT or NAN and this tendency was more prominent in the high stage than low stage. Patients with a higher grade of SAT or NAN had a poorer prognosis as well, when only cancer-related death was considered in the calculation of survival and survival period. The results described above suggest that the grade of SAT and NAN is one of most influential factors for prognosis. In the analysis for the prognosis of patients according to grade of mean value of SAT + NAN, there were differences in prognosis among mean value of SAT + NAN 2-4, 5 and 6. This indicated that the combined grading system would provide more information to the prediction of prognosis. Patients with Gleason's primary (or secondary) pattern 1 and 2, or 3 and 4 had a better survival than those with pattern 5 in the analysis when only cancer-related death was considered. This was coincident with the result that the survival rate for each Gleason's sum 2-3, 4-5, 6, 7-8 and 9-10 was different. Consequently, Gleason's pattern influenced the rate of cancer-related deaths, and this pattern may be another important factor for predicting the prognosis.

Estrogens↗

[Prognosis estimation score in advanced ovarian cancer].

The retrospective analysis of 68 advanced ovarian cancer cases was performed mainly to see whether certain predictive factors were present which might distinguish patients with risk for recurrence or death from those with a good prognosis. Six factors, such as the mode of operation, the site of metastasis, the degree of peritonitis carcinomatosa, the rate of the decline in serum CA125. Performance Status, and pathological type were selected as factors influencing prognosis. We then tried to tally the prognosis estimation score using these factors. The correlation between this score and the survival period was noted in only patients with a survival time up to 3 years. The following formula was obtained: Y = 1.286X -3.429 [X: prognosis estimation score, Y: survival period (months)]. Cases were classified as follows according to the this score. When patients had a value equal to or less than 17.84.2% of patients died within 21 months, while if patients had a value greater than 17.34.7% of cases survived more than 36 months. On the other hand, 89.5% of cases with a survival period longer than 36 months had a prognosis estimation score greater than 18. However, there was little significant correlation between this score and the survival period in patients with survival period longer than 3 years. To conclude, although a low value for this score in advanced ovarian cancer, indicates a poorer prognosis, we cannot make an accurate prognosis for more than 3 years from this score.

Adult↗

[Surgical indications in mitral valve stenosis, combined mitral valve defect or mitral valve insufficiency. Long-term prognosis of operated or drug-treated patients].

Data obtained from 683 patients with mitral valve disease, NYHA-class III or IV, were retrospectively studied by means of a multivariate Cox regression analysis. Based on symptoms and hemodynamic findings, surgical intervention had been recommended for all patients: closed mitral commissurotomy (n = 361), prosthetic mitral valve replacement (n = 241) and prosthetic mitral valve replacement together with a corrective procedure for the tricuspid valve (n = 81). While the majority of patients underwent surgery during the observation period (n = 528), a substantial number of patients continued on medical treatment (n = 155). The mean observation periods were 52, 49 and 31 months, respectively, in the three collectives. Surgically treated patients in whom closed mitral commissurotomy had been recommended had a better prognosis (p less than 0.0003) than those treated medically (five-year survival rate 89% vs. 63%). Age, clinical severity, previous mitral commissurotomy, pulmonary vascular resistance and right atrial mean pressure had no significant influence on prognosis. In patients in whom prosthetic mitral valve replacement had been recommended, surgical treatment led only to tendencial improvement in prognosis as compared with those treated medically (five-year survival rate 78% vs. 61%). Factors with an unfavorable influence on prognosis were age more than 49 years (p less than 0.05), pure mitral regurgitation (p less than 0.001), NYHA-class IV (p less than 0.02) and right atrial mean pressure in excess of 4 mm Hg (p less than 0.01). In patients in whom prosthetic mitral valve replacement together with a corrective procedure for the tricuspid valve had been considered necessary, surgical treatment had no significant influence on prognosis as compared with those treated medically (five-year survival rate 57% vs. 53%). Patients in whom previous mitral commissurotomy had been performed had an extremely poor prognosis (p less than 0.001). Pulmonary vascular resistance was significantly reduced both after mitral commissurotomy as well as after prosthetic mitral valve replacement; this was associated with a significant decrease in right atrial mean pressure and increase in right ventricular ejection fraction. The indication for closed mitral commissurotomy, thus, appears established in patients with symptoms of class III or IV clinical severity. The indication can be established generously since the surgical mortality is low and long-term prognosis is good.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗

Tumour cellularity, oestrogen receptors and prognosis in breast cancer.

One hundred and thirty-seven patients with operable breast cancer have been treated by mastectomy and node sampling. At the time of operation, portions of tumour were taken for determination of oestrogen receptor activity. In 91 cases adjacent tissue was taken for fixation and histological assessment of malignant epithelial cell content ('cellularity index'). The patients were followed for two years or more, or until first recurrence or death. Prognosis (probability of staying disease-free) was significantly better in patients whose tumours contained receptors than in those whose tumours were receptor-negative (p less than 0.03). However, the best prognosis was in patients with low receptor positive tumours. Those with highest values had a prognosis almost as poor as patients with receptor-negative tumours. In addition, a new finding emerged: prognosis was better in patients with tumours of low cellularity than in those with tumours of high cellularity (p less than 0.04). Since, for receptor-positive tumours, receptor level was also significantly correlated with cellularity (R = +0.35, p less than 0.01), the relationship between prognosis and receptor level was re-examined after 'correction' of the latter quantity for differences in cellularity: on this basis, again prognosis was better in patients with receptor-positive tumours (p less than 0.02), but there was no longer a tendency for any one sub-group of patients with receptor-positive tumours to fare better than the rest. It is concluded that prognosis in operable breast cancer is related to oestrogen receptor activity (either per mg weight, or per cell) and to cellularity.

Age Factors↗