Summary Background Candidaemia in the elderly has not been extensively investigated. Objectives We compared the management of candidaemia in the elderly patients (age ≥65 years) and the very elderly subgroup of patients (age ≥75 years) with those belonging to the younger group (age <65 years) using the European Confederation of Medical Mycology (ECMM) Quality (EQUAL) standard. Patients & Methods Over a 10‐year period (April 2011‐March 2020), patients with candida bloodstream infection were identified. Data pertaining to demographics, clinical risk factors, antifungal treatment, central venous catheter and investigations such as echocardiogram and fundoscopy were obtained from electronic sources and medical case notes. Results A total of 174 episodes of candidaemia were recorded, comprising of 74 episodes in younger patients and 100 in the elderly, of whom 56 were in the very elderly patients. Of the 177 Candida species recovered, 79 were Candida albicans. EQUAL scores were analysed for 148 patients. The mean score was significantly lower in the elderly (10.4) and the very elderly (9.7) patients compared to the patients in the younger age group (12.19) (P < .01). In particular, this was due to lower blood culture volume drawn (P < .01) and, in the very elderly group, significantly lower scores for the quality indicators pertaining to echocardiogram and fundoscopy (P = .03). The overall mean EQUAL score was 11.16 (median 11; interquartile range 8‐14). The 30‐day survival was 68% and was similar between all groups. Conclusions Areas of improvement were identified in the management of candidaemia in the elderly patients.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.