OBJECTIVE Diagnosing nosocomial meningitis (NM) in neurosurgical patients is difficult. The standard CSF test is not optimal and when it is obtained, CSF cultures are negative in as many as 70% of cases. The goal of this study was to develop a diagnostic prediction rule for postoperative meningitis using a combination of clinical, laboratory, and CSF variables, as well as risk factors (RFs) for CNS infection. METHODS A cross-sectional study was performed in 4 intensive care units in Medellín, Colombia. Patients with a history of neurosurgical procedures were selected at the onset of febrile symptoms and/or after an increase in acute-phase reactants. Their CSF was studied for suspicion of infection and a bivariate analysis was performed between the dependent variable (confirmed/probable NM) and the identified independent variables. Those variables with a p value ≤ 0.2 were fitted in a multiple logistic regression analysis with the same dependent variable. After determining the best model according to its discrimination and calibration, the β coefficient for each selected dichotomized variable obtained from the logistic regression model was used to construct the score for the prediction rule. RESULTS Among 320 patients recruited for the study, 154 had confirmed or probable NM. Using bivariate analysis, 15 variables had statistical associations with the outcome: aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH), traumatic brain injury, CSF leak, positioning of external ventricular drains (EVDs), daily CSF draining via EVDs, intraventricular hemorrhage, neurological deterioration, age ≥ 50 years, surgical duration ≥ 220 minutes, blood loss during surgery ≥ 200 ml, C-reactive protein (CRP) ≥ 6 mg/dl, CSF/serum glucose ratio ≤ 0.4 mmol/L, CSF lactate ≥ 4 mmol/L, CSF leukocytes ≥ 250 cells, and CSF polymorphonuclear (PMN) neutrophils ≥ 50%. The multivariate analysis fitted a final model with 6 variables for the prediction rule (aSAH diagnosis: 1 point; CRP ≥ 6 mg/dl: 1 point; CSF/serum glucose ratio ≤ 0.4 mmol/L: 1 point; CSF leak: 1.5 points; CSF PMN neutrophils ≥ 50%: 1.5 points; and CSF lactate ≥ 4 mmol/L: 4 points) with good calibration (Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness of fit = 0.71) and discrimination (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve = 0.94). CONCLUSIONS The prediction rule for diagnosing NM improves the diagnostic accuracy in neurosurgical patients with suspicion of infection. A score ≥ 6 points suggests a high probability of neuroinfection, for which antibiotic treatment should be considered. An independent validation of the rule in a different group of patients is warranted.

BackgroundThe family of KIDSCREEN instruments is the only one with trans-cultural adaptation and validation in Colombia. These validations have been performed from the classical test theory approach, which has evidenced satisfactory psychometric properties. The aim of this study was to evaluate psychometric properties of KIDSCREEN-27 children and parent-proxy versions, through Rasch analysis.MethodsThe participants in the present study were two different sets of populations, 321 kids with a mean age of 12.3 (SD 2.6), 41 % 8 to 11 years old and 59 % 12 to 18 years old; and 1150 parent-proxy with an average age of 45.5 (SD 18.9). Psychometric properties were assessed using the partial credits model in the Rasch approach. Unidimensionality, fitting of person and item, response form, and differential item functioning (DIF) were measured.ResultsThe Infit MNSQ in child self-reported version that ranges between 0.71–1.76, and 0.69–1.31 in the parent-proxy version. Scores gathered on Likert forms of 5-response options, person separation was 2.08 for child self-reported version and 2.40 for parent-proxy; reliability was 0.81 and 0.85, respectively. Items reliability was 0.99 on both versions, with separations of 11.92 for child self-reported and 10.83 for parent-proxy. There was not DIF according to the variables sex and age but was present according to socioeconomic status.ConclusionThere was a good fit for items and individuals to the Rasch model. Item separation was adecuate, and person separation improved when the response form was re-codified to four options. The presence of DIF according to socioeconomic status implies a scale’s bias in the measure of HRQoL of Colombian children.

The clinical characteristics and treatment of patients were similar to those found in other studies. Two-year survival was higher than in other Colombian reports and 5-year survival was lower than that observed in developed countries.

Objetivo: establecer la asociación entre el retraso en el diagnóstico de cáncer de mama con un estadio clínico avanzado y explorar factores que influyen en dicho retraso. Materiales y métodos: estudio de corte transversal con mujeres mayores de 18 años con cáncer de mama que consultaron en cuatro centros oncológicos de Medellín, Colombia, en 2017. Se usó el Breast Cancer Delay Questionnaire que incluye variables sociodemográficas, clínicas y de tiempos de atención. Se estimó el odds ratio (OR) crudo y ajustado por medio de una regresión logística con el estadio clínico avanzado como desenlace y el retraso diagnóstico como exposición. Resultados: se incluyeron 242 pacientes. La mediana del tiempo entre identificar el problema y la biopsia diagnóstica fue 104,5 días; entre identificar el problema y la primera consulta médica, 20 días, y de la primera consulta a la biopsia diagnóstica fue de 53 días. El 52,1 % se diagnosticó en estadio avanzado. Hubo asociación del retraso diagnóstico con estadio clínico avanzado (OR = 2,15; IC 95 %: 1,21-3,79). Se encontró que la edad mayor a 40 años es un factor protector contra una lesión avanzada (OR = 0,35; IC 95 %: 0,14-0,83). El retraso diagnóstico se asoció con estar afiliada al régimen subsidiado por el Estado (OR = 9,67; IC 95 %: 2,76-33,9) y tener edad mayor a 40 años (OR = 2,75; IC 95 %: 1,16-6,53). Conclusión: se requieren intervenciones educativas en las pacientes para adherir a los programas de tamización temprana o la consulta oportuna al identificar un signo o síntoma, para lograr un diagnóstico en estadios tempranos de la enfermedad. Además, se requieren estudios prospectivos para determinar los factores relacionados con la demora en recibir el tratamiento una vez diagnosticado el cáncer de seno y evaluar las intervenciones destinadas a disminuir las dilaciones en la atención de este cáncer.