ESCAPE10: Epidemiology, Risk Factors, and Outcomes of Severe Community-acquired Pneumonia in Elderly Patients Acquired Pneumonia in Elderly Patients

Severe community-acquired pneumonia (sCAP) remains a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in older adults, especially those aged 65 years and above. The ESCAPE 10 study is a multinational, retrospective, observational cohort study designed to explore the epidemiological patterns, clinical characteristics, and outcomes of elderly patients hospitalized with sCAP across diverse European settings.

The study will include at least 500 patients enrolled over a 13-month period (January 1, 2024, to January 31, 2025), with data collection evenly split between epidemic (winter influenza) and non-epidemic (summer) seasons. Participating centers will retrospectively identify eligible patients using standardized inclusion criteria: age ≥65, radiologically confirmed pneumonia, and fulfillment of protocol-defined sCAP criteria. Patients with recent hospitalization, terminal illness, or under palliative care will be excluded.

The primary outcome is 28-day all-cause mortality. Secondary outcomes include in-hospital mortality, pneumonia-attributed mortality, length of hospital and ICU stay, rate of complications (such as Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS), Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia (VAP), septic shock), functional and cognitive status at discharge, and identification of risk factors for adverse outcomes. Quality of care will be assessed through predefined indicators including timeliness of antibiotic administration, adherence to clinical guidelines, and preventive measures like vaccination status.

This study also aims to assess gender differences in sCAP presentation and outcomes, define clinical endotypes, and develop a framework of quality indicators for elderly care in sCAP. No patient interventions will be performed, and data will be extracted from medical records using a secure, coded system Research Electronic Data Capture (REDCap). The results will inform clinical decision-making and quality improvement efforts in the management of sCAP in elderly patients.

• In-Hospital Mortality (All Cause) [Срок оценки: From hospital admission through hospital discharge (average of 5 to 30 days)]
• Pneumonia-Attributed In-Hospital Mortality [Срок оценки: From hospital admission through hospital discharge (average of 5 to 30 days)]
• Length of Hospital Stay (LOS) [Срок оценки: Through hospital discharge (average of 5 to 30 days)]
• Duration of ICU Stay [Срок оценки: Through ICU or High Dependency Unit (HDU) discharge (average of 2 to 15 days)]
• Duration of Mechanical Ventilation [Срок оценки: Through hospital discharge (average of 2 to 20 days)]
• Rate of Pneumonia-Related Complications [Срок оценки: From hospital admission to hospital discharge, up to a maximum of 30 days]
• Functional Status at Discharge [Срок оценки: At hospital discharge (typically between Day 5 and Day 30 post-admission, depending on clinical course)]
• Cognitive Function at Discharge [Срок оценки: At hospital discharge (typically between Day 5 and Day 30 post-admission, depending on clinical course)]