Validation Study of Rome Criteria for Assessing COPD Exacerbation Severity and Predicting Clinical Outcomes: Turkish...

Area of Science:

• Pulmonology
• Clinical Medicine
• Respiratory Medicine

Background:

• The Rome classification aids in assessing acute exacerbation (AE) of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) severity using measurable variables.
• Global validation of the Rome criteria for AE-COPD is still developing.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the validity of the Rome criteria for determining AE-COPD severity and prognosis in Turkey.
• To assess the Rome criteria's applicability in a Turkish healthcare setting.

Main Methods:

• A multicenter study involving 750 patients diagnosed with AE-COPD across emergency departments and outpatient clinics in Turkey.
• Patients were categorized into mild, moderate, and severe AE-COPD groups based on the Rome criteria.

Main Results:

• The severe AE-COPD group showed significantly higher rates of emergency visits, hospitalizations, ICU admissions, non-invasive ventilation (NIV), invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV), in-hospital mortality, and 30-day mortality compared to the moderate group.
• Mild exacerbations were primarily discharged, while moderate and severe cases frequently required hospitalization.
• No significant differences were observed in 90-day mortality or 30/90-day readmission rates between groups.

Conclusions:

• The Rome criteria are a valid tool for assessing AE-COPD severity in Turkish secondary and tertiary care hospitals.
• The findings support the use of the Rome criteria for prognosis and management decisions in AE-COPD patients in Turkey.