Salonen, Bradley

Purpose of review The intent of this review is to highlight any recent changes in the delivery of parenteral nutrition to the geriatric population. The percentage of patients in the geriatric age group increases clinical awareness of the potential risks and benefits of appropriate parenteral nutrition delivery, which is crucial to well tolerated and optimum outcomes. Recent findings The major recent finding is the increased awareness of risk of parenteral nutrition in the elderly population. Summary The implications of this very brief review expose the need for further focused studies to better clarify the specifics of parenteral nutrition in this vulnerable ageing population. The importance of nutritional risk assessment cannot be overstated. With the rapidly expanding volume of geriatric population, the need for more data to better understand the delicate balance in parenteral nutrition therapy for both the acute care setting and home parenteral population is needed.

AbstractObjectivesDysfunction in smell or taste is well recognized phenomenon in patients infected with SARS‐CoV‐2. This study aimed to quantify the incidence and associated co‐morbidities of reported olfactory or gustatory dysfunction in patients who tested positive for SARS‐CoV‐2.MethodsFrom March 23, 2020 through July 31, 2020, 192,683 patients were tested for SARS‐CoV‐2 at Mayo Clinic. These patients with a positive test were contacted via telephone by physicians at Mayo Clinic and information gathered on patient demographics, comorbidities, symptoms and clinical risk stratification based on these factors.ResultsTwo thousand two hundred and fifty patients tested positive for SARS‐CoV‐2 (1.2%). Six hundred and sixty‐seven (29.6%) of these patients reported loss of smell or taste. Factors found to be correlated with reporting loss of smell or taste on multivariate analysis were: younger age, female sex, or symptoms of chest pain or tightness, cough, or headache and lower clinical risk category. Coronary artery disease (CAD) was associated with not reporting loss of taste or smell.ConclusionOf 2250 patients testing positive for SARS‐CoV‐2 at Mayo Clinic, 667 reported loss of taste and smell. Patients who reported loss of smell or taste were younger, female and more likely to report cough, chest pain, headache, or history of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), but overall had fewer high‐risk comorbidities. Those who were older, male, and a reported history of CAD were less likely to report chemosensory dysfunction. Our data are the largest single institution data reporting COVID‐19 associated loss of smell or taste, and the first to associate COPD and CAD as factors that affect rates of reported chemosensory dysfunction.Level of evidenceIIB.