Browsing by Author "Kalem A.K."

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    COVID-19: vaccination vs. hospitalization
    (Springer Science and Business Media Deutschland GmbH, 2022) Uzun O.; Akpolat T.; Varol A.; Turan S.; Bektas S.G.; Cetinkaya P.D.; Dursun M.; Bakan N.; Ketencioglu B.B.; Bayrak M.; Baris S.A.; Guner R.; Gunal O.; Nural S.; Deniz P.P.; Toprak O.B.; Ozkan G.; Gumus A.; Kerget F.; Ercelik M.; Ataoglu O.; Yuksel A.; Ates G.; Kutsoylu O.E.; Kose N.; Kizilirmak D.; Keskin S.; Gultekin O.; Coskun N.; Yilmaz E.S.; Uslu S.; Basyigit İ.; Ergan B.; Deveci F.; Yakar M.N.; Zuhur C.; Sagcan G.; Yuce Z.T.; Kuluozturk M.; Sezgin M.E.; Sezgin E.N.A.; Havlucu Y.; Cuhadaroglu C.; Kilinc O.; Boyaci H.; Altunay H.; Akti M.; Dursun Z.B.; Kalem A.K.; Isik S.A.; Akyildiz L.; Aykac N.; Almaz M.S.; Kokturk N.; Itil O.
    Objective: Vaccination is the most efficient way to control the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, but vaccination rates remain below the target level in most countries. This multicenter study aimed to evaluate the vaccination status of hospitalized patients and compare two different booster vaccine protocols. Setting: Inoculation in Turkey began in mid-January 2021. Sinovac was the only available vaccine until April 2021, when BioNTech was added. At the beginning of July 2021, the government offered a third booster dose to healthcare workers and people aged > 50 years who had received the two doses of Sinovac. Of the participants who received a booster, most chose BioNTech as the third dose. Methods: We collected data from 25 hospitals in 16 cities. Patients hospitalized between August 1 and 10, 2021, were included and categorized into eight groups according to their vaccination status. Results: We identified 1401 patients, of which 529 (37.7%) were admitted to intensive care units. Nearly half (47.8%) of the patients were not vaccinated, and those with two doses of Sinovac formed the second largest group (32.9%). Hospitalizations were lower in the group which received 2 doses of Sinovac and a booster dose of BioNTech than in the group which received 3 doses of Sinovac. Conclusion: Effective vaccinations decreased COVID-19-related hospitalizations. The efficacy after two doses of Sinovac may decrease over time; however, it may be enhanced by adding a booster dose. Moreover, unvaccinated patients may be persuaded to undergo vaccination. © 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany.
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    Epidemiology and prognosis of sepsis in cancer patients: A multicenter prospective observational study
    (Elsevier B.V., 2025) Ture Z.; İskender G.; Serhat Şahinoğlu M.; Beste Özkara E.; Kalem A.K.; Eryılmaz Eren E.; Ürkmez F.Y.; Çetin S.; Azak E.; Erdem İ.; Rello J.; Alp E.
    Objectives: To determine the epidemiology and prognosis of sepsis in cancer patients and the influence of sepsis on the mortality of cancer patients. Methods: In this multicenter, prospective, observational study, cancer patients hospitalized without sepsis followed up until discharge or a maximum of 90 days were included. The incidence of sepsis in the follow-up period, risk factors for sepsis, risk factors for 28-day mortality in patients with sepsis and 90-day mortality in the entire group were determined. Results: During the study, 790 cancer patients were included. Sepsis developed in 72 patients (9.1 %) during the follow-up. Older age, hospitalization due to any infection, graft versus host diseases (GVHD), the presence of a urethral catheter, and previous bacterial infection in the last three months were risk factors of sepsis. Among all cancer patients, sepsis was found to be the most important factor influencing 90-day mortality (OR 13.42(1.79–6.83)). Mortality among the sepsis cohort was independently associated with an infection with a carbapenem-resistant bacterium (OR 15.47(1.45–64.17)), appropriateness of empirical treatment (OR 5.02 (0.17–7.61) and having a clinical improvement on the fifth day of the treatment (OR 10.58(0.39–28.25). Conclusions: Sepsis was documented in one out of 11 hospitalized cancer patients and the mortality rate increases 13-fold when sepsis develops. Invasive devices, GVHD, and previous bacterial infections were related to sepsis and antibiotic resistance were the most important driver for mortality. Antimicrobial stewardship, rational use of catheters (if necessary, in accordance with asepsis/antisepsis, short-term use) is important to save lives in cancer patients. © 2025