Economic Feasibility of Staffing the Intensive Care Unit with a Communication Facilitator.

PubMed

Khandelwal, Nita; Benkeser, David; Coe, Norma B; Engelberg, Ruth A; Curtis, J Randall

2016-12-01

In the intensive care unit (ICU), complex decision making by clinicians and families requires good communication to ensure that care is consistent with the patients' values and goals. To assess the economic feasibility of staffing ICUs with a communication facilitator. Data were from a randomized trial of an "ICU communication facilitator" linked to hospital financial records; eligible patients (n = 135) were admitted to the ICU at a single hospital with predicted mortality ≥30% and a surrogate decision maker. Adjusted regression analyses assessed differences in ICU total and direct variable costs between intervention and control patients. A bootstrap-based simulation assessed the cost efficiency of a facilitator while varying the full-time equivalent of the facilitator and the ICU mortality risk. Total ICU costs (mean 22.8k; 95% CI, -42.0k to -3.6k; P = 0.02) and average daily ICU costs (mean, -0.38k; 95% CI, -0.65k to -0.11k; P = 0.006)] were reduced significantly with the intervention. Despite more contacts, families of survivors spent less time per encounter with facilitators than did families of decedents (mean, 25 [SD, 11] min vs. 36 [SD, 14] min). Simulation demonstrated maximal weekly savings with a 1.0 full-time equivalent facilitator and a predicted ICU mortality of 15% (total weekly ICU cost savings, $58.4k [95% CI, $57.7k-59.2k]; weekly direct variable savings, $5.7k [95% CI, $5.5k-5.8k]) after incorporating facilitator costs. Adding a full-time trained communication facilitator in the ICU may improve the quality of care while simultaneously reducing short-term (direct variable) and long-term (total) health care costs. This intervention is likely to be more cost effective in a lower-mortality population.

Use of Electronic Health Record Data to Evaluate the Impact of Race on 30-Day Mortality in Patients Admitted to the Intensive Care Unit.

PubMed

Mundkur, Mallika L; Callaghan, Fiona M; Abhyankar, Swapna; McDonald, Clement J

2017-08-01

The current body of literature examining the impact of race upon outcomes for patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) is limited. The primary objective of our study was to explore this question using a large cohort drawn from an electronic health record (EHR)-based data source. We conducted a retrospective cohort study using Multiparameter Intelligent Monitoring in Intensive Care (MIMIC-II), an EHR-derived database encompassing ICU admissions to an academic medical center in Boston, Massachusetts, between 2001 and 2008. Adults admitted to a medical or surgical ICU were assessed for the primary outcome of 30-day mortality and secondary outcomes of in-hospital mortality and hospital length-of-stay. Multivariate logistic regression was used to determine the association between race and the primary outcome. The study cohort consisted of 14,684 adult ICU patients-10,562 White, 1311 Black, 363 Asian, 868 "Other," and 1580 without known race. Thirty-day mortality rates experienced by Black and Asian individuals were significantly lower than mortality among those identified as White, with odds ratios of 0.62 (95 % CI 0.50-0.77) and 0.64 (95 % CI 0.44-0.93), respectively. Patients without known race experienced the highest crude mortality overall (27.4 %) and twice the adjusted odds of mortality compared with the White group. In a large, racially diverse cohort of general ICU patients, White patients experienced significantly higher mortality than non-White patients. Our results are consistent with findings from other studies that indicate that the non-White race does not appear to negatively impact short-term survival following ICU admission.

Increased Incidence of Critical Illness in Psoriasis.

PubMed

Marrie, Ruth Ann; Bernstein, Charles N; Peschken, Christine A; Hitchon, Carol A; Chen, Hui; Garland, Allan

Psoriasis is associated with an increased risk of comorbid disease. Despite the recognition of increased morbidity in psoriasis, the effects on health care utilisation remain incompletely understood. Little is known about the risk of intensive care unit (ICU) admission in persons with psoriasis. To compare the incidence of ICU admission and post-ICU mortality rates in a psoriasis population compared with a matched population without psoriasis. Using population-based administrative data from Manitoba, Canada, we identified 40 930 prevalent cases of psoriasis and an age-, sex-, and geographically matched cohort from the general population (n = 150 210). We compared the incidence of ICU admission between populations using incidence rates and Cox regression models adjusted for age, sex, socioeconomic status, and comorbidity and compared mortality after ICU admission. Among incident psoriasis cases (n = 30 150), the cumulative 10-year incidence of ICU admission was 5.6% (95% confidence interval [CI], 5.3%-5.8%), 21% higher than in the matched cohort (incidence rate ratio, 1.21; 95% CI, 1.15-1.27). In the prevalent psoriasis cohort, crude mortality in the ICU was 11.5% (95% CI, 9.9%-13.0%), 32% higher than observed in the matched population admitted to the ICU (8.7%; 95% CI, 8.3%-9.1%). Mortality rates after ICU admission remained elevated at all time points in the psoriasis cohort compared with the matched cohort. Psoriasis is associated with an increased risk for ICU admission and with an increased risk of mortality post-ICU admission.

[Ten-year evolution of mechanical ventilation in acute respiratory failure in the hematogical patient admitted to the intensive care unit].

PubMed

Belenguer-Muncharaz, A; Albert-Rodrigo, L; Ferrandiz-Sellés, A; Cebrián-Graullera, G

2013-10-01

A comparison was made between invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV) and noninvasive positive pressure ventilation (NPPV) in haematological patients with acute respiratory failure. A retrospective observational study was made from 2001 to December 2011. A clinical-surgical intensive care unit (ICU) in a tertiary hospital. Patients with hematological malignancies suffering acute respiratory failure (ARF) and requiring mechanical ventilation in the form of either IMV or NPPV. Analysis of infection and organ failure rates, duration of mechanical ventilation and ICU and hospital stays, as well as ICU, hospital and mortality after 90 days. The same variables were analyzed in the comparison between NPPV success and failure. Forty-one patients were included, of which 35 required IMV and 6 NPPV. ICU mortality was higher in the IMV group (100% vs 37% in NPPV, P=.006). The intubation rate in NPPV was 40%. Compared with successful NPPV, failure in the NPPV group involved more complications, a longer duration of mechanical ventilation and ICU stay, and greater ICU and hospital mortality. Multivariate analysis of mortality in the NPPV group identified NPPV failure (OR 13 [95%CI 1.33-77.96], P=.008) and progression to acute respiratory distress syndrome (OR 10 [95%CI 1.95-89.22], P=.03) as prognostic factors. The use of NPPV reduced mortality compared with IMV. NPPV failure was associated with more complications. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier España, S.L. and SEMICYUC. All rights reserved.

Simplified Mortality Score for the Intensive Care Unit (SMS-ICU): protocol for the development and validation of a bedside clinical prediction rule.

PubMed

Granholm, Anders; Perner, Anders; Krag, Mette; Hjortrup, Peter Buhl; Haase, Nicolai; Holst, Lars Broksø; Marker, Søren; Collet, Marie Oxenbøll; Jensen, Aksel Karl Georg; Møller, Morten Hylander

2017-03-09

Mortality prediction scores are widely used in intensive care units (ICUs) and in research, but their predictive value deteriorates as scores age. Existing mortality prediction scores are imprecise and complex, which increases the risk of missing data and decreases the applicability bedside in daily clinical practice. We propose the development and validation of a new, simple and updated clinical prediction rule: the Simplified Mortality Score for use in the Intensive Care Unit (SMS-ICU). During the first phase of the study, we will develop and internally validate a clinical prediction rule that predicts 90-day mortality on ICU admission. The development sample will comprise 4247 adult critically ill patients acutely admitted to the ICU, enrolled in 5 contemporary high-quality ICU studies/trials. The score will be developed using binary logistic regression analysis with backward stepwise elimination of candidate variables, and subsequently be converted into a point-based clinical prediction rule. The general performance, discrimination and calibration of the score will be evaluated, and the score will be internally validated using bootstrapping. During the second phase of the study, the score will be externally validated in a fully independent sample consisting of 3350 patients included in the ongoing Stress Ulcer Prophylaxis in the Intensive Care Unit trial. We will compare the performance of the SMS-ICU to that of existing scores. We will use data from patients enrolled in studies/trials already approved by the relevant ethical committees and this study requires no further permissions. The results will be reported in accordance with the Transparent Reporting of multivariate prediction models for Individual Prognosis Or Diagnosis (TRIPOD) statement, and submitted to a peer-reviewed journal. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/.

Patients with cancer in the intensive monitoring unit. New perspectives.

PubMed

Prieto Del Portillo, I; Polo Zarzuela, M; Pujol Varela, I

2014-10-01

In recent years, there has been a significant improvement in the survival of patients with cancer in intensive care units (ICUs). Advances in medical and surgical treatments and better selection of patients has helped improve the life expectancy of this type of patient. An appropriate and early resuscitation in the ICU, without initial limitations on the life support techniques, has been shown to also decrease the mortality of patients with cancer. At present, we should not deny admission to the ICU based only on the underlying neoplastic disease. However, the mortality rate for patients with cancer in the ICU, especially those with hematologic disease, remains high. In some cases, an ICU admission test (ICU test) is required for at least 3 days to identify patients who can benefit from intensive treatment. We would like to propose a decision algorithm for ICU admission that will help in making decisions in an often complex situation. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Reasons for refusal of admission to intensive care and impact on mortality.

PubMed

Iapichino, Gaetano; Corbella, Davide; Minelli, Cosetta; Mills, Gary H; Artigas, Antonio; Edbooke, David L; Pezzi, Angelo; Kesecioglu, Jozef; Patroniti, Nicolò; Baras, Mario; Sprung, Charles L

2010-10-01

To identify factors influencing triage decisions and investigate whether admission to the intensive care unit (ICU) could reduce mortality compared with treatment on the ward. A multicentre cohort study in 11 university hospitals from seven countries, evaluating triage decisions and outcomes of patients referred for admission to ICU who were either accepted, or refused and treated on the ward. Confounding in the estimation of the effect of ICU admission on mortality was controlled by use of a propensity score approach, which adjusted for the probability of being admitted. Variability across centres was accounted for in both analyses of factors influencing ICU admission and effect of ICU admission on mortality. Eligible were 8,616 triages in 7,877 patients referred for ICU admission. Variables positively associated with probability of being admitted to ICU included: ventilators in ward; bed availability; Karnofsky score; absence of comorbidity; presence of haematological malignancy; emergency surgery and elective surgery (versus medical treatment); trauma, vascular involvement, liver involvement; acute physiologic score II; ICU treatment (versus ICU observation). Multiple triages during patient's hospital stay and age were negatively associated with ICU admission. The area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve of the model was 0.83 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.81-0.84], with Hosmer-Lemeshow test P = 0.300. ICU admission was associated with a statistically significant reduction of both 28-day mortality [odds ratio (OR): 0.73; 95% CI: 0.62-0.87] and 90-day mortality (0.79; 0.66-0.93). The benefit of ICU admission increased substantially in patients with greater severity of illness. We suggest that intensivists take great care to avoid ICU admission of patients judged not severe enough for ICU or with low performance status, and they tend to admit surgical patients more readily than medical patients. Interestingly, they do not judge age per se as a reason for refusal of ICU admission. Admission to ICU was associated with a reduction of both 28- and 90-day mortality, particularly in patients with greater severity of illness at time of triage.

C-terminal and intact FGF23 in critical illness and their associations with acute kidney injury and in-hospital mortality.

PubMed

Rygasiewicz, Karolina; Hryszko, Tomasz; Siemiatkowski, Andrzej; Brzosko, Szymon; Rydzewska-Rosolowska, Alicja; Naumnik, Beata

2018-03-01

FGF23 proved its value in prognostication of cardiovascular events and mortality among renal patients and general population. Limited data exist whether FGF23 may have any use in prediction of negative outcomes among critically ill patients admitted to intensive care unit (ICU). Single center cohort study performed among patients admitted to ICU. The primary exposure was FGF23 plasma concentration measured within 24 h of ICU admission. The primary outcome was incident Acute Kidney Injury (AKI) and in-hospital mortality during the ICU stay. The study enrolled 79 patients admitted to ICU. C-terminal FGF23 (cFGF23) but not intact FGF23 (iFGF23) concentration was significantly elevated in patients, who acquired AKI and non-survivors (p < .001). ROC analysis of cFGF23 yielded an AUC of 0.81 and 0.85 for prediction of incident AKI and death during ICU stay, respectively. Multivariate analysis showed higher odds for AKI (OR 1.80; 95% CI 1.10-2.96) and in-hospital mortality (OR 2.85; 95% CI 1.60-5.06) for one unit increase of log transformed cFGF23. cFGF23 measurement may serve as a novel biomarker for incident AKI and death among critically ill patients. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Early Physical Rehabilitation in the ICU: A Review for the Neurohospitalist

PubMed Central

Mendez-Tellez, Pedro A.; Nusr, Rasha; Feldman, Dorianne; Needham, Dale M.

2012-01-01

Advances in critical care have resulted in improved intensive care unit (ICU) mortality. However, improved ICU survival has resulted in a growing number of ICU survivors living with long-term sequelae of critical illness, such as impaired physical function and quality of life (QOL). In addition to critical illness, prolonged bed rest and immobility may lead to severe physical deconditioning and loss of muscle mass and muscle weakness. ICU-acquired weakness is associated with increased duration of mechanical ventilation and weaning, longer ICU and hospital stay, and increased mortality. These physical impairments may last for years after ICU discharge. Early Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R) interventions in the ICU may attenuate or prevent the weakness and physical impairments occurring during critical illness. This article reviews the evidence regarding safety, feasibility, barriers, and benefits of early PM&R interventions in ICU patients and discusses the limited existing data on early PM&R in the neurological ICU and future directions for early PM&R in the ICU. PMID:23983871

Prognostic Usefulness of Eosinopenia in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit

PubMed Central

Kim, Yoon Hee; Park, Hyun Bin; Kim, Min Jung; Kim, Hwan Soo; Lee, Hee Seon; Han, Yoon Ki; Sohn, Myung Hyun; Kim, Kyu-Earn

2013-01-01

Eosinopenia, a biomarker for infection, has recently been shown to be a predictor of adult mortality in the intensive care unit (ICU). Our study assessed the usefulness of eosinopenia as a mortality and an infection biomarker in the pediatric ICU (PICU). We compared the PICU mortality scores, eosinophil count and percentage at ICU admission between children who survived and those who did not survive and between children with infection and those without infection. A total of 150 patients were evaluated. The initial eosinophil count and percentage were significantly lower in the group that did not survive when compared to those that did survive (P < 0.001; P < 0.001). However, there was no significant difference in the eosinophil count and percentage seen in patients with and without infection. Eosinopenia, defined as an eosinophil count < 15 cells/µL and an eosinophil percentage < 0.25%, (hazard ratio [HR]: 2.96; P = 0.008) along with a Pediatric Index of Mortality (PIM) 2 (HR: 1.03; P = 0.004) were both determined to be independent predictors of mortality in the PICU. The presence of eosinopenia at the ICU admission can be a useful biomarker for mortality in children, but is not useful as a biomarker for infection. PMID:23341721

To develop a regional ICU mortality prediction model during the first 24 h of ICU admission utilizing MODS and NEMS with six other independent variables from the Critical Care Information System (CCIS) Ontario, Canada.

PubMed

Kao, Raymond; Priestap, Fran; Donner, Allan

2016-01-01

Intensive care unit (ICU) scoring systems or prediction models evolved to meet the desire of clinical and administrative leaders to assess the quality of care provided by their ICUs. The Critical Care Information System (CCIS) is province-wide data information for all Ontario, Canada level 3 and level 2 ICUs collected for this purpose. With the dataset, we developed a multivariable logistic regression ICU mortality prediction model during the first 24 h of ICU admission utilizing the explanatory variables including the two validated scores, Multiple Organs Dysfunctional Score (MODS) and Nine Equivalents Nursing Manpower Use Score (NEMS) followed by the variables age, sex, readmission to the ICU during the same hospital stay, admission diagnosis, source of admission, and the modified Charlson Co-morbidity Index (CCI) collected through the hospital health records. This study is a single-center retrospective cohort review of 8822 records from the Critical Care Trauma Centre (CCTC) and Medical-Surgical Intensive Care Unit (MSICU) of London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC), Ontario, Canada between 1 Jan 2009 to 30 Nov 2012. Multivariable logistic regression on training dataset (n = 4321) was used to develop the model and validate by bootstrapping method on the testing dataset (n = 4501). Discrimination, calibration, and overall model performance were also assessed. The predictors significantly associated with ICU mortality included: age (p < 0.001), source of admission (p < 0.0001), ICU admitting diagnosis (p < 0.0001), MODS (p < 0.0001), and NEMS (p < 0.0001). The variables sex and modified CCI were not significantly associated with ICU mortality. The training dataset for the developed model has good discriminating ability between patients with high risk and those with low risk of mortality (c-statistic 0.787). The Hosmer and Lemeshow goodness-of-fit test has a strong correlation between the observed and expected ICU mortality (χ (2) = 5.48; p > 0.31). The overall optimism of the estimation between the training and testing data set ΔAUC = 0.003, indicating a stable prediction model. This study demonstrates that CCIS data available after the first 24 h of ICU admission at LHSC can be used to create a robust mortality prediction model with acceptable fit statistic and internal validity for valid benchmarking and monitoring ICU performance.

Prevention of ventilator-associated pneumonia, mortality and all intensive care unit acquired infections by topically applied antimicrobial or antiseptic agents: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials in intensive care units

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Introduction Given the high morbidity and mortality attributable to ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) in intensive care unit (ICU) patients, prevention plays a key role in the management of patients undergoing mechanical ventilation. One of the candidate preventive interventions is the selective decontamination of the digestive or respiratory tract (SDRD) by topical antiseptic or antimicrobial agents. We performed a meta-analysis to investigate the effect of topical digestive or respiratory tract decontamination with antiseptics or antibiotics in the prevention of VAP, of mortality and of all ICU-acquired infections in mechanically ventilated ICU patients. Methods A meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials was performed. The U.S. National Library of Medicine's MEDLINE database, Embase, and Cochrane Library computerized bibliographic databases, and reference lists of selected studies were used. Selection criteria for inclusion were: randomised controlled trials (RCTs); primary studies; examining the reduction of VAP and/or mortality and/or all ICU-acquired infections in ICU patients by prophylactic use of one or more of following topical treatments: 1) oropharyngeal decontamination using antiseptics or antibiotics, 2) gastrointestinal tract decontamination using antibiotics, 3) oropharyngeal plus gastrointestinal tract decontamination using antibiotics and 4) respiratory tract decontamination using antibiotics; reported enough data to estimate the odds ratio (OR) or risk ratio (RR) and their variance; English language; published through June 2010. Results A total of 28 articles met all inclusion criteria and were included in the meta-analysis. The overall estimate of efficacy of topical SDRD in the prevention of VAP was 27% (95% CI of efficacy = 16% to 37%) for antiseptics and 36% (95% CI of efficacy = 18% to 50%) for antibiotics, whereas in none of the meta-analyses conducted on mortality was a significant effect found. The effect of topical SDRD in the prevention of all ICU-acquired infections was statistically significant (efficacy = 29%; 95% CI of efficacy = 14% to 41%) for antibiotics whereas the use of antiseptics did not show a significant beneficial effect. Conclusions Topical SDRD using antiseptics or antimicrobial agents is effective in reducing the frequency of VAP in ICU. Unlike antiseptics, the use of topical antibiotics seems to be effective also in preventing all ICU-acquired infections, while the effectiveness on mortality of these two approaches needs to be investigated in further research. PMID:21702946

Development and evaluation of an influenza pandemic intensive care unit triage protocol.

PubMed

Cheung, Winston; Myburgh, John; Seppelt, Ian M; Parr, Michael J; Blackwell, Nikki; Demonte, Shannon; Gandhi, Kalpesh; Hoyling, Larissa; Nair, Priya; Passer, Melissa; Reynolds, Claire; Saunders, Nicholas M; Saxena, Manoj K; Thanakrishnan, Govindasamy

2012-09-01

To develop an influenza pandemic ICU triage (iPIT) protocol that excludes patients with the highest and lowest predicted mortality rates, and to determine the increase in ICU bed availability that would result. Post-hoc analysis of a study evaluating two triage protocols, designed to determine which patients should be excluded from access to ICU resources during an influenza pandemic. ICU mortality rates were determined for the individual triage criteria in the protocols and included criteria based on the Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score. Criteria resulting in mortality rates outside the 25th and 75th percentiles were used as exclusion criteria in a new iPIT-1 protocol. The SOFA threshold component was modified further and reported as iPIT-2 and iPIT-3. Increase in ICU bed availability. The 25th and 75th percentiles for ICU mortality were 8.3% and 35.2%, respectively. Applying the iPIT-1 protocol resulted in an increase in ICU bed availability at admission of 71.7% ± 0.6%. Decreasing the lower SOFA score exclusion criteria to ≤6 (iPIT-2) and ≤4 (iPIT-3) resulted in an increase in ICU bed availability at admission of 66.9% ± 0.6% and 59.4 ± 0.7%, respectively (P < 0.001). The iPIT protocol excludes patients with the lowest and highest ICU mortality, and provides increases in ICU bed availability. Adjusting the lower SOFA score exclusion limit provides a method of escalation or de- escalation to cope with demand.

Reliability of intensive care unit admitting and comorbid diagnoses, race, elements of Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II score, and predicted probability of mortality in an electronic intensive care unit database.

PubMed

Wenner, Joshua B; Norena, Monica; Khan, Nadia; Palepu, Anita; Ayas, Najib T; Wong, Hubert; Dodek, Peter M

2009-09-01

Although reliability of severity of illness and predicted probability of hospital mortality have been assessed, interrater reliability of the abstraction of primary and other intensive care unit (ICU) admitting diagnoses and underlying comorbidities has not been studied. Patient data from one ICU were originally abstracted and entered into an electronic database by an ICU nurse. A research assistant reabstracted patient demographics, ICU admitting diagnoses and underlying comorbidities, and elements of Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II (APACHE II) score from 100 random patients of 474 admitted during 2005 using an identical electronic database. Chamberlain's percent positive agreement was used to compare diagnoses and comorbidities between the 2 data abstractors. A kappa statistic was calculated for demographic variables, Glasgow Coma Score, APACHE II chronic health points, and HIV status. Intraclass correlation was calculated for acute physiology points and predicted probability of hospital mortality. Percent positive agreement for ICU primary and other admitting diagnoses ranged from 0% (primary brain injury) to 71% (sepsis), and for underlying comorbidities, from 40% (coronary artery bypass graft) to 100% (HIV). Agreement as measured by kappa statistic was strong for race (0.81) and age points (0.95), moderate for chronic health points (0.50) and HIV (0.66), and poor for Glasgow Coma Score (0.36). Intraclass correlation showed a moderate-high agreement for acute physiology points (0.88) and predicted probability of hospital mortality (0.71). Reliability for ICU diagnoses and elements of the APACHE II score is related to the objectivity of primary data in the medical charts.

Who should be admitted to the intensive care unit? The outcome of intensive care unit admission in stage IIIB-IV lung cancer patients.

PubMed

Kim, Yu Jung; Kim, Mi-Jung; Cho, Young-Jae; Park, Jong Sun; Kim, Jin Won; Chang, Hyun; Lee, Jeong-Ok; Lee, Keun-Wook; Kim, Jee Hyun; Yoon, Ho Il; Bang, Soo-Mee; Lee, Jae Ho; Lee, Choon-Taek; Lee, Jong Seok

2014-03-01

Critical care for advanced lung cancer patients is still controversial, and the appropriate method for the selection of patients who may benefit from intensive care unit (ICU) care is not clearly defined. We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of stage IIIB-IV lung cancer patients admitted to the medical ICU of a university hospital in Korea between 2003 and 2011. Of 95 patients, 64 (67%) had Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status (PS)≥2, and 79 (84%) had non-small-cell lung cancer. In total, 28 patients (30%) were newly diagnosed or were receiving first-line treatment, and 22 (23%) were refractory or bedridden. Mechanical ventilation was required in 85 patients (90%), and ICU mortality and hospital mortality were 57 and 78%, respectively. According to a multivariate analysis, a PaO2/FiO2 ratio<150 [odds ratio (OR)=5.51, 95% confidence interval (CI) 2.10-14.48, p=0.001] was independently associated with ICU mortality, and an ECOG PS≥2 (OR=9.53, 95% CI 2.03-44.85, p=0.004) and a need for vasoactive agents (OR=6.94, 95% CI 1.61-29.84, p=0.009) were independently associated with hospital mortality. Refractory or bedridden patients (n=22) showed significantly poorer overall survival (11.0 vs. 29.0 days, p=0.005). Among 21 patients who were discharged from the hospital, 11 (52%) received further chemotherapy. Certain advanced lung cancer patients may benefit from ICU management. However, refractory patients and patients with a poor PS do not seem to benefit from ICU care. Oncologists should try to discuss palliative care and end-of-life issues in advance to avoid futile care.

Severity of acidosis affects long-term survival in COPD patients with hypoxemia after intensive care unit discharge.

PubMed

Gungor, Sinem; Kargin, Feyza; Irmak, Ilim; Ciyiltepe, Fulya; Acartürk Tunçay, Eylem; Atagun Guney, Pinar; Aksoy, Emine; Ocakli, Birsen; Adiguzel, Nalan; Karakurt, Zuhal

2018-01-01

Patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) with acute respiratory failure (ARF) due to COPD have high mortality and morbidity. Acidosis has several harmful effects on hemodynamics and metabolism, and the current knowledge regarding the relationship between respiratory acidosis severity on the short- and long-term survival of COPD patients is limited. We hypothesized that COPD patients with severe acidosis would have a poorer short- and long-term prognosis compared with COPD patients with mild-to-moderate acidosis. This retrospective observational cohort study was conducted in a level III respiratory ICU of a tertiary teaching hospital for chest diseases between December 1, 2013, and December 30, 2014. Subject characteristics, comorbidities, ICU parameters, duration of mechanical ventilation, length of ICU stay, ICU mortality, use of domiciliary noninvasive mechanical ventilation (NIMV) and long-term oxygen therapy (LTOT), and short- and long-term mortality were recorded. Patients were grouped according to their arterial blood gas (ABG) values during ICU admission: severe acidotic (pH≤7.20) and mild-to-moderate acidotic (pH 7.21-7.35). These groups were compared with the recorded data. The mortality predictors were analyzed by logistic regression test in the ICU and the Cox regression test for long-term mortality predictors. During the study period, a total of 312 COPD patients admitted to the ICU with ARF, 69 (72.5% male) in the severe acidosis group and 243 (79% male) in the mild-to-moderate acidosis group, were enrolled. Group demographics, comorbidities, duration of mechanical ventilation, and length of ICU stay were similar in the two groups. The severe acidosis group had a significantly higher rate of NIMV failure (60.7% vs 40%) in the ICU. Mild-to-moderate acidotic COPD patients using LTOT had longer survival after ICU discharge than those without LTOT. On the other hand, severely acidotic COPD patients without LTOT showed shorter survival than those with LTOT. Kaplan-Meier cumulative survival analysis showed that the 28-day and 1-, 2-, and 3-year mortality rates were 12.2%, 36.2%, 52.6%, 63.3%, respectively ( p =0.09). The Cox regression analyses showed that older age, PaO 2 /FiO 2 <300 mmHg, and body mass index ≤20 kg/m 2 was associated with mortality of all patients after 3 years. Severely acidotic COPD patients had a poorer short- and long-term prognosis compared with mild-to-moderate acidotic COPD patients if acute and chronic hypoxemia was predominant.

Severity of acidosis affects long-term survival in COPD patients with hypoxemia after intensive care unit discharge

PubMed Central

Gungor, Sinem; Kargin, Feyza; Irmak, Ilim; Ciyiltepe, Fulya; Acartürk Tunçay, Eylem; Atagun Guney, Pinar; Aksoy, Emine; Ocakli, Birsen; Adiguzel, Nalan; Karakurt, Zuhal

2018-01-01

Background Patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) with acute respiratory failure (ARF) due to COPD have high mortality and morbidity. Acidosis has several harmful effects on hemodynamics and metabolism, and the current knowledge regarding the relationship between respiratory acidosis severity on the short- and long-term survival of COPD patients is limited. We hypothesized that COPD patients with severe acidosis would have a poorer short- and long-term prognosis compared with COPD patients with mild-to-moderate acidosis. Patients and methods This retrospective observational cohort study was conducted in a level III respiratory ICU of a tertiary teaching hospital for chest diseases between December 1, 2013, and December 30, 2014. Subject characteristics, comorbidities, ICU parameters, duration of mechanical ventilation, length of ICU stay, ICU mortality, use of domiciliary noninvasive mechanical ventilation (NIMV) and long-term oxygen therapy (LTOT), and short- and long-term mortality were recorded. Patients were grouped according to their arterial blood gas (ABG) values during ICU admission: severe acidotic (pH≤7.20) and mild-to-moderate acidotic (pH 7.21–7.35). These groups were compared with the recorded data. The mortality predictors were analyzed by logistic regression test in the ICU and the Cox regression test for long-term mortality predictors. Results During the study period, a total of 312 COPD patients admitted to the ICU with ARF, 69 (72.5% male) in the severe acidosis group and 243 (79% male) in the mild-to-moderate acidosis group, were enrolled. Group demographics, comorbidities, duration of mechanical ventilation, and length of ICU stay were similar in the two groups. The severe acidosis group had a significantly higher rate of NIMV failure (60.7% vs 40%) in the ICU. Mild-to-moderate acidotic COPD patients using LTOT had longer survival after ICU discharge than those without LTOT. On the other hand, severely acidotic COPD patients without LTOT showed shorter survival than those with LTOT. Kaplan–Meier cumulative survival analysis showed that the 28-day and 1-, 2-, and 3-year mortality rates were 12.2%, 36.2%, 52.6%, 63.3%, respectively (p=0.09). The Cox regression analyses showed that older age, PaO2/FiO2 <300 mmHg, and body mass index ≤20 kg/m2 was associated with mortality of all patients after 3 years. Conclusion Severely acidotic COPD patients had a poorer short- and long-term prognosis compared with mild-to-moderate acidotic COPD patients if acute and chronic hypoxemia was predominant. PMID:29780244

Procalcitonin decrease over 72 hours in US critical care units predicts fatal outcome in sepsis patients

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Introduction Close monitoring and repeated risk assessment of sepsis patients in the intensive care unit (ICU) is important for decisions regarding care intensification or early discharge to the ward. We studied whether considering plasma kinetics of procalcitonin, a biomarker of systemic bacterial infection, over the first 72 critical care hours improved mortality prognostication of septic patients from two US settings. Methods This retrospective analysis included consecutively treated eligible adults with a diagnosis of sepsis from critical care units in two independent institutions in Clearwater, FL and Chicago, IL. Cohorts were used for derivation or validation to study the association between procalcitonin change over the first 72 critical care hours and mortality. Results ICU/in-hospital mortality rates were 29.2%/31.8% in the derivation cohort (n = 154) and 17.6%/29.4% in the validation cohort (n = 102). In logistic regression analysis of both cohorts, procalcitonin change was strongly associated with ICU and in-hospital mortality independent of clinical risk scores (Acute Physiology, Age and Chronic Health Evaluation IV or Simplified Acute Physiology Score II), with area under the curve (AUC) from 0.67 to 0.71. When procalcitonin decreased by at least 80%, the negative predictive value for ICU/in-hospital mortality was 90%/90% in the derivation cohort, and 91%/79% in the validation cohort. When procalcitonin showed no decrease or increased, the respective positive predictive values were 48%/48% and 36%/52%. Discussion In septic patients, procalcitonin kinetics over the first 72 critical care hours provide prognostic information beyond that available from clinical risk scores. If these observations are confirmed, procalcitonin monitoring may assist physician decision-making regarding care intensification or early transfer from the ICU to the floor. PMID:23787145

Age of red blood cells and outcome in acute kidney injury

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Introduction Transfusion of red blood cells (RBCs) and, in particular, older RBCs has been associated with increased short-term mortality in critically ill patients. We evaluated the association between age of transfused RBCs and acute kidney injury (AKI), hospital, and 90-day mortality in critically ill patients. Methods We conducted a prospective, observational, predefined sub-study within the FINNish Acute Kidney Injury (FINNAKI) study. This study included all elective ICU admissions with expected ICU stay of more than 24 hours and all emergency admissions from September to November 2011. To study the age of RBCs, we classified transfused patients into quartiles according to the age of oldest transfused RBC unit in the ICU. AKI was defined according to KDIGO (Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes) criteria. Results Out of 1798 patients, 652 received at least one RBC unit. The median [interquartile range] age of the oldest RBC unit transfused was 12 [11-13] days in the freshest quartile and 21 [17-27] days in the quartiles 2 to 4. On logistic regression, RBC age was not associated with the development of KDIGO stage 3 AKI. Patients in the quartile of freshest RBCs had lower crude hospital and 90-day mortality rates compared to those in the quartiles of older blood. After adjustments, older RBC age was associated with significantly increased risk for hospital mortality. Age, Simplified Acute Physiology Score II (SAPS II)-score without age points, maximum Sequental Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score and the total number of transfused RBC units were independently associated with 90-day mortality. Conclusions The age of transfused RBC units was independently associated with hospital mortality but not with 90-day mortality or KDIGO stage 3 AKI. The number of transfused RBC units was an independent risk factor for 90-day mortality. PMID:24093554

Prognosis of patients presenting extreme acidosis (pH <7) on admission to intensive care unit.

PubMed

Allyn, Jérôme; Vandroux, David; Jabot, Julien; Brulliard, Caroline; Galliot, Richard; Tabatchnik, Xavier; Combe, Patrice; Martinet, Olivier; Allou, Nicolas

2016-02-01

The purpose was to determine prognosis of patients presenting extreme acidosis (pH <7) on admission to the intensive care unit (ICU) and to identify mortality risk factors. We retrospectively analyzed all patients who presented with extreme acidosis within 24 hours of admission to a polyvalent ICU in a university hospital between January 2011 and July 2013. Multivariate analysis and survival analysis were used. Among the 2156 patients admitted, 77 patients (3.6%) presented extreme acidosis. Thirty (39%) patients suffered cardiac arrest before admission. Although the mortality rate predicted by severity score was 93.6%, death occurred in 52 cases (67.5%) in a median delay of 13 (5-27) hours. Mortality rate depended on reason for admission, varying between 22% for cases linked to diabetes mellitus and 100% for cases of mesenteric infarction (P = .002), cardiac arrest before admission (P < .001), type of lactic acidosis (P = .007), high Simplified Acute Physiology Score II (P = .008), and low serum creatinine (P = .012). Patients with extreme acidosis on admission to ICU have a less severe than expected prognosis. Whereas mortality is almost 100% in cases of cardiac arrest before admission, mortality is much lower in the absence of cardiac arrest before admission, which justifies aggressive ICU therapies. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

High Mortality in Severe Sepsis and Septic Shock Patients with Do-Not-Resuscitate Orders in East Asia.

PubMed

Huang, Chun-Ta; Chuang, Yu-Chung; Tsai, Yi-Ju; Ko, Wen-Je; Yu, Chong-Jen

2016-01-01

Severe sepsis is a potentially deadly illness and always requires intensive care. Do-not-resuscitate (DNR) orders remain a debated issue in critical care and limited data exist about its impact on care of septic patients, particularly in East Asia. We sought to assess outcome of severe sepsis patients with regard to DNR status in Taiwan. A retrospective cohort study was conducted in intensive care units (ICUs) between 2008 and 2010. All severe sepsis patients were included for analysis. Primary outcome was association between DNR orders and ICU mortality. Volume of interventions was used as proxy indicator to indicate aggressiveness of care. Sixty-seven (9.4%) of 712 patients had DNR orders on ICU admission, and these patients were older and had higher disease severity compared with patients without DNR orders. Notably, DNR patients experienced high ICU mortality (90%). Multivariate analysis revealed that the presence of DNR orders was independently associated with ICU mortality (odds ratio: 6.13; 95% confidence interval: 2.66-14.10). In propensity score-matched cohort, ICU mortality rate (91%) in the DNR group was statistically higher than that (62%) in the non-DNR group (p <0.001). Regarding ICU interventions, arterial and central venous catheterization were more commonly used in DNR patients than in non-DNR patients. From the Asian perspective, septic patients placed on DNR orders on ICU admission had exceptionally high mortality. In contrast to Western reports, DNR patients received more ICU interventions, reflecting more aggressive approach to dealing with this patient population. The findings in some ways reflect differences between East and West cultures and suggest that DNR status is an important confounder in ICU studies involving severely septic patients.

Association Between Intensive Care Unit Utilization During Hospitalization and Costs, Use of Invasive Procedures, and Mortality.

PubMed

Chang, Dong W; Shapiro, Martin F

2016-10-01

Maximizing the value of critical care services requires understanding the relationship between intensive care unit (ICU) utilization, clinical outcomes, and costs. To examine whether hospitals had consistent patterns of ICU utilization across 4 common medical conditions and the association between higher use of the ICU and hospital costs, use of invasive procedures, and mortality. Retrospective cohort study of 156 842 hospitalizations in 94 acute-care nonfederal hospitals for diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), pulmonary embolism (PE), upper gastrointestinal bleeding (UGIB), and congestive heart failure (CHF) in Washington state and Maryland from 2010 to 2012. Hospitalizations for DKA, PE, UGIB, and CHF were identified from the presence of compatible International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM) codes. Multilevel logistic regression models were used to determine the predicted hospital-level ICU utilization during hospitalizations for the 4 study conditions. For each condition, hospitals were ranked based on the predicted ICU utilization rate to examine the variability in ICU utilization across institutions. The primary outcomes were associations between hospital-level ICU utilization rates and risk-adjusted hospital mortality, use of invasive procedures, and hospital costs. The 94 hospitals and 156 842 hospitalizations included in the study represented 4.7% of total hospitalizations in this study. ICU admission rates ranged from 16.3% to 81.2% for DKA, 5.0% to 44.2% for PE, 11.5% to 51.2% for UGIB, and 3.9% to 48.8% for CHF. Spearman rank coefficients between DKA, PE, UGIB, and CHF showed significant correlations in ICU utilization for these 4 medical conditions among hospitals (ρ ≥ 0.90 for all comparisons; P < .01 for all). For each condition, hospital-level ICU utilization rate was not associated with hospital mortality. Use of invasive procedures and costs of hospitalization were greater in institutions with higher ICU utilization for all 4 conditions. For medical conditions where ICU care is frequently provided, but may not always be necessary, institutions that utilize ICUs more frequently are more likely to perform invasive procedures and have higher costs but have no improvement in hospital mortality. Hospitals had similar ICU utilization patterns across the 4 medical conditions, suggesting that systematic institutional factors may influence decisions to potentially overutilize ICU care. Interventions that seek to improve the value of critical care services will need to address these factors that lead clinicians to admit patients to higher levels of care when equivalent care can be delivered elsewhere in the hospital.

Strategic alliance between the infectious diseases specialist and intensive care unit physician for change in antibiotic use.

PubMed

Curcio, D; Belloni, R

2005-02-01

There is a general consensus that antimicrobial use in intensive care units (ICU) is greater than that in general wards. By implementing a strategy of systematic infectious disease consultations in agreement with the ICU chief, we have modified the antibiotic prescription habits of the ICU physician. A reduction was observed in the use of selected antibiotics (third-generation cephalosporins, vancomycin, carbapenems and piperacillin-tazobactam), with a significant reduction in the length of hospital stay for ICU patients and lower antibiotic costs without negative impact on patient mortality. Leadership by the infectious diseases consultant in combination with commitment by ICU physicians is a simple and effective method to change antibiotic prescription habits in the ICU.

Relationship between glycated hemoglobin, Intensive Care Unit admission blood sugar and glucose control with ICU mortality in critically ill patients

PubMed Central

Mahmoodpoor, Ata; Hamishehkar, Hadi; Shadvar, Kamran; Beigmohammadi, Mohammadtaghi; Iranpour, Afshin; Sanaie, Sarvin

2016-01-01

Background and Aims: The association between hyperglycemia and mortality is believed to be influenced by the presence of diabetes mellitus (DM). In this study, we evaluated the effect of preexisting hyperglycemia on the association between acute blood glucose management and mortality in critically ill patients. The primary objective of the study was the relationship between HbA1c and mortality in critically ill patients. Secondary objectives of the study were relationship between Intensive Care Unit (ICU) admission blood glucose and glucose control during ICU stay with mortality in critically ill patients. Materials and Methods: Five hundred patients admitted to two ICUs were enrolled. Blood sugar and hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) concentrations on ICU admission were measured. Age, sex, history of DM, comorbidities, Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II score, sequential organ failure assessment score, hypoglycemic episodes, drug history, mortality, and development of acute kidney injury and liver failure were noted for all patients. Results: Without considering the history of diabetes, nonsurvivors had significantly higher HbA1c values compared to survivors (7.25 ± 1.87 vs. 6.05 ± 1.22, respectively, P < 0.001). Blood glucose levels in ICU admission showed a significant correlation with risk of death (P < 0.006, confidence interval [CI]: 1.004–1.02, relative risk [RR]: 1.01). Logistic regression analysis revealed that HbA1c increased the risk of death; with each increase in HbA1c level, the risk of death doubled. However, this relationship was not statistically significant (P: 0.161, CI: 0.933–1.58, RR: 1.2). Conclusions: Acute hyperglycemia significantly affects mortality in the critically ill patients; this relation is also influenced by chronic hyperglycemia. PMID:27076705

Glucose control and use of continuous glucose monitoring in the intensive care unit: a critical review.

PubMed

De Block, Christophe; Manuel-y-Keenoy, Begoña; Rogiers, Peter; Jorens, Philippe; Van Gaal, Luc

2008-08-01

Stress hyperglycemia recently became a major therapeutic target in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) since it occurs in most critically ill patients and is associated with adverse outcome, including increased mortality. Intensive insulin therapy to achieve normoglycemia may reduce mortality, morbidity and the length of ICU and in-hospital stay. However, obtaining normoglycemia requires extensive efforts from the medical staff, including frequent glucose monitoring and adjustment of insulin dose. Current insulin titration is based upon discrete glucose measurements, which may miss fast changes in glycemia and which does not give a full picture of overall glycemic control. Recent evidence suggests that continuous monitoring of glucose levels may help to signal glycemic excursions and eventually to optimize insulin titration in the ICU. In this review we will summarise monitoring and treatment strategies to achieve normoglycemia in the ICU, with special emphasis on the possible advantages of continuous glucose monitoring.

Comparing observed and predicted mortality among ICUs using different prognostic systems: why do performance assessments differ?

PubMed

Kramer, Andrew A; Higgins, Thomas L; Zimmerman, Jack E

2015-02-01

To compare ICU performance using standardized mortality ratios generated by the Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation IVa and a National Quality Forum-endorsed methodology and examine potential reasons for model-based standardized mortality ratio differences. Retrospective analysis of day 1 hospital mortality predictions at the ICU level using Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation IVa and National Quality Forum models on the same patient cohort. Forty-seven ICUs at 36 U.S. hospitals from January 2008 to May 2013. Eighty-nine thousand three hundred fifty-three consecutive unselected ICU admissions. None. We assessed standardized mortality ratios for each ICU using data for patients eligible for Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation IVa and National Quality Forum predictions in order to compare unit-level model performance, differences in ICU rankings, and how case-mix adjustment might explain standardized mortality ratio differences. Hospital mortality was 11.5%. Overall standardized mortality ratio was 0.89 using Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation IVa and 1.07 using National Quality Forum, the latter having a widely dispersed and multimodal standardized mortality ratio distribution. Model exclusion criteria eliminated mortality predictions for 10.6% of patients for Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation IVa and 27.9% for National Quality Forum. The two models agreed on the significance and direction of standardized mortality ratio only 45% of the time. Four ICUs had standardized mortality ratios significantly less than 1.0 using Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation IVa, but significantly greater than 1.0 using National Quality Forum. Two ICUs had standardized mortality ratios exceeding 1.75 using National Quality Forum, but nonsignificant performance using Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation IVa. Stratification by patient and institutional characteristics indicated that units caring for more severely ill patients and those with a higher percentage of patients on mechanical ventilation had the most discordant standardized mortality ratios between the two predictive models. Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation IVa and National Quality Forum models yield different ICU performance assessments due to differences in case-mix adjustment. Given the growing role of outcomes in driving prospective payment patient referral and public reporting, performance should be assessed by models with fewer exclusions, superior accuracy, and better case-mix adjustment.

Outcome of Patients with Systemic Sclerosis in the Intensive Care Unit.

PubMed

Pène, Frédéric; Hissem, Tarik; Bérezné, Alice; Allanore, Yannick; Geri, Guillaume; Charpentier, Julien; Avouac, Jérôme; Guillevin, Loïc; Cariou, Alain; Chiche, Jean-Daniel; Mira, Jean-Paul; Mouthon, Luc

2015-08-01

Patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc) are prone to disease-specific or treatment-related life-threatening complications that may warrant intensive care unit (ICU) admission. We assessed the characteristics and current outcome of patients with SSc admitted to the ICU. We performed a single-center retrospective study over 6 years (November 2006-December 2012). All patients with SSc admitted to the ICU were enrolled. Short-term (in-ICU and in-hospital) and longterm (6-mo and 1-yr) mortality rates were studied, and the prognostic factors were analyzed. Forty-one patients with a median age of 50 years [interquartile range (IQR) 40-65] were included. Twenty-nine patients (72.5%) displayed diffuse cutaneous SSc. The time from diagnosis to ICU admission was 78 months (IQR 34-128). Twenty-eight patients (71.7%) previously had pulmonary fibrosis, and 12 (31.5%) had pulmonary hypertension. The main reason for ICU admission was acute respiratory failure in 27 patients (65.8%). Noninvasive ventilation was first attempted in 13 patients (31.7%) and was successful in 8 of them, whereas others required endotracheal intubation within 24 h. Altogether, 13 patients (31.7%) required endotracheal intubation and mechanical ventilation. The overall in-ICU, in-hospital, 6-month, and 1-year mortality rates were 31.8%, 39.0%, 46.4%, and 61.0%, respectively. Invasive mechanical ventilation was the worst prognostic factor, associated with an in-hospital mortality rate of 84.6%. This study provides reliable prognostic data in patients with SSc who required ICU admission. The devastating outcome of invasive mechanical ventilation in patients with SSc requires a reappraisal of indications for ICU admission and early identification of patients likely to benefit from noninvasive ventilation.

Intensive Care Unit Admission and Death Rates of Infants Admitted With Respiratory Syncytial Virus Lower Respiratory Tract Infection in Mexico.

PubMed

Vizcarra-Ugalde, Sergio; Rico-Hernández, Montserrat; Monjarás-Ávila, César; Bernal-Silva, Sofía; Garrocho-Rangel, Maria E; Ochoa-Pérez, Uciel R; Noyola, Daniel E

2016-11-01

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is the most common etiology for acute respiratory infection hospital admissions in young children. Case fatality rates for hospitalized patients range between 0% and 3.4%. Recent reports indicate that deaths associated with RSV are uncommon in developed countries. However, the role of this virus as a current cause of mortality in other countries requires further examination. Children with RSV infection admitted between May 2003 and December 2014 to a level 2 specialty hospital in Mexico were included in this analysis. Underlying risk factors, admission to the intensive care unit (ICU) and condition on discharge were assessed to determine the ICU admission and death rates associated to RSV infection. We analyzed data of 1153 patients with RSV infection in whom information regarding underlying illnesses and discharge status was available. Sixty patients (5.2 %) were admitted to the ICU and 12 (1.04 %) died. Relevant underlying conditions were present in 320 (27.7%) patients. Infants with underlying respiratory disorders (excluding asthma) and a history of prematurity had high ICU admission rates (17.1% and 13.8%, respectively). Mortality rates were highest for infants with respiratory disease (excluding asthma) (7.3%), cardiovascular diseases (5.9%) and neurologic disorders (5.3%). The ICU admission and death rates were higher in infants <6 months of age than in other age groups. The ICU admission rate and mortality rate in Mexican infants hospitalized with RSV infection were 5.2% and 1%, respectively. Mortality rates were high in infants with respiratory, cardiovascular and neurologic disorders.

Low-, medium- and high-dose steroids with or without aminocaproic acid in adult hematopoietic SCT patients with diffuse alveolar hemorrhage.

PubMed

Rathi, N K; Tanner, A R; Dinh, A; Dong, W; Feng, L; Ensor, J; Wallace, S K; Haque, S A; Rondon, G; Price, K J; Popat, U; Nates, J L

2015-03-01

Diffuse alveolar hemorrhage (DAH) is a poorly understood complication of transplantation carrying a high mortality. Patients commonly deteriorate and require intensive care unit (ICU) admission. Treatment with high-dose steroids and aminocaproic acid (ACA) has been suggested. The current study examined 119 critically ill adult hematopoietic transplant patients treated for DAH. Patients were subdivided into low-, medium- and high-dose steroid groups with or without ACA. All groups had similar baseline characteristics and severity of illness scores. Primary objectives were 30, 60, 100 day, ICU and hospital mortality. Overall mortality (n=119) on day 100 was high at 85%. In the steroids and ACA cohort (n=82), there were no significant differences in 30, 60, 100, day, ICU and hospital mortality between the dosing groups. In the steroids only cohort (n=37), the low-dose steroid group had a lower ICU and hospital mortality (P=0.02). Adjunctive treatment with ACA did not produce differences in outcomes. In the multivariate analysis, medium- and high-dose steroids were associated with a higher ICU mortality (P=0.01) as compared with the low-dose group. Our data suggest that treatment strategies may need to be reanalyzed to avoid potentially unnecessary and potentially harmful therapies.

Cardiogenic shock in intensive care units: evolution of prevalence, patient profile, management and outcomes, 1997-2012.

PubMed

Puymirat, Etienne; Fagon, Jean Yves; Aegerter, Philippe; Diehl, Jean Luc; Monnier, Alexandra; Hauw-Berlemont, Caroline; Boissier, Florence; Chatellier, Gilles; Guidet, Bertrand; Danchin, Nicolas; Aissaoui, Nadia

2017-02-01

To address the paucity of data on the characteristics, outcome and temporal trends in mortality of cardiogenic shock (CS) patients admitted to intensive care units (ICUs) we examined key features, variations in mortality from CS, and predictors of death in ICU patients over the past 15 years. From the 1997-2012 database of the Collège des Utilisateurs de Bases de données en Réanimation (CUB-Réa) that prospectively collects data from ICUs in the greater Paris area, we determined temporal trends in the incidence of CS, patient outcomes [Crude and Simplified Acute Physiology Score (SAPS)-II Standardized Mortality] and predictors of in-ICU mortality. Of the 316 905 ICU admissions, 19 416 (6.1%) exhibited CS, with incidence increasing from 4.1% to 7.7% (P < 0.001). Over time, the age of admitted patients decreased by 2.7 years [95% confidence interval (CI), -2.0 to -3.4] and SAPS-II increased by 5.8% (95% CI 4.8-6.8) from 58.7 ± 25.3 to 64.5 ± 23.3 (P < 0.001). Crude in-ICU mortality declined from 50% to 45% (-5.6%; 95% CI -7.7 to -3.5) as SAPS-II Standardized ICU mortality rates decreased from 56.5% to 44.2% (P < 0.001). A more recent time-period was an independent correlate of decreased mortality in multivariate analyses. The decrease in mortality rate was more marked in patients with decompensated heart failure, cardiac arrest, or acute myocardial infarction. Patients with CS represent a greater proportion of patients admitted to ICUs over the past 15 years, having become younger but more critically ill. Although their mortality has decreased, suggesting improved overall patient management, it remains particularly high, warranting further research specifically focused on this population. © 2016 The Authors. European Journal of Heart Failure © 2016 European Society of Cardiology.

An External Independent Validation of APACHE IV in a Malaysian Intensive Care Unit.

PubMed

Wong, Rowena S Y; Ismail, Noor Azina; Tan, Cheng Cheng

2015-04-01

Intensive care unit (ICU) prognostic models are predominantly used in more developed nations such as the United States, Europe and Australia. These are not that popular in Southeast Asian countries due to costs and technology considerations. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the suitability of the acute physiology and chronic health evaluation (APACHE) IV model in a single centre Malaysian ICU. A prospective study was conducted at the single centre ICU in Hospital Sultanah Aminah (HSA) Malaysia. External validation of APACHE IV involved a cohort of 916 patients who were admitted in 2009. Model performance was assessed through its calibration and discrimination abilities. A first-level customisation using logistic regression approach was also applied to improve model calibration. APACHE IV exhibited good discrimination, with an area under receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve of 0.78. However, the model's overall fit was observed to be poor, as indicated by the Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness-of-fit test (Ĉ = 113, P <0.001). Predicted in-ICU mortality rate (28.1%) was significantly higher than the actual in-ICU mortality rate (18.8%). Model calibration was improved after applying first-level customisation (Ĉ = 6.39, P = 0.78) although discrimination was not affected. APACHE IV is not suitable for application in HSA ICU, without further customisation. The model's lack of fit in the Malaysian study is attributed to differences in the baseline characteristics between HSA ICU and APACHE IV datasets. Other possible factors could be due to differences in clinical practice, quality and services of health care systems between Malaysia and the United States.

Aiming for zero: decreasing central line associated bacteraemia in the intensive care unit.

PubMed

Seddon, Mary E; Hocking, Catherine J; Mead, Pat; Simpson, Catherine

2011-07-29

To eliminate Central Line Associated Bacteraemia (CLAB) in the Critical Care Complex (CCC)-Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and High Dependency Unit (HDU)-Middlemore Hospital. Multifaceted quality improvement programme that included: engagement with ICU leadership and education of ICU staff; the introduction of a CLAB prevention bundle of care through standardised checklists for central line insertion (December 2008) and line maintenance (July 2009); the development of a central line pack; and rapid, visual feedback of results. Absolute numbers of CLAB in the CCC decreased from 14 in 2008, to 4 in 2009 and 1 in the first 6 months of 2010 (despite increase in bed census and a doubling of admissions). The CLAB rate per 1,000 line days decreased from 6.6 to 0.9. The days between CLAB increased from a median of 30 to >100 days, with zero CLAB for 5 of the last 6 months. Mortality for patients with CLAB was 37%, compared with mortality of 13% for all other ICU patients. The conservative cost savings were $200,000 in 2009 and $260,000 in 2010. Using an evidenced-based quality improvement approach, it is possible to significantly decrease Central Line Associated Bacteraemia in the Critical Care Complex. In doing so patient morbidity and mortality are reduced and money is saved for other healthcare needs.

A Business Case for Tele-Intensive Care Units

PubMed Central

Coustasse, Alberto; Deslich, Stacie; Bailey, Deanna; Hairston, Alesia; Paul, David

2014-01-01

Objectives: A tele-intensive care unit (tele-ICU) uses telemedicine in an intensive care unit (ICU) setting, applying technology to provide care to critically ill patients by off-site clinical resources. The purpose of this review was to examine the implementation, adoption, and utilization of tele-ICU systems by hospitals to determine their efficiency and efficacy as identified by cost savings and patient outcomes. Methods: This literature review examined a large number of studies of implementation of tele-ICU systems in hospitals. Results: The evidence supporting cost savings was mixed. Implementation of a tele-ICU system was associated with cost savings, shorter lengths of stay, and decreased mortality. However, two studies suggested increased hospital cost after implementation of tele-ICUs is initially expensive but eventually results in cost savings and better clinical outcomes. Conclusions: Intensivists working these systems are able to more effectively treat ICU patients, providing better clinical outcomes for patients at lower costs compared with hospitals without a tele-ICU. PMID:25662529

Impact of Resident Rotations on Critically Ill Patient Outcomes: Results of a French Multicenter Observational Study.

PubMed

Chousterman, Benjamin G; Pirracchio, Romain; Guidet, Bertrand; Aegerter, Philippe; Mentec, Hervé

2016-01-01

The impact of resident rotation on patient outcomes in the intensive care unit (ICU) has been poorly studied. The aim of this study was to address this question using a large ICU database. We retrospectively analyzed the French CUB-REA database. French residents rotate every six months. Two periods were compared: the first (POST) and fifth (PRE) months of the rotation. The primary endpoint was ICU mortality. The secondary endpoints were the length of ICU stay (LOS), the number of organ supports, and the duration of mechanical ventilation (DMV). The impact of resident rotation was explored using multivariate regression, classification tree and random forest models. 262,772 patients were included between 1996 and 2010 in the database. The patient characteristics were similar between the PRE (n = 44,431) and POST (n = 49,979) periods. Multivariate analysis did not reveal any impact of resident rotation on ICU mortality (OR = 1.01, 95% CI = 0.94; 1.07, p = 0.91). Based on the classification trees, the SAPS II and the number of organ failures were the strongest predictors of ICU mortality. In the less severe patients (SAPS II<24), the POST period was associated with increased mortality (OR = 1.65, 95%CI = 1.17-2.33, p = 0.004). After adjustment, no significant association was observed between the rotation period and the LOS, the number of organ supports, or the DMV. Resident rotation exerts no impact on overall ICU mortality at French teaching hospitals but might affect the prognosis of less severe ICU patients. Surveillance should be reinforced when treating those patients.

Hypophosphatemia in critically ill patients.

PubMed

Suzuki, Satoshi; Egi, Moritoki; Schneider, Antoine G; Bellomo, Rinaldo; Hart, Graeme K; Hegarty, Colin

2013-08-01

The aim of this study was to assess the association of phosphate concentration with key clinical outcomes in a heterogeneous cohort of critically ill patients. This was a retrospective observational study at a general intensive care unit (ICU) of an Australian university teaching hospital enrolling 2730 adult critically ill patients. We studied 10504 phosphate measurements with a mean value of 1.17 mmol/L (measurements every 28.8 hours on average). Hyperphosphatemia (inorganic phosphate [iP] concentration > 1.4 mmol/L) occurred in 45% and hypophosphatemia (iP ≤ 0.6 mmol/L) in 20%. Among patients without any episodes of hyperphosphatemia, patients with at least 1 episode of hypophosphatemia had a higher ICU mortality than those without hypophosphatemia (P = .004). In addition, ICU nonsurvivors had lower minimum phosphate concentrations than did survivors (P = .009). Similar results were seen for hospital mortality. However, on multivariable logistic regression analysis, hypophosphatemia was not independently associated with ICU mortality (adjusted odds ratio, 0.86 [95% confidence interval, 0.66-1.10]; P = .24) and hospital mortality (odds ratio, 0.89 [0.73-1.07]; P = .21). Even when different cutoff points were used for hypophosphatemia (iP ≤ 0.5, 0.4, 0.3, or 0.2 mmol/L), hypophosphatemia was not an independent risk factor for ICU and hospital morality. In addition, timing of onset and duration of hypophosphatemia were not independent risk factor for ICU and hospital mortality. Hypophosphatemia behaves like a general marker of illness severity and not as an independent predictor of ICU or in-hospital mortality in critically ill patients. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Patient outcomes can be associated with organizational changes: a quality improvement case study.

PubMed

Timmers, Tim K; Hulstaert, Puck F; Leenen, Luke P H

2014-01-01

We report the results of a university surgical intensive care (SICU), which are influenced by a reorganization of the department because of a downsizing of beds with the corresponding reduction of personnel resulting in a decrease in nurse-to-bed ratio. Moreover, we report the subsequent interventions and adjustments resulting in favorable results. We performed a prospective observational cohort study of all consecutive surgical patients entering the SICU of our hospital, over the period 2000-2004. In order to meet the budget cuts, a reduction of number of SICU beds with a corresponding reduction of nursing staff was implemented. In the subsequent period culminating on the year 2002, collaboration problems arose between medical and nursing staff: resulting in fierce discussions on the floor. Supported through external mediators, structures/work ethics/communication/collaborative behavior, and organization of the SICU were reviewed and restructured. A total of 1477 patients were admitted to the SICU. The characteristics, Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II score and therapeutic intervention scoring system points, were not different throughout the years. The intensive care unit-length of stay (ICU-LOS) in the admission year 2002 was significantly longer (P = .001) and the crude ICU mortality was higher (P = .02) compared with the 2 admission years before. The adjusted mortality (ICU standardized mortality ratio) was also worse in 2002, however, statistically not different. After the intervention (2003 and 2004), a better result (crude ICU mortality, length of ICU stay, and ICU standardized mortality ratio) was achieved. Intensive care reorganization, in which higher workload is seen in medical and nursing staff, could have a negative effect on ICU outcome and length of ICU stay. Interventions in ICU structures, communication, work ethics, and organization have a positive impact in conflict management.

Early detection of nonneurologic organ failure in patients with severe traumatic brain injury: Multiple organ dysfunction score or sequential organ failure assessment?

PubMed

Ramtinfar, Sara; Chabok, Shahrokh Yousefzadeh; Chari, Aliakbar Jafari; Reihanian, Zoheir; Leili, Ehsan Kazemnezhad; Alizadeh, Arsalan

2016-10-01

The aim of this study is to compare the discriminant function of multiple organ dysfunction score (MODS) and sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA) components in predicting the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) mortality and neurologic outcome. A descriptive-analytic study was conducted at a level I trauma center. Data were collected from patients with severe traumatic brain injury admitted to the neurosurgical ICU. Basic demographic data, SOFA and MOD scores were recorded daily for all patients. Odd's ratios (ORs) were calculated to determine the relationship of each component score to mortality, and area under receiver operating characteristic (AUROC) curve was used to compare the discriminative ability of two tools with respect to ICU mortality. The most common organ failure observed was respiratory detected by SOFA of 26% and MODS of 13%, and the second common was cardiovascular detected by SOFA of 18% and MODS of 13%. No hepatic or renal failure occurred, and coagulation failure reported as 2.5% by SOFA and MODS. Cardiovascular failure defined by both tools had a correlation to ICU mortality and it was more significant for SOFA (OR = 6.9, CI = 3.6-13.3, P < 0.05 for SOFA; OR = 5, CI = 3-8.3, P < 0.05 for MODS; AUROC = 0.82 for SOFA; AUROC = 0.73 for MODS). The relationship of cardiovascular failure to dichotomized neurologic outcome was not significant statistically. ICU mortality was not associated with respiratory or coagulation failure. Cardiovascular failure defined by either tool significantly related to ICU mortality. Compared to MODS, SOFA-defined cardiovascular failure was a stronger predictor of death. ICU mortality was not affected by respiratory or coagulation failures.

Prevalence and Clinical Outcomes of Clostridium difficile Infection in the Intensive Care Unit: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

PubMed Central

Karanika, Styliani; Paudel, Suresh; Zervou, Fainareti N.; Grigoras, Christos; Zacharioudakis, Ioannis M.; Mylonakis, Eleftherios

2016-01-01

Background. Intensive care unit (ICU) patients are at higher risk for Clostridium difficile infection (CDI). Methods. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of published studies from 1983 to 2015 using the PubMed, EMBASE, and Google Scholar databases to study the prevalence and outcomes of CDI in this patient population. Among the 9146 articles retrieved from the studies, 22 articles, which included a total of 80 835 ICU patients, were included in our final analysis. Results. The prevalence of CDI among ICU patients was 2% (95% confidence interval [CI], 1%–2%), and among diarrheic ICU patients the prevalence was 11% (95% CI, 6%–17%). Among CDI patients, 25% (95% CI, 5%–51%) were diagnosed with pseudomembranous colitis, and the estimated length of ICU stay before CDI acquisition was 10.74 days (95% CI, 5%–51%). The overall hospital mortality among ICU patients with CDI was 32% (95% CI, 26%–39%), compared with 24% (95% CI, 14%–36%) among those without CDI presenting a statistically significant difference in mortality risk (P = .030). It is worth noting that the length of ICU and hospital stay among CDI patients was significantly longer, compared with non-CDI patients (standardized mean of difference [SMD] = 0.49, 95% CI, .39%–.6%, P = .00 and SMD = 1.15, 95% CI, .44%–1.91%, P = .003, respectively). It is noteworthy that the morbidity score at ICU admission (Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II [APACHE II]) was not statistically different between the 2 groups (P = .911), implying that the differences in outcomes can be attributed to CDI. Conclusions. The ICU setting is associated with higher prevalence of CDI. In this setting, CDI is associated with increased hospital mortality and prolonged ICU and overall hospital stay. These findings highlight the need for additional prevention and treatment studies in this setting. PMID:26788544

An Application of Bayesian Approach in Modeling Risk of Death in an Intensive Care Unit

PubMed Central

Wong, Rowena Syn Yin; Ismail, Noor Azina

2016-01-01

Background and Objectives There are not many studies that attempt to model intensive care unit (ICU) risk of death in developing countries, especially in South East Asia. The aim of this study was to propose and describe application of a Bayesian approach in modeling in-ICU deaths in a Malaysian ICU. Methods This was a prospective study in a mixed medical-surgery ICU in a multidisciplinary tertiary referral hospital in Malaysia. Data collection included variables that were defined in Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation IV (APACHE IV) model. Bayesian Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) simulation approach was applied in the development of four multivariate logistic regression predictive models for the ICU, where the main outcome measure was in-ICU mortality risk. The performance of the models were assessed through overall model fit, discrimination and calibration measures. Results from the Bayesian models were also compared against results obtained using frequentist maximum likelihood method. Results The study involved 1,286 consecutive ICU admissions between January 1, 2009 and June 30, 2010, of which 1,111 met the inclusion criteria. Patients who were admitted to the ICU were generally younger, predominantly male, with low co-morbidity load and mostly under mechanical ventilation. The overall in-ICU mortality rate was 18.5% and the overall mean Acute Physiology Score (APS) was 68.5. All four models exhibited good discrimination, with area under receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) values approximately 0.8. Calibration was acceptable (Hosmer-Lemeshow p-values > 0.05) for all models, except for model M3. Model M1 was identified as the model with the best overall performance in this study. Conclusion Four prediction models were proposed, where the best model was chosen based on its overall performance in this study. This study has also demonstrated the promising potential of the Bayesian MCMC approach as an alternative in the analysis and modeling of in-ICU mortality outcomes. PMID:27007413

An Application of Bayesian Approach in Modeling Risk of Death in an Intensive Care Unit.

PubMed

Wong, Rowena Syn Yin; Ismail, Noor Azina

2016-01-01

There are not many studies that attempt to model intensive care unit (ICU) risk of death in developing countries, especially in South East Asia. The aim of this study was to propose and describe application of a Bayesian approach in modeling in-ICU deaths in a Malaysian ICU. This was a prospective study in a mixed medical-surgery ICU in a multidisciplinary tertiary referral hospital in Malaysia. Data collection included variables that were defined in Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation IV (APACHE IV) model. Bayesian Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) simulation approach was applied in the development of four multivariate logistic regression predictive models for the ICU, where the main outcome measure was in-ICU mortality risk. The performance of the models were assessed through overall model fit, discrimination and calibration measures. Results from the Bayesian models were also compared against results obtained using frequentist maximum likelihood method. The study involved 1,286 consecutive ICU admissions between January 1, 2009 and June 30, 2010, of which 1,111 met the inclusion criteria. Patients who were admitted to the ICU were generally younger, predominantly male, with low co-morbidity load and mostly under mechanical ventilation. The overall in-ICU mortality rate was 18.5% and the overall mean Acute Physiology Score (APS) was 68.5. All four models exhibited good discrimination, with area under receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) values approximately 0.8. Calibration was acceptable (Hosmer-Lemeshow p-values > 0.05) for all models, except for model M3. Model M1 was identified as the model with the best overall performance in this study. Four prediction models were proposed, where the best model was chosen based on its overall performance in this study. This study has also demonstrated the promising potential of the Bayesian MCMC approach as an alternative in the analysis and modeling of in-ICU mortality outcomes.

Strict glycaemic control in patients hospitalised in a mixed medical and surgical intensive care unit: a randomised clinical trial

PubMed Central

De La Rosa, Gisela Del Carmen; Donado, Jorge Hernando; Restrepo, Alvaro Humberto; Quintero, Alvaro Mauricio; González, Luis Gabriel; Saldarriaga, Nora Elena; Bedoya, Marisol; Toro, Juan Manuel; Velásquez, Jorge Byron; Valencia, Juan Carlos; Arango, Clara Maria; Aleman, Pablo Henrique; Vasquez, Esdras Martin; Chavarriaga, Juan Carlos; Yepes, Andrés; Pulido, William; Cadavid, Carlos Alberto

2008-01-01

Introduction Critically ill patients can develop hyperglycaemia even if they do not have diabetes. Intensive insulin therapy decreases morbidity and mortality rates in patients in a surgical intensive care unit (ICU) and decreases morbidity in patients in a medical ICU. The effect of this therapy on patients in a mixed medical/surgical ICU is unknown. Our goal was to assess whether the effect of intensive insulin therapy, compared with standard therapy, decreases morbidity and mortality in patients hospitalised in a mixed ICU. Methods This is a prospective, randomised, non-blinded, single-centre clinical trial in a medical/surgical ICU. Patients were randomly assigned to receive either intensive insulin therapy to maintain glucose levels between 80 and 110 mg/dl (4.4 to 6.1 mmol/l) or standard insulin therapy to maintain glucose levels between 180 and 200 mg/dl (10 and 11.1 mmol/l). The primary end point was mortality at 28 days. Results Over a period of 30 months, 504 patients were enrolled. The 28-day mortality rate was 32.4% (81 of 250) in the standard insulin therapy group and 36.6% (93 of 254) in the intensive insulin therapy group (Relative Risk [RR]: 1.1; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.85 to 1.42). The ICU mortality in the standard insulin therapy group was 31.2% (78 of 250) and 33.1% (84 of 254) in the intensive insulin therapy group (RR: 1.06; 95%CI: 0.82 to 1.36). There was no statistically significant reduction in the rate of ICU-acquired infections: 33.2% in the standard insulin therapy group compared with 27.17% in the intensive insulin therapy group (RR: 0.82; 95%CI: 0.63 to 1.07). The rate of hypoglycaemia (≤ 40 mg/dl) was 1.7% in the standard insulin therapy group and 8.5% in the intensive insulin therapy group (RR: 5.04; 95% CI: 1.20 to 21.12). Conclusions IIT used to maintain glucose levels within normal limits did not reduce morbidity or mortality of patients admitted to a mixed medical/surgical ICU. Furthermore, this therapy increased the risk of hypoglycaemia. Trial Registration clinicaltrials.gov Identifiers: 4374-04-13031; 094-2 in 000966421 PMID:18799004

[Mortality of hematology-oncology patients with neutropenia in intensivecare].

PubMed

Suárez, I; Böll, B; Shimabukuro-Vornhagen, A; Michels, G; von Bergwelt-Baildon, M; Kochanek, M

2016-03-01

Febrile neutropenia remains one of the most common reasons for hospital admission of patients with underlying oncologic disease. These patients have an up to 10-fold increased risk of developing sepsis, which often leads to these patients being transferred to the intensive care unit (ICU). The survival of neutropenic patients with sepsis in particular has improved in recent years, due to advanced therapy in intensive care (surviving sepsis campaign); however few large international studies of neutropenic cancer patients in the ICU are available. In a retrospective study, 59 episodes of neutropenic cancer patients in the internal medicine ICU at the University Hospital of Cologne over a period of 2 years were analyzed. Pneumonia with or without sepsis are the main admission diagnoses of neutropenic cancer patients in the ICU. The mortality rate of these patients is very high (50.8 %). Pneumonia and sepsis, stem cell transplantation, mechanical ventilation, and acute renal failure with or without dialysis are correlated with mortality. Cancer patients should be admitted immediately to the ICU if they have signs of sepsis for early monitoring and treatment. Neutropenic patients have an increased risk for infectious complications and a risk for sepsis with higher mortality rates.

Identifying unusual performance in Australian and New Zealand intensive care units from 2000 to 2010.

PubMed

Solomon, Patricia J; Kasza, Jessica; Moran, John L

2014-04-22

The Australian and New Zealand Intensive Care Society (ANZICS) Adult Patient Database (APD) collects voluntary data on patient admissions to Australian and New Zealand intensive care units (ICUs). This paper presents an in-depth statistical analysis of risk-adjusted mortality of ICU admissions from 2000 to 2010 for the purpose of identifying ICUs with unusual performance. A cohort of 523,462 patients from 144 ICUs was analysed. For each ICU, the natural logarithm of the standardised mortality ratio (log-SMR) was estimated from a risk-adjusted, three-level hierarchical model. This is the first time a three-level model has been fitted to such a large ICU database anywhere. The analysis was conducted in three stages which included the estimation of a null distribution to describe usual ICU performance. Log-SMRs with appropriate estimates of standard errors are presented in a funnel plot using 5% false discovery rate thresholds. False coverage-statement rate confidence intervals are also presented. The observed numbers of deaths for ICUs identified as unusual are compared to the predicted true worst numbers of deaths under the model for usual ICU performance. Seven ICUs were identified as performing unusually over the period 2000 to 2010, in particular, demonstrating high risk-adjusted mortality compared to the majority of ICUs. Four of the seven were ICUs in private hospitals. Our three-stage approach to the analysis detected outlying ICUs which were not identified in a conventional (single) risk-adjusted model for mortality using SMRs to compare ICUs. We also observed a significant linear decline in mortality over the decade. Distinct yearly and weekly respiratory seasonal effects were observed across regions of Australia and New Zealand for the first time. The statistical approach proposed in this paper is intended to be used for the review of observed ICU and hospital mortality. Two important messages from our study are firstly, that comprehensive risk-adjustment is essential in modelling patient mortality for comparing performance, and secondly, that the appropriate statistical analysis is complicated.

Red blood cell distribution width: biomarker for red cell dysfunction and critical illness outcome?

PubMed Central

Said, Ahmed S.; Spinella, Philip C.; Hartman, Mary E.; Steffen, Katherine M.; Jackups, Ronald; Holubkov, Richard; Wallendorf, Mike; Doctor, Allan

2016-01-01

Objective Red blood cell distribution width (RDW) is reported to be an independent predictor of outcome in adults with a variety of conditions. We sought to determine if RDW is associated with morbidity or mortality in critically ill children. Design Retrospective observational study. Setting Tertiary pediatric intensive care unit. Patients All admissions to Saint Louis Children’s Hospital Pediatric Intensive Care Unit between 1/1/2005 and 12/31/2012. Interventions We collected demographics, laboratory values, hospitalization characteristics and outcomes. We calculated the relative change in RDW (R-RDW) from admission (A-RDW) to the highest RDW during the first 7 days of hospitalization. Our primary outcome was ICU mortality or use of ECMO as a composite. Secondary outcomes were ICU- and ventilator-free days. Measurements and main results We identified 3,913 eligible subjects with an estimated mortality (by PIM2) of 2.94±9.25% and an actual ICU mortality of 2.91%. For the study cohort, A-RDW was 14.12±1.89% and R-RDW was +2.63±6.23%. On univariate analysis, both A-RDW and R-RDW correlated with mortality or use of ECMO (OR=1.19 [95% CI: 1.12–1.27] and OR=1.06 [95% CI: 1.04–1.08], respectively, p<0.001). After adjusting for confounding variables, including severity of illness, both A-RDW (OR=1.13, 95% CI 1.03–1.24) and R-RDW (OR=1.04, 95% CI 1.01–1.07) remained independently associated with ICU mortality or use of ECMO. A-RDW and R-RDW both weakly correlated with fewer ICU-free (r2=0.038) and ventilator-free days, (r2=0.05), (p<0.001). Conclusions Independent of illness severity in critically ill children, A-RDW is associated with ICU mortality and morbidity. These data suggest that RDW may be a biomarker for RBC injury that is of sufficient magnitude to influence critical illness outcome, possibly via oxygen delivery impairment. PMID:27832023

Identifying unusual performance in Australian and New Zealand intensive care units from 2000 to 2010

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background The Australian and New Zealand Intensive Care Society (ANZICS) Adult Patient Database (APD) collects voluntary data on patient admissions to Australian and New Zealand intensive care units (ICUs). This paper presents an in-depth statistical analysis of risk-adjusted mortality of ICU admissions from 2000 to 2010 for the purpose of identifying ICUs with unusual performance. Methods A cohort of 523,462 patients from 144 ICUs was analysed. For each ICU, the natural logarithm of the standardised mortality ratio (log-SMR) was estimated from a risk-adjusted, three-level hierarchical model. This is the first time a three-level model has been fitted to such a large ICU database anywhere. The analysis was conducted in three stages which included the estimation of a null distribution to describe usual ICU performance. Log-SMRs with appropriate estimates of standard errors are presented in a funnel plot using 5% false discovery rate thresholds. False coverage-statement rate confidence intervals are also presented. The observed numbers of deaths for ICUs identified as unusual are compared to the predicted true worst numbers of deaths under the model for usual ICU performance. Results Seven ICUs were identified as performing unusually over the period 2000 to 2010, in particular, demonstrating high risk-adjusted mortality compared to the majority of ICUs. Four of the seven were ICUs in private hospitals. Our three-stage approach to the analysis detected outlying ICUs which were not identified in a conventional (single) risk-adjusted model for mortality using SMRs to compare ICUs. We also observed a significant linear decline in mortality over the decade. Distinct yearly and weekly respiratory seasonal effects were observed across regions of Australia and New Zealand for the first time. Conclusions The statistical approach proposed in this paper is intended to be used for the review of observed ICU and hospital mortality. Two important messages from our study are firstly, that comprehensive risk-adjustment is essential in modelling patient mortality for comparing performance, and secondly, that the appropriate statistical analysis is complicated. PMID:24755369

A 10-year experience with major burns from a non-burn intensive care unit.

PubMed

Ibarra Estrada, Miguel Ángel; Chávez Peña, Quetzalcóatl; García Guardado, Dante Ismael; López Pulgarín, José Arnulfo; Aguirre Avalos, Guadalupe; Corona Jiménez, Federico

2014-09-01

The aim of this study was to review clinical data and outcomes of patients with burns in a Mexican non-burn intensive care unit (ICU). We did a retrospective analysis of our single-centre database of burn patients admitted to the ICU in the Hospital Civil Fray Antonio Alcalde (University Hospital). The sample was divided for analysis into two groups according to the outcome 'death' or 'discharge' from ICU. Overall mortality was 58.2%, without a decreasing trend in mortality rates through the years. We identified the presence of third-degree burns (odds ratio (OR) 1.5, p=0.003), and >49% total burned surface area (TBSA; OR 3.3, p≤0.001) was associated with mortality. Mean age was higher in deceased patients (38.2 years vs. 31.3 years, p=0.003) as was the TBSA (62.8% vs. 36.4%, p≤0.001). At multivariate analysis, inhalation injury was not associated with increased mortality, but it was with more mechanical ventilation days. Early surgical debridement/cleansing was performed in most patients; however, the mean of the procedures was 1.7 per patient in both groups. We identified significant factors associated with mortality. These variables and prognosis from non-burn ICUs differ broadly compared with burn intensive care units (BICUs); thus, more structured, multidisciplinary and specialised treatment strategies are still needed. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd and ISBI. All rights reserved.

Usefulness of Glycemic Gap to Predict ICU Mortality in Critically Ill Patients With Diabetes.

PubMed

Liao, Wen-I; Wang, Jen-Chun; Chang, Wei-Chou; Hsu, Chin-Wang; Chu, Chi-Ming; Tsai, Shih-Hung

2015-09-01

Stress-induced hyperglycemia (SIH) has been independently associated with an increased risk of mortality in critically ill patients without diabetes. However, it is also necessary to consider preexisting hyperglycemia when investigating the relationship between SIH and mortality in patients with diabetes. We therefore assessed whether the gap between admission glucose and A1C-derived average glucose (ADAG) levels could be a predictor of mortality in critically ill patients with diabetes.We retrospectively reviewed the Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II (APACHE-II) scores and clinical outcomes of patients with diabetes admitted to our medical intensive care unit (ICU) between 2011 and 2014. The glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels were converted to the ADAG by the equation, ADAG = [(28.7 × HbA1c) - 46.7]. We also used receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves to determine the optimal cut-off value for the glycemic gap when predicting ICU mortality and used the net reclassification improvement (NRI) to measure the improvement in prediction performance gained by adding the glycemic gap to the APACHE-II score.We enrolled 518 patients, of which 87 (17.0%) died during their ICU stay. Nonsurvivors had significantly higher APACHE-II scores and glycemic gaps than survivors (P < 0.001). Critically ill patients with diabetes and a glycemic gap ≥80 mg/dL had significantly higher ICU mortality and adverse outcomes than those with a glycemic gap <80 mg/dL (P < 0.001). Incorporation of the glycemic gap into the APACHE-II score increased the discriminative performance for predicting ICU mortality by increasing the area under the ROC curve from 0.755 to 0.794 (NRI = 13.6%, P = 0.0013).The glycemic gap can be used to assess the severity and prognosis of critically ill patients with diabetes. The addition of the glycemic gap to the APACHE-II score significantly improved its ability to predict ICU mortality.

Urine output on ICU entry is associated with hospital mortality in unselected critically ill patients.

PubMed

Zhang, Zhongheng; Xu, Xiao; Ni, Hongying; Deng, Hongsheng

2014-02-01

Urine output (UO) is routinely measured in the intensive care unit (ICU) but its prognostic value remains debated. The study aimed to investigate the association between day 1 UO and hospital mortality. Clinical data were abstracted from the Multiparameter Intelligent Monitoring in Intensive Care II (version 2.6) database. UO was recorded for the first 24 h after ICU entry, and was classified into three categories: UO >0.5, 0.3-0.5 and ≤0.3 ml/kg per hour. The primary endpoint was the hospital mortality. Four models were built to adjust for the hazards ratio of mortality. A total of 21,207 unselected ICU patients including 2,401 non-survivors and 18,806 survivors were included (mortality rate 11.3 %). Mortality rate increased progressively across UO categories: >0.5 (7.67 %), 0.3-0.5 (11.27 %) and ≤0.3 ml/kg/h (18.29 %), and this relationship remained statistically significant after rigorous control of confounding factors with the Cox proportional hazards regression model. With UO >0.5 as the referent group, the hazards ratios for UO 0.3-0.5 and UO ≤0.3 were 1.41 (95 % CI 1.29-1.54) and 1.52 (95 % CI 1.38-1.67), respectively. UO obtained on ICU entry is an independent predictor of mortality irrespective of diuretic use. It would be interesting to examine whether strategies to increase UO would improve clinical outcome.

Acute Kidney Injury Enhances Outcome Prediction Ability of Sequential Organ Failure Assessment Score in Critically Ill Patients

PubMed Central

Chang, Chih-Hsiang; Fan, Pei-Chun; Chang, Ming-Yang; Tian, Ya-Chung; Hung, Cheng-Chieh; Fang, Ji-Tseng; Yang, Chih-Wei; Chen, Yung-Chang

2014-01-01

Introduction Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a common and serious complication in intensive care unit (ICU) patients and also often part of a multiple organ failure syndrome. The sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA) score is an excellent tool for assessing the extent of organ dysfunction in critically ill patients. This study aimed to evaluate the outcome prediction ability of SOFA and Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) III score in ICU patients with AKI. Methods A total of 543 critically ill patients were admitted to the medical ICU of a tertiary-care hospital from July 2007 to June 2008. Demographic, clinical and laboratory variables were prospectively recorded for post hoc analysis as predictors of survival on the first day of ICU admission. Results One hundred and eighty-seven (34.4%) patients presented with AKI on the first day of ICU admission based on the risk of renal failure, injury to kidney, failure of kidney function, loss of kidney function, and end-stage renal failure (RIFLE) classification. Major causes of the ICU admissions involved respiratory failure (58%). Overall in-ICU mortality was 37.9% and the hospital mortality was 44.7%. The predictive accuracy for ICU mortality of SOFA (areas under the receiver operating characteristic curves: 0.815±0.032) was as good as APACHE III in the AKI group. However, cumulative survival rates at 6-month follow-up following hospital discharge differed significantly (p<0.001) for SOFA score ≤10 vs. ≥11 in these ICU patients with AKI. Conclusions For patients coexisting with AKI admitted to ICU, this work recommends application of SOFA by physicians to assess ICU mortality because of its practicality and low cost. A SOFA score of ≥ “11” on ICU day 1 should be considered an indicator of negative short-term outcome. PMID:25279844

Readmission to the Intensive Care Unit: Incidence, Risk Factors, Resource Use, and Outcomes. A Retrospective Cohort Study.

PubMed

Ponzoni, Carolina R; Corrêa, Thiago D; Filho, Roberto R; Serpa Neto, Ary; Assunção, Murillo S C; Pardini, Andreia; Schettino, Guilherme P P

2017-08-01

Readmission to the intensive care unit (ICU) is associated with poor clinical outcomes, increased length of ICU and hospital stay, and higher costs. Nevertheless, knowledge of epidemiology of ICU readmissions, risk factors, and attributable outcomes is restricted to developed countries. To determine the effect of ICU readmissions on in-hospital mortality, determine incidence of ICU readmissions, identify predictors of ICU readmissions and hospital mortality, and compare resource use and outcomes between readmitted and nonreadmitted patients in a developing country. This retrospective single-center cohort study was conducted in a 40-bed, open medical-surgical ICU of a private, tertiary care hospital in São Paulo, Brazil. The Local Ethics Committee at Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein approved the study protocol, and the need for informed consent was waived. All consecutive adult (≥18 yr) patients admitted to the ICU between June 1, 2013 and July 1, 2015 were enrolled in this study. Comparisons were made between patients readmitted and not readmitted to the ICU. Logistic regression analyses were performed to identify predictors of ICU readmissions and hospital mortality. Out of 5,779 patients admitted to the ICU, 576 (10%) were readmitted to the ICU during the same hospitalization. Compared with nonreadmitted patients, patients readmitted to the ICU were more often men (349 of 576 patients [60.6%] vs. 2,919 of 5,203 patients [56.1%]; P = 0.042), showed a higher (median [interquartile range]) severity of illness (Simplified Acute Physiology III score) at index ICU admission (50 [41-61] vs. 42 [32-54], respectively, for readmitted and nonreadmitted patients; P < 0.001), and were more frequently admitted due to medical reasons (425 of 576 [73.8%] vs. 2,998 of 5,203 [57.6%], respectively, for readmitted and nonreadmitted patients; P < 0.001). Simplified Acute Physiology III score (P < 0.001), ICU admission from the ward (odds ratio [OR], 1.907; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.463-2.487; P < 0.001), vasopressors need during index ICU stay (OR, 1.391; 95% CI, 1.130-1.713; P = 0.002), and length of ICU stay (P = 0.001) were independent predictors of ICU readmission. After adjusting for severity of illness, ICU readmission (OR, 4.103; 95% CI, 3.226-5.518; P < 0.001), admission source, presence of cancer, use of vasopressors, mechanical ventilation or renal replacement therapy, length of ICU stay, and nighttime ICU discharge were associated with increased risk of in-hospital death. Readmissions to the ICU were frequent and strongly related to poor outcomes. The degree to which ICU readmissions are preventable as well as the main causes of preventable ICU readmissions need to be further determined.

The Effect of ARDS on Survival: Do Patients Die From ARDS or With ARDS?

PubMed

Fuchs, Lior; Feng, Mengling; Novack, Victor; Lee, Joon; Taylor, Jonathan; Scott, Daniel; Howell, Michael; Celi, Leo; Talmor, Daniel

2017-01-01

To investigate the contribution of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) in of itself to mortality among ventilated patients. A longitudinal retrospective study of ventilated intensive care unit (ICU) patients. The analysis included patients ventilated for more than 48 hours. Patients were classified as having ARDS on admission (early-onset ARDS), late-onset ARDS (ARDS not present during the first 24 hours of admission), or no ARDS. Primary outcomes were mortality at 28 days, and secondary outcomes were 2-year mortality rate from ICU admission. A total of 1411 ventilated patients were enrolled: 41% had ARDS on admission, 28.5% developed ARDS during their ICU stay, and 30.5% did not meet the ARDS criteria prior to ICU discharge or death. The non-ARDS group was used as the control. We also divided the cohort based on the severity of ARDS. After adjusting for covariates, mortality risk at 28 days was not significantly different among the different groups. Both early- and late-onset ARDS as well as the severity of ARDS were found to be significant risk factors for 2 years from ICU survival. Among patients who were ventilated on ICU admission, neither the presence, the severity, or the timing of ARDS contribute independently to the short-term mortality risk. However, acute respiratory distress syndrome does contribute significantly to 2-year mortality risk. This suggests that patients may not die acutely from ARDS itself but rather from the primary disease, and during the acute phase of ARDS, clinicians should focus on improving treatment strategies for the diseases that led to ARDS.

Association Between Malnutrition and Clinical Outcomes in the Intensive Care Unit: A Systematic Review [Formula: see text].

PubMed

Lew, Charles Chin Han; Yandell, Rosalie; Fraser, Robert J L; Chua, Ai Ping; Chong, Mary Foong Fong; Miller, Michelle

2017-07-01

Malnutrition is associated with poor clinical outcomes among hospitalized patients. However, studies linking malnutrition with poor clinical outcomes in the intensive care unit (ICU) often have conflicting findings due in part to the inappropriate diagnosis of malnutrition. We primarily aimed to determine whether malnutrition diagnosed by validated nutrition assessment tools such as the Subjective Global Assessment (SGA) or Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA) is independently associated with poorer clinical outcomes in the ICU and if the use of nutrition screening tools demonstrate a similar association. PubMed, CINAHL, Scopus, and Cochrane Library were systematically searched for eligible studies. Search terms included were synonyms of malnutrition, nutritional status, screening, assessment, and intensive care unit. Eligible studies were case-control or cohort studies that recruited adults in the ICU; conducted the SGA, MNA, or used nutrition screening tools before or within 48 hours of ICU admission; and reported the prevalence of malnutrition and relevant clinical outcomes including mortality, length of stay (LOS), and incidence of infection (IOI). Twenty of 1168 studies were eligible. The prevalence of malnutrition ranged from 38% to 78%. Malnutrition diagnosed by nutrition assessments was independently associated with increased ICU LOS, ICU readmission, IOI, and the risk of hospital mortality. The SGA clearly had better predictive validity than the MNA. The association between malnutrition risk determined by nutrition screening was less consistent. Malnutrition is independently associated with poorer clinical outcomes in the ICU. Compared with nutrition assessment tools, the predictive validity of nutrition screening tools were less consistent.

Enhancing rehabilitation of mechanically ventilated patients in the intensive care unit: a quality improvement project.

PubMed

McWilliams, David; Weblin, Jonathan; Atkins, Gemma; Bion, Julian; Williams, Jenny; Elliott, Catherine; Whitehouse, Tony; Snelson, Catherine

2015-02-01

Prolonged periods of mechanical ventilation are associated with significant physical and psychosocial adverse effects. Despite increasing evidence supporting early rehabilitation strategies, uptake and delivery of such interventions in Europe have been variable. The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of an early and enhanced rehabilitation program for mechanically ventilated patients in a large tertiary referral, mixed-population intensive care unit (ICU). A new supportive rehabilitation team was created within the ICU in April 2012, with a focus on promoting early and enhanced rehabilitation for patients at high risk for prolonged ICU and hospital stays. Baseline data on all patients invasively ventilated for at least 5 days in the previous 12 months (n = 290) were compared with all patients ventilated for at least 5 days in the 12 months after the introduction of the rehabilitation team (n = 292). The main outcome measures were mobility level at ICU discharge (assessed via the Manchester Mobility Score), mean ICU, and post-ICU length of stay (LOS), ventilator days, and in-hospital mortality. The introduction of the ICU rehabilitation team was associated with a significant increase in mobility at ICU discharge, and this was associated with a significant reduction in ICU LOS (16.9 vs 14.4 days, P = .007), ventilator days (11.7 vs 9.3 days, P < .05), total hospital LOS (35.3 vs 30.1 days, P < .001), and in-hospital mortality (39% vs 28%, P < .05). A quality improvement strategy to promote early and enhanced rehabilitation within this European ICU improved levels of mobility at critical care discharge, and this was associated with reduced ICU and hospital LOS and reduced days of mechanical ventilation. Copyright © 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Intensive Care Physiotherapy during Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation for Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome.

PubMed

Munshi, Laveena; Kobayashi, Tadahiro; DeBacker, Julian; Doobay, Ravi; Telesnicki, Teagan; Lo, Vincent; Cote, Nathalie; Cypel, Marcelo; Keshavjee, Shaf; Ferguson, Niall D; Fan, Eddy

2017-02-01

There are limited data on physiotherapy during extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) for acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). We sought to characterize physiotherapy delivered to patients with ARDS supported with ECMO, as well as to evaluate the association of this therapeutic modality with mortality. We conducted a retrospective cohort study of all adult patients with ARDS supported with ECMO at our institution between 2010 and 2015. The highest level of daily activity while on ECMO was coded using the ICU Mobility Scale. Through multivariable logistic regression, we evaluated the association between intensive care unit (ICU) physiotherapy and ICU mortality. In an exploratory univariate analysis, we also evaluated factors associated with a higher intensity of ICU rehabilitation while on ECMO. Of 107 patients who underwent ECMO, 61 (57%) had ARDS requiring venovenous ECMO. The ICU physiotherapy team was consulted for 82% (n = 50) of patients. Thirty-nine percent (n = 18) of these patients achieved an activity level of 2 or higher (active exercises in bed), and 17% (n = 8) achieved an activity level 4 or higher (actively sitting over the side of the bed). In an exploratory analysis, consultation with the ICU physiotherapy team was associated with decreased ICU mortality (odds ratio, 0.19; 95% confidence interval, 0.04-0.98). In univariate analysis, severity-of-illness factors differentiated higher-intensity and lower-intensity physiotherapy. Physiotherapy during ECMO is feasible and safe when performed by an experienced team and executed in stages. Although our study suggests an association with improved ICU mortality, future research is needed to identify potential barriers, optimal timing, dosage, and safety profile.

[The prevalence of nosocomial infection in Intensive Care Units in the State of Rio Grande do Sul].

PubMed

Lisboa, Thiago; Faria, Mario; Hoher, Jorge A; Borges, Luis A A; Gómez, Jussara; Schifelbain, Luciele; Dias, Fernando S; Lisboa, João; Friedman, Gilberto

2007-12-01

To determine the prevalence of intensive care unit (ICU)-acquired infections and the risk factors for these infections, identify the predominant infecting organisms, and evaluate the relationship between ICU-acquired infection and mortality. A 1-day point prevalence study. Sixteen ICU of the State of Rio Grande do Sul-Brazil, excluding coronary care and pediatric units. All patients < 12 yrs occupying an ICU bed over a 24-hour period. The 16 ICU provided 174 case reports. rates of ICU-acquired infection, resistance patterns of microbiological isolates, and potential risks factors for ICU-acquired infection and death. A total of 122 patients (71%) was infected and 51 (29%) had ICU-acquired infection. Pneumonia (58.2%), lower tract respiratory infection (22.9%), urinary tract infection (18%) were the most frequents types of ICU infection. Most frequently microorganisms reported were staphylococcus aureus (42% [64% resistant to oxacilin]) and pseudomonas aeruginosa (31%). Six risk factors for ICU acquired infection were identified: urinary catheterization, central vascular line, tracheal intubation for prolonged time (> 4 days), chronic disease and increased length of ICU stay (> 30 days). The risks factors associated with death were age, APACHE II, organ dysfunction, and tracheal intubation with or without mechanical ventilation. ICU-acquired infection is common and often associated with microbiological isolates of resistant organisms. This study may serve as an epidemiological reference to help the discussion of regional infection control policies.

Admission to dedicated pediatric cardiac intensive care units is associated with decreased resource use in neonatal cardiac surgery.

PubMed

Johnson, Joyce T; Wilkes, Jacob F; Menon, Shaji C; Tani, Lloyd Y; Weng, Hsin-Yi; Marino, Bradley S; Pinto, Nelangi M

2018-06-01

Neonates undergoing congenital heart surgery require highly specialized, resource-intensive care. Location of care and degree of specialization can vary between and within institutions. Using a multi-institutional cohort, we sought to determine whether location of admission is associated with an increase in health care costs, resource use and mortality. We retrospectively analyzed admission for neonates (<30 days) undergoing congenital heart surgery between 2004 and 2013 by using the Pediatric Health Information Systems database (44 children's hospitals). Multivariate generalized estimating equations adjusted for center- and patient-specific risk factors and stratified by age at admission were performed to examine the association of admission intensive care unit (ICU) with total hospital costs, mortality, and length of stay. Of 19,984 neonates (60% male) identified, 39% were initially admitted to a cardiac ICU (CICU), 48% to a neonatal ICU (NICU), and 13% to a pediatric ICU. In adjusted models, admission to a CICU versus NICU was associated with a $20,440 reduction in total hospital cost for infants aged 2 to 7 days at admission (P = .007) and a $23,700 reduction in total cost for infants aged 8 to 14 days at admission (P = .01). Initial admission to a CICU or pediatric ICU versus NICU at <15 days of age was associated with shorter hospital and ICU length of stay and fewer days of mechanical ventilation. There was no difference in adjusted mortality by admission location. Admission to an ICU specializing in cardiac care is associated with significantly decreased hospital costs and more efficient resource use for neonates requiring cardiac surgery. Copyright © 2018 The American Association for Thoracic Surgery. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Selective digestive and oropharyngeal decontamination in medical and surgical ICU patients: individual patient data meta-analysis.

PubMed

Plantinga, N L; de Smet, A M G A; Oostdijk, E A N; de Jonge, E; Camus, C; Krueger, W A; Bergmans, D; Reitsma, J B; Bonten, M J M

2018-05-01

Selective digestive decontamination (SDD) and selective oropharyngeal decontamination (SOD) improved intensive care unit (ICU), hospital and 28-day survival in ICUs with low levels of antibiotic resistance. Yet it is unclear whether the effect differs between medical and surgical ICU patients. In an individual patient data meta-analysis, we systematically searched PubMed and included all randomized controlled studies published since 2000. We performed a two-stage meta-analysis with separate logistic regression models per study and per outcome (hospital survival and ICU survival) and subsequent pooling of main and interaction effects. Six studies, all performed in countries with low levels of antibiotic resistance, yielded 16 528 hospital admissions and 17 884 ICU admissions for complete case analysis. Compared to standard care or placebo, the pooled adjusted odds ratios for hospital mortality was 0.82 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.72-0.93) for SDD and 0.84 (95% CI 0.73-0.97) for SOD. Compared to SOD, the adjusted odds ratio for hospital mortality was 0.90 (95% CI 0.82-0.97) for SDD. The effects on hospital mortality were not modified by type of ICU admission (p values for interaction terms were 0.66 for SDD and control, 0.87 for SOD and control and 0.47 for SDD and SOD). Similar results were found for ICU mortality. In ICUs with low levels of antibiotic resistance, the effectiveness of SDD and SOD was not modified by type of ICU admission. SDD and SOD improved hospital and ICU survival compared to standard care in both patient populations, with SDD being more effective than SOD. Copyright © 2017 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Patient outcomes for the chronically critically ill: special care unit versus intensive care unit.

PubMed

Rudy, E B; Daly, B J; Douglas, S; Montenegro, H D; Song, R; Dyer, M A

1995-01-01

The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of a low-technology environment of care and a nurse case management case delivery system (special care unit, SCU) with the traditional high-technology environment (ICU) and primary nursing care delivery system on the patient outcomes of length of stay, mortality, readmission, complications, satisfaction, and cost. A sample of 220 chronically critically ill patients were randomly assigned to either the SCU (n = 145) or the ICU (n = 75). Few significant differences were found between the two groups in length of stay, mortality, or complications. However, the findings showed significant cost savings in the SCU group in the charges accrued during the study period and in the charges and costs to produce a survivor. The average total cost of delivering care was $5,000 less per patient in the SCU than in the traditional ICU. In addition, the cost to produce a survivor was $19,000 less in the SCU. Results from this 4-year clinical trial demonstrate that nurse case managers in a SCU setting can produce patient outcomes equal to or better than those in the traditional ICU care environment for long-term critically ill patients.

Lower Respiratory Tract Infection and Short-Term Outcome in Patients With Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome.

PubMed

Zampieri, Fernando G; Póvoa, Pedro; Salluh, Jorge I; Rodriguez, Alejandro; Valade, Sandrine; Andrade Gomes, José; Reignier, Jean; Molinos, Elena; Almirall, Jordi; Boussekey, Nicolas; Socias, Lorenzo; Ramirez, Paula; Viana, William N; Rouzé, Anahita; Nseir, Saad; Martin-Loeches, Ignacio

2018-01-01

To assess whether ventilator-associated lower respiratory tract infections (VA-LRTIs) are associated with mortality in critically ill patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Post hoc analysis of prospective cohort study including mechanically ventilated patients from a multicenter prospective observational study (TAVeM study); VA-LRTI was defined as either ventilator-associated tracheobronchitis (VAT) or ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) based on clinical criteria and microbiological confirmation. Association between intensive care unit (ICU) mortality in patients having ARDS with and without VA-LRTI was assessed through logistic regression controlling for relevant confounders. Association between VA-LRTI and duration of mechanical ventilation and ICU stay was assessed through competing risk analysis. Contribution of VA-LRTI to a mortality model over time was assessed through sequential random forest models. The cohort included 2960 patients of which 524 fulfilled criteria for ARDS; 21% had VA-LRTI (VAT = 10.3% and VAP = 10.7%). After controlling for illness severity and baseline health status, we could not find an association between VA-LRTI and ICU mortality (odds ratio: 1.07; 95% confidence interval: 0.62-1.83; P = .796); VA-LRTI was also not associated with prolonged ICU length of stay or duration of mechanical ventilation. The relative contribution of VA-LRTI to the random forest mortality model remained constant during time. The attributable VA-LRTI mortality for ARDS was higher than the attributable mortality for VA-LRTI alone. After controlling for relevant confounders, we could not find an association between occurrence of VA-LRTI and ICU mortality in patients with ARDS.

Validation of the Intensive Care Unit Early Warning Dashboard: Quality Improvement Utilizing a Retrospective Case-Control Evaluation.

PubMed

Kavanaugh, Michael J; So, Joanne D; Park, Peter J; Davis, Konrad L

2017-02-01

Risk stratification with the Modified Early Warning System (MEWS) or electronic cardiac arrest trigger (eCART) has been utilized with ward patients to preemptively identify high-risk patients who might benefit from enhanced monitoring, including early intensive care unit (ICU) transfer. In-hospital mortality from cardiac arrest is ∼80%, making preventative interventions an important focus area. ICUs have lower patient to nurse ratios than wards, resulting in less emphasis on the development of ICU early warning systems. Our institution developed an early warning dashboard (EWD) identifying patients who may benefit from earlier interventions. Using the adverse outcomes of cardiac arrest, ICU mortality, and ICU readmissions, a retrospective case-control study was performed using three demographic items (age, diabetes, and morbid obesity) and 24 EWD measured items, including vital signs, laboratory values, ventilator information, and other clinical information, to validate the EWD. Ten statistically significant areas were identified for cardiac arrest and 13 for ICU death. Identified items included heart rate, dialysis, leukocytosis, and lactate. The ICU readmission outcome was compared to controls from both ICU patients and ward patients, and statistical significance was identified for respiratory rate >30. With several statistically significant data elements, the EWD parameters have been incorporated into advanced clinical decision algorithms to identify at-risk ICU patients. Earlier identification and treatment of organ failure in the ICU improve outcomes and the EWD can serve as a safety measure for both at-risk in-house patients and also extend critical care expertise through telemedicine to smaller hospitals.

Critically ill allogenic HSCT patients in the intensive care unit: a systematic review and meta-analysis of prognostic factors of mortality.

PubMed

Saillard, Colombe; Darmon, Michael; Bisbal, Magali; Sannini, Antoine; Chow-Chine, Laurent; Faucher, Marion; Lengline, Etienne; Vey, Norbert; Blaise, Didier; Azoulay, Elie; Mokart, Djamel

2018-04-27

Outcome of patients undergoing allogenic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) has improved. To investigate if this improvement can be transposed to the ICU setting, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess short-term mortality of critically ill allo-HSCT patients admitted to the ICU and to identify prognostic factors of mortality. Public-domain electronic databases, including Medline via PubMed and the Cochrane Library were searched. All full-text articles written-English studies published from 2006 to 2016, including allo-HSCT adults transferred to the ICU were included. Eighteen studies were selected, including 2342 patients. Overall estimated ICU mortality was 51.7%. Prognostic factors associated with an increased ICU mortality were mechanical ventilation (OR = 12.2, 95% CI = 6.2-23.7), vasopressors (OR = 6.3, 95% CI = 3.6-11.1), renal replacement therapy (OR = 4.2, 95% CI = 2.8-6.2), ICU admission for acute respiratory failure (OR = 2.2, 95% CI = 1.1-4.4), acute kidney injury (OR = 2.2, 95% CI = 1.3-4), and acute graft-versus-host disease (OR = 1.6, 95% CI = 1.1-2.3). Factors associated with an increased ICU survival were a single-organ failure (OR = 0.2, 95% CI = 0.1-0.4), neurological failure (OR = 0.4, 95% CI = 0.2-0.8), and reduced-intensity conditioning regimens (OR = 0.7, 95% CI = 0.5-0.9). Septic shock, underlying malignancy, disease status, donor, and graft source did not impact prognosis. Outcome has improved, supporting the usefulness of ICU management. Organ failures at ICU admission, organ support requirement, and GVHD are the main prognostic factors.

Study of Obstetric Admissions to the Intensive Care Unit of a Tertiary Care Hospital.

PubMed

Rathod, Ashakiran T; Malini, K V

2016-10-01

To analyze obstetric admissions to intensive care unit and to identify the risk factors responsible for intensive care admission. This is a retrospective study of all obstetric cases admitted to the intensive care unit over a period of 3 years. Data were collected from case records. The risk factors responsible for ICU admission were analyzed. There were 765 obstetric admissions to ICU accounting for 1.24 % of all deliveries. 56.20 % were in the age group of 20-25 years. 38.43 % were in their first pregnancy. 36.48 % of cases were at 37-40 weeks of gestation. Postpartum admissions were 80.91 %. Major conditions responsible were obstetric hemorrhage in 44.05 %, hypertensive disorders of pregnancy in 28.88 %, severe anemia in 14.37 %, heart disease in 12.15 %, and sepsis in 7.97 % of ICU cases. 40.39 % cases required high dependency care. Maternal mortality was seen in 15.55 % of ICU cases. Commonest cause of mortality was hemorrhagic shock (26.89 %) and multiorgan dysfunction syndrome (26.05 %). Commonest risk factors for ICU admissions are obstetric hemorrhage and hypertensive disorders of pregnancy. Other major risk factors are severe anemia, heart disease, sepsis, more than one diagnosis on admission, and the need for cesarean delivery.

The relationship between nurse staffing and failure to rescue: where does it matter most?

PubMed

Talsma, AkkeNeel; Jones, Katherine; Guo, Ying; Wilson, Deleise; Campbell, Darrell A

2014-09-01

This study further expands on the relationship between nurse staffing levels and patient outcomes, in particular, failure to rescue. Many studies are based on single-site hospitals or single-year data, thus limiting the generalizations of the findings. The purpose was to evaluate in a multisite multiyear study the relationship between unit-level nurse staffing and FTR mortality, for ICU and non-ICU patients. Using administrative and actual unit level nurse staffing data, we used AHRQ 2003 Patient Safety Indicator (2003) software and matched those with the patient's discharge month. Fixed effects multilevel logistic analyses were used to take into account the hierarchical structure of the database and patient clustering within units. We controlled for patient demographics, clinical conditions, and CCS categories. The majority (94%) of cases were discharged from general care units, ICUs reported higher nurse staffing levels based on patient complexity. Expired cases were 3 years older, male, and nonwhite. For general care discharges, the relationship between RN level HPPD approached significance (P = 0.07), suggesting increased odds of higher FTR mortality with higher staffing levels. We did not observe any of the expected associations between the nurse staffing variables and FTR for either general care unit or ICU discharges. The comprehensive risk adjustments provided adequate "leveling of the playing field" to evaluate the impact of unit-based nurse staffing levels on FTR mortality. Future studies should evaluate the influence of unit environment and patient risk.

The Aristotle Comprehensive Complexity score predicts mortality and morbidity after congenital heart surgery.

PubMed

Bojan, Mirela; Gerelli, Sébastien; Gioanni, Simone; Pouard, Philippe; Vouhé, Pascal

2011-04-01

The Aristotle Comprehensive Complexity (ACC) score has been proposed for complexity adjustment in the analysis of outcome after congenital heart surgery. The score is the sum of the Aristotle Basic Complexity score, largely used but poorly related to mortality and morbidity, and of the Comprehensive Complexity items accounting for comorbidities and procedure-specific and anatomic variability. This study aims to demonstrate the ability of the ACC score to predict 30-day mortality and morbidity assessed by the length of the intensive care unit (ICU) stay. We retrospectively enrolled patients undergoing congenital heart surgery in our institution. We modeled the ACC score as a continuous variable, mortality as a binary variable, and length of ICU stay as a censored variable. For each mortality and morbidity model we performed internal validation by bootstrapping and assessed overall performance by R(2), calibration by the calibration slope, and discrimination by the c index. Among all 1,454 patients enrolled, 30-day mortality rate was 3.4% and median length of ICU stay was 3 days. The ACC score strongly related to mortality, but related to length of ICU stay only during the first postoperative week. For the mortality model, R(2) = 0.24, calibration slope = 0.98, c index = 0.86, and 95% confidence interval was 0.82 to 0.91. For the morbidity model, R(2) = 0.094, calibration slope = 0.94, c index = 0.64, and 95% confidence interval was 0.62 to 0.66. The ACC score predicts 30-day mortality and length of ICU stay during the first postoperative week. The score is an adequate tool for complexity adjustment in the analysis of outcome after congenital heart surgery. Copyright © 2011 The Society of Thoracic Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Clinical review: Airway hygiene in the intensive care unit

PubMed Central

Jelic, Sanja; Cunningham, Jennifer A; Factor, Phillip

2008-01-01

Maintenance of airway secretion clearance, or airway hygiene, is important for the preservation of airway patency and the prevention of respiratory tract infection. Impaired airway clearance often prompts admission to the intensive care unit (ICU) and can be a cause and/or contributor to acute respiratory failure. Physical methods to augment airway clearance are often used in the ICU but few are substantiated by clinical data. This review focuses on the impact of oral hygiene, tracheal suctioning, bronchoscopy, mucus-controlling agents, and kinetic therapy on the incidence of hospital-acquired respiratory infections, length of stay in the hospital and the ICU, and mortality in critically ill patients. Available data are distilled into recommendations for the maintenance of airway hygiene in ICU patients. PMID:18423061

Case mix, outcome and activity for patients admitted to intensive care units requiring chronic renal dialysis: a secondary analysis of the ICNARC Case Mix Programme Database

PubMed Central

Hutchison, Colin A; Crowe, Alex V; Stevens, Paul E; Harrison, David A; Lipkin, Graham W

2007-01-01

Introduction This report describes the case mix, outcome and activity for admissions to intensive care units (ICUs) of patients who require prior chronic renal dialysis for end-stage renal failure (ESRF), and investigates the effect of case mix factors on outcome. Methods This was a secondary analysis of a high-quality clinical database, namely the Intensive Care National Audit & Research Centre (ICNARC) Case Mix Programme Database, which includes 276,731 admissions to 170 adult ICUs across England, Wales and Northern Ireland from 1995 to 2004. Results During the eight year study period, 1.3% (n = 3,420) of all patients admitted to ICU were receiving chronic renal dialysis before ICU admission. This represents an estimated ICU utilization of six admissions (32 bed-days) per 100 dialysis patient-years. The ESRF group was younger (mean age 57.3 years versus 59.5 years) and more likely to be male (60.2% versus 57.9%) than those without ESRF. Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II score and Acute Physiology Score revealed greater severity of illness on admission in patients with ESRF (mean 24.7 versus 16.6 and 17.2 versus 12.6, respectively). Length of stay in ICU was comparable between groups (median 1.9 days versus 1.8 days) and ICU mortality was only slightly elevated in the ESRF group (26.3% versus 20.8%). However, the ESRF group had protracted overall hospital stay (median 25 days versus 17 days), and increased hospital mortality (45.3% versus 31.2%) and ICU readmission (9.0% vs. 4.7%). Multiple logistic regression analysis adjusted for case mix identified the increased hospital mortality to be associated with increasing age, emergency surgery and nonsurgical cases, cardiopulmonary resuscitation before ICU admission and extremes of physiological norms. The adjusted odds ratio for ultimate hospital mortality associated with chronic renal dialysis was 1.24 (95% confidence interval 1.13 to 1.37). Conclusion Patients with ESRF admitted to UK ICUs are more likely to be male and younger, with a medical cause of admission, and to have greater severity of illness than the non-ESRF population. Outcomes on the ICU were comparable between the two groups, but those patients with ESRF had greater readmission rates, prolonged post-ICU hospital stay and increased post-ICU hospital mortality. This study is by far the largest comparative outcome analysis to date in patients with ESRF admitted to the ICU. It may help to inform clinical decision-making and resource requirements for this patient population. PMID:17451605

Acute kidney injury burden in different clinical units: Data from nationwide survey in China

PubMed Central

Yu, Shengqiang; Yang, Li; Mei, Changlin

2017-01-01

Background The inpatient morbidity and mortality of acute kidney injury (AKI) vary considerably in different clinical units, yet studies to compare the difference remain limited. Methods We compared the clinical characteristics of AKI in Intensive Care Unit (ICU), medical and surgical departments by using the data derived from the 2013 nationwide cross-sectional survey of AKI in China to capture variations among different clinical departments in recognition, management, and outcomes of AKI. Suspected AKI patients were identified based on changes in serum creatinine during hospitalization, and confirmed by reviewing medical records. Results The detection rate of AKI was the highest in ICU (22.46%), followed by the rates in medical (1.96%) and surgical departments (0.96%). However, the absolute number of cases was the largest in medical departments, which contributed to 50% of the cases. In medical departments, 78% of AKI cases were extensively distributed in cardiac, nephrology, oncology, gastroenterology, pneumology and neurology departments. In contrast, 87% of AKI cases in surgical departments were mainly from urology, general surgery and cardiothoracic departments. The in-time recognition rates were extremely low in all departments except nephrology. Only 10.5~15.0% AKI patients from non-nephrology departments received renal referral. Among all the death cases, 50% and 39% came from ICU and medical departments while only 11% from surgical departments. Older age, higher AKI stage and renal replacement therapy indication were identified as risk factors for high mortality in all departments. Delayed recognition and no renal referral were significantly associated with increased mortality in medical and ICU patients. Conclusions These findings suggest that ICU and medical departments are major affected departments in China with a large number of AKI cases and subsequent high mortality. The reality is more alarming considering the low awareness of AKI and the paucity of effective interventions in the high-risk patients in these departments. PMID:28152018

Customization of a Severity of Illness Score Using Local Electronic Medical Record Data.

PubMed

Lee, Joon; Maslove, David M

2017-01-01

Severity of illness (SOI) scores are traditionally based on archival data collected from a wide range of clinical settings. Mortality prediction using SOI scores tends to underperform when applied to contemporary cases or those that differ from the case-mix of the original derivation cohorts. We investigated the use of local clinical data captured from hospital electronic medical records (EMRs) to improve the predictive performance of traditional severity of illness scoring. We conducted a retrospective analysis using data from the Multiparameter Intelligent Monitoring in Intensive Care II (MIMIC-II) database, which contains clinical data from the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, Massachusetts. A total of 17 490 intensive care unit (ICU) admissions with complete data were included, from 4 different service types: medical ICU, surgical ICU, coronary care unit, and cardiac surgery recovery unit. We developed customized SOI scores trained on data from each service type, using the clinical variables employed in the Simplified Acute Physiology Score (SAPS). In-hospital, 30-day, and 2-year mortality predictions were compared with those obtained from using the original SAPS using the area under the receiver-operating characteristics curve (AUROC) as well as the area under the precision-recall curve (AUPRC). Test performance in different cohorts stratified by severity of organ injury was also evaluated. Most customized scores (30 of 39) significantly outperformed SAPS with respect to both AUROC and AUPRC. Enhancements over SAPS were greatest for patients undergoing cardiovascular surgery and for prediction of 2-year mortality. Custom models based on ICU-specific data provided better mortality prediction than traditional SAPS scoring using the same predictor variables. Our local data approach demonstrates the value of electronic data capture in the ICU, of secondary uses of EMR data, and of local customization of SOI scoring. © The Author(s) 2015.

Characteristics and outcomes of patients reviewed by intensive care unit liaison nurses in Australia: a prospective multicentre study.

PubMed

Green, Anna; Jones, Daryl; McIntyre, Tammie; Taylor, Carmel; Chaboyer, Wendy; Bailey, Michael

2015-12-01

Intensive care unit liaison nurse (ICU LN) services are one strategy to manage deteriorating hospital patients. Studies on the characteristics and outcomes of patients reviewed by ICU LNs have been from single centres and surveys. To conduct a 20-hospital, prospective observational study on the characteristics and outcomes of patients reviewed by Australian ICU LNs over 2 months. All patients screened by ICU LNs over the study period were included. Details included the source of initial review, patient demographics and initial physiological parameters, case load, interventions and patient outcome. Only two hospitals provided a 24-hour, 7-day service, and in 14 hospitals, an ICU LN participated in the rapid response team (RRT). There were 3799 patients screened (54.6% men, mean age 62.9 years [SD, 19.4 years]), of whom 1330 (35%) had no interventions (were screened only). The remaining 2469 patients received interventions; 978 (39.6%) were reviewed once, and 1491 (60.4%) were reviewed multiple times. The three commonest reasons for screening patients were after ICU discharge (1734 [45.6%]), as part of the RRT review (914 [24.1%]), or for a ward patient review meeting with a "worried" criterion (412 [10.8%]). Patients who did not receive interventions were younger, more likely to be surgical patients, less likely to have dementia, less likely to be seen during an RRT review, had more favourable vital signs and were less likely to be discharged to a nursing home or die in hospital. The commonest interventions included ordering a diagnostic test, administration of medication, initiating an interprofessional referral and increasing limitations of therapy. The inhospital mortality was 10.2% overall, and 4.6% in patients who were screened but did not receive any interventions. Several predictors of inhospital mortality were identified. Most ICU LN reviews occur after ICU discharge or in association with an RRT review. The inhospital mortality of ICU LN-reviewed patients is high (about 10%). ICU LNs effectively screen patients and often participate in end-of-life care planning.

New Atlanta Classification of acute pancreatitis in intensive care unit: Complications and prognosis.

PubMed

Pintado, María-Consuelo; Trascasa, María; Arenillas, Cristina; de Zárate, Yaiza Ortiz; Pardo, Ana; Blandino Ortiz, Aaron; de Pablo, Raúl

2016-05-01

The updated Atlanta Classification of acute pancreatitis (AP) in adults defined three levels of severity according to the presence of local and/or systemic complications and presence and length of organ failure. No study focused on complications and mortality of patients with moderately severe AP admitted to intensive care unit (ICU). The main aim of this study is to describe the complications developed and outcomes of these patients and compare them to those with severe AP. Prospective, observational study. We included patients with acute moderately severe or severe AP admitted in a medical-surgical ICU during 5years. We collected demographic data, admission criteria, pancreatitis etiology, severity of illness, presence of organ failure, local and systemic complications, ICU length of stay, and mortality. Fifty-six patients were included: 12 with moderately severe AP and 44 with severe. All patients developed some kind of complications without differences on complications rate between moderately severe or severe AP. All the patients present non-infectious systemic complications, mainly acute respiratory failure and hemodynamic failure. 82.1% had an infectious complication, mainly non-pancreatic infection (66.7% on moderately severe AP vs. 79.5% on severe, p=0.0443). None of the patients with moderately severe AP died during their intensive care unit stay vs. 29.5% with severe AP (p=0.049). Moderately severe AP has a high rate of complications with similar rates to patients with severe AP admitted to ICU. However, their ICU mortality remains very low, which supports the existence of this new group of pancreatitis according to their severity. Copyright © 2016 European Federation of Internal Medicine. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Clinical relevance of herpes simplex virus viremia in Intensive Care Unit patients.

PubMed

Lepiller, Q; Sueur, C; Solis, M; Barth, H; Glady, L; Lefebvre, F; Fafi-Kremer, S; Schneider, F; Stoll-Keller, F

2015-07-01

To determine the clinical relevance of herpes simplex virus (HSV) viremia episodes in critically ill adult patients. 1556 blood samples obtained for HSV PCR analysis in Intensive Care Unit (ICU) patients over 4 years were retrospectively analyzed, focusing on the comprehensive analysis of 88 HSV-viremic patients. HSV DNA was detected in 11.8% of samples from the ICU. HSV viral loads remained below 5×10(2) copies/ml in 68.2% of patients and exceeded 10(4) copies/ml in 7.9%. Episodes of HSV-viremia correlated with immunosuppressed status and mechanical ventilation in 79.5% and 65.9% of patients, respectively. Only a subset of patients exhibited HSV-related organ damage, including pneumonia and hepatitis (10.2% and 2.3%, respectively). The mortality rate in HSV-viremic patients was not significantly increased compared to the overall mortality rate in the ICU (27.3% vs. 22.9%, p = 0.33). Only patients with high HSV viral loads tended to have a higher, though non-significant, death rate (57.1%, p = 0.14). Our results suggest HSV viremia is common in ICU patients, potentially favored by immunocompromised status and mechanical ventilation. The global impact of HSV-viremia on mortality in the ICU was low. Quantifying HSV DNA may help identifying patients at-risk of severe HSV-induced symptoms. Copyright © 2015 The British Infection Association. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Incidence of bacteremia at the time of ICU admission and its impact on outcome.

PubMed

Nasa, Prashant; Juneja, Deven; Singh, Omender; Dang, Rohit; Arora, Vikas; Saxena, Sanjay

2011-11-01

Blood culture is routinely taken at the time of admission to the intensive care unit (ICU) for patients suspected to have infection. We undertook this study to determine the incidence of bacteremia at the time of ICU admission and to assess its impact on the outcome. Retrospective cohort study from all the admissions in ICU, in whom blood cultures sent at the time of admission were analyzed. Data regarding patient demographics, probable source of infection, previous antibiotic use and ICU course was recorded. Severity of illness on admission was assessed by acute physiology and chronic health evaluation II score. Qualitative data were analyzed using Chi-square or Fisher Exact test and quantitative data were analyzed using Student's t-test. Primary outcome measure was ICU mortality. Of 567 patients, 42% patients were on antibiotics. Sixty-four percent of the patients were direct ICU admission from casualty, 10.76% were from wards and 6.17% from other ICUs, and 19.05% were transfers from other hospitals. Blood cultures were positive in 10.6% patients. Mortality was significantly higher in patients with positive blood cultures (45% vs. 13.6%; P=0.000). On univariate analysis, only previous antibiotic use was statistically associated with higher mortality (P=0.011). Bacteremic patients who were already on antibiotics had a significantly higher mortality (OR 12.9, 95% CI: 1.6-100). Blood cultures may be positive in only minority of the patients with suspected infection admitted to ICU. Nevertheless, the prognosis of those patients with positive blood culture is worse, especially if culture is positive in spite of the patient being on antibiotics.

Incidence of bacteremia at the time of ICU admission and its impact on outcome

PubMed Central

Nasa, Prashant; Juneja, Deven; Singh, Omender; Dang, Rohit; Arora, Vikas; Saxena, Sanjay

2011-01-01

Context: Blood culture is routinely taken at the time of admission to the intensive care unit (ICU) for patients suspected to have infection. We undertook this study to determine the incidence of bacteremia at the time of ICU admission and to assess its impact on the outcome. Methods: Retrospective cohort study from all the admissions in ICU, in whom blood cultures sent at the time of admission were analyzed. Data regarding patient demographics, probable source of infection, previous antibiotic use and ICU course was recorded. Severity of illness on admission was assessed by acute physiology and chronic health evaluation II score. Statistical Analysis: Qualitative data were analyzed using Chi-square or Fisher Exact test and quantitative data were analyzed using Student's t-test. Primary outcome measure was ICU mortality. Results: Of 567 patients, 42% patients were on antibiotics. Sixty-four percent of the patients were direct ICU admission from casualty, 10.76% were from wards and 6.17% from other ICUs, and 19.05% were transfers from other hospitals. Blood cultures were positive in 10.6% patients. Mortality was significantly higher in patients with positive blood cultures (45% vs. 13.6%; P=0.000). On univariate analysis, only previous antibiotic use was statistically associated with higher mortality (P=0.011). Bacteremic patients who were already on antibiotics had a significantly higher mortality (OR 12.9, 95% CI: 1.6–100). Conclusions: Blood cultures may be positive in only minority of the patients with suspected infection admitted to ICU. Nevertheless, the prognosis of those patients with positive blood culture is worse, especially if culture is positive in spite of the patient being on antibiotics. PMID:22223904

Clinical Features of Kidney Transplant Recipients Admitted to the Intensive Care Unit.

PubMed

Freitas, Flávio Geraldo Rezende; Lombardi, Fábio; Pacheco, Eduardo Souza; Sandes-Freitas, Tainá Veras de; Viana, Laila Almeida; Junior, Hélio Tedesco-Silva; Medina-Pestana, José Osmar; Bafi, Antônio Tonete; Machado, Flavia Ribeiro

2018-03-01

There is a paucity of data regarding the complications in kidney transplant patients who may require intensive care unit (ICU) management, despite being the most common solid organ transplant worldwide. To identify the main reasons for ICU admission and to determine the factors associated with hospital mortality in kidney transplant recipients. This single-center retrospective cohort study was conducted between September 2013 and June 2014, including all consecutive kidney transplant patients requiring ICU admission. We collected data on patient demographics, transplant characteristics, clinical data, and prognostic scores. The independent determinants of hospital mortality were identified by multiple logistic regression analysis. We also assessed the performance of Simplified Acute Physiology Score 3 (SAPS 3) and Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II (APACHE II) scores. We analyzed data from 413 patients, the majority of whom were admitted late after renal transplantation (1169 days; 63-3003 days). The main reason for admission was sepsis (33.2%), followed by cardiovascular disease (16%). Age (odds ratio [OR] 1.05, confidence interval [CI], 1.01-1.09), SAPS 3 score (OR 1.04, CI, 1.01-1.08), the need for mechanical ventilation (OR 26.47, CI, 10.30-68.08), and vasopressor use (OR 3.34, CI, 1.37-8.13) were independently associated with hospital mortality. The performance of SAPS 3 and APACHE II scores was poor in this population and overestimated the mortality rates. Sepsis was the main reason for ICU admission in kidney transplant recipients, followed by cardiovascular disease. Age and disease severity were associated with hospital mortality.

Impact of active screening for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and decolonization on MRSA infections, mortality and medical cost: a quasi-experimental study in surgical intensive care unit.

PubMed

Lee, Yuarn-Jang; Chen, Jen-Zon; Lin, Hsiu-Chen; Liu, Hsin-Yi; Lin, Shyr-Yi; Lin, Hsien-Ho; Fang, Chi-Tai; Hsueh, Po-Ren

2015-04-08

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a leading pathogen of healthcare-associated infections in intensive care units (ICUs). Prior studies have shown that decolonization of MRSA carriers is an effective method to reduce MRSA infections in ICU patients. However, there is currently a lack of data on its effect on mortality and medical cost. Using a quasi-experimental, interrupted time-series design with re-introduction of intervention, we evaluated the impact of active screening and decolonization on MRSA infections, mortality and medical costs in the surgical ICU of a university hospital in Taiwan. Regression models were used to adjust for effects of confounding variables. MRSA infection rate decreased from 3.58 (baseline) to 0.42‰ (intervention period) (P <0.05), re-surged to 2.21‰ (interruption period) and decreased to 0.18‰ (re-introduction of intervention period) (P <0.05). Patients admitted to the surgical ICU during the intervention periods had a lower in-hospital mortality (13.5% (155 out of 1,147) versus 16.6% (203 out of 1,226), P = 0.038). After adjusting for effects of confounding variables, the active screening and decolonization program was independently associated with a decrease in in-hospital MRSA infections (adjusted odds ratio: 0.3; 95% CI: 0.1 to 0.8) and 90-day mortality (adjusted hazard ratio: 0.8; 95% CI: 0.7 to 0.99). Cost analysis showed that $22 medical costs can be saved for every $1 spent on the intervention. Active screening for MRSA and decolonization in ICU settings is associated with a decrease in MRSA infections, mortality and medical cost.

Simplified Acute Physiology Score II as Predictor of Mortality in Intensive Care Units: A Decision Curve Analysis.

PubMed

Allyn, Jérôme; Ferdynus, Cyril; Bohrer, Michel; Dalban, Cécile; Valance, Dorothée; Allou, Nicolas

2016-01-01

End-of-life decision-making in Intensive care Units (ICUs) is difficult. The main problems encountered are the lack of a reliable prediction score for death and the fact that the opinion of patients is rarely taken into consideration. The Decision Curve Analysis (DCA) is a recent method developed to evaluate the prediction models and which takes into account the wishes of patients (or surrogates) to expose themselves to the risk of obtaining a false result. Our objective was to evaluate the clinical usefulness, with DCA, of the Simplified Acute Physiology Score II (SAPS II) to predict ICU mortality. We conducted a retrospective cohort study from January 2011 to September 2015, in a medical-surgical 23-bed ICU at University Hospital. Performances of the SAPS II, a modified SAPS II (without AGE), and age to predict ICU mortality, were measured by a Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) analysis and DCA. Among the 4.370 patients admitted, 23.3% died in the ICU. Mean (standard deviation) age was 56.8 (16.7) years, and median (first-third quartile) SAPS II was 48 (34-65). Areas under ROC curves were 0.828 (0.813-0.843) for SAPS II, 0.814 (0.798-0.829) for modified SAPS II and of 0.627 (0.608-0.646) for age. DCA showed a net benefit whatever the probability threshold, especially under 0.5. DCA shows the benefits of the SAPS II to predict ICU mortality, especially when the probability threshold is low. Complementary studies are needed to define the exact role that the SAPS II can play in end-of-life decision-making in ICUs.

Simplified Acute Physiology Score II as Predictor of Mortality in Intensive Care Units: A Decision Curve Analysis

PubMed Central

Allyn, Jérôme; Ferdynus, Cyril; Bohrer, Michel; Dalban, Cécile; Valance, Dorothée; Allou, Nicolas

2016-01-01

Background End-of-life decision-making in Intensive care Units (ICUs) is difficult. The main problems encountered are the lack of a reliable prediction score for death and the fact that the opinion of patients is rarely taken into consideration. The Decision Curve Analysis (DCA) is a recent method developed to evaluate the prediction models and which takes into account the wishes of patients (or surrogates) to expose themselves to the risk of obtaining a false result. Our objective was to evaluate the clinical usefulness, with DCA, of the Simplified Acute Physiology Score II (SAPS II) to predict ICU mortality. Methods We conducted a retrospective cohort study from January 2011 to September 2015, in a medical-surgical 23-bed ICU at University Hospital. Performances of the SAPS II, a modified SAPS II (without AGE), and age to predict ICU mortality, were measured by a Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) analysis and DCA. Results Among the 4.370 patients admitted, 23.3% died in the ICU. Mean (standard deviation) age was 56.8 (16.7) years, and median (first-third quartile) SAPS II was 48 (34–65). Areas under ROC curves were 0.828 (0.813–0.843) for SAPS II, 0.814 (0.798–0.829) for modified SAPS II and of 0.627 (0.608–0.646) for age. DCA showed a net benefit whatever the probability threshold, especially under 0.5. Conclusion DCA shows the benefits of the SAPS II to predict ICU mortality, especially when the probability threshold is low. Complementary studies are needed to define the exact role that the SAPS II can play in end-of-life decision-making in ICUs. PMID:27741304

Duration of platelet storage and outcomes of critically ill patients.

PubMed

Flint, Andrew; Aubron, Cécile; Bailey, Michael; Bellomo, Rinaldo; Pilcher, David; Cheng, Allen C; Hegarty, Colin; Reade, Michael C; McQuilten, Zoe

2017-03-01

The storage duration of platelet (PLT) units is limited to 5 to 7 days. This study investigates whether PLT storage duration is associated with patient outcomes in critically ill patients. This study was a retrospective analysis of critically ill patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) of two hospitals in Australia who received one or more PLT transfusions from 2008 to 2014. Storage duration was approached in several different ways. Outcome variables were hospital mortality and ICU-acquired infection. Associations between PLT storage duration and outcomes were evaluated using multiple logistic regression and also by Cox regression. Among 2250 patients who received one or more PLT transfusions while in the ICU, the storage duration of PLTs was available for 64% of patients (1430). In-hospital mortality was 22.1% and ICU infection rate 7.2%. When comparing patients who received PLTs of a maximum storage duration of not more than 3, 4, or 5 days, there were no significant differences in baseline characteristics. After confounders were adjusted for, the storage duration of PLTs was not independently associated with mortality (4 days vs. ≤3 days, odds ratio [OR] 0.88, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.59-1.30; 5 days vs. ≤3 days, OR 0.97, 95% CI 0.68-1.37) or infection (4 days vs. ≤3 days, OR 0.71, 95% CI 0.39-1.29; 5 days vs. ≤3 days, OR 1.11, 95% CI 0.67-1.83). Similar results were obtained regardless of how storage duration of PLTs was approached. In this large observational study in a heterogeneous ICU population, storage duration of PLTs was not associated with an increased risk of mortality or infection. © 2017 AABB.

[Pneumocystis jiroveci pneumonia: Clinical characteristics and mortality risk factors in an Intensive Care Unit].

PubMed

Solano L, M F; Alvarez Lerma, F; Grau, S; Segura, C; Aguilar, A

2015-01-01

To describe the epidemiological characteristics of the population with Pneumocystis jiroveci (P. jiroveci) pneumonia, analyzing risk factors associated with the disease, predisposing factors for admission to an intensive care unit (ICU), and prognostic factors of mortality. A retrospective observational study was carried out, involving a cohort of patients consecutively admitted to a hospital in Spain from 1 January 2007 to 31 December 2011, with a final diagnosis of P. jiroveci pneumonia. The ICU and hospitalization service of Hospital del Mar, Barcelona (Spain). We included 36 patients with pneumonia due to P. jiroveci. Of these subjects, 16 required ICU admission (44.4%). The average age of the patients was 41.3 ± 12 years, and 23 were men (63.9%). A total of 86.1% had a history of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, and the remaining 13.9% presented immune-based disease subjected to immunosuppressive therapy. Risk factors associated to hospital mortality were age (51.8 vs. 37.3 years, P=.002), a higher APACHE score upon admission (17 vs. 13 points, P=.009), the need for invasive mechanical ventilation (27.8% vs. 11.1%, P=.000), requirement of vasoactive drugs (25.0% vs. 11.1%, P=.000), fungal coinfection (22.2% vs. 11.1%, P=.001), pneumothorax (16.7% vs. 83.3%, P=.000) and admission to the ICU (27.8% vs. 72.2% P=.000). The high requirement of mechanical ventilation and vasoactive drugs associated with fungal coinfection and pneumothorax in patients admitted to the ICU remain as risk factors associated with mortality in patients with P. jiroveci pneumonia. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier España, S.L.U. y SEMICYUC. All rights reserved.

Red cell distribution width is associated with hospital mortality in unselected critically ill patients

PubMed Central

Xu, Xiao; Ni, Hongying; Deng, Hongsheng

2013-01-01

Background and objectives Red cell distribution width (RDW) is a variability of red cell sizes and has been associated with outcomes in many clinical settings. Its prognostic value in intensive care unit (ICU) has been reported but requires confirmation. The study aimed to investigate the role of RDW in predicting hospital mortality in critically ill patients. Methods This is a retrospective study conducted in a 24-bed ICU of a tertiary teaching hospital. Data on demographic characteristics and laboratory measurements were collected from medical information database. Baseline variables were compared between survivors and nonsurvivors. The primary endpoint was hospital mortality; and ICU length of stays (LOS) were compared between patients with RDW >14.8% and ≤14.8%. The predictive value of RDW was also measured using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. Two-sided P<0.05 was considered to be statistically significant. Results A total of 1,539 patients were enrolled during study period, including 1,084 survivors and 455 nonsurvivors. In univariate analysis, variables such as age, sex, primary diagnosis, C-reactive protein (CRP), RDW and albumin were significantly associated with hospital mortality. RDW remained significantly associated with mortality after adjustment for sex, age, Charlson index albumin and CRP, with an odds ratio of 1.1 (95% CI: 1.03-1.16). Diagnostic performance of RDW in predicting mortality appeared to be suboptimal (AU-ROC: 0.62). Changes in RDW during a short follow up period were not associated with mortality. Conclusions RDW measured on ICU entry is associated with hospital mortality. Patients with higher RDW will have longer LOS in ICU. Repeated measurements of RDW provide no additional prognostic value in critically ill patients. PMID:24409348

Impact of noninvasive ventilation (NIV) trial for various types of acute respiratory failure in the emergency department; decreased mortality and use of the ICU.

PubMed

Tomii, Keisuke; Seo, Ryutaro; Tachikawa, Ryo; Harada, Yuka; Murase, Kimihiko; Kaji, Reiko; Takeshima, Yoshimi; Hayashi, Michio; Nishimura, Takashi; Ishihara, Kyosuke

2009-01-01

Trial of noninvasive ventilation (NIV) in the emergency department (ED) for heterogeneous acute respiratory failure (ARF) has been optional and its clinical benefit unclear. We conducted a retrospective cohort study comparing between two periods, October 2001-September 2003 and October 2004-September 2006, i.e., before and after adopting an NIV-trial strategy in which NIV was applied in the ED to any noncontraindicated ARF patients needing ventilatory support and was then continued in the intermediate-care-unit. During these two periods, we retrieved cases of ARF treated either invasively or with NIV, and compared the patients' in-hospital mortalities and the length of ICU and intermediate-care-unit stay. Compared were 73 (invasive 56, NIV 17) and 125 cases (invasive 31, NIV 94) retrieved from 271 and 415 emergent admissions with proper pulmonary etiologies for mechanical ventilation, respectively. Of their respiratory failures, type (hypercapnic/non-hypercapnic, 0.97 vs. 0.98) and severity (pH 7.23 vs. 7.21 for hypercapnic; PaO(2)/FiO(2) 133 vs. 137 for non-hypercapnic) were similar, and the rate of predisposing etiologies was not significantly different. However, excluding those with recurrent aspiration pneumonia for whom NIV was mostly used as "ceiling" treatment, significant reductions in both overall in-hospital mortality (38%-19%, risk ratio 0.51, 95% CI 0.31-0.84), and median length of ICU and intermediate-care-unit stay (12 vs. 5 days, P<0.0001) were found. NIV-trial in the ED for all possible patients with ARF of pulmonary etiologies, excluding those with recurrent aspiration pneumonia, may reduce overall in-hospital mortality and ICU stays.

[Field 2. Epidemiology (medical errors and patient adverse events). French-speaking Society of Intensive Care. French Society of Anesthesia and Resuscitation].

PubMed

Soufir, L; Auroy, Y

2008-10-01

Iatrogenic pathology is currently a serious problem. Intensive care units (ICU) are wards with a high risk of occurrence of adverse events (AE) related to the care and medical errors. The incidence of AE in ICU varies from 3 to 31% according to the publications. These variations are mainly due to the methodology of data collection. The latter is essential. The indicators must be standardized (consensual definitions), and easily collected. The method of collection must be ideally prospective, nonpunitive, confidential, independent within a compliant team, and realized with the participation of various actors not only of the unit but also external (biologists, pharmacists). The risk factors of AE in ICU are known: old age and high severity scores at admission, with medical and nurse workload more important. AE are associated with an increased patients' morbidity in ICU with no evident causality. The over cost related to AE in ICU was quantified to 3961 dollars in the United States. The mortality of patients with an AE is higher but no study showed to date that AE constituted an independent risk factor of mortality in ICU. Some AE are preventable (from 28 to 84% according to studies). Therefore, the implementation of procedures of security (PS) is capital. Many methods often easy to implement exist such as in care, structural and managerial procedures. The development of a safety culture in hospitals and other delivery care settings is essential. It is the first essential step in a better comprehension of the health care professionals and the public opinion.

Epidemiology and clinical analysis of critical patients with child maltreatment admitted to the intensive care units.

PubMed

Lee, En-Pei; Hsia, Shao-Hsuan; Huang, Jing-Long; Lin, Jainn-Jim; Chan, Oi-Wa; Lin, Chia-Ying; Lin, Kuang-Lin; Chang, Yu-Ching; Chou, I-Jun; Lo, Fu-Song; Lee, Jung; Hsin, Yi-Chen; Chan, Pei-Chun; Hu, Mei-Hua; Chiu, Cheng-Hsun; Wu, Han-Ping

2017-06-01

Children with abuse who are admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) may have high mortality and morbidity and commonly require critical care immediately. It is important to understand the epidemiology and clinical characteristics of these critical cases of child maltreatment.We retrospectively evaluated the data for 355 children with maltreatments admitted to the ICU between 2001 and 2015. Clinical factors were analyzed and compared between the abuse and the neglect groups, including age, gender, season of admission, identifying settings, injury severity score (ISS), etiologies, length of stay (LOS) in the ICU, clinical outcomes, and mortality. In addition, neurologic assessments were conducted with the Pediatric Cerebral Performance Category (PCPC) scale.The most common type of child maltreatments was neglect (n = 259), followed by physical abuse (n = 96). The mean age of the abuse group was less than that of the neglect group (P < .05). Infants accounted for the majority of the abuse group, and the most common etiology of abuse was injury of the central nervous system (CNS). In the neglect group, most were of the preschool age and the most common etiologies of abuse were injury of the CNS and musculoskeletal system (P < .001). The mortality rate in the ICU was 9.86%. The ISS was significantly associated with mortality in both the 2 groups (both P < .05), whereas the LOS in the ICU and injuries of the CNS, musculoskeletal system, and respiratory system were all associated with mortality in the neglect group (all P < .05). The PCPC scale showed poor prognosis in the abuse group as compared to the neglect group (P < .01).In the ICU, children in the abuse group had younger age, higher ISS, and worse neurologic outcome than those in the neglect group. The ISS was a predictor for mortality in the abuse and neglect groups but the LOS in the ICUs, injuries of the CNS, musculoskeletal system, and respiratory system were indicators for mortality in the neglect group. Most importantly, identifying the epidemiological information may provide further strategies to reduce the harm, lower the medical costs, and improve clinical care quality and outcomes in children with abuse.

Positive fluid balance as a major predictor of clinical outcome of patients with sepsis/septic shock after ICU discharge.

PubMed

Brotfain, Evgeni; Koyfman, Leonid; Toledano, Ronen; Borer, Abraham; Fucs, Lior; Galante, Ori; Frenkel, Amit; Kutz, Ruslan; Klein, Moti

2016-11-01

Sepsis and septic shock continue to be syndromes that carry a high mortality rate worldwide. Early aggressive fluid and vasopressor support have resulted in significant improvement in patient outcomes. The prognostic clinical significance of a positive fluid balance in septic intensive care unit (ICU) patients remains undetermined. We collected data from 297 septic patients hospitalized in our general and medical ICUs at Soroka Medical Center between January 2005 and June 2011 and divided the 4 study groups into the following 4 fluid balances: group 1, patients with fluid balance at discharge from ICU (FBD) less than 10 L; group 2, patients with an FBD of 10 to 20 L; group 3, patients with an FBD of 20 to 30 L; and group 4, patients with FBD in excess of 30 L. The ICU and in-hospital mortality rate was also significantly higher in groups 2 to 4 as compared with group 1 (P < .001 for both ICU and in-hospital mortality). The positive cumulative FBD was found to be an independent predictor of ICU mortality (odds ratio [OR], 1.04; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.02-1.06; P < .001; Table 3) and in-hospital mortality (OR, 1.06; 95% CI, 1.03-1.08; P < .001; Table 5) and also to constitute a risk factor for new organ system dysfunction at hospital discharge (OR, 1.01; 95% CI, 1.01-1.013; P < .001; Table 6) in critically ill patients with severe sepsis/septic shock. Although it is a monocentric retrospective study, we suggest that positive cumulative fluid balance is one of the major factors that can predict the clinical outcome of critically ill patients during their ICU stay and after their discharge from the ICU. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Acute Kidney Injury Network definition of contrast-induced nephropathy in the critically ill: incidence and outcome.

PubMed

Lakhal, Karim; Ehrmann, Stephan; Chaari, Anis; Laissy, Jean-Pierre; Régnier, Bernard; Wolff, Michel; Pajot, Olivier

2011-12-01

Contrast-induced nephropathy (CIN) has been extensively studied in the ward but only scarcely in intensive care unit (ICU) patients, even if they may be particularly prone to develop or to worsen acute kidney insufficiency. We aimed to measure the incidence of CIN in a large ICU population using the Acute Kidney Injury Network (AKIN) definition and to investigate its impact on patients' outcome. In this 3-year retrospective study, we included all patients undergoing, during their stay in our medical ICU, a contrast media-enhanced computed tomographic scan. Change in serum creatinine between baseline (24 hours before to 12 hours after contrast media injection) and its maximum value over the 96 hours after contrast media injection was recorded. Contrast-induced nephropathy was defined as a 44.2-μmol/L absolute or a 25% relative minimal increase in serum creatinine over 48, 72, or 96 hours and according to the stage 1 of the AKIN classification (at least 26.4 μmol/L or 50% increase over 48 hours). A total of 398 contrast-enhanced computed tomographic scans performed among 299 patients were analyzed. Incidence of CIN was 14% according to the AKIN definition and ranged from 8% (48-hour absolute definition) to 23% (96-hour relative definition). The need for renal replacement therapy and ICU mortality were significantly higher in case of CIN. After adjusting for other variables associated with ICU mortality, the occurrence of at least 1 CIN episode during the ICU stay (AKIN criteria) was independently associated with ICU mortality (odds ratio, 3.85; 95% confidence interval, 1.85-8.00). Even if incidence varied greatly depending on the definition, CIN appeared frequent in our critically ill patients. The AKIN definition, independently associated with ICU mortality, may allow unifying diagnostic criteria to further evaluate this condition that impacts morbidity and mortality. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Non-linear feature extraction from HRV signal for mortality prediction of ICU cardiovascular patient.

PubMed

Karimi Moridani, Mohammad; Setarehdan, Seyed Kamaledin; Motie Nasrabadi, Ali; Hajinasrollah, Esmaeil

2016-01-01

Intensive care unit (ICU) patients are at risk of in-ICU morbidities and mortality, making specific systems for identifying at-risk patients a necessity for improving clinical care. This study presents a new method for predicting in-hospital mortality using heart rate variability (HRV) collected from the times of a patient's ICU stay. In this paper, a HRV time series processing based method is proposed for mortality prediction of ICU cardiovascular patients. HRV signals were obtained measuring R-R time intervals. A novel method, named return map, is then developed that reveals useful information from the HRV time series. This study also proposed several features that can be extracted from the return map, including the angle between two vectors, the area of triangles formed by successive points, shortest distance to 45° line and their various combinations. Finally, a thresholding technique is proposed to extract the risk period and to predict mortality. The data used to evaluate the proposed algorithm obtained from 80 cardiovascular ICU patients, from the first 48 h of the first ICU stay of 40 males and 40 females. This study showed that the angle feature has on average a sensitivity of 87.5% (with 12 false alarms), the area feature has on average a sensitivity of 89.58% (with 10 false alarms), the shortest distance feature has on average a sensitivity of 85.42% (with 14 false alarms) and, finally, the combined feature has on average a sensitivity of 92.71% (with seven false alarms). The results showed that the last half an hour before the patient's death is very informative for diagnosing the patient's condition and to save his/her life. These results confirm that it is possible to predict mortality based on the features introduced in this paper, relying on the variations of the HRV dynamic characteristics.

A critical analysis of unplanned ICU transfer within 48 hours from ED admission as a quality measure.

PubMed

Dahn, Cassidy M; Manasco, A Travis; Breaud, Alan H; Kim, Samuel; Rumas, Natalia; Moin, Omer; Mitchell, Patricia M; Nelson, Kerrie P; Baker, William; Feldman, James A

2016-08-01

Unplanned intensive care unit (ICU) transfer (UIT) within 48 hours of emergency department (ED) admission increases morbidity and mortality. We hypothesized that a majority of UITs do not have critical interventions (CrIs) and that CrI is associated with worse outcomes. The objective of the study is to characterize all UITs (including patients who died before ICU transfer), the proportion with CrI, and the effect of having CrI on mortality. This is a single-center, retrospective cohort study of UITs within 48 hours from 2008 to 2013 at an urban academic medical center and included patients 18 years or older without advanced directives (ADs). Critical intervention was defined by modified Delphi process. Data included demographics, comorbidities, reasons for UIT, length of stay, CrIs, and mortality. We calculated descriptive statistics with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). A total of 837 (0.76%) of 108 732 floor admissions from the ED had a UIT within 48 hours; 86 admitted patients died before ICU. We excluded 23 ADs, 117 postoperative transfers, 177 planned ICU transfers, and 4 with missing data. Of the 516 remaining, 65% (95% CI, 61%-69%) received a CrI. Unplanned ICU transfer reasons are as follows: 33 medical errors, 90 disease processes not present on arrival, and 393 clinical deteriorations. Mortality was 10.5% (95% CI, 8%-14%), and mean length of stay was 258 hours (95% CI, 233-283) for those with CrI, whereas the mortality was 2.8% (95% CI, 1%-6%) and mean length of stay was 177 hours (95% CI, 157-197) for those without CrI. Unplanned ICU transfer is rare, and only 65% had a CrI. Those with CrI had increased morbidity and mortality. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Intensive insulin therapy and mortality among critically ill patients: a meta-analysis including NICE-SUGAR study data

PubMed Central

Griesdale, Donald E.G.; de Souza, Russell J.; van Dam, Rob M.; Heyland, Daren K.; Cook, Deborah J.; Malhotra, Atul; Dhaliwal, Rupinder; Henderson, William R.; Chittock, Dean R.; Finfer, Simon; Talmor, Daniel

2009-01-01

Background Hyperglycemia is associated with increased mortality in critically ill patients. Randomized trials of intensive insulin therapy have reported inconsistent effects on mortality and increased rates of severe hypoglycemia. We conducted a meta-analysis to update the totality of evidence regarding the influence of intensive insulin therapy compared with conventional insulin therapy on mortality and severe hypoglycemia in the intensive care unit (ICU). Methods We conducted searches of electronic databases, abstracts from scientific conferences and bibliographies of relevant articles. We included published randomized controlled trials conducted in the ICU that directly compared intensive insulin therapy with conventional glucose management and that documented mortality. We included in our meta-analysis the data from the recent NICE-SUGAR (Normoglycemia in Intensive Care Evaluation — Survival Using Glucose Algorithm Regulation) study. Results We included 26 trials involving a total of 13 567 patients in our meta-analysis. Among the 26 trials that reported mortality, the pooled relative risk (RR) of death with intensive insulin therapy compared with conventional therapy was 0.93 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.83–1.04). Among the 14 trials that reported hypoglycemia, the pooled RR with intensive insulin therapy was 6.0 (95% CI 4.5–8.0). The ICU setting was a contributing factor, with patients in surgical ICUs appearing to benefit from intensive insulin therapy (RR 0.63, 95% CI 0.44–0.91); patients in the other ICU settings did not (medical ICU: RR 1.0, 95% CI 0.78–1.28; mixed ICU: RR 0.99, 95% CI 0.86–1.12). The different targets of intensive insulin therapy (glucose level ≤ 6.1 mmol/L v. ≤ 8.3 mmol/L) did not influence either mortality or risk of hypoglycemia. Interpretation Intensive insulin therapy significantly increased the risk of hypoglycemia and conferred no overall mortality benefit among critically ill patients. However, this therapy may be beneficial to patients admitted to a surgical ICU. PMID:19318387

Epidemiology, clinical characteristics, and risk factors for mortality of early- and late-onset invasive candidiasis in intensive care units in China

PubMed Central

Yang, Yi; Guo, Fengmei; Kang, Yan; Zang, Bin; Cui, Wei; Qin, Bingyu; Qin, Yingzhi; Fang, Qiang; Qin, Tiehe; Jiang, Dongpo; Cai, Bojing; Li, Ruoyu; Qiu, Haibo

2017-01-01

Abstract To identify the epidemiology, treatments, outcomes, and risk factors for patients with early- or late-onset invasive candidiasis (EOIC or LOIC) in intensive care units in China. Patients were classified as EOIC (≤10 days) or LOIC (>10 days) according to the time from hospital admission to IC onset to identify distinct clinical characteristics. There were 105 EOIC cases and 201 LOIC cases in this study. EOIC was related to more severe clinical conditions at ICU admission or prior to IC. Significantly, more cases of Candida parapsilosis infection were found in patients with LOIC than in those with EOIC. The mortality of EOIC was significantly lower than that for LOIC. Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score at ICI diagnosis in the EOIC group and the interval from ICU admission to ICI occurrence in the LOIC group were identified as risk factors for mortality. Susceptibility to the first-line agent was associated with a lower risk of mortality in the LOIC group. The mortality rate was significantly lower in the EOIC group, and there were more cases of non-albicans infection in the LOIC group. Susceptibility to the first-line agent was an important predictor of mortality in the LOIC group. SOFA score at ICI diagnosis in the EOIC group and interval from ICU admission to ICI occurrence in the LOIC group were identified as risk factors for mortality. PMID:29049184

Outcome of older persons admitted to intensive care unit, mortality, prognosis factors, dependency scores and ability trajectory within 1 year: a prospective cohort study.

PubMed

Level, Claude; Tellier, Eric; Dezou, Patrick; Chaoui, Karim; Kherchache, Aissa; Sejourné, Philippe; Rullion-Pac Soo, Anne Marie

2017-12-06

The outcome and functional trajectory of older persons admitted to intensive care (ICU) unit remain a true question for critical care physicians and geriatricians, due to the heterogeneity of geriatric population, heterogeneity of practices and absence of guidelines. To describe the 1-year outcome, prognosis factors and functional trajectory for older people admitted to ICU. In a prospective 1-year cohort study, all patients aged 75 years and over admitted to our ICU were included according to a global comprehensive geriatric assessment. Follow-up was conducted for 1 year survivors, in particular, ability scores and living conditions. Of 188 patients included [aged 82.3 ± 4.7 years, 46% of admissions, median SAPS II 53.5 (43-74), ADL of Katz's score 4.2 ± 1.6, median Barthel's index 71 (55-90), AGGIR scale 4.5 ± 1.5], the ICU, hospital and 1-year mortality were, respectively, 34, 42.5 and 65.5%. Prognosis factors were: SAPS 2, mechanical ventilation, comorbidity (Lee's and Mc Cabe's scores), disability scores (ADL of Katz's score, Barthel's index and AGGIR scale), admission creatinin, hypoalbuminemia, malignant haemopathy, cognitive impairment. One-year survivors lived in their own home for 83%, with a preserved physical ability, without significant variation of the three ability assessed scores compared to prior ICU admission. The mortality of older people admitted to ICU is high, with a significant impact of disabilty scores, and preserved 1-year survivor independency. Other studies, including a better comprehensive geriatric assessment, seem necessary to determine a predictive "phenotype" of survival with a "satisfactory" level of autonomy.

Outcomes in critically ill cancer patients with septic shock of pulmonary origin.

PubMed

de Montmollin, Etienne; Tandjaoui-Lambiotte, Yacine; Legrand, Mattieu; Lambert, Jérôme; Mokart, Djamel; Kouatchet, Achille; Lemiale, Virginie; Pène, Frédéric; Bruneel, Fabrice; Vincent, François; Mayaux, Julien; Chevret, Sylvie; Azoulay, Elie

2013-03-01

Increased therapeutic intensity has translated into better survival at a price of infectious and toxic life-threatening complications, chiefly affecting the lungs. Yet, no study specifically evaluated outcomes in cancer patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) for septic shock of pulmonary origin. This is a multicenter cohort study of cancer patients admitted to the ICU for septic shock and pneumonia between 1998 and 2008. Independent determinants of hospital mortality were assessed using a multivariate logistic regression model. Prognostic impact of persistence or acquisition of organ failures was evaluated by survival conditional probabilities. During the 10-year study period, 218 patients were included. Hematologic malignancy (mostly non-Hodgkin lymphoma and acute leukemia) affected 84%, and solid tumors (mostly lung cancer) affected 16% of patients. Chemotherapy was recently administered in 89% of patients, and 24.5% of patients were recipients of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (35 autologous, 18 allogeneic). At the time of ICU admission, 60% of patients were in partial or complete remission. All patients received vasopressors; invasive mechanical ventilation (MV) was needed in 78.4% and dialysis in 30% of patients. Intensive care unit and hospital mortality rates were 56.4% and 62.4%, respectively. Independent risk factors for hospital mortality were age older than 60 years, time between first symptoms and ICU admission, use of invasive MV, need for invasive MV after use of noninvasive ventilation, and coma. Analysis of survival probability showed that there was no temporal threshold after which persistence or gain of organ dysfunction indicated no hope for survival. Survival in cancer patients with septic shock from pulmonary origin is substantial, even when organ dysfunctions are not rapidly reversible. Delayed ICU management is an independent predictor of death. Studies assessing survival benefits from early ICU management are warranted.

Patients Admitted to Three Spanish Intensive Care Units for Poisoning: Type of Poisoning, Mortality, and Functioning of Prognostic Scores Commonly Used

PubMed Central

Banderas-Bravo, María Esther; Arias-Verdú, Maria Dolores; Macías-Guarasa, Ines; Castillo-Lorente, Encarnación; Pérez-Costillas, Lucia; Gutierrez-Rodriguez, Raquel; Quesada-García, Guillermo; Rivera-Fernández, Ricardo

2017-01-01

Objectives. To evaluate the gravity and mortality of those patients admitted to the intensive care unit for poisoning. Also, the applicability and predicted capacity of prognostic scales most frequently used in ICU must be evaluated. Methods. Multicentre study between 2008 and 2013 on all patients admitted for poisoning. Results. The results are from 119 patients. The causes of poisoning were medication, 92 patients (77.3%), caustics, 11 (9.2%), and alcohol, 20 (16,8%). 78.3% attempted suicides. Mean age was 44.42 ± 13.85 years. 72.5% had a Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) ≤8 points. The ICU mortality was 5.9% and the hospital mortality was 6.7%. The mortality from caustic poisoning was 54.5%, and it was 1.9% for noncaustic poisoning (p < 0.001). After adjusting for SAPS-3 (OR: 1.19 (1.02–1.39)) the mortality of patients who had ingested caustics was far higher than the rest (OR: 560.34 (11.64–26973.83)). There was considerable discrepancy between mortality predicted by SAPS-3 (26.8%) and observed (6.7%) (Hosmer-Lemeshow test: H = 35.10; p < 0.001). The APACHE-II (7,57%) and APACHE-III (8,15%) were no discrepancies. Conclusions. Admission to ICU for poisoning is rare in our country. Medication is the most frequent cause, but mortality of caustic poisoning is higher. APACHE-II and APACHE-III provide adequate predictions about mortality, while SAPS-3 tends to overestimate. PMID:28459061

Low sensitivity of qSOFA, SIRS criteria and sepsis definition to identify infected patients at risk of complication in the prehospital setting and at the emergency department triage.

PubMed

Tusgul, Selin; Carron, Pierre-Nicolas; Yersin, Bertrand; Calandra, Thierry; Dami, Fabrice

2017-11-03

Sepsis is defined as life-threatening organ dysfunction caused by a host response to infection. The quick SOFA (qSOFA) score has been recently proposed as a new bedside clinical score to identify patients with suspected infection at risk of complication (intensive care unit (ICU) admission, in-hospital mortality). The aim of this study was to measure the sensitivity of the qSOFA score, SIRS criteria and sepsis definitions to identify the most serious sepsis cases in the prehospital setting and at the emergency department (ED) triage. We performed a retrospective study of all patients transported by emergency medical services (EMS) to the Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV) over twelve months. All patients with a suspected or proven infection after the ED workup were included. We retrospectively analysed the sensitivity of the qSOFA score (≥2 criteria), SIRS criteria (≥2 clinical criteria) and sepsis definition (SIRS criteria + one sign of organ dysfunction or hypoperfusion) in the pre-hospital setting and at the ED triage as predictors of ICU admission, ICU stay of ≥3 days and early (i.e. 48 h) mortality. No direct comparison between the three tools was attempted. Among 11,411 patients transported to the University hospital, 886 (7.8%) were included. In the pre-hospital setting, the sensitivity of qSOFA reached 36.3% for ICU admission, 17.4% for ICU stay of three days or more and 68.0% for 48 h mortality. The sensitivity of SIRS criteria reached 68.8% for ICU admission, 74.6% for ICU stay of three days or more and 64.0% for 48 h mortality. The sensitivity of sepsis definition did not reach 60% for any outcome. At ED triage, the sensitivity of qSOFA reached 31.2% for ICU admission, 30.5% for ICU stay of ≥3 days and 60.0% for mortality at 48 h. The sensitivity of SIRS criteria reached 58.8% for ICU admission, 57.6% for ICU stay of ≥3 days 80.0% for mortality at 48 h. The sensitivity of sepsis definition reached 60.0% for 48 h mortality. Incidence of sepsis in the ED among patients transported by ambulance was 3.8 percent. This rate, associated to the mortality of sepsis, confirms the necessity to dispose of a test to early identify those patients. The sensitivity performance of all three tools was suboptimal. The qSOFA score, SIRS criteria and sepsis definition have low identification sensitivity in selecting septic patients in the pre-hospital setting or upon arrival in the ED at risk of complication.

Priority Queuing Models for Hospital Intensive Care Units and Impacts to Severe Case Patients

PubMed Central

Hagen, Matthew S.; Jopling, Jeffrey K; Buchman, Timothy G; Lee, Eva K.

2013-01-01

This paper examines several different queuing models for intensive care units (ICU) and the effects on wait times, utilization, return rates, mortalities, and number of patients served. Five separate intensive care units at an urban hospital are analyzed and distributions are fitted for arrivals and service durations. A system-based simulation model is built to capture all possible cases of patient flow after ICU admission. These include mortalities and returns before and after hospital exits. Patients are grouped into 9 different classes that are categorized by severity and length of stay (LOS). Each queuing model varies by the policies that are permitted and by the order the patients are admitted. The first set of models does not prioritize patients, but examines the advantages of smoothing the operating schedule for elective surgeries. The second set analyzes the differences between prioritizing admissions by expected LOS or patient severity. The last set permits early ICU discharges and conservative and aggressive bumping policies are contrasted. It was found that prioritizing patients by severity considerably reduced delays for critical cases, but also increased the average waiting time for all patients. Aggressive bumping significantly raised the return and mortality rates, but more conservative methods balance quality and efficiency with lowered wait times without serious consequences. PMID:24551379

Predictors of intensive care unit admission and mortality in patients with ischemic stroke: investigating the effects of a pulmonary rehabilitation program.

PubMed

Güngen, Belma Doğan; Tunç, Abdulkadir; Aras, Yeşim Güzey; Gündoğdu, Aslı Aksoy; Güngen, Adil Can; Bal, Serdar

2017-07-11

The aim of this study was to investigate the predictors of intensive care unit (ICU) admission and mortality among stroke patients and the effects of a pulmonary rehabilitation program on stroke patients. This prospective study enrolled 181 acute ischemic stroke patients aged between 40 and 90 years. Demographical characteristics, laboratory tests, diffusion-weighed magnetic resonance imaging (DWI-MRI) time, nutritional status, vascular risk factors, National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) scores and modified Rankin scale (MRS) scores were recorded for all patients. One-hundred patients participated in the pulmonary rehabilitation program, 81 of whom served as a control group. Statistically, one- and three-month mortality was associated with NIHSS and MRS scores at admission and three months (p<0.001; r=0.440, r=0.432, r=0.339 and r=0.410, respectively). One and three months mortality- ICU admission had a statistically significant relationship with parenteral nutrition (p<0.001; r=0.346, r=0.300, respectively; r=0.294 and r=0.294, respectively). Similarly, there was also a statistically significant relationship between pneumonia onset and one- and three-month mortality- ICU admission (p<0.05; r=0.217, r=0.127, r=0.185 and r=0.185, respectively). A regression analysis showed that parenteral nutrition (odds ratio [OR] =13.434, 95% confidence interval [CI] =1.148-157.265, p=0.038) was a significant predictor of ICU admission. The relationship between pulmonary physiotherapy (PPT) and ICU admission- pneumonia onset at the end of three months was statistically significant (p=0.04 and p=0.043, respectively). This study showed that PPT improved the prognosis of ischemic stroke patients. We believe that a pulmonary rehabilitation program, in addition to general stroke rehabilitation programs, can play a critical role in improving survival and functional outcomes. NCT03195907 . Trial registration date: 21.06.2017 'Retrospectively registered'.

BISAP, RANSON, lactate and others biomarkers in prediction of severe acute pancreatitis in a European cohort.

PubMed

Valverde-López, Francisco; Matas-Cobos, Ana M; Alegría-Motte, Carlos; Jiménez-Rosales, Rita; Úbeda-Muñoz, Margarita; Redondo-Cerezo, Eduardo

2017-09-01

The study aims to assess and compare the predicting ability of some scores and biomarkers in acute pancreatitis. We prospectively collected data from 269 patients diagnosed of acute pancreatitis, admitted to Virgen de las Nieves University Hospital between June 2010 and June 2012. Blood urea nitrogen (BUN), C-reactive protein, and creatinine were measured on admission and after 48 h, lactate and bedside index for severity acute pancreatitis (BISAP) only on admission and RANSON within the first 48 h. Definitions from 2012 Atlanta Classification were used. Area under the curve (AUC) was calculated for each scoring system for predicting severe acute pancreatitis (SAP), mortality, and intensive care unit (ICU) admission, obtaining optimal cut-off values from the receiver operating characteristic curves. Eight (3%) patients died, 17 (6.3%) were classified as SAP, and 10 (3.7%) were admitted in ICU. BISAP was the best predictor on admission for SAP, mortality, and ICU admission with an AUC of 0.9 (95% CI 0.83-0.97); 0.97 (95% CI 0.95-0.99); and 0.89 (95% CI 0.79-0.99), respectively. After 48 h, BUN 48 h was the best predictor of SAP (AUC = 0.96 CI: 0.92-0.99); BUN 48 h and BISAP were the best predictors for mortality (AUC = 0.97 CI: 0.95-0.99) and creatinine 48 h for ICU admission (AUC = 0.96 CI: 0.92-0.99). Lactate showed an AUC of 0.79 (CI: 0.71-0.88), 0.87 (CI: 0.78-0.96), and 0.77 (CI: 0.67-0.87) for SAP, mortality, and ICU admission, respectively. All parameters were predictors for SAP, mortality, and ICU admission, but C-reactive protein on admission was only a significant predictor of SAP. Bedside index for severity acute pancreatitis is a good predictive system for SAP, mortality, and ICU admission, being useful for triaging patients for ICU management. Lactate could be useful for developing new scores. © 2017 Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology Foundation and John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.

Clinical Outcomes of Extended-Spectrum Beta-Lactamase-Producing Enterobacteriaceae Infections with Susceptibilities among Levofloxacin, Cefepime, and Carbapenems

PubMed Central

Walker, Kristy J.; Klar, Amanda R.

2018-01-01

Purpose Highly resistant Gram-negative bacterial infections are associated with high mortality. Increasing resistance to standard therapy illustrates the need for alternatives when treating resistant organisms, especially extended-spectrum beta-lactamase- (ESBL-) producing Enterobacteriaceae. Methods A retrospective chart review at a community hospital was performed. Patients who developed ESBL-producing infections were included. Patients less than eighteen years old, who were pregnant, or who were incarcerated were excluded. The primary outcome was hospital mortality. The secondary outcomes included intensive care unit (ICU) mortality, ICU length of stay, and hospital length of stay. Results 113 patients with ESBL-producing infections met the criteria for review. Hospital mortality: carbapenem (16.6%), cefepime (0%), and levofloxacin (15.3%) (p=0.253). ICU mortality: carbapenem (4.5%), cefepime, (0%), and levofloxacin (3.7%) (p=0.616). Mean ICU and hospital length of stay: carbapenem (9.8 ± 16, 12.1 ± 1 days), cefepime (7.8 ± 6, 11.1 ± 10.5 days), and levofloxacin (5.4 ± 4.1, 11.1 ± 10.4 days) (p=0.805, 0.685). No predictors were clearly found between the source of infection and mortality. Conclusion Cefepime or levofloxacin can be a potential alternative agent for infections with ESBL-producing Enterobacteriaceae, and larger clinical trials investigating these outcomes are warranted. PMID:29670677

Effect of intensive care unit organizational model and structure on outcomes in patients with acute lung injury.

PubMed

Treggiari, Miriam M; Martin, Diane P; Yanez, N David; Caldwell, Ellen; Hudson, Leonard D; Rubenfeld, Gordon D

2007-10-01

Prior studies supported an association between intensive care unit (ICU) organizational model or staffing patterns and outcome in critically ill patients. To examine the association of closed versus open models with patient mortality across adult ICUs in King County (WA). Cohort study of patients with acute lung injury (ALI). ICU structure, organization, and patient care practices were assessed using self-administered mail questionnaires completed by the medical director and nurse manager. We defined closed ICUs as units that required patient transfer to or mandatory patient comanagement by an intensivist and open ICUs as those relying on other organizational models. Outcomes were obtained from the King County Lung Injury Project, a population-based cohort of patients with ALI. The main endpoint was hospital mortality. Of 24 eligible ICUs, 13 ICUs were designated closed and 11 open. Complete survey data were available for 23 (96%) ICUs. Higher physician and nurse availability was reported in closed versus open ICUs. A total of 684 of 1,075 (63%) of patients with ALI were cared for in closed ICUs. After adjusting for potential confounders, patients with ALI cared for in closed ICUs had reduced hospital mortality (adjusted odds ratio, 0.68; 95% confidence interval, 0.53, 0.89; P = 0.004). Consultation by a pulmonologist in open ICUs was not associated with improved mortality (adjusted odds ratio, 0.94; 95% confidence interval, 0.74, 1.20; P = 0.62). These findings were robust for varying assumptions about the study population definition. Patients with ALI cared for in a closed-model ICU have reduced mortality. These data support recommendations to implement structured intensive care in the United States.

Effect of Systematic Intensive Care Unit Triage on Long-term Mortality Among Critically Ill Elderly Patients in France: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

PubMed

Guidet, Bertrand; Leblanc, Guillaume; Simon, Tabassome; Woimant, Maguy; Quenot, Jean-Pierre; Ganansia, Olivier; Maignan, Maxime; Yordanov, Youri; Delerme, Samuel; Doumenc, Benoit; Fartoukh, Muriel; Charestan, Pierre; Trognon, Pauline; Galichon, Bertrand; Javaud, Nicolas; Patzak, Anabela; Garrouste-Orgeas, Maïté; Thomas, Caroline; Azerad, Sylvie; Pateron, Dominique; Boumendil, Ariane

2017-10-17

The high mortality rate in critically ill elderly patients has led to questioning of the beneficial effect of intensive care unit (ICU) admission and to a variable ICU use among this population. To determine whether a recommendation for systematic ICU admission in critically ill elderly patients reduces 6-month mortality compared with usual practice. Multicenter, cluster-randomized clinical trial of 3037 critically ill patients aged 75 years or older, free of cancer, with preserved functional status (Index of Independence in Activities of Daily Living ≥4) and nutritional status (absence of cachexia) who arrived at the emergency department of one of 24 hospitals in France between January 2012 and April 2015 and were followed up until November 2015. Centers were randomly assigned either to use a program to promote systematic ICU admission of patients (n=1519 participants) or to follow standard practice (n=1518 participants). The primary outcome was death at 6 months. Secondary outcomes included ICU admission rate, in-hospital death, functional status, and quality of life (12-Item Short Form Health Survey, ranging from 0 to 100, with higher score representing better self-reported health) at 6 months. One patient withdrew consent, leaving 3036 patients included in the trial (median age, 85 [interquartile range, 81-89] years; 1361 [45%] men). Patients in the systematic strategy group had an increased risk of death at 6 months (45% vs 39%; relative risk [RR], 1.16; 95% CI, 1.07-1.26) despite an increased ICU admission rate (61% vs 34%; RR, 1.80; 95% CI, 1.66-1.95). After adjustments for baseline characteristics, patients in the systematic strategy group were more likely to be admitted to an ICU (RR, 1.68; 95% CI, 1.54-1.82) and had a higher risk of in-hospital death (RR, 1.18; 95% CI, 1.03-1.33) but had no significant increase in risk of death at 6 months (RR, 1.05; 95% CI, 0.96-1.14). Functional status and physical quality of life at 6 months were not significantly different between groups. Among critically ill elderly patients in France, a program to promote systematic ICU admission increased ICU use but did not reduce 6-month mortality. Additional research is needed to understand the decision to admit elderly patients to the ICU. clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT01508819.

Epidemiology and outcomes of older patients admitted to Scottish intensive care units: a national database linkage study.

PubMed

Docherty, Annemarie; Lone, Nazir; Anderson, Niall; Walsh, Timothy

2015-02-26

As the general population ages and life expectancy increases, health-care use by elderly people increases, including intensive care. Rationing and variation of access are ethically and politically challenging. We aimed to characterise the population-based incidence of intensive care unit (ICU) admissions of elderly people in Scotland; compare ICU admission and mortality between elderly and younger populations; and compare treatment intensity between these groups. We extracted complete, national 6-year cohort Scottish ICU admissions (Jan 1, 2005, to Dec 31, 2010) from the Scottish Intensive Care Society Audit Group database, which we linked to hospital Scottish Morbidity Record (SMR01) and death records. Annual incidence of ICU admissions of people aged 80 years or older was standardised for sex and socioeconomic status to the standard Scottish population (≥80 years) 2005-10. We compared mortality of elderly and younger people (<65 years) using the log-rank test. During 2005-10, 47 779 people were admitted to ICU (4561 patients ≥80 years [9·5%, 35·0/10 000 population], 26 784 patients <65 years [56·1%, 13·2/10 000]). Incidence of ICU admissions of elderly people fell from 36·6/10 000 population (95%CI 34·0-39·2) in 2005 to 30·3/10 000 (28·0-32·5) in 2010. ICU mortality was higher in elderly than in younger people (26·4% vs 16·1%, p<0·0001) as was 6-year mortality (68·0% vs 34·5%, p<0·0001). 2110 (80%) of 2627 elderly survivors were discharged home (younger 92%, 19 221/20 902), with a further 373 (14·2%) given rehabilitation (younger 1063, 5·1%) (χ(2)=525, p<0·0001). Age was an independent predictor of mortality (odds ratio 1·46, 95% CI 1·23-1·73, p<0·0001) after adjustment for confounders. In the pneumonia subgroup (elderly 294, younger 2167), mean acute physiology scores were similar (17·0 [SD 6·4] vs 17·6 [6·6]), organ support was higher in the elderly patients (77·0% vs 68·1%, p<0·0001), and median ICU length of stay was lower (6 days [IQR 3-13] vs 8 [3-16], p<0·0001). This study has shown that, by contrast with previously published research, admission rates of elderly people in Scotland fell between 2005 and 2010. Only the fittest elderly individuals were admitted to ICU, where initially they received a higher intensity of treatment than did younger patients; however, duration of ICU stay was shorter. Mortality rates were high, and age was an independent predictor of mortality. Funding assistance for AD's MPH from Scottish Intensive Care Society, Scottish Society of Anaesthetists, Edinburgh Anaesthetics Research and Education Fund. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Duration of Mechanical Ventilation in the Emergency Department.

PubMed

Angotti, Lauren B; Richards, Jeremy B; Fisher, Daniel F; Sankoff, Jeffrey D; Seigel, Todd A; Al Ashry, Haitham S; Wilcox, Susan R

2017-08-01

Due to hospital crowding, mechanically ventilated patients are increasingly spending hours boarding in emergency departments (ED) before intensive care unit (ICU) admission. This study aims to evaluate the association between time ventilated in the ED and in-hospital mortality, duration of mechanical ventilation, ICU and hospital length of stay (LOS). This was a multi-center, prospective, observational study of patients ventilated in the ED, conducted at three academic Level I Trauma Centers from July 2011 to March 2013. All consecutive adult patients on invasive mechanical ventilation were eligible for enrollment. We performed a Cox regression to assess for a mortality effect for mechanically ventilated patients with each hour of increasing LOS in the ED and multivariable regression analyses to assess for independently significant contributors to in-hospital mortality. Our primary outcome was in-hospital mortality, with secondary outcomes of ventilator days, ICU LOS and hospital LOS. We further commented on use of lung protective ventilation and frequency of ventilator changes made in this cohort. We enrolled 535 patients, of whom 525 met all inclusion criteria. Altered mental status without respiratory pathology was the most common reason for intubation, followed by trauma and respiratory failure. Using iterated Cox regression, a mortality effect occurred at ED time of mechanical ventilation > 7 hours, and the longer ED stay was also associated with a longer total duration of intubation. However, adjusted multivariable regression analysis demonstrated only older age and admission to the neurosciences ICU as independently associated with increased mortality. Of interest, only 23.8% of patients ventilated in the ED for over seven hours had changes made to their ventilator. In a prospective observational study of patients mechanically ventilated in the ED, there was a significant mortality benefit to expedited transfer of patients into an appropriate ICU setting.

Prognosis of elderly patients subjected to mechanical ventilation in the ICU.

PubMed

Añon, J M; Gómez-Tello, V; González-Higueras, E; Córcoles, V; Quintana, M; García de Lorenzo, A; Oñoro, J J; Martín-Delgado, C; García-Fernández, A; Marina, L; Gordo, F; Choperena, G; Díaz-Alersi, R; Montejo, J C; López-Martínez, J

2013-04-01

To analyze the prognosis of mechanically ventilated elderly patients in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). Sub-analysis of a prospective multicenter observational cohort study conducted over a period of two years in 13 medical-surgical ICUs in Spain. Adult patients who required mechanical ventilation (MV) for longer than 24 hours. None. Demographic data, APACHE II, SOFA, reason for MV, comorbidity, functional condition, reintubation, duration of MV, tracheotomy, ICU mortality, in-hospital mortality. A total of 1661 patients were recruited. Males accounted for 67.9% (n=1127), with a mean age of 62.1 ± 16.2 years. APACHE II: 20.3 ± 7.5. Total SOFA: 8.4 ± 3.5. Four hundred and twenty-three patients (25.4%) were ≥ 75 years of age. Comorbidity and functional condition rates were poorer in these patients (p<0.001 for both variables). Mortality in the ICU was higher in the elderly patients (33.6%) than in the younger subjects (25.9%) (p=0.002). Also, in-hospital mortality was higher in those ≥ 75 years of age. No differences in duration of MV, prevalence of tracheostomy or reintubation incidence were found. Regarding the indication for MV, only the patient ≥ 75 years of age with pneumonia, sepsis or trauma had a higher in-ICU mortality than the younger patients (46.3% vs 33.1%, p=0.006; 55% vs 25.8%, p=0.002; 63.6% vs 4.5%, p<0,001, respectively). No differences were found referred to other reasons for MV. Older patients (≥ 75 years) have significantly higher in-ICU and in-hospital mortality than younger patients without differences in the duration of mechanical ventilation. Differences in mortality were at the expense of pneumonia, sepsis and trauma. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier España, S.L. and SEMICYUC. All rights reserved.

Outcomes of critically ill cancer patients with Acinetobacter baumannii infection

PubMed Central

Ñamendys-Silva, Silvio A; Correa-García, Paulina; García-Guillén, Francisco J; González-Herrera, María O; Pérez-Alonso, Américo; Texcocano-Becerra, Julia; Herrera-Gómez, Angel; Cornejo-Juárez, Patricia; Meneses-García, Abelardo

2015-01-01

AIM: To describe the intensive care unit (ICU) outcomes of critically ill cancer patients with Acinetobacter baumannii (AB) infection. METHODS: This was an observational study that included 23 consecutive cancer patients who acquired AB infections during their stay at ICU of the National Cancer Institute of Mexico (INCan), located in Mexico City. Data collection took place between January 2011, and December 2012. Patients who had AB infections before ICU admission, and infections that occurred during the first 2 d of ICU stay were excluded. Data were obtained by reviewing the electronic health record of each patient. This investigation was approved by the Scientific and Ethics Committees at INCan. Because of its observational nature, informed consent of the patients was not required. RESULTS: Throughout the study period, a total of 494 critically ill patients with cancer were admitted to the ICU of the INCan, 23 (4.6%) of whom developed AB infections. Sixteen (60.9%) of these patients had hematologic malignancies. Most frequent reasons for ICU admission were severe sepsis or septic shock (56.2%) and postoperative care (21.7%). The respiratory tract was the most frequent site of AB infection (91.3%). The most common organ dysfunction observed in our group of patients were the respiratory (100%), cardiovascular (100%), hepatic (73.9%) and renal dysfunction (65.2%). The ICU mortality of patients with 3 or less organ system dysfunctions was 11.7% (2/17) compared with 66.6% (4/6) for the group of patients with 4 or more organ system dysfunctions (P = 0.021). Multivariate analysis identified blood lactate levels (BLL) as the only variable independently associated with in-ICU death (OR = 2.59, 95%CI: 1.04-6.43, P = 0.040). ICU and hospital mortality rates were 26.1% and 43.5%, respectively. CONCLUSION: The mortality rate in critically ill patients with both HM, and AB infections who are admitted to the ICU is high. The variable most associated with increased mortality was a BLL ≥ 2.6 mmol/L in the first day of stay in the ICU. PMID:26261778

Delirium and coma evaluated in mechanically ventilated patients in the intensive care unit in Japan: a multi-institutional prospective observational study.

PubMed

Tsuruta, Ryosuke; Oda, Yasutaka; Shintani, Ayumi; Nunomiya, Shin; Hashimoto, Satoru; Nakagawa, Takashi; Oida, Yasuhisa; Miyazaki, Dai; Yabe, Shigemi

2014-06-01

The object of this study is to evaluate the prevalence and effects of delirium on 28-day mortality in critically ill patients on mechanical ventilation in Japan. Prospective cohort study was conducted in medical and surgical intensive care units (ICUs) of 24 medical centers. Patients were followed up daily for delirium during ICU stay after enrollment. Coma was defined with the Richmond Agitation Sedation Scale score of -4 or -5. Delirium was diagnosed using the Confusion Assessment Method for the ICU. The Cox proportional hazards regression model was used to assess the effects of delirium and coma on 28-day mortality, time to extubation, and time to ICU discharge; delirium and coma were included as time-varying covariates after controlling for age, Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II score, ventilator-associated pneumonia, and the reason for intubation with infection. Of 180 patients, 115 patients (64%) developed delirium. Moreover, 15 patients (8%) died within 28 days after ICU admission, including 7 patients who experienced coma and 8 patients who experienced both coma and delirium. There were no deaths among patients who did not experience coma. Delirium was associated with a shorter time to extubation (hazard ratio [HR], 2.52; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.65-3.85; P<.001) and a shorter ICU length of stay in comatose patients (HR, 1.59; 95% CI, 1.04-2.44; P=.034), whereas delirium appeared with prolonged time to ICU discharge among patients without coma, although statistical significance was not detected due to limited analytical power (HR, 0.62; 95% CI, 0.34-1.12; P=.114). Delirium during ICU stay was not associated with higher mortality. Further study is needed to investigate the discrepancy between these and previous data. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Severity assessment tools in ICU patients with 2009 influenza A (H1N1) pneumonia.

PubMed

Pereira, J M; Moreno, R P; Matos, R; Rhodes, A; Martin-Loeches, I; Cecconi, M; Lisboa, T; Rello, J

2012-10-01

The aim of this study was to determine if severity assessment tools (general severity of illness and community-acquired pneumonia specific scores) can be used to guide decisions for patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) due to pandemic influenza A pneumonia. A prospective, observational, multicentre study included 265 patients with a mean age of 42 (±16.1) years and an ICU mortality of 31.7%. On admission to the ICU, the mean pneumonia severity index (PSI) score was 103.2 ± 43.2 points, the CURB-65 score was 1.7 ± 1.1 points and the PIRO-CAP score was 3.2 ± 1.5 points. None of the scores had a good predictive ability: area under the ROC for PSI, 0.72 (95% CI, 0.65-0.78); CURB-65, 0.67 (95% CI, 0.59-0.74); and PIRO-CAP, 0.64 (95% CI, 0.56-0.71). The PSI score (OR, 1.022 (1.009-1.034), p 0.001) was independently associated with ICU mortality; however, none of the three scores, when used at ICU admission, were able to reliably detect a low-risk group of patients. Low risk for mortality was identified in 27.5% of patients using PIRO-CAP, but above 40% when using PSI (I-III) or CURB65 (<2). Observed mortality was 13.7%, 13.5% and 19.4%, respectively. Pneumonia-specific scores undervalued severity and should not be used as instruments to guide decisions in the ICU. © 2011 The Authors. Clinical Microbiology and Infection © 2011 European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases.

Macrolide-based regimens in absence of bacterial co-infection in critically ill H1N1 patients with primary viral pneumonia.

PubMed

Martín-Loeches, I; Bermejo-Martin, J F; Vallés, J; Granada, R; Vidaur, L; Vergara-Serrano, J C; Martín, M; Figueira, J C; Sirvent, J M; Blanquer, J; Suarez, D; Artigas, A; Torres, A; Diaz, E; Rodriguez, A

2013-04-01

To determine whether macrolide-based treatment is associated with mortality in critically ill H1N1 patients with primary viral pneumonia. Secondary analysis of a prospective, observational, multicenter study conducted across 148 Intensive Care Units (ICU) in Spain. Primary viral pneumonia was present in 733 ICU patients with pandemic influenza A (H1N1) virus infection with severe respiratory failure. Macrolide-based treatment was administered to 190 (25.9 %) patients. Patients who received macrolides had chronic obstructive pulmonary disease more often, lower severity on admission (APACHE II score on ICU admission (13.1 ± 6.8 vs. 14.4 ± 7.4 points, p < 0.05), and multiple organ dysfunction syndrome less often (23.4 vs. 30.1 %, p < 0.05). Length of ICU stay in survivors was not significantly different in patients who received macrolides compared to patients who did not (10 (IQR 4-20) vs. 10 (IQR 5-20), p = 0.9). ICU mortality was 24.1 % (n = 177). Patients with macrolide-based treatment had lower ICU mortality in the univariate analysis (19.2 vs. 28.1 %, p = 0.02); however, a propensity score analysis showed no effect of macrolide-based treatment on ICU mortality (OR = 0.87; 95 % CI 0.55-1.37, p = 0.5). Moreover, the sensitivity analysis revealed very similar results (OR = 0.91; 95 % CI 0.58-1.44, p = 0.7). A separate analysis of patients under mechanical ventilation yielded similar results (OR = 0.77; 95 % CI 0.44-1.35, p = 0.4). Our results suggest that macrolide-based treatment was not associated with improved survival in critically ill H1N1 patients with primary viral pneumonia.

Validation of the Infectious Diseases Society of America/American Thoracic Society criteria to predict severe community-acquired pneumonia caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae.

PubMed

Kontou, Paschalina; Kuti, Joseph L; Nicolau, David P

2009-10-01

Severe community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is usually defined as pneumonia that requires intensive care unit (ICU) admission; the primary pathogen responsible for ICU admission is Streptococcus pneumoniae. In this study, the 2007 Infectious Diseases Society of America/American Thoracic Society (IDSA/ATS) consensus criteria for ICU admission were compared with other severity scores in predicting ICU admission and mortality. We retrospectively studied 158 patients with pneumococcal CAP (1999-2003). Clinical and laboratory features at the emergency department were recorded and used to calculate the 2007 IDSA/ATS rule, the 2001 ATS rule, 2 modified 2007 IDSA/ATS rules, the Pneumonia Severity Index (PSI), and the CURB (confusion, urea, respiratory rate, blood pressure) score. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value (NPV) were assessed for the various indices. We also determined the criteria that were independently predictive of ICU admission and of mortality in our population. The 2007 IDSA/ATS criteria performed as well as the 2001 ATS rule in predicting ICU admission both demonstrated high sensitivity (90%) and NPV (97%). For the prediction of mortality, the best tool proved to be the PSI score (sensitivity, 95%; NPV, 99%). The variables associated with ICU admission in this patient population included tachypnea, confusion, Pao(2)/Fio(2) ratio of 250 or lower, and hypotension requiring fluid resuscitation. Mechanical ventilation and PSI class V were independently associated with mortality. This study confirms the usefulness of the new criteria in predicting severe CAP. The 2001 ATS criteria seem an attractive alternative because they are simple and as effective as the 2007 IDSA/ATS criteria.

Differences in mortality based on worsening ratio of partial pressure of oxygen to fraction of inspired oxygen corrected for immune system status and respiratory support.

PubMed

Miles, Lachlan F; Bailey, Michael; Young, Paul; Pilcher, David V

2012-03-01

To define the relationship between worsening oxygenation status (worst PaO(2)/FiO(2) ratio in the first 24 hours after intensive care unit admission) and mortality in immunosuppressed and immunocompetent ICU patients in the presence and absence of mechanical ventilation. Retrospective cohort study. Data were extracted from the Australian and New Zealand Intensive Care Society Adult Patient Database. Adult patients admitted to 129 ICUs in Australasia, 2000-2010. In hospital and ICU mortality; relationship between mortality and declining PaO(2)/FiO(2) ratio by ventilation status and immune status. 457 750 patient records were analysed. Worsening oxygenation status was associated with increasing mortality in all groups. Higher mortality was seen in immunosuppressed patients than immunocompetent patients. After multivariate analysis, in mechanically ventilated patients, declining PaO(2)/FiO(2) ratio in the first 24 hours of ICU admission was associated with a more rapidly rising mortality rate in immunosuppressed patients than non-immunosuppressed patients. Immunosuppression did not affect the relationship between oxygenation status and mortality in non-ventilated patients. Immunosuppression increases the risk of mortality with progressively worsening oxygenation status, but only in the presence of mechanical ventilation. Further research into the impact of mechanical ventilation in immunosuppressed patients is required.

Impact and outcomes of nutritional support team intervention in patients with gastrointestinal disease in the intensive care unit.

PubMed

Park, Yong Eun; Park, Soo Jung; Park, Yehyun; Cheon, Jae Hee; Kim, Tae Il; Kim, Won Ho

2017-12-01

Nutritional support has become an important intervention for critically ill patients. Many studies have reported on the effects of nutritional support for the patients within the intensive care unit (ICU); however, no studies have specifically assessed patients with gastrointestinal diseases who may have difficulty absorbing enteral nutrition (EN) in the ICU.Sixty-two patients with gastrointestinal disease were admitted to the ICU between August 2014 and August 2016 at a single tertiary university hospital. We analyzed 2 different patient groups in a retrospective cohort study: those who received nutritional support team (NST) intervention and those who did not.Forty-four (71.0%) patients received nutritional support in ICU and 18 (29.0%) did not. Variables including male sex, high albumin or prealbumin level at the time of ICU admission, and short transition period into EN showed statistically significant association with lower mortality on the univariate analysis (all P < .05). Multivariate analysis revealed that longer length of hospital stay (P = .013; hazard ratio [HR], 0.972; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.951-0.994), shorter transition into EN (P = .014; HR, 1.040; 95% CI, 1.008-1.072), higher prealbumin level (P = .049; HR, 0.988; 95% CI, 0.976-1.000), and NST intervention (P = .022; HR, 0.356; 95% CI, 0.147-0.862) were independent prognostic factors for lower mortality.In conclusion, NST intervention related to early initiated EN, and high prealbumin levels are beneficial to decrease mortality in the acutely ill patients with GI disease.

An analysis of the predictors of mortality and morbidity in patients admitted after suicidal hanging to an Indian multidisciplinary Intensive Care Unit

PubMed Central

Renuka, MK; Kalaiselvan, MS; Arunkumar, AS

2017-01-01

Background and Aims: Hanging is a frequently used method to attempt suicide in India. There is a lack of data in the Indian population regarding clinical features and outcomes of suicidal hanging. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the factors affecting mortality and morbidity in patients admitted with suicidal hanging to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). Methods: A 6-year retrospective study of adult patients admitted to the ICU with suicidal hanging was analysed for demographics, mode of hanging, lead time to emergency room (ER) admission, clinical presentation, Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II (APACHE II) and Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) scores, admission Glasgow coma scale (GCS) and neurological outcomes. The primary outcome was in-hospital mortality rate. Secondary outcomes were hospital length of stay (LOS), ICU-LOS, time for neurological recovery, organ support and duration of mechanical ventilation. Statistical analysis was performed using the Student's t-test for continuous variables and Chi-square test for categorical variables. Results: We analysed data of 106 patients. The median age was 27 years [Interquartile Range (IQR) (22–34)]. The median lead time to ER admission was 1 h [IQR (0.5–1.4)] with median ICU stay of 3 days [IQR (2–4)]. Vasopressors were administered to 27.4% patients. GCS was ≤7 in 65% patients, and 84.9% patients received mechanical ventilation. Mortality rate was 10.3%. Survivors recovered with normal organ function. Conclusion: Suicidal hanging is associated with significant mortality. Admission GCS, APACHE II and 48 h SOFA score were predictors of poor outcome. PMID:28794524

Variation in ICU Utilization and Mortality After Blunt Splenic Injury

PubMed Central

Kaufman, Elinore J.; Wiebe, Douglas J.; Martin, Niels D.; Pascual, Jose L.; Reilly, Patrick M.; Holena, Daniel N.

2016-01-01

Background While trauma patients are frequently cared for in the ICU, admission triage criteria are unclear and may vary among providers and institutions. The benefits of close monitoring must be weighed against the economic and opportunity costs of an ICU admission. Materials and Methods We conducted a retrospective cohort study of patients treated for blunt splenic injuries at 30 level I and II Pennsylvania trauma centers, 2011–2014. We used multivariable logistic regression to assess the relationship between ICU admission and mortality, adjusting for patient characteristics, injury characteristics, and physiology. We calculated center-level observed-to-expected ratios for ICU utilization and mortality and evaluated correlations with Spearman’s rho. We compared the proportion of patients receiving critical care procedures, such as mechanical ventilation or central line placement, between high- and low-ICU-utilization centers. Results Of 2,587 patients with blunt splenic injuries, 63.9% (1,654) were admitted to the ICU. Median injury severity score (ISS) was 17 overall, 13 for non-ICU patients and 17 for ICU patients (p < 0.001). In multivariable logistic regression, ICU admission was not significantly associated with mortality. Center-level risk-adjusted ICU admission rates ranged from 17.9% to 87.3%. Risk-adjusted mortality rates ranged from 1.2% to 9.6%. There was no correlation between O:E ratios for ICU utilization and mortality (rs = −0.2595, p=0.2103). Proportionately fewer ICU patients at high-utilization centers received critical care procedures than at low-utilization centers. Conclusions Risk-adjusted ICU utilization rates for splenic trauma varied widely among trauma centers, with no clear relationship to mortality. Standardizing ICU admission criteria could improve resource utilization without increasing mortality. PMID:27363642

The Intensive Care Global Study on Severe Acute Respiratory Infection (IC-GLOSSARI): a multicenter, multinational, 14-day inception cohort study.

PubMed

Sakr, Yasser; Ferrer, Ricard; Reinhart, Konrad; Beale, Richard; Rhodes, Andrew; Moreno, Rui; Timsit, Jean Francois; Brochard, Laurent; Thompson, B Taylor; Rezende, Ederlon; Chiche, Jean Daniel

2016-05-01

In this prospective, multicenter, 14-day inception cohort study, we investigated the epidemiology, patterns of infections, and outcome in patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) as a result of severe acute respiratory infections (SARIs). All patients admitted to one of 206 participating ICUs during two study weeks, one in November 2013 and the other in January 2014, were screened. SARI was defined as possible, probable, or microbiologically confirmed respiratory tract infection with recent onset dyspnea and/or fever. The primary outcome parameter was in-hospital mortality within 60 days of admission to the ICU. Among the 5550 patients admitted during the study periods, 663 (11.9 %) had SARI. On admission to the ICU, Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria were found in 29.6 and 26.2 % of SARI patients but rarely atypical bacteria (1.0 %); viruses were present in 7.7 % of patients. Organ failure occurred in 74.7 % of patients in the ICU, mostly respiratory (53.8 %), cardiovascular (44.5 %), and renal (44.6 %). ICU and in-hospital mortality rates in patients with SARI were 20.2 and 27.2 %, respectively. In multivariable analysis, older age, greater severity scores at ICU admission, and hematologic malignancy or liver disease were independently associated with an increased risk of in-hospital death, whereas influenza vaccination prior to ICU admission and adequate antibiotic administration on ICU admission were associated with a lower risk. Admission to the ICU for SARI is common and associated with high morbidity and mortality rates. We identified several risk factors for in-hospital death that may be useful for risk stratification in these patients.

Epidemiology and Outcome of Severe Sepsis and Septic Shock in Intensive Care Units in Mainland China

PubMed Central

Zhou, Jianfang; Qian, Chuanyun; Zhao, Mingyan; Yu, Xiangyou; Kang, Yan; Ma, Xiaochun; Ai, Yuhang; Xu, Yuan; Liu, Dexin; An, Youzhong; Wu, Dawei; Sun, Renhua; Li, Shusheng; Hu, Zhenjie; Cao, Xiangyuan; Zhou, Fachun; Jiang, Li; Lin, Jiandong; Mao, Enqiang; Qin, Tiehe; He, Zhenyang; Zhou, Lihua; Du, Bin

2014-01-01

Introduction Information about sepsis in mainland China remains scarce and incomplete. The purpose of this study was to describe the epidemiology and outcome of severe sepsis and septic shock in mixed ICU in mainland China, as well as the independent predictors of mortality. Methods We performed a 2-month prospective, observational cohort study in 22 closed multi-disciplinary intensive care units (ICUs). All admissions into those ICUs during the study period were screened and patients with severe sepsis or septic shock were included. Results A total of 484 patients, 37.3 per 100 ICU admissions were diagnosed with severe sepsis (n = 365) or septic shock (n = 119) according to clinical criteria and included into this study. The most frequent sites of infection were the lung and abdomen. The overall ICU and hospital mortality rates were 28.7% (n = 139) and 33.5% (n = 162), respectively. In multivariate analyses, APACHE II score (odds ratio[OR], 1.068; 95% confidential interval[CI], 1.027–1.109), presence of ARDS (OR, 2.676; 95%CI, 1.691–4.235), bloodstream infection (OR, 2.520; 95%CI, 1.142–5.564) and comorbidity of cancer (OR, 2.246; 95%CI, 1.141–4.420) were significantly associated with mortality. Conclusions Our results indicated that severe sepsis and septic shock were common complications in ICU patients and with high mortality in China, and can be of help to know more about severe sepsis and septic shock in China and to improve characterization and risk stratification in these patients. PMID:25226033

Utilization profile of the trauma intensive care unit at the Role 3 Multinational Medical Unit at Kandahar Airfield between May 1 and Oct. 15, 2009

PubMed Central

Shah, Kalpa; Pirie, Steven; Compton, Lisa; McAlister, Vivian; Church, Brian; Kao, Raymond

2011-01-01

Background In the war against the Taliban, Canada was the lead North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) nation to provide medical and surgical care to NATO soldiers, Afghanistan National Army soldiers, Afghanistan Nation Police, civilians working in and outside Kandahar Airfield and Afghanistan civilians at the Role 3 Multinational Medical Unit (R3MMU) from February 2006 to October 2009. Methods We obtained data from the Joint Theatre Trauma Registry between May 1 and Oct. 15, 2009; 188 patients were admitted to the R3MMU intensive care unit (ICU). We analyzed the ICU data according to types and causes of trauma, mechanical ventilation prevalence, ICU medical and surgical complications, blood products utilization, length of stay in the ICU and mortality. Results The admitting services were general surgery (35%), neurosurgery (29%), orthopedic surgery (18%) and internal medicine (3%). Improvised explosive devices (46%) and gunshot wounds (26%) were the main causes of ICU admissions. The mean injury severity score for all patients admitted to the ICU was 37, and 81% of ICU patients required mechanical ventilation for a mean duration of 3 days. The main ICU complications were coagulopathy (6.4%), aspiration pneumonia (4.3%), pneumothorax (3.7%) and wound infection (2.7%). The following blood products were most used: packed red blood cells (55%), fresh frozen plasma (54%), platelets (29%) and cryoprecipitate (23%). The average length of stay in the ICU was 4.3 days, and the survival rate was 93%. Conclusion The high survival rate suggests that ICU care is a necessary and vital resource for a trauma hospital in a war zone. PMID:22099326

Prognosis of cirrhotic patients admitted to intensive care unit: a meta-analysis.

PubMed

Weil, Delphine; Levesque, Eric; McPhail, Marc; Cavallazzi, Rodrigo; Theocharidou, Eleni; Cholongitas, Evangelos; Galbois, Arnaud; Pan, Heng Chih; Karvellas, Constantine J; Sauneuf, Bertrand; Robert, René; Fichet, Jérome; Piton, Gaël; Thevenot, Thierry; Capellier, Gilles; Di Martino, Vincent

2017-12-01

The best predictors of short- and medium-term mortality of cirrhotic patients receiving intensive care support are unknown. We conducted meta-analyses from 13 studies (2523 cirrhotics) after selection of original articles and response to a standardized questionnaire by the corresponding authors. End-points were in-ICU, in-hospital, and 6-month mortality in ICU survivors. A total of 301 pooled analyses, including 95 analyses restricted to 6-month mortality among ICU survivors, were conducted considering 249 variables (including reason for admission, organ replacement therapy, and composite prognostic scores). In-ICU, in-hospital, and 6-month mortality was 42.7, 54.1, and 75.1%, respectively. Forty-eight patients (3.8%) underwent liver transplantation during follow-up. In-ICU mortality was lower in patients admitted for variceal bleeding (OR 0.46; 95% CI 0.36-0.59; p < 0.001) and higher in patients with SOFA > 19 at baseline (OR 8.54; 95% CI 2.09-34.91; p < 0.001; PPV = 0.93). High SOFA no longer predicted mortality at 6 months in ICU survivors. Twelve variables related to infection were predictors of in-ICU mortality, including SIRS (OR 2.44; 95% CI 1.64-3.65; p < 0.001; PPV = 0.57), pneumonia (OR 2.18; 95% CI 1.47-3.22; p < 0.001; PPV = 0.69), sepsis-associated refractory oliguria (OR 10.61; 95% CI 4.07-27.63; p < 0.001; PPV = 0.76), and fungal infection (OR 4.38; 95% CI 1.11-17.24; p < 0.001; PPV = 0.85). Among therapeutics, only dopamine (OR 5.57; 95% CI 3.02-10.27; p < 0.001; PPV = 0.68), dobutamine (OR 8.92; 95% CI 3.32-23.96; p < 0.001; PPV = 0.86), epinephrine (OR 5.03; 95% CI 2.68-9.42; p < 0.001; PPV = 0.77), and MARS (OR 2.07; 95% CI 1.22-3.53; p = 0.007; PPV = 0.58) were associated with in-ICU mortality without heterogeneity. In ICU survivors, eight markers of liver and renal failure predicted 6-month mortality, including Child-Pugh stage C (OR 2.43; 95% CI 1.44-4.10; p < 0.001; PPV = 0.57), baseline MELD > 26 (OR 3.97; 95% CI 1.92-8.22; p < 0.0001; PPV = 0.75), and hepatorenal syndrome (OR 4.67; 95% CI 1.24-17.64; p = 0.022; PPV = 0.88). Prognosis of cirrhotic patients admitted to ICU is poor since only a minority undergo liver transplant. The prognostic performance of general ICU scores decreases over time, unlike the Child-Pugh and MELD scores, even recorded in the context of organ failure. Infection-related parameters had a short-term impact, whereas liver and renal failure had a sustained impact on mortality.

Redesigning the ICU nursing discharge process: a quality improvement study.

PubMed

Chaboyer, Wendy; Lin, Frances; Foster, Michelle; Retallick, Lorraine; Panuwatwanich, Kriengsak; Richards, Brent

2012-02-01

To evaluate the impact of a redesigned intensive care unit (ICU) nursing discharge process on ICU discharge delay, hospital mortality, and ICU readmission within 72 hours. A quality improvement study using a time series design and statistical process control analysis was conducted in one Australian general ICU. The primary outcome measure was hours of discharge delay per patient discharged alive per month, measured for 15 months prior to, and for 12 months after the redesigned process was implemented. The redesign process included appointing a change agent to facilitate process improvement, developing a patient handover sheet, requesting ward staff to nominate an estimated transfer time, and designing a daily ICU discharge alert sheet that included an expected date of discharge. A total of 1,787 ICU discharges were included in this study, 1,001 in the 15 months before and 786 in the 12 months after the implementation of the new discharge processes. There was no difference in in-hospital mortality after discharge from ICU or ICU readmission within 72 hours during the study period. However, process improvement was demonstrated by a reduction in the average patient discharge delay time of 3.2 hours (from 4.6 hour baseline to 1.0 hours post-intervention). Involving both ward and ICU staff in the redesign process may have contributed to a shared situational awareness of the problems, which led to more timely and effective ICU discharge processes. The use of a change agent, whose ongoing role involved follow-up of patients discharged from ICU, may have helped to embed the new process into practice. ©2011 Sigma Theta Tau International.

Intensive Care and its Discontents: Psychiatric Illness in the Critically Ill.

PubMed

Hashmi, Ali M; Han, Jin Y; Demla, Vishal

2017-09-01

Critically ill patients can develop a host of cognitive and psychiatric complaints during their intensive care unit (ICU) stay, many of which persist for weeks or months following discharge from the ICU and can seriously affect their quality of life, including their ability to return to work. This article describes some common psychiatric problems encountered by clinicians in the ICU, including their assessment and management. A comprehensive approach is needed to decrease patient suffering, improve morbidity and mortality, and ensure that critically ill patients can return to the highest quality of life after an ICU stay. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Prognostic Factors for Hospital Mortality and ICU Admission in Patients With ANCA-Related Pulmonary Vasculitis

PubMed Central

Holguin, Fernando; Ramadan, Bassel; Gal, Anthony A.; Roman, Jesse

2015-01-01

Background The objective of this study was to evaluate the factors predictive of 28-day mortality and admission to Intensive Care Unit (ICU) in patients with ANCA-related pulmonary vasculitis. Methods We reviewed the medical records and imaging studies of 65 patients diagnosed with ANCA-related vasculitis hospitalized with pulmonary complications between February 1985 and November 2002. All patients underwent open or video-assisted thoracoscopic lung biopsy, had a positive ANCA serology, and were negative for glomerular basement membrane antibodies. Results At presentation, 72% had dyspnea, 68% fever, 47% cough, 45% elevated blood pressure, 32.3% hemoptysis, 26.1% sinus involvement, 15% renal failure, and 4.6% scleritis. Pathological findings included alveolar hemorrhage (60%), granulomatous inflammation (46%), and capillaritis (38%). A significant number required mechanical ventilation (27.7%), hemodialysis (24.6%), continuous renal replacement therapy (3.1%), and plasmapheresis (3.1%). The 28-day mortality was 16.9% (11/65). Mechanical ventilation (OR 68, P < 0.005), admission to ICU (OR 18.5, P < 0.01), and blood transfusion (OR 22.4, P < 0.004) were strong predictors of increased mortality within 28 days after admission. Respiratory failure (OR 31, P < 0.0007), hemoptysis (OR 2.9, P < 0.06), smoking (OR 5.9, P < 0.02), and acute renal failure (OR 7.8, P < 0.01) were also predictors for admission to the ICU. Conclusion In patients with ANCA-related pulmonary vasculitis several clinical factors, but not pathologic findings or ANCA titers, are associated with ICU admission and/or 28-day mortality. PMID:18854674

Outcome scoring systems for short-term prognosis in critically ill cirrhotic patients.

PubMed

Tu, Kun-Hua; Jenq, Chang-Chyi; Tsai, Ming-Hung; Hsu, Hsiang-Hao; Chang, Ming-Yang; Tian, Ya-Chung; Hung, Cheng-Chieh; Fang, Ji-Tseng; Yang, Chih-Wei; Chen, Yung-Chang

2011-11-01

Cirrhotic patients admitted to intensive care units (ICUs) have high mortality rates. This study evaluated specific predictors and scoring systems for hospital and 6-month mortality in critically ill cirrhotic patients. This investigation is a prospective clinical study performed in a 10-bed specialized hepatogastroenterology ICU in a tertiary care university hospital in Taiwan. Two hundred two consecutive cirrhotic patients admitted to the ICU during a 2-year period were enrolled in this study. Demographic, clinical, and laboratory variables recorded on the first day of ICU admission and scoring systems applied were prospectively recorded for post hoc analysis for predicting survival. The overall hospital mortality was 59.9%, and the 6-month mortality rate was 70.8%. The main causes of cirrhosis were hepatitis B (29%), hepatitis C (22%), and alcoholism (20%). The major cause of ICU admission was upper gastrointestinal bleeding (36%). Multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that the Acute Kidney Injury Network (AKIN) score at the 48th hour of ICU admission and the Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) as well as the Model for End-Stage Liver Disease scores on the first day of ICU admission were independent risk factors for hospital mortality. The SOFA score had the best discriminatory power (0.872 ± 0.036), whereas the AKIN had the best Youden index (0.57) and the highest correctness of prediction (79%). Cumulative survival rates at the 6-month follow-up after hospital discharge differed significantly (P < 0.05) for AKIN stage 0 vs. stages 1, 2, and 3, and for AKIN stage 1 vs. stage 3. The AKIN, SOFA, and Model for End-stage Liver Disease (MELD) scores showed well discriminative power in predicting hospital mortality in this group of patients. The AKIN scoring system proved to be a reproducible evaluation tool with excellent prognostic abilities for these patients.

Multidrug Resistance Acinetobacter Bacteremia Secondary to Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia: Risk Factors and Outcome.

PubMed

Brotfain, Evgeni; Borer, Abraham; Koyfman, Leonid; Saidel-Odes, Lisa; Frenkel, Amit; Gruenbaum, Shaun E; Rosenzweig, Vsevolod; Zlotnik, Alexander; Klein, Moti

2017-10-01

Acinetobacter baumannii is a multidrug resistant (MDR), gram-negative bacterium commonly implicated in ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) in critically ill patients. Patients in the intensive care unit (ICU) with VAP often subsequently develop A baumannii bacteremia, which may significantly worsen outcomes. In this study, we retrospectively reviewed the clinical and laboratory records of 129 ICU patients spanning 6 years with MDR A baumannii VAP; 46 (35%) of these patients had concomitant MDR A baumannii bacteremia. The ICU mortality rate was higher in patients with VAP having A baumannii bacteremia compared to nonbacteremic patients (32.4% vs 9.6% respectively, P < .005). Age >65 years, an Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II (APACHE-II) score higher than 20, a Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score higher than 7 on the day of bacteremia, and the presence of comorbid disease (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease [COPD] and chronic renal failure) were found to be independent risk factors for in-hospital mortality in this population. Multidrug resistant A baumannii was not an independent risk factor for mortality. Although the presence of comorbid diseases (COPD and chronic renal failure) and severity of disease (APACHE > 20 and SOFA >7) were found to be independent risk factors for ICU mortality, MDR A baumannii bacteremia was not an independent risk factor for mortality in our critically ill population.

Stress ulcer prophylaxis with a proton pump inhibitor versus placebo in critically ill patients (SUP-ICU trial): study protocol for a randomised controlled trial.

PubMed

Krag, Mette; Perner, Anders; Wetterslev, Jørn; Wise, Matt P; Borthwick, Mark; Bendel, Stepani; Pelosi, Paolo; Keus, Frederik; Guttormsen, Anne Berit; Schefold, Joerg C; Møller, Morten Hylander

2016-04-19

Critically ill patients in the intensive care unit (ICU) are at risk of clinically important gastrointestinal bleeding, and acid suppressants are frequently used prophylactically. However, stress ulcer prophylaxis may increase the risk of serious adverse events and, additionally, the quantity and quality of evidence supporting the use of stress ulcer prophylaxis is low. The aim of the SUP-ICU trial is to assess the benefits and harms of stress ulcer prophylaxis with a proton pump inhibitor in adult patients in the ICU. We hypothesise that stress ulcer prophylaxis reduces the rate of gastrointestinal bleeding, but increases rates of nosocomial infections and myocardial ischaemia. The overall effect on mortality is unpredictable. The SUP-ICU trial is an investigator-initiated, pragmatic, international, multicentre, randomised, blinded, parallel-group trial of stress ulcer prophylaxis with a proton pump inhibitor versus placebo (saline) in 3350 acutely ill ICU patients at risk of gastrointestinal bleeding. The primary outcome measure is 90-day mortality. Secondary outcomes include the proportion of patients with clinically important gastrointestinal bleeding, pneumonia, Clostridium difficile infection or myocardial ischaemia, days alive without life support in the 90-day period, serious adverse reactions, 1-year mortality, and health economic analyses. The sample size will enable us to detect a 20 % relative risk difference (5 % absolute risk difference) in 90-day mortality assuming a 25 % event rate with a risk of type I error of 5 % and power of 90 %. The trial will be externally monitored according to Good Clinical Practice standards. Interim analyses will be performed after 1650 and 2500 patients. The SUP-ICU trial will provide high-quality data on the benefits and harms of stress ulcer prophylaxis with a proton pump inhibitor in critically ill adult patients admitted in the ICU. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02467621 .

Elderly persons with ICU-acquired weakness: the potential role for β-hydroxy-β-methylbutyrate (HMB) supplementation?

PubMed

Rahman, Adam; Wilund, Kenneth; Fitschen, Peter J; Jeejeebhoy, Khursheed; Agarwala, Ravi; Drover, John W; Mourtzakis, Marina

2014-07-01

Intensive care unit (ICU)-acquired weakness is common and characterized by muscle loss, weakness, and paralysis. It is associated with poor short-term outcomes, including increased mortality, but the consequences of reduced long-term outcomes, including decreased physical function and quality of life, can be just as devastating. ICU-acquired weakness is particularly relevant to elderly patients who are increasingly consuming ICU resources and are at increased risk for ICU-acquired weakness and complications, including mortality. Elderly patients often enter critical illness with reduced muscle mass and function and are also at increased risk for accelerated disuse atrophy with acute illness. Increasingly, intensivists and researchers are focusing on strategies and therapies aimed at improving long-term neuromuscular function. β-Hydroxy-β-methylbutyrate (HMB), an ergogenic supplement, has shown efficacy in elderly patients and certain clinical populations in counteracting muscle loss. The present review discusses ICU-acquired weakness, as well as the unique physiology of muscle loss and skeletal muscle function in elderly patients, and then summarizes the evidence for HMB in elderly patients and in clinical populations. We subsequently postulate on the potential role and strategies in studying HMB in elderly ICU patients to improve muscle mass and function. © 2013 American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition.

Comparison of European ICU patients in 2012 (ICON) versus 2002 (SOAP).

PubMed

Vincent, Jean-Louis; Lefrant, Jean-Yves; Kotfis, Katarzyna; Nanchal, Rahul; Martin-Loeches, Ignacio; Wittebole, Xavier; Sakka, Samir G; Pickkers, Peter; Moreno, Rui; Sakr, Yasser

2018-03-01

To evaluate differences in the characteristics and outcomes of intensive care unit (ICU) patients over time. We reviewed all epidemiological data, including comorbidities, types and severity of organ failure, interventions, lengths of stay and outcome, for patients from the Sepsis Occurrence in Acutely ill Patients (SOAP) study, an observational study conducted in European intensive care units in 2002, and the Intensive Care Over Nations (ICON) audit, a survey of intensive care unit patients conducted in 2012. We compared the 3147 patients from the SOAP study with the 4852 patients from the ICON audit admitted to intensive care units in the same countries as those in the SOAP study. The ICON patients were older (62.5 ± 17.0 vs. 60.6 ± 17.4 years) and had higher severity scores than the SOAP patients. The proportion of patients with sepsis at any time during the intensive care unit stay was slightly higher in the ICON study (31.9 vs. 29.6%, p = 0.03). In multilevel analysis, the adjusted odds of ICU mortality were significantly lower for ICON patients than for SOAP patients, particularly in patients with sepsis [OR 0.45 (0.35-0.59), p < 0.001]. Over the 10-year period between 2002 and 2012, the proportion of patients with sepsis admitted to European ICUs remained relatively stable, but the severity of disease increased. In multilevel analysis, the odds of ICU mortality were lower in our 2012 cohort compared to our 2002 cohort, particularly in patients with sepsis.

Worrisome trends in incidence and mortality of candidemia in intensive care units (Paris area, 2002-2010).

PubMed

Lortholary, Olivier; Renaudat, Charlotte; Sitbon, Karine; Madec, Yoann; Denoeud-Ndam, Lise; Wolff, Michel; Fontanet, Arnaud; Bretagne, Stéphane; Dromer, Françoise

2014-09-01

To analyze trends in incidence and mortality of candidemia in intensive care units (ICUs) vs. non-ICU hospitalized patients and to determine risk factors for infection by specific species and for death. Active hospital-based surveillance program of incident episodes of candidemia due to common species in 24 tertiary care hospitals in the Paris area, France between October 2002 and September 2010. Among 2,507 adult cases included, 2,571 Candida isolates were collected and species were C. albicans (56 %), C. glabrata (18.6 %), C. parapsilosis (11.5 %), C. tropicalis (9.3 %), C. krusei (2.9 %), and C. kefyr (1.8 %). Candidemia occurred in ICU in 1,206 patients (48.1 %). When comparing ICU vs. non-ICU patients, the former had significantly more frequent surgery during the past 30 days, were more often preexposed to fluconazole and treated with echinocandin, and were less frequently infected with C. parapsilosis. Risk factors and age remained unchanged during the study period. A significant increased incidence in the overall population and ICU was found. The odds of being infected with a given species in ICU was influenced by risk factors and preexposure to fluconazole and caspofungin. Echinocandins initial therapy increased over time in ICU (4.6 % first year of study, to 48.5 % last year of study, p < 0.0001). ICU patients had a higher day-30 death rate than non-ICU patients (odds ratio [OR] 2.12; 95 % confidence interval [CI] 1.66-2.72; p < 0.0001). The day-30 and early (

Comparison of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) rates between different ICUs: Implications of a zero VAP rate.

PubMed

Sundar, Krishna M; Nielsen, David; Sperry, Paul

2012-02-01

Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Measures to reduce the incidence of VAP have resulted in institutions reporting a zero or near-zero VAP rates. The implications of zero VAP rates are unclear. This study was done to compare outcomes between two intensive care units (ICU) with one of them reporting a zero VAP rate. This study retrospectively compared VAP rates between two ICUs: Utah Valley Regional Medical Center (UVRMC) with 25 ICU beds and American Fork Hospital (AFH) with 9 ICU beds. Both facilities are under the same management and attended by a single group of intensivists. Both ICUs have similar nursing and respiratory staffing patterns. Both ICUs use the same intensive care program for reduction of VAP rates. ICU outcomes between AFH (reporting zero VAP rate) and UVRMC (VAP rate of 2.41/1000 ventilator days) were compared for the years 2007-2008. UVRMC VAP rates during 2007 and 2008 were 2.31/1000 ventilator days and 2.5/1000 ventilator days respectively compared to a zero VAP rate at AFH. The total days of ventilation, mean days of ventilation per patient and mean duration of ICU stay per patient was higher in the UVRMC group as compared to AFH ICU group. There was no significant difference in mean age and APACHE II score between ICU patients at UVRMC and AFH. There was no statistical difference in rates of VAP and mortality between UVRMC and AFH. During comparisons of VAP rate between institutions, a zero VAP rate needs to be considered in the context of overall ventilator days, mean durations of ventilator stay and ICU mortality. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Short- and long-term outcomes of adult allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant patients admitted to the intensive care unit in the peritransplant period.

PubMed

Mayer, Sebastian; Pastores, Stephen M; Riedel, Elyn; Maloy, Molly; Jakubowski, Ann A

2017-02-01

Survival of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant (aHSCT) recipients in the intensive care unit (ICU) has been poor. We retrospectively analyzed the short- and long-term outcomes of aHSCT patients admitted to the ICU over a 12-year period. Of 1235 adult patients who had aHSCT between 2002 and 2013, 161 (13%) were admitted to the ICU. The impact of clinical parameters was assessed and outcomes were compared for the periods 2002-2007 and 2008-2013. The ICU, in-hospital, 1- and 5-year survival rates were 64.6%, 46%, 33% and 20%, respectively. Mechanical ventilation and vasopressor use predicted for worse hospital- and overall survival (OS). After 2008, the requirement for mechanical ventilation and vasopressors, and the diagnosis of sepsis were reduced. While hospital mortality decreased from 69% to 44%, long-term survival (LTS) remained unchanged. Late deaths, due to causes not associated with the ICU such as relapse and graft-versus-host disease, increased. As thresholds for transplant are lowered, improvements in ICU outcomes for aHSCT recipients may be limited.

Comparison of scoring systems and outcome of patients admitted to a liver intensive care unit of a tertiary referral centre with severe variceal bleeding.

PubMed

Al-Freah, M A B; Gera, A; Martini, S; McPhail, M J W; Devlin, J; Harrison, P M; Shawcross, D; Abeles, R D; Taylor, N J; Auzinger, G; Bernal, W; Heneghan, M A; Wendon, J A

2014-06-01

Acute variceal haemorrhage (AVH) is associated with significant mortality. To determine outcome and factors associated with hospital mortality (HM) in patients with AVH admitted to intensive care unit (ICU) and to compare outcomes of patients requiring transfer to a tertiary ICU (transfer group, TG) to a local in-patient group (LG). A retrospective study of all adult patients (N = 177) admitted to ICU with AVH from 2000-2008 was performed. Median age was 48 years (16-80). Male represented 58%. Median MELD score was 16 (6-39), SOFA score was 8 (6-11). HM was higher in patients who had severe liver disease or critical illness measured by MELD, SOFA, APACHE II scores and number of failed organs (NFO), P < 0.05. Patients with day-1 lactate ≥ 2 mmol/L had increased HM (P < 0.001). MELD score performed as well as APACHE II, SOFA and NFO (P < 0.001) in predicting HM (AUROC = 0.84, 0.81, 0.79 and 0.82, respectively P > 0.05 for pair wise comparisons). Re-bleeding was associated with increased HM (56.9% vs. 31.6%, P = 0.002). The TG (n = 124) had less severe liver disease and critical illness and consequently had lower HM than local patients (32% vs. 57%, P = 0.002). TG patients with ≥2 endoscopies prior to transfer had increased 6-week mortality (P = 0.03). Time from bleeding to transfer ≥3 days was associated with re-bleeding (OR = 2.290, P = 0.043). MELD score was comparable to ICU prognostic models in predicting mortality. Blood lactate was also predictive of hospital mortality. Delays in referrals and repeated endoscopy were associated with increased re-bleeding and mortality in this group. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

A Multi-Center Thai University-Based Surgical Intensive Care Units Study (THAI-SICU Study): Outcome of ICU Care and Adverse Events.

PubMed

Kongsayreepong, Suneerat; Chittawatanarat, Kaweesak; Thawitsri, Thammasak; Chatmongkolchart, Sunisa; Morakul, Sunthiti; Wacharasint, Petch; Chau-In, Waraporn; Poopipatpab, Sujaree; Kusumaphanyo, Chaiyapruk

2016-09-01

Surgical intensive care units (SICUs) are special units for critically ill surgical patients both in the pre and postoperative period. There is little aggregated information about surgical patients who are admitted to the Thai surgical ICU. The objective of this report was to describe patient characteristics, outcomes of ICU care, incidence and outcomes of adverse events in the SICU in the participating SICUs. This multi-center, prospective, observational study of nine university-based SICUs was done. All admitted patients with ages >18 years old were included. Information about patient characteristics, underlying medical problems, indication and type of ICU admission, severity score as ASA physical status in operative patients, APACHE II score and SOFA score, adverse events of interest, ventilator days, ICU and 28 days mortality. The association of outcome and predictors was reported by relative risk (RR) with 95% confidence interval (95% CI). Statistical significant difference was defined by p<0.05. During April 2011-January 2013 of total cohort time, a total of 4,652 patients from nine university-based SICUs were included in this study. Mode of patient age was 71-75 year old for both sexes. Median (IQR) of APACHE II scores and SOFA scores were 10 (7-10) and 2 (1-5), respectively. Seventy eight percent of patients were postoperative patients and 50% of them were ASA physical status III. The median of ICU stay was 2 (IQR 1-4) days. Each day of ICU increment was associated with increased 1.4 days of a hospital stay. Three percent of survived at discharge were clinically inappropriate discharge resulting in ICU readmission. Sixty-five percent were discharged home after ICU admission. ICU and 28 days mortality was 9.6% and 13.8%. The seven most common adverse events were sepsis (19.5%), acute kidney injury (AKI) (16.9%), new cardiac arrhythmias (6.2%), acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) (5.8%), cardiac arrest (4.9%), delirium (3.5%) and reintubation within 72 hours (3.0%), respectively. Most of the adverse events occurred in the first five days, significantly less occurred after 15 days of ICU admission. The association between adverse events and 28 days mortality were significant for cardiac arrest (RR, 9.5; 95% CI, 8.6-10.4), respiratory failure [acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) (RR, 4.6; 95% CI, 3.9-5.3), acute lung injury (ALI) (RR, 2.7; 95% CI, 2.1-3.6)], acute kidney injury (AKI) (RR, 4.2; 95% CI, 3.7-4.8), sepsis (RR, 3.6; 95% CI, 3.2-4.2), iatrogenic pneumothorax (RR, 3.2; 95% CI, 2.1-5.1), new seizure (RR, 3.1, 95% CI, 2.2-4.4), upper GI hemorrhage (RR, 3.0, 95% CI, 2.1-4.1), new cardiac arrhythmias (RR, 2.9; 95% CI, 2.4-3.5), delirium (RR, 2.1; 95% CI, 1.7-2.8), acute myocardial infarction (RR, 2.1; 95% CI, 1.4-3.1), unplanned extubation (RR, 2.1; 95% CI, 1.4-3.1), intra-abdominal hypertension (RR, 1.8; 95% CI, 1.2-2.7) and reintubation within 72 hours (RR, 1.5; 95% CI, 1.1-2.1). This is the first large study of surgical critical care in Thailand, which had a systematic patient follow-up program. Most of the patients were elderly. Adverse events were most frequent during the first 5 days of admission and were associated with ICU and 28 days mortality.

Validation of the Vasoactive-Inotropic Score in Pediatric Sepsis.

PubMed

McIntosh, Amanda M; Tong, Suhong; Deakyne, Sara J; Davidson, Jesse A; Scott, Halden F

2017-08-01

To assess the validity of Vasoactive-Inotropic Score as a scoring system for cardiovascular support and surrogate outcome in pediatric sepsis. Secondary retrospective analysis of a single-center sepsis registry. Freestanding children's hospital and tertiary referral center. Children greater than 60 days and less than 18 years with sepsis identified in the emergency department between January 2012 and June 2015 treated with at least one vasoactive medication within 48 hours of admission to the PICU. None. Vasoactive-Inotropic Score was abstracted at 6, 12, 24, and 48 hours post ICU admission. Primary outcomes were ventilator days and ICU length of stay. The secondary outcome was a composite outcome of cardiac arrest/extracorporeal membrane oxygenation/in-hospital mortality. One hundred thirty-eight patients met inclusion criteria. Most common infectious sources were pneumonia (32%) and bacteremia (23%). Thirty-three percent were intubated and mortality was 6%. Of the time points assessed, Vasoactive-Inotropic Score at 48 hours showed the strongest correlation with ICU length of stay (r = 0.53; p < 0.0001) and ventilator days (r = 0.52; p < 0.0001). On multivariable analysis, Vasoactive-Inotropic Score at 48 hours was a strong independent predictor of primary outcomes and intubation. For every unit increase in Vasoactive-Inotropic Score at 48 hours, there was a 13% increase in ICU length of stay (p < 0.001) and 8% increase in ventilator days (p < 0.01). For every unit increase in Vasoactive-Inotropic Score at 12 hours, there was a 14% increase in odds of having the composite outcome (p < 0.01). Vasoactive-Inotropic Score in pediatric sepsis patients is independently associated with important clinically relevant outcomes including ICU length of stay, ventilator days, and cardiac arrest/extracorporeal membrane oxygenation/mortality. Vasoactive-Inotropic Score may be a useful surrogate outcome in pediatric sepsis.

Effect of blood thiamine concentrations on mortality: Influence of nutritional status.

PubMed

Leite, Heitor Pons; de Lima, Lúcio Flávio Peixoto; Taddei, José Augusto de A C; Paes, Ângela Tavares

2018-04-01

To test the hypothesis that low blood thiamine concentrations in malnourished critically ill children are associated with higher risk of 30-d mortality. Prospective cohort study in 202 consecutively admitted children who had whole blood thiamine concentrations assessed on admission and on days 5 and 10 of intensive care unit (ICU) stay. The primary outcome variable was 30-d mortality. Mean blood thiamine concentrations within the first 10 d of ICU stay, age, sex, malnutrition, C-reactive protein concentration, Pediatric Index of Mortality 2 score, and severe sepsis/septic shock were the main potential exposure variables for outcome. Thiamine deficiency was detected in 61 patients within the first 10 d of ICU stay, 57 cases being diagnosed on admission and 4 new cases on the 5th d. C-reactive protein concentration during ICU stay was independently associated with decreased blood thiamine concentrations (P = 0.003). There was a significant statistical interaction between mean blood thiamine concentrations and malnutrition on the risk of 30-d mortality (P = 0.002). In an adjusted analysis, mean blood thiamine concentrations were associated with a decrease in the mortality risk in malnourished patients (odds ratio = 0.85; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.73-0.98; P = 0.029), whereas no effect was noted for well-nourished patients (odds ratio: 1.03; 95% CI: 0.94-1.13; P = 0.46). Blood thiamine concentration probably has a protective effect on the risk of 30-d mortality in malnourished patients but not in those who were well nourished. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Implications of ICU triage decisions on patient mortality: a cost-effectiveness analysis

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Introduction Intensive care is generally regarded as expensive, and as a result beds are limited. This has raised serious questions about rationing when there are insufficient beds for all those referred. However, the evidence for the cost effectiveness of intensive care is weak and the work that does exist usually assumes that those who are not admitted do not survive, which is not always the case. Randomised studies of the effectiveness of intensive care are difficult to justify on ethical grounds; therefore, this observational study examined the cost effectiveness of ICU admission by comparing patients who were accepted into ICU after ICU triage to those who were not accepted, while attempting to adjust such comparison for confounding factors. Methods This multi-centre observational cohort study involved 11 hospitals in 7 EU countries and was designed to assess the cost effectiveness of admission to intensive care after ICU triage. A total of 7,659 consecutive patients referred to the intensive care unit (ICU) were divided into those accepted for admission and those not accepted. The two groups were compared in terms of cost and mortality using multilevel regression models to account for differences across centres, and after adjusting for age, Karnofsky score and indication for ICU admission. The analyses were also stratified by categories of Simplified Acute Physiology Score (SAPS) II predicted mortality (< 5%, 5% to 40% and >40%). Cost effectiveness was evaluated as cost per life saved and cost per life-year saved. Results Admission to ICU produced a relative reduction in mortality risk, expressed as odds ratio, of 0.70 (0.52 to 0.94) at 28 days. When stratified by predicted mortality, the odds ratio was 1.49 (0.79 to 2.81), 0.7 (0.51 to 0.97) and 0.55 (0.37 to 0.83) for <5%, 5% to 40% and >40% predicted mortality, respectively. Average cost per life saved for all patients was $103,771 (€82,358) and cost per life-year saved was $7,065 (€5,607). These figures decreased substantially for patients with predicted mortality higher than 40%, $60,046 (€47,656) and $4,088 (€3,244), respectively. Results were very similar when considering three-month mortality. Sensitivity analyses performed to assess the robustness of the results provided findings similar to the main analyses. Conclusions Not only does ICU appear to produce an improvement in survival, but the cost per life saved falls for patients with greater severity of illness. This suggests that intensive care is similarly cost effective to other therapies that are generally regarded as essential. PMID:21306645

Risk of Death Influences Regional Variation in Intensive Care Unit Admission Rates among the Elderly in the United States.

PubMed

Cooke, Colin R

2016-01-01

The extent to which geographic variability in ICU admission across the United States is driven by patients with lower risk of death is unknown. To determine whether patients at low to moderate risk of death contribute to geographic variation in ICU admission. Retrospective cohort of hospitalizations among Medicare beneficiaries (age > 64 years) admitted for ten common medical and surgical diagnoses (2004 to 2009). We examined population-adjusted rates of ICU admission per 100 hospitalizations in 304 health referral regions (HRR), and estimated the relative risk of ICU admission across strata of regional ICU and risk of death, adjusted for patient and regional characteristics. ICU admission rates varied nearly two-fold across HRR quartiles (quartile 1 to 4: 13.6, 17.3, 20.0, and 25.2 per 100 hospitalizations, respectively). Observed mortality for patients in regions (quartile 4) with the greatest ICU use was 17% compared to 21% in regions with lowest ICU use (quartile 1) (p<0.001). After adjusting for patient and regional characteristics, including regional differences in ICU, skilled nursing, and long-term acute care bed capacity, individuals' risk of death modified the relationship between regional ICU use and an individual's risk of ICU admission (p for interaction<0.001). Region was least important in predicting ICU admission among patients with high (quartile 4) risk of death (RR 1.27, 95% CI 1.22-1.31, for high versus low ICU use regions), and most important for patients with moderate (quartile 2; RR 1.63, 95% CI 1.53-1.72, quartile 3; RR 1.56 95% CI 1.47-1.65) and low (quartile 1) risk of death (RR 1.50, 95% CI 1.41-1.59). There is wide variation in in ICU use by geography, independent of ICU beds and physician supply, for patients with low and moderate risks of death.

[Even more critical medicine: a retrospective analysis of casualties admitted to the intensive care unit in the Spanish Military Hospital in Herat (Afghanistan)].

PubMed

Navarro Suay, R; Bartolomé Cela, E; Jara Zozaya, I; Hernández Abadía de Barbará, A; Gutiérrez Ortega, C; García Labajo, J D; Planas Roca, A; Gilsanz Rodríguez, F

2011-04-01

To analyze casualties from firearm and explosives injuries who were admitted to the Intensive Care Unit in the Spanish ROLE-2E from December 2005 to December 2008 and to evaluate which damaging agent had produced the highest morbidity-mortality in our series using score indices with anatomical base (ISS and NISS). Observational and retrospective study performed between 2005 and 2008. Polyvalent Intensive Care Unit in the Spanish Military Hospital of those deployed in Afghanistan. The inclusion criteria were all patients who had been wounded by firearm or by explosive devices and who had been admitted in ICU in Spanish Military Hospital in Herat (Afghanistan). The anatomic scores Injury Severity Score and the New Injury Severity Score (NISS) were applied to all the selected patients to estimate the grade of severity of their injuries. Independent: damaging agent, injured anatomical area, protection measures and dependent: mortality, surgical procedure applied, score severity and socio-demographics and control variables. Eighty-six casualties, 30 by firearm and 56 by explosive devices. Applying the NISS, 38% of the casualties had suffered severe injuries. Mean stay in the ICU was 2.8 days and mortality was 10%. Significant differences in admission to the ICU for the damaging agent were not observed (P=.142). No significant differences were observed in the need for admission and stay in the ICU according to the damaging agent. The importance of the strategy, care and logistics of the intensive care military physician in Intensive Medicine in the Operating Room in Afghanistan is stressed. © 2010 Elsevier España, S.L. and SEMICYUC. All rights reserved.

[Transfer of allogeneic stem cell transplant recipients to the intensive care unit: Guidelines from the Francophone society of marrow transplantation and cellular therapy (SFGM-TC)].

PubMed

Moreau, Anne-Sophie; Bourhis, Jean-Henri; Contentin, Nathalie; Couturier, Marie-Anne; Delage, Jeremy; Dumesnil, Cécile; Gandemer, Virginie; Hichri, Yosr; Jost, Edgar; Platon, Laura; Jourdain, Mercé; Pène, Frédéric; Yakoub-Agha, Ibrahim

2016-11-01

Transferring a patient undergoing an allogeneic stem cell transplantation to the intensive care unit (ICU) is always a challenging situation on a medical and psychological point of view for the patient and his relatives as well as for the medical staff. Despite the progress in hematology and intensive care during the last decade, the prognosis of these patients admitted to the ICU remains poor and mortality is around 50 %. The harmonization working party of the SFGM-TC assembled hematologists and intensive care specialist in order to improve conditions and modalities of the transfer of a patient after allogeneic stem cell transplantation to the ICU. We propose a structured medical form comprising all essential information necessary for optimal medical care on ICU. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS.

Blood Glucose Measurement in the Intensive Care Unit: What Is the Best Method?

PubMed Central

Le, Huong T.; Harris, Neil S.; Estilong, Abby J.; Olson, Arvid; Rice, Mark J.

2013-01-01

Abnormal glucose measurements are common among intensive care unit (ICU) patients for numerous reasons and hypoglycemia is especially dangerous because these patients are often sedated and unable to relate the associated symptoms. Additionally, wide swings in blood glucose have been closely tied to increased mortality. Therefore, accurate and timely glucose measurement in this population is critical. Clinicians have several choices available to assess blood glucose values in the ICU, including central laboratory devices, blood gas analyzers, and point-of-care meters. In this review, the method of glucose measurement will be reviewed for each device, and the important characteristics, including accuracy, cost, speed of result, and sample volume, will be reviewed, specifically as these are used in the ICU environment. Following evaluation of the individual measurement devices and after considering the many features of each, recommendations are made for optimal ICU glucose determination. PMID:23567008

Efficient and sparse feature selection for biomedical text classification via the elastic net: Application to ICU risk stratification from nursing notes.

PubMed

Marafino, Ben J; Boscardin, W John; Dudley, R Adams

2015-04-01

Sparsity is often a desirable property of statistical models, and various feature selection methods exist so as to yield sparser and interpretable models. However, their application to biomedical text classification, particularly to mortality risk stratification among intensive care unit (ICU) patients, has not been thoroughly studied. To develop and characterize sparse classifiers based on the free text of nursing notes in order to predict ICU mortality risk and to discover text features most strongly associated with mortality. We selected nursing notes from the first 24h of ICU admission for 25,826 adult ICU patients from the MIMIC-II database. We then developed a pair of stochastic gradient descent-based classifiers with elastic-net regularization. We also studied the performance-sparsity tradeoffs of both classifiers as their regularization parameters were varied. The best-performing classifier achieved a 10-fold cross-validated AUC of 0.897 under the log loss function and full L2 regularization, while full L1 regularization used just 0.00025% of candidate input features and resulted in an AUC of 0.889. Using the log loss (range of AUCs 0.889-0.897) yielded better performance compared to the hinge loss (0.850-0.876), but the latter yielded even sparser models. Most features selected by both classifiers appear clinically relevant and correspond to predictors already present in existing ICU mortality models. The sparser classifiers were also able to discover a number of informative - albeit nonclinical - features. The elastic-net-regularized classifiers perform reasonably well and are capable of reducing the number of features required by over a thousandfold, with only a modest impact on performance. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Severe vitamin D deficiency upon admission in critically ill patients is related to acute kidney injury and a poor prognosis.

PubMed

Zapatero, A; Dot, I; Diaz, Y; Gracia, M P; Pérez-Terán, P; Climent, C; Masclans, J R; Nolla, J

2018-05-01

To evaluate the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in critically ill patients upon admission to an Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and its prognostic implications. A single-center, prospective observational study was carried out from January to November 2015. Patients were followed-up on until death or hospital discharge. The department of Critical Care Medicine of a university hospital. All adults admitted to the ICU during the study period, without known factors capable of altering serum 25(OH)D concentration. Determination of serum 25(OH)D levels within the first 24h following admission to the ICU. Prevalence and mortality at 28 days. The study included 135 patients, of which 74% presented deficient serum 25(OH)D levels upon admission to the ICU. Non-survivors showed significantly lower levels than survivors (8.14ng/ml [6.17-11.53] vs. 12ng/ml [7.1-20.30]; P=.04], and the serum 25(OH)D levels were independently associated to mortality (OR 2.86; 95% CI 1.05-7.86; P=.04]. The area under the ROC curve was 0.61 (95% CI 0.51-0.75), and the best cut-off point for predicting mortality was 10.9ng/ml. Patients with serum 25(OH)D<10.9ng/ml also showed higher acute kidney injury rates (13 vs. 29%; P=.02). Vitamin D deficiency is highly prevalent upon admission to the ICU. Severe Vitamin D deficiency (25[OH]D<10.9ng/ml) upon admission to the ICU is associated to acute kidney injury and mortality. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier España, S.L.U. y SEMICYUC. All rights reserved.

Predicting ICU mortality: a comparison of stationary and nonstationary temporal models.

PubMed Central

Kayaalp, M.; Cooper, G. F.; Clermont, G.

2000-01-01

OBJECTIVE: This study evaluates the effectiveness of the stationarity assumption in predicting the mortality of intensive care unit (ICU) patients at the ICU discharge. DESIGN: This is a comparative study. A stationary temporal Bayesian network learned from data was compared to a set of (33) nonstationary temporal Bayesian networks learned from data. A process observed as a sequence of events is stationary if its stochastic properties stay the same when the sequence is shifted in a positive or negative direction by a constant time parameter. The temporal Bayesian networks forecast mortalities of patients, where each patient has one record per day. The predictive performance of the stationary model is compared with nonstationary models using the area under the receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curves. RESULTS: The stationary model usually performed best. However, one nonstationary model using large data sets performed significantly better than the stationary model. CONCLUSION: Results suggest that using a combination of stationary and nonstationary models may predict better than using either alone. PMID:11079917

Red blood cell distribution width as a risk factor for inhospital mortality in obstetric patients admitted to an intensive care unit: a single centre retrospective cohort study.

PubMed

Chu, Yufeng; Yuan, Zhongshang; Meng, Mei; Zhou, Haiyan; Wang, Chunting; Yang, Gong; Ren, Hongsheng

2017-06-21

Red blood cell distribution width (RDW) has been shown to predict mortality in critically ill patients. To our knowledge, whether or not RDW is associated with clinical outcomes of obstetric patients requiring critical care has not been evaluated. This was a single centre, retrospective, observational study of obstetric patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU). Patients were excluded from the analysis if they had known haematological diseases or recently underwent blood transfusion. Patients who died or were discharged from the ICU within 24 hours of admission were also excluded. Patient clinical characteristics at ICU admission were retrieved from the medical charts. Multiple logistic regression was used to estimate OR and 95% CI for inhospital mortality associated with RDW. The receiver operating characteristic curve was used to examine the performance of RDW, alone or in combination with the Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II score (APACHE II), in predicting inhospital mortality. A total of 376 patients were included in the study. The hospital mortality rate was 5.32%. A significant association was found between baseline RDW levels and hospital mortality (OR per per cent increase in RDW, 1.31; 95% CI 1.15 to 1.49). Further adjustment for haematocrit and other potential confounders did not appreciably alter the result (p<0.001). The area under the curve (AUC) for inhospital mortality based on RDW was similar to that based on the APACHE II score (0.752 vs 0.766). A combination of these two factors resulted in substantial improvement in risk prediction, with an AUC value of 0.872 (p<0.001). The study suggests that RDW is an independent predictor for inhospital mortality among ICU admitted obstetric patients. Combining RDW and APACHE II score could significantly improve inhospital prognostic prediction among these critically ill obstetric patients. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2017. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

The epidemiology of sepsis in Brazilian intensive care units (the Sepsis PREvalence Assessment Database, SPREAD): an observational study.

PubMed

Machado, Flavia R; Cavalcanti, Alexandre Biasi; Bozza, Fernando Augusto; Ferreira, Elaine M; Angotti Carrara, Fernanda Sousa; Sousa, Juliana Lubarino; Caixeta, Noemi; Salomao, Reinaldo; Angus, Derek C; Pontes Azevedo, Luciano Cesar

2017-11-01

The sepsis burden on acute care services in middle-income countries is a cause for concern. We estimated incidence, prevalence, and mortality of sepsis in adult Brazilian intensive care units (ICUs) and association of ICU organisational factors with outcome. We did a 1-day point prevalence study with follow-up of patients in ICU with sepsis in a nationally representative pseudo-random sample. We produced a sampling frame initially stratified by geographical region. Each stratum was then stratified by hospitals' main source of income (serving general public vs privately insured individuals) and ICU size (ten or fewer beds vs more than ten beds), finally generating 40 strata. In each stratum we selected a random sample of ICUs so as to enrol the total required beds in 1690 Brazilian adult ICUs. We followed up patients until hospital discharge censored at 60 days, estimated incidence from prevalence and length of stay, and generated national estimates. We assessed mortality prognostic factors using random-effects logistic regression models. On Feb 27, 2014, 227 (72%) of 317 ICUs that were randomly selected provided data on 2632 patients, of whom 794 had sepsis (30·2 septic patients per 100 ICU beds, 95% CI 28·4-31·9). The ICU sepsis incidence was 36·3 per 1000 patient-days (95% CI 29·8-44·0) and mortality was observed in 439 (55·7%) of 788 patients (95% CI 52·2-59·2). Low availability of resources (odds ratio [OR] 1·67, 95% CI 1·02-2·75, p=0·045) and adequacy of treatment (OR 0·56, 0·37-0·84, p=0·006) were independently associated with mortality. The projected incidence rate is 290 per 100 000 population (95% CI 237·9-351·2) of adult cases of ICU-treated sepsis per year, which yields about 420 000 cases annually, of whom 230 000 die in hospital. The incidence, prevalence, and mortality of ICU-treated sepsis is high in Brazil. Outcome varies considerably, and is associated with access to adequate resources and treatment. Our results show the burden of sepsis in resource-limited settings, highlighting the need to establish programmes aiming for sepsis prevention, early diagnosis, and adequate treatment. Fundação de Apoio a Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP). Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effect of evidence-based feeding guidelines on mortality of critically ill adults: a cluster randomized controlled trial.

PubMed

Doig, Gordon S; Simpson, Fiona; Finfer, Simon; Delaney, Anthony; Davies, Andrew R; Mitchell, Imogen; Dobb, Geoff

2008-12-17

Evidence demonstrates that providing nutritional support to intensive care unit (ICU) patients within 24 hours of ICU admission reduces mortality. However, early feeding is not universally practiced. Changing practice in complex multidisciplinary environments is difficult. Evidence supporting whether guidelines can improve ICU feeding practices and patient outcomes is contradictory. To determine whether evidence-based feeding guidelines, implemented using a multifaceted practice change strategy, improve feeding practices and reduce mortality in ICU patients. Cluster randomized trial in ICUs of 27 community and tertiary hospitals in Australia and New Zealand. Between November 2003 and May 2004, 1118 critically ill adult patients expected to remain in the ICU longer than 2 days were enrolled. All participants completed the study. Intensive care units were randomly assigned to guideline or control groups. Guideline ICUs developed an evidence-based guideline using Browman's Clinical Practice Guideline Development Cycle. A practice-change strategy composed of 18 specific interventions, leveraged by educational outreach visits, was implemented in guideline ICUs. Hospital discharge mortality. Secondary outcomes included ICU and hospital length of stay, organ dysfunction, and feeding process measures. Guideline and control ICUs enrolled 561 and 557 patients, respectively. Guideline ICUs fed patients earlier (0.75 vs 1.37 mean days to enteral nutrition start; difference, -0.62 [95% confidence interval {CI}, -0.82 to -0.36]; P < .001 and 1.04 vs 1.40 mean days to parenteral nutrition start; difference, -0.35 [95% CI, -0.61 to -0.01]; P = .04) and achieved caloric goals more often (6.10 vs 5.02 mean days per 10 fed patient-days; difference, 1.07 [95% CI, 0.12 to 2.22]; P = .03). Guideline and control ICUs did not differ with regard to hospital discharge mortality (28.9% vs 27.4%; difference, 1.4% [95% CI, -6.3% to 12.0%]; P = .75) or to hospital length of stay (24.2 vs 24.3 days; difference, -0.08 [95% CI, -3.8 to 4.4]; P = .97) or ICU length of stay (9.1 vs 9.9 days; difference, -0.86 [95% CI, -2.6 to 1.3]; P = .42). Using a multifaceted practice change strategy, ICUs successfully developed and introduced an evidence-based nutritional support guideline that promoted earlier feeding and greater nutritional adequacy. However, use of the guideline did not improve clinical outcomes. Trial Registration anzctr.org.au Identifier: ACTRN12608000407392.

An evaluation of the impact of the ventilator care bundle.

PubMed

Crunden, Eddie; Boyce, Carolyn; Woodman, Helen; Bray, Barbara

2005-01-01

A number of interventions have been shown to improve the outcomes of patients who are invasively ventilated in intensive care units (ICUs). However, significant problems still exist in implementing research findings into clinical practice. The aim of this study was to assess whether the systematic and methodical implementation of evidence-based interventions encapsulated in a care bundle influenced length of ventilation and ICU length of stay (LOS). A ventilator care bundle was introduced within a general ICU and evaluated 1 year later. The care bundle was composed of four protocols that consisted of prophylaxis against peptic ulceration, prophylaxis against deep vein thrombosis, daily cessation of sedation and elevation of the patient's head and chest to at least 30 degrees to the horizontal. Compliance with the bundle was assessed, as was ICU LOS, ICU mortality and ICU/high-dependency unit patient throughput. Mean ICU LOS was reduced from 13-75 [standard deviation (SD) 19.11] days to 8.36 (SD 10.21) days (p<0.05). Mean ventilator days were reduced from 10.8 (SD 15.58) days to 6.1 (SD 8.88) days. Unit patient throughput increased by 30.1% and the number of invasively ventilated patients increased by 39.5%. Care bundles encourage the consistent and systematic application of evidence-based protocols used in particular treatment regimes. Since the introduction of the ventilator care bundle, length of ventilation and ICU LOS have reduced significantly.

Vital Signs Directed Therapy: Improving Care in an Intensive Care Unit in a Low-Income Country.

PubMed

Baker, Tim; Schell, Carl Otto; Lugazia, Edwin; Blixt, Jonas; Mulungu, Moses; Castegren, Markus; Eriksen, Jaran; Konrad, David

2015-01-01

Global Critical Care is attracting increasing attention. At several million deaths per year, the worldwide burden of critical illness is greater than generally appreciated. Low income countries (LICs) have a disproportionally greater share of critical illness, and yet critical care facilities are scarce in such settings. Routines utilizing abnormal vital signs to identify critical illness and trigger medical interventions have become common in high-income countries but have not been investigated in LICs. The aim of the study was to assess whether the introduction of a vital signs directed therapy protocol improved acute care and reduced mortality in an Intensive Care Unit (ICU) in Tanzania. Prospective, before-and-after interventional study in the ICU of a university hospital in Tanzania. A context-appropriate protocol that defined danger levels of severely abnormal vital signs and stipulated acute treatment responses was implemented in a four week period using sensitisation, training, job aids, supervision and feedback. Acute treatment of danger signs at admission and during care in the ICU and in-hospital mortality were compared pre and post-implementation using regression models. Danger signs from 447 patients were included: 269 pre-implementation and 178 post-implementation. Acute treatment of danger signs was higher post-implementation (at admission: 72.9% vs 23.1%, p<0.001; in ICU: 16.6% vs 2.9%, p<0.001). A danger sign was five times more likely to be treated post-implementation (Prevalence Ratio (PR) 4.9 (2.9-8.3)). Intravenous fluids were given in response to 35.0% of hypotensive episodes post-implementation, as compared to 4.1% pre-implementation (PR 6.4 (2.5-16.2)). In patients admitted with hypotension, mortality was lower post-implementation (69.2% vs 92.3% p = 0.02) giving a numbers-needed-to-treat of 4.3. Overall in-hospital mortality rates were unchanged (49.4% vs 49.8%, p = 0.94). The introduction of a vital signs directed therapy protocol improved the acute treatment of abnormal vital signs in an ICU in a low-income country. Mortality rates were reduced for patients with hypotension at admission but not for all patients.

Heterogeneous postsurgical data analytics for predictive modeling of mortality risks in intensive care units.

PubMed

Yun Chen; Hui Yang

2014-01-01

The rapid advancements of biomedical instrumentation and healthcare technology have resulted in data-rich environments in hospitals. However, the meaningful information extracted from rich datasets is limited. There is a dire need to go beyond current medical practices, and develop data-driven methods and tools that will enable and help (i) the handling of big data, (ii) the extraction of data-driven knowledge, (iii) the exploitation of acquired knowledge for optimizing clinical decisions. This present study focuses on the prediction of mortality rates in Intensive Care Units (ICU) using patient-specific healthcare recordings. It is worth mentioning that postsurgical monitoring in ICU leads to massive datasets with unique properties, e.g., variable heterogeneity, patient heterogeneity, and time asyncronization. To cope with the challenges in ICU datasets, we developed the postsurgical decision support system with a series of analytical tools, including data categorization, data pre-processing, feature extraction, feature selection, and predictive modeling. Experimental results show that the proposed data-driven methodology outperforms traditional approaches and yields better results based on the evaluation of real-world ICU data from 4000 subjects in the database. This research shows great potentials for the use of data-driven analytics to improve the quality of healthcare services.

FOUR Score Predicts Early Outcome in Patients After Traumatic Brain Injury.

PubMed

Nyam, Tee-Tau Eric; Ao, Kam-Hou; Hung, Shu-Yu; Shen, Mei-Li; Yu, Tzu-Chieh; Kuo, Jinn-Rung

2017-04-01

The aim of the study was to determine whether the Full Outline of UnResponsiveness (FOUR) score, which includes eyes opening (E), motor function (M), brainstem reflex (B), and respiratory pattern (R), can be used as an alternate method to the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) in predicting intensive care unit (ICU) mortality in traumatic brain injury (TBI) patients. From January 2015 to June 2015, patients with isolated TBI admitted to the ICU were enrolled. Three advanced practice nurses administered the FOUR score, GCS, Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II (APACHE II), and Therapeutic Intervention Scoring System (TISS) concurrently from ICU admissions. The endpoint of observation was mortality when the patients left the ICU. Data are presented as frequency with percentages, mean with standard deviation, or median with interquartile range. Each measurement tool used area under the receiver operating characteristic curve to compare the predictive power between these four tools. In addition, the difference between survival and death was estimated using the Wilcoxon rank sum test. From 55 TBI patients, males (72.73 %) were represented more than females, the mean age was 63.1 ± 17.9, and 19 of 55 observations (35 %) had a maximum FOUR score of 16. The overall mortality rate was 14.6 %. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was 74.47 % for the FOUR score, 74.73 % for the GCS, 81.78 % for the APACHE II, and 53.32 % for the TISS. The FOUR score has similar predictive power of mortality compared to the GCS and APACHE II. Each of the parameters-E, M, B, and R-of the FOUR score showed a significant difference between mortality and survival group, while the verbal and eye-opening components of the GCS did not. Having similar predictive power of mortality compared to the GCS and APACHE II, the FOUR score can be used as an alternative in the prediction of early mortality in TBI patients in the ICU.

[Effects of blood glucose control on glucose variability and clinical outcomes in patients with severe acute pancreatitis in intensive care unit].

PubMed

Wu, Jing; Sun, Qiuhong; Yang, Hua

2015-05-19

To explore the effects of blood glucose control on glucose variability and clinical outcomes in patients with severe acute pancreatitis in intensive care unit (ICU). A total of 72 ICU patients with severe acute pancreatitis were recruited and divided randomly into observation and control groups (n = 36 each). Both groups were treated conventionally. And the observation group achieved stable blood glucose at 6.1-8.3 mmol/L with intensive glucose control. The length of ICU and hospital stays, ICU mortality rate, transit operative rate, concurrent infection rate, admission blood glucose, glycosylated hemoglobin, mean insulin dose, mean blood glucose, blood glucose value standard deviation (GLUSD), glycemic liability index (GLUGLI) and mean amplitude of glycemic excursion (GLUMAGE) of two groups were compared. At the same time, the relationship between blood glucose variability, ICU mortality rate and its predictive value were analyzed by correlation analysis and receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC). The lengths of ICU and hospital stays of observation group were all significantly less than those of the control group [(11.7 ± 9.9) vs (15.9 ± 8.02) days, (21.8 ± 10.8) vs (28.2 ± 12.7) days, P < 0.05]. In observation group, the rates of pulmonary infection (27.78%) and hematogenous infection (5.56%) were all significantly lower than those of control group (72.22%, 38.89%, P < 0.05). The values of mean blood glucose value and GLUSD of observation group were significantly lower than those of control group [(7.4 ± 1.1) vs (9.6 ± 1.2), (1.8 ± 1.0) vs (2.5 ± 1.3) mmol/L]. The differences were statistically significant (P < 0.05). While the dose of insulin [(70.2 ± 47.6) vs (34.4 ± 38.6) U/d] was significantly higher than that of control group (P < 0.05). Bivariate correlation analysis showed that ICU mortality rate was positively correlated with GLUGLI (r = 0.368, P < 0.05). ROC curve analysis showed that, AUC of GLUGLI was 0.748 and 95% CI 0.551-0.965 (P < 0.05). Intensive glucose control in patients with severe acute pancreatitis helps reduce the blood sugar fluctuations, lower the risks of infectious complications and promote the patient rehabilitation. And GLUGLI is positively correlated with ICU mortality rate. It has good predictive values.

Electroconvulsive therapy in the intensive care unit for the treatment of catatonia: a case series and review of the literature.

PubMed

Dessens, Femke M; van Paassen, Judith; van Westerloo, David J; van der Wee, Nic J; van Vliet, Irene M; van Noorden, Martijn S

2016-01-01

Catatonia is an underdiagnosed syndrome that may occur in severely ill patients. The malignant subtype, consisting of motor symptoms, autonomic instability and fever, is associated with high mortality rates, though exact current mortality rates are unknown. This subtype requires a fast detection and treatment with high doses of a benzodiazepine or electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), preferably in an intensive care unit (ICU) setting. Case series and qualitative literature review. This paper presents four patients admitted to the ICU of an academic hospital diagnosed with malignant catatonia. All patients received ECT after an ineffective trial of high-dose intravenous benzodiazepine treatment. The duration of ECT ranged from 6 to 23 treatments after which the catatonic features partially or fully remitted. In addition, we have reviewed the diagnostic challenges, neurobiology, possible causes, differential diagnosis and treatment options of catatonia, focusing on the treatment with ECT and the importance of detection and multidisciplinary collaboration. Malignant catatonia is an underdiagnosed, potentially life-threatening syndrome that requires fast recognition and prompt treatment, preferably in an ICU setting. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Long-term outcome of elderly patients requiring intensive care admission for abdominal pathologies: survival and quality of life.

PubMed

Merlani, P; Chenaud, C; Mariotti, N; Ricou, B

2007-05-01

Medical developments have allowed the management of patients aged over 70 years with severe abdominal pathologies requiring intensive care unit (ICU) admission. These patients require enhanced life support and present a high ICU mortality. We investigated the outcome and quality of life (QOL) of elderly patients 2 years after their ICU stay for abdominal pathologies. Patients aged 70 years or over with abdominal pathologies, admitted to our ICU over a period of 2 years, were included. Two years following their ICU stay, a letter informed the patients about the present study. Consent to participate was obtained by telephone. QOL was assessed by the Euro-QOL and Short Form-36 questionnaires. Other patient-centered outcomes were evaluated. Overall, 2780 patients were admitted to the ICU during the study period; 141 (5%) patients were eligible; 112 of the 141 (79%) survived their ICU stay, 95 (67%) survived their hospital stay and 52 (37%) were alive 2 years after their ICU stay; 36 of the 52 survivors (69%) answered the questionnaire. Their QOL 2 years after their ICU stay was decreased in comparison with an age-matched population. Eighty-one per cent of patients lived at home and 57% were totally independent. They perceived their ICU stay as positive and 75% stated that they would agree to go through intensive care again. Factors associated with 2-year survival were the absence of co-morbidity, absence of malignancy and a lower Simplified Acute Physiology II score on ICU admission. A high mortality rate and a decrease in QOL were observed in elderly patients with severe abdominal pathologies. Nonetheless, these patients were able to adapt well to their physical disabilities.

National survey of outcomes and practices in acute respiratory distress syndrome in Singapore.

PubMed

Siddiqui, Shahla; Puthucheary, Zudin; Phua, Jason; Ho, Benjamin; Tan, Jonathan; Chuin, Siau; Lim, Noelle Louise; Soh, Chai Rick; Loo, Chian Min; Tan, Addy Y H; Mukhopadhyay, Amartya; Khan, Faheem Ahmed; Johan, Azman; Tan, Aik Hau; MacLaren, Graeme; Taculod, Juvel; Ramos, Blesilda; Han, Tun Aung; Cove, Matthew E

2017-01-01

In the past 20 years, our understanding of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) management has improved, but the worldwide incidence and current outcomes are unclear. The reported incidence is highly variable, and no studies specifically characterise ARDS epidemiology in Asia. This observation study aims to determine the incidence, mortality and management practices of ARDS in a high income South East Asian country. We conducted a prospective, population based observational study in 6 public hospitals. During a one month period, we identified all ARDS patients admitted to public hospital intensive care units (ICU) in Singapore, according to the Berlin definition. Demographic information, clinical management data and ICU outcome data was collected. A total of 904 adult patients were admitted to ICU during the study period and 15 patients met ARDS criteria. The unadjusted incidence of ARDS was 4.5 cases per 100,000 population, accounting for 1.25% of all ICU patients. Most patients were male (75%), Chinese (62%), had pneumonia (73%), and were admitted to a Medical ICU (56%). Management strategies varied across all ICUs. In-hospital mortality was 40% and median length of ICU stay was 7 days. The incidence of ARDS in a developed S.E Asia country is comparable to reported rates in European studies.

National survey of outcomes and practices in acute respiratory distress syndrome in Singapore

PubMed Central

Puthucheary, Zudin; Phua, Jason; Ho, Benjamin; Tan, Jonathan; Chuin, Siau; Lim, Noelle Louise; Soh, Chai Rick; Loo, Chian Min; Tan, Addy Y. H.; Mukhopadhyay, Amartya; Khan, Faheem Ahmed; Johan, Azman; Tan, Aik Hau; MacLaren, Graeme; Taculod, Juvel; Ramos, Blesilda; Han, Tun Aung; Cove, Matthew E.

2017-01-01

Introduction In the past 20 years, our understanding of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) management has improved, but the worldwide incidence and current outcomes are unclear. The reported incidence is highly variable, and no studies specifically characterise ARDS epidemiology in Asia. This observation study aims to determine the incidence, mortality and management practices of ARDS in a high income South East Asian country. Methods We conducted a prospective, population based observational study in 6 public hospitals. During a one month period, we identified all ARDS patients admitted to public hospital intensive care units (ICU) in Singapore, according to the Berlin definition. Demographic information, clinical management data and ICU outcome data was collected. Results A total of 904 adult patients were admitted to ICU during the study period and 15 patients met ARDS criteria. The unadjusted incidence of ARDS was 4.5 cases per 100,000 population, accounting for 1.25% of all ICU patients. Most patients were male (75%), Chinese (62%), had pneumonia (73%), and were admitted to a Medical ICU (56%). Management strategies varied across all ICUs. In-hospital mortality was 40% and median length of ICU stay was 7 days. Conclusion The incidence of ARDS in a developed S.E Asia country is comparable to reported rates in European studies. PMID:28622342

Clinical features and outcomes in patients with disseminated toxoplasmosis admitted to intensive care: a multicenter study.

PubMed

Schmidt, Matthieu; Sonneville, Romain; Schnell, David; Bigé, Naike; Hamidfar, Rebecca; Mongardon, Nicolas; Castelain, Vincent; Razazi, Keyvan; Marty, Antoine; Vincent, François; Dres, Martin; Gaudry, Stephane; Luyt, Charles Edouard; Das, Vincent; Micol, Jean-Baptiste; Demoule, Alexandre; Mayaux, Julien

2013-12-01

Characteristics and outcomes of adult patients with disseminated toxoplasmosis admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) have rarely been described. We performed a retrospective study on consecutive adult patients with disseminated toxoplasmosis who were admitted from January 2002 through December 2012 to the ICUs of 14 university-affiliated hospitals in France. Disseminated toxoplasmosis was defined as microbiological or histological evidence of disease affecting >1 organ in immunosuppressed patients. Isolated cases of cerebral toxoplasmosis were excluded. Clinical data on admission and risk factors for 60-day mortality were collected. Thirty-eight patients were identified during the study period. Twenty-two (58%) had received an allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant (median, 61 [interquartile range {IQR}, 43-175] days before ICU admission), 4 (10%) were solid organ transplant recipients, and 10 (27%) were infected with human immunodeficiency virus (median CD4 cell count, 14 [IQR, 6-33] cells/µL). The main indications for ICU admission were acute respiratory failure (89%) and shock (53%). The 60-day mortality rate was 82%. Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant (hazard ratio [HR] = 2.28; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.05-5.35; P = .04) and systolic cardiac dysfunction (HR = 3.54; 95% CI, 1.60-8.10; P < .01) within 48 hours of ICU admission were associated with mortality. Severe disseminated toxoplasmosis leading to ICU admission has a poor prognosis. Recipients of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant appear to have the highest risk of mortality. We identified systolic cardiac dysfunction as a major determinant of outcome. Strategies aimed at preventing this fatal opportunistic infection may improve outcomes.

Rational Use of Second-Generation Antipsychotics for the Treatment of ICU Delirium.

PubMed

Mo, Yoonsun; Yam, Felix K

2017-02-01

Delirium, described as an acute neuropsychiatric syndrome, occurs commonly in critically ill patients and leads to many negative outcomes including increased mortality and long-term cognitive deficits. Despite the lack of clinical data supporting the use of antipsychotics for the management of intensive care unit (ICU) delirium, pharmacological interventions are often needed to control acutely agitated patients. Given that the most current guidelines do not advocate the use of haloperidol for either the prevention or treatment of ICU delirium due to a lack of evidence, second-generation antipsychotics (SGAs) have been commonly used as alternatives to haloperidol for ICU patients with delirium. Nonetheless, the evidence supporting the use of SGAs to treat ICU delirium remains limited. This review is designed to assess the available clinical evidence and highlights the different neuropharmacological and safety properties of SGAs in order to guide the rational use of SGAs for the treatment of ICU delirium.

Outcomes of an extended-infusion piperacillin-tazobactam protocol implementation in a community teaching hospital adult intensive care unit.

PubMed

Schmees, Patrick M; Bergman, Scott J; Strader, Brandi D; Metzke, Megan E; Pointer, Sarah; Valenti, Kristine M

2016-06-01

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the outcome differences between patients receiving piperacillin-tazobactam pre- and post-implementation of an extended infusion dosing protocol in a community teaching hospital adult intensive care unit. On December 19th, 2011, extended infusion dosing of piperacillin-tazobactam was implemented at St. John's Hospital's intensive and cardiac care units (ICU/CCU) following IRB-approval. This is a historical case-control cohort study involving review of electronic medical charts of patients who received traditional or extended infusion therapy. Data was collected for patients that received piperacillin-tazobactam in the ICU/CCU from December 19th, 2010 through March 19th, 2011 for traditional infusion and from December 19th, 2011 through March 19th, 2012 for extended infusion. Primary endpoints were ICU/CCU mortality at discharge and length of stay. The study included 113 patients with 52 in the traditional-infusion group and 61 extended-infusion group. There was no statistically significant difference in the primary end-point of ICU/CCU mortality between the two groups (14.8% vs. 21.1%; p = 0.374). In the extended infusion group, there was a shorter length of ICU and CCU stay (8.32 vs. 12.06 days; p = 0.025) and shorter length of hospital stay (11.32 vs. 19.7 days; p = 0.006). The extended-infusion group showed a decrease in cost of therapy that was statistically significant ($120.21 vs. $155.17; p = 0.035). Adverse drug effects did not differ between the two study groups. This study showed that treatment with extended-infusion piperacillin-tazobactam therapy improved patient outcomes while maintaining patient safety and decreasing costs. Copyright © 2016 by the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, Inc. All rights reserved.

AKI in Hospitalized Children: Comparing the pRIFLE, AKIN, and KDIGO Definitions

PubMed Central

Byrnes, John J.; Kothari, Manish; Longhurst, Christopher A.; Dutta, Sanjeev; Garcia, Pablo; Goldstein, Stuart L.

2015-01-01

Background and objectives Although several standardized definitions for AKI have been developed, no consensus exists regarding which to use in children. This study applied the Pediatric RIFLE (pRIFLE), AKI Network (AKIN), and Kidney Disease Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) criteria to an anonymized cohort of hospitalizations extracted from the electronic medical record to compare AKI incidence and outcomes in intensive care unit (ICU) and non-ICU pediatric populations. Design, setting, participants, & measurements Observational, electronic medical record–enabled study of 14,795 hospitalizations at the Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital between 2006 and 2010. AKI and AKI severity stage were defined by the pRIFLE, AKIN, and KDIGO definitions according to creatinine change criteria; urine output criteria were not used. The incidences of AKI and each AKI stage were calculated for each classification system. All-cause, in-hospital mortality and total hospital length of stay (LOS) were compared at each subsequent AKI stage by Fisher exact and Kolmogorov–Smirnov tests, respectively. Results AKI incidences across the cohort according to pRIFLE, AKIN, and KDIGO were 51.1%, 37.3%, and 40.3%. Mortality was higher among patients with AKI across all definitions (pRIFLE, 2.3%; AKIN, 2.7%; KDIGO, 2.5%; P<0.001 versus no AKI [0.8%–1.0%]). Within the ICU, pRIFLE, AKIN, and KDIGO demonstrated progressively higher mortality at each AKI severity stage; AKI was not associated with mortality outside the ICU by any definition. Both in and outside the ICU, AKI was associated with significantly higher LOS at each AKI severity stage across all three definitions (P<0.001). Definitions resulted in differences in diagnosis and staging of AKI; staging agreement ranged from 76.7% to 92.5%. Conclusions Application of the three definitions led to differences in AKI incidence and staging. AKI was associated with greater mortality and LOS in the ICU and greater LOS outside the ICU. All three definitions demonstrated excellent interstage discrimination. While each definition offers advantages, these results underscore the need to adopt a single, universal AKI definition. PMID:25649155

N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide and cardiac troponin I for the prognostic utility in elderly patients with severe sepsis or septic shock in intensive care unit: A retrospective study.

PubMed

Cheng, Hui; Fan, Wei-Ze; Wang, Sheng-Chi; Liu, Zhao-Hui; Zang, Hui-Ling; Wang, Li-Zhong; Liu, Hong-Juan; Shen, Xiao-Hui; Liang, Shao-Qing

2015-06-01

Using biomarkers to predict mortality in patient with severe sepsis or septic shock is of importance, as these patients frequently have high mortality and unsatisfied outcome. N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) and cardiac troponin I (cTnI) play extremely important roles in prognostic value in the mortality of severe sepsis and septic shock. The present study was retrospectively designed to evaluate the predicting mortality of NT-proBNP and cTnI in elderly patients with severe sepsis or septic shock administered in the intensive care unit (ICU) and also to evaluate whether the predicting ability of Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II (APACHE-II) score or C-reactive protein (CRP) was increased in combination with the biomarkers. A cohort of 430 patients (aged ≥65 years) with severe sepsis or septic shock admitted to our ICU between October 2011 and December 2013 was included in the study. Patient data including clinical, laboratory, and survival and mortality were collected. All patients were examined with NT-proBNP, cTnI, CRP, and APACHE-II score and were categorized as the survived and deceased groups according to the outcome 30 days after ICU treatment. The levels of NT-proBNP and cTnI (P < .01) or CRP (P < .05) were significantly higher in the deceased group than those in the survived group. The predicting mortality of APACHE-II score alone was low but largely improved, when it was combined with both NT-proBNP and cTnI (P < .05). The alteration of NT-proBNP and cTnI levels strongly predicated the ICU prognosis in elderly patients with severe sepsis or septic shock. N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide and cTnI were superior to CRP in predicting mortality. The predicting ability of APACHE-II score was improved only when combined with NT-proBNP and cTnI. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Resistance patterns and outcomes in intensive care unit (ICU)-acquired pneumonia. Validation of European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) classification of multidrug resistant organisms.

PubMed

Martin-Loeches, Ignacio; Torres, Antonio; Rinaudo, Mariano; Terraneo, Silvia; de Rosa, Francesca; Ramirez, Paula; Diaz, Emili; Fernández-Barat, Laia; Li Bassi, Gian Luigi; Ferrer, Miquel

2015-03-01

Bacterial resistance has become a major public health problem. To validate the definition of multidrug-resistant organisms (MDRO) based on the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) classification. Prospective, observational study in six medical and surgical Intensive-Care-Units (ICU) of a University hospital. Three-hundred-and-forty-three patients with ICU-acquired pneumonia (ICUAP) were prospectively enrolled, 140 patients had no microbiological confirmation (41%), 82 patients (24%) developed ICUAP for non-MDRO, whereas 121 (35%) were MDROs. Non-MDRO, MDRO and no microbiological confirmation patients did not present either a significant different previous antibiotic use (p 0.18) or previous hospital admission (p 0.17). Appropriate antibiotic therapy was associated with better ICU survival (105 [92.9%] vs. 74 [82.2%]; p = 0.03). An adjusted multivariate regression logistic analysis identified that only MDRO had a higher ICU-mortality than non-MDRO and no microbiological confirmation patients (OR 2.89; p < 0.05; 95% CI for Exp [β]. 1.02-8.21); Patients with MDRO ICUAP remained in ICU for a longer period than MDRO and no microbiological confirmation respectively (p < 0.01) however no microbiological confirmation patients had more often antibiotic consumption than culture positive ones. Patients who developed ICUAP due to MDRO showed a higher ICU-mortality than non-MDRO ones and use of ICU resources. No microbiological confirmation patients had more often antibiotic consumption than culture positive patients. Risk factors for MDRO may be important for the selection of initial antimicrobial therapy, in addition to local epidemiology. Copyright © 2014 The British Infection Association. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

[Characteristics and factors associated with mortality in patients receiving mechanical ventilation: first Chilean multicenter study].

PubMed

Tomicic, Vinko; Espinoza, Mauricio; Andresen, Max; Molina, Jorge; Calvo, Mario; Ugarte, Héctor; Godoy, Jorge; Gálvez, Sergio; Maurelia, Juan Carlos; Delgado, Iris; Esteban, Andrés

2008-08-01

The outcome of mechanically ventilated patients can be influenced by factors such as the indication of mechanical ventilation (MV) and ventilator parameters. To describe the characteristics of patients receiving MV in Chilean critical care units. Prospective cohort of consecutive adult patients admitted to 19 intensive care units (ICU) from 9 Chilean cities who received MV for more than 12 hours between September lst, 2003, and September 28th, 2003. Demographic data, severity of illness, reason for the initiation of MV, ventilation modes and settings as well as weaning strategies were registered at the initiation and then, daily throughout the course of MV for up to 28 days. ICU and hospital mortality were recorded. Of 588 patients admitted, 156 (26.5%) received MV (57% males). Mean age and Simplified Acute Physiology Score-II (SAPS II) were 54.6+/-18 years and 40.6+/-16.4 points respectively The most common indications for MV were acute respiratory failure (71.1%) and coma (22.4%). Assist-control mode (71.6%) and synchronized intermittent mandatory ventilation (SIMV) (14,2%) were the most frequently used. T-tube was the main weaning strategy. Mean duration of MV and length of stay in ICU were 7.8+/-8.7 and 11.1+/- 14 days respectively. Overall ICU mortality was 33.9% (53 patients). The main factors independently associated with increased mortality were (1) SAPS II > or =60 points (Odds Ratio (OR), 10.5; 95% CI, 1.04-106.85) and (2) plateau pressure > or =30 cm H2O at second day (OR, 3.9; 95% CI, 1.17-12.97). Conditions present at the onset of MV and ventilator management were similar to those reported in the literature. Magnitude of multiorgan dysfunction and high plateau pressures are the most important factors associated with mortality.

Prediction and Outcome of Intensive Care Unit-Acquired Paresis.

PubMed

Peñuelas, Oscar; Muriel, Alfonso; Frutos-Vivar, Fernando; Fan, Eddy; Raymondos, Konstantinos; Rios, Fernando; Nin, Nicolás; Thille, Arnaud W; González, Marco; Villagomez, Asisclo J; Davies, Andrew R; Du, Bin; Maggiore, Salvatore M; Matamis, Dimitrios; Abroug, Fekri; Moreno, Rui P; Kuiper, Michael A; Anzueto, Antonio; Ferguson, Niall D; Esteban, Andrés

2018-01-01

Intensive care unit-acquired paresis (ICUAP) is associated with poor outcomes. Our objective was to evaluate predictors for ICUAP and the short-term outcomes associated with this condition. A secondary analysis of a prospective study including 4157 mechanically ventilated adults in 494 intensive care units from 39 countries. After sedative interruption, patients were screened for ICUAP daily, which was defined as the presence of symmetric and flaccid quadriparesis associated with decreased or absent deep tendon reflexes. A multinomial logistic regression was used to create a predictive model for ICUAP. Propensity score matching was used to estimate the relationship between ICUAP and short-term outcomes (ie, weaning failure and intensive care unit [ICU] mortality). Overall, 114 (3%) patients had ICUAP. Variables associated with ICUAP were duration of mechanical ventilation (relative risk ratio [RRR] per day, 1.10; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.08-1.12), steroid therapy (RRR 1.8; 95% CI, 1.2-2.8), insulin therapy (RRR 1.8; 95% CI 1.2-2.7), sepsis (RRR 1.9; 95% CI: 1.2 to 2.9), acute renal failure (RRR 2.2; 95% CI 1.5-3.3), and hematological failure (RRR 1.9; 95% CI: 1.2-2.9). Coefficients were used to generate a weighted scoring system to predict ICUAP. ICUAP was significantly associated with both weaning failure (paired rate difference of 22.1%; 95% CI 9.8-31.6%) and ICU mortality (paired rate difference 10.5%; 95% CI 0.1-24.0%). Intensive care unit-acquired paresis is relatively uncommon but is significantly associated with weaning failure and ICU mortality. We constructed a weighted scoring system, with good discrimination, to predict ICUAP in mechanically ventilated patients at the time of awakening.

Mortality Prediction Using Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II and Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation IV Scoring Systems: Is There a Difference?

PubMed Central

Venkataraman, Ramesh; Gopichandran, Vijayaprasad; Ranganathan, Lakshmi; Rajagopal, Senthilkumar; Abraham, Babu K; Ramakrishnan, Nagarajan

2018-01-01

Background: Mortality prediction in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) setting is complex, and there are several scoring systems utilized for this process. The Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) II has been the most widely used scoring system; although, the more recent APACHE IV is considered an updated and advanced prediction model. However, these two systems may not give similar mortality predictions. Objectives: The aim of this study is to compare the mortality prediction ability of APACHE II and APACHE IV scoring systems among patients admitted to a tertiary care ICU. Methods: In this prospective longitudinal observational study, APACHE II and APACHE IV scores of ICU patients were computed using an online calculator. The outcome of the ICU admissions for all the patients was collected as discharged or deceased. The data were analyzed to compare the discrimination and calibration of the mortality prediction ability of the two scores. Results: Out of the 1670 patients' data analyzed, the area under the receiver operating characteristic of APACHE II score was 0.906 (95% confidence interval [CI] – 0.890–0.992), and APACHE IV score was 0.881 (95% CI – 0.862–0.890). The mean predicted mortality rate of the study population as given by the APACHE II scoring system was 44.8 ± 26.7 and as given by APACHE IV scoring system was 29.1 ± 28.5. The observed mortality rate was 22.4%. Conclusions: The APACHE II and IV scoring systems have comparable discrimination ability, but the calibration of APACHE IV seems to be better than that of APACHE II. There is a need to recalibrate the scales with weights derived from the Indian population. PMID:29910542

Mortality Prediction Using Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II and Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation IV Scoring Systems: Is There a Difference?

PubMed

Venkataraman, Ramesh; Gopichandran, Vijayaprasad; Ranganathan, Lakshmi; Rajagopal, Senthilkumar; Abraham, Babu K; Ramakrishnan, Nagarajan

2018-05-01

Mortality prediction in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) setting is complex, and there are several scoring systems utilized for this process. The Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) II has been the most widely used scoring system; although, the more recent APACHE IV is considered an updated and advanced prediction model. However, these two systems may not give similar mortality predictions. The aim of this study is to compare the mortality prediction ability of APACHE II and APACHE IV scoring systems among patients admitted to a tertiary care ICU. In this prospective longitudinal observational study, APACHE II and APACHE IV scores of ICU patients were computed using an online calculator. The outcome of the ICU admissions for all the patients was collected as discharged or deceased. The data were analyzed to compare the discrimination and calibration of the mortality prediction ability of the two scores. Out of the 1670 patients' data analyzed, the area under the receiver operating characteristic of APACHE II score was 0.906 (95% confidence interval [CI] - 0.890-0.992), and APACHE IV score was 0.881 (95% CI - 0.862-0.890). The mean predicted mortality rate of the study population as given by the APACHE II scoring system was 44.8 ± 26.7 and as given by APACHE IV scoring system was 29.1 ± 28.5. The observed mortality rate was 22.4%. The APACHE II and IV scoring systems have comparable discrimination ability, but the calibration of APACHE IV seems to be better than that of APACHE II. There is a need to recalibrate the scales with weights derived from the Indian population.

The effect of physician staffing model on patient outcomes in a medical progressive care unit.

PubMed

Yoo, E J; Damaghi, N; Shakespeare, W G; Sherman, M S

2016-04-01

Although evidence supports the impact of intensivist physician staffing in improving intensive care unit (ICU) outcomes, the optimal coverage for progressive care units (PCU) is unknown. We sought to determine how physician staffing models influence outcomes for intermediate care patients. We conducted a retrospective observational comparison of patients admitted to the medical PCU of an academic hospital during 12-month periods of high-intensity and low-intensity staffing. A total of 318 PCU patients were eligible for inclusion (143 high-intensity and 175 low-intensity). We found that low-intensity patients were more often stepped up from the emergency department and floor, whereas high-intensity patients were ICU transfers (61% vs 42%, P = .001). However, Mortality Probability Model scoring was similar between the 2 groups. In adjusted analysis, there was no association between intensity of staffing and hospital mortality (odds ratio, 0.84; 95% confidence interval, 0.36-1.99; P = .69) or PCU mortality (odds ratio, 0.96; 95% confidence interval, 0.38-2.45; P = .69). There was also no difference in subsequent ICU admission rates or in PCU length of stay. We found no evidence that high-intensity intensivist physician staffing improves outcomes for intermediate care patients. In a strained critical care system, our study raises questions about the role of the intensivist in the graded care options between intensive and conventional ward care. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Early Exposure to Recommended Calorie Delivery in the Intensive Care Unit Is Associated With Increased Mortality in Patients With Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome.

PubMed

Peterson, Sarah J; Lateef, Omar B; Freels, Sally; McKeever, Liam; Fantuzzi, Giamila; Braunschweig, Carol A

2017-06-01

The Intensive Nutrition in Acute Lung Injury: Clinical Trial (INTACT), designed to evaluate outcomes of calorie delivery from acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) diagnosis through hospital discharge, was stopped due to higher mortality in the intervention group. Post hoc analysis found timing and dose of calorie delivery influenced mortality. The objective of this retrospective cohort study was to determine if early vs late calorie exposure changed the hazard of death among a larger sample of patients with ARDS. Adult patients who met the eligibility criteria for INTACT but did not participate were included. Daily calorie delivery was collected from the date INTACT eligibility was determined to extubation or death. Cox proportional hazards regression was used to model the relationship between hazard of hospital death with average calorie exposure received over increasing study days and after day 7. A total of 298 patients were included; overall mortality was 33%. Among patients who remained intubated at 1 week (n = 202), higher kcal/kg received from intensive care unit (ICU) days 1-6 increased hazards of subsequent death on days 7+ (hazard ratio [HR], 1.04; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.01-1.06); kcal/kg received after ICU day 7 decreased the hazards of death on day 7+ (HR, 0.53; 95% CI, 0.33-0.84). Higher calorie exposure between ICU days 1 and 7 was associated with higher subsequent hazard of mortality, and provision of high-calorie exposure after day 8 decreased the hazards of death.

Acute renal failure requiring renal replacement therapy in the intensive care unit: impact on prognostic assessment for shared decision making.

PubMed

Johnson, Robert F; Gustin, Jillian

2011-07-01

A 69-year-old female was receiving renal replacement therapy (RRT) for acute renal failure (ARF) in an intensive care unit (ICU). Consultation was requested from the palliative medicine service to facilitate a shared decision-making process regarding goals of care. Clinician responsibility in shared decision making includes the formulation and expression of a prognostic assessment providing the necessary perspective for a spokesperson to match patient values with treatment options. For this patient, ARF requiring RRT in the ICU was used as a focal point for preparing a prognostic assessment. A prognostic assessment should include the outcomes of most importance to a discussion of goals of care: mortality risk and survivor functional status, in this case including renal recovery. A systematic review of the literature was conducted to document published data regarding these outcomes for adult patients receiving RRT for ARF in the ICU. Forty-one studies met the inclusion criteria. The combined mean values for short-term mortality, long-term mortality, renal-function recovery of short-term survivors, and renal-function recovery of long-term survivors were 51.7%, 68.6%, 82.0%, and 88.4%, respectively. This case example illustrates a process for formulating and expressing a prognostic assessment for an ICU patient requiring RRT for ARF. Data from the literature review provide baseline information that requires adjustment to reflect specific patient circumstances. The nature of the acute primary process, comorbidities, and severity of illness are key modifiers. Finally, the prognostic assessment is expressed during a family meeting using recommended principles of communication.

Performance of International Classification of Diseases-based injury severity measures used to predict in-hospital mortality and intensive care admission among traumatic brain-injured patients.

PubMed

Gagné, Mathieu; Moore, Lynne; Sirois, Marie-Josée; Simard, Marc; Beaudoin, Claudia; Kuimi, Brice Lionel Batomen

2017-02-01

The International Classification of Diseases (ICD) is the main classification system used for population-based traumatic brain injury (TBI) surveillance activities but does not contain direct information on injury severity. International Classification of Diseases-based injury severity measures can be empirically derived or mapped to the Abbreviated Injury Scale, but no single approach has been formally recommended for TBI. The aim of this study was to compare the accuracy of different ICD-based injury severity measures for predicting in-hospital mortality and intensive care unit (ICU) admission in TBI patients. We conducted a population-based retrospective cohort study. We identified all patients 16 years or older with a TBI diagnosis who received acute care between April 1, 2006, and March 31, 2013, from the Quebec Hospital Discharge Database. The accuracy of five ICD-based injury severity measures for predicting mortality and ICU admission was compared using measures of discrimination (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve [AUC]) and calibration (calibration plot and the Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness-of-fit statistic). Of 31,087 traumatic brain-injured patients in the study population, 9.0% died in hospital, and 34.4% were admitted to the ICU. Among ICD-based severity measures that were assessed, the multiplied derivative of ICD-based Injury Severity Score (ICISS-Multiplicative) demonstrated the best discriminative ability for predicting in-hospital mortality (AUC, 0.858; 95% confidence interval, 0.852-0.864) and ICU admissions (AUC, 0.813; 95% confidence interval, 0.808-0.818). Calibration assessments showed good agreement between observed and predicted in-hospital mortality for ICISS measures. All severity measures presented high agreement between observed and expected probabilities of ICU admission for all deciles of risk. The ICD-based injury severity measures can be used to accurately predict in-hospital mortality and ICU admission in TBI patients. The ICISS-Multiplicative generally outperformed other ICD-based injury severity measures and should be preferred to control for differences in baseline characteristics between TBI patients in surveillance activities or injury research when only ICD codes are available. Prognostic study, level III.

Role of organisational factors on the ‘weekend effect’ in critically ill patients in Brazil: a retrospective cohort analysis

PubMed Central

Zampieri, Fernando G; Lisboa, Thiago C; Correa, Thiago D; Bozza, Fernando A; Ferez, Marcus; Fernandes, Haggeas S; Japiassú, André M; Verdeal, Juan Carlos R; Carvalho, Ana Cláudia P; Knibel, Marcos F; Mazza, Bruno F; Colombari, Fernando; Vieira, José Mauro; Viana, William N; Costa, Roberto; Godoy, Michele M; Maia, Marcelo O; Caser, Eliana B; Salluh, Jorge I F; Soares, Marcio

2018-01-01

Introduction Higher mortality for patients admitted to intensive care units (ICUs) during the weekends has been occasionally reported with conflicting results that could be related to organisational factors. We investigated the effects of ICU organisational and staffing patterns on the potential association between weekend admission and outcomes in critically ill patients. Methods We included 59 614 patients admitted to 78 ICUs participating during 2013. We defined ‘weekend admission’ as any ICU admission from Friday 19:00 until Monday 07:00. We assessed the association between weekend admission with hospital mortality using a mixed logistic regression model controlling for both patient-level (illness severity, age, comorbidities, performance status and admission type) and ICU-level (decrease in nurse/bed ratio on weekend, full-time intensivist coverage, use of checklists on weekends and number of institutional protocols) confounders. We performed secondary analyses in the subgroup of scheduled surgical admissions. Results A total of 41 894 patients (70.3%) were admitted on weekdays and 17 720 patients (29.7%) on weekends. In univariable analysis, weekend admitted patients had higher ICU (10.9% vs 9.0%, P<0.001) and hospital (16.5% vs 13.5%, P<0.001) mortality. After adjusting for confounders, weekend admission was not associated with higher hospital mortality (OR 1.05, 95% CI 0.99 to 1.12, P=0.095). However, a ‘weekend effect’ was still observed in scheduled surgical admissions, as well as in ICUs not using checklists during the weekends. For unscheduled admissions, no ‘weekend effect’ was observed regardless of ICU’s characteristics. For scheduled surgical admissions, a ‘weekend effect’ was present only in ICUs with a low number of implemented protocols and those with a reduction in the nurse/bed ratio and not applying checklists during weekends. Conclusions ICU organisational factors, such as decreased nurse-to-patient ratio, absence of checklists and fewer standardised protocols, may explain, in part, increases in mortality in patients admitted to the ICU mortality on weekends. PMID:29371274

Clinical experience with severe 2009 H1N1 influenza in the intensive care unit at King Saud Medical City, Saudi Arabia.

PubMed

Mady, A; Ramadan, O S; Yousef, A; Mandourah, Y; Amr, A A; Kherallah, M

2012-03-01

The objective of this study was to describe the epidemiological characteristics, clinical features, treatment, and outcome of 2009 H1N1-infected patients who were admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) at King Saud Medical City (KSMC) in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Retrospectively, we collected demographic data as well as data on the clinical presentation and risk factors for 86 patients who were admitted to the ICU with H1N1 influenza A. The APACHE IV System was used to assess the severity of the illness. The overall hospital mortality was calculated and correlated with the use of steroids and the time of oseltamivir administration. The mean age of the patients was 40.8 years. Mortality increased steadily with increasing APACHE IV score. Patients who received steroids had a mortality rate of 47% compared with 23% for patients who were not treated with steroids; this difference was significant, with a P value of <0.01. The late administration of oseltamivir was associated with a mortality rate of 82% compared with 28% in the context of early oseltamivir administration; this difference was significant, with a P value of <0.01. Patients who were admitted to the ICU with severe 2009 H1N1 infection were young and had a relatively high severity-of-illness score. The late administration of oseltamivir was associated with a 12-fold increase in mortality. Steroid use was associated with a 3-fold increase in mortality. Copyright © 2011 King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Admission factors associated with hospital mortality in patients with haematological malignancy admitted to UK adult, general critical care units: a secondary analysis of the ICNARC Case Mix Programme Database

PubMed Central

2009-01-01

Introduction Patients with haematological malignancy admitted to intensive care have a high mortality. Adverse prognostic factors include the number of organ failures, invasive mechanical ventilation and previous bone marrow transplantation. Severity-of-illness scores may underestimate the mortality of critically ill patients with haematological malignancy. This study investigates the relationship between admission characteristics and outcome in patients with haematological malignancies admitted to intensive care units (ICUs) in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and assesses the performance of three severity-of-illness scores in this population. Methods A secondary analysis of the Intensive Care National Audit and Research Centre (ICNARC) Case Mix Programme Database was conducted on admissions to 178 adult, general ICUs in England, Wales and Northern Ireland between 1995 and 2007. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to identify factors associated with hospital mortality. The Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) II score, Simplified Acute Physiology Score (SAPS) II and ICNARC score were evaluated for discrimination (the ability to distinguish survivors from nonsurvivors); and the APACHE II, SAPS II and ICNARC mortality probabilities were evaluated for calibration (the accuracy of the estimated probability of survival). Results There were 7,689 eligible admissions. ICU mortality was 43.1% (3,312 deaths) and acute hospital mortality was 59.2% (4,239 deaths). ICU and hospital mortality increased with the number of organ failures on admission. Admission factors associated with an increased risk of death were bone marrow transplant, Hodgkin's lymphoma, severe sepsis, age, length of hospital stay prior to intensive care admission, tachycardia, low systolic blood pressure, tachypnoea, low Glasgow Coma Score, sedation, PaO2:FiO2, acidaemia, alkalaemia, oliguria, hyponatraemia, hypernatraemia, low haematocrit, and uraemia. The ICNARC model had the best discrimination of the three scores analysed, as assessed by the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.78, but all scores were poorly calibrated. APACHE II had the highest accuracy at predicting hospital mortality, with a standardised mortality ratio of 1.01. SAPS II and the ICNARC score both underestimated hospital mortality. Conclusions Increased hospital mortality is associated with the length of hospital stay prior to ICU admission and with severe sepsis, suggesting that, if appropriate, such patients should be treated aggressively with early ICU admission. A low haematocrit was associated with higher mortality and this relationship requires further investigation. The severity-of-illness scores assessed in this study had reasonable discriminative power, but none showed good calibration. PMID:19706163

Admission factors associated with hospital mortality in patients with haematological malignancy admitted to UK adult, general critical care units: a secondary analysis of the ICNARC Case Mix Programme Database.

PubMed

Hampshire, Peter A; Welch, Catherine A; McCrossan, Lawrence A; Francis, Katharine; Harrison, David A

2009-01-01

Patients with haematological malignancy admitted to intensive care have a high mortality. Adverse prognostic factors include the number of organ failures, invasive mechanical ventilation and previous bone marrow transplantation. Severity-of-illness scores may underestimate the mortality of critically ill patients with haematological malignancy. This study investigates the relationship between admission characteristics and outcome in patients with haematological malignancies admitted to intensive care units (ICUs) in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and assesses the performance of three severity-of-illness scores in this population. A secondary analysis of the Intensive Care National Audit and Research Centre (ICNARC) Case Mix Programme Database was conducted on admissions to 178 adult, general ICUs in England, Wales and Northern Ireland between 1995 and 2007. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to identify factors associated with hospital mortality. The Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) II score, Simplified Acute Physiology Score (SAPS) II and ICNARC score were evaluated for discrimination (the ability to distinguish survivors from nonsurvivors); and the APACHE II, SAPS II and ICNARC mortality probabilities were evaluated for calibration (the accuracy of the estimated probability of survival). There were 7,689 eligible admissions. ICU mortality was 43.1% (3,312 deaths) and acute hospital mortality was 59.2% (4,239 deaths). ICU and hospital mortality increased with the number of organ failures on admission. Admission factors associated with an increased risk of death were bone marrow transplant, Hodgkin's lymphoma, severe sepsis, age, length of hospital stay prior to intensive care admission, tachycardia, low systolic blood pressure, tachypnoea, low Glasgow Coma Score, sedation, PaO2:FiO2, acidaemia, alkalaemia, oliguria, hyponatraemia, hypernatraemia, low haematocrit, and uraemia. The ICNARC model had the best discrimination of the three scores analysed, as assessed by the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.78, but all scores were poorly calibrated. APACHE II had the highest accuracy at predicting hospital mortality, with a standardised mortality ratio of 1.01. SAPS II and the ICNARC score both underestimated hospital mortality. Increased hospital mortality is associated with the length of hospital stay prior to ICU admission and with severe sepsis, suggesting that, if appropriate, such patients should be treated aggressively with early ICU admission. A low haematocrit was associated with higher mortality and this relationship requires further investigation. The severity-of-illness scores assessed in this study had reasonable discriminative power, but none showed good calibration.

Ward mortality after ICU discharge: a multicenter validation of the Sabadell score.

PubMed

Fernandez, Rafael; Serrano, Jose Manuel; Umaran, Isabel; Abizanda, Ricard; Carrillo, Andres; Lopez-Pueyo, Maria Jesus; Rascado, Pedro; Balerdi, Begoña; Suberviola, Borja; Hernandez, Gonzalo

2010-07-01

Tools for predicting post-ICU patients' outcomes are scarce. A single-center study showed that the Sabadell score classified patients into four groups with clear-cut differences in ward mortality. To validate the Sabadell score using a prospective multicenter approach. Thirty-one ICUs in Spain. All patients admitted in the 3-month study period. We recorded variables at ICU admission (age, sex, severity of illness, and do-not-resuscitate orders), during the ICU stay (ICU-specific treatments, ICU-acquired infection, and acute renal failure), and at ICU discharge (Sabadell score). Statistical analyses included one-way ANOVA and multiple regression analysis with ward mortality as the dependent variable. We admitted 4,132 patients (mean age 61.5 +/- 16.7 years) with mean predicted mortality of 23.8 +/- 22.7%; 545 patients (13%) died in the ICU and 3,587 (87%) were discharged to the ward. Overall ward mortality was 6.7%; ward mortality was 1.5% (36/2,422) in patients with score 0 (good prognosis), 9% (64/725) in patients with score 1 (long-term poor prognosis), 23% (79/341) in patients with score 2 (short-term poor prognosis), and 64% (63/99) in patients with score 3 (expected hospital death). Variables associated with ward mortality in the multivariate analysis were predicted risk of death (OR 1.016), ICU readmission (OR 5.9), Sabadell score 1 (OR 4.7), Sabadell score 2 (OR 15.7), and Sabadell score 3 (OR 107.2). We confirm the ability of the Sabadell score at ICU discharge to define four groups of patients with very different likelihoods of hospital survival.

First influenza season after the 2009 pandemic influenza: report of the first 300 ICU admissions in Spain.

PubMed

Rodríguez, A; Martin-Loeches, I; Bonastre, J; Olaechea, P; Alvarez-Lerma, F; Zaragoza, R; Guerrero, J; Blanco, J; Gordo, F; Pozo, F; Lorente, J; Carratalá, J; Cordero, M; Rello, J; Esteban, A; León, C

2011-05-01

During the 2009 influenza pandemic, several reports were published, nevertheless, data on the clinical profiles of critically ill patients with the new virus infection during this second outbreak are still lacking. Prospective, observational, multi-center study conducted in 148 Spanish intensive care units (ICU) during epidemiological weeks 50-52 of 2010 and weeks 1 - 4 of 2011. Three hundred patients admitted to an intensive care unit (ICU) with confirmed An/H1N1 infection were analyzed. The median age was 49 years [IQR=38-58] and 62% were male. The mean APACHE II score was 16.9 ± 7.5 and the mean SOFA score was 6.3 ± 3.5 on admission. Comorbidities were present in 76% (n=228) of cases and 111 (37.4%) patients were reportedly obese and 59 (20%) were COPD. The main presentation was viral pneumonia with severe hypoxemia in 65.7% (n=197) of the patients whereas co-infection was identified in 54 (18%) patients. All patients received antiviral treatment and initiated empirically in 194 patients (65.3%), however only 53 patients (17.6%) received early antiviral treatment. Vaccination was only administered in 22 (7.3%) patients. Sixty-seven of 200 patients with ICU discharge died. Haematological disease, severity of illness, infiltrates in chest X-ray and need for mechanical ventilation were variables independently associated with ICU mortality. In patients admitted to the ICU in the post-pandemic seasonal influenza outbreak vaccination was poorly implemented and appear to have higher frequency of severe comorbidities, severity of illness, incidence of primary viral pneumonia and increased mortality when compared with those observed in the 2009 pandemic outbreak. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier España, S.L. y SEMICYUC. All rights reserved.

Impact of adherence to standard operating procedures for pneumonia on outcome of intensive care unit patients.

PubMed

Nachtigall, Irit; Tamarkin, Andrey; Tafelski, Sascha; Deja, Maria; Halle, Elke; Gastmeier, Petra; Wernecke, Klaus D; Bauer, Torsten; Kastrup, Marc; Spies, Claudia

2009-01-01

Pneumonia accounts for almost half of intensive care unit (ICU) infections and nearly 60% of deaths from nosocomial infections. It increases hospital stay by 7-9 days, crude mortality by 70% and attributable mortality by 30%. Our purpose was to assess the impact of standard operating procedures adapted to the local resistance rates in the initial empirical treatment for pneumonia on duration of first pneumonia episode, duration of mechanical ventilation, and length of ICU stay. Prospective observational cohort study with retrospective expert audit. Five anesthesiologically managed ICUs at University hospital (one cardio-surgical, one neurosurgical, two interdisciplinary, and one intermediate care). Of 524 consecutive patients with > or = 36 hr ICU treatment 131 patients with pneumonia on ICU were identified. Their first pneumonia episode was evaluated daily for adherence to standard operating procedures. Pneumonia was diagnosed according to the American Thoracic Society guidelines. Patients with > 70% compliance were assigned to high adherence group (HAG), patients with < or = 70% to low adherence group (LAG). HAG consisted of 45 (49 first episode) patients, LAG of 86 (82 first episode) patients, respectively. Mean duration of treatment of the first pneumonia episode was 10.11 +/- 7.95 days in the LAG and 6.22 +/- 3.27 days in the HAG (p = 0.001). Duration of mechanical ventilation was 317.59 +/- 336.18 hrs in the LAG and 178.07 +/- 191.33 hrs in the HAG (p = 0.017). Length of ICU stay was 20.24 +/- 16.59 days in the LAG and 12.04 +/- 10.42 days in the HAG (p = 0.001). Barriers in compliance need further evaluation. Adherence to standard operating procedure is associated with a shorter duration of treatment of first pneumonia episode, a shorter duration of mechanical ventilation, and a shorter ICU stay.

Effectiveness of anisodamine for the treatment of critically ill patients with septic shock (ACIdoSIS study): study protocol for randomized controlled trial

PubMed Central

Zhou, Jiancang; Shang, You; Wang, Xin’an; Yin, Rui; Zhu, Zhenhua; Chen, Wensen; Tian, Xin; Yu, Yuetian; Zuo, Xiangrong; Chen, Kun; Ji, Xuqing; Ni, Hongying

2015-01-01

Background Septic shock is an important contributor of mortality in the intensive care unit (ICU). Although strenuous effort has been made to improve its outcome, the mortality rate is only marginally decreased. The present study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of anisodamine in the treatment of septic shock, in the hope that the drug will provide alternatives to the treatment of septic shock. Methods The study is a multi-center randomized controlled clinical trial. Study population will include critically ill patients with septic shock requiring vasopressor use. Blocked randomization was performed where anisodamine and control treatments were allocated at random in a ratio of 1:1 in blocks of sizes 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 to 354 subjects. Interim analysis will be performed. The primary study end point is the hospital mortality, and other secondary study endpoints include ICU mortality, length of stay in ICU and hospital, organ failure free days. Adverse events including new onset psychosis, urinary retention, significant hypotension and tachycardia will be reported. Discussion The study will provide new insight into the treatment of septic shock and can help to reduce mortality rate of septic shock. Trial registration NCT02442440 (https://register.clinicaltrials.gov/). PMID:26605292

Predictive value of the APACHE II, SAPS II, SOFA and GCS scoring systems in patients with severe purulent bacterial meningitis.

PubMed

Pietraszek-Grzywaczewska, Iwona; Bernas, Szymon; Łojko, Piotr; Piechota, Anna; Piechota, Mariusz

2016-01-01

Scoring systems in critical care patients are essential for predicting of the patient outcome and evaluating the therapy. In this study, we determined the value of the Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II (APACHE II), Simplified Acute Physiology Score II (SAPS II), Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) and Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) scoring systems in the prediction of mortality in adult patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) with severe purulent bacterial meningitis. We retrospectively analysed data from 98 adult patients with severe purulent bacterial meningitis who were admitted to the single ICU between March 2006 and September 2015. Univariate logistic regression identified the following risk factors of death in patients with severe purulent bacterial meningitis: APACHE II, SAPS II, SOFA, and GCS scores, and the lengths of ICU stay and hospital stay. The independent risk factors of patient death in multivariate analysis were the SAPS II score, the length of ICU stay and the length of hospital stay. In the prediction of mortality according to the area under the curve, the SAPS II score had the highest accuracy followed by the APACHE II, GCS and SOFA scores. For the prediction of mortality in a patient with severe purulent bacterial meningitis, SAPS II had the highest accuracy.

MicroDAIMON study: Microcirculatory DAIly MONitoring in critically ill patients: a prospective observational study.

PubMed

Scorcella, Claudia; Damiani, Elisa; Domizi, Roberta; Pierantozzi, Silvia; Tondi, Stefania; Carsetti, Andrea; Ciucani, Silvia; Monaldi, Valentina; Rogani, Mara; Marini, Benedetto; Adrario, Erica; Romano, Rocco; Ince, Can; Boerma, E Christiaan; Donati, Abele

2018-05-15

Until now, the prognostic value of microcirculatory alterations in critically ill patients has been mainly evaluated in highly selected subgroups. Aim of this study is to monitor the microcirculation daily in mixed group of Intensive Care Unit (ICU)-patients and to establish the association between (the evolution of) microcirculatory alterations and outcome. This is a prospective longitudinal observational single-centre study in adult patients admitted to a 12-bed ICU in an Italian teaching hospital. Sublingual microcirculation was evaluated daily, from admission to discharge/death, using Sidestream Dark Field imaging. Videos were analysed offline to assess flow and density variables. Laboratory and clinical data were recorded simultaneously. A priori, a Microvascular Flow Index (MFI) < 2.6 was defined as abnormal. A binary logistic regression analysis was performed to evaluate the association between microcirculatory variables and outcomes; a Kaplan-Meier survival curve was built. Outcomes were ICU and 90-day mortality. A total of 97 patients were included. An abnormal MFI was present on day 1 in 20.6%, and in 55.7% of cases during ICU admission. Patients with a baseline MFI < 2.6 had higher ICU, in-hospital and 90-day mortality (45 vs. 15.6%, p = 0.012; 55 vs. 28.6%, p = 0.035; 55 vs. 26%, p = 0.017, respectively). An independent association between baseline MFI < 2.6 and outcome was confirmed in a binary logistic analysis (odds ratio 4.594 [1.340-15.754], p = 0.015). A heart rate (HR) ≥ 90 bpm was an adjunctive predictor of mortality. However, a model with stepwise inclusion of mean arterial pressure < 65 mmHg, HR ≥ 90 bpm, lactate > 2 mmol/L and MFI < 2.6 did not detect significant differences in ICU mortality. In case an abnormal MFI was present on day 1, ICU mortality was significantly higher in comparison with patients with an abnormal MFI after day 1 (38 vs. 6%, p = 0.001), indicating a time-dependent significant difference in prognostic value. In a general ICU population, an abnormal microcirculation at baseline is an independent predictor for mortality. In this setting, additional routine daily microcirculatory monitoring did not reveal extra prognostic information. Further research is needed to integrate microcirculatory monitoring in a set of commonly available hemodynamic variables. Trial registration NCT 02649088, www.clinicaltrials.gov . Date of registration: 23 December 2015, retrospectively registered.

Economic outcomes of influenza in hospitalized elderly with and without ICU admission.

PubMed

Chan, Yik-Kei; Wong, Rity Yk; Ip, Margaret; Lee, Nelson Ls; You, Joyce Hs

2017-01-01

To describe direct medical costs of influenza in hospitalized elderly, with and without intensive care unit (ICU) admission, during the 2014-2015 season in Hong Kong. A retrospective study was conducted in 110 inpatients aged ≥65 years with laboratory-confirmed influenza treated by antiviral therapy during season 2014-2015 in a tertiary hospital. Resource utilization of influenza-related diagnostic and laboratory tests, medications for influenza treatment, usage of general medical ward and ICU during the influenza-related length of hospital stay (IR-LOS) were collected. There were 18 (16.4%) and 92 (83.4%) cases with and without ICU admission, respectively. The difference in influenza-related mortality rates between patients with (11.1%) and without ICU admission (2.2%) was not statistically significant (P=0.064). Patients with ICU admission reported longer IR-LOS (12.7 ±6.0 days versus 5.5 ±2.7 days; P<0.001) and higher direct costs (36,588 USD ±21,482 versus 5,773 USD ±2,017; P<0.001; 1 USD=7.8 HKD). Male gender (OR=14.50; 95% CI 1.68, 125.07) and respiratory complications (OR=9.61; 95% CI 1.90, 48.50) were positive predictors of ICU admission. Age ≥70 years (OR=0.09; 95% CI 0.02, 0.46) and antiviral therapy initiation within 7 days (OR=0.05; 95% CI 0.003, 0.79) were negative predictors of ICU admission. Influenza B was a positive predictor of high-cost hospitalization in non-ICU survivors (OR=7.33; 95% CI 1.24, 43.29). No predictor of mortality was identified. Hospitalization cost in elderly for seasonal influenza was substantial in Hong Kong. The cost in patients with ICU admission was significantly higher than those without ICU care. Respiratory complications and male gender predicted ICU admission. Influenza B infection predicted high-cost hospitalization in non-ICU survivors.

Readmission and late mortality after critical illness in childhood

PubMed Central

Hartman, Mary E.; Saeed, Mohammed J.; Bennett, Tellen; Typpo, Katri; Matos, Renee; Olsen, Margaret A.

2016-01-01

Objectives Little is known about the ongoing mortality risk and healthcare utilization among U.S. children after discharge from a hospitalization involving ICU care. We sought to understand risks for hospital readmission and trends in mortality during the year following ICU discharge. Design We performed a retrospective observational cohort study using administrative claims data from the years 2006–2013 obtained from the Truven Health Analytics MarketScan® Database. Subjects We included all children in the dataset admitted to a U.S. ICU ≤18 years old. Interventions The primary outcome was non-elective readmission in the year following discharge. Risk of rehospitalization was determined using a Cox proportional hazards model. Measurements and Main Results We identified 109,130 children with at least one ICU admission in the dataset. Over three-quarters of the index ICU admissions (78.6%) had an ICU length of stay ≤ 3 days and the overall index hospitalization mortality rate was 1.4%. In multivariate analysis, risk of non-elective readmission for children without cancer was higher with longer index ICU admission LOS, younger age, and several chronic and acute conditions. By the end of the one year observation period, 36.0% of children with an index ICU LOS ≥ 14 days had been readmitted, compared to only 13.9% of children who had an index ICU LOS = 1 day. Mortality in the year after ICU discharge was low overall (106 deaths per 10,000 person-years of observation), but was highest among children with an initial index ICU admission LOS ≥ 14 days (599 deaths per 10,000 person-years). Conclusions Readmission after ICU care is common. Further research is needed to investigate the potentially modifiable factors affecting likelihood of readmissions after discharge from the ICU. While late mortality was relatively uncommon overall, it was ten-fold higher in the year after ICU discharge than in the general U.S. pediatric population. PMID:28107264

Child health-related quality of life following neurocritical care for traumatic brain injury: an analysis of preference-weighted outcomes.

PubMed

Tilford, John M; Aitken, Mary E; Goodman, Allen C; Fiser, Debra H; Killingsworth, Jeffrey B; Green, Jerril W; Adelson, P David

2007-01-01

Cost-effectiveness analysis relies on preference-weighted health outcome measures as they form the basis for quality adjusted life years. Studies of preference-weighted outcomes for children following traumatic brain injury are lacking. This study seeks to describe the preference-weighted health outcomes of children following a traumatic brain injury at 3- and 6-months following pediatric intensive care unit (ICU) discharge. Children aged 5-17 who required ICU admission and endotracheal intubation or mechanical ventilation. The Quality of Well-being (QWB) score was used to describe preference-weighted outcomes. Clinical measures from the intensive care unit stay were used to estimate risk of mortality. Risk of mortality, Glasgow coma scores, patient length of stay in the intensive care unit, and parent-reported items from the Child Health Questionnaire (CHQ) were used to test construct validity. Subject data were obtained from nine pediatric intensive care units with consent procedures approved by representative institutional review boards. Medical records containing clinical information from the ICU stay were abstracted by the study coordinating center. Caregivers of children were contacted by telephone for follow-up interviews at 3- and 6-months following ICU discharge. All interviews were conducted by telephone with the primary caregiver of the injured child. Preference score statistics are presented overall and in relation to characteristics of the patient and their ICU admission. A response rate of 59% was achieved for the 3-month interviews (N = 56) and 67% for the 6-month interviews (N = 65) for caregivers of children aged 5 years and above that consented to participate. Overall, QWB scores averaged 0.508 (95% CI: 0.454-0.562) at the 3-month interview and 0.582 (95% CI: 0.526-0.639) at the 6-month interview. For both interview periods, scores ranged from 0.093 to 1.0 on a 0-1 value scale, where 0 represents death and 1 represents perfect health. Specific acute and chronic health problems from the QWB scale were present more often in patients with higher injury severity. Mortality risk, ICU length of stay, Glasgow Coma Scales, and parental reported summary scores from the CHQ all correlated correctly with the QWB scores. The findings support the use of the QWB score with parental report to measure preference-weighted health outcomes of children following a traumatic brain injury. Information from the study can be used in economic evaluations of interventions to prevent or treat traumatic brain injuries in children.

Pressure ulcers in ICU patients: Incidence and clinical and epidemiological features: A multicenter study in southern Brazil.

PubMed

Becker, Delmiro; Tozo, Tatiane Cristiana; Batista, Saionara Savaris; Mattos, Andréa Luciana; Silva, Mirian Carla Bortolamedi; Rigon, Sabrina; Laynes, Rosane Lucia; Salomão, Edilaine C; Hubner, Karina Drielli Gonçalves; Sorbara, Silvia Garcia Barros; Duarte, Péricles A D

2017-10-01

To evaluate the incidence and risk factors of pressure ulcers (PU) in adult patients admitted to intensive care units (ICUs), as well as the outcome (including ICU and hospital mortality) of these patients. Epidemiological cohort multicenter prospective study, evaluating patients admitted for a period of 31days (June 01 to July 01, 2015) until hospital discharge. Epidemiological and clinical data were collected daily until ICU discharge, as was the incidence of PU, either new or present on admission. 10 general adult ICUs. We evaluated 332 patients, 52.1% male, mean age 63.1 years. The most common cause of admission was medical diseases (50.3%), and the mean APACHE II score was 14.9. A total of 45 patients (13.6%) had PU; the most common sites were sacral, calcaneal, ears, and trochanter. The incidence of PU was related to predictive factors, such as the Braden Scale and length of lack of nutrition. The presence of PU was strongly related to unfavorable outcomes, such as Mechanical Ventilation (MV) duration and ICU and hospital mortality. PU incidence is related to severity of the patient's condition and predicted by Braden Scale score. The presence of PU is also related to adverse outcomes, such as MV duration and ICU and hospital mortality. It was also shown that patients with PU have a higher incidence of medical complications, such as acute renal failure, pneumonia, and the need for vasoactive drugs. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Predisposing Factors for Hypoglycemia and Its Relation With Mortality in Critically Ill Patients Undergoing Insulin Therapy in an Intensive Care Unit

PubMed Central

Mahmoodpoor, Ata; Hamishehkar, Hadi; Beigmohammadi, Mahammadtaghi; Sanaie, Sarvin; Shadvar, Kamran; Soleimanpour, Hassan; Rahimi, Ahsan; Safari, Saeid

2016-01-01

Background: Hypoglycemia is a common and the most important complication of intensive insulin therapy in critically ill patients. Because of hypoglycemia’s impact on the cardinal organs as a fuel, if untreated it could results in permanent brain damage and increased mortality. Objectives: In this study, we aim to evaluate the incidence of hypoglycemia, its risk factors, and its relationship with mortality in critically ill patients. Patients and Methods: Five hundred adult patients who admitted to an intensive care unit (ICU) were enrolled in this study. A program of glycemic control with a target of 100 - 140 mg/dL was instituted. We used the threshold of 150 mg/dL for septic patients, which were monitored by point of care devices for capillary blood measurement. We detected hypoglycemia with a blood sugar of less than 50 mg/dL and with the detection of each episode of hypoglycemia, blood glucose measurement was performed every 30 minutes. Results: Five hundred patients experienced at least one episode of hypoglycemia, almost always on the third day. Of 15 expired patients who had one hypoglycemia episode, the most common causes were multiple trauma and sepsis. Increases in the sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA) number augmented the hypoglycemia risk to 52% (P < 0.001). Moreover, in patients with acute kidney injury (AKI), the risk of hypoglycemia is 10 times greater than in those without AKI (RR: 10.3, CI: 3.16 - 33.6, P < 0.001). ICU admission blood sugar has a significant relationship with mortality (RR: 1.01, CI: 1.004 - 1.02, P < 0.006). Hypoglycemia increased the mortality rate twofold, but it was not significant (RR: 1.2, CI: 0.927 - 1.58, P = 0.221). Conclusions: Our results showed that the SOFA score, AKI, and hemoglobin A1c are the independent risk factors for the development of hypoglycemia and demonstrated that ICU admission blood glucose, Hba1c, and hypoglycemia increased the risk of death, but only ICU admission blood glucose is significantly related to increased mortality. PMID:27110538

Predisposing Factors for Hypoglycemia and Its Relation With Mortality in Critically Ill Patients Undergoing Insulin Therapy in an Intensive Care Unit.

PubMed

Mahmoodpoor, Ata; Hamishehkar, Hadi; Beigmohammadi, Mohammadtagi; Sanaie, Sarvin; Shadvar, Kamran; Soleimanpour, Hassan; Rahimi, Ahsan; Safari, Saeed

2016-02-01

Hypoglycemia is a common and the most important complication of intensive insulin therapy in critically ill patients. Because of hypoglycemia's impact on the cardinal organs as a fuel, if untreated it could results in permanent brain damage and increased mortality. In this study, we aim to evaluate the incidence of hypoglycemia, its risk factors, and its relationship with mortality in critically ill patients. Five hundred adult patients who admitted to an intensive care unit (ICU) were enrolled in this study. A program of glycemic control with a target of 100 - 140 mg/dL was instituted. We used the threshold of 150 mg/dL for septic patients, which were monitored by point of care devices for capillary blood measurement. We detected hypoglycemia with a blood sugar of less than 50 mg/dL and with the detection of each episode of hypoglycemia, blood glucose measurement was performed every 30 minutes. Five hundred patients experienced at least one episode of hypoglycemia, almost always on the third day. Of 15 expired patients who had one hypoglycemia episode, the most common causes were multiple trauma and sepsis. Increases in the sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA) number augmented the hypoglycemia risk to 52% (P < 0.001). Moreover, in patients with acute kidney injury (AKI), the risk of hypoglycemia is 10 times greater than in those without AKI (RR: 10.3, CI: 3.16 - 33.6, P < 0.001). ICU admission blood sugar has a significant relationship with mortality (RR: 1.01, CI: 1.004 - 1.02, P < 0.006). Hypoglycemia increased the mortality rate twofold, but it was not significant (RR: 1.2, CI: 0.927 - 1.58, P = 0.221). Our results showed that the SOFA score, AKI, and hemoglobin A1c are the independent risk factors for the development of hypoglycemia and demonstrated that ICU admission blood glucose, Hba1c, and hypoglycemia increased the risk of death, but only ICU admission blood glucose is significantly related to increased mortality.

Early Standard Electroencephalogram Abnormalities Predict Mortality in Septic Intensive Care Unit Patients.

PubMed

Azabou, Eric; Magalhaes, Eric; Braconnier, Antoine; Yahiaoui, Lyria; Moneger, Guy; Heming, Nicholas; Annane, Djillali; Mantz, Jean; Chrétien, Fabrice; Durand, Marie-Christine; Lofaso, Frédéric; Porcher, Raphael; Sharshar, Tarek

2015-01-01

Sepsis is associated with increased mortality, delirium and long-term cognitive impairment in intensive care unit (ICU) patients. Electroencephalogram (EEG) abnormalities occurring at the acute stage of sepsis may correlate with severity of brain dysfunction. Predictive value of early standard EEG abnormalities for mortality in ICU septic patients remains to be assessed. In this prospective, single center, observational study, standard EEG was performed, analyzed and classified according to both Synek and Young EEG scales, in consecutive patients acutely admitted in ICU for sepsis. Delirium, coma and the level of sedation were assessed at the time of EEG recording; and duration of sedation, occurrence of in-ICU delirium or death were assessed during follow-up. Adjusted analyses were carried out using multiple logistic regression. One hundred ten patients were included, mean age 63.8 (±18.1) years, median SAPS-II score 38 (29-55). At the time of EEG recording, 46 patients (42%) were sedated and 22 (20%) suffered from delirium. Overall, 54 patients (49%) developed delirium, of which 32 (29%) in the days after EEG recording. 23 (21%) patients died in the ICU. Absence of EEG reactivity was observed in 27 patients (25%), periodic discharges (PDs) in 21 (19%) and electrographic seizures (ESZ) in 17 (15%). ICU mortality was independently associated with a delta-predominant background (OR: 3.36; 95% CI [1.08 to 10.4]), absence of EEG reactivity (OR: 4.44; 95% CI [1.37-14.3], PDs (OR: 3.24; 95% CI [1.03 to 10.2]), Synek grade ≥ 3 (OR: 5.35; 95% CI [1.66-17.2]) and Young grade > 1 (OR: 3.44; 95% CI [1.09-10.8]) after adjustment to Simplified Acute Physiology Score (SAPS-II) at admission and level of sedation. Delirium at the time of EEG was associated with ESZ in non-sedated patients (32% vs 10%, p = 0.037); with Synek grade ≥ 3 (36% vs 7%, p< 0.05) and Young grade > 1 (36% vs 17%, p< 0.001). Occurrence of delirium in the days after EEG was associated with a delta-predominant background (48% vs 15%, p = 0.001); absence of reactivity (39% vs 10%, p = 0.003), Synek grade ≥ 3 (42% vs 17%, p = 0.001) and Young grade >1 (58% vs 17%, p = 0.0001). In this prospective cohort of 110 septic ICU patients, early standard EEG was significantly disturbed. Absence of EEG reactivity, a delta-predominant background, PDs, Synek grade ≥ 3 and Young grade > 1 at day 1 to 3 following admission were independent predictors of ICU mortality and were associated with occurence of delirium. ESZ and PDs, found in about 20% of our patients. Their prevalence could have been higher, with a still higher predictive value, if they had been diagnosed more thoroughly using continuous EEG.

Early Standard Electroencephalogram Abnormalities Predict Mortality in Septic Intensive Care Unit Patients

PubMed Central

Azabou, Eric; Magalhaes, Eric; Braconnier, Antoine; Yahiaoui, Lyria; Moneger, Guy; Heming, Nicholas; Annane, Djillali; Mantz, Jean; Chrétien, Fabrice; Durand, Marie-Christine; Lofaso, Frédéric; Porcher, Raphael; Sharshar, Tarek

2015-01-01

Introduction Sepsis is associated with increased mortality, delirium and long-term cognitive impairment in intensive care unit (ICU) patients. Electroencephalogram (EEG) abnormalities occurring at the acute stage of sepsis may correlate with severity of brain dysfunction. Predictive value of early standard EEG abnormalities for mortality in ICU septic patients remains to be assessed. Methods In this prospective, single center, observational study, standard EEG was performed, analyzed and classified according to both Synek and Young EEG scales, in consecutive patients acutely admitted in ICU for sepsis. Delirium, coma and the level of sedation were assessed at the time of EEG recording; and duration of sedation, occurrence of in-ICU delirium or death were assessed during follow-up. Adjusted analyses were carried out using multiple logistic regression. Results One hundred ten patients were included, mean age 63.8 (±18.1) years, median SAPS-II score 38 (29–55). At the time of EEG recording, 46 patients (42%) were sedated and 22 (20%) suffered from delirium. Overall, 54 patients (49%) developed delirium, of which 32 (29%) in the days after EEG recording. 23 (21%) patients died in the ICU. Absence of EEG reactivity was observed in 27 patients (25%), periodic discharges (PDs) in 21 (19%) and electrographic seizures (ESZ) in 17 (15%). ICU mortality was independently associated with a delta-predominant background (OR: 3.36; 95% CI [1.08 to 10.4]), absence of EEG reactivity (OR: 4.44; 95% CI [1.37–14.3], PDs (OR: 3.24; 95% CI [1.03 to 10.2]), Synek grade ≥ 3 (OR: 5.35; 95% CI [1.66–17.2]) and Young grade > 1 (OR: 3.44; 95% CI [1.09–10.8]) after adjustment to Simplified Acute Physiology Score (SAPS-II) at admission and level of sedation. Delirium at the time of EEG was associated with ESZ in non-sedated patients (32% vs 10%, p = 0.037); with Synek grade ≥ 3 (36% vs 7%, p< 0.05) and Young grade > 1 (36% vs 17%, p< 0.001). Occurrence of delirium in the days after EEG was associated with a delta-predominant background (48% vs 15%, p = 0.001); absence of reactivity (39% vs 10%, p = 0.003), Synek grade ≥ 3 (42% vs 17%, p = 0.001) and Young grade >1 (58% vs 17%, p = 0.0001). Conclusions In this prospective cohort of 110 septic ICU patients, early standard EEG was significantly disturbed. Absence of EEG reactivity, a delta-predominant background, PDs, Synek grade ≥ 3 and Young grade > 1 at day 1 to 3 following admission were independent predictors of ICU mortality and were associated with occurence of delirium. ESZ and PDs, found in about 20% of our patients. Their prevalence could have been higher, with a still higher predictive value, if they had been diagnosed more thoroughly using continuous EEG. PMID:26447697

Extended Mortality and Chronic Kidney Disease After Septic Acute Kidney Injury.

PubMed

Chua, Horng-Ruey; Wong, Weng-Kin; Ong, Venetia Huiling; Agrawal, Dipika; Vathsala, Anantharaman; Tay, Hui-Ming; Mukhopadhyay, Amartya

2018-01-01

To evaluate 1-year mortality in patients with septic acute kidney injury (AKI) and to determine association between initial AKI recovery patterns ( reversal within 5 days, beyond 5 days but recovery, or nonrecovery) and chronic kidney disease (CKD) progression. Prospective observational study, with retrospective evaluation of initial nonconsenters, of critically ill patients with septic AKI. We studied 207 patients (age, mean [SD]: 64 [16] years, 39% males), of which 56 (27%), 18 (9%), and 9 (4%) died in intensive care unit (ICU), post-ICU in hospital, and posthospitalization, respectively. Infections (including pneumonia) and major adverse cardiac events accounted for 64% and 12% of deaths, respectively. Factors independently associated with 1-year mortality include older age, ischemic heart disease, higher Simplified Acute Physiology Score II, central nervous system or musculoskeletal primary infections, higher daily fluid balance (FB), and frusemide administration during ICU stay (all P < .05). Among 63 patients receiving renal replacement therapy (RRT), hospital mortality was higher with cumulative median FB >8 L versus ≤8 L at RRT initiation (57% vs 24%; P = .009); there was trend for less ICU- and RRT-free days at day 28 in patients with higher FB pre-RRT ( P = NS). Chronic kidney disease progression over 1 year developed in 21%, 30%, and 79% of 105 initial survivors with AKI reversal, recovery, and nonrecovery, respectively ( P < .001). Acute kidney injury nonrecovery during hospitalization independently predicted CKD progression ( P = .001). Patients with septic AKI had 40% 1-year mortality, mainly associated with infections. High FB and frusemide administration were modifiable risk factors. Risk of CKD progression is high especially with initial AKI nonrecovery.

Primary Graft Dysfunction and Mortality Following Lung Transplantation: A Role for Proadrenomedullin Plasma Levels.

PubMed

Riera, J; Senna, A; Cubero, M; Roman, A; Rello, J

2016-02-01

Primary graft dysfunction (PGD) after lung transplantation (LT) is a heterogeneous syndrome that comprises clinical presentations with diverse grades of severity. Proadrenomedullin (proADM) levels may be associated with PGD and may enhance its relationship with outcomes. We prospectively included 100 LT recipients. Plasma levels of proADM were measured at 24, 48 and 72 h after admission to the intensive care unit (ICU). We assessed their relationship with PGD grade and ICU mortality. Fifty patients (50%) presented grade 3 PGD at ICU admission. Twenty-two patients (22%) developed grade 3 PGD at 72 h, the only grade associated with higher mortality (odds ratio 6.84, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.47-38.44). ProADM levels measured at 24 h (3.25 vs. 1.61 nmol/L; p = 0.016) and 72 h (2.17 vs. 1.35 nmol/L; p = 0.011) were higher in these patients than the rest of the population. When we added the individual predictive utility of grade 3 PGD at 72 h for ICU mortality (area under the curve [AUC] 0.72, 95% CI 0.53-0.90) to that of ProADM at 72 h, the predictive value of the model improved (AUC 0.81, 95% CI 0.65-0.97). Higher levels of proADM measured following LT are associated with grade 3 PGD at 72 h. ProADM enhances the association of this entity with mortality. © Copyright 2015 The American Society of Transplantation and the American Society of Transplant Surgeons.

Cumulative lactate and hospital mortality in ICU patients

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Both hyperlactatemia and persistence of hyperlactatemia have been associated with bad outcome. We compared lactate and lactate-derived variables in outcome prediction. Methods Retrospective observational study. Case records from 2,251 consecutive intensive care unit (ICU) patients admitted between 2001 and 2007 were analyzed. Baseline characteristics, all lactate measurements, and in-hospital mortality were recorded. The time integral of arterial blood lactate levels above the upper normal threshold of 2.2 mmol/L (lactate-time-integral), maximum lactate (max-lactate), and time-to-first-normalization were calculated. Survivors and nonsurvivors were compared and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis were applied. Results A total of 20,755 lactate measurements were analyzed. Data are srpehown as median [interquartile range]. In nonsurvivors (n = 405) lactate-time-integral (192 [0–1881] min·mmol/L) and time-to-first normalization (44.0 [0–427] min) were higher than in hospital survivors (n = 1846; 0 [0–134] min·mmol/L and 0 [0–75] min, respectively; all p < 0.001). Normalization of lactate <6 hours after ICU admission revealed better survival compared with normalization of lactate >6 hours (mortality 16.6% vs. 24.4%; p < 0.001). AUC of ROC curves to predict in-hospital mortality was the largest for max-lactate, whereas it was not different among all other lactate derived variables (all p > 0.05). The area under the ROC curves for admission lactate and lactate-time-integral was not different (p = 0.36). Conclusions Hyperlactatemia is associated with in-hospital mortality in a heterogeneous ICU population. In our patients, lactate peak values predicted in-hospital mortality equally well as lactate-time-integral of arterial blood lactate levels above the upper normal threshold. PMID:23446002

Critical care of the hematopoietic stem cell transplant recipient.

PubMed

Afessa, Bekele; Azoulay, Elie

2010-01-01

An estimated 50,000 to 60,000 patients undergo hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) worldwide annually, of which 15.7% are admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU). The most common reason for ICU admission is respiratory failure and almost all develop single or multiorgan failure. Most HSCT recipients admitted to ICU receive invasive mechanical ventilation (MV). The overall short-term mortality rate of HSCT recipients admitted to ICU is 65%, and 86.4% for those receiving MV. Patient outcome has improved over time. Poor prognostic indicators include advanced age, poor functional status, active disease at transplant, allogeneic transplant, the severity of acute illness, and the development of multiorgan failure. ICU resource limitations often lead to triage decisions for admission. For HSCT recipients, the authors recommend (1) ICU admission for full support during their pre-engraftment period and when there is no evidence of disease recurrence; (2) no ICU admission for patients who refuse it and those who are bedridden with disease recurrence and without treatment options except palliation; (3) a trial ICU admission for patients with unknown status of disease recurrence with available treatment options.

Hospital Variation in Intensive Care Resource Utilization and Mortality in Newly Diagnosed Pediatric Leukemia.

PubMed

Fitzgerald, Julie C; Li, Yimei; Fisher, Brian T; Huang, Yuan-Shung; Miller, Tamara P; Bagatell, Rochelle; Seif, Alix E; Aplenc, Richard; Thomas, Neal J

2018-06-01

To evaluate hospital-level variability in resource utilization and mortality in children with new leukemia who require ICU support, and identify factors associated with variation. Retrospective cohort study. Children's hospitals contributing to the Pediatric Health Information Systems administrative database from 1999 to 2011. Inpatients less than 25 years old with newly diagnosed acute lymphocytic leukemia or acute myeloid leukemia requiring ICU support (n = 1,754). Evaluated exposures included leukemia type, year of diagnosis, and hospital-wide proportion of patients with public insurance. The main outcome was hospital mortality. Wide variability existed in the ICU resources used across hospitals. Combined acute lymphocytic leukemia and acute myeloid leukemia mortality varied by hospital from 0% (95% CI, 0-14.8%) to 42.9% (95% CI, 17.7-71.1%). A mixed-effects model with a hospital-level random effect suggests significant variation across hospitals in mortality (p = 0.007). When including patient and hospital factors as fixed effects into the model, younger age, acute myeloid leukemia versus acute lymphocytic leukemia diagnosis, leukemia diagnosis prior to 2005, hospital-wide proportion of public insurance patients, and hospital-level proportion of leukemia patients receiving ICU care are significantly associated with mortality. The variation across hospitals remains significant with all patient factors included (p = 0.021) but is no longer significant after adjusting for the hospital-level factors proportion of public insurance and proportion receiving ICU care (p = 0.48). Wide hospital-level variability in ICU resource utilization and mortality exists in the care of children with leukemia requiring ICU support. Hospital payer mix is associated with some mortality variability. Additional study into how ICU support could be standardized through clinical practice guidelines, impact of payer mix on hospital resources allocation to the ICU, and subsequent impact on patient outcomes is warranted.

Intensive Care in India: The Indian Intensive Care Case Mix and Practice Patterns Study.

PubMed

Divatia, Jigeeshu V; Amin, Pravin R; Ramakrishnan, Nagarajan; Kapadia, Farhad N; Todi, Subhash; Sahu, Samir; Govil, Deepak; Chawla, Rajesh; Kulkarni, Atul P; Samavedam, Srinivas; Jani, Charu K; Rungta, Narendra; Samaddar, Devi Prasad; Mehta, Sujata; Venkataraman, Ramesh; Hegde, Ashit; Bande, B D; Dhanuka, Sanjay; Singh, Virendra; Tewari, Reshma; Zirpe, Kapil; Sathe, Prachee

2016-04-01

To obtain information on organizational aspects, case mix and practices in Indian Intensive Care Units (ICUs). An observational, 4-day point prevalence study was performed between 2010 and 2011 in 4209 patients from 124 ICUs. ICU and patient characteristics, and interventions were recorded for 24 h of the study day, and outcomes till 30 days after the study day. Data were analyzed for 4038 adult patients from 120 ICUs. On the study day, mean age, Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE II) and sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA) scores were 54.1 ± 17.1 years, 17.4 ± 9.2 and 3.8 ± 3.6, respectively. About 46.4% patients had ≥1 organ failure. Nearly, 37% and 22.2% patients received mechanical ventilation (MV) and vasopressors or inotropes, respectively. Nearly, 12.2% patients developed an infection in the ICU. About 28.3% patients had severe sepsis or septic shock (SvSpSS) during their ICU stay. About 60.7% patients without infection received antibiotics. There were 546 deaths and 183 terminal discharges (TDs) from ICU (including left against medical advice or discharged on request), with ICU mortality 729/4038 (18.1%). In 1627 patients admitted within 24 h of the study day, the standardized mortality ratio was 0.67. The APACHE II and SOFA scores, public hospital ICUs, medical ICUs, inadequately equipped ICUs, medical admission, self-paying patient, presence of SvSpSS, acute respiratory failure or cancer, need for a fluid bolus, and MV were independent predictors of mortality. The high proportion of TDs and the association of public hospitals, self-paying patients, and inadequately equipped hospitals with mortality has important implications for critical care in India.

Alkalosis in Critically Ill Patients with Severe Sepsis and Septic Shock

PubMed Central

Jazrawi, Allan; Miller, Jan; Baigi, Amir; Chew, Michelle

2017-01-01

Introduction Although metabolic alkalosis is a common occurrence in intensive care units (ICUs), no study has evaluated its prevalence or outcomes in patients with severe sepsis or septic shock. Methods This is a retrospective cohort study of critically ill patients suffering from severe sepsis and septic shock admitted to the ICUs of Halmstad and Varberg County hospitals. From 910 patient records, 627 patients met the inclusion criteria. We investigated the relationship between metabolic alkalosis and mortality. Further, we studied the relationship between metabolic alkalosis and ICU length of stay (LOS). Results Metabolic alkalosis was associated with decreased 30-day and 12-month mortalities. This effect was however lost when a multivariate analysis was conducted, correcting for age, gender, pH on admission, base excess (BE) on admission, Simplified Acute Physiology Score III (SAPS III) and acute kidney injury (AKI). We then analyzed for any dose-response effect between the severity of metabolic alkalosis and mortality and found no relationship. Bivariate analysis showed that metabolic alkalosis had a significant effect on the length of ICU stay. When adjusting for age, sex, pH at admission, BE at admission, SAPS III and AKI in a multivariate analysis, metabolic alkalosis significantly contributed to prolonged ICU length of stay. In two separate sensitivity analyses pure metabolic alkalosis and late metabolic alkalosis (time of onset >48 hours) were the only significant predictor of increased ICU length of stay. Conclusion Metabolic alkalosis did not have any effect on 30-day and 12-month mortalities after adjusting for age, sex, SAPS III-score, pH and BE on admission and AKI in a multivariate analysis. The presence of metabolic alkalosis was independently associated with an increased ICU length of stay. PMID:28045915

Aspergillosis in Intensive Care Unit (ICU) patients: epidemiology and economic outcomes.

PubMed

Baddley, John W; Stephens, Jennifer M; Ji, Xiang; Gao, Xin; Schlamm, Haran T; Tarallo, Miriam

2013-01-23

Few data are available regarding the epidemiology of invasive aspergillosis (IA) in ICU patients. The aim of this study was to examine epidemiology and economic outcomes (length of stay, hospital costs) among ICU patients with IA who lack traditional risk factors for IA, such as cancer, transplants, neutropenia or HIV infection. Retrospective cohort study using Premier Inc. Perspective™ US administrative hospital database (2005-2008). Adults with ICU stays and aspergillosis (ICD-9 117.3 plus 484.6) who received initial antifungal therapy (AF) in the ICU were included. Patients with traditional risk factors (cancer, transplant, neutropenia, HIV/AIDS) were excluded. The relationship of antifungal therapy and co-morbidities to economic outcomes were examined using Generalized linear models. From 6,424 aspergillosis patients in the database, 412 (6.4%) ICU patients with IA were identified. Mean age was 63.9 years and 53% were male. Frequent co-morbidities included steroid use (77%), acute respiratory failure (76%) and acute renal failure (41%). In-hospital mortality was 46%. The most frequently used AF was voriconazole (71% received at least once). Mean length of stay (LOS) was 26.9 days and mean total hospital cost was $76,235. Each 1 day lag before initiating AF therapy was associated with 1.28 days longer hospital stay and 3.5% increase in costs (p < 0.0001 for both). Invasive aspergillosis in ICU patients is associated with high mortality and hospital costs. Antifungal timing impacts economic outcomes. These findings underscore the importance of timely diagnosis, appropriate treatment, and consideration of Aspergillus as a potential etiology in ICU patients.

The injury severity score or the new injury severity score for predicting mortality, intensive care unit admission and length of hospital stay: experience from a university hospital in a developing country.

PubMed

Tamim, Hala; Al Hazzouri, Adina Zeki; Mahfoud, Ziad; Atoui, Maria; El-Chemaly, Souheil

2008-01-01

Limited research has been performed to compare the predictive abilities of the injury severity score (ISS) and the new ISS (NISS) in the developing world. From January 2001 until January 2003 all trauma patients admitted to the American University of Beirut Medical Centre were enrolled. The statistical performance of the ISS/NISS in predicting mortality, admission to the intensive care unit (ICU) and length of hospital stay (LOS dichotomised as <10 or > or =10 days) was evaluated using receiver operating characteristic and the Hosmer-Lemeshow calibration statistic. A total of 891 consecutive patients were enrolled. The ISS and NISS were equivalent in predicting survival, and both performed better in patients younger than 65 years of age. However, the ISS predicted ICU admission and LOS better than the NISS. However, these predictive abilities were lower for the geriatric trauma patients aged 65 years and above compared to the other age groups. There are conflicting results in the literature about the abilities of ISS and NISS to predict mortality. However, this is the first study to report that ISS has a superior ability in predicting both LOS and ICU admission. The scoring of trauma severity may need to be individualised to different countries and trauma systems.

Hyperdynamic left ventricular ejection fraction in the intensive care unit.

PubMed

Paonessa, Joseph R; Brennan, Thomas; Pimentel, Marco; Steinhaus, Daniel; Feng, Mengling; Celi, Leo Anthony

2015-08-07

Limited information exists on the etiology, prevalence, and significance of hyperdynamic left ventricular ejection fraction (HDLVEF) in the intensive care unit (ICU). Our aim in the present study was to compare characteristics and outcomes of patients with HDLVEF with those of patients with normal left ventricular ejection fraction in the ICU using a large, public, deidentified critical care database. We conducted a longitudinal, single-center, retrospective cohort study of adult patients who underwent echocardiography during a medical or surgical ICU admission at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center using the Multiparameter Intelligent Monitoring in Intensive Care II database. The final cohort had 2867 patients, of whom 324 had HDLVEF, defined as an ejection fraction >70%. Patients with an ejection fraction <55% were excluded. Compared with critically ill patients with normal left ventricular ejection fraction, the finding of HDLVEF in critically ill patients was associated with female sex, increased age, and the diagnoses of hypertension and cancer. Patients with HDLVEF had increased 28-day mortality compared with those with normal ejection fraction in multivariate logistic regression analysis adjusted for age, sex, Sequential Organ Failure Assessment score, Elixhauser score for comorbidities, vasopressor use, and mechanical ventilation use (odds ratio 1.38, 95% confidence interval 1.039-1.842, p =0.02). The presence of HDLVEF portended increased 28-day mortality, and may be helpful as a gravity marker for prognosis in patients admitted to the ICU. Further research is warranted to gain a better understanding of how these patients respond to common interventions in the ICU and to determine if pharmacologic modulation of HDLVEF improves outcomes.

Outcome and prognostic factors in critically ill patients with systemic lupus erythematosus: a retrospective study.

PubMed

Hsu, Chia-Lin; Chen, Kuan-Yu; Yeh, Pu-Sheng; Hsu, Yeong-Long; Chang, Hou-Tai; Shau, Wen-Yi; Yu, Chia-Li; Yang, Pan-Chyr

2005-06-01

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an archetypal autoimmune disease, involving multiple organ systems with varying course and prognosis. However, there is a paucity of clinical data regarding prognostic factors in SLE patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU). From January 1992 to December 2000, all patients admitted to the ICU with a diagnosis of SLE were included. Patients were excluded if the diagnosis of SLE was established at or after ICU admission. A multivariate logistic regression model was applied using Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II scores and variables that were at least moderately associated (P < 0.2) with survival in the univariate analysis. A total of 51 patients meeting the criteria were included. The mortality rate was 47%. The most common cause of admission was pneumonia with acute respiratory distress syndrome. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that intracranial haemorrhage occurring while the patient was in the ICU (relative risk = 18.68), complicating gastrointestinal bleeding (relative risk = 6.97) and concurrent septic shock (relative risk = 77.06) were associated with greater risk of dying, whereas causes of ICU admission and Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II score were not significantly associated with death. The mortality rate in critically ill SLE patients was high. Gastrointestinal bleeding, intracranial haemorrhage and septic shock were significant prognostic factors in SLE patients admitted to the ICU.

Empirical therapies among adults hospitalized for community-acquired upper urinary tract infections: A decision-tree analysis of mortality, costs, and resistance.

PubMed

Parienti, J J; Lucet, J C; Lefort, A; Armand-Lefèvre, L; Wolff, M; Caron, F; Cattoir, V; Yazdanpanah, Y

2015-09-01

Poor outcomes occur when patients with serious infections receive antibiotics to which the organisms are resistant. Decision trees simulated in-hospital mortality, costs, incremental cost-effectiveness ratio per life year saved, and carbapenem resistance according to 3 empirical antibiotic strategies among adults hospitalized for community-acquired (CA) upper urinary tract infections (UTIs): ceftriaxone (CRO) plus gentamicin (GM) in the intensive care unit (ICU), imipenem (IMP), and individualized choice (IMP or CRO) based on clinical risk factors for CA- extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL). The estimated prevalence of CA-ESBL on admission was 5% (range, 1.3%-17.6%); 3% and 97% were admitted to the ICU and medical ward (MW), respectively. In the ICU, CRO plus GM was dominated; IMP was cost-effective (incremental cost-effectiveness ratio: €4,400 per life year saved compared with individualized choice). In the MW, IMP had no impact on mortality and was less costly (-€142 per patient vs CRO, -€38 vs individualized choice). The dominance of IMP was consistent in sensitivity analyses. Compared with CRO, colonization by carbapenem-resistant pathogens increased by an odds ratio of 4.5 in the IMP strategy. Among the ICU patients, empirical IMP therapy reduces mortality at an acceptable cost. Among MW patients, individualized choice or CRO is preferred to limit carbapenem resistance at a reasonable cost. Copyright © 2015 Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Patient visibility and ICU mortality: a conceptual replication.

PubMed

Lu, Yi; Ossmann, Michelle M; Leaf, David E; Factor, Philip H

2014-01-01

This study reanalyzes the data from a study by Leaf, Homel, and Factor (2010) titled "Relationship between ICU Design and Mortality" by adopting and developing objective visibility measures. Various studies attribute healthcare outcomes (patient falls, satisfaction) to a vague notion of patient room visibility. The study by Leaf and colleagues was the first to draw an independent association between patient mortality and patient room visibility, however "visibility" remains imprecise. The original patient dataset was obtained from Dr. Leaf. The 664 patient sample assigned across 12 rooms at the medical ICU at Columbia University Medical Center was reanalyzed in terms of targeted visibility; the unit of analysis was the room, n = 12. Several computer-based visibility measures of patient rooms were used: patient head visibility, patient room visibility, and field of view to nursing station. Patient head visibility was defined as the percentage of area within the central nursing station from which the patient head could be seen; patient room visibility was defined as the percentage of area within the central nursing station that could see the patient room (average value of all patient room grids); field of view was defined as the maximum viewing angle from the patient head to the central nursing station. Among the sickest patients (those with Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II > 30), field of view accounted for 33.5% of the variance in ICU mortality, p = 0.049. Subtle differences in patient room visibility may have important effects on clinical outcomes. Case study, critical care/intensive care, methodology, outcomes.

Mortality in adult intensive care patients with severe systemic inflammatory response syndromes is strongly associated with the hypo-immune TNF -238A polymorphism.

PubMed

Pappachan, John V; Coulson, Tim G; Child, Nicholas J A; Markham, David J; Nour, Sarah M; Pulletz, Mark C K; Rose-Zerilli, Matthew J; de Courcey-Golder, Kim; Barton, Sheila J; Yang, Ian A; Holloway, John W

2009-10-01

The systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) is associated with activation of innate immunity. We studied the association between mortality and measures of disease severity in the intensive care unit (ICU) and functional polymorphisms in genes coding for Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), macrophage migratory inhibitory factor (MIF), tumour necrosis factor (TNF) and lymphotoxin-alpha (LTA). Two hundred thirty-three patients with severe SIRS were recruited from one general adult ICU in a tertiary centre in the UK. DNA from patients underwent genotyping by 5' nuclease assay. Genotype was compared to phenotype. Primary outcome was mortality in ICU. Minor allele frequencies were TLR4 +896G 7%, MIF 173C 16%, TNF -238A 10% and LTA +252G 34%. The frequency of the hypoimmune minor allele TNF -238A was significantly higher in patients who died in ICU compared to those who survived (p = 0.0063) as was the frequency of the two haplotypes LTA +252G, TNF -1031T, TNF -308G, TNF -238A and LTA +252G, TNF-1031T, TNF-308A and TNF-238A (p = 0.0120 and 0.0098, respectively). These findings re-enforce the view that a balanced inflammatory/anti-inflammatory response is the most important determinant of outcome in sepsis. Genotypes that either favour inflammation or its counter-regulatory anti-inflammatory response are likely to influence mortality and morbidity.

A comparison of three organ dysfunction scores: MODS, SOFA and LOD for predicting ICU mortality in critically ill patients.

PubMed

Khwannimit, Bodin

2007-06-01

To compare the validity of the Multiple Organ Dysfunction Score (MODS), Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA), and Logistic Organ Dysfunction Score (LOD) for predicting ICU mortality of Thai critically ill patients. A retrospective study was made of prospective data collected between the 1st July 2004 and 31st March 2006 at Songklanagarind Hospital. One thousand seven hundred and eighty two patients were enrolled in the present study. Two hundred and ninety three (16.4%) deaths were recorded in the ICU. The areas under the Receiver Operating Curves (A UC) for the prediction of ICU mortality the results were 0.861 for MODS, 0.879 for SOFA and 0.880 for LOD. The AUC of SOFA and LOD showed a statistical significance higher than the MODS score (p = 0.014 and p = 0.042, respectively). Of all the models, the neurological failure score showed the best correlation with ICU mortality. All three organ dysfunction scores satisfactorily predicted ICU mortality. The LOD and neurological failure had the best correlation with ICU outcome.

Validation of the Vasoactive-Inotropic Score in Pediatric Sepsis*

PubMed Central

Tong, Suhong; Deakyne, Sara J.; Davidson, Jesse A.; Scott, Halden F.

2017-01-01

Objectives: To assess the validity of Vasoactive-Inotropic Score as a scoring system for cardiovascular support and surrogate outcome in pediatric sepsis. Design: Secondary retrospective analysis of a single-center sepsis registry. Setting: Freestanding children’s hospital and tertiary referral center. Patients: Children greater than 60 days and less than 18 years with sepsis identified in the emergency department between January 2012 and June 2015 treated with at least one vasoactive medication within 48 hours of admission to the PICU. Interventions: None. Measurements and Main Results: Vasoactive-Inotropic Score was abstracted at 6, 12, 24, and 48 hours post ICU admission. Primary outcomes were ventilator days and ICU length of stay. The secondary outcome was a composite outcome of cardiac arrest/extracorporeal membrane oxygenation/in-hospital mortality. One hundred thirty-eight patients met inclusion criteria. Most common infectious sources were pneumonia (32%) and bacteremia (23%). Thirty-three percent were intubated and mortality was 6%. Of the time points assessed, Vasoactive-Inotropic Score at 48 hours showed the strongest correlation with ICU length of stay (r = 0.53; p < 0.0001) and ventilator days (r = 0.52; p < 0.0001). On multivariable analysis, Vasoactive-Inotropic Score at 48 hours was a strong independent predictor of primary outcomes and intubation. For every unit increase in Vasoactive-Inotropic Score at 48 hours, there was a 13% increase in ICU length of stay (p < 0.001) and 8% increase in ventilator days (p < 0.01). For every unit increase in Vasoactive-Inotropic Score at 12 hours, there was a 14% increase in odds of having the composite outcome (p < 0.01). Conclusions: Vasoactive-Inotropic Score in pediatric sepsis patients is independently associated with important clinically relevant outcomes including ICU length of stay, ventilator days, and cardiac arrest/extracorporeal membrane oxygenation/mortality. Vasoactive-Inotropic Score may be a useful surrogate outcome in pediatric sepsis. PMID:28486385

Amoxicillin/clavulanate (Augmentin) resistant Escherichia coli in bacterial peritonitis after abdominal surgery--clinical outcome in ICU patients.

PubMed

Rahnama'i, M S; Wagenvoort, J H T; van der Linden, C J

2009-05-01

Bacterial resistance to antimicrobial agents is of great concern to clinicians. Patient outcome after infection is mainly dependent on the sensitivity of the bacterium to the agent used. We retrospectively studied 89 postoperative intensive care unit (ICU) patients with proven Escherichia coli peritonitis and investigated the clinical consequences of the E. coli resistance to amoxicillin/clavulanate. Significantly increased mortality, days of ventilation and ICU stay were noted in the co-amoxicillin/clavulanate resistant group. Furthermore, our results demonstrate that the sensitivity of E. coli to amoxicillin/clavulanate in the postoperative ICU setting has decreased in recent years. We can conclude that the current antibiotic regimen for the empirical treatment of ICU patients with peritonitis, as used in our hospital, needs to be changed. A switch, for instance, to ceftriaxone (Rocephin) in combination with metronidazole and gentamicin, instead of the present regimen of amoxicillin/clavulanate in combination with gentamicin, seems preferable.

Bicarbonate can improve the prognostic value of the MELD score for critically ill patients with cirrhosis.

PubMed

Chen, Cheng-Yi; Pan, Chi-Feng; Wu, Chih-Jen; Chen, Han-Hsiang; Chen, Yu-Wei

2014-07-01

The prognosis of critically ill patients with cirrhosis is poor. Our aim was to identify an objective variable that can improve the prognostic value of the Model of End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) score in patients who have cirrhosis and are admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU). This retrospective cohort study included 177 patients who had liver cirrhosis and were admitted to the ICU. Data pertaining to arterial blood gas-related parameters and other variables were obtained on the day of ICU admission. The overall ICU mortality rate was 36.2%. The bicarbonate (HCO3) level was found to be an independent predictor of ICU mortality (odds ratio, 2.3; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.0-4.8; p = 0.038). A new equation was constructed (MELD-Bicarbonate) by replacing total bilirubin by HCO3 in the original MELD score. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve for predicting ICU mortality was 0.76 (95% CI, 0.69-0.84) for the MELD-Bicarbonate equation, 0.73 (95% CI, 0.65-0.81) for the MELD score, and 0.71 (95% CI, 0.63-0.80) for the Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II score. Bicarbonate level assessment, as an objective and reproducible laboratory test, has significant predictive value in critically ill patients with cirrhosis. In contrast, the predictive value of total bilirubin is not as prominent in this setting. The MELD-Bicarbonate equation, which included three variables (international normalized ratio, creatinine level, and HCO3 level), showed better prognostic value than the original MELD score in critically ill patients with cirrhosis.

There′s no place like home: Boarding surgical ICU patients in other ICUs and the effect of distances from the home unit

PubMed Central

Pascual, Jose L.; Blank, Nicholas W.; Holena, Daniel N.; Robertson, Matthew P.; Diop, Mouhamed; Allen, Steve R.; Martin, Niels D.; Kohl, Benjamin A.; Sims, Carrie A.; Schwab, C. William; Reilly, Patrick M.

2014-01-01

BACKGROUND Intensive care units (ICUs) function frequently at capacity, requiring incoming critically ill patients to be placed in alternate geographically distinct ICUs. In some medical ICU populations, “boarding” in an overflow ICU has been associated with increased mortality. We hypothesized that surgical ICU patients experience more complications when boarding in an overflow ICU and that the frequency of these complications are greatest in boarders farthest from the home unit (HU). METHODS A 5-year (June 2005 to June 2010) retrospective review of a prospectively maintained ICU database was performed, and demographics, severity of illness, length of stay, and incidence of ICU complications were extracted. Distances between boarding patients’ rooms and the HU were measured. Complications occurring in patients located in the same floor (BUSF) and different floor (BUDF) boarding units were compared and stratified by distance from HU to the patient room. Logistic regression was used to develop control for known confounders. RESULTS A total of 7,793 patients were admitted to the HU and 833 to a boarding unit (BUSF, n = 712; BUDF, n = 121). Boarders were younger, had a lower length of stay, and Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II and were more of tentrauma/emergency surgery patients. Compared with in-HU patients, the incidence of aspiration pneumonia (2.2% vs. 3.6%, p < 0.01) was greater in BUSF patients and highest in those farthest from the HU (odds ratio [OR],2.39;p =0.01). Delirium occurred less often in HU than in BUDF patients (3.3% vs. 8.3 %, p < 0.01), and both delirium (OR, 6.09, p < 0.01) and ventilator-associated pneumonia (OR, 4.49, p < 0.05) were more frequent in patients farther from the HU. CONCLUSION Certain ICU complications occur more frequently in boarding patients particularly if they are located on a different floor or far from the HU. When surgical ICU bed availability forces overflow admissions to non–home ICUs, greater interdisciplinary awareness, education, and training may be needed to ensure equivalent care and outcomes. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE Epidemiologic study, level III. Therapeutic study, level IV. PMID:24662877

Nurse-driven, protocol-directed weaning from mechanical ventilation improves clinical outcomes and is well accepted by intensive care unit physicians.

PubMed

Danckers, Mauricio; Grosu, Horiana; Jean, Raymonde; Cruz, Raul B; Fidellaga, Amelita; Han, Qifa; Awerbuch, Elizabeth; Jadhav, Nagesh; Rose, Keith; Khouli, Hassan

2013-08-01

Ventilator weaning protocols can improve clinical outcomes, but their impact may vary depending on intensive care unit (ICU) structure, staffing, and acceptability by ICU physicians. This study was undertaken to examine their relationship. We prospectively examined outcomes of 102 mechanically ventilated patients for more than 24 hours and weaned using nurse-driven protocol-directed approach (nurse-driven group) in an intensivist-led ICU with low respiratory therapist staffing and compared them with a historic control of 100 patients who received conventional physician-driven weaning (physician-driven group). We administered a survey to assess ICU physicians' attitude. Median durations of mechanical ventilation (MV) in the nurse-driven and physician-driven groups were 2 and 4 days, respectively (P = .001). Median durations of ICU length of stay (LOS) in the nurse-driven and physician-driven groups were 5 and 7 days, respectively (P = .01). Time of extubation was 2 hours and 13 minutes earlier in the nurse-driven group (P < .001). There was no difference in hospital LOS, hospital mortality, rates of ventilator-associated pneumonia, or reintubation rates between the 2 groups. We identified 4 independent predictors of weaning duration: nurse-driven weaning, Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II score, vasoactive medications use, and blood transfusion. Intensive care unit physicians viewed this protocol implementation positively (mean scores, 1.59-1.87 on a 5-point Likert scale). A protocol for liberation from MV driven by ICU nurses decreased the duration of MV and ICU LOS in mechanically ventilated patients for more than 24 hours without adverse effects and was well accepted by ICU physicians. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Outcomes of patients with severe influenza infection admitted to intensive care units: a retrospective study in a medical centre.

PubMed

Chao, Chien-Ming; Lai, Chih-Cheng; Chan, Khee-Siang; Cheng, Kuo-Chen; Chou, Willy; Yuan, Kuo-Shu; Chen, Chin-Ming

2017-10-01

This study assessed clinical manifestations and prognostic factors of critically ill patients with severe influenza admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) in Taiwan's recent outbreak. Patients admitted to ICU for severe influenza between January 1, 2015, and March 31, 2016, were identified and their medical records were retrospectively reviewed. The primary endpoints were outcomes and predictors of in-hospital mortality. There were 125 patients with an average Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II (APACHE II) score of 20.8. Hypertension (62.4 %) and diabetes mellitus (40.8 %) were the two most common underlying diseases. Ninety-eight (78.4 %) patients had at least one organ failure: the lungs were the most common (71.2 %), followed by the heart (53.6 %). Two of the most common symptoms of patients at ICU admission were fever (68.0 %) and cough (78.4 %). Thirty-three patients (26.4 %) died; most (40.9 %) were middle-aged (50-65 years old). A Cox regression analysis showed that multiple organ failure (MOF) [hazard ratio (HR)=3.618; 95 % CI=1.058-13.662] was significantly associated with higher risk of death. In contrast, a fluid-negative balance within 7 days of admission (HR=0.362; 95 % CI=0.140-0.934) was significantly associated with a lower risk of death. The mortality rate of severe influenza patients admitted to the ICU was high, especially in middle-aged adults. The risk of mortality was associated with ≥2 organ failures. A negative fluid balance predicts survival.

Validation of SAPS3 admission score and its customization for use in Korean intensive care unit patients: a prospective multicentre study.

PubMed

Lim, So Yeon; Koh, Shin Ok; Jeon, Kyeongman; Na, Sungwon; Lim, Chae-Man; Choi, Won-Il; Lee, Young-Joo; Kim, Seok Chan; Chon, Gyu Rak; Kim, Je Hyeong; Kim, Jae Yeol; Lim, Jaemin; Rhee, Chin Kook; Park, Sunghoon; Kim, Ho Cheol; Lee, Jin Hwa; Lee, Ji Hyun; Park, Jisook; Koh, Younsuck; Suh, Gee Young

2013-08-01

To externally validate the simplified acute physiology score 3 (SAPS3) and to customize it for use in Korean intensive care unit (ICU) patients. This is a prospective multicentre cohort study involving 22 ICUs from 15 centres throughout Korea. The study population comprised patients who were consecutively admitted to participating ICUs from 1 July 2010 to 31 January 2011. A total of 4617 patients were enrolled. ICU mortality was 14.3%, and hospital mortality was 20.6%. The patients were randomly assigned into one of two cohorts: a development (n = 2309) or validation (n = 2308) cohort. In the development cohort, the general SAPS3 had good discrimination (area under the receiver operating characteristics curve = 0.829), but poor calibration (Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness-of-fit test H = 123.06, P < 0.001, C = 118.45, P < 0.001). The Australasia SAPS3 did not improve calibration (H = 73.53, P < 0.001, C = 70.52, P < 0.001). Customization was achieved by altering the logit of the original SAPS3 equation. The new equation for Korean ICU patients was validated in the validation cohort, and demonstrated both good discrimination (area under the receiver operating characteristics curve = 0.835) and good calibration (H = 4.61, P = 0.799, C = 5.67, P = 0.684). General and regional Australasia SAPS3 admission scores showed poor calibration for use in Korean ICU patients, but the prognostic power of the SAPS3 was significantly improved by customization. Prediction models should be customized before being used to predict mortality in different regions of the world. © 2013 The Authors. Respirology © 2013 Asian Pacific Society of Respirology.

Impact of early oseltamivir treatment on outcome in critically ill patients with 2009 pandemic influenza A.

PubMed

Rodríguez, Alejandro; Díaz, Emili; Martín-Loeches, Ignacio; Sandiumenge, Alberto; Canadell, Laura; Díaz, Juan J; Figueira, Juan C; Marques, Asunción; Alvarez-Lerma, Francisco; Vallés, Jordi; Baladín, Bárbara; García-López, Fernando; Suberviola, Borja; Zaragoza, Rafael; Trefler, Sandra; Bonastre, Juan; Blanquer, José; Rello, Jordi

2011-05-01

The impact of oseltamivir on mortality in critically ill patients with 2009 pandemic influenza A (2009 H1N1) is not clear. The main objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between the timing of antiviral administration and intensive care unit (ICU) outcomes. Prospective, observational study of a cohort of ICU patients with confirmed 2009 H1N1 infection. Clinical data, treatment and outcome were compared between patients receiving early treatment (ET) with oseltamivir, initiated within 2 days, and patients administered late treatment (LT), initiated after this timepoint. Multivariate analysis and propensity score were used to determine the effect of oseltamivir on ICU mortality. Six hundred and fifty-seven patients were enrolled. Four hundred and four (61.5%) patients required mechanical ventilation (MV; mortality 32.6%). Among them, 385 received effective antiviral therapy and were included in the study group. All patients received oseltamivir for a median duration of 10 days (interquartile range 8-14 days). Seventy-nine (20.5%) ET patients were compared with 306 LT patients. The two groups were comparable in terms of main clinical variables. ICU length of stay (22.7 ± 16.7 versus 18.4 ± 14.2 days; P = 0.03), hospital length of stay (34.0 ± 20.3 versus 27.2 ± 18.2 days; P = 0.001) and MV days (17.4 ± 15.2 versus 14.0 ± 12.4; P = 0.04) were higher in the LT group. ICU mortality was also higher in LT (34.3%) than in ET (21.5%; OR = 1.9; 95% CI 1.06-3.41). A multivariate model identified ET (OR = 0.44; 95% CI 0.21-0.87) as an independent variable associated with reduced ICU mortality. These results were confirmed by propensity score analysis (OR = 0.44; 95% CI 0.22-0.90; P < 0.001). Our findings suggest that early oseltamivir administration was associated with favourable outcomes among critically ill ventilated patients with 2009 H1N1 virus infection.

Risk, Predictors, and Outcomes of Acute Kidney Injury in Patients Admitted to Intensive Care Units in Egypt.

PubMed

Abd ElHafeez, Samar; Tripepi, Giovanni; Quinn, Robert; Naga, Yasmine; Abdelmonem, Sherif; AbdelHady, Mohamed; Liu, Ping; James, Matthew; Zoccali, Carmine; Ravani, Pietro

2017-12-07

Epidemiology of acute kidney injury (AKI) in developing countries is under-studied. We evaluated the risk and prognosis of AKI in patients admitted to intensive care units (ICUs) in Egypt. We recruited consecutive adults admitted to ICUs in Alexandria Teaching Hospitals over six months. We used the KDIGO criteria for AKI. We followed participants until the earliest of ICU discharge, death, day 30 from entry or study end. Of the 532 participants (median age 45 (Interquartile range [IQR]: 30-62) years, 41.7% male, 23.7% diabetics), 39.6% had AKI at ICU admission and 37.4% developed AKI after 24 hours of ICU admission. Previous need of diuretics, sepsis and low education were associated with AKI at ICU admission; APACHE II score independently predicted AKI after ICU admission. A total of 120 (22.6%) patients died during 30-day follow-up. Compared to patients who remained AKI-free, mortality was significantly higher in patients who had AKI at study entry (Hazard Ratio [HR] 2.14; 95% Confidence Interval [CI] 1.02-4.48) or developed AKI in ICU (HR 2.74; 95% CI 1.45-5.17). The risk of AKI is high in critically ill people and predicts poor outcomes. Further studies are needed to estimate the burden of AKI among patients before ICU admission.

Short-term outcome and differences between rural and urban trauma patients treated by mobile intensive care units in Northern Finland: a retrospective analysis.

PubMed

Raatiniemi, Lasse; Liisanantti, Janne; Niemi, Suvi; Nal, Heini; Ohtonen, Pasi; Antikainen, Harri; Martikainen, Matti; Alahuhta, Seppo

2015-11-05

Emergency medical services are an important part of trauma care, but data comparing urban and rural areas is needed. We compared 30-day mortality and length of intensive care unit (ICU) stay for trauma patients injured in rural and urban municipalities and collected basic data on trauma care in Northern Finland. We examined data from all trauma patients treated by the Finnish Helicopter Emergency Medical Services in 2012 and 2013. Only patients surviving to hospital were included in the analysis but all pre-hospital deaths were recorded. All data was retrieved from the national Helicopter Emergency Medical Services database, medical records, and the Finnish Causes of Death Registry. Patients were defined as urban or rural depending on the type of municipality where the injury occurred. A total of 472 patients were included. Age and Injury Severity Score did not differ between rural and urban patients. The pre-hospital time intervals and distances to trauma centers were longer for rural patients and a larger proportion of urban patients had intentional injuries (23.5% vs. 9.3%, P <0.001). The 30-day mortality for severely injured patients (Injury Severity Score >15) was 23.9% in urban and 13.3% in rural municipalities. In the multivariate regression analysis the odds ratio (OR) for 30-day mortality was 2.8 (95% confidence interval 1.0 to 7.9, P = 0.05) in urban municipalities. There was no difference in the length of ICU stay or scores. Twenty patients died on scene or during transportation and 56 missions were aborted because of pre-hospital death. The severely injured urban trauma patients had a trend toward higher 30-day mortality compared with patients injured in rural areas but the length of ICU stay was similar. However, more pre-hospital deaths occurred in rural municipalities. The time before mobile ICU arrival appears to be critical for trauma patients' survival, especially in rural areas.

Impact of violence against women on severe acute maternal morbidity in the intensive care unit, including neonatal outcomes: a case–control study protocol in a tertiary healthcare facility in Lima, Peru

PubMed Central

Ayala Quintanilla, Beatriz Paulina; Pollock, Wendy E; McDonald, Susan J; Taft, Angela J

2018-01-01

Introduction Preventing and reducing violence against women (VAW) and maternal mortality are Sustainable Development Goals. Worldwide, the maternal mortality ratio has fallen about 44% in the last 25 years, and for one maternal death there are many women affected by severe acute maternal morbidity (SAMM) requiring management in the intensive care unit (ICU). These women represent the most critically ill obstetric patients of the maternal morbidity spectrum and should be studied to complement the review of maternal mortality. VAW has been associated with all-cause maternal deaths, and since many women (30%) endure violence usually exerted by their intimate partners and this abuse can be severe during pregnancy, it is important to determine whether it impacts SAMM. Thus, this study aims to investigate the impact of VAW on SAMM in the ICU. Methods and analysis This will be a prospective case-control study undertaken in a tertiary healthcare facility in Lima-Peru, with a sample size of 109 cases (obstetric patients admitted to the ICU) and 109 controls (obstetric patients not admitted to the ICU selected by systematic random sampling). Data on social determinants, medical and obstetric characteristics, VAW, pregnancy and neonatal outcome will be collected through interviews and by extracting information from the medical records using a pretested form. Main outcome will be VAW rate and neonatal mortality rate between cases and controls. VAW will be assessed by using the WHO instrument. Binary logistic followed by stepwise multivariate regression and goodness of fit test will assess any association between VAW and SAMM. Ethics and dissemination Ethical approval has been granted by the La Trobe University, Melbourne-Australia and the tertiary healthcare facility in Lima-Peru. This research follows the WHO ethical and safety recommendations for research on VAW. Findings will be presented at conferences and published in peer-reviewed journals. PMID:29540421

Characteristics, clinical course, and outcomes of homeless and non-homeless patients admitted to ICU: A retrospective cohort study

PubMed Central

Kaur, Maninder; Ashraf, Said

2017-01-01

Background Little is known about homeless patients in intensive care units (ICUs). Objectives To compare clinical characteristics, treatments, and outcomes of homeless to non-homeless patients admitted to four ICUs in a large inner-city academic hospital. Methods 63 randomly-selected homeless compared to 63 age-, sex-, and admitting-ICU-matched non-homeless patients. Results Compared to matched non-homeless, homeless patients (average age 48±12 years, 90% male, 87% admitted by ambulance, 56% mechanically ventilated, average APACHE II 17) had similar comorbidities and illness severity except for increased alcohol (70% vs 17%,p<0.001) and illicit drug(46% vs 8%,p<0.001) use and less documented hypertension (16% vs 40%,p = 0.005) or prescription medications (48% vs 67%,p<0.05). Intensity of ICU interventions was similar except for higher thiamine (71% vs 21%,p<0.0001) and nicotine (38% vs 14%,p = 0.004) prescriptions. Homeless patients exhibited significantly lower Glasgow Coma Scores and significantly more bacterial respiratory cultures. Longer durations of antibiotics, vasopressors/inotropes, ventilation, ICU and hospital lengths of stay were not statistically different, but homeless patients had higher hospital mortality (29% vs 8%,p = 0.005). Review of all deaths disclosed that withdrawal of life-sustaining therapy occurred in similar clinical circumstances and proportions in both groups, regardless of family involvement. Using multivariable logistic regression, homelessness did not appear to be an independent predictor of hospital mortality. Conclusions Homeless patients, admitted to ICU matched to non-homeless patients by age and sex (characteristics most commonly used by clinicians), have higher hospital mortality despite similar comorbidities and illness severity. Trends to longer durations of life supports may have contributed to the higher mortality. Additional research is required to validate this higher mortality and develop strategies to improve outcomes in this vulnerable population. PMID:28604792

Adverse outcomes after planned surgery with anticipated intensive care admission in out-of-office-hours time periods: a multicentre cohort study.

PubMed

Morgan, D J; Ho, K M; Kolybaba, M L; Ong, Y J

2018-06-01

Increasing mortality for patients admitted to hospitals during the weekend is a contentious but well described phenomenon. However, it remains uncertain whether adverse outcomes, including prolonged hospital length-of-stay (LOS), may also occur after patients undergoing major planned surgery are admitted to an intensive care unit (ICU) out-of-office-hours, either during weeknights (after 18:00) or on weekends. All planned surgical admissions requiring admission to one of 183 ICUs across Australia and New Zealand between 2006 and 2016 were included in this retrospective population-based cohort study. Primary outcomes were hospital LOS and hospital mortality. Of the total 504 713 planned postoperative ICU admissions, 33.6% occurred during out-of-office-hours. After adjusting for available risk factors, out-of-office-hours ICU admissions were associated with a significant increase in hospital LOS [+2.6 days, 95% confidence interval (CI) 2.5-2.6], mortality [odd ratio (OR) 1.5, 95%CI 1.4-1.6], and a reduced chance of being directly discharged home (OR 0.8, 95%CI 0.8-0.8). The strongest association for adverse outcomes occurred with weekend ICU admissions (hospital LOS: +3.0 days, 95%CI 3.2-3.6; hospital mortality: OR 1.7, 95%CI 1.6-1.8). Clustering of adverse outcomes by hospitals was not observed in the generalised estimating equation analyses. Despite a greater clinical staff availability and higher monitoring levels, planned surgery requiring anticipated out-of-office-hours ICU admission was associated with a prolonged hospital LOS, reduced discharge directly home, and increased mortality compared with in-office-hours admissions. Our findings have potential clinical, economic and health policy implications on how complex planned surgery should be planned and managed. Copyright © 2018 British Journal of Anaesthesia. All rights reserved.

Metabolites Associated With Malnutrition in the Intensive Care Unit Are Also Associated With 28-Day Mortality.

PubMed

Mogensen, Kris M; Lasky-Su, Jessica; Rogers, Angela J; Baron, Rebecca M; Fredenburgh, Laura E; Rawn, James; Robinson, Malcolm K; Massarro, Anthony; Choi, Augustine M K; Christopher, Kenneth B

2017-02-01

We hypothesized that metabolic profiles would differ in critically ill patients with malnutrition relative to those without. We performed a prospective cohort study on 85 adult patients with systemic inflammatory response syndrome or sepsis admitted to a 20-bed medical intensive care unit (ICU) in Boston. We generated metabolomic profiles using gas and liquid chromatography and mass spectroscopy. We followed this by logistic regression and partial least squares discriminant analysis to identify individual metabolites that were significant. We then interrogated the entire metabolomics profile using metabolite set enrichment analysis and network model construction of chemical-protein target interactions to identify groups of metabolites and pathways that were differentiates in patients with and without malnutrition. Of the cohort, 38% were malnourished at admission to the ICU. Metabolomic profiles differed in critically ill patients with malnutrition relative to those without. Ten metabolites were significantly associated with malnutrition ( P < .05). A parsimonious model of 5 metabolites effectively differentiated patients with malnutrition (AUC = 0.76), including pyroglutamine and hypoxanthine. Using pathway enrichment analysis, we identified a critical role of glutathione and purine metabolism in predicting nutrition. Nutrition status was associated with 28-day mortality, even after adjustment for known phenotypic variables associated with ICU mortality. Importantly, 7 metabolites associated with nutrition status were also associated with 28-day mortality. Malnutrition is associated with differential metabolic profiles early in critical illness. Common to all of our metabolome analyses, glutathione and purine metabolism, which play principal roles in cellular redox regulation and accelerated tissue adenosine triphosphate degradation, respectively, were significantly altered with malnutrition.

Impact of dialysis practice patterns on outcomes in acute kidney injury in Intensive Care Unit.

PubMed

Annigeri, Rajeev A; Nandeesh, Venkatappa; Karuniya, Ramanathan; Rajalakshmi, Sasikumar; Venkataraman, Ramesh; Ramakrishnan, Nagarajan

2016-01-01

Recent advances in dialysis therapy have made an impact on the clinical practice of renal replacement therapy (RRT) in acute kidney injury (AKI) in Intensive Care Unit (ICU). We studied the impact of RRT practice changes on outcomes in AKI in ICU over a period of 8 years. AKI patients requiring RRT in ICU referred to a nephrologist during two different periods (period-1: Between May 2004 and May 2007, n = 69; period-2: Between August 2008 and May 2011, n = 93) were studied. The major changes in the dialysis practice during the period-2, compared to period-1 were introduction of prolonged intermittent RRT (PIRRT), early dialysis for metabolic acidosis, early initiation of RRT for anuria and positive fluid balance and use of bicarbonate-based fluids for continuous RRT (CRRT) instead of lactate buffer. The primary study outcome was 28-day hospital mortality. The mean age was 53.8 ± 16.1 years and 72.6% were male. Introduction of PIRRT resulted in 37% reduction in utilization of CRRT during period-2 (from 85.5% to 53.7%). The overall mortality was high (68%) but was significantly reduced during period-2 compared to period-1 (59% vs. 79.7%, P = 0.006). Metabolic acidosis but not the mode of RRT, was the significant factor which influenced mortality. Adaption of PIRRT resulted in 37% reduction of utilization of CRRT. The mortality rate was significantly reduced during the period of adaption of PIRRT, possibly due to early initiation of RRT in the latter period for indications such as anuria and metabolic acidosis.

Protocols and Hospital Mortality in Critically Ill Patients: The United States Critical Illness and Injury Trials Group Critical Illness Outcomes Study.

PubMed

Sevransky, Jonathan E; Checkley, William; Herrera, Phabiola; Pickering, Brian W; Barr, Juliana; Brown, Samuel M; Chang, Steven Y; Chong, David; Kaufman, David; Fremont, Richard D; Girard, Timothy D; Hoag, Jeffrey; Johnson, Steven B; Kerlin, Mehta P; Liebler, Janice; O'Brien, James; O'Keefe, Terence; Park, Pauline K; Pastores, Stephen M; Patil, Namrata; Pietropaoli, Anthony P; Putman, Maryann; Rice, Todd W; Rotello, Leo; Siner, Jonathan; Sajid, Sahul; Murphy, David J; Martin, Greg S

2015-10-01

Clinical protocols may decrease unnecessary variation in care and improve compliance with desirable therapies. We evaluated whether highly protocolized ICUs have superior patient outcomes compared with less highly protocolized ICUs. Observational study in which participating ICUs completed a general assessment and enrolled new patients 1 day each week. A total of 6,179 critically ill patients. Fifty-nine ICUs in the United States Critical Illness and Injury Trials Group Critical Illness Outcomes Study. None. The primary exposure was the number of ICU protocols; the primary outcome was hospital mortality. A total of 5,809 participants were followed prospectively, and 5,454 patients in 57 ICUs had complete outcome data. The median number of protocols per ICU was 19 (interquartile range, 15-21.5). In single-variable analyses, there were no differences in ICU and hospital mortality, length of stay, use of mechanical ventilation, vasopressors, or continuous sedation among individuals in ICUs with a high versus low number of protocols. The lack of association was confirmed in adjusted multivariable analysis (p = 0.70). Protocol compliance with two ventilator management protocols was moderate and did not differ between ICUs with high versus low numbers of protocols for lung protective ventilation in acute respiratory distress syndrome (47% vs 52%; p = 0.28) and for spontaneous breathing trials (55% vs 51%; p = 0.27). Clinical protocols are highly prevalent in U.S. ICUs. The presence of a greater number of protocols was not associated with protocol compliance or patient mortality.

Validation of the new Sepsis-3 definitions: proposal for improvement in early risk identification.

PubMed

Giamarellos-Bourboulis, E J; Tsaganos, T; Tsangaris, I; Lada, M; Routsi, C; Sinapidis, D; Koupetori, M; Bristianou, M; Adamis, G; Mandragos, K; Dalekos, G N; Kritselis, I; Giannikopoulos, G; Koutelidakis, I; Pavlaki, M; Antoniadou, E; Vlachogiannis, G; Koulouras, V; Prekates, A; Dimopoulos, G; Koutsoukou, A; Pnevmatikos, I; Ioakeimidou, A; Kotanidou, A; Orfanos, S E; Armaganidis, A; Gogos, C

2017-02-01

Sepsis-3 definitions generated controversies regarding their general applicability. The Sepsis-3 Task Force outlined the need for validation with emphasis on the quick Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (qSOFA) score. This was done in a prospective cohort from a different healthcare setting. Patients with infections and at least two signs of systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) were analysed. Sepsis was defined as total SOFA ≥2 outside the intensive care unit (ICU) or as an increase of ICU admission SOFA ≥2. The primary endpoints were the sensitivity of qSOFA outside the ICU and sepsis definition both outside and within the ICU to predict mortality. In all, 3346 infections outside the ICU and 1058 infections in the ICU were analysed. Outside the ICU, respective mortality with ≥2 SIRS and qSOFA ≥2 was 25.3% and 41.2% (p <0.0001); the sensitivities of qSOFA and of sepsis definition to predict death were 60.8% and 87.2%, respectively. This was 95.9% for sepsis definition in the ICU. The sensitivity of qSOFA and of ≥3 SIRS criteria for organ dysfunction outside the ICU was 48.7% and 72.5%, respectively (p <0.0001). Misclassification outside the ICU with the 1991 and Sepsis-3 definitions into stages of lower severity was 21.4% and 3.7%, respectively (p <0.0001) and 14.9% and 3.7%, respectively, in the ICU (p <0.0001). Adding arterial pH ≤7.30 to qSOFA increased sensitivity for prediction of death to 67.5% (p 0.004). Our analysis positively validated the use of SOFA score to predict unfavourable outcome and to limit misclassification into lower severity. However, qSOFA score had inadequate sensitivity for early risk assessment. Copyright © 2016 European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Statistical process control of mortality series in the Australian and New Zealand Intensive Care Society (ANZICS) adult patient database: implications of the data generating process.

PubMed

Moran, John L; Solomon, Patricia J

2013-05-24

Statistical process control (SPC), an industrial sphere initiative, has recently been applied in health care and public health surveillance. SPC methods assume independent observations and process autocorrelation has been associated with increase in false alarm frequency. Monthly mean raw mortality (at hospital discharge) time series, 1995-2009, at the individual Intensive Care unit (ICU) level, were generated from the Australia and New Zealand Intensive Care Society adult patient database. Evidence for series (i) autocorrelation and seasonality was demonstrated using (partial)-autocorrelation ((P)ACF) function displays and classical series decomposition and (ii) "in-control" status was sought using risk-adjusted (RA) exponentially weighted moving average (EWMA) control limits (3 sigma). Risk adjustment was achieved using a random coefficient (intercept as ICU site and slope as APACHE III score) logistic regression model, generating an expected mortality series. Application of time-series to an exemplar complete ICU series (1995-(end)2009) was via Box-Jenkins methodology: autoregressive moving average (ARMA) and (G)ARCH ((Generalised) Autoregressive Conditional Heteroscedasticity) models, the latter addressing volatility of the series variance. The overall data set, 1995-2009, consisted of 491324 records from 137 ICU sites; average raw mortality was 14.07%; average(SD) raw and expected mortalities ranged from 0.012(0.113) and 0.013(0.045) to 0.296(0.457) and 0.278(0.247) respectively. For the raw mortality series: 71 sites had continuous data for assessment up to or beyond lag40 and 35% had autocorrelation through to lag40; and of 36 sites with continuous data for ≥ 72 months, all demonstrated marked seasonality. Similar numbers and percentages were seen with the expected series. Out-of-control signalling was evident for the raw mortality series with respect to RA-EWMA control limits; a seasonal ARMA model, with GARCH effects, displayed white-noise residuals which were in-control with respect to EWMA control limits and one-step prediction error limits (3SE). The expected series was modelled with a multiplicative seasonal autoregressive model. The data generating process of monthly raw mortality series at the ICU level displayed autocorrelation, seasonality and volatility. False-positive signalling of the raw mortality series was evident with respect to RA-EWMA control limits. A time series approach using residual control charts resolved these issues.

Value and role of intensive care unit outcome prediction models in end-of-life decision making.

PubMed

Barnato, Amber E; Angus, Derek C

2004-07-01

In the United States, intensive care unit (ICU) admission at the end of life is commonplace. What is the value and role of ICU mortality prediction models for informing the utility of ICU care?In this article, we review the history, statistical underpinnings,and current deployment of these models in clinical care. We conclude that the use of outcome prediction models to ration care that is unlikely to provide an expected benefit is hampered by imperfect performance, the lack of real-time availability, failure to consider functional outcomes beyond survival, and physician resistance to the use of probabilistic information when death is guaranteed by the decision it informs. Among these barriers, the most important technical deficiency is the lack of automated information systems to provide outcome predictions to decision makers, and the most important research and policy agenda is to understand and address our national ambivalence toward rationing care based on any criterion.

COSTS AND COST-EFFECTIVENESS OF A TELE-ICU PROGRAM IN SIX INTENSIVE CARE UNITS IN A LARGE HEALTHCARE SYSTEM

PubMed Central

Franzini, Luisa; Sail, Kavita R.; Thomas, Eric J; Wueste, Laura

2011-01-01

Purpose To estimate the costs and cost-effectiveness of a tele-ICU program. Materials and methods We used an observational study with ICU patients cared for during the pre-tele-ICU period and ICU patients cared for during the post-tele-ICU period in 6 ICUs at 5 hospitals, part of a large non-profit health care system in the Gulf Coast region. We obtained data on a sample of 4142 ICU patients: 2,034 in the pre-tele-ICU period and 2,108 in the post-tele-ICU period. Economic outcomes were hospital costs, ICU costs and floor costs, measured for average daily costs, costs per case, and costs per patient. Results After the implementation of the tele-ICU, the hospital daily cost increased from $4,302 to $5,340 (24%), the hospital cost per case from $21,967 to $31,318 (43%), and the cost per patient from $20,231 to $25,846 (28%). While the tele-ICU intervention was not cost effective in patients with SAPS II ≤ 50, it was cost effective in the sickest patients with SAPS II > 50 (17% of patients) as it decreased hospital mortality without increasing costs significantly. Conclusions Hospital administrators may conclude that a tele-ICU program aimed at the sickest patients is cost effective. PMID:21376515

The Host Response in Patients with Sepsis Developing Intensive Care Unit-acquired Secondary Infections.

PubMed

van Vught, Lonneke A; Wiewel, Maryse A; Hoogendijk, Arie J; Frencken, Jos F; Scicluna, Brendon P; Klein Klouwenberg, Peter M C; Zwinderman, Aeilko H; Lutter, Rene; Horn, Janneke; Schultz, Marcus J; Bonten, Marc M J; Cremer, Olaf L; van der Poll, Tom

2017-08-15

Sepsis can be complicated by secondary infections. We explored the possibility that patients with sepsis developing a secondary infection while in the intensive care unit (ICU) display sustained inflammatory, vascular, and procoagulant responses. To compare systemic proinflammatory host responses in patients with sepsis who acquire a new infection with those who do not. Consecutive patients with sepsis with a length of ICU stay greater than 48 hours were prospectively analyzed for the development of ICU-acquired infections. Twenty host response biomarkers reflective of key pathways implicated in sepsis pathogenesis were measured during the first 4 days after ICU admission and at the day of an ICU-acquired infection or noninfectious complication. Of 1,237 admissions for sepsis (1,089 patients), 178 (14.4%) admissions were complicated by ICU-acquired infections (at Day 10 [6-13], median with interquartile range). Patients who developed a secondary infection showed higher disease severity scores and higher mortality up to 1 year than those who did not. Analyses of biomarkers in patients who later went on to develop secondary infections revealed a more dysregulated host response during the first 4 days after admission, as reflected by enhanced inflammation, stronger endothelial cell activation, a more disturbed vascular integrity, and evidence for enhanced coagulation activation. Host response reactions were similar at the time of ICU-acquired infectious or noninfectious complications. Patients with sepsis who developed an ICU-acquired infection showed a more dysregulated proinflammatory and vascular host response during the first 4 days of ICU admission than those who did not develop a secondary infection.

Performance Evaluation of Five Different Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation (DIC) Diagnostic Criteria for Predicting Mortality in Patients with Complicated Sepsis.

PubMed

Ha, Sang Ook; Park, Sang Hyuk; Hong, Sang Bum; Jang, Seongsoo

2016-11-01

Disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) is a major complication in sepsis patients. We compared the performance of five DIC diagnostic criteria, focusing on the prediction of mortality. One hundred patients with severe sepsis or septic shock admitted to intensive care unit (ICU) were enrolled. Routine DIC laboratory tests were performed over the first 4 days after admission. The overall ICU and 28-day mortality in DIC patients diagnosed from five criteria (International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis [ISTH], the Japanese Association for Acute Medicine [JAAM], the revised JAAM [R-JAAM], the Japanese Ministry of Health and Welfare [JMHW] and the Korean Society on Thrombosis and Hemostasis [KSTH]) were compared. Both KSTH and JMHW criteria showed superior performance than ISTH, JAAM and R-JAAM criteria in the prediction of overall ICU mortality in DIC patients (odds ratio 3.828 and 5.181, P = 0.018 and 0.006, 95% confidence interval 1.256-11.667 and 1.622-16.554, respectively) when applied at day 1 after admission, and survival analysis demonstrated significant prognostic impact of KSTH and JMHW criteria on the prediction of 28-day mortality (P = 0.007 and 0.049, respectively) when applied at day 1 after admission. In conclusion, both KSTH and JMHW criteria would be more useful than other three criteria in predicting prognosis in DIC patients with severe sepsis or septic shock.

Risk stratification and prognostic performance of the predisposition, infection, response, and organ dysfunction (PIRO) scoring system in septic patients in the emergency department: a cohort study.

PubMed

Chen, Yun-Xia; Li, Chun-Sheng

2014-04-16

The predisposition, infection, response and organ dysfunction (PIRO) staging system was designed as a stratification tool to deal with the inherent heterogeneity of septic patients. The present study was conducted to assess the performance of PIRO in predicting multiple organ dysfunction (MOD), intensive care unit (ICU) admission, and 28-day mortality in septic patients in the emergency department (ED), and to compare this scoring system with the Mortality in Emergency Department Sepsis (MEDS) and Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE II) scores. Consecutive septic patients (n = 680) admitted to the ED of Beijing Chao-Yang Hospital were enrolled. PIRO, MEDS, and APACHE II scores were calculated for each patient on ED arrival. Organ function was reassessed within 3 days of enrollment. All patients were followed up for 28 days. Outcome criteria were the development of MOD within 3 days, ICU admission or death within 28 days after enrollment. The predictive ability of the four components of PIRO was analyzed separately. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and logistic regression analysis were used to assess the prognostic and risk stratification value of the scoring systems. Organ dysfunction independently predicted ICU admission, MOD, and 28-day mortality, with areas under the ROC curve (AUC) of 0.888, 0.851, and 0.816, respectively. The predictive value of predisposition, infection, and response was weaker than that of organ dysfunction. A negative correlation was found between the response component and MOD, as well as mortality. PIRO, MEDS, and APACHE II scores significantly differed between patients who did and did not meet the outcome criteria (P < 0.001). PIRO and APACHE II independently predicted ICU admission and MOD, but MEDS did not. All three systems were independent predictors of 28-day mortality with similar AUC values. The AUC of PIRO was 0.889 for ICU admission, 0.817 for MOD, and 0.744 for 28-day mortality. The AUCs of PIRO were significantly greater than those of APACHE II and MEDS (P < 0.05) in predicting ICU admission and MOD. The study indicates that PIRO is helpful for risk stratification and prognostic determinations in septic patients in the ED.

Noninvasive Ventilation of Patients with Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome. Insights from the LUNG SAFE Study.

PubMed

Bellani, Giacomo; Laffey, John G; Pham, Tài; Madotto, Fabiana; Fan, Eddy; Brochard, Laurent; Esteban, Andres; Gattinoni, Luciano; Bumbasirevic, Vesna; Piquilloud, Lise; van Haren, Frank; Larsson, Anders; McAuley, Daniel F; Bauer, Philippe R; Arabi, Yaseen M; Ranieri, Marco; Antonelli, Massimo; Rubenfeld, Gordon D; Thompson, B Taylor; Wrigge, Hermann; Slutsky, Arthur S; Pesenti, Antonio

2017-01-01

Noninvasive ventilation (NIV) is increasingly used in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). The evidence supporting NIV use in patients with ARDS remains relatively sparse. To determine whether, during NIV, the categorization of ARDS severity based on the Pa O 2 /Fi O 2 Berlin criteria is useful. The LUNG SAFE (Large Observational Study to Understand the Global Impact of Severe Acute Respiratory Failure) study described the management of patients with ARDS. This substudy examines the current practice of NIV use in ARDS, the utility of the Pa O 2 /Fi O 2 ratio in classifying patients receiving NIV, and the impact of NIV on outcome. Of 2,813 patients with ARDS, 436 (15.5%) were managed with NIV on Days 1 and 2 following fulfillment of diagnostic criteria. Classification of ARDS severity based on Pa O 2 /Fi O 2 ratio was associated with an increase in intensity of ventilatory support, NIV failure, and intensive care unit (ICU) mortality. NIV failure occurred in 22.2% of mild, 42.3% of moderate, and 47.1% of patients with severe ARDS. Hospital mortality in patients with NIV success and failure was 16.1% and 45.4%, respectively. NIV use was independently associated with increased ICU (hazard ratio, 1.446 [95% confidence interval, 1.159-1.805]), but not hospital, mortality. In a propensity matched analysis, ICU mortality was higher in NIV than invasively ventilated patients with a Pa O 2 /Fi O 2 lower than 150 mm Hg. NIV was used in 15% of patients with ARDS, irrespective of severity category. NIV seems to be associated with higher ICU mortality in patients with a Pa O 2 /Fi O 2 lower than 150 mm Hg. Clinical trial registered with www.clinicaltrials.gov (NCT 02010073).

Characteristics and outcomes of patients admitted to Spanish ICU: A prospective observational study from the ENVIN-HELICS registry (2006-2011).

PubMed

Olaechea, P M; Álvarez-Lerma, F; Palomar, M; Gimeno, R; Gracia, M P; Mas, N; Rivas, R; Seijas, I; Nuvials, X; Catalán, M

2016-05-01

To describe the case-mix of patients admitted to intensive care units (ICUs) in Spain during the period 2006-2011 and to assess changes in ICU mortality according to severity level. Secondary analysis of data obtained from the ENVN-HELICS registry. Observational prospective study. Spanish ICU. Patients admitted for over 24h. None. Data for each of the participating hospitals and ICUs were recorded, as well as data that allowed to knowing the case-mix and the individual outcome of each patient. The study period was divided into two intervals, from 2006 to 2008 (period 1) and from 2009 to 2011 (period 2). Multilevel and multivariate models were used for the analysis of mortality and were performed in each stratum of severity level. The study population included 142,859 patients admitted to 188 adult ICUs. There was an increase in the mean age of the patients and in the percentage of patients >79 years (11.2% vs. 12.7%, P<0.001). Also, the mean APACHE II score increased from 14.35±8.29 to 14.72±8.43 (P<0.001). The crude overall intra-UCI mortality remained unchanged (11.4%) but adjusted mortality rate in patients with APACHE II score between 11 and 25 decreased modestly in recent years (12.3% vs. 11.6%, odds ratio=0.931, 95% CI 0.883-0.982; P=0.008). This study provides observational longitudinal data on case-mix of patients admitted to Spanish ICUs. A slight reduction in ICU mortality rate was observed among patients with intermediate severity level. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier España, S.L.U. and SEMICYUC. All rights reserved.

Probiotics versus antibiotic decontamination of the digestive tract: infection and mortality.

PubMed

Oudhuis, Guy J; Bergmans, Dennis C; Dormans, Tom; Zwaveling, Jan-Harm; Kessels, Alfons; Prins, Martin H; Stobberingh, Ellen E; Verbon, Annelies

2011-01-01

Selective decontamination of the digestive tract (SDD) has been shown to decrease the infection rate and mortality in intensive care units (ICUs); Lactobacillus plantarum 299/299v plus fibre (LAB) has been used for infection prevention and does not harbour the potential disadvantages of antibiotics. The objective was to assess whether LAB is not inferior to SDD in infection prevention. Two hundred fifty-four consecutive ICU patients with expected mechanical ventilation ≥ 48 h and/or expected ICU stay ≥ 72 h were assigned to receive SDD: four times daily an oral paste (polymyxin E, gentamicin, amphotericin B), enteral solution (same antibiotics), intravenous cefotaxime (first 4 days) or LAB: two times daily L. plantarum 299/299v with rose-hip. The primary endpoint was infection rate. A difference <12% between both groups indicated non-inferiority of LAB. The trial was prematurely stopped after a study reporting increased mortality in critically ill pancreatitis patients receiving probiotics. No significant difference in infection rate [31% in the LAB group, 24% in the SDD group (OR 1.68, 95% CI 0.91-3.08; p = 0.10)] was found. ICU mortality was 26% and not significantly different between the LAB and SDD groups. Gram-positive cocci and Pseudomonas aeruginosa were significantly more frequently isolated from surveillance cultures in the SDD group compared to the LAB group (for sputum: 18 vs. 10% and 33 vs. 14%). Significantly more Enterobacteriaceae were found in the LAB group (23 vs. 50%). No increase in antibiotic resistance was found during and after SDD or LAB use. The trial could not demonstrate the non-inferiority of LAB compared with SDD in infection prevention. Results suggest no increased ICU mortality risk in the LAB group.

Effects of aspiration pneumonia on the intensive care requirements and in-hospital mortality of hospitalised patients with acute cerebrovascular disease.

PubMed

Güngen, Adil Can; Aydemir, Yusuf; Güngen, Belma Dogan; Yazar, Esra Ertan; Yağız, Orhan; Aras, Yeşim Güzey; Gümüş, Hatice; Erkorkmaz, Ünal

2017-08-01

In this study, we aimed to evaluate the effects of the development of aspiration pneumonia (AP) on the intensive care unit (ICU) requirements and in-hospital mortality of patients hospitalised in the neurology ward due to an acute cerebrovascular accident (CVA). Five hundred and three patients hospitalised in the neurology ward following an acute CVA were retrospectively analysed. The patients were divided into two groups: those with AP (group 1) and those without AP (group 2). Demographic characteristics and physical and radiological findings, including the localisation, lateralisation and aetiology of the infarction, in addition to ICU requirements and mortality, were evaluated. Aspiration pneumonia was detected in 80 (15.9%) patients during the in-hospital stay. Transfer to the ICU for any reason was required in 37.5% of the patients in group 1 and 4.7% of those in group 2 ( p < 0.001). In-hospital mortality occurred in 7.5% and 1.4% of the patients in group 1 and group 2, respectively ( p = 0.006). The incidence of AP was highest in patients with an infarction of the medial cerebral artery (MCA) ( p < 0.001). The AP was associated with older age ( p < 0.001), hypertension ( p = 0.007), echocardiography findings ( p = 0.032) and the modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score ( p < 0.001). Our findings suggest that the requirement rate for transfer to the ICU and the mortality rate appear to be significantly higher in patients with a diagnosis of AP. Precautions should be taken, starting from the first day of hospitalisation, to decrease the incidence of AP in patients with acute CVA, focusing especially on older patients and those with a severe mRS score.

Status epilepticus due to acute encephalitis: NORSE does not necessarily mean worse.

PubMed

Holzer, Franz Josef; Rossetti, Andrea O

2018-06-25

Status epilepticus (SE), refractory status epilepticus (RSE) and superrefractory status epilepticus (SRSE) are very severe medical conditions with high mortality and a potentially poor outcome in several surviving patients. Although SE, RSE and SRSE are primarily neurological affections, these patients will be admitted to an intensive care unit (ICU) for critical care, most often mechanical ventilation and general anesthesia. When a patient enters RSE or even SRSE, his/her stay in the ICU may become longer and neurologists and ICU specialists will have to agree on whether or not it is appropriate to continue critical care. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Declining mortality in critically ill patients with cirrhosis in Australia and New Zealand between 2000 and 2015.

PubMed

Majumdar, Avik; Bailey, Michael; Kemp, William M; Bellomo, Rinaldo; Roberts, Stuart K; Pilcher, David

2017-12-01

Few studies have described the outcomes of patients with cirrhosis receiving intensive care unit (ICU) admission at a population level. We aimed to describe trends in the mortality of such patients in Australia and New Zealand (ANZ), and to investigate the relationship with associated organ failures. We studied patients admitted to 172 ICUs on a non-elective basis, with and without cirrhosis between January 1st 2000 and December 31st 2015, as recorded by the ANZ Intensive Care Society Centre for Outcome and Resource Evaluation Adult Patient Database. We assessed severity of illness on admission using organ failure models and acute physiology scores. The primary outcome was hospital mortality. Patients with cirrhosis accounted for 17,044 of 776,873 non-elective ICU admissions (2.2%). Cirrhosis hospital mortality was 32.4% compared to 16.9% in the non-cirrhotic group (p<0.0001). After adjustment for key confounders, cirrhosis had an independent effect on mortality with an odds ratio (OR) of 1.10 (1.06-1.15). There was no difference in the adjusted annual decline in mortality between patients with or without cirrhosis (OR 0.96 [0.95-0.97] vs. 0.96 [0.96-0.96], p=0.67). No difference was seen in the adjusted decline in mortality of patients with cirrhosis when stratified by mechanical ventilation (p=0.92), liver transplant centre status (p=0.27) or presence of sepsis (p=0.09). Mortality increased with number of organ failures, however, the presence of cirrhosis was not found to affect this relationship (p=0.33). The mortality of patients with cirrhosis admitted to ICU on a non-elective basis has declined significantly over time, comparable to patients without cirrhosis, and is predominantly governed by the number of organ failures. Outcomes are similar between non-liver transplant ICUs and liver transplant centres. The outcomes of patients with liver cirrhosis admitted to intensive care units (ICUs) have been previously regarded as poor. We have demonstrated that in Australia and New Zealand, annual in-hospital death rates following ICU admission in this patient group are lower than previously reported, have improved over 16years to 29% and are at a rate similar to patients without cirrhosis. Our data justify recommendations that advocate better access to intensive care for patients with cirrhosis. Copyright © 2017 European Association for the Study of the Liver. All rights reserved.

Expanding technology in the ICU: the case for the utilization of telemedicine.

PubMed

Deslich, Stacie; Coustasse, Alberto

2014-05-01

Telemedicine has been utilized in various healthcare areas to achieve better patient outcomes, lower costs of providing services, and increase patient access to care. Tele-intensive care unit (ICU) technology has been introduced as a way to provide effective ICU services to patients with reduced access, as well as to decrease costs and improve patient care. The methodology for this qualitative study was a literature search and review of case studies. The search was limited to sources published in the last 10 years (2003-2013) in the English language. In total, 55 references were used for this research exploration inquiry. Tele-ICU was found to be an effective way to use technology to decrease costs of providing intensive care, while improving patient outcomes such as mortality and length of stay. Several case studies supported the use of telemedicine in ICUs to provide intensive care to patients who lived in rural areas and lacked access to traditional ICUs. Furthermore, it was noted that, although the initial costs for tele-ICU startup were significant, as much as $100,000 per bed, the benefits of the utilization of this technology can offset those costs by reducing costs by 24% via decreased length of stay for patients. The findings of this study have suggested that the implementation of tele-ICU may have been more beneficial than costly, and it may have provided healthcare organizations the opportunity to increase quality of care and decrease mortality, while it might have decreased costs of delivering ICU services in both rural and urban areas.

Comparison of the Mortality Probability Admission Model III, National Quality Forum, and Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation IV hospital mortality models: implications for national benchmarking*.

PubMed

Kramer, Andrew A; Higgins, Thomas L; Zimmerman, Jack E

2014-03-01

To examine the accuracy of the original Mortality Probability Admission Model III, ICU Outcomes Model/National Quality Forum modification of Mortality Probability Admission Model III, and Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation IVa models for comparing observed and risk-adjusted hospital mortality predictions. Retrospective paired analyses of day 1 hospital mortality predictions using three prognostic models. Fifty-five ICUs at 38 U.S. hospitals from January 2008 to December 2012. Among 174,001 intensive care admissions, 109,926 met model inclusion criteria and 55,304 had data for mortality prediction using all three models. None. We compared patient exclusions and the discrimination, calibration, and accuracy for each model. Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation IVa excluded 10.7% of all patients, ICU Outcomes Model/National Quality Forum 20.1%, and Mortality Probability Admission Model III 24.1%. Discrimination of Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation IVa was superior with area under receiver operating curve (0.88) compared with Mortality Probability Admission Model III (0.81) and ICU Outcomes Model/National Quality Forum (0.80). Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation IVa was better calibrated (lowest Hosmer-Lemeshow statistic). The accuracy of Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation IVa was superior (adjusted Brier score = 31.0%) to that for Mortality Probability Admission Model III (16.1%) and ICU Outcomes Model/National Quality Forum (17.8%). Compared with observed mortality, Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation IVa overpredicted mortality by 1.5% and Mortality Probability Admission Model III by 3.1%; ICU Outcomes Model/National Quality Forum underpredicted mortality by 1.2%. Calibration curves showed that Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation performed well over the entire risk range, unlike the Mortality Probability Admission Model and ICU Outcomes Model/National Quality Forum models. Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation IVa had better accuracy within patient subgroups and for specific admission diagnoses. Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation IVa offered the best discrimination and calibration on a large common dataset and excluded fewer patients than Mortality Probability Admission Model III or ICU Outcomes Model/National Quality Forum. The choice of ICU performance benchmarks should be based on a comparison of model accuracy using data for identical patients.

Patient-related factors and circumstances surrounding decisions to forego life-sustaining treatment, including intensive care unit admission refusal.

PubMed

Reignier, Jean; Dumont, Romain; Katsahian, Sandrine; Martin-Lefevre, Laurent; Renard, Benoit; Fiancette, Maud; Lebert, Christine; Clementi, Eva; Bontemps, Frederic

2008-07-01

To assess decisions to forego life-sustaining treatment (LST) in patients too sick for intensive care unit (ICU) admission, comparatively to patients admitted to the ICU. Prospective observational cohort study. A medical-surgical ICU. Consecutive patients referred to the ICU during a one-yr period. None. Of 898 triaged patients, 147 were deemed too well to benefit from ICU admission. Decisions to forego LST were made in 148 of 666 (22.2%) admitted patients and in all 85 patients deemed too sick for ICU admission. Independent predictors of decisions to forego LST at ICU refusal rather than after ICU admission were: age; underlying disease; living in an institution; preexisting cognitive impairment; admission for medical reasons; and acute cardiac failure, acute central neurologic illness, or sepsis. Hospital mortality after decisions to forego LST was not significantly different in refused and admitted patients (77.5% vs. 86.5%; p = .1). Decisions to forego LST were made via telephone in 58.8% of refused patients and none of the admitted patients. Nurses caring for the patient had no direct contact with the ICU physicians for 62.3% of the decisions in refused patients, whereas meetings between nurses and physicians occurred in 70.3% of decisions to forego LST in the ICU. Patients or relatives were involved in 28.2% of decisions to forego LST at ICU refusal compared with 78.4% of decisions to forego LST in ICU patients (p < .001). All patients deemed too sick for ICU admission had decisions to forego LST. These decisions were made without direct patient examination in two-thirds of refused patients (vs. none of admitted patients) and were associated with less involvement of nurses and relatives compared with decisions in admitted patients. Further work is needed to improve decisions to forego LST made under the distinctive circumstances of triage.

Characteristics of patients with hospital-acquired influenza A (H1N1)pdm09 virus admitted to the intensive care unit.

PubMed

Álvarez-Lerma, F; Marín-Corral, J; Vilà, C; Masclans, J R; Loeches, I M; Barbadillo, S; González de Molina, F J; Rodríguez, A

2017-02-01

Influenza A (H1N1)pdm09 virus infection acquired in the hospital and in critically ill patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) has been poorly characterized. To assess the clinical impact of hospital-acquired infection with influenza A (H1N1)pdm09 virus in critically ill patients. Analysis of a prospective database of the Spanish registry (2009-2015) of patients with severe influenza A admitted to the ICU. Infection was defined as hospital-acquired when diagnosis and starting of treatment occurred from the seventh day of hospital stay with no suspicion on hospital admission, and community-acquired when diagnosis was established within the first 48 h of admission. Of 2421 patients with influenza A (H1N1)pdm09 infection, 224 (9.3%) were classified as hospital-acquired and 1103 (45.6%) as community-acquired (remaining cases unclassified). Intra-ICU mortality was higher in the hospital-acquired group (32.9% vs 18.8%, P < 0.001). Independent factors associated with mortality were hospital-acquired influenza A (H1N1)pdm09 infection (odds ratio: 1.63; 95% confidence interval: 1.37-1.99), APACHE II score on ICU admission (1.09; 1.06-1.11), underlying haematological disease (3.19; 1.78-5.73), and need of extrarenal depuration techniques (4.20; 2.61-6.77) and mechanical ventilation (4.34; 2.62-7.21). Influenza A (H1N1)pdm09 infection acquired in the hospital is an independent factor for death in critically ill patients admitted to the ICU. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Respiratory research networks in Europe and beyond: aims, achievements and aspirations for the 21st century

PubMed Central

Zampieri, Fernando; Povoa, Pedro; Ranzani, Otavio; Bos, Lieuwe D.; Aliberti, Stefano; Torres, Antoni

2017-01-01

Healthcare-associated infection, such as intensive care unit (ICU)-related respiratory infections, remain the most frequently encountered morbidity of ICU admission, prolonging hospital stay and increasing mortality rates. The epidemiology of ICU-related respiratory infections, particularly nonventilated ICU-associated pneumonia and ventilator-associated tracheobronchitis, appears to be quite different among different countries. European countries have different prevalence, patterns and mechanism of resistance, as well as different treatments chosen by different attending physicians. The classical clinical research process in respiratory infections consists of the following loop: 1) identification of knowledge gaps; 2) systematic review and search for adequate answers; 3) generation of study hypotheses; 4) design of study protocols; 5) collection clinical data; 6) analysis and interpretation of the results; and 7) implementation of the results in clinical practice. PMID:28894481

Analysis of the availability of the resources necessary for urgent and emergency healthcare in São Paulo between 2009-2013.

PubMed

Coimbra, Silvana Hebe; Camanho, Eliete Dominguez Lopez; Heringer, Lindolfo Carlos; Botelho, Ricardo Vieira; Vasconcellos, Cidia

2017-06-01

The Regulatory Complex is the structure that operationalizes actions for making resources available to meet the needs of urgent and emergency care in the municipality of São Paulo. In the case of urgent care, needs are immediate and associated with high morbidity and mortality. To identify the most frequently requested resources, the resolution capacity and the mortality rate associated with the unavailability of a certain resource. Our study was based on data from medical bulletins issued by the Urgent and Emergency Regulation Center (CRUE) in the city of São Paulo from 2009 to 2013. 91,823 requests were made over the five years of the study (2009 to 2013). Neurosurgery requests were the most frequent in all years (4,828, 5,159, 4,251, 5,008 and 4,394, respectively), followed by computed tomography (CT) scans, adult intensive care unit (ICU) beds, cardiac catheterization, and pediatric ICU beds. On average, requests for neurosurgery, adult ICU, pediatric ICU, CT scans, catheterization and vascular surgery were answered in 70%, 27%, 39%, 97%, 87% and 77% of cases. The total number of deaths relating to requests for neurosurgery, CT scans, adult ICU, pediatric ICU, catheterization and vascular surgeon assessment were 182, 9, 1,536, 1,536, 135, 49 and 24 cases, respectively. There is a lack of resources to meet urgent and emergency needs in the city of São Paulo.

Causes of death in critically ill multiple sclerosis patients.

PubMed

Karamyan, A; Brandtner, H; Grinzinger, S; Chroust, V; Bacher, C; Otto, F; Reisp, M; Hauer, L; Sellner, J

2017-10-01

Patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) experience higher mortality rates as compared to the general population. While the risk of intensive care unit (ICU) admission is also reported to be higher, little is known about causes of death CoD in critically ill MS patients. To study the causes of death (CoD) in the series of critically ill patients with MS verified by autopsy. We reviewed hospital electronic charts of MS patients treated at the neurological ICU of a tertiary care hospital between 2000 and 2015. We compared clinical and pathological CoD for those who were autopsied. Overall, 10 patients were identified (seven female; median age at death 65 years, range 27-80), and six of them were autopsied. The median MS duration prior to ICU admission was 27.5 years (range 1-50), and the median EDSS score at the time of ICU admission was 9 (range 5-9.5). The median length of ICU stay was 3 days (range 2-213). All the individuals in our series had experienced respiratory insufficiency during their ICU stay. The autopsy examination of brain tissue did not reveal evidences of MS lesions in one patient. In another patient, Lewy bodies were found on brain immunohistochemistry. Mortality in critically ill MS patients is largely driven by respiratory complications. Sporadic disparities between clinical and pathological findings can be expected. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Review article: scoring systems for assessing prognosis in critically ill adult cirrhotics.

PubMed

Cholongitas, E; Senzolo, M; Patch, D; Shaw, S; Hui, C; Burroughs, A K

2006-08-01

Cirrhotic patients admitted to intensive care units (ICU) still have poor outcomes. Some current ICU prognostic models [Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE), Organ System Failure (OSF) and Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA)] were used to stratify cirrhotics into risk categories, but few cirrhotics were included in the original model development. Liver-specific scores [Child-Turcotte-Pugh (CTP) and model for end-stage liver disease (MELD)] could be useful in this setting. To evaluate whether ICU prognostic models perform better compared with liver-disease specific ones in cirrhotics admitted to ICU. We performed a structured literature review identifying clinical studies focusing on prognosis and risk factors for mortality in adult cirrhotics admitted to ICU. We found 21 studies (five solely dealing with gastrointestinal bleeding) published during the last 20 years (54-420 patients in each). APACHE II and III, SOFA and OSF had better discrimination for correctly predicting death compared with the CTP score. The MELD score was evaluated only in one study and had good predictive accuracy [receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curve: 0.81). Organ dysfunction models (OSF, SOFA) were superior compared with APACHE II and III (ROC curve: range 0.83-0.94 vs. 0.66-0.88 respectively). Cardiovascular, liver and renal system dysfunction were more frequently independently associated with mortality. General-ICU models had better performance in cirrhotic populations compared with CTP score; OSF and SOFA had the best predictive ability. Further prospective and validation studies are needed.

When Is It Appropriate to Use Glutamine in Critical Illness?

PubMed

Mundi, Manpreet S; Shah, Meera; Hurt, Ryan T

2016-08-01

Glutamine is a nonessential amino acid, which under trauma or critical illness can become essential. A number of historic small single-center randomized controlled trials (RCTs) have demonstrated positive treatment effects on clinical outcomes with glutamine supplementation. Meta-analyses based on these trials demonstrated a significant reduction in hospital mortality, intensive care unit (ICU) length of stay (LOS), and hospital LOS with intravenous (IV) glutamine. Similar results were not noted in 2 large multicenter RCTs (REDOXS and MetaPlus) assessing the efficacy of glutamine supplementation in ventilated ICU patients. The REDOXS trial of 40 ICUs randomized 1223 ventilated ICU patients to glutamine (IV and enteral), antioxidants, both glutamine and antioxidants, or placebo. The main conclusions were a trend toward increased 28-day mortality and significant increased hospital and 6-month mortality in those who received glutamine. The MetaPlus trial of 14 ICUs, which randomized 301 ventilated ICU patients to glutamine-enriched enteral vs an isocaloric diet, noted increased 6-month mortality in the glutamine-supplemented group. Newer RCTs have focused on specific populations and have demonstrated benefits in burn and elective surgery patients with glutamine supplementation. Whether larger studies will confirm these findings is yet to be determined. Recent American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition guidelines recommend that IV and enteral glutamine should not be used in the critical care setting based on the moderate quality of evidence available. We agree with these recommendations and would encourage larger multicenter studies to evaluate the risks and benefits of glutamine in burn and elective surgery patients. © 2016 American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition.

Application of the new Sepsis-3 definition in a cohort of patients with severe sepsis and septic shock admitted to Intensive Care Unit from the Emergency Department.

PubMed

García-Gigorro, Renata; Molina-Collado, Zaira; Sáez-de la Fuente, Ignacio; Sanchez-Izquierdo, José Ángel; Montejo González, Juan Carlos

2018-04-18

After the publication of the new definition for sepsis and septic shock, our objective is to analyse the evolution of patients admitted to ICU with an infection process using the previous and new recommendations. This is a sub-analysis of a previous observational prospective study. We included 98 patients admitted to ICU from the emergency department due to infection during an 18-month period. We studied the clinical evolution during ICU admission and hospital mortality. According to Sepsis-2 definition, 78% percent had septic shock and using Sepsis-3 criteria, 52%; hospital mortality was 29 and 41%, respectively. The RR of hospital mortality of septic shock was 10.3 (95% CI: 2.8-37.5) compared to patients without shock. The 30-day probability survival of patients with sepsis and septic shock were 78% and 68%, respectively (long rank < 0.001). In our experience, the incorporation of the SOFA score and lactate levels to the new definition could help improve the evaluation of risk of hospital death. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Conventional and advanced time series estimation: application to the Australian and New Zealand Intensive Care Society (ANZICS) adult patient database, 1993-2006.

PubMed

Moran, John L; Solomon, Patricia J

2011-02-01

Time series analysis has seen limited application in the biomedical Literature. The utility of conventional and advanced time series estimators was explored for intensive care unit (ICU) outcome series. Monthly mean time series, 1993-2006, for hospital mortality, severity-of-illness score (APACHE III), ventilation fraction and patient type (medical and surgical), were generated from the Australia and New Zealand Intensive Care Society adult patient database. Analyses encompassed geographical seasonal mortality patterns, series structural time changes, mortality series volatility using autoregressive moving average and Generalized Autoregressive Conditional Heteroscedasticity models in which predicted variances are updated adaptively, and bivariate and multivariate (vector error correction models) cointegrating relationships between series. The mortality series exhibited marked seasonality, declining mortality trend and substantial autocorrelation beyond 24 lags. Mortality increased in winter months (July-August); the medical series featured annual cycling, whereas the surgical demonstrated long and short (3-4 months) cycling. Series structural breaks were apparent in January 1995 and December 2002. The covariance stationary first-differenced mortality series was consistent with a seasonal autoregressive moving average process; the observed conditional-variance volatility (1993-1995) and residual Autoregressive Conditional Heteroscedasticity effects entailed a Generalized Autoregressive Conditional Heteroscedasticity model, preferred by information criterion and mean model forecast performance. Bivariate cointegration, indicating long-term equilibrium relationships, was established between mortality and severity-of-illness scores at the database level and for categories of ICUs. Multivariate cointegration was demonstrated for {log APACHE III score, log ICU length of stay, ICU mortality and ventilation fraction}. A system approach to understanding series time-dependence may be established using conventional and advanced econometric time series estimators. © 2010 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Delivered dose of renal replacement therapy and mortality in critically ill patients with acute kidney injury

PubMed Central

Vesconi, Sergio; Cruz, Dinna N; Fumagalli, Roberto; Kindgen-Milles, Detlef; Monti, Gianpaola; Marinho, Anibal; Mariano, Filippo; Formica, Marco; Marchesi, Mariano; René, Robert; Livigni, Sergio; Ronco, Claudio

2009-01-01

Introduction The optimal dialysis dose for the treatment of acute kidney injury (AKI) is controversial. We sought to evaluate the relationship between renal replacement therapy (RRT) dose and outcome. Methods We performed a prospective multicentre observational study in 30 intensive care units (ICUs) in eight countries from June 2005 to December 2007. Delivered RRT dose was calculated in patients treated exclusively with either continuous RRT (CRRT) or intermittent RRT (IRRT) during their ICU stay. Dose was categorised into more-intensive (CRRT ≥ 35 ml/kg/hour, IRRT ≥ 6 sessions/week) or less-intensive (CRRT < 35 ml/kg/hour, IRRT < 6 sessions/week). The main outcome measures were ICU mortality, ICU length of stay and duration of mechanical ventilation. Results Of 15,200 critically ill patients admitted during the study period, 553 AKI patients were treated with RRT, including 338 who received CRRT only and 87 who received IRRT only. For CRRT, the median delivered dose was 27.1 ml/kg/hour (interquartile range (IQR) = 22.1 to 33.9). For IRRT, the median dose was 7 sessions/week (IQR = 5 to 7). Only 22% of CRRT patients and 64% of IRRT patients received a more-intensive dose. Crude ICU mortality among CRRT patients were 60.8% vs. 52.5% (more-intensive vs. less-intensive groups, respectively). In IRRT, this was 23.6 vs. 19.4%, respectively. On multivariable analysis, there was no significant association between RRT dose and ICU mortality (Odds ratio (OR) more-intensive vs. less-intensive: CRRT OR = 1.21, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.66 to 2.21; IRRT OR = 1.50, 95% CI = 0.48 to 4.67). Among survivors, shorter ICU stay and duration of mechanical ventilation were observed in the more-intensive RRT groups (more-intensive vs. less-intensive for all: CRRT (median): 15 (IQR = 8 to 26) vs. 19.5 (IQR = 12 to 33.5) ICU days, P = 0.063; 7 (IQR = 4 to 17) vs. 14 (IQR = 5 to 24) ventilation days, P = 0.031; IRRT: 8 (IQR = 5.5 to 14) vs. 18 (IQR = 13 to 35) ICU days, P = 0.008; 2.5 (IQR = 0 to 10) vs. 12 (IQR = 3 to 24) ventilation days, P = 0.026). Conclusions After adjustment for multiple variables, these data provide no evidence for a survival benefit afforded by higher dose RRT. However, more-intensive RRT was associated with a favourable effect on ICU stay and duration of mechanical ventilation among survivors. This result warrants further exploration. Trial Registration Cochrane Renal Group (CRG110600093). PMID:19368724

Case mix, outcome and activity for patients with severe acute kidney injury during the first 24 hours after admission to an adult, general critical care unit: application of predictive models from a secondary analysis of the ICNARC Case Mix Programme Database

PubMed Central

Kolhe, Nitin V; Stevens, Paul E; Crowe, Alex V; Lipkin, Graham W; Harrison, David A

2008-01-01

Introduction This study pools data from the UK Intensive Care National Audit and Research Center (ICNARC) Case Mix Programme (CMP) to evaluate the case mix, outcome and activity for 17,326 patients with severe acute kidney injury (AKI) occurring during the first 24 hours of admission to intensive care units (ICU). Methods Severe AKI admissions (defined as serum creatinine ≥300 μmol/l and/or urea ≥40 mmol/l during the first 24 hours) were extracted from the ICNARC CMP database of 276,326 admissions to UK ICUs from 1995 to 2004. Subgroups of oliguric and nonoliguric AKI were identified by daily urine output. Data on surgical status, survival and length of stay were also collected. Severity of illness scores and mortality prediction models were compared (UK Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation [APACHE] II, Stuivenberg Hospital Acute Renal Failure [SHARF] T0, SHARF II0 and the Mehta model). Results Severe AKI occurred in 17,326 out of 276,731 admissions (6.3%). The source of admission was nonsurgical in 83.7%. Sepsis was present in 47.3% and AKI was nonoliguric in 63.9% of cases. Admission to ICU with severe AKI accounted for 9.3% of all ICU bed-days. Oliguric AKI was associated with longer length of stay for survivors and shorter length of stay for nonsurvivors compared with nonoliguric AKI. Oliguric AKI was associated with significantly greater ICU and hospital mortality (55.8% and 77.3%, respectively) compared with nonoliguric AKI (33.4% and 49.3%, respectively). Surgery during the 1 week before admission or during the first week in the CMP unit was associated with decreased odds of mortality. UK APACHE II and the Mehta scores under-predicted the number of deaths, whereas SHARF T0 and SHARF II0 over-predicted the number of deaths. Conclusions Severe AKI accounts for over 9% of all bed-days in adult, general ICUs, representing a considerable drain on resources. Although nonoliguric AKI continues to confer a survival benefit, overall survival from AKI in the ICU and survival to leave hospital remains poor. The use of APACHE II score measured during the first 24 hours of ICU stay performs well as compared with SHARF T0, SHARF II0 and the Mehta score, but it lacks perfect calibration. PMID:19105800

Use of APACHE II and SAPS II to predict mortality for hemorrhagic and ischemic stroke patients.

PubMed

Moon, Byeong Hoo; Park, Sang Kyu; Jang, Dong Kyu; Jang, Kyoung Sool; Kim, Jong Tae; Han, Yong Min

2015-01-01

We studied the applicability of the Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II (APACHE II) and Simplified Acute Physiology Score II (SAPS II) in patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) with acute stroke and compared the results with the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) and National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS). We also conducted a comparative study of accuracy for predicting hemorrhagic and ischemic stroke mortality. Between January 2011 and December 2012, ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke patients admitted to the ICU were included in the study. APACHE II and SAPS II-predicted mortalities were compared using a calibration curve, the Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness-of-fit test, and the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, and the results were compared with the GCS and NIHSS. Overall 498 patients were included in this study. The observed mortality was 26.3%, whereas APACHE II and SAPS II-predicted mortalities were 35.12% and 35.34%, respectively. The mean GCS and NIHSS scores were 9.43 and 21.63, respectively. The calibration curve was close to the line of perfect prediction. The ROC curve showed a slightly better prediction of mortality for APACHE II in hemorrhagic stroke patients and SAPS II in ischemic stroke patients. The GCS and NIHSS were inferior in predicting mortality in both patient groups. Although both the APACHE II and SAPS II systems can be used to measure performance in the neurosurgical ICU setting, the accuracy of APACHE II in hemorrhagic stroke patients and SAPS II in ischemic stroke patients was superior. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Association of modified NUTRIC score with 28-day mortality in critically ill patients.

PubMed

Mukhopadhyay, Amartya; Henry, Jeyakumar; Ong, Venetia; Leong, Claudia Shu-Fen; Teh, Ai Ling; van Dam, Rob M; Kowitlawakul, Yanika

2017-08-01

For patients in the intensive care unit (ICU), nutritional risk assessment is often difficult. Traditional scoring systems cannot be used for patients who are sedated or unconscious since they are unable to provide information on their history of food intake and weight loss. We aim to validate the NUTRIC (NUTrition RIsk in Critically ill) score, an ICU-specific nutrition risk assessment tool in Asian patients. This was an observational study in the medical ICU of a university-affiliated tertiary hospital. We included all adult patients (≥18years) admitted between October 2013 and September 2014 who stayed for more than 24 hours in the ICU. Components of the modified NUTRIC (mNUTRIC) score, demographic details, body mass index (BMI), use of mechanical ventilation (MV), vasopressor drugs, and renal replacement therapy (RRT) were obtained from the ICU database. For patients on MV (maximum 12 days), we calculated the energy intake and nutritional adequacy (energy received ÷ energy recommended) from enteral or parenteral feeding data. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used with 28-day mortality as the outcome of interest. 401 patients (62% male, mean age 60.0 ± 16.3 years, mean BMI 23.9 ± 6.2 kg/m 2 ) were included. In the univariate analysis, BMI, mNUTRIC score, MV, vasopressor drug, and RRT were associated with 28-day mortality. In the multivariable logistic regression analysis, mNUTRIC score (Odds ratio, OR 1.48, Confidence Interval, CI 1.25-1.74, p < 0.001), vasopressor drug (OR 2.31, CI 1.28-4.15, p = 0.005), and BMI (OR 0.92, CI 0.87-0.97, p = 0.002) were associated with 28-day mortality. Nutritional adequacy was assessed in a subgroup of 273 (68%) patients who received MV for at least 48 hours. Median (IQR) nutritional adequacy was 0.44 (0.15-0.70). In patients with high mNUTRIC score (5-9), higher nutritional adequacy was associated with a lower predicted 28-day mortality; this was not observed in patients with low mNUTRIC (0-4) score (effect modification, p interaction <0.001). In a mixed Asian ICU population, mNUTRIC score is independently associated with 28-day mortality. Increased nutritional adequacy may reduce the 28-day mortality in patients with a high mNUTRIC score. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd and European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism. All rights reserved.

Influence of Age on Decision-Making Process to Limit or Withdraw Life-Sustaining Treatment in the Intensive Care Unit - A Single Center Prospective Observational Study.

PubMed

Ducos, G; Mathe, O; Balardy, L; Lozano, S; Kurrek, M; Ruiz, J; Riu-Poulenc, B; Fourcade, O; Silva, S; Minville, V

2017-01-01

The increasing age in the industrialized countries places significant demands on intensive care unit (ICU) resources and this triggers debates about end-of-life care for the elderly. We sought to determine the impact of age on the decision-making process to limit or withdraw life-sustaining treatment (DWLST) in an ICU in France. We hypothesized that there are differences in the decision-making process for young and old patients. We prospectively studied end-of-life decision-making for all consecutive admissions (n=390) to a tertiary care university ICU in Toulouse, France over a period of 11 months between January and October 2011. Among the 390 patients included in the study (age ≥70yo, n=95; age <70yo, n=295) DWLST were more common for patients 70 years or older (43% for age ≥70yo vs. 16% for age <70yo, p <0.0001). Reasons for DWLST were different in the 2 groups, with the 'no alternative treatment options' and 'severity of illness' as the most frequent reasons cited for the younger group whereas it was 'severity of illness' for the older group. 'Advanced age' led to DWLSTs in 43% of the decisions in the group ≥70yo (vs. 0% in the group <70yo, p <0.0001). Multivariate logistic regression showed a high SAPS II score and age ≥70yo as independent risk factors for DWLSTs in the ICU. We did not find age ≥70yo as an independent risk factor for mortality in ICU. We found that age ≥70yo was an independent risk factor for DWLSTs for patients in the ICU, but not for their mortality. Reasons leading to DWLSTs are different according to the age of patients.

A Generic Simulation Model of the Relative Cost-Effectiveness of ICU Versus Step-Down (IMCU) Expansion.

PubMed

Mahmoudian-Dehkordi, Amin; Sadat, Somayeh

2017-01-01

Many jurisdictions are facing increased demand for intensive care. There are two long-term investment options: intensive care unit (ICU) versus step-down or intermediate care unit (IMCU) capacity expansion. Relative cost-effectiveness of the two investment strategies with regard to patient lives saved has not been studied to date. We expand a generic system dynamics simulation model of emergency patient flow in a typical hospital, populated with empirical evidence found in the medical and hospital administration literature, to estimate the long-term effects of expanding ICU versus IMCU beds on patient lives saved under a common assumption of 2.1% annual increase in hospital arrivals. Two alternative policies of expanding ICU by two beds versus introducing a two-bed IMCU are compared over a ten-year simulation period. Russel equation is used to calculate total cost of patients' hospitalization. Using two possible values for the ratio of ICU to IMCU cost per inpatient day and four possible values for the percentage of patients transferred from ICU to IMCU found in the literature, nine scenarios are compared against the baseline scenario of no capacity expansion. Expanding ICU capacity by two beds is demonstrated as the most cost-effective scenario with an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of 3684 (US $) per life saved against the baseline scenario. Sensitivity analyses on the mortality rate of patients in IMCU, direct transfer of IMCU-destined patients to the ward upon completing required IMCU length of stay in the ICU, admission of IMCU patient to ICU, adding two ward beds, and changes in hospital size do not change the superiority of ICU expansion over other scenarios. In terms of operational costs, ICU beds are more cost effective for saving patients than IMCU beds. However, capital costs of setting up ICU versus IMCU beds should be considered for a complete economic analysis.

Protracted immune disorders at one year after ICU discharge in patients with septic shock.

PubMed

Riché, Florence; Chousterman, Benjamin G; Valleur, Patrice; Mebazaa, Alexandre; Launay, Jean-Marie; Gayat, Etienne

2018-02-21

Sepsis is a leading cause of mortality and critical illness worldwide and is associated with an increased mortality rate in the months following hospital discharge. The occurrence of persistent or new organ dysfunction(s) after septic shock raises questions about the mechanisms involved in the post-sepsis status. The present study aimed to explore the immune profiles of patients one year after being discharged from the intensive care unit (ICU) following treatment for abdominal septic shock. We conducted a prospective, single-center, observational study in the surgical ICU of a university hospital. Eighty-six consecutive patients admitted for septic shock of abdominal origin were included in this study. Fifteen different plasma biomarkers were measured at ICU admission, at ICU discharge and at one year after ICU discharge. Three different clusters of biomarkers were distinguished according to their functions, namely: (1) inflammatory response, (2) cell damage and apoptosis, (3) immunosuppression and resolution of inflammation. The primary objective was to characterize variations in the immune status of septic shock patients admitted to ICU up to one year after ICU discharge. The secondary objective was to evaluate the relationship between these biomarker variations and patient outcomes. At the onset of septic shock, we observed a cohesive pro-inflammatory profile and low levels of inflammation resolution markers. At ICU discharge, the immune status demonstrated decreased but persistent inflammation and increased immunosuppression, with elevated programmed cell death protein-1 (PD-1) levels, and a counterbalanced resolution process, with elevated levels of interleukin-10 (IL-10), resolvin D5 (RvD5), and IL-7. One year after hospital discharge, homeostasis was not completely restored with several markers of inflammation remaining elevated. Remarkably, IL-7 was persistently elevated, with levels comparable to those observed after ICU discharge, and PD-1, while lower, remained in the elevated abnormal range. In this study, protracted immune disturbances were observed one year after ICU discharge. The study results suggested the presence of long-lasting immune illness disorders following a long-term septic insult, indicating the need for long-term patient follow up after ICU discharge and questioning the use of immune intervention to restore immune homeostasis after abdominal septic shock.

Empiric therapy directed against MRSA in patients admitted to the intensive care unit does not improve outcomes in community-acquired pneumonia.

PubMed

Griffin, A T; Peyrani, P; Wiemken, T L; Ramirez, J A; Arnold, F W

2013-04-01

The Infectious Diseases Society of America has recommended empiric therapy active against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) for all community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU). However, there is sparse data to support this recommendation. The objective of our study was to ascertain if such a practice improves outcomes. This study was a secondary, retrospective analysis of the Community-Acquired Pneumonia Organization (CAPO) international database on CAP. Outcomes in patients admitted to the ICU were compared according to empiric initiation of anti-MRSA therapy (vancomycin or linezolid) with standard ICU CAP therapy (MRSA therapy group) or standard therapy alone for ICU CAP (standard therapy group). A total of 621 patients were identified with ICU pneumonia, of whom 57 patients had been initiated empirically on vancomycin or linezolid (MRSA therapy group). Patients of the MRSA therapy group had more comorbidities and were more severely ill than those of the standard therapy group. However, there were no statistical differences between the MRSA therapy group and standard therapy group for the primary outcomes of in-hospital and 28-day mortality, length of stay and time to clinical stability. These findings suggest that empiric MRSA therapy in all ICU CAP patients may not improve outcomes and argue for clinician review of local epidemiologic trends on MRSA prevalence to ascertain the need for empiric MRSA coverage.

Effect of Conservative vs Conventional Oxygen Therapy on Mortality Among Patients in an Intensive Care Unit: The Oxygen-ICU Randomized Clinical Trial.

PubMed

Girardis, Massimo; Busani, Stefano; Damiani, Elisa; Donati, Abele; Rinaldi, Laura; Marudi, Andrea; Morelli, Andrea; Antonelli, Massimo; Singer, Mervyn

2016-10-18

Despite suggestions of potential harm from unnecessary oxygen therapy, critically ill patients spend substantial periods in a hyperoxemic state. A strategy of controlled arterial oxygenation is thus rational but has not been validated in clinical practice. To assess whether a conservative protocol for oxygen supplementation could improve outcomes in patients admitted to intensive care units (ICUs). Oxygen-ICU was a single-center, open-label, randomized clinical trial conducted from March 2010 to October 2012 that included all adults admitted with an expected length of stay of 72 hours or longer to the medical-surgical ICU of Modena University Hospital, Italy. The originally planned sample size was 660 patients, but the study was stopped early due to difficulties in enrollment after inclusion of 480 patients. Patients were randomly assigned to receive oxygen therapy to maintain Pao2 between 70 and 100 mm Hg or arterial oxyhemoglobin saturation (Spo2) between 94% and 98% (conservative group) or, according to standard ICU practice, to allow Pao2 values up to 150 mm Hg or Spo2 values between 97% and 100% (conventional control group). The primary outcome was ICU mortality. Secondary outcomes included occurrence of new organ failure and infection 48 hours or more after ICU admission. A total of 434 patients (median age, 64 years; 188 [43.3%] women) received conventional (n = 218) or conservative (n = 216) oxygen therapy and were included in the modified intent-to-treat analysis. Daily time-weighted Pao2 averages during the ICU stay were significantly higher (P < .001) in the conventional group (median Pao2, 102 mm Hg [interquartile range, 88-116]) vs the conservative group (median Pao2, 87 mm Hg [interquartile range, 79-97]). Twenty-five patients in the conservative oxygen therapy group (11.6%) and 44 in the conventional oxygen therapy group (20.2%) died during their ICU stay (absolute risk reduction [ARR], 0.086 [95% CI, 0.017-0.150]; relative risk [RR], 0.57 [95% CI, 0.37-0.90]; P = .01). Occurrences were lower in the conservative oxygen therapy group for new shock episode (ARR, 0.068 [95% CI, 0.020-0.120]; RR, 0.35 [95% CI, 0.16-0.75]; P = .006) or liver failure (ARR, 0.046 [95% CI, 0.008-0.088]; RR, 0.29 [95% CI, 0.10-0.82]; P = .02) and new bloodstream infection (ARR, 0.05 [95% CI, 0.00-0.09]; RR, 0.50 [95% CI, 0.25-0.998; P = .049). Among critically ill patients with an ICU length of stay of 72 hours or longer, a conservative protocol for oxygen therapy vs conventional therapy resulted in lower ICU mortality. These preliminary findings were based on unplanned early termination of the trial, and a larger multicenter trial is needed to evaluate the potential benefit of this approach. clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT01319643.

Late Admission to the ICU in Patients With Community-Acquired Pneumonia Is Associated With Higher Mortality

PubMed Central

Mortensen, Eric M.; Rello, Jordi; Brody, Jennifer; Anzueto, Antonio

2010-01-01

Background: Limited data are available on the impact of time to ICU admission and outcomes for patients with severe community acquired pneumonia (CAP). Our objective was to examine the association of time to ICU admission and 30-day mortality in patients with severe CAP. Methods: A retrospective cohort study of 161 ICU subjects with CAP (by International Classification of Diseases, 9th edition, codes) was conducted over a 3-year period at two tertiary teaching hospitals. Timing of the ICU admission was dichotomized into early ICU admission (EICUA, direct admission or within 24 h) and late ICU admission (LICUA, ≥ day 2). A multivariable analysis using Cox proportional hazard model was created with the primary outcome of 30-day mortality (dependent measure) and the American Thoracic Society (ATS) severity adjustment criteria and time to ICU admission as the independent measures. Results: Eighty-eight percent (n = 142) were EICUA patients compared with 12% (n = 19) LICUA patients. Groups were similar with respect to age, gender, comorbidities, clinical parameters, CAP-related process of care measures, and need for mechanical ventilation. LICUA patients had lower rates of ATS severity criteria at presentation (26.3% vs 53.5%; P = .03). LICUA patients (47.4%) had a higher 30-day mortality compared with EICUA (23.2%) patients (P = .02), which remained after adjusting in the multivariable analysis (hazard ratio 2.6; 95% CI, 1.2-5.5; P = .02). Conclusion: Patients with severe CAP with a late ICU admission have increased 30-day mortality after adjustment for illness severity. Further research should evaluate the risk factors associated and their impact on clinical outcomes in patients admitted late to the ICU. PMID:19880910

Utilization of palliative care services for cardiac arrest patients undergoing therapeutic hypothermia: A retrospective analysis.

PubMed

Zern, Emily K; Young, Michael N; Triana, Taylor; Xu, Meng; Holmes, Benjamin; Borges, Nyal; McPherson, John A; Karlekar, Mohana B

2017-03-01

Palliative care (PC) services are integral to the care of patients with advanced medical illnesses. Given the significant morbidity and mortality associated with cardiac arrest, we sought to measure the use and impact of PC in the care of patients treated with therapeutic hypothermia (TH). We conducted a retrospective study of 317 consecutive patients undergoing TH after cardiac arrest. We compared intensive care unit (ICU) characteristics and clinical outcomes of subjects who received PC consultation (n=125) to those who did not (n=192). The proportion of TH patients with PC consultations increased to greater than 60% by 2013, corresponding to our institution's expansion of PC services, development of a dedicated PC unit, and integration of this service into our published TH protocol. In the TH population, time to return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) was associated with higher inpatient mortality (p<0.001) and placement of a PC consult (p=0.011). TH patients who received PC consultation had longer ICU stays (p=0.034), more ventilator days (p<0.001), and higher inpatient mortality (p<0.001). When these measures were analyzed cohort-wide comparing all TH patients pre- and post-2013, at which time the frequency of PC consultation had dramatically increased, there were no statistically significant differences in ICU care or outcomes. In our population of cardiac arrest patients undergoing TH, the utilization of PC services has increased over time, particularly for those patients with high morbidity and mortality. Future randomized studies may further delineate optimal patient selection for PC consultation to better facilitate goals of care discussions and timely medical decision-making. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Impact of dialysis practice patterns on outcomes in acute kidney injury in Intensive Care Unit

PubMed Central

Annigeri, Rajeev A.; Nandeesh, Venkatappa; Karuniya, Ramanathan; Rajalakshmi, Sasikumar; Venkataraman, Ramesh; Ramakrishnan, Nagarajan

2016-01-01

Aim: Recent advances in dialysis therapy have made an impact on the clinical practice of renal replacement therapy (RRT) in acute kidney injury (AKI) in Intensive Care Unit (ICU). We studied the impact of RRT practice changes on outcomes in AKI in ICU over a period of 8 years. Subjects and Methods: AKI patients requiring RRT in ICU referred to a nephrologist during two different periods (period-1: Between May 2004 and May 2007, n = 69; period-2: Between August 2008 and May 2011, n = 93) were studied. The major changes in the dialysis practice during the period-2, compared to period-1 were introduction of prolonged intermittent RRT (PIRRT), early dialysis for metabolic acidosis, early initiation of RRT for anuria and positive fluid balance and use of bicarbonate-based fluids for continuous RRT (CRRT) instead of lactate buffer. The primary study outcome was 28-day hospital mortality. Results: The mean age was 53.8 ± 16.1 years and 72.6% were male. Introduction of PIRRT resulted in 37% reduction in utilization of CRRT during period-2 (from 85.5% to 53.7%). The overall mortality was high (68%) but was significantly reduced during period-2 compared to period-1 (59% vs. 79.7%, P = 0.006). Metabolic acidosis but not the mode of RRT, was the significant factor which influenced mortality. Conclusions: Adaption of PIRRT resulted in 37% reduction of utilization of CRRT. The mortality rate was significantly reduced during the period of adaption of PIRRT, possibly due to early initiation of RRT in the latter period for indications such as anuria and metabolic acidosis. PMID:26955212

Identifying patients with AAA with the highest risk following endovascular repair.

PubMed

Cadili, Ali; Turnbull, Robert; Hervas-Malo, Marilou; Ghosh, Sunita; Chyczij, Harold

2012-08-01

It has been demonstrated that endovascular repair of arterial disease results in reduced perioperative morbidity and mortality compared to open surgical repair. The rates of complications and need for reinterventions, however, have been found to be higher than that in open repair. The purpose of this study was to identify the predictors of endograft complications and mortality in patients undergoing endovascular abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) repair; specifically, our aim was to identify a subset of patients with AAA whose risk of periprocedure mortality was so high that they should not be offered endovascular repair. We undertook a prospective review of patients with AAA receiving endovascular therapy at a single institution. Collected variables included age, gender, date of procedure, indication for procedure, size of aneurysm (where applicable), type of endograft used, presence of rupture, American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) class, major medical comorbidities, type of anesthesia (general, epidural, or local), length of intensive care unit (ICU) stay, and length of hospital stay. These factors were correlated with the study outcomes (overall mortality, graft complications, morbidity, and reintervention) using univariate and multivariate logistic regression. A total of 199 patients underwent endovascular AAA repair during the study period. The ICU stay, again, was significantly correlated with the primary outcomes (death and graft complications). In addition, length of hospital stay greater than 3 days, also emerged as a statistically significant predictor of graft complications in this subgroup (P = .024). Survival analysis for patients with AAA revealed that age over 85 years and ICU stay were predictive of decreased survival. Statistical analysis for other subgroups of patients (inflammatory AAA or dissection) was not performed due to the small numbers in these subgroups. Patients with AAA greater than 85 years of age are at a greater risk of mortality following endovascular repair. In addition, patients who are expected to require postprocedure ICU admission are also at an increased risk of mortality following endovascular repair.

Application of a modified sequential organ failure assessment score to critically ill patients

PubMed Central

Ñamendys-Silva, S.A.; Silva-Medina, M.A.; Vásquez-Barahona, G.M.; Baltazar-Torres, J.A.; Rivero-Sigarroa, E.; Fonseca-Lazcano, J.A.; Domínguez-Cherit, G.

2013-01-01

The purpose of the present study was to explore the usefulness of the Mexican sequential organ failure assessment (MEXSOFA) score for assessing the risk of mortality for critically ill patients in the ICU. A total of 232 consecutive patients admitted to an ICU were included in the study. The MEXSOFA was calculated using the original SOFA scoring system with two modifications: the PaO2/FiO2 ratio was replaced with the SpO2/FiO2 ratio, and the evaluation of neurologic dysfunction was excluded. The ICU mortality rate was 20.2%. Patients with an initial MEXSOFA score of 9 points or less calculated during the first 24 h after admission to the ICU had a mortality rate of 14.8%, while those with an initial MEXSOFA score of 10 points or more had a mortality rate of 40%. The MEXSOFA score at 48 h was also associated with mortality: patients with a score of 9 points or less had a mortality rate of 14.1%, while those with a score of 10 points or more had a mortality rate of 50%. In a multivariate analysis, only the MEXSOFA score at 48 h was an independent predictor for in-ICU death with an OR = 1.35 (95%CI = 1.14-1.59, P < 0.001). The SOFA and MEXSOFA scores calculated 24 h after admission to the ICU demonstrated a good level of discrimination for predicting the in-ICU mortality risk in critically ill patients. The MEXSOFA score at 48 h was an independent predictor of death; with each 1-point increase, the odds of death increased by 35%. PMID:23369978

Graft dysfunction immediately after reperfusion predicts short-term outcomes in living-donor lobar lung transplantation but not in cadaveric lung transplantation

PubMed Central

Mizota, Toshiyuki; Miyao, Mariko; Yamada, Tetsu; Sato, Masaaki; Aoyama, Akihiro; Chen, Fengshi; Date, Hiroshi; Fukuda, Kazuhiko

2016-01-01

OBJECTIVES Primary graft dysfunction (PGD) is a major cause of early morbidity and mortality after cadaveric lung transplantation (CLT). This study examined the incidence, time course and predictive value of PGD after living-donor lobar lung transplantation (LDLLT). METHODS We retrospectively investigated 75 patients (42 with LDLLT and 33 with CLT) who underwent lung transplantation from January 2008 to December 2013. Patients were assigned PGD grades at six time points, as defined by the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation: immediately after final reperfusion, upon arrival at the intensive care unit (ICU), and 12, 24, 48 and 72 h after ICU admission. RESULTS The incidence of severe (Grade 3) PGD at 48 or 72 h after ICU admission was similar for LDLLT and CLT patients (16.7 vs 12.1%; P = 0.581). The majority of the LDLLT patients having severe PGD first developed PGD immediately after reperfusion, whereas more than half of the CLT patients first developed severe PGD upon ICU arrival or later. In LDLLT patients, severe PGD immediately after reperfusion was significantly associated with fewer ventilator-free days during the first 28 postoperative days [median (interquartile range) of 0 (0–10) vs 21 (13–25) days, P = 0.001], prolonged postoperative ICU stay [median (interquartile range) of 20 (16–27) vs 12 (8–14) days, P = 0.005] and increased hospital mortality (27.3 vs 3.2%, P = 0.02). Severe PGD immediately after reperfusion was not associated with ventilator-free days during the first 28 postoperative days, time to discharge from ICU or hospital, or hospital mortality in CLT patients. CONCLUSIONS Postoperative incidence of severe PGD was not significantly different between LDLLT and CLT patients. In LDLLT patients, the onset of severe PGD tended to be earlier than that in CLT patients. Severe PGD immediately after reperfusion was a significant predictor of postoperative morbidity and mortality in LDLLT patients but not in CLT patients. PMID:26705301

Graft dysfunction immediately after reperfusion predicts short-term outcomes in living-donor lobar lung transplantation but not in cadaveric lung transplantation.

PubMed

Mizota, Toshiyuki; Miyao, Mariko; Yamada, Tetsu; Sato, Masaaki; Aoyama, Akihiro; Chen, Fengshi; Date, Hiroshi; Fukuda, Kazuhiko

2016-03-01

Primary graft dysfunction (PGD) is a major cause of early morbidity and mortality after cadaveric lung transplantation (CLT). This study examined the incidence, time course and predictive value of PGD after living-donor lobar lung transplantation (LDLLT). We retrospectively investigated 75 patients (42 with LDLLT and 33 with CLT) who underwent lung transplantation from January 2008 to December 2013. Patients were assigned PGD grades at six time points, as defined by the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation: immediately after final reperfusion, upon arrival at the intensive care unit (ICU), and 12, 24, 48 and 72 h after ICU admission. The incidence of severe (Grade 3) PGD at 48 or 72 h after ICU admission was similar for LDLLT and CLT patients (16.7 vs 12.1%; P = 0.581). The majority of the LDLLT patients having severe PGD first developed PGD immediately after reperfusion, whereas more than half of the CLT patients first developed severe PGD upon ICU arrival or later. In LDLLT patients, severe PGD immediately after reperfusion was significantly associated with fewer ventilator-free days during the first 28 postoperative days [median (interquartile range) of 0 (0-10) vs 21 (13-25) days, P = 0.001], prolonged postoperative ICU stay [median (interquartile range) of 20 (16-27) vs 12 (8-14) days, P = 0.005] and increased hospital mortality (27.3 vs 3.2%, P = 0.02). Severe PGD immediately after reperfusion was not associated with ventilator-free days during the first 28 postoperative days, time to discharge from ICU or hospital, or hospital mortality in CLT patients. Postoperative incidence of severe PGD was not significantly different between LDLLT and CLT patients. In LDLLT patients, the onset of severe PGD tended to be earlier than that in CLT patients. Severe PGD immediately after reperfusion was a significant predictor of postoperative morbidity and mortality in LDLLT patients but not in CLT patients. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery. All rights reserved.

Erythrocyte selenium concentration predicts intensive care unit and hospital mortality in patients with septic shock: a prospective observational study

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Introduction Selenoenzymes can modulate the extent of oxidative stress, which is recognized as a key feature of septic shock. The pathophysiologic role of erythrocyte selenium concentration in patients with septic shock remains unknown. Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate the association of erythrocyte selenium concentration with glutathione peroxidase (GPx1) activity, GPx1 polymorphisms and with ICU and hospital mortality in septic shock patients. Methods This prospective study included all patients older than 18 years with septic shock on admission or during their ICU stay, admitted to one of the three ICUs of our institution, from January to August 2012. At the time of the patients’ enrollment, demographic information was recorded. Blood samples were taken within the first 72 hours of the patients’ admission or within 72 hours of the septic shock diagnosis for determination of selenium status, protein carbonyl concentration, GPx1 activity and GPx1 Pro198Leu polymorphism (rs 1050450) genotyping. Results A total of 110 consecutive patients were evaluated. The mean age was 57.6 ± 15.9 years, 63.6% were male. Regarding selenium status, only erythrocyte selenium concentration was lower in patients who died in the ICU. The frequencies for GPx1 Pro198Leu polymorphism were 55%, 38% and 7% for Pro/Pro, Pro/Leu and Leu/Leu, respectively. In the logistic regression models, erythrocyte selenium concentration was associated with ICU and hospital mortality in patients with septic shock even after adjustment for protein carbonyl concentration and acute physiology and chronic health evaluation II score (APACHE II) or sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA). Conclusions Erythrocyte selenium concentration was a predictor of ICU and hospital mortality in patients with septic shock. However, this effect was not due to GPx1 activity or Pro198Leu polymorphism. PMID:24887198

Effect of Noninvasive Ventilation vs Oxygen Therapy on Mortality Among Immunocompromised Patients With Acute Respiratory Failure: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

PubMed

Lemiale, Virginie; Mokart, Djamel; Resche-Rigon, Matthieu; Pène, Frédéric; Mayaux, Julien; Faucher, Etienne; Nyunga, Martine; Girault, Christophe; Perez, Pierre; Guitton, Christophe; Ekpe, Kenneth; Kouatchet, Achille; Théodose, Igor; Benoit, Dominique; Canet, Emmanuel; Barbier, François; Rabbat, Antoine; Bruneel, Fabrice; Vincent, Francois; Klouche, Kada; Loay, Kontar; Mariotte, Eric; Bouadma, Lila; Moreau, Anne-Sophie; Seguin, Amélie; Meert, Anne-Pascale; Reignier, Jean; Papazian, Laurent; Mehzari, Ilham; Cohen, Yves; Schenck, Maleka; Hamidfar, Rebecca; Darmon, Michael; Demoule, Alexandre; Chevret, Sylvie; Azoulay, Elie

2015-10-27

Noninvasive ventilation has been recommended to decrease mortality among immunocompromised patients with hypoxemic acute respiratory failure. However, its effectiveness for this indication remains unclear. To determine whether early noninvasive ventilation improved survival in immunocompromised patients with nonhypercapnic acute hypoxemic respiratory failure. Multicenter randomized trial conducted among 374 critically ill immunocompromised patients, of whom 317 (84.7%) were receiving treatment for hematologic malignancies or solid tumors, at 28 intensive care units (ICUs) in France and Belgium between August 12, 2013, and January 2, 2015. Patients were randomly assigned to early noninvasive ventilation (n = 191) or oxygen therapy alone (n = 183). The primary outcome was day-28 mortality. Secondary outcomes were intubation, Sequential Organ Failure Assessment score on day 3, ICU-acquired infections, duration of mechanical ventilation, and ICU length of stay. At randomization, median oxygen flow was 9 L/min (interquartile range, 5-15) in the noninvasive ventilation group and 9 L/min (interquartile range, 6-15) in the oxygen group. All patients in the noninvasive ventilation group received the first noninvasive ventilation session immediately after randomization. On day 28 after randomization, 46 deaths (24.1%) had occurred in the noninvasive ventilation group vs 50 (27.3%) in the oxygen group (absolute difference, -3.2 [95% CI, -12.1 to 5.6]; P = .47). Oxygenation failure occurred in 155 patients overall (41.4%), 73 (38.2%) in the noninvasive ventilation group and 82 (44.8%) in the oxygen group (absolute difference, -6.6 [95% CI, -16.6 to 3.4]; P = .20). There were no significant differences in ICU-acquired infections, duration of mechanical ventilation, or lengths of ICU or hospital stays. Among immunocompromised patients admitted to the ICU with hypoxemic acute respiratory failure, early noninvasive ventilation compared with oxygen therapy alone did not reduce 28-day mortality. However, study power was limited. clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT01915719.

Efficacy of polymyxin B-immobilized fiber hemoperfusion for patients with septic shock caused by Gram-negative bacillus infection.

PubMed

Saito, Nobuyuki; Sugiyama, Kazuhiro; Ohnuma, Testu; Kanemura, Takashi; Nasu, Michitaka; Yoshidomi, Yuya; Tsujimoto, Yuta; Adachi, Hiroshi; Koami, Hiroyuki; Tochiki, Aito; Hori, Kota; Wagatsuma, Yukiko; Matsumoto, Hisashi

2017-01-01

Septic shock-associated mortality in intensive care units (ICUs) remains high, with reported rates ranging 30-50%. In particular, Gram-negative bacilli (GNB), which induce significant inflammation and consequent multiple organ failure, are the etiological bacterial agent in 40% of severe sepsis cases. Hemoperfusion using polymyxin B-immobilized fiber (PMX), which adsorbs endotoxin, is expected to reduce the inflammatory sepsis cascade due to GNB. However, the clinical efficacy of this treatment has not yet been demonstrated. Here, we aimed to verify the efficacy of endotoxin adsorption therapy using PMX through a retrospective analysis of 413 patients who received broad spectrum antimicrobial treatment for GNB-related septic shock between January 2009 and December 2012 in 11 ICUs of Japanese tertiary hospitals. After aligning the patients' treatment time phases, we classified patients in two groups depending on whether PMX hemoperfusion (PMXHP) therapy was administered or not within 24 hours after ICU admission (PMXHP group: n = 134, conventional group: n = 279). The primary study endpoint was the mortality rate at 28 days after ICU admission. The mean age was 72.4 (standard deviation: 12.6) years, and the mean Sequential Organ Failure Assessment score at ICU admission was 9.9 (3.4). The infection sites included intra-abdominal (38.0%), pulmonary (18.9%), and urinary tract (32.2%), and two thirds of all patients had GNB-related bacteremia. Notably, the mortality at 28 days after ICU admission did not differ between the groups (PMXHP: 29.1% vs. conventional: 29.0%, P = 0.98), and PMXHP therapy was not found to improve this outcome in a Cox regression analysis (hazard ratio = 1.16; 95% confidence interval, 0.81-1.64, P = 0.407). We conclude that PMX-based endotoxin adsorption within 24 hours from ICU admission was not associated with mortality among patients with septic shock due to GNB. University Hospital Medical Information Network Clinical Trial Registry (UMIN-CTR ID: UMIN000012748).

Symptoms associated with adverse dengue fever prognoses at the time of reporting in the 2015 dengue outbreak in Taiwan.

PubMed

Yeh, Chun-Yin; Chen, Po-Lin; Chuang, Kun-Ta; Shu, Yu-Chen; Chien, Yu-Wen; Perng, Guey Chuen; Ko, Wen-Chien; Ko, Nai-Ying

2017-12-01

Tainan experienced the most severe dengue epidemic in Taiwan in 2015. This study investigates the association between the signs and symptoms at the time of reporting with the adverse dengue prognoses. A descriptive study was conducted using secondary data from the Dengue Disease Reporting System in Tainan, Taiwan, between January 1 and December 31, 2015. A multivariate stepwise logistic regression was used to identify the risk factors for the adverse prognoses: ICU admissions and mortality. There were 22,777 laboratory-confirmed reported cases (mean age 45.6 ± 21.2 years), of which 3.7% were admitted to intensive care units (ICU), and 0.8% were fatal. The most common symptoms were fever (92.8%), myalgia (26.6%), and headache (22.4%). The prevalence of respiratory distress, altered consciousness, shock, bleeding, and thrombocytopenia increased with age. The multivariate analysis indicated that being in 65-89 years old age group [Adjusted Odds Ratio (aOR):4.95], or the 90 years old and above age group (aOR: 9.06), and presenting with shock (aOR: 8.90) and respiratory distress (aOR: 5.31) were significantly associated with the risk of ICU admission. While old age (aOR: 1.11), respiratory distress (aOR: 9.66), altered consciousness (aOR: 7.06), and thrombocytopenia (aOR: 2.55) were significantly associated with the risk of mortality. Dengue patients older than 65 and those with severe and non-specific signs and symptoms at the time of reporting were at a higher risk of ICU admission and mortality. First-line healthcare providers need to be aware of the varied presentations between the different age groups to allow early diagnosis and in-time management, which would prevent ICU admissions and fatalities in dengue patients.

Cost-effectiveness of micafungin as an alternative to fluconazole empiric treatment of suspected ICU-acquired candidemia among patients with sepsis: a model simulation

PubMed Central

Zilberberg, Marya D; Kothari, Smita; Shorr, Andrew F

2009-01-01

Introduction Recent epidemiologic literature indicates that candidal species resistant to azoles are becoming more prevalent in the face of increasing incidence of hospitalizations with candidemia. Echinocandins, a new class of antifungal agents, are effective against resistant candidal species. As delaying appropriate antifungal coverage leads to increased mortality, we evaluated the cost-effectiveness of 100 mg daily empiric micafungin (MIC) vs. 400 mg daily fluconazole (FLU) for suspected intensive care unit-acquired candidemia (ICU-AC) among septic patients. Methods We designed a decision model with inputs from the literature in a hypothetical 1000-patient cohort with suspected ICU-AC treated empirically with either MIC or FLU or no treatment accompanied by a watchful waiting strategy. We examined the differences in the number of survivors, acquisition costs of antifungals, and lifetime costs among survivors in the cohort under each scenario, and calculated cost per quality adjusted life year (QALY). We conducted Monte Carlo simulations and sensitivity analyses to determine the stability of our estimates. Results In the base case analysis, assuming ICU-AC attributable mortality of 0.40 and a 52% relative risk reduction in mortality with appropriate timely therapy, compared with FLU (total deaths 31), treatment with MIC (total deaths 27) would result in four fewer deaths at an incremental cost/death averted of $61,446. Similarly, in reference case, incremental cost-effectiveness of MIC over FLU was $34,734 (95% confidence interval $26,312 to $49,209) per QALY. The estimates were most sensitive to the QALY adjustment factor and the risk of candidemia among septic patients. Conclusions Given the increasing likelihood of azole resistance among candidal isolates, empiric treatment of ICU-AC with 100 mg daily MIC is a cost-effective alternative to FLU. PMID:19545361

Strongyloides stercoralis hyperinfection syndrome: a case series and a review of the literature.

PubMed

Geri, Guillaume; Rabbat, Antoine; Mayaux, Julien; Zafrani, Lara; Chalumeau-Lemoine, Ludivine; Guidet, Bertrand; Azoulay, Elie; Pène, Frédéric

2015-12-01

Strongyloides stercoralis may lead to overwhelming infestation [Strongyloides hyperinfection syndrome (SHS)]. We aimed at describing a case series of patients admitted in intensive care unit (ICU) with SHS and report a literature review of such cases. Retrospective multicenter study of 11 patients admitted to the ICU of tertiary hospitals with SHS between 2000 and 2013. Literature review with Pubmed retrieved 122 cases. Logistic regression analysis was performed to identify predictive factors of ICU mortality and shock occurrence. 133 patients [median age 53 (39, 64), 72.2 % males] were included. Underlying immunosuppression was present in 127 patients, mostly long-term corticosteroid treatment in 111 (83.5 %) patients. Fever (80.8 %), respiratory (88.6 %), and gastrointestinal (71.2 %) symptoms were common clinical manifestations. Shock occurred in 75 (57.3 %) patients and mechanical ventilation was required in 89 (67.9 %) patients. Hypereosinophilia and a concomitant bacterial infection were observed in 34 (34.3 %) and 51 (38.4 %) patients, respectively. The in-ICU mortality rate was 60.3 %. Predictive factors of ICU mortality were shock occurrence [Odds ratio (OR) 18.1, 95 % confidence interval (95 % CI) 3.03-107.6, p < 0.01] and mechanical ventilation (OR 28.1, 95 % CI 3.6-217, p < 0.01). Hypereosinophilia (OR 0.21, 95 % CI 0.06-0.7, p = 0.01) and a concomitant bacterial infection (OR 4.68, 95 % CI 1.3-16.8, p = 0.02) were independent predictors of shock occurrence. SHS remains associated with a poor outcome, especially when associated with shock and mechanical ventilation. Deterioration to shock is often related to concomitant bacterial infection. The poor outcome of established SHS pleads for a large application of antiparasitic primary prophylaxis in at-risk patients.

Severity scores in trauma patients admitted to ICU. Physiological and anatomic models.

PubMed

Serviá, L; Badia, M; Montserrat, N; Trujillano, J

2018-02-02

The goals of this project were to compare both the anatomic and physiologic severity scores in trauma patients admitted to intensive care unit (ICU), and to elaborate mixed statistical models to improve the precision of the scores. A prospective study of cohorts. The combined medical/surgical ICU in a secondary university hospital. Seven hundred and eighty trauma patients admitted to ICU older than 16 years of age. Anatomic models (ISS and NISS) were compared and combined with physiological models (T-RTS, APACHE II [APII], and MPM II). The probability of death was calculated following the TRISS method. The discrimination was assessed using ROC curves (ABC [CI 95%]), and the calibration using the Hosmer-Lemeshoẃs H test. The mixed models were elaborated with the tree classification method type Chi Square Automatic Interaction Detection. A 14% global mortality was recorded. The physiological models presented the best discrimination values (APII of 0.87 [0.84-0.90]). All models were affected by bad calibration (P<.01). The best mixed model resulted from the combination of APII and ISS (0.88 [0.83-0.90]). This model was able to differentiate between a 7.5% mortality for elderly patients with pathological antecedents and a 25% mortality in patients presenting traumatic brain injury, from a pool of patients with APII values ranging from 10 to 17 and an ISS threshold of 22. The physiological models perform better than the anatomical models in traumatic patients admitted to the ICU. Patients with low scores in the physiological models require an anatomic analysis of the injuries to determine their severity. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier España, S.L.U. y SEMICYUC. All rights reserved.

Regional Cerebral Oxygen Saturation Level Predicts 30-Day Mortality Rate After Left Ventricular Assist Device Surgery.

PubMed

Ghosal, Soutik; Trivedi, Jaimin; Chen, James; Rogers, Michael P; Cheng, Allen; Slaughter, Mark S; Kong, Maiying; Huang, Jiapeng

2018-06-01

Left ventricular assist device (LVAD) surgery is complex, high risk, and expensive. The authors' hypothesis is baseline regional cerebral oxygen saturation (rSO 2 ) might be a predictor of postoperative clinical outcomes. Retrospective review of 210 consecutive continuous flow LVAD patients between 2008 and 2014. The primary measure is 30-day mortality rate and secondary measures include modified major adverse cardiocerebral events (MACE), length of stay (LOS), and intensive care unit (ICU) stay. Multiple logistic regression models were applied to examine if a binary outcome variable, such as 30-day mortality and MACE, is associated with rSO 2 at baseline. Log-linear model was used to examine whether LOS or ICU stay hours is associated with rSO 2 at baseline. Single institution, academic hospital. Patients who received LVAD surgery ​at Jewish Hospital, Louisville, KY. All patients received LVAD surgery. Cerebral oximetry monitoring was used in both the preoperative and intraoperative periods. The authors found that higher rSO 2 at baseline is associated with lower 30-day mortality with an odds ratio of 0.94 and 95% confidence interval (0.888, 0.995) for every 1% increase of rSO 2 . For secondary outcomes, baseline rSO 2 was not significantly associated with MACE, requirement for postoperative renal failure/dialysis, reoperation for bleeding, and LOS or ICU hours. Regional cerebral oxygen saturation levels at baseline are significantly associated with 30-day mortality after LVAD surgeries. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Effect upon mortality of the extension to holidays and weekends of the "ICU without walls" project. A before-after study.

PubMed

Abella, A; Enciso, V; Torrejón, I; Hermosa, C; Mozo, T; Molina, R; Janeiro, D; Díaz, M; Homez, M; Gordo, F; Salinas, I

2016-01-01

To determine whether extension to holidays and weekends of the protocol for the early proactive detection of severity in hospital ("ICU without walls" project) results in decreased mortality among patients admitted to the ICU during those days. A quasi-experimental before-after study was carried out. A level 2 hospital with 210 beds and a polyvalent ICU with 8 beds. The control group involved no "ICU without walls" activity on holidays or weekends and included those patients admitted to the ICU on those days between 1 January 2010 and 30 April 2013. The intervention group in turn extended the "ICU without walls" activity to holidays and weekends, and included those patients admitted on those days between 1 May 2013 and 31 October 2014. Patients arriving from the operating room after scheduled surgery were excluded. An analysis was made of the demographic variables (age, gender), origin (emergency room, hospital ward, operating room), type of patient (medical, surgical), reason for admission, comorbidities and SAPS 3 score as a measure of severity upon admission, stay in the ICU and in hospital, and mortality in the ICU and in hospital. A total of 389 and 161 patients were included in the control group and intervention group, respectively. There were no differences between the 2 groups except as regards cardiovascular comorbidity (49% in the control group versus 33% in the intervention group; P<.001), severity upon admission (median SAPS 3 score 52 [percentiles 25-75: 42-63) in the control group versus 48 [percentiles 25-75: 40-56] in the intervention group; P=.008) and mortality in the ICU (11% in the control group [95% CI 8-14] versus 3% [95% CI 1-7] in the intervention group; P=.003). In the multivariate analysis, the only 2 factors associated to mortality in the ICU were the SAPS 3 score (OR 1.08; 95% CI 1.06-1.11) and inclusion in the intervention group (OR 0.33; 95% CI 0.12-0.89). Extension of the "ICU without walls" activity to holidays and weekends results in a decrease in mortality in the ICU. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier España, S.L.U. y SEMICYUC. All rights reserved.

Interhospital transfer of critically ill and injured children: an evaluation of transfer patterns, resource utilization, and clinical outcomes.

PubMed

Odetola, Folafoluwa O; Davis, Matthew M; Cohn, Lisa M; Clark, Sarah J

2009-03-01

To describe patterns of transfer, resource utilization, and clinical outcomes associated with interhospital transfer of critically ill and injured children. Secondary analysis of administrative claims data. Children 0 to 18 years in the Michigan Medicaid program who underwent interhospital transfer for intensive care from January 1, 2002 to December 31, 2004. The 3 sources of transfer from referring hospitals were: emergency department (ED), ward, or intensive care unit (ICU). Mortality and duration of hospital stay at the receiving hospitals. Of 1643 interhospital transfer admissions to intensive care at receiving hospitals, 62%, 31%, and 7% were from the ED, ward, and ICU of referring hospitals, respectively. Nineteen percent had comorbid illness, while 11% had organ dysfunction at the referring hospital. After controlling for comorbid illness, patient age, and pretransfer organ dysfunction; compared with ED transfers, mortality in the receiving hospital was higher for ward transfers (odds ratio [OR], 1.76; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.02-3.03) but not for ICU transfers. Also, compared with ED transfers, hospital stay was longer by 1.5 days for ward transfers and by 13.5 days for ICU transfers. In this multiyear, statewide sample, mortality and resource utilization were higher among children who underwent interhospital transfer to intensive care after initial hospitalization, compared with those transferred directly from emergency to intensive care. Decision-making underlying initial triage and subsequent interhospital transfer of critically ill children warrants further study. (c) 2009 Society of Hospital Medicine.

Epidemiology of severe trauma in Spain. Registry of trauma in the ICU (RETRAUCI). Pilot phase.

PubMed

Chico-Fernández, M; Llompart-Pou, J A; Guerrero-López, F; Sánchez-Casado, M; García-Sáez, I; Mayor-García, M D; Egea-Guerrero, J; Fernández-Ortega, J F; Bueno-González, A; González-Robledo, J; Servià-Goixart, L; Roldán-Ramírez, J; Ballesteros-Sanz, M Á; Tejerina-Alvarez, E; García-Fuentes, C; Alberdi-Odriozola, F

2016-01-01

To describe the characteristics and management of severe trauma disease in Spanish Intensive Care Units (ICUs). Registry of trauma in the ICU (RETRAUCI). Pilot phase. A prospective, multicenter registry. Thirteen Spanish ICUs. Patients with trauma disease admitted to the ICU. None. Epidemiology, out-of-hospital attention, registry of injuries, resources utilization, complications and outcome were evaluated. Patients, n=2242. Mean age 47.1±19.02 years. Males 79%. Blunt trauma 93.9%. Injury Severity Score 22.2±12.1, Revised Trauma Score 6.7±1.6. Non-intentional in 84.4% of the cases. The most common causes of trauma were traffic accidents followed by pedestrian and high-energy falls. Up to 12.4% were taking antiplatelet medication or anticoagulants. Almost 28% had a suspected or confirmed toxic influence in trauma. Up to 31.5% required an out-of-hospital artificial airway. The time from trauma to ICU admission was 4.7±5.3hours. At ICU admission, 68.5% were hemodynamically stable. Brain and chest injuries predominated. A large number of complications were documented. Mechanical ventilation was used in 69.5% of the patients (mean 8.2±9.9 days), of which 24.9% finally required a tracheostomy. The median duration of stay in the ICU and in hospital was 5 (range 3-13) and 9 (5-19) days, respectively. The ICU mortality rate was 12.3%, while the in-hospital mortality rate was 16.0%. The pilot phase of the RETRAUCI offers a first impression of the epidemiology and management of trauma disease in Spanish ICUs. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier España, S.L.U. y SEMICYUC. All rights reserved.

[Respiratory infections caused by Aspergillus spp. in critically ill patients admitted to the intensive care units].

PubMed

Álvarez Lerma, F; Olaechea Astigarraga, P; Palomar Martínez, M; Rodríguez Carvajal, M; Machado Casas, J F; Jiménez Quintana, M M; Esteve Urbano, F; Ballesteros Herráez, J C; Zavala Zegarra, E

2015-04-01

The presence of respiratory fungal infection in the critically ill patient is associated with high morbidity and mortality. To assess the incidence of respiratory infection caused by Aspergillus spp. independently of the origin of infection in patients admitted to Spanish ICUs, as well as to describe the rates, characteristics, outcomes and prognostic factors in patients with this type of infection. An observational, retrospective, open-label and multicenter study was carried out in a cohort of patients with respiratory infection caused by Aspergillus spp. admitted to Spanish ICUs between 2006 and 2012 (months of April, May and June), and included in the ENVIN-HELICS registry (108,244 patients and 825,797 days of ICU stay). Variables independently related to in-hospital mortality were identified by multiple logistic regression analysis. A total of 267 patients from 79 of the 198 participating ICUs were included (2.46 cases per 1000 ICU patients and 3.23 episodes per 10,000 days of ICU stay). From a clinical point of view, infections were classified as ventilator-associated pneumonia in 93 cases (34.8%), pneumonia unrelated to mechanical ventilation in 120 cases (44.9%), and tracheobronchitis in 54 cases (20.2%). The study population included older patients (mean 64.8±17.1 years), with a high severity level (APACHE II score 22.03±7.7), clinical diseases (64.8%) and prolonged hospital stay before the identification of Aspergillus spp. (median 11 days), transferred to the ICU mainly from hospital wards (58.1%) and with high ICU (57.3%) and hospital (59.6%) mortality rates, exhibiting important differences depending on the type of infection involved. Independent mortality risk factors were previous admission to a hospital ward (OR=7.08, 95%CI: 3.18-15.76), a history of immunosuppression (OR=2.52, 95%CI: 1.24-5.13) and severe sepsis or septic shock (OR=8.91, 95%CI: 4.24-18.76). Respiratory infections caused by Aspergillus spp. in critically ill patients admitted to the ICU in Spain are infrequent, and affect a very selected group of patients, characterized by high mortality and conditioned by non-modifiable risk factors. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier España, S.L.U. y SEMICYUC. All rights reserved.

An Evaluation of the Usefulness of Extracorporeal Liver Support Techniques in Patients Hospitalized in the ICU for Severe Liver Dysfunction Secondary to Alcoholic Liver Disease

PubMed Central

Piechota, Mariusz; Piechota, Anna

2016-01-01

Background The mortality rate in patients with severe liver dysfunction secondary to alcoholic liver disease (ALD) who do not respond to the standard treatment is exceptionally high. Objectives The main aim of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of applying extracorporeal liver support techniques to treat this group of patients. Patients and Methods The data from 23 hospital admissions of 21 patients with ALD who were admitted to the department of anesthesiology and intensive therapy (A&IT) at the Dr Wł. Biegański Regional Specialist Hospital in Łódź between March 2013 and July 2015 were retrospectively analyzed. Results A total of 111 liver dialysis procedures were performed during the 23 hospitalizations, including 13 dialyses using fractionated plasma separation and adsorption (FPSA) with the Prometheus® system, and 98 procedures using the single pass albumin dialysis (SPAD) system. Upon admission to the intensive care unit (ICU), the median (interquartile range [IQR]) Glasgow coma scale (GCS), sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA), acute physiology and chronic health evaluation (APACHE) II, and simplified acute physiology score (SAPS) II scores were 15 (14 - 15), 9 (7 - 13), 17 (14 - 24), and 32 (22 - 50), respectively. The ICU, 30-day, and three-month mortality rates were 43.48%, 39.13%, and 73.91%, respectively. As determined by the receiver operative characteristic (ROC) analysis for single-factor models, the significant predictors of death in the ICU included the patients’ SOFA, APACHE II, SAPS II, and model of end-stage liver disease modified by the united network for organ sharing (MELD UNOS Modification) scores; the duration of stay (in days) in the A&IT Department; and bile acid, creatinine and albumin levels upon ICU admission. The ROC analysis indicated the significant discriminating power of the SOFA, APACHE II, SAPS II, and MELD UNOS modification scores on the three-month mortality rate. Conclusions The application of extracorporeal liver support techniques in patients with severe liver dysfunction secondary to ALD appears justified in the subset of patients with MELD UNOS Modification scores of 18 - 30. PMID:27642344

Assessment of the worldwide burden of critical illness: the intensive care over nations (ICON) audit.

PubMed

Vincent, Jean-Louis; Marshall, John C; Namendys-Silva, Silvio A; François, Bruno; Martin-Loeches, Ignacio; Lipman, Jeffrey; Reinhart, Konrad; Antonelli, Massimo; Pickkers, Peter; Njimi, Hassane; Jimenez, Edgar; Sakr, Yasser

2014-05-01

Global epidemiological data regarding outcomes for patients in intensive care units (ICUs) are scarce, but are important in understanding the worldwide burden of critical illness. We, therefore, did an international audit of ICU patients worldwide and assessed variations between hospitals and countries in terms of ICU mortality. 730 participating centres in 84 countries prospectively collected data on all adult (>16 years) patients admitted to their ICU between May 8 and May 18, 2012, except those admitted for fewer than 24 h for routine postoperative monitoring. Participation was voluntary. Data were collected daily for a maximum of 28 days in the ICU and patients were followed up for outcome data until death or hospital discharge. In-hospital death was analysed using multilevel logistic regression with three levels: patient, hospital, and country. 10,069 patients were included from ICUs in Europe (5445 patients; 54·1%), Asia (1928; 19·2%), the Americas (1723; 17·1%), Oceania (439; 4·4%), the Middle East (393; 3·9%), and Africa (141; 1·4%). Overall, 2973 patients (29·5%) had sepsis on admission or during the ICU stay. ICU mortality rates were 16·2% (95% CI 15·5-16·9) across the whole population and 25·8% (24·2-27·4) in patients with sepsis. Hospital mortality rates were 22·4% (21·6-23·2) in the whole population and 35·3% (33·5-37·1) in patients with sepsis. Using a multilevel analysis, the unconditional model suggested significant between-country variations (var=0·19, p=0·002) and between-hospital variations (var=0·43, p<0·0001) in the individual risk of in-hospital death. There was a stepwise increase in the adjusted risk of in-hospital death according to decrease in global national income. This large database highlights that sepsis remains a major health problem worldwide, associated with high mortality rates in all countries. Our findings also show a significant association between the risk of death and the global national income and suggest that ICU organisation has an important effect on risk of death. None. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Statistical process control of mortality series in the Australian and New Zealand Intensive Care Society (ANZICS) adult patient database: implications of the data generating process

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Statistical process control (SPC), an industrial sphere initiative, has recently been applied in health care and public health surveillance. SPC methods assume independent observations and process autocorrelation has been associated with increase in false alarm frequency. Methods Monthly mean raw mortality (at hospital discharge) time series, 1995–2009, at the individual Intensive Care unit (ICU) level, were generated from the Australia and New Zealand Intensive Care Society adult patient database. Evidence for series (i) autocorrelation and seasonality was demonstrated using (partial)-autocorrelation ((P)ACF) function displays and classical series decomposition and (ii) “in-control” status was sought using risk-adjusted (RA) exponentially weighted moving average (EWMA) control limits (3 sigma). Risk adjustment was achieved using a random coefficient (intercept as ICU site and slope as APACHE III score) logistic regression model, generating an expected mortality series. Application of time-series to an exemplar complete ICU series (1995-(end)2009) was via Box-Jenkins methodology: autoregressive moving average (ARMA) and (G)ARCH ((Generalised) Autoregressive Conditional Heteroscedasticity) models, the latter addressing volatility of the series variance. Results The overall data set, 1995-2009, consisted of 491324 records from 137 ICU sites; average raw mortality was 14.07%; average(SD) raw and expected mortalities ranged from 0.012(0.113) and 0.013(0.045) to 0.296(0.457) and 0.278(0.247) respectively. For the raw mortality series: 71 sites had continuous data for assessment up to or beyond lag40 and 35% had autocorrelation through to lag40; and of 36 sites with continuous data for ≥ 72 months, all demonstrated marked seasonality. Similar numbers and percentages were seen with the expected series. Out-of-control signalling was evident for the raw mortality series with respect to RA-EWMA control limits; a seasonal ARMA model, with GARCH effects, displayed white-noise residuals which were in-control with respect to EWMA control limits and one-step prediction error limits (3SE). The expected series was modelled with a multiplicative seasonal autoregressive model. Conclusions The data generating process of monthly raw mortality series at the ICU level displayed autocorrelation, seasonality and volatility. False-positive signalling of the raw mortality series was evident with respect to RA-EWMA control limits. A time series approach using residual control charts resolved these issues. PMID:23705957

One-year mortality after recovery from critical illness: A retrospective cohort study.

PubMed

Lokhandwala, Sharukh; McCague, Ned; Chahin, Abdullah; Escobar, Braiam; Feng, Mengling; Ghassemi, Mohammad M; Stone, David J; Celi, Leo Anthony

2018-01-01

Factors associated with one-year mortality after recovery from critical illness are not well understood. Clinicians generally lack information regarding post-hospital discharge outcomes of patients from the intensive care unit, which may be important when counseling patients and families. We sought to determine which factors among patients who survived for at least 30 days post-ICU admission are associated with one-year mortality. Single-center, longitudinal retrospective cohort study of all ICU patients admitted to a tertiary-care academic medical center from 2001-2012 who survived ≥30 days from ICU admission. Cox's proportional hazards model was used to identify the variables that are associated with one-year mortality. The primary outcome was one-year mortality. 32,420 patients met the inclusion criteria and were included in the study. Among patients who survived to ≥30 days, 28,583 (88.2%) survived for greater than one year, whereas 3,837 (11.8%) did not. Variables associated with decreased one-year survival include: increased age, malignancy, number of hospital admissions within the prior year, duration of mechanical ventilation and vasoactive agent use, sepsis, history of congestive heart failure, end-stage renal disease, cirrhosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and the need for renal replacement therapy. Numerous effect modifications between these factors were found. Among survivors of critical illness, a significant number survive less than one year. More research is needed to help clinicians accurately identify those patients who, despite surviving their acute illness, are likely to suffer one-year mortality, and thereby to improve the quality of the decisions and care that impact this outcome.

Risk factors associated with outcomes of hip fracture surgery in elderly patients.

PubMed

Kim, Byung Hoon; Lee, Sangseok; Yoo, Byunghoon; Lee, Woo Yong; Lim, Yunhee; Kim, Mun-Cheol; Yon, Jun Heum; Kim, Kye-Min

2015-12-01

Hip fracture surgery on elderly patients is associated with a high incidence of morbidity and mortality. The aim of this study is to identify the risk factors related to the postoperative mortality and complications following hip fracture surgery on elderly patients. In this retrospective study, the medical records of elderly patients (aged 65 years or older) who underwent hip fracture surgery from January 2011 to June 2014 were reviewed. A total of 464 patients were involved. Demographic data of the patients, American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status, preoperative comorbidities, type and duration of anesthesia and type of surgery were collected. Factors related to postoperative mortality and complications; as well as to intensive care unit admission were analyzed using logistic regression. The incidence of postoperative mortality, cardiovascular complications, respiratory complications and intensive care unit (ICU) admission were 1.7, 4.7, 19.6 and 7.1%, respectively. Postoperative mortality was associated with preoperative respiratory comorbidities, postoperative cardiovascular complications (P < 0.05). Postoperative cardiovascular complications were related to frequent intraoperative hypotension (P <0.05). Postoperative respiratory complications were related to age, preoperative renal failure, neurological comorbidities, and bedridden state (P < 0.05). ICU admission was associated with the time from injury to operation, preoperative neurological comorbidities and frequent intraoperative hypotension (P < 0.05). Adequate treatment of respiratory comorbidities and prevention of cardiovascular complications might be the critical factors in reducing postoperative mortality in elderly patients undergoing hip fracture surgery.

Influence of antibiotic-regimens on intensive-care unit-mortality and liver-cirrhosis as risk factor.

PubMed

Friedrich-Rust, Mireen; Wanger, Beate; Heupel, Florian; Filmann, Natalie; Brodt, Reinhard; Kempf, Volkhard Aj; Kessel, Johanna; Wichelhaus, Thomas A; Herrmann, Eva; Zeuzem, Stefan; Bojunga, Joerg

2016-04-28

To assess the rate of infection, appropriateness of antimicrobial-therapy and mortality on intensive care unit (ICU). Special focus was drawn on patients with liver cirrhosis. The study was approved by the local ethical committee. All patients admitted to the Internal Medicine-ICU between April 1, 2007 and December 31, 2009 were included. Data were extracted retrospectively from all patients using patient charts and electronic documentations on infection, microbiological laboratory reports, diagnosis and therapy. Due to the large hepatology department and liver transplantation center, special interest was on the subgroup of patients with liver cirrhosis. The primary statistical-endpoint was the evaluation of the influence of appropriate versus inappropriate antimicrobial-therapy on in-hospital-mortality. Charts of 1979 patients were available. The overall infection-rate was 53%. Multiresistant-bacteria were present in 23% of patients with infection and were associated with increased mortality (P < 0.000001). Patients with infection had significantly increased in-hospital-mortality (34% vs 17%, P < 0.000001). Only 9% of patients with infection received inappropriate initial antimicrobial-therapy, no influence on mortality was observed. Independent risk-factors for in-hospital-mortality were the presence of septic-shock, prior chemotherapy for malignoma and infection with Pseudomonas spp. Infection and mortality-rate among 175 patients with liver-cirrhosis was significantly higher than in patients without liver-cirrhosis. Infection increased mortality 2.24-fold in patients with cirrhosis. Patients with liver cirrhosis were at an increased risk to receive inappropriate initial antimicrobial therapy. The results of the present study report the successful implementation of early-goal-directed therapy. Liver cirrhosis patients are at increased risk of infection, mortality and to receive inappropriate therapy. Increasing burden are multiresistant-bacteria.

A case-control study on the clinical impact of ventilator associated tracheobronchitis in adult patients who did not develop ventilator associated pneumonia.

PubMed

Cantón-Bulnes, María Luisa; González-García, María Ascensión; García-Sánchez, Manuela; Arenzana-Seisdedos, Ángel; Garnacho-Montero, José

2018-02-05

The main objective was to determine whether ventilator-associated tracheobronchitis (VAT) is related to increased length of ICU stay. Secondary endpoints included prolongation of hospital stay, as well as, ICU and hospital mortality. A retrospective matched case-control study. Each case was matched with a control for duration of ventilation (± 2 days until development of ventilator-associated tracheobronchitis), disease severity (Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II) at admission ± 3, diagnostic category and age ±10 years. Critically ill adults admitted to a polyvalent 30-beds ICU with the diagnosis of VAT in the period 2013-2016. We identified 76 cases of VAT admitted to our ICU during the study period. No adequate controls were found for 3 patients with VAT. There were no significant differences in demographic characteristics, reasons for admission and comorbidities. Patients with VAT had a longer ICU length of stay, median 22 days (14-35), compared to controls, median 15 days (8-27), p=.02. Ventilator days were also significantly increased in VAT patients, median 18 (9-28) versus 9 days (5-16), p=.03. There was no significant difference in total hospital length of stay 40 (28-61) vs. 35days (23-54), p=.32; ICU mortality (20.5 vs. 31.5% p=.13) and hospital mortality (30.1 vs. 43.8% p=.09). We performed a subanalysis of patients with microbiologically proven VAT receiving adequate antimicrobial treatment and did not observe significant differences between cases and the corresponding controls. VAT is associated with increased length of intensive care unit stay and longer duration of mechanical ventilation. This effect disappears when patients receive appropriate empirical treatment. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier España, S.L.U. and Sociedad Española de Enfermedades Infecciosas y Microbiología Clínica. All rights reserved.

Study protocol to assess the effectiveness and safety of a flexible family visitation model for delirium prevention in adult intensive care units: a cluster-randomised, crossover trial (The ICU Visits Study).

PubMed

Rosa, Regis Goulart; Falavigna, Maicon; Robinson, Caroline Cabral; da Silva, Daiana Barbosa; Kochhann, Renata; de Moura, Rafaela Moraes; Santos, Mariana Martins Siqueira; Sganzerla, Daniel; Giordani, Natalia Elis; Eugênio, Cláudia; Ribeiro, Tarissa; Cavalcanti, Alexandre Biasi; Bozza, Fernando; Azevedo, Luciano Cesar Pontes; Machado, Flávia Ribeiro; Salluh, Jorge Ibrain Figueira; Pellegrini, José Augusto Santos; Moraes, Rafael Barberena; Hochegger, Taís; Amaral, Alexandre; Teles, José Mario Meira; da Luz, Lucas Gobetti; Barbosa, Mirceli Goulart; Birriel, Daniella Cunha; Ferraz, Iris de Lima; Nobre, Vandack; Valentim, Helen Martins; Corrêa E Castro, Livia; Duarte, Péricles Almeida Delfino; Tregnago, Rogério; Barilli, Sofia Louise Santin; Brandão, Nilton; Giannini, Alberto; Teixeira, Cassiano

2018-04-13

Flexible intensive care unit (ICU) visiting hours have been proposed as a means to improve patient-centred and family-centred care. However, randomised trials evaluating the effects of flexible family visitation models (FFVMs) are scarce. This study aims to compare the effectiveness and safety of an FFVM versus a restrictive family visitation model (RFVM) on delirium prevention among ICU patients, as well as to analyse its potential effects on family members and ICU professionals. A cluster-randomised crossover trial involving adult ICU patients, family members and ICU professionals will be conducted. Forty medical-surgical Brazilian ICUs with RFVMs (<4.5 hours/day) will be randomly assigned to either an RFVM (visits according to local policies) or an FFVM (visitation during 12 consecutive hours per day) group at a 1:1 ratio. After enrolment and follow-up of 25 patients, each ICU will be switched over to the other visitation model, until 25 more patients per site are enrolled and followed. The primary outcome will be the cumulative incidence of delirium among ICU patients, measured twice a day using the Confusion Assessment Method for the ICU. Secondary outcome measures will include daily hazard of delirium, ventilator-free days, any ICU-acquired infections, ICU length of stay and hospital mortality among the patients; symptoms of anxiety and depression and satisfaction among the family members; and prevalence of burnout symptoms among the ICU professionals. Tertiary outcomes will include need for antipsychotic agents and/or mechanical restraints, coma-free days, unplanned loss of invasive devices and ICU-acquired pneumonia, urinary tract infection or bloodstream infection among the patients; self-perception of involvement in patient care among the family members; and satisfaction among the ICU professionals. The study protocol has been approved by the research ethics committee of all participant institutions. We aim to disseminate the findings through conferences and peer-reviewed journals. NCT02932358. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2018. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae colonization (CRE) and subsequent risk of infection and 90-day mortality in critically ill patients, an observational study.

PubMed

McConville, Thomas Howe; Sullivan, Sean Berger; Gomez-Simmonds, Angela; Whittier, Susan; Uhlemann, Anne-Catrin

2017-01-01

Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) have emerged as an urgent public health threat. Intestinal colonization with CRE has been identified as a risk factor for the development of systemic CRE infection, but has not been compared to colonization with third and/or fourth generation cephalosporin-resistant (Ceph-R) Enterobacteriaceae. Moreover, the risk conferred by colonization on adverse outcomes is less clear, particularly in critically ill patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU). We carried out a cohort study of consecutive adult patients screened for rectal colonization with CRE or Ceph-R upon ICU entry between April and July 2013. We identified clinical variables and assessed the relationship between CRE or Ceph-R colonization and subsequent systemic CRE infection within 30 days (primary outcome) and all-cause mortality within 90 days (secondary outcome). Among 338 ICU patients, 94 (28%) were colonized with either Ceph-R or CRE. 26 patients developed CRE infection within 30 days of swab collection; 47% (N = 17/36) of CRE-colonized and 3% (N = 2/58) of Ceph-R colonized patients. 36% (N = 13/36) of CRE-colonized patients died within 90 days compared to 31% (N = 18/58) of Ceph-R-colonized and 15% (N = 37/244) of non-colonized patients. In a multivariable analysis, CRE colonization independently predicted development of a systemic CRE infection at 30 days (aOR 10.8, 95% CI2.8-41.9, p = 0.0006); Ceph-R colonization did not (aOR 0.5, 95% CI0.1-3.3, p = 0.5). CRE colonization was associated with increased 90-day mortality in a univariable analysis (p-value 0.001), in a multivariable model, previous hospitalization and medical ICU admission were independent predictors of 90-day mortality whereas CRE colonization approached significance (aOR 2.3, 95% CI1.0-5.3, p = 0.056). Our study highlights the increased risk of CRE infection and mortality in patients with CRE colonization at the time of ICU admission. Future studies are needed to assess how CRE colonization can guide empiric antibiotic choices and to develop novel decolonization strategies.

[Pandemic influenza A in the ICU: experience in Spain and Latin America. GETGAG/SEMICYUC/(Spanish Working Group on Severe Pandemic Influenza A/SEMICYUC)].

PubMed

Rodríguez, A; Socías, L; Guerrero, J E; Figueira, J C; González, N; Maraví-Poma, E; Lorente, L; Martín, M; Albaya-Moreno, A; Algora-Weber, A; Vallés, J; León-Gil, C; Lisboa, T; Balasini, C; Villabón, M; Pérez-Padilla, R; Barahona, D; Rello, J

2010-03-01

Pandemic Influenza A (H1N1)v infection is the first pandemic in which intensive care units (ICU) play a fundamental role. It has spread very rapidly since the first cases were diagnosed in Mexico with the subsequent spread of the virus throughout the Southern Cone and Europe during the summer season. This study has aimed to compare the clinical presentation and outcome among the critical patients admitted to the ICU until July 31, 2009 in Spain with some series from Latin America. Six series of critically ill patients admitted to the ICU were considered. Clinical characteristics, complications and outcome were compared between series. Young patients (35-45 years) with viral pneumonia as a predominant ICU admission cause with severe respiratory failure and a high need of mechanical ventilation (60-100%) were affected. Obesity, pregnancy and chronic lung disease were risk factors associated with a worse outcome, however there was a high number of patients without comorbidities (40-50%). Mortality rate was between 25-50% and higher in the Latin America series, demonstrating the specific potential pathogenesis of the new virus. The use of antiviral treatment was delayed (between 3 and 6 days) and not generalized, with greater delay in Latin America in regards to Spain. These data suggest that a more aggressive treatment strategy, with earlier and easier access to the antiviral treatment might reduce the number of ICU admissions and mortality. Copyright 2009 Elsevier España, S.L. y SEMICYUC. All rights reserved.

Epidemiology, clinical features, and prognosis of elderly adults with severe forms of influenza A (H1N1.

PubMed

Garnacho-Montero, José; Gutiérrez-Pizarraya, Antonio; Màrquez, Juan A; Zaragoza, Rafael; Granada, Rosa; Ruiz-Santana, Sergio; Rello, Jordi; Rodríguez, Alejandro

2013-03-01

To examine epidemiological and clinical data of individuals aged 65 and older with influenza virus A (H1N1) admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) and to identify independent predictors of ICU mortality. Prospective, observational, multicenter study to determine prognostic factors in individuals infected with influenza A (H1N1) admitted to the ICU. One hundred forty-eight Spanish ICUs. Individuals with influenza A (H1N1) confirmed using real-time polymerase chain reaction from April 2009 to July 2011. Individuals aged 65 and older were compared with younger individuals. A multivariate analysis was conducted to determine independent predictors of mortality in this population. One thousand one hundred twenty individuals (129 (11.5%) aged 65) were included. Prevalence of chronic diseases was more common in older individuals. Viral pneumonitis was more frequent in individuals younger than 65 (70.5% vs 54.3%, P < .001). In older individuals, Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II score (odds ratio (OR) = 1.11, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.11–1.20, P = .002), immunosuppression (OR = 3.66, 95% CI, 1.33–10.03, P = .01) and oseltamivir therapy initiated after 48 hours (OR = 3.32, 95% CI = 1.02–10.8, P = .04) were identified as independent variables associated with mortality. Corticosteroid use was associated with a trend toward greater mortality (OR = 2.39, 95% CI = 0.98–5.91, P = .06). Individuals aged 65 and older with influenza A (H1N1) admitted to the ICU have a higher incidence of underlying diseases than younger individuals and differences in clinical presentation. Early oseltamivir therapy is associated with better outcomes in elderly adults.

Urinary versus plasma neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) as a predictor of mortality for acute kidney injury in intensive care unit patients.

PubMed

Mahmoodpoor, Ata; Hamishehkar, Hadi; Fattahi, Vahid; Sanaie, Sarvin; Arora, Pradeep; Nader, Nader D

2018-02-01

To examine urinary and plasma neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) levels in predicting ICU mortality. Prospective observational. University Critical Care setting. 50 patients with acute kidney injury (AKI). None. Serial urinary and plasma concentrations of NGAL were measured. Twenty-five patients had early progression (EP) and 25 patients had early improvement (EI) of AKI. Plasma concentrations of NGAL in the EP group (N=25) were significantly higher than those in the EI group (129 [IQR; 20] vs. 111 [IQR; 32] ng/mL; P=0.009), while urine NGAL levels on admission were similar in both groups (61 [IQR; 20] vs. 65 [IQR; 20] ng/mL; P=0.767). Plasma NGAL concentrations rapidly decreased to 87 [32] ng/mL in the EI group (P<0.001) and while it remained elevated in the EP group (138 [21] ng/mL). Within 28-days, 50% of the patients died in the EP group, whereas no patient died in the EI group (P<0.001). Plasma NGAL was a fair predictor for progression of AKI (AUC; 0.719±0.063; P=0.006). 48-hour changes in plasma NGAL levels predicted death within 28-days of ICU admission (AUC; 0.874±0.048; P<0.001). Early progression of AKI was associated with more death within 28 and 90days. While one time measurement of plasma NGAL levels at the time ICU admission may represent the kidney health status in critical care settings, it does not reliably predict mortality. On the other hand, changes in plasma NGAL within 48h of admission improve the value of this biomarker in predicting ICU mortality. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Changes in the etiology, incidence and prognosis of acute lower respiratory track infections in human immunodeficiency virus patients.

PubMed

Perelló, Rafael; Escoda, Ona; Camón, Silvia; Miró, Òscar; Castañeda, Marta; Moreno, Asunción; Marcos, Maria Ángeles; Perea, Verónica; Alcolea, Natalia; Sánchez, Miquel; Gatell, Josep Maria; Martínez, Esteban

2015-04-01

To describe the incidence, the changes in the etiology and the prognosis of lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI) in HIV infected patients, presenting by the first time to the Emergency Department (ED), during years 2000-2010. Prospective collection of data. Data were collected on the first visit of HIV-infected patients at our ED due to a LRTI, (defined according to the criteria of the European Respiratory Society), between 1/1/2000 and 31/12/2010. A series of epidemiological and laboratory variables as well as the need for admission to the intensive care unit (ICU). LRTI etiology were also collected. The influence ofthe mentioned variables on 30-day mortality were analyzed. One hundred thirty one patients were included. LRTI represented 27% of visits to the ED by HIV-infected patients. Mean age was 39±9 years. 72% of patients were males. 18% required admission to the ICU. The most frequent LRTI was pneumonia by P. jiroveci in 35 cases, bacterial penumonia in 27 and pulmonary tuberculosis in 20. LRTI incidence gradually reduced significantly over time from 6.13 × 1000 patients/year in year 2000 to 0.23 × 1000 patients/year in 2010 (p<0.05). Overall mortality was 14%. Logistic regression analysis showed that admission to ICU (p<0.004) and viral load (p<0.029) were independent variables predicting mortality. LRTI is a pathology with a decreasing incidence, probably related to the widespread utilization increased of HAART regimens. lts etiology has also been changing, but with a non negligible mortality, mostly when ICU admission was required. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier España, S.L.U. y Sociedad Española de Enfermedades Infecciosas y Microbiología Clínica. All rights reserved.

Prognostic consequences of borderline dysnatremia: pay attention to minimal serum sodium change.

PubMed

Darmon, Michael; Diconne, Eric; Souweine, Bertrand; Ruckly, Stéphane; Adrie, Christophe; Azoulay, Elie; Clec'h, Christophe; Garrouste-Orgeas, Maïté; Schwebel, Carole; Goldgran-Toledano, Dany; Khallel, Hatem; Dumenil, Anne-Sylvie; Jamali, Samir; Cheval, Christine; Allaouchiche, Bernard; Zeni, Fabrice; Timsit, Jean-François

2013-01-21

To assess the prevalence of dysnatremia, including borderline changes in serum sodium concentration, and to estimate the impact of these dysnatremia on mortality after adjustment for confounders. Observational study on a prospective database fed by 13 intensive care units (ICUs). Unselected patients with ICU stay longer than 48 h were enrolled over a 14-year period were included in this study. Mild to severe hyponatremia were defined as serum sodium concentration < 135, < 130, and < 125 mmol/L respectively. Mild to severe hypernatremia were defined as serum sodium concentration > 145, > 150, and > 155 mmol/L respectively. Borderline hyponatremia and hypernatremia were defined as serum sodium concentration between 135 and 137 mmol/L or 143 and 145 respectively. A total of 11,125 patients were included in this study. Among these patients, 3,047 (27.4%) had mild to severe hyponatremia at ICU admission, 2,258 (20.3%) had borderline hyponatremia at ICU admission, 1,078 (9.7%) had borderline hypernatremia and 877 (7.9%) had mild to severe hypernatremia. After adjustment for confounder, both moderate and severe hyponatremia (subdistribution hazard ratio (sHR) 1.82, 95% CI 1.002 to 1.395 and 1.27, 95% CI 1.01 to 1.60 respectively) were associated with day-30 mortality. Similarly, mild, moderate and severe hypernatremia (sHR 1.34, 95% CI 1.14 to 1.57; 1.51, 95% CI 1.15 to 1.99; and 2.64, 95% CI 2.00 to 3.81 respectively) were independently associated with day-30 mortality. One-third of critically ill patients had a mild to moderate dysnatremia at ICU admission. Dysnatremia, including mild changes in serum sodium concentration, is an independent risk factor for hospital mortality and should not be neglected.

Effects of decontamination of the oropharynx and intestinal tract on antibiotic resistance in ICUs: a randomized clinical trial.

PubMed

Oostdijk, Evelien A N; Kesecioglu, Jozef; Schultz, Marcus J; Visser, Caroline E; de Jonge, Evert; van Essen, Einar H R; Bernards, Alexandra T; Purmer, Ilse; Brimicombe, Roland; Bergmans, Dennis; van Tiel, Frank; Bosch, Frank H; Mascini, Ellen; van Griethuysen, Arjanne; Bindels, Alexander; Jansz, Arjan; van Steveninck, Fred A L; van der Zwet, Wil C; Fijen, Jan Willem; Thijsen, Steven; de Jong, Remko; Oudbier, Joke; Raben, Adrienne; van der Vorm, Eric; Koeman, Mirelle; Rothbarth, Philip; Rijkeboer, Annemieke; Gruteke, Paul; Hart-Sweet, Helga; Peerbooms, Paul; Winsser, Lex J; van Elsacker-Niele, Anne-Marie W; Demmendaal, Kees; Brandenburg, Afke; de Smet, Anne Marie G A; Bonten, Marc J M

2014-10-08

Selective decontamination of the digestive tract (SDD) and selective oropharyngeal decontamination (SOD) are prophylactic antibiotic regimens used in intensive care units (ICUs) and associated with improved patient outcome. Controversy exists regarding the relative effects of both measures on patient outcome and antibiotic resistance. To compare the effects of SDD and SOD, applied as unit-wide interventions, on antibiotic resistance and patient outcome. Pragmatic, cluster randomized crossover trial comparing 12 months of SOD with 12 months of SDD in 16 Dutch ICUs between August 1, 2009, and February 1, 2013. Patients with an expected length of ICU stay longer than 48 hours were eligible to receive the regimens, and 5881 and 6116 patients were included in the clinical outcome analysis for SOD and SDD, respectively. Intensive care units were randomized to administer either SDD or SOD. Unit-wide prevalence of antibiotic-resistant gram-negative bacteria. Secondary outcomes were day-28 mortality, ICU-acquired bacteremia, and length of ICU stay. In point-prevalence surveys, prevalences of antibiotic-resistant gram-negative bacteria in perianal swabs were significantly lower during SDD compared with SOD; for aminoglycoside resistance, average prevalence was 5.6% (95% CI, 4.6%-6.7%) during SDD and 11.8% (95% CI, 10.3%-13.2%) during SOD (P < .001). During both interventions the prevalence of rectal carriage of aminoglycoside-resistant gram-negative bacteria increased 7% per month (95% CI, 1%-13%) during SDD (P = .02) and 4% per month (95% CI, 0%-8%) during SOD (P = .046; P = .40 for difference). Day 28-mortality was 25.4% and 24.1% during SOD and SDD, respectively (adjusted odds ratio, 0.96 [95% CI, 0.88-1.06]; P = .42), and there were no statistically significant differences in other outcome parameters or between surgical and nonsurgical patients. Intensive care unit-acquired bacteremia occurred in 5.9% and 4.6% of the patients during SOD and SDD, respectively (odds ratio, 0.77 [95% CI, 0.65-0.91]; P = .002; number needed to treat, 77). Unit-wide application of SDD and SOD was associated with low levels of antibiotic resistance and no differences in day-28 mortality. Compared with SOD, SDD was associated with lower rectal carriage of antibiotic-resistant gram-negative bacteria and ICU-acquired bacteremia but a more pronounced gradual increase in aminoglycoside-resistant gram-negative bacteria. trialregister.nlIdentifier: NTR1780.

Impact of violence against women on severe acute maternal morbidity in the intensive care unit, including neonatal outcomes: a case-control study protocol in a tertiary healthcare facility in Lima, Peru.

PubMed

Ayala Quintanilla, Beatriz Paulina; Pollock, Wendy E; McDonald, Susan J; Taft, Angela J

2018-03-14

Preventing and reducing violence against women (VAW) and maternal mortality are Sustainable Development Goals. Worldwide, the maternal mortality ratio has fallen about 44% in the last 25 years, and for one maternal death there are many women affected by severe acute maternal morbidity (SAMM) requiring management in the intensive care unit (ICU). These women represent the most critically ill obstetric patients of the maternal morbidity spectrum and should be studied to complement the review of maternal mortality. VAW has been associated with all-cause maternal deaths, and since many women (30%) endure violence usually exerted by their intimate partners and this abuse can be severe during pregnancy, it is important to determine whether it impacts SAMM. Thus, this study aims to investigate the impact of VAW on SAMM in the ICU. This will be a prospective case-control study undertaken in a tertiary healthcare facility in Lima-Peru, with a sample size of 109 cases (obstetric patients admitted to the ICU) and 109 controls (obstetric patients not admitted to the ICU selected by systematic random sampling). Data on social determinants, medical and obstetric characteristics, VAW, pregnancy and neonatal outcome will be collected through interviews and by extracting information from the medical records using a pretested form. Main outcome will be VAW rate and neonatal mortality rate between cases and controls. VAW will be assessed by using the WHO instrument. Binary logistic followed by stepwise multivariate regression and goodness of fit test will assess any association between VAW and SAMM. Ethical approval has been granted by the La Trobe University, Melbourne-Australia and the tertiary healthcare facility in Lima-Peru. This research follows the WHO ethical and safety recommendations for research on VAW. Findings will be presented at conferences and published in peer-reviewed journals. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2018. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

Liberal Versus Restrictive Transfusion Strategy in Critically Ill Oncologic Patients: The Transfusion Requirements in Critically Ill Oncologic Patients Randomized Controlled Trial.

PubMed

Bergamin, Fabricio S; Almeida, Juliano P; Landoni, Giovanni; Galas, Filomena R B G; Fukushima, Julia T; Fominskiy, Evgeny; Park, Clarice H L; Osawa, Eduardo A; Diz, Maria P E; Oliveira, Gisele Q; Franco, Rafael A; Nakamura, Rosana E; Almeida, Elisangela M; Abdala, Edson; Freire, Maristela P; Filho, Roberto K; Auler, Jose Otavio C; Hajjar, Ludhmila A

2017-05-01

To assess whether a restrictive strategy of RBC transfusion reduces 28-day mortality when compared with a liberal strategy in cancer patients with septic shock. Single center, randomized, double-blind controlled trial. Teaching hospital. Adult cancer patients with septic shock in the first 6 hours of ICU admission. Patients were randomized to the liberal (hemoglobin threshold, < 9 g/dL) or to the restrictive strategy (hemoglobin threshold, < 7 g/dL) of RBC transfusion during ICU stay. Patients were randomized to the liberal (n = 149) or to the restrictive transfusion strategy (n = 151) group. Patients in the liberal group received more RBC units than patients in the restrictive group (1 [0-3] vs 0 [0-2] unit; p < 0.001). At 28 days after randomization, mortality rate in the liberal group (primary endpoint of the study) was 45% (67 patients) versus 56% (84 patients) in the restrictive group (hazard ratio, 0.74; 95% CI, 0.53-1.04; p = 0.08) with no differences in ICU and hospital length of stay. At 90 days after randomization, mortality rate in the liberal group was lower (59% vs 70%) than in the restrictive group (hazard ratio, 0.72; 95% CI, 0.53-0.97; p = 0.03). We observed a survival trend favoring a liberal transfusion strategy in patients with septic shock when compared with the restrictive strategy. These results went in the opposite direction of the a priori hypothesis and of other trials in the field and need to be confirmed.

Risk factors, sequential organ failure assessment and model for end-stage liver disease scores for predicting short term mortality in cirrhotic patients admitted to intensive care unit.

PubMed

Cholongitas, E; Senzolo, M; Patch, D; Kwong, K; Nikolopoulou, V; Leandro, G; Shaw, S; Burroughs, A K

2006-04-01

Prognostic scores in an intensive care unit (ICU) evaluate outcomes, but derive from cohorts containing few cirrhotic patients. To evaluate 6-week mortality in cirrhotic patients admitted to an ICU, and to compare general and liver-specific prognostic scores. A total of 312 consecutive cirrhotic patients (65% alcoholic; mean age 49.6 years). Multivariable logistic regression to evaluate admission factors associated with survival. Child-Pugh, Model for End-stage Liver Disease (MELD), Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) II and Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) scores were compared by receiver operating characteristic curves. Major indication for admission was respiratory failure (35.6%). Median (range) Child-Pugh, APACHE II, MELD and SOFA scores were 11 (5-15), 18 (0-44), 24 (6-40) and 11 (0-21), respectively; 65% (n = 203) died. Survival improved over time (P = 0.005). Multivariate model factors: more organs failing (FOS) (<3 = 49.5%, > or =3 = 90%), higher FiO(2), lactate, urea and bilirubin; resulting in good discrimination [area under receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) = 0.83], similar to SOFA and MELD (AUC = 0.83 and 0.81, respectively) and superior to APACHE II and Child-Pugh (AUC = 0.78 and 0.72, respectively). Cirrhotics admitted to ICU with > or =3 failing organ systems have 90% mortality. The Royal Free model discriminated well and contained key variables of organ function. SOFA and MELD were better predictors than APACHE II or Child-Pugh scores.

Corticosteroid therapy in intensive care unit patients with PCR-confirmed influenza A(H1N1) infection in Finland.

PubMed

Linko, R; Pettilä, V; Ruokonen, E; Varpula, T; Karlsson, S; Tenhunen, J; Reinikainen, M; Saarinen, K; Perttilä, J; Parviainen, I; Ala-Kokko, T

2011-09-01

To evaluate the incidence, treatment, and outcome of influenza A(H1N1) in Finnish intensive care units (ICUs) with special reference to corticosteroid treatment. During the H1N1 outbreak in Finland between 11 October and 31 December 2009, we prospectively evaluated all consecutive ICU patients with high suspicion of or confirmed pandemic influenza A(H1N1) infection. We assessed severity of acute disease and daily organ dysfunction. Ventilatory support and other concomitant treatments were evaluated and recorded daily throughout the ICU stay. The primary outcome was hospital mortality. During the 3-month period altogether 132 ICU patients were tested polymerase chain reaction-positive for influenza A(H1N1). Of these patients, 78% needed non-invasive or invasive ventilatory support. The median (interquartile) length of ICU stay was 4 [2-12] days. Hospital mortality was 10 of 132 [8%, 95% confidence interval (CI) 3-12%]. Corticosteroids were administered to 72 (55%) patients, but rescue therapies except prone positioning were infrequently used. Simplified Acute Physiology Score II and Sequential Organ Failure Assessment scores in patients with and without corticosteroid treatment were 31 [24-36] and 6 [2-8] vs. 22 [5-30] and 3 [2-6], respectively. The crude hospital mortality was not different in patients with corticosteroid treatment compared to those without: 8 of 72 (11%, 95% CI 4-19%) vs. 2 of 60 (3%, 95% CI 0-8%) (P = 0.11). The majority of H1N1 patients in ICUs received ventilatory support. Corticosteroids were administered to more than half of the patients. Despite being more severely ill, patients given corticosteroids had comparable hospital outcome with patients not given corticosteroids. © 2011 The Authors Acta Anaesthesiologica Scandinavica © 2011 The Acta Anaesthesiologica Scandinavica Foundation.

Predictive Value of Soluble Programmed Death-1 for Severe Sepsis and Septic Shock During the First Week in an Intensive Care Unit.

PubMed

Zhao, Yongzhen; Jia, Yumei; Li, Chunsheng; Shao, Rui; Fang, Yingying

2018-04-26

Programmed death-1 (PD-1)/programmed death ligand-1 (PD-L1) exists in both membrane-bound and soluble forms. In this study, we evaluated the predictive value of soluble PD-1 (sPD-1) for severity and 28-day mortality in patients with severe sepsis and septic shock during the first week in an intensive care unit (ICU). In this prospective cohort study, patients were classified into the severe sepsis group or the septic shock group according to the severity of their condition on ICU admission. All patients were also separated into the survivor or nonsurvivor groups according to their 28-day outcomes. Peripheral blood sPD-1 and soluble PD-L1 (sPD-L1) levels, PD-1 expression on CD4 and CD8 T cells, and PD-L1 expression on monocytes were measured and compared between the groups on days 1 and 7 after ICU admission. In all, 45 healthy volunteers and 112 patients were recruited. Serum sPD-1 levels were positively correlated with the severity of sepsis, sPD-L1 levels, PD-1 expression on CD4 or CD8 T cells, and PD-L1 expression on monocytes. The sPD-1 was an independent predictive factor for 28-day mortality both on day 1 and day 7. The area under the curve (AUC) of the sPD-1 on day 7 (0.871) was higher than that on day 1 (0.785) (P < 0.05), and better than the AUC of the percentages of PD-L1 on monocytes (0.770) on day 7 (P < 0.05). Serum sPD-1 shows valuable predictive ability for the severity and 28-day mortality of severe sepsis and septic shock during the first week of ICU treatment.

Platelet transfusions in cancer patients with hypoproliferative thrombocytopenia in the intensive care unit.

PubMed

Habr, Bassem; Charpentier, Julien; Champigneulle, Benoît; Dechartres, Agnès; Daviaud, Fabrice; Geri, Guillaume; Cariou, Alain; Chiche, Jean-Daniel; Mira, Jean-Paul; Pène, Frédéric

2015-12-01

Thrombocytopenia is a frequent finding in critically ill cancer patients for whom indications of platelet transfusions are unclear. We herein addressed the current practices in platelet transfusion and the risk of bleeding in cancer patients with hypoproliferative thrombocytopenia in the intensive care unit (ICU). A retrospective monocenter study over a 7-year period was conducted in a medical ICU. Adult patients with malignancies and hypoproliferative thrombocytopenia, and who received at least one platelet concentrate during their ICU stay, were included. 296 patients were included and received a total of 904 platelet transfusions, for prophylactic indications in 300 (33.2 %) episodes, for securing an invasive procedure in 257 (28.4 %), and for treatment of minor to major bleeding manifestations in 347 (38.4 %). Most prophylactic transfusions (80 %) were performed at platelet count thresholds below 10-20 × 10(9)/L. Platelet increments were generally low in all three indications, 10 (interquartile range 2-25), 11 (2-25), and 8 (0-21) × 10(9)/L, respectively. A total of 97 major ICU-acquired bleeding events occurred in 40 patients. About half of those bleeding episodes (54.7 %) occurred at platelet counts below 20 × 10(9)/L. However, neither low admission platelet count nor low nadir platelet counts were predictive of ICU-acquired bleeding. The in-ICU mortality rate tended to be higher in patients with severe ICU-acquired bleeding events (50 vs. 36 %). Most prophylactic platelet transfusions were given using thresholds of 10-20 × 10(9)/L in critically ill thrombocytopenic cancer patients. The individual risk of ICU-acquired severe bleeding appears hardly predictable with the depth of thrombocytopenia.

Multicenter Observational Study to Evaluate Epidemiology and Resistance Patterns of Common Intensive Care Unit-infections.

PubMed

Venkataraman, Ramesh; Divatia, Jigeeshu V; Ramakrishnan, Nagarajan; Chawla, Rajesh; Amin, Pravin; Gopal, Palepu; Chaudhry, Dhruva; Zirpe, Kapil; Abraham, Babu

2018-01-01

There is limited data regarding the microbiology of Intensive Care Unit (ICU)-acquired infections, such as ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP), catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTI), and catheter-related bloodstream infections (CRBSI) from India. To explore the microbiology and resistance patterns of ICU-acquired infections and evaluate their outcomes. This was a multicenter observational study, conducted by Indian Society of Critical Care Medicine (MOSER study) between August 2011 and October 2012. Patients in the ICU ≥48 h with any ICU-acquired infection within 14 days of index ICU stay were included. Patient demographics, relevant clinical, and microbiological details were collected. Follow-up until hospital discharge or death was done, and 6-month survival data were collected. Of the 381 patients included in the study, 346 patients had 1 ICU infection and 35 had more than one ICU infection. Among patients with single infections, 223 had VAP with Acinetobacter being the most common isolate. CAUTI was seen in 42 patients with Klebsiella as the most common organism. CRBSI was seen in 81 patients and Klebsiella was the most common causative organism. Multidrug resistance was noted in 87.5% of Acinetobacter, 75.5% of Klebsiella , 61.9% of Escherichia coli , and 58.9% of Pseudomonas isolates, respectively. Staphylococcus constituted only 2.4% of isolates. Mortality rates were 26%, 11.9%, and 34.6% in VAP, CAUTI, and CRBSI, respectively. VAP is the most common infection followed by CRBSI and CAUTI. Multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria are the most common organisms. Staphylococcus aureus is uncommon in the Indian setting.

Determinants of 1-year survival in critically ill acute leukemia patients: a GRRR-OH study.

PubMed

Tavares, Márcio; Lemiale, Virginie; Mokart, Djamel; Pène, Frédéric; Lengliné, Etienne; Kouatchet, Achille; Mayaux, Julien; Vincent, François; Nyunga, Martine; Bruneel, Fabrice; Rabbat, Antoine; Lebert, Christine; Perez, Pierre; Meert, Anne-Pascale; Benoit, Dominique; Darmon, Michael; Azoulay, Elie

2018-06-01

Acute leukemia (AL) is the most common hematological malignancy requiring intensive care unit (ICU) management. Data on long-term survival are limited. This is a post hoc analysis of the prospective multicenter data from France and Belgium: A Groupe de Recherche Respiratoire en Réanimation Onco-Hématologique [A Research Group on Acute Respiratory Failure in Onco-Hematological Patients (French)] Study, to identify determinants of 1-year survival in critically ill AL patients. A total of 278 patients were admitted in the 17 participating ICUs. Median age was 58 years and 70% had newly diagnosed leukemia. ICU mortality rate was 28.6 and 39.6% of the patients alive at 1 year. Admission for intensive monitoring was independently associated with better 1-year survival by multivariate analysis. Conversely, relapsed/refractory disease, secondary leukemia, mechanical ventilation and renal replacement therapy were independently associated with 1-year mortality. This study confirms the impact of organ dysfunction on long-term survival in ICU patients with AL. Follow-up studies to assess respiratory and renal recovery are warranted.

Tools for outcome prediction in patients with community acquired pneumonia.

PubMed

Khan, Faheem; Owens, Mark B; Restrepo, Marcos; Povoa, Pedro; Martin-Loeches, Ignacio

2017-02-01

Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is one of the most common causes of mortality world-wide. The mortality rate of patients with CAP is influenced by the severity of the disease, treatment failure and the requirement for hospitalization and/or intensive care unit (ICU) management, all of which may be predicted by biomarkers and clinical scoring systems. Areas covered: We review the recent literature examining the efficacy of established and newly-developed clinical scores, biological and inflammatory markers such as C-Reactive protein (CRP), procalcitonin (PCT) and Interleukin-6 (IL-6), whether used alone or in conjunction with clinical severity scores to assess the severity of CAP, predict treatment failure, guide acute in-hospital or ICU admission and predict mortality. Expert commentary: The early prediction of treatment failure using clinical scores and biomarkers plays a developing role in improving survival of patients with CAP by identifying high-risk patients requiring hospitalization or ICU admission; and may enable more efficient allocation of resources. However, it is likely that combinations of scoring systems and biomarkers will be of greater use than individual markers. Further larger studies are needed to corroborate the additive value of these markers to clinical prediction scores to provide a safer and more effective assessment tool for clinicians.

1082: Prevalence of Kidney Injury in Burn Patients Requiring Fluid Resuscitation

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-12-01

Malnutrition is present in up to 40% of intensive care unit (ICU) patients and is associated with an increased mortality. A recent study found that... malnutrition , and the interruption of enteral feeding can have associated morbid consequences. Our study not only reinforces that it is safe to start

Mortality prediction to hospitalized patients with influenza pneumonia: PO2 /FiO2 combined lymphocyte count is the answer.

PubMed

Shi, Shu Jing; Li, Hui; Liu, Meng; Liu, Ying Mei; Zhou, Fei; Liu, Bo; Qu, Jiu Xin; Cao, Bin

2017-05-01

Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) severity scores perform well in predicting mortality of CAP patients, but their applicability in influenza pneumonia is powerless. The aim of our research was to test the efficiency of PO 2 /FiO 2 and CAP severity scores in predicting mortality and intensive care unit (ICU) admission with influenza pneumonia patients. We reviewed all patients with positive influenza virus RNA detection in Beijing Chao-Yang Hospital during the 2009-2014 influenza seasons. Outpatients, inpatients with no pneumonia and incomplete data were excluded. We used receiver operating characteristic curves (ROCs) to verify the accuracy of severity scores or indices as mortality predictors in the study patients. Among 170 hospitalized patients with influenza pneumonia, 30 (17.6%) died. Among those who were classified as low-risk (predicted mortality 0.1%-2.1%) by pneumonia severity index (PSI) or confusion, urea, respiratory rate, blood pressure, age ≥65 year (CURB-65), the actual mortality ranged from 5.9 to 22.1%. Multivariate logistic regression indicated that hypoxia (PO 2 /FiO 2  ≤ 250) and lymphopenia (peripheral blood lymphocyte count <0.8 × 10 9 /L) were independent risk factors for mortality, with OR value of 22.483 (95% confidence interval 4.927-102.598) and 5.853 (95% confidence interval 1.887-18.152), respectively. PO 2 /FiO 2 combined lymphocyte count performed well for mortality prediction with area under the curve (AUC) of 0.945, which was significantly better than current CAP severity scores of PSI, CURB-65 and confusion, respiratory rate, blood pressure, age ≥65 years for mortality prediction (P < 0.001). The scores or indices for ICU admission prediction to hospitalized patients with influenza pneumonia confirmed a similar pattern and PO 2 /FiO 2 combined lymphocyte count was also the best predictor for predicting ICU admission. In conclusion, we found that PO 2 /FiO 2 combined lymphocyte count is simple and reliable predictor of hospitalized patients with influenza pneumonia in predicting mortality and ICU admission. When PO 2 /FiO 2  ≤ 250 or peripheral blood lymphocyte count <0.8 × 10 9 /L, the clinician should pay great attention to the possibility of severe influenza pneumonia. © 2015 The Authors. The Clinical Respiratory Journal published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Timing of onset and burden of persistent critical illness in Australia and New Zealand: a retrospective, population-based, observational study.

PubMed

Iwashyna, Theodore J; Hodgson, Carol L; Pilcher, David; Bailey, Michael; van Lint, Allison; Chavan, Shaila; Bellomo, Rinaldo

2016-07-01

Critical care physicians recognise persistent critical illness as a specific syndrome, yet few data exist for the timing of the transition from acute to persistent critical illness. Defining the onset of persistent critical illness as the time at which diagnosis and illness severity at intensive care unit (ICU) arrival no longer predict outcome better than do simple pre-ICU patient characteristics, we measured the timing of this onset at a population level in Australia and New Zealand, and the variation therein, and assessed the characteristics, burden of care, and hospital outcomes of patients with persistent critical illness. In this retrospective, population-based, observational study, we used data for ICU admission in Australia and New Zealand from the Australian and New Zealand Intensive Care Society Adult Patient Database. We included all patients older than 16 years of age admitted to a participating ICU. We excluded patients transferred from another hospital and those admitted to an ICU for palliative care or awaiting organ donation. The primary outcome was in-hospital mortality. Using statistical methods in evenly split development and validation samples for risk score development, we examined the ability of characteristics to predict in-hospital mortality. Between Jan, 2000, and Dec, 2014, we studied 1 028 235 critically ill patients from 182 ICUs across Australia and New Zealand. Among patients still in an ICU, admission diagnosis and physiological derangements, which accurately predicted outcome on admission (area under the receiver operating characteristics curve 0·898 [95% CI 0·897-0·899] in the validation cohort), progressively lost their predictive ability and no longer predicted outcome more accurately than did simple antecedent patient characteristics (eg, age, sex, or chronic health status) after 10 days in the ICU, thus empirically defining the onset of persistent critical illness. This transition occurred between day 7 and day 22 across diagnosis-based subgroups and between day 6 and day 15 across risk-of-death-based subgroups. Cases of persistent critical illness accounted for only 51 509 (5·0%) of the 1 028 235 patients admitted to an ICU, but for 1 029 345 (32·8%) of 3 138 432 ICU bed-days and 2 197 108 (14·7%) of 14 961 693 hospital bed-days. Overall, 12 625 (24·5%) of 51 509 patients with persistent critical illness died and only 23 968 (46·5%) of 51 509 were discharged home. Onset of persistent critical illness can be empirically measured at a population level. Patients with this condition consume vast resources, have high mortality, have much less chance of returning home than do typical ICU patients, and require dedicated future research. ICU clinicians should be aware that the risk of in-hospital mortality can change quickly over the first 2 weeks of an ICU course and be sure to incorporate such changes in their decision making and prognostication. None. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Development of the Combined Assessment of Risk Encountered in Surgery (CARES) surgical risk calculator for prediction of postsurgical mortality and need for intensive care unit admission risk: a single-center retrospective study.

PubMed

Chan, Diana Xin Hui; Sim, Yilin Eileen; Chan, Yiong Huak; Poopalalingam, Ruban; Abdullah, Hairil Rizal

2018-03-23

Accurate surgical risk prediction is paramount in clinical shared decision making. Existing risk calculators have limited value in local practice due to lack of validation, complexities and inclusion of non-routine variables. We aim to develop a simple, locally derived and validated surgical risk calculator predicting 30-day postsurgical mortality and need for intensive care unit (ICU) stay (>24 hours) based on routinely collected preoperative variables. We postulate that accuracy of a clinical history-based scoring tool could be improved by including readily available investigations, such as haemoglobin level and red cell distribution width. Electronic medical records of 90 785 patients, who underwent non-cardiac and non-neuro surgery between 1 January 2012 and 31 October 2016 in Singapore General Hospital, were retrospectively analysed. Patient demographics, comorbidities, laboratory results, surgical priority and surgical risk were collected. Outcome measures were death within 30 days after surgery and ICU admission. After excluding patients with missing data, the final data set consisted of 79 914 cases, which was divided randomly into derivation (70%) and validation cohort (30%). Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to construct a single model predicting both outcomes using Odds Ratio (OR) of the risk variables. The ORs were then assigned ranks, which were subsequently used to construct the calculator. Observed mortality was 0.6%. The Combined Assessment of Risk Encountered in Surgery (CARES) surgical risk calculator, consisting of nine variables, was constructed. The area under the receiver operating curve (AUROC) in the derivation and validation cohorts for mortality were 0.934 (0.917-0.950) and 0.934 (0.912-0.956), respectively, while the AUROC for ICU admission was 0.863 (0.848-0.878) and 0.837 (0.808-0.868), respectively. CARES also performed better than the American Society of Anaesthesiologists-Physical Status classification in terms of AUROC comparison. The development of the CARES surgical risk calculator allows for a simplified yet accurate prediction of both postoperative mortality and need for ICU admission after surgery. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2018. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

Association of Model for End-Stage Liver Disease Score With Mortality in Emergency General Surgery Patients.

PubMed

Havens, Joaquim M; Columbus, Alexandra B; Olufajo, Olubode A; Askari, Reza; Salim, Ali; Christopher, Kenneth B

2016-07-20

Emergency general surgery (EGS) patients have a disproportionate burden of death and complications. Chronic liver disease (CLD) increases the risk of complications following elective surgery. For EGS patients with CLD, long-term outcomes are unknown and risk stratification models do not reflect severity of CLD. To determine whether the Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) score is associated with increased risk of 90-day mortality following intensive care unit (ICU) admission in EGS patients. We performed a retrospective cohort study of patients with CLD who underwent an EGS procedure based on International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision (ICD-9) procedure codes and were admitted to a medical or surgical ICU within 48 hours of surgery between January 1, 1998, and September 20, 2012, at 2 academic medical centers. Chronic liver disease was identified using ICD-9 codes. Multivariable logistic regression was performed. The analysis was conducted from July 1, 2015, to January 1, 2016. The primary outcome was all-cause 90-day mortality. A total of 13 552 EGS patients received critical care; of these, 707 (5%) (mean [SD] age at hospital admission, 56.6 [14.2] years; 64% male; 79% white) had CLD and data to determine MELD score at ICU admission. The median MELD score was 14 (interquartile range, 10-20). Overall 90-day mortality was 30.1%. The adjusted odds ratio of 90-day mortality for each 10-point increase in MELD score was 1.63 (95% CI, 1.34-1.98). A decrease in MELD score of more than 3 in the 48 hours following ICU admission was associated with a 2.2-fold decrease in 90-day mortality (odds ratio = 0.46; 95% CI, 0.22-0.98). In this study, MELD score was associated with 90-day mortality following EGS in patients with CLD. The MELD score can be used as a prognostic factor in this patient population and should be used in preoperative risk prediction models and when counseling EGS patients on the risks and benefits of operative intervention.

Key performance indicators in intensive care medicine. A retrospective matched cohort study.

PubMed

Kastrup, M; von Dossow, V; Seeling, M; Ahlborn, R; Tamarkin, A; Conroy, P; Boemke, W; Wernecke, K-D; Spies, Claudia

2009-01-01

Expert panel consensus was used to develop evidence-based process indicators that were independent risk factors for the main clinical outcome parameters of length of stay in the intensive care unit (ICU) and mortality. In a retrospective, matched data analysis of patients from five ICUs at a tertiary university hospital, agreed process indicators (sedation monitoring, pain monitoring, mean arterial pressure [MAP] >or= 60 mmHg, tidal volume [TV] or= 80 and or= 60 mmHg and BG >or= 80 mg/dl were relevant for survival. Linear regression of the 634 patients showed that analgesia monitoring, PIP or= 60 mmHg, BG >or= 80 mg/dl and

Association between trends in clinical variables and outcome in intensive care patients with faecal peritonitis: analysis of the GenOSept cohort.

PubMed

Tridente, Ascanio; Clarke, Geraldine M; Walden, Andrew; Gordon, Anthony C; Hutton, Paula; Chiche, Jean-Daniel; Holloway, Paul A H; Mills, Gary H; Bion, Julian; Stüber, Frank; Garrard, Christopher; Hinds, Charles

2015-05-05

Patients admitted to intensive care following surgery for faecal peritonitis present particular challenges in terms of clinical management and risk assessment. Collaborating surgical and intensive care teams need shared perspectives on prognosis. We aimed to determine the relationship between dynamic assessment of trends in selected variables and outcomes. We analysed trends in physiological and laboratory variables during the first week of intensive care unit (ICU) stay in 977 patients at 102 centres across 16 European countries. The primary outcome was 6-month mortality. Secondary endpoints were ICU, hospital and 28-day mortality. For each trend, Cox proportional hazards (PH) regression analyses, adjusted for age and sex, were performed for each endpoint. Trends over the first 7 days of the ICU stay independently associated with 6-month mortality were worsening thrombocytopaenia (mortality: hazard ratio (HR) = 1.02; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.01 to 1.03; P < 0.001) and renal function (total daily urine output: HR =1.02; 95% CI, 1.01 to 1.03; P < 0.001; Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) renal subscore: HR = 0.87; 95% CI, 0.75 to 0.99; P = 0.047), maximum bilirubin level (HR = 0.99; 95% CI, 0.99 to 0.99; P = 0.02) and Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) SOFA subscore (HR = 0.81; 95% CI, 0.68 to 0.98; P = 0.028). Changes in renal function (total daily urine output and renal component of the SOFA score), GCS component of the SOFA score, total SOFA score and worsening thrombocytopaenia were also independently associated with secondary outcomes (ICU, hospital and 28-day mortality). We detected the same pattern when we analysed trends on days 2, 3 and 5. Dynamic trends in all other measured laboratory and physiological variables, and in radiological findings, changes in respiratory support, renal replacement therapy and inotrope and/or vasopressor requirements failed to be retained as independently associated with outcome in multivariate analysis. Only deterioration in renal function, thrombocytopaenia and SOFA score over the first 2, 3, 5 and 7 days of the ICU stay were consistently associated with mortality at all endpoints. These findings may help to inform clinical decision making in patients with this common cause of critical illness.

Prospective Observational Study on the Association Between Serum Mannose-Binding Lectin Levels and Severe Outcome in Critically Ill Patients with Pandemic Influenza Type A (H1N1) Infection.

PubMed

Zogheib, Elie; Nyga, Remy; Cornu, Marjorie; Sendid, Boualem; Monconduit, Julien; Jounieaux, Vincent; Maizel, Julien; Segard, Christine; Chouaki, Taïeb; Dupont, Hervé

2018-02-01

Mannose-binding lectin (MBL) plays an important role in the innate immune response. In addition to activating the complement, MBL can induce cytokine production and contribute to a deleterious inflammatory response with severe A(H1N1)pdm09 virus infection. Our aim was to determine if serum MBL levels correlate with the risk of mortality in intensive care units (ICU) patients with A(H1N1)pdm09 infection. Prospective observational study was performed in ICU patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome due to influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 virus. Demographic characteristics and severity indices were recorded at ICU admission. MBL was assayed from blood drawn at influenza diagnosis within 24-48 h following the ICU admission. Outcomes were compared according to MBL levels. Results are expressed as median and interquartile range. Serum MBL levels were studied in 27 patients (age: 56 [IQR 29] years) with severe A(H1N1)pdm09 infection and in 70 healthy controls. Median admission SAPSII and SOFA scores were 49 [IQR 26] and 12 [IQR 5], respectively. Mortality rate after a 30-day was 37%. MBL was significantly higher in non-survivors (3741 [IQR 2336] ng/ml) vs survivors (215 [IQR 1307] ng/ml), p = 0.006, as well as control group (1814 [IQR 2250] ng/ml), p = 0.01. In contrast, MBL levels in survivors group were significantly lower than the controls group (215 [IQR 1307] ng/ml vs. 1814 [IQR 2250] ng/ml, p = 0.005). MBL cut-off > 1870 ng/ml had a sensitivity of 80% and a specificity of 88.2% for mortality [AUC = 0.82 (95% CI 0.63-0.94)]. Kaplan-Meier analysis demonstrated a strong association between MBL levels and mortality (log-rank 7.8, p = 0.005). MBL > 1870 ng/ml was independently associated with mortality (HR = 8.7, 95% CI 1.2-29.1, p = 0.007). This study shows that baseline MBL > 1870 ng/ml is associated with higher mortality in ICU patients with severe A(H1N1)pdm09 infection.

The impact of oral health and 0.2% chlorhexidine oral gel on the prevalence of nosocomial infections in surgical intensive-care patients: a randomized placebo-controlled study.

PubMed

Cabov, Tomislav; Macan, Darko; Husedzinović, Ino; Skrlin-Subić, Jasenka; Bosnjak, Danica; Sestan-Crnek, Sandra; Perić, Berislav; Kovac, Zoran; Golubović, Vesna

2010-07-01

To evaluate the impact of oral health on the evolution of nosocomial infections and to document the effects of oral antiseptic decontamination on oral health and on the rate of nosocomial infections in patients in a surgical intensive-care unit (ICU). A prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial. Surgical ICU in University Hospital Dubrava. The study included 60 nonedentulous patients consecutively admitted to the surgical ICU and requiring a minimum stay of three days. After randomization, the treatment group underwent antiseptic decontamination of dental plaque and the oral mucosa with chlorhexidine gel. The control group was treated with placebo gel. Dental status was assessed using a caries-absent-occluded (CAO) score, and the amount of plaque was assessed using a semi-quantitative score. Samples of dental plaque, oral mucosa and nasal and tracheal aspirates were collected for bacterial culture, and nosocomial infections were assessed. The plaque score significantly increased in the control group and decreased in the treated patients. Patients who developed a nosocomial infection had higher plaque scores on admission and during their ICU stay. The control group showed increased colonization by aerobic pathogens throughout their ICU stay and developed nosocomial infections (26.7%) significantly more often than the treated patients (6.7%); the control group also stayed longer in the ICU (5.1 +/- 1.6 vs. 6.8 +/- 3.5 days, P = 0.019). Furthermore, a trend in reduction of mortality was noted in the treated group (3.3% vs. 10%). Among surgical ICU patients, poor oral health had a significant positive correlation with bacterial colonization and the evolution of nosocomial infections. Oral decontamination with chlorhexidine significantly decreased oropharyngeal colonization, the incidence of nosocomial infections, length of ICU stay, and mortality in these patients.

NutritionDay ICU: A 7 year worldwide prevalence study of nutrition practice in intensive care.

PubMed

Bendavid, Itai; Singer, Pierre; Theilla, Miriam; Themessl-Huber, Michael; Sulz, Isabella; Mouhieddine, Mohamed; Schuh, Christian; Mora, Bruno; Hiesmayr, Michael

2017-08-01

To determine the nutrition practice in intensive care units and the associated outcome across the world, a yearly 1 day cross sectional audit was performed from 2007 to 2013. The data of this initiative called "nutritionDay ICU" were analyzed. A questionnaire translated in 17 languages was used to determine the unit's characteristics, patient's condition, nutrition condition and therapy as well as outcome. All the patients present in the morning of the 1 day prevalence study were included from 2007 to 2013. 9777 patients from 46 countries and 880 units were included. Their SAPS 2 was median 38 (IQR 27-51), predicted mortality was 30.7% ± 26.9, and their SOFA score 4.5 ± 3.4 with median 4 (IQR 2-7). Administration of calories did not appear to be related to actual or ideal body weight within all BMI groups. Patients with a BMI <18.5 or >40 received slightly less calories than all other BMI groups. Two third of the patients were either ventilated or were in the ICU for longer than 24 h at nutritionDay. Routes of feeding used were the oral, enteral and parenteral routes. More than 40% of the patients were not fed during the first day. The mean energy administered using enteral route was 1286 ± 663 kcal/day and using parenteral nutrition 1440 ± 652 kcal/day. 60 days mortality was 26.0%. This very large collaborative cohort study shows that most of the patients are underfed during according to actual recommendations their ICU stay. Prescribed calories appear to be ordered regardless to the ideal weight of the patient. Nutritional support is slow to start and never reaches the recommended targets. Parenteral nutrition prescription is increasing during the ICU stay but reaching only 20% of the population studied if ICU stay is one week or longer. The nutritional support worldwide does not seem to be guided by weight or disease but more to be standardized and limited to a certain level of calories. These observations are showing the poor observance to guidelines. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd and European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism. All rights reserved.

[Peritonitis: main reason of severe sepsis in surgical intensive care].

PubMed

Weiss, G; Steffanie, W; Lippert, H

2007-04-01

Aim of the study was to determine the epidemiology of sepsis in an university surgical intensive care unit. We were mainly interested in getting information about incidence, reason and clinical course of peritonitis. The results should give more information about diagnostic and therapy of sepsis in the surgical intensive care. We analyzed our 2 676 ICU-patients from 2000 to 2002 with infection as main diagnosis. By means of medical report we analyzed the kind of infection and the clinical course of 561 (21 %) patients. For 356 (13.3 %) patients with peritonitis we observed the kind, the reason and the severity of infection and further the special events in the clinical course. The incidence of severe sepsis was 14.8 %. With 63 % the peritonitis is the main infectiological diagnosis on admission to ICU. 33.8 % of infections are hospital acquired. 71.3 % of patients with peritonitis developed a severe sepsis or septic shock during the clinical course. On average 4.7 further abdominal surgical interventions and 5.1 new occurring nosocomial infections marked a difficult surgical and infectious treatment course. Hospital acquired infections (70 %), high value of scoring and inadequate surgical treatment (23.7 %) have proved to be a good prognostic instrument for the development of tertiary peritonitis. With a share of 17 % from patients with peritonitis and a mortality of 35 % they have a strong influence on the ICU-mortality. Peritonitis is the main reason of severe sepsis on the surgical ICU. Hospital acquired infections especially the tertiary peritonitis have the highest mortality. High mortality is the consequence from the large number of difficult clinical courses and high rates of severe sepsis and septic shock. "Second hits" play a crucial role for the therapy and the prognosis of these patients. To decline the mortality future studies must more consider the problem of hospital acquired and tertiary abdominal infections.

Relationship of energy and protein adequacy with 60-day mortality in mechanically ventilated critically ill patients: A prospective observational study.

PubMed

Lee, Zheng-Yii; Noor Airini, Ibrahim; Barakatun-Nisak, Mohd-Yusof

2017-05-19

The effect of provision of full feeding or permissive underfeeding on mortality in mechanically ventilated critically ill patients in the intensive care unit (ICU) is still controversial. This study investigated the relationship of energy and protein intakes with 60-day mortality, and the extent to which ICU length of stay and nutritional risk status influenced this relationship. This is a prospective observational study conducted among critically ill patients aged ≥18 years, intubated and mechanically ventilated within 48 h of ICU admission and stayed in the ICU for at least 72 h. Information on baseline characteristics and nutritional risk status (the modified Nutrition Risk in Critically ill [NUTRIC] score) was collected on day 1. Nutritional intake was recorded daily until death, discharge, or until the twelfth evaluable days. Mortality status was assessed on day 60 based on the patient's hospital record. Patients were divided into 3 groups a) received <2/3 of prescribed energy and protein (both <2/3), b) received ≥2/3 of prescribed energy and protein (both ≥2/3) and c) either energy or protein received were ≥2/3 of prescribed (either ≥2/3). The relationship between the three groups with 60-day mortality was examined by using logistic regression with adjustment for potential confounders. Sensitivity analysis was performed to examine the influence of ICU length of stay (≥7 days) and nutritional risk status. Data were collected from 154 mechanically ventilated patients (age, 51.3 ± 15.7 years; body mass index, 26.5 ± 6.7 kg/m 2 ; 54% male). The mean modified NUTRIC score was 5.7 ± 1.9, with 56% of the patients at high nutritional risk. The patients received 64.5 ± 21.6% of the amount of energy and 56.4 ± 20.6% of the amount of protein prescribed. Provision of energy and protein at ≥2/3 compared with <2/3 of the prescribed amounts was associated with a trend towards increased 60-day mortality (Adjusted odds ratio [Adj OR] 2.23; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.92-5.38; p = 0.074). No difference in mortality status was found between energy and protein provision at either ≥2/3 compared with <2/3 of the prescribed amounts (Adj OR 1.61, 95% CI, 0.58-4.45; p = 0.357). Nutritional risk status, not ICU length of stay, influenced the relationship between nutritional adequacy and 60-day mortality. Energy and protein adequacy of ≥2/3 of the prescribed amounts were associated with a trend towards increased 60-day mortality among mechanically ventilated critically ill patients. However, neither energy nor protein adequacy alone at ≥ or <2/3 adequacy affect 60-day mortality. Increased mortality was associated with provision of energy and protein at ≥2/3 of the prescribed amounts, which only affected patients with low nutritional risk. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd and European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism. All rights reserved.

Clostridium difficile Associated Risk of Death Score (CARDS): A novel severity score to predict mortality among hospitalized patients with Clostridium difficile infection

PubMed Central

Kassam, Zain; Fabersunne, Camila Cribb; Smith, Mark B.; Alm, Eric J.; Kaplan, Gilaad G.; Nguyen, Geoffrey C.; Ananthakrishnan, Ashwin N.

2016-01-01

Background Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) is public health threat and associated with significant mortality. However, there is a paucity of objectively derived CDI severity scoring systems to predict mortality. Aims To develop a novel CDI risk score to predict mortality entitled: Clostridium difficile Associated Risk of Death Score (CARDS). Methods We obtained data from the United States 2011 Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS) database. All CDI-associated hospitalizations were identified using discharge codes (ICD-9-CM, 008.45). Multivariate logistic regression was utilized to identify independent predictors of mortality. CARDS was calculated by assigning a numeric weight to each parameter based on their odds ratio in the final logistic model. Predictive properties of model discrimination were assessed using the c-statistic and validated in an independent sample using the 2010 NIS database. Results We identified 77,776 hospitalizations, yielding an estimate of 374,747 cases with an associated diagnosis of CDI in the United States, 8% of whom died in the hospital. The 8 severity score predictors were identified on multivariate analysis: age, cardiopulmonary disease, malignancy, diabetes, inflammatory bowel disease, acute renal failure, liver disease and ICU admission, with weights ranging from −1 (for diabetes) to 5 (for ICU admission). The overall risk score in the cohort ranged from 0 to 18. Mortality increased significantly as CARDS increased. CDI-associated mortality was 1.2% with a CARDS of 0 compared to 100% with CARDS of 18. The model performed equally well in our validation cohort. Conclusion CARDS is a promising simple severity score to predict mortality among those hospitalized with CDI. PMID:26849527

Is 'gut feeling' by medical staff better than validated scores in estimation of mortality in a medical intensive care unit? - The prospective FEELING-ON-ICU study.

PubMed

Radtke, Anne; Pfister, Roman; Kuhr, Kathrin; Kochanek, Matthias; Michels, Guido

2017-10-01

The aim of the FEELING-ON-ICU study was to compare mortality estimations of critically ill patients based on 'gut feeling' of medical staff and by Acute Physiology And Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) II, Simplified Acute Physiology Score (SAPS) II and Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA). Medical staff estimated patients' mortality risks via questionnaires. APACHE II, SAPS II and SOFA were calculated retrospectively from records. Estimations were compared with actual in-hospital mortality using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves and the area under the ROC curve (AUC). 66 critically ill patients (60.6% male, mean age 63±15years (range 30-86)) were evaluated each by a nurse (n=66, male 32.4%) and a physician (n=66, male 67.6%). 15 (22.7%) patients died on the intensive care unit. AUC was largest for estimations by physicians (AUC 0.814 (95% CI 0.705-0.923)), followed by SOFA (AUC 0.749 (95% CI 0.629-0.868)), SAPS II (AUC 0.723 (95% CI 0.597-0.849)), APACHE II (AUC 0.721 (95% CI 0.595-0.847)) and nursing staff (AUC 0.669 (95% CI 0.529-0.810)) (p<0.05 for all results). The concept of physicians' 'gut feeling' was comparable to classical objective scores in mortality estimations of critically ill patients. Concerning practicability physicians' evaluations were advantageous to complex score calculation. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Effect of Emergency Department and ICU Occupancy on Admission Decisions and Outcomes for Critically Ill Patients.

PubMed

Mathews, Kusum S; Durst, Matthew S; Vargas-Torres, Carmen; Olson, Ashley D; Mazumdar, Madhu; Richardson, Lynne D

2018-05-01

ICU admission delays can negatively affect patient outcomes, but emergency department volume and boarding times may also affect these decisions and associated patient outcomes. We sought to investigate the effect of emergency department and ICU capacity strain on ICU admission decisions and to examine the effect of emergency department boarding time of critically ill patients on in-hospital mortality. A retrospective cohort study. Single academic tertiary care hospital. Adult critically ill emergency department patients for whom a consult for medical ICU admission was requested, over a 21-month period. None. Patient data, including severity of illness (Mortality Probability Model III on Admission), outcomes of mortality and persistent organ dysfunction, and hourly census reports for the emergency department, for all ICUs and all adult wards were compiled. A total of 854 emergency department requests for ICU admission were logged, with 455 (53.3%) as "accept" and 399 (46.7%) as "deny" cases, with median emergency department boarding times 4.2 hours (interquartile range, 2.8-6.3 hr) and 11.7 hours (3.2-20.3 hr) and similar rates of persistent organ dysfunction and/or death 41.5% and 44.6%, respectively. Those accepted were younger (mean ± SD, 61 ± 17 vs 65 ± 18 yr) and more severely ill (median Mortality Probability Model III on Admission score, 15.3% [7.0-29.5%] vs 13.4% [6.3-25.2%]) than those denied admission. In the multivariable model, a full medical ICU was the only hospital-level factor significantly associated with a lower probability of ICU acceptance (odds ratio, 0.55 [95% CI, 0.37-0.81]). Using propensity score analysis to account for imbalances in baseline characteristics between those accepted or denied for ICU admission, longer emergency department boarding time after consult was associated with higher odds of mortality and persistent organ dysfunction (odds ratio, 1.77 [1.07-2.95]/log10 hour increase). ICU admission decisions for critically ill emergency department patients are affected by medical ICU bed availability, though higher emergency department volume and other ICU occupancy did not play a role. Prolonged emergency department boarding times were associated with worse patient outcomes, suggesting a need for improved throughput and targeted care for patients awaiting ICU admission.

Anemia, transfusion, and phlebotomy practices in critically ill patients with prolonged ICU length of stay: a cohort study

PubMed Central

Chant, Clarence; Wilson, Gail; Friedrich, Jan O

2006-01-01

Introduction Anemia among the critically ill has been described in patients with short to medium length of stay (LOS) in the intensive care unit (ICU), but it has not been described in long-stay ICU patients. This study was performed to characterize anemia, transfusion, and phlebotomy practices in patients with prolonged ICU LOS. Methods We conducted a retrospective chart review of consecutive patients admitted to a medical-surgical ICU in a tertiary care university hospital over three years; patients included had a continuous LOS in the ICU of 30 days or longer. Information on transfusion, phlebotomy, and outcomes were collected daily from days 22 to 112 of the ICU stay. Results A total of 155 patients were enrolled. The mean age, admission Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II score, and median ICU LOS were 62.3 ± 16.3 years, 23 ± 8, and 49 days (interquartile range 36–70 days), respectively. Mean hemoglobin remained stable at 9.4 ± 1.4 g/dl from day 7 onward. Mean daily phlebotomy volume was 13.3 ± 7.3 ml, and 62% of patients received a mean of 3.4 ± 5.3 units of packed red blood cells at a mean hemoglobin trigger of 7.7 ± 0.9 g/dl after day 21. Transfused patients had significantly greater acuity of illness, phlebotomy volumes, ICU LOS and mortality, and had a lower hemoglobin than did those who were not transfused. Multivariate logistic regression analysis identified the following as independently associated with the likelihood of requiring transfusion in nonbleeding patients: baseline hemoglobin, daily phlebotomy volume, ICU LOS, and erythropoietin therapy (used almost exclusively in dialysis dependent renal failure in this cohort of patients). Small increases in average phlebotomy (3.5 ml/day, 95% confidence interval 2.4–6.8 ml/day) were associated with a doubling in the odds of being transfused after day 21. Conclusion Anemia, phlebotomy, and transfusions, despite low hemoglobin triggers, are common in ICU patients long after admission. Small decreases in phlebotomy volume are associated with significantly reduced transfusion requirements in patients with prolonged ICU LOS. PMID:17002795

Anaerobic antibiotic usage for pneumonia in the medical intensive care unit.

PubMed

Kioka, Mutsumi J; DiGiovine, Bruno; Rezik, Mohamed; Jennings, Jeffrey H

2017-11-01

Pneumonia is a common admitting diagnosis in the intensive care unit (ICU). When aspiration is suspected, antibiotics to cover anaerobes are frequently used, but in the absence of clear risk factors, current guidelines have questioned their role. It is unknown how frequently these guidelines are followed. We conducted a single-centre observational study on practice patterns of anaerobic antibiotic use in consecutive patients admitted to the ICU with aspiration pneumonia (Asp), community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) and healthcare-associated pneumonia (HCAP). A total of 192 patients were studied (Asp: 20, HCAP: 107, CAP: 65). Overall, 59 patients received anaerobic antibiotics (Asp: 90%, HCAP: 28%, CAP 17%) but a significant proportion of these patients did not meet criteria to receive them. Inappropriate anaerobic antibiotic use was 12/20 for Asp, 27/107 for HCAP and 9/65 for CAP. Mortality probability model III at zero hours (MPM0) score and a diagnosis of Asp were predictors of receiving inappropriate anaerobic antibiotics. Receiving inappropriate anaerobic antibiotics was associated with a longer ICU length of stay (LOS; 7 days (interquartile range (IQR): 7-21) vs 4 days (IQR:2-9), P = 0.017). For patients in the ICU admitted with pneumonia, there is a high occurrence of inappropriately prescribed anaerobic antibiotics, the use of which was associated with a longer ICU LOS. © 2017 Asian Pacific Society of Respirology.

The management of Convulsive Refractory Status Epilepticus in adults in the UK: No consistency in practice and little access to continuous EEG monitoring.

PubMed

Patel, Mitesh; Bagary, Manny; McCorry, Dougall

2015-01-01

Convulsive Status Epilepticus (CSE) is a common neurological emergency with patients presenting with prolonged epileptic activity. Sub-optimal management is coupled with high morbidity and mortality. Continuous electroencephalogram (EEG) monitoring is considered essential by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) in the management of Convulsive Refractory Status Epilepticus (CRSE). The aim of this research was to determine current clinical practice in the management of CRSE amongst adults in intensive care units (ICU) in the UK and establish if the use of a standardised protocol requires re-enforcement within trusts. 75 randomly selected UK NHS Trusts were contacted and asked to complete a questionnaire in addition to providing their protocol for CRSE management in ICU. 55 (73%) trusts responded. While 31 (56% of responders) had a protocol available in ICU for early stages of CSE, just 21 (38%) trusts had specific guidelines if CRSE occurred. Only 23 (42%) trusts involved neurologists at any stage of management and just 18 (33%) have access to continuous EEG monitoring. This study identifies significant inconsistency in the management of CSE in ICU's across the UK. A minority of ICU units have a protocol for CRSE or access to continuous EEG monitoring despite it being considered fundamental for management and supported by NICE guidance. Copyright © 2014 British Epilepsy Association. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Prognostic value of adrenal gland volume after cardiac arrest: Association of CT-scan evaluation with shock and mortality.

PubMed

Mongardon, Nicolas; Savary, Guillaume; Geri, Guillaume; El Bejjani, Marie-Rose; Silvera, Stéphane; Dumas, Florence; Charpentier, Julien; Pène, Frédéric; Mira, Jean-Paul; Cariou, Alain

2018-05-28

Adrenal gland volume is associated with survival in septic shock. As sepsis and post-cardiac arrest syndrome share many pathophysiological features, we assessed the association between adrenal gland volume measured by computerized tomography (CT)-scan and post-cardiac arrest shock and intensive care unit (ICU) mortality, in a large cohort of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) patients. We also investigated the association between adrenal hormonal function and both adrenal gland volume and outcomes. Prospective analysis of CT-scan performed at hospital admission in patients admitted after OHCA (2007-2012). A pair of blinded radiologist calculated manually adrenal gland volume. In a subgroup of patients, plasma cortisol was measured at admission and 60 min after a cosyntropin test. Factors associated with post-cardiac arrest shock and ICU mortality were identified using multivariate logistic regression. Among 775 patients admitted during this period after OHCA, 138 patients were included: 72 patients (52.2%) developed a post-cardiac arrest shock, and 98 patients (71.1%) died. In univariate analysis, adrenal gland volume was not different between patients with and without post-cardiac arrest shock: 10.6 and 11.3 cm 3 , respectively (p = 0.9) and between patients discharged alive or dead: 10.2 and 11.8 cm 3 , respectively (p = 0.4). Multivariate analysis confirmed that total adrenal gland volume was associated neither with post-cardiac arrest shock nor mortality. Neither baseline cortisol level nor delta between baseline and after cosyntropin test cortisol levels were associated with adrenal volume, post-cardiac arrest shock onset or mortality. After OHCA, adrenal gland volume is not associated with post-cardiac arrest shock onset or ICU mortality. Adrenal gland volume does not predict adrenal gland hormonal response. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Prognostic value of admission serum lactate concentrations in intensive care unit patients.

PubMed

Soliman, H M; Vincent, J-L

2010-01-01

Although blood lactate concentrations have an established prognostic value in circulatory shock or after cardiac arrest, their relationship with morbidity and length of stay in general intensive care unit (ICU) populations has not been well defined. This study included all 433 patients (246 surgical and 187 medical) consecutively admitted to the Department of medico-surgical intensive care. Hyperlactataemia was defined as a serum lactate concentration > or = 2 mEq/l. On admission, 195 patients (45%) had hyperlactataemia. Hyperlactataemic patients had higher Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) II (13.3 +/- 6.9 vs 10.0 +/- 5.2) and Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) (5.3 +/- 3.3 vs 3.3 +/- 2.3) scores than patients with normal lactate concentrations (both p < 0.01). There was no overall difference in length of ICU stay (LOS) between the two groups but survivors in the hyperlactataemic group had a longer LOS than survivors in the normal lactate group, whereas hyperlactataemic non-survivors had a shorter LOS than normal lactate non-survivors. Mortality was 9% in patients with normal lactate concentrations and 23% in hyperlactataemic patients. The mortality rate increased with increasing lactate concentrations, from 17% in patients with lactate concentrations from 2-4 mEq/l to 64% in those with concentrations more than 8 mEq/l. Non-survivors had higher lactate concentrations than survivors on admission, and after 24 and 48 hours. Risk factors for developing hyperlactataemia that were present on admission were SOFA score > 5, mean arterial blood pressure less than 70 mmHg, blood sugar greater than 110 mg/dl, and current use of vasopressors. Our study documents a direct relationship between the serum lactate level on ICU admission and not only the risk of death in ICU but also the length of ICU stay. Hyperlactataemic survivors have a longer LOS and non-survivors a shorter LOS than normal lactate survivors and non-survivors, respectively.

Clinical profile and outcomes of acute cardiorenal syndrome type-5 in sepsis: An eight-year cohort study.

PubMed

Vallabhajosyula, Saraschandra; Sakhuja, Ankit; Geske, Jeffrey B; Kumar, Mukesh; Kashyap, Rahul; Kashani, Kianoush; Jentzer, Jacob C

2018-01-01

To evaluate the clinical features and outcomes of acute cardiorenal syndrome type-5 in patients with severe sepsis and septic shock. Historical cohort study of all adult patients with severe sepsis and septic shock admitted to the intensive care units (ICU) at Mayo Clinic Rochester from January 1, 2007 through December 31, 2014. Patients with prior renal or cardiac dysfunction were excluded. Patients were divided into groups with and without cardiorenal syndrome type-5. Acute Kidney Injury (AKI) was defined by both serum creatinine and urine output criteria of the AKI Network and the cardiac injury was determined by troponin-T levels. Outcomes included in-hospital mortality, ICU and hospital length of stay, and one-year survival. Of 602 patients meeting the study inclusion criteria, 430 (71.4%) met criteria for acute cardiorenal syndrome type-5. Patients with cardiorenal syndrome type-5 had higher severity of illness, greater vasopressor and mechanical ventilation use. Cardiorenal syndrome type-5 was associated higher unadjusted in-hospital mortality, ICU and hospital lengths of stay, and lower one-year survival. When adjusted for age, gender, severity of illness and mechanical ventilation, cardiorenal syndrome type-5 was independently associated with 1.7-times greater odds of in-hospital mortality (p = .03), but did not predict one-year survival (p = .06) compared to patients without cardiorenal syndrome. In sepsis, acute cardiorenal syndrome type-5 is associated with worse in-hospital mortality compared to patients without cardiorenal syndrome.

Once Versus Thrice Daily Colistin in Critically Ill Ptients with Multi-Drug Resistant Infections

PubMed Central

Ghazaeian, Monireh; Mokhtari, Majid; Kouchek, Mehran; Miri, MirMohammad; Goharani, Reza; Ghodssi-Ghassemabadi, Robabeh; Sistanizad, Mohammad

2017-01-01

The aim of this study was to evaluate the procalcitonin (PCT) changes in two different high-dose colistin regimens in the treatment of multi-drug resistant MDR gram negative infections in ICU patients. This is a prospective study of adult ICU patients with bacteremia and ventilator associated pneumonia (VAP) caused by MDR gram negative pathogens. Patients were assigned to two colistin administration groups. Group A received 9 and group B received 3 million international units every 24 and 8 h respectively. Baseline characteristics and measurements of PCT concentrations at the start, the 3rd and the 5th day of the antibiotic therapy and their trends between the two groups were recorded and compared. of 40 patients enrolled, 34 completed the study protocol, of whom 30 (88.2%) had (VAP) and 4 (11.8%) had bacteremia. There were no statistically significant differences in the baseline characteristics between the two groups. The mean PCT levels in two study groups were; 2.34, 1.24, and 0.95 in group A and 5.89, 1.24 and 0.8 in group B at the baseline, 3rd and 5th day of colistin administration respectively (P=0.47). The ICU length of stay (LOS) in days and ICU mortality were; 31.31, 35.3% and 32.06, 22.2% in groups A and B (P=0.39, 0.87), respectively. Conclusion: We did not find any statistically significant differences in the serum PCT levels, ICU LOS or ICU mortality, between the two groups, who received maximum recommended dose of CMS with 2 different intervals of every 8 or 24 h. PMID:29201114

Does Propofol Sedation Contribute to Overall Energy Provision in Mechanically Ventilated Critically Ill Adults? A Retrospective Observational Study.

PubMed

Hastings, Jennifer; Ridley, Emma J; Bianchet, Oliver; Roodenburg, Owen; Levkovich, Bianca; Scheinkestel, Carlos; Pilcher, David; Udy, Andrew

2018-05-01

Propofol sedation is common in critically ill patients, providing energy of 1.1 kcal/mL when administered as a 1% solution. We aimed to determine the proportion of energy administered as propofol on days 1-5 in the intensive care unit (ICU) and any association with outcomes. Retrospective observational study in a quaternary ICU from January-December 2012. Inclusion criteria were length of stay (LOS) ≥5 days, age ≥18 years, and provision of mechanical ventilation (MV) for ≥5 days. Outcome measures included proportion of total daily energy provided as propofol, overall energy balance, hospital mortality, duration of MV, and ICU LOS. Data from 370 patients were analyzed, 87.8% (n = 325) of whom received propofol during days 1-5 in ICU. A median [interquartile range (IQR)] of 119 [50-730] kcal was provided as propofol per patient-day. Proportion of energy provided by propofol as a percentage of total energy delivered was 55.4%, 15.4%, 9.3%, 7.9%, and 9.9% days 1-5, respectively. Patients administered propofol received a greater proportion of their total daily energy prescription compared with those who were not (P < .01). Proportion of energy provided as propofol was not significantly different based on hospital mortality (P = .62), duration of MV (P = .50), or ICU LOS (P = .15). Propofol contributes to overall energy intake on days 1-5 of ICU admission. Energy balance was higher in those receiving propofol. No association was found between the proportion of energy delivered as propofol and outcomes. © 2017 American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition.

Influenza A (H1N1) virus pneumonia in intensive care unit.

PubMed

Adıgüzel, Nalan; Karakurt, Zuhal; Kalamanoğlu Balcı, Merih; Acartürk, Eylem; Güngör, Gökay; Yazıcıoğlu Moçin, Ozlem; Batı Kutlu, Semra; Yılmaz, Adnan

2010-01-01

Patients with influenza A (H1N1) virus infection have been admitted to intensive care units (ICU) due to development of severe respiratory failure. We described the clinical and epidemiologic characteristics of the 19 patients admitted to ICU due to influenza A (H1N1) virus infection. Study design is a descriptive case series in a third level-20 bed respiratory ICU at training hospital in Istanbul/Turkey. Influenza A (H1N1) virus infection was laboratory confirmed in specimens using real-time reverse transcriptase-polymerase-chain-reaction (RT-PCR). We collected data concerning demographic, epidemiologic and clinical characteristics of the patients, treatment mortality and outcome. From November 10 to December 31 2009, a total of 19 patients; 7 laboratory confirmed, 12 with high clinical suspicion were treated at ICU. Among 12 patients with high clinical suspicion; 3 patients had negative RT-PCR testing for influenza A (H1N1) virus, 9 patients had no tests. Mean age was 41.6 ± 11.9 (range 21 to 61). Median number of lung zone involvement was 4 (IQR= 3-4). Median PaO2/FiO2 was 105 (IQR= 85-165). Mean severity (APACHE II) and organ failure score (SOFA) were 13 ± 4 and 4.0 ± 1.3 respectively. Non-invasive mechanical ventilation (68.4%, n= 13), invasive mechanical ventilation (21.1%, n= 4) and nasal cannula oxygen (31.5%, n= 6) were implicated. The median length of ICU stay was 6 (IQR= 4-8). Oseltamivir therapy was given as 75 mg bid to 12 patients and 150 mg bid to 7 obese patients. ICU mortality rate was 21.1%. Presenting patients with pneumonia and acute respiratory failure due to influenza A (H1N1) virus infection were treated predominantly and successfully with non invasive mechanical ventilation. Clinicians should be aware of pulmonary complications of influenza A (H1N1) virus infection and that patients can be treated with non invasive mechanical ventilation paying attention to protective measures for health care providers.

Disease patterns and clinical outcomes of patients admitted in intensive care units of tertiary referral hospitals of Tanzania.

PubMed

Sawe, Hendry R; Mfinanga, Juma A; Lidenge, Salum J; Mpondo, Boniventura C T; Msangi, Silas; Lugazia, Edwin; Mwafongo, Victor; Runyon, Michael S; Reynolds, Teri A

2014-09-23

In sub-Saharan Africa the availability of intensive care unit (ICU) services is limited by a variety of factors, including lack of financial resources, lack of available technology and well-trained staff. Tanzania has four main referral hospitals, located in zones so as to serve as tertiary level referral centers. All the referral hospitals have some ICU services, operating at varying levels of equipment and qualified staff. We analyzed and describe the disease patterns and clinical outcomes of patients admitted in ICUs of the tertiary referral hospitals of Tanzania. This was a retrospective analysis of ICU patient records, for three years (2009 to 2011) from all tertiary referral hospitals of Tanzania, namely Muhimbili National Hospital (MNH), Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre (KCMC), Mbeya Referral Hospital (MRH) and Bugando Medical Centre (BMC). MNH is the largest of the four referral hospitals with 1300 beds, and MRH is the smallest with 480 beds. The ratio of hospital beds to ICU beds is 217:1 at MNH, 54:1 at BMC, 39:1 at KCMC, and 80:1 at MRH. KCMC had no infusion pumps. None of the ICUs had a point-of-care (POC) arterial blood gas (ABG) analyzer. None of the ICUs had an Intensive Care specialist or a nutritionist. A masters-trained critical care nurse was available only at MNH. From 2009-2011, the total number of patients admitted to the four ICUs was 5627, male to female ratio 1.4:1, median age of 34 years. Overall, Trauma (22.2%) was the main disease category followed by infectious disease (19.7%). Intracranial injury (12.5%) was the leading diagnosis in all age groups, while pneumonia (11.7%) was the leading diagnosis in pediatric patients (<18 years). Patients with tetanus (2.4%) had the longest median length ICU stay: 8 (5,13) days. The overall in-ICU mortality rate was 41.4%. The ICUs in tertiary referral hospitals of Tanzania are severely limited in infrastructure, personnel, and resources, making it difficult or impossible to provide optimum care to critically ill patients and likely contributing to the dauntingly high mortality rates.

The costs of fluid overload in the adult intensive care unit: is a small-volume infusion model a proactive solution?

PubMed Central

Child, Debra L; Cao, Zhun; Seiberlich, Laura E; Brown, Harold; Greenberg, Jordan; Swanson, Anne; Sewall, Martha R; Robinson, Scott B

2015-01-01

Purpose Fluid overload (FO) in critically ill patients remains a challenging clinical dilemma, and many continuous intravenous (IV) medications in the US are being delivered as a dilute solution, adding significantly to a patient’s daily intake. This study describes the costs and outcomes of FO in patients receiving multiple continuous infusions. Materials and methods A retrospective study was conducted using a hospital administrative database covering >500 US hospitals. An FO cohort included adult intensive care unit (ICU) patients with a central line receiving IV loop diuretics and 2+ continuous IV infusions on 50%+ of their ICU days; a directly matched non-FO cohort included patients without IV diuretic use. The primary outcome of the study was total hospitalization costs per visit. Additional outcomes were ICU costs, mortality, total and ICU length of stay (LOS), 30-day readmission rates, and ventilator use. Unadjusted descriptive analysis was performed using chi-squared or paired t-tests to compare outcomes between the two cohorts. Results A total of 63,974 patients were identified in each cohort. The total hospitalization cost per visit for the FO cohort was US$15,344 higher than the non-FO cohort (US$42,386 vs US$27,042), and the ICU cost for the FO cohort was US$5,243 higher than the non-FO cohort (US$10,902 vs US$5,659). FO patients had higher mortality (20% vs 16.8%), prolonged LOS (11.5 vs 8.0 days), longer ICU LOS (6.2 vs 3.6 days), higher risk of 30-day readmission (21.8% vs 21.3%), and ventilator usage (47.7% vs 28.3%) than the non-FO cohort (all P<0.05). Conclusion In patients receiving multiple continuous infusions, FO is associated with increased health care resources and costs. Maximally concentrating medications and proactively providing continuous medications in small-volume infusions (SVI) could be a potential solution to prevent iatrogenic FO in critically ill patients. Further prospective research is warranted to assess the impact of the SVI dispensing model on patient outcomes and health care costs. PMID:25548524

Combined enteral feeding and total parenteral nutritional support improves outcome in surgical intensive care unit patients.

PubMed

Hsu, Min-Hui; Yu, Ying E; Tsai, Yueh-Miao; Lee, Hui-Chen; Huang, Ying-Che; Hsu, Han-Shui

2012-09-01

For intensive care unit (ICU) patients with gastrointestinal dysfunction and in need of total parenteral nutrition (TPN) support, the benefit of additional enteral feeding is not clear. This study aimed to investigate whether combined TPN with enteral feeding is associated with better outcomes in surgical intensive care unit (SICU) patients. Clinical data of 88 patients in SICU were retrospectively collected. Variables used for analysis included route and percentage of nutritional support, total caloric intake, age, gender, body weight, body mass index, admission diagnosis, surgical procedure, Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) II score, comorbidities, length of hospital stay, postoperative complications, blood glucose values and hospital mortality. Wound dehiscence and central catheter infection were observed more frequently in the group of patients receiving TPN calories less than 90% of total calorie intake (p = 0.004 and 0.043, respectively). APACHE II scores were higher in nonsurvivors than in survivors (p = 0.001). More nonsurvivors received TPN calories exceeding 90% of total calorie intake and were in need of dialysis during ICU admission (p = 0.005 and 0.013, respectively). Multivariate analysis revealed that the percentage of TPN calories over total calories and APACHE II scores were independent predictors of ICU mortality in patients receiving supplementary TPN after surgery. In SICU patients receiving TPN, patients who could be fed enterally more than 10% of total calories had better clinical outcomes than patients receiving less than 10% of total calorie intake from enteral feeding. Enteral feeding should be given whenever possible in severely ill patients. 2012 Published by Elsevier B.V

Decontamination of the digestive tract and oropharynx: hospital acquired infections after discharge from the intensive care unit.

PubMed

de Smet, Anne Marie G A; Hopmans, Titia E M; Minderhoud, Albertus L C; Blok, Hetty E M; Gossink-Franssen, Annelies; Bernards, Alexandra T; Bonten, Marc J M

2009-09-01

To determine the incidence rates of hospital acquired infections (HAI) during the first 14 days after ICU discharge after treatment during ICU-stay with Selective Decontamination of the Digestive tract (SDD), Selective Oropharyngeal Decontamination (SOD) or Standard Care (SC). Prospective observational study. ICUs in two tertiary care hospitals. Patients discharged from the ICU to the ward. None. Post-ICU incidences of HAI per 1,000 days at risk were 11.2, 12.9 and 8.3 for patients that had received SDD (n = 296), SOD (n = 286) or SC (n = 289) respectively in ICU, yielding relative risks, as compared to SC, of 1.49 (CI(95) 0.9-2.47) for SOD and 1.44 (CI(95) 0.87-2.39) for SDD. Incidences of surgical site infections (per 100 surgical procedures) were 4 after SC and 11.8 and 8 after SOD and SDD (p = 0.04). Among patients that succumbed in the hospital after ICU-stay (n = 58) eight (14%) had developed HAI after ICU discharge; 3 of 21 after SDD, 3 of 15 after SOD and 2 of 22 after SC. Incidences of HAI in general wards tended to be higher in patients that had received either SDD or SOD during ICU-stay, but it seems unlikely that these infections have an effect on hospital mortality rates.

Management of hypoxaemic respiratory failure in a Respiratory High-dependency Unit.

PubMed

Hukins, Craig; Wong, Mimi; Murphy, Michelle; Upham, John

2017-07-01

There are limited data on outcomes of hypoxaemic respiratory failure (HRF), especially in non-intensive care unit (ICU) settings. To assess outcomes in HRF (without multi-system disease and not requiring early intubation) of patients directly admitted to a Respiratory High-dependency Unit (R-HDU). This is a retrospective cohort study of HRF compared to hypercapnic respiratory failure (HCRF) in a R-HDU (2007-2011). Patient characteristics (age, gender, pre-morbid status, diagnoses) and outcomes (non-invasive ventilation (NIV) use, survival, ICU admission) were assessed. There were 1207 R-HDU admissions in 2007-2011, 205 (17%) with HRF and 495 (41%) with HCRF. The proportion with HRF increased from 12.2% in 2007 to 20.1% in 2011 (P < 0.05). HRF patients were younger, more often male and had better pre-morbid performance. Compared to HCRF, HRF was more frequently associated with lung consolidation (61% vs 15%, P < 0.001), interstitial lung disease (12% vs 1%, P < 0.001) and pulmonary hypertension (7% vs 0%, P < 0.001) and less frequently with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (24% vs 65%, P < 0.001) and obstructive sleep apnoea (8% vs 26%, P < 0.001). Fewer patients with HRF were treated with NIV (28% vs 87%, P < 0.001), but NIV was discontinued early more often (28% vs 7%, P < 0.001). A total of 18% with HRF was transferred to ICU compared to 6% with HCRF (P = 0.06). More patients with HRF died (19.5% vs 12.3%, P = 0.02). Interstitial lung disease, consolidation, shock, malignancy and poorer pre-morbid function were associated with increased mortality. Initial R-HDU management is an effective option in selected HRF to reduce ICU demand, although mortality and clinical deterioration despite NIV are more common than in HCRF. © 2017 Royal Australasian College of Physicians.

Comparison of the effectiveness of high flow nasal oxygen cannula vs. standard non-rebreather oxygen face mask in post-extubation intensive care unit patients.

PubMed

Brotfain, Evgeni; Zlotnik, Alexander; Schwartz, Andrei; Frenkel, Amit; Koyfman, Leonid; Gruenbaum, Shaun E; Klein, Moti

2014-11-01

Optimal oxygen supply is the cornerstone of the management of critically ill patients after extubation, especially in patients at high risk for extubation failure. In recent years, high flow oxygen system devices have offered an appropriate alternative to standard oxygen therapy devices such as conventional face masks and nasal prongs. To assess the clinical effects of high flow nasal cannula (HFNC) compared with standard oxygen face masks in Intensive Care Unit (ICU) patients after extubation. We retrospectively analyzed 67 consecutive ventilated critical care patients in the ICU over a period of 1 year. The patients were allocated to two treatment groups: HFNC (34 patients, group 1) and non-rebreathing oxygen face mask (NRB) (33 patients, group 2). Vital respiratory and hemodynamic parameters were assessed prior to extubation and 6 hours after extubation. The primary clinical outcomes measured were improvement in oxygenation, ventilation-free days, re-intubation, ICU length of stay, and mortality. The two groups demonstrated similar hemodynamic patterns before and after extubation. The respiratory rate was slightly elevated in both groups after extubation with no differences observed between groups. There were no statistically significant clinical differences in PaCO2. However, the use of HFNC resulted in improved PaO2/FiO2 post-extubation (P < 0.05). There were more ventilator-free days in the HFNC group (P< 0.05) and fewer patients required reintubation (1 vs. 6). There were no differences in ICU length of stay or mortality. This study demonstrated better oxygenation for patients treated with HFNC compared with NRB after extubation. HFNC may be more effective than standard oxygen supply devices for oxygenation in the post-extubation period.

Variation in the use of renal replacement therapy in patients with septic shock: a substudy of the prospective multicenter observational FINNAKI study

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Introduction Indications for renal replacement therapy (RRT) have not been generally standardized and vary among intensive care units (ICUs). We aimed to assess the proportion, indications, and modality of RRT, as well as the association between the proportion of RRT use and 90-day mortality in patients with septic shock in Finnish adult ICUs. Methods We identified patients with septic shock from the prospective observational multicenter FINNAKI study conducted between 1 September 2011 and 1 February 2012. We divided the ICUs into high-RRT and low-RRT ICUs according to the median of the proportion of RRT-treated patients with septic shock. Differences in indications, and modality of RRT between ICU groups were assessed. Finally, we performed an adjusted logistic regression analysis to evaluate the possible association of the ICU group (high vs. low-RRT) with 90-day mortality. Results Of the 726 patients with septic shock, 131 (18.0%, 95% CI 15.2 to 20.9%) were treated with RRT. The proportion of RRT-treated patients varied from 3% up to 36% (median 19%) among ICUs. High-RRT ICUs included nine ICUs (354 patients) and low-RRT ICUs eight ICUs (372 patients). In the high-RRT ICUs patients with septic shock were older (P = 0.04), had more cardiovascular (P <0.001) and renal failures (P = 0.003) on the first day in the ICU, were more often mechanically ventilated, and received higher maximum doses of norepinephrine (0.25 μg/kg/min vs. 0.18 μg/kg/min, P <0.001) than in the low-RRT ICUs. No significant differences in indications for or modality of RRT existed between the ICU groups. The crude 90-day mortality rate for patients with septic shock was 36.2% (95% CI 31.1 to 41.3%) in the high-RRT ICUs compared to 33.9% (95% CI 29.0 to 38.8%) in the low-RRT ICUs, P = 0.5. In an adjusted logistic regression analysis the ICU group (high-RRT or low-RRT ICUs) was not associated with 90-day mortality. Conclusions Patients with septic shock in ICUs with a high proportion of RRT had more severe organ dysfunctions and received more organ-supportive treatments. Importantly, the ICU group (high-RRT or low-RRT group) was not associated with 90-day mortality. PMID:24499547

Acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: diagnosis, management, and prevention in critically ill patients.

PubMed

Dixit, Deepali; Bridgeman, Mary Barna; Andrews, Liza Barbarello; Narayanan, Navaneeth; Radbel, Jared; Parikh, Amay; Sunderram, Jag

2015-06-01

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is the third leading cause of death and is a substantial source of disability in the United States. Moderate-to-severe acute exacerbations of COPD (AECOPD) can progress to respiratory failure, necessitating ventilator assistance in patients in the intensive care unit (ICU). Patients in the ICU with AECOPD requiring ventilator support have higher morbidity and mortality rates as well as costs compared with hospitalized patients not in the ICU. The mainstay of management for patients with AECOPD in the ICU includes ventilator support (noninvasive or invasive), rapid-acting inhaled bronchodilators, systemic corticosteroids, and antibiotics. However, evidence supporting these interventions for the treatment of AECOPD in critically ill patients admitted to the ICU is scant. Corticosteroids have gained widespread acceptance in the management of patients with AECOPD necessitating ventilator assistance, despite their lack of evaluation in clinical trials as well as controversies surrounding optimal dosage regimens and duration of treatment. Recent studies evaluating the safety and efficacy of corticosteroids have found that higher doses are associated with increased adverse effects, which therefore support lower dosing strategies, particularly for patients admitted to the ICU for COPD exacerbations. This review highlights recent findings from the current body of evidence on nonpharmacologic and pharmacologic treatment and prevention of AECOPD in critically ill patients. In addition, the administration of bronchodilators using novel delivery devices in the ventilated patient and the conflicting evidence surrounding antibiotic use in AECOPD in the critically ill is explored. Further clinical trials, however, are warranted to clarify the optimal pharmacotherapy management for AECOPD, particularly in critically ill patients admitted to the ICU. © 2015 Pharmacotherapy Publications, Inc.

Multicenter Observational Study to Evaluate Epidemiology and Resistance Patterns of Common Intensive Care Unit-infections

PubMed Central

Venkataraman, Ramesh; Divatia, Jigeeshu V.; Ramakrishnan, Nagarajan; Chawla, Rajesh; Amin, Pravin; Gopal, Palepu; Chaudhry, Dhruva; Zirpe, Kapil; Abraham, Babu

2018-01-01

Background: There is limited data regarding the microbiology of Intensive Care Unit (ICU)-acquired infections, such as ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP), catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTI), and catheter-related bloodstream infections (CRBSI) from India. Objectives: To explore the microbiology and resistance patterns of ICU-acquired infections and evaluate their outcomes. Materials and Methods: This was a multicenter observational study, conducted by Indian Society of Critical Care Medicine (MOSER study) between August 2011 and October 2012. Patients in the ICU ≥48 h with any ICU-acquired infection within 14 days of index ICU stay were included. Patient demographics, relevant clinical, and microbiological details were collected. Follow-up until hospital discharge or death was done, and 6-month survival data were collected. Results: Of the 381 patients included in the study, 346 patients had 1 ICU infection and 35 had more than one ICU infection. Among patients with single infections, 223 had VAP with Acinetobacter being the most common isolate. CAUTI was seen in 42 patients with Klebsiella as the most common organism. CRBSI was seen in 81 patients and Klebsiella was the most common causative organism. Multidrug resistance was noted in 87.5% of Acinetobacter, 75.5% of Klebsiella, 61.9% of Escherichia coli, and 58.9% of Pseudomonas isolates, respectively. Staphylococcus constituted only 2.4% of isolates. Mortality rates were 26%, 11.9%, and 34.6% in VAP, CAUTI, and CRBSI, respectively. Conclusion: VAP is the most common infection followed by CRBSI and CAUTI. Multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria are the most common organisms. Staphylococcus aureus is uncommon in the Indian setting. PMID:29422728

Validation of Open-Heart Intraoperative Risk score to predict a prolonged intensive care unit stay for adult patients undergoing cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass

PubMed Central

Tribuddharat, Sirirat; Sathitkarnmanee, Thepakorn; Ngamsaengsirisup, Kriangsak; Wongbuddha, Chawalit

2018-01-01

Background A prolonged stay in an intensive care unit (ICU) after cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) increases the cost of care as well as morbidity and mortality. Several predictive models aim at identifying patients at risk of prolonged ICU stay after cardiac surgery with CPB, but almost all of them involve a preoperative assessment for proper resource management, while one – the Open-Heart Intraoperative Risk (OHIR) score – focuses on intra-operative manipulatable risk factors for improving anesthetic care and patient outcome. Objective We aimed to revalidate the OHIR score in a different context. Materials and methods The ability of the OHIR score to predict a prolonged ICU stay was assessed in 123 adults undergoing cardiac surgery (both coronary bypass graft and valvular surgery) with CPB at two tertiary university hospitals between January 2013 and December 2014. The criteria for a prolonged ICU stay matched a previous study (ie, a stay longer than the median). Results The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of the OHIR score to predict a prolonged ICU stay was 0.95 (95% confidence interval 0.90–1.00). The respective sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and accuracy of an OHIR score of ≥3 to discriminate a prolonged ICU stay was 93.10%, 98.46%, 98.18%, and 95.9%. Conclusion The OHIR score is highly predictive of a prolonged ICU stay among intraopera-tive patients undergoing cardiac surgery with CPB. The OHIR comprises of six risk factors, five of which are manipulatable intraoperatively. The OHIR can be used to identify patients at risk as well as to improve the outcome of those patients. PMID:29379295

Acute respiratory failure requiring mechanical ventilation in severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)

PubMed Central

Gadre, Shruti K.; Duggal, Abhijit; Mireles-Cabodevila, Eduardo; Krishnan, Sudhir; Wang, Xiao-Feng; Zell, Katrina; Guzman, Jorge

2018-01-01

Abstract There are limited data on the epidemiology of acute respiratory failure necessitating mechanical ventilation in patients with severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The prognosis of acute respiratory failure requiring invasive mechanical ventilation is believed to be grim in this population. The purpose of this study was to illustrate the epidemiologic characteristics and outcomes of patients with underlying severe COPD requiring mechanical ventilation. A retrospective study of patients admitted to a quaternary referral medical intensive care unit (ICU) between January 2008 and December 2012 with a diagnosis of severe COPD and requiring invasive mechanical ventilation for acute respiratory failure. We evaluated 670 patients with an established diagnosis of severe COPD requiring mechanical ventilation for acute respiratory failure of whom 47% were male with a mean age of 63.7 ± 12.4 years and Acute physiology and chronic health evaluation (APACHE) III score of 76.3 ± 27.2. Only seventy-nine (12%) were admitted with a COPD exacerbation, 27(4%) had acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), 78 (12%) had pneumonia, 78 (12%) had sepsis, and 312 (47%) had other causes of respiratory failure, including pulmonary embolism, pneumothorax, etc. Eighteen percent of the patients received a trial of noninvasive positive pressure ventilation. The median duration of mechanical ventilation was 3 days (interquartile range IQR 2–7); the median duration for ICU length of stay (LOS) was 5 (IQR 2–9) days and the median duration of hospital LOS was 12 (IQR 7–22) days. The overall ICU mortality was 25%. Patients with COPD exacerbation had a shorter median duration of mechanical ventilation (2 vs 4 days; P = .04), ICU (3 vs 5 days; P = .01), and hospital stay (10 vs 13 days; P = .01). The ICU mortality (9% vs 27%; P < .001), and the hospital mortality (17% vs 32%; P = .004) for mechanically ventilated patients with an acute exacerbation of severe COPD were lower than those with other etiologies of acute respiratory failure. A 1-unit increase in the APACHE III score was associated with a 1% decrease and having an active cancer was associated with a 45% decrease in ICU survival (P < .001). A discharge home at the time of index admission was associated an increased overall survival compared with any other discharge location (P < .001). We report good early outcomes, but significant long-term morbidity in patients with severe COPD requiring invasive mechanical ventilation for acute respiratory failure. A higher APACHE score and presence of active malignancy are associated with a decrease in ICU survival, whereas a discharge home is associated with an increase in the overall survival. PMID:29703009

Acute respiratory failure requiring mechanical ventilation in severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

PubMed

Gadre, Shruti K; Duggal, Abhijit; Mireles-Cabodevila, Eduardo; Krishnan, Sudhir; Wang, Xiao-Feng; Zell, Katrina; Guzman, Jorge

2018-04-01

There are limited data on the epidemiology of acute respiratory failure necessitating mechanical ventilation in patients with severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The prognosis of acute respiratory failure requiring invasive mechanical ventilation is believed to be grim in this population. The purpose of this study was to illustrate the epidemiologic characteristics and outcomes of patients with underlying severe COPD requiring mechanical ventilation.A retrospective study of patients admitted to a quaternary referral medical intensive care unit (ICU) between January 2008 and December 2012 with a diagnosis of severe COPD and requiring invasive mechanical ventilation for acute respiratory failure.We evaluated 670 patients with an established diagnosis of severe COPD requiring mechanical ventilation for acute respiratory failure of whom 47% were male with a mean age of 63.7 ± 12.4 years and Acute physiology and chronic health evaluation (APACHE) III score of 76.3 ± 27.2. Only seventy-nine (12%) were admitted with a COPD exacerbation, 27(4%) had acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), 78 (12%) had pneumonia, 78 (12%) had sepsis, and 312 (47%) had other causes of respiratory failure, including pulmonary embolism, pneumothorax, etc. Eighteen percent of the patients received a trial of noninvasive positive pressure ventilation. The median duration of mechanical ventilation was 3 days (interquartile range IQR 2-7); the median duration for ICU length of stay (LOS) was 5 (IQR 2-9) days and the median duration of hospital LOS was 12 (IQR 7-22) days. The overall ICU mortality was 25%. Patients with COPD exacerbation had a shorter median duration of mechanical ventilation (2 vs 4 days; P = .04), ICU (3 vs 5 days; P = .01), and hospital stay (10 vs 13 days; P = .01). The ICU mortality (9% vs 27%; P < .001), and the hospital mortality (17% vs 32%; P = .004) for mechanically ventilated patients with an acute exacerbation of severe COPD were lower than those with other etiologies of acute respiratory failure. A 1-unit increase in the APACHE III score was associated with a 1% decrease and having an active cancer was associated with a 45% decrease in ICU survival (P < .001). A discharge home at the time of index admission was associated an increased overall survival compared with any other discharge location (P < .001).We report good early outcomes, but significant long-term morbidity in patients with severe COPD requiring invasive mechanical ventilation for acute respiratory failure. A higher APACHE score and presence of active malignancy are associated with a decrease in ICU survival, whereas a discharge home is associated with an increase in the overall survival.

Acid sphingomyelinase serum activity predicts mortality in intensive care unit patients after systemic inflammation: a prospective cohort study.

PubMed

Kott, Matthias; Elke, Gunnar; Reinicke, Maike; Winoto-Morbach, Supandi; Schädler, Dirk; Zick, Günther; Frerichs, Inéz; Weiler, Norbert; Schütze, Stefan

2014-01-01

Acid sphingomyelinase is involved in lipid signalling pathways and regulation of apoptosis by the generation of ceramide and plays an important role during the host response to infectious stimuli. It thus has the potential to be used as a novel diagnostic marker in the management of critically ill patients. The objective of our study was to evaluate acid sphingomyelinase serum activity (ASM) as a diagnostic and prognostic marker in a mixed intensive care unit population before, during, and after systemic inflammation. 40 patients admitted to the intensive care unit at risk for developing systemic inflammation (defined as systemic inflammatory response syndrome plus a significant procalcitonin [PCT] increase) were included. ASM was analysed on ICU admission, before (PCT before), during (PCT peak) and after (PCT low) onset of SIRS. Patients undergoing elective surgery served as control (N = 8). Receiver-operating characteristics curves were computed. ASM significantly increased after surgery in the eight control patients. Patients from the intensive care unit had significantly higher ASM on admission than control patients after surgery. 19 out of 40 patients admitted to the intensive care unit developed systemic inflammation and 21 did not, with no differences in ASM between these two groups on admission. In patients with SIRS and PCT peak, ASM between admission and PCT before was not different, but further increased at PCT peak in non-survivors and was significantly higher at PCT low compared to survivors. Survivors exhibited decreased ASM at PCT peak and PCT low. Receiver operating curve analysis on discrimination of ICU mortality showed an area under the curve of 0.79 for ASM at PCT low. In summary, ASM was generally higher in patients admitted to the intensive care unit compared to patients undergoing uncomplicated surgery. ASM did not indicate onset of systemic inflammation. In contrast to PCT however, it remained high in non-surviving ICU patients after systemic inflammation.

Acid Sphingomyelinase Serum Activity Predicts Mortality in Intensive Care Unit Patients after Systemic Inflammation: A Prospective Cohort Study

PubMed Central

Reinicke, Maike; Winoto-Morbach, Supandi; Schädler, Dirk; Zick, Günther; Frerichs, Inéz; Weiler, Norbert; Schütze, Stefan

2014-01-01

Introduction Acid sphingomyelinase is involved in lipid signalling pathways and regulation of apoptosis by the generation of ceramide and plays an important role during the host response to infectious stimuli. It thus has the potential to be used as a novel diagnostic marker in the management of critically ill patients. The objective of our study was to evaluate acid sphingomyelinase serum activity (ASM) as a diagnostic and prognostic marker in a mixed intensive care unit population before, during, and after systemic inflammation. Methods 40 patients admitted to the intensive care unit at risk for developing systemic inflammation (defined as systemic inflammatory response syndrome plus a significant procalcitonin [PCT] increase) were included. ASM was analysed on ICU admission, before (PCTbefore), during (PCTpeak) and after (PCTlow) onset of SIRS. Patients undergoing elective surgery served as control (N = 8). Receiver-operating characteristics curves were computed. Results ASM significantly increased after surgery in the eight control patients. Patients from the intensive care unit had significantly higher ASM on admission than control patients after surgery. 19 out of 40 patients admitted to the intensive care unit developed systemic inflammation and 21 did not, with no differences in ASM between these two groups on admission. In patients with SIRS and PCT peak, ASM between admission and PCTbefore was not different, but further increased at PCTpeak in non-survivors and was significantly higher at PCTlow compared to survivors. Survivors exhibited decreased ASM at PCTpeak and PCTlow. Receiver operating curve analysis on discrimination of ICU mortality showed an area under the curve of 0.79 for ASM at PCTlow. Conclusions In summary, ASM was generally higher in patients admitted to the intensive care unit compared to patients undergoing uncomplicated surgery. ASM did not indicate onset of systemic inflammation. In contrast to PCT however, it remained high in non-surviving ICU patients after systemic inflammation. PMID:25384060

Effect of acute kidney injury on weaning from mechanical ventilation in critically ill patients.

PubMed

Vieira, José M; Castro, Isac; Curvello-Neto, Américo; Demarzo, Sérgio; Caruso, Pedro; Pastore, Laerte; Imanishe, Marina H; Abdulkader, Regina C R M; Deheinzelin, Daniel

2007-01-01

Acute kidney injury (AKI) worsens outcome in various scenarios. We sought to investigate whether the occurrence of AKI has any effect on weaning from mechanical ventilation. Observational, retrospective study in a 23-bed medical/surgical intensive care unit (ICU) in a cancer hospital from January to December 2003. The inclusion criterion was invasive mechanical ventilation for > or =48 hrs. AKI was defined as at least one measurement of serum creatinine of > or =1.5 mg/dL during the ICU stay. Patients were then separated into AKI and non-AKI patients (control group). The criterion for weaning was the combination of positive end-expiratory pressure of < or =8 cm H2O, pressure support of < or =10 cm H2O, and Fio2 of < or =0.4, with spontaneous breathing. The primary end point was duration of weaning and the secondary end points were rate of weaning failure, total length of mechanical ventilation, length of stay in the ICU, and ICU mortality. A total of 140 patients were studied: 93 with AKI and 47 controls. The groups were similar in regard to age, sex, and type of tumor. Diagnosis of acute lung injury/acute respiratory distress syndrome as cause of respiratory failure and Simplified Acute Physiology Score II at admission did not differ between groups. During ICU stay, AKI patients had markers of more severe disease: increased occurrence of severe sepsis or septic shock, higher number of antibiotics, and longer use of vasoactive drugs. The median (interquartile range) duration of mechanical ventilation (10 [6-17] vs. 7 [2-12] days, p = .017) and duration of weaning from mechanical ventilation (41 [16-97] vs. 21 [7-33.5] hrs, p = .018) were longer in AKI patients compared with control patients. Cox regression analysis demonstrated that a > or =85% increase in baseline serum creatinine (hazard rate, 2.30; 95% confidence interval, 1.30-4.08), oliguria (hazard rate, 2.51; 95% confidence interval, 1.24-5.08), and the number of antibiotics (hazard rate, 2.64; 95% confidence interval, 1.51-4.63) predicted longer duration of weaning. The length of ICU stay and ICU mortality rate were significantly greater in the AKI patients. After adjusting for Simplified Acute Physiology Score II, oliguria (odds ratio, 30.8; 95% confidence interval, 7.7-123.0) remained as a strong risk factor for mortality. This study shows that renal dysfunction has serious consequences in the duration of mechanical ventilation, weaning from mechanical ventilation, and mortality in critically ill cancer patients.

Effect of ARDS Severity and Etiology on Short-Term Outcomes.

PubMed

El-Haddad, Haitham; Jang, Hyejeong; Chen, Wei; Soubani, Ayman O

2017-09-01

We evaluated the outcome of subjects with ARDS in relation to etiology and severity in a retrospective cohort study of the ARDS Network randomized controlled trials. The primary outcome was 28-d mortality. The secondary outcomes were 60-d mortality and ventilator- and ICU-free days. For severity of ARDS, subjects were stratified according to P aO2 /F IO2 . The etiology of ARDS was classified into sepsis, pneumonia, aspiration, trauma, and others. A total of 2,914 subjects were included in these trials. Outcomes were modeled with multivariable regressions adjusted for baseline covariates, age, sex, race, Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation III (APACHE III), vasopressor use, modified lung injury score, diabetes mellitus, cancer status, body mass index, pre-ICU location, ICU location, and study. There was no statistically significant difference in 28-d mortality in relation to ARDS severity. Subjects with trauma, compared with other etiologies of ARDS, had significantly lower mortality at 28 d (odds ratio [OR] = 0.47, 95% CI 0.26-0.83, P = .01). Sixty-day mortality was significantly lower for trauma subjects and those with severe ARDS group (OR = 0.5, 95% CI 0.3-0.85, P = .01 and OR = 0.71, 95% CI 0.52-0.98, P = .034, respectively). There were statistically significantly more ICU-free days and ventilator-free days for the aspiration group (OR = 1.09, 95% CI 1.02-1.17, P = .01 and OR = 1.09, 95% CI 1.02-1.16, P = .01, respectively). There was no statistically significant difference in ICU-free days or ventilator-free days in relation to severity of ARDS. Severity of ARDS based on P aO2 /F IO2 did not impact 28-d mortality, ventilator-free days, or ICU-free days. Among the etiologies of ARDS, trauma subjects had the lowest 28- and 60-d mortality, whereas subjects with aspiration had more ICU-free days and ventilator-free days. Copyright © 2017 by Daedalus Enterprises.

Mortality predictors in renal transplant recipients with severe sepsis and septic shock.

PubMed

de Carvalho, Mônica Andrade; Freitas, Flávio Geraldo Rezende; Silva Junior, Hélio Tedesco; Bafi, Antônio Toneti; Machado, Flávia Ribeiro; Pestana, José Osmar Medina

2014-01-01

The growing number of renal transplant recipients in a sustained immunosuppressive state is a factor that can contribute to increased incidence of sepsis. However, relatively little is known about sepsis in this population. The aim of this single-center study was to evaluate the factors associated with hospital mortality in renal transplant patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) with severe sepsis and septic shock. Patient demographics and transplant-related and ICU stay data were retrospectively collected. Multiple logistic regression was conducted to identify the independent risk factors associated with hospital mortality. A total of 190 patients were enrolled, 64.2% of whom received kidneys from deceased donors. The mean patient age was 51 ± 13 years (males, 115 [60.5%]), and the median APACHE II was 20 (16-23). The majority of patients developed sepsis late after the renal transplantation (2.1 [0.6-2.3] years). The lung was the most common infection site (59.5%). Upon ICU admission, 16.4% of the patients had ≤ 1 systemic inflammatory response syndrome criteria. Among the patients, 61.5% presented with ≥ 2 organ failures at admission, and 27.9% experienced septic shock within the first 24 hours of ICU admission. The overall hospital mortality rate was 38.4%. In the multivariate analysis, the independent determinants of hospital mortality were male gender (OR = 5.9; 95% CI, 1.7-19.6; p = 0.004), delta SOFA 24 h (OR = 1.7; 95% CI, 1.2-2.3; p = 0.001), mechanical ventilation (OR = 30; 95% CI, 8.8-102.2; p<0.0001), hematologic dysfunction (OR = 6.8; 95% CI, 2.0-22.6; p = 0.002), admission from the ward (OR = 3.4; 95% CI, 1.2-9.7; p = 0.02) and acute kidney injury stage 3 (OR = 5.7; 95% CI,1.9-16.6; p = 0.002). Hospital mortality in renal transplant patients with severe sepsis and septic shock was associated with male gender, admission from the wards, worse SOFA scores on the first day and the presence of hematologic dysfunction, mechanical ventilation or advanced graft dysfunction.

Sustaining critical care: using evidence-based simulation to evaluate ICU management policies.

PubMed

Mahmoudian-Dehkordi, Amin; Sadat, Somayeh

2017-12-01

Intensive Care Units (ICU) are costly yet critical hospital departments that should be available to care for patients needing highly specialized critical care. Shortage of ICU beds in many regions of the world and the constant fire-fighting to make these beds available through various ICU management policies motivated this study. The paper discusses the application of a generic system dynamics model of emergency patient flow in a typical hospital, populated with empirical evidence found in the medical and hospital administration literature, to explore the dynamics of intended and unintended consequences of such ICU management policies under a natural disaster crisis scenario. ICU management policies that can be implemented by a single hospital on short notice, namely premature transfer from ICU, boarding in ward, and general ward admission control, along with their possible combinations, are modeled and their impact on managerial and health outcome measures are investigated. The main insight out of the study is that the general ward admission control policy outperforms the rest of ICU management policies under such crisis scenarios with regards to reducing total mortality, which is counter intuitive for hospital administrators as this policy is not very effective at alleviating the symptoms of the problem, namely high ED and ICU occupancy rates that are closely monitored by hospital management particularly in times of crisis. A multivariate sensitivity analysis on parameters with diverse range of values in the literature found the superiority of the general ward admission control to hold true in every scenario.

[Prognostic estimation in critical patients. Validation of a new and very simple system of prognostic estimation of survival in an intensive care unit].

PubMed

Abizanda, R; Padron, A; Vidal, B; Mas, S; Belenguer, A; Madero, J; Heras, A

2006-04-01

To make the validation of a new system of prognostic estimation of survival in critical patients (EPEC) seen in a multidisciplinar Intensive care unit (ICU). Prospective analysis of a patient cohort seen in the ICU of a multidisciplinar Intensive Medicine Service of a reference teaching hospital with 19 beds. Four hundred eighty four patients admitted consecutively over 6 months in 2003. Data collection of a basic minimum data set that includes patient identification data (gender, age), reason for admission and their origin, prognostic estimation of survival by EPEC, MPM II 0 and SAPS II (the latter two considered as gold standard). Mortality was evaluated on hospital discharge. EPEC validation was done with analysis of its discriminating capacity (ROC curve), calibration of its prognostic capacity (Hosmer Lemeshow C test), resolution of the 2 x 2 Contingency tables around different probability values (20, 50, 70 and mean value of prognostic estimation). The standardized mortality rate (SMR) for each one of the methods was calculated. Linear regression of the EPEC regarding the MPM II 0 and SAPS II was established and concordance analyses were done (Bland-Altman test) of the prediction of mortality by the three systems. In spite of an apparently good linear correlation, similar accuracy of prediction and discrimination capacity, EPEC is not well-calibrated (no likelihood of death greater than 50%) and the concordance analyses show that more than 10% of the pairs were outside the 95% confidence interval. In spite of its ease of application and calculation and of incorporating delay of admission in ICU as a variable, EPEC does not offer any predictive advantage on MPM II 0 or SAPS II, and its predictions adapt to reality worse.

Superiority of Serum Cystatin C Over Creatinine in Prediction of Long-Term Prognosis at Discharge From ICU.

PubMed

Ravn, Bo; Prowle, John R; Mårtensson, Johan; Martling, Claes-Roland; Bell, Max

2017-09-01

Renal outcomes after critical illness are seldom assessed despite strong correlation between chronic kidney disease and survival. Outside hospital, renal dysfunction is more strongly associated with mortality when assessed by serum cystatin C than by creatinine. The relationship between creatinine and longer term mortality might be particularly weak in survivors of critical illness. Retrospective observational cohort study. In 3,077 adult ICU survivors, we compared ICU discharge cystatin C and creatinine and their association with 1-year mortality. Exclusions were death within 72 hours of ICU discharge, ICU stay less than 24 hours, and end-stage renal disease. None. During ICU admission, serum cystatin C and creatinine diverged, so that by ICU discharge, almost twice as many patients had glomerular filtration rate less than 60 mL/min/1.73 m when estimated from cystatin C compared with glomerular filtration rate estimated from creatinine, 44% versus 26%. In 743 patients without acute kidney injury, where ICU discharge renal function should reflect ongoing baseline, discharge glomerular filtration rate estimated from creatinine consistently overestimated follow-up glomerular filtration rate estimated from creatinine, whereas ICU discharge glomerular filtration rate estimated from cystatin C well matched follow-up chronic kidney disease status. By 1 year, 535 (17.4%) had died. In survival analysis adjusted for age, sex, and comorbidity, cystatin C was near-linearly associated with increased mortality, hazard ratio equals to 1.78 (95% CI, 1.46-2.18), 75th versus 25th centile. Conversely, creatinine demonstrated a J-shaped relationship with mortality, so that in the majority of patients, there was no significant association with survival, hazard ratio equals to 1.03 (0.87-1.2), 75th versus 25th centile. After adjustment for both creatinine and cystatin C levels, higher discharge creatinine was then associated with lower long-term mortality. In contrast to creatinine, cystatin C consistently associated with long-term mortality, identifying patients at both high and low risk, and better correlated with follow-up renal function. Conversely, lower creatinine relative to cystatin C appeared to confer adverse prognosis, confounding creatinine interpretation in isolation. Cystatin C warrants further investigation as a more meaningful measure of renal function after critical illness.

The BIG Score and Prediction of Mortality in Pediatric Blunt Trauma.

PubMed

Davis, Adrienne L; Wales, Paul W; Malik, Tahira; Stephens, Derek; Razik, Fathima; Schuh, Suzanne

2015-09-01

To examine the association between in-hospital mortality and the BIG (composed of the base deficit [B], International normalized ratio [I], Glasgow Coma Scale [G]) score measured on arrival to the emergency department in pediatric blunt trauma patients, adjusted for pre-hospital intubation, volume administration, and presence of hypotension and head injury. We also examined the association between the BIG score and mortality in patients requiring admission to the intensive care unit (ICU). A retrospective 2001-2012 trauma database review of patients with blunt trauma ≤ 17 years old with an Injury Severity score ≥ 12. Charts were reviewed for in-hospital mortality, components of the BIG score upon arrival to the emergency department, prehospital intubation, crystalloids ≥ 20 mL/kg, presence of hypotension, head injury, and disposition. 50/621 (8%) of the study patients died. Independent mortality predictors were the BIG score (OR 11, 95% CI 6-25), prior fluid bolus (OR 3, 95% CI 1.3-9), and prior intubation (OR 8, 95% CI 2-40). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.95 (CI 0.93-0.98), with the optimal BIG cutoff of 16. With BIG <16, death rate was 3/496 (0.006, 95% CI 0.001-0.007) vs 47/125 (0.38, 95% CI 0.15-0.7) with BIG ≥ 16, (P < .0001). In patients requiring admission to the ICU, the BIG score remained predictive of mortality (OR 14.3, 95% CI 7.3-32, P < .0001). The BIG score accurately predicts mortality in a population of North American pediatric patients with blunt trauma independent of pre-hospital interventions, presence of head injury, and hypotension, and identifies children with a high probability of survival (BIG <16). The BIG score is also associated with mortality in pediatric patients with trauma requiring admission to the ICU. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Pentraxin-3 Predicts Short- and Mid-term Mortality in Patients with Sepsis and Septic Shock During Intensive Care Treatment.

PubMed

Hamed, Sonja; Behnes, Michael; Pauly, Dominic; Lepiorz, Dominic; Barre, Max; Becher, Tobias; Lang, Siegfried; Akin, Ibrahim; Borggrefe, Martin; Bertsch, Thomas; Hoffmann, Ursula

2018-06-01

The prognostic value of the acute phase protein Pentraxin 3 (PTX-3) is not well evaluated in patients with septic shock, which reveal an unacceptably high short- and long-term mortality. New Sepsis-3 definitions are not yet implemented in most biomarker studies. Therefore, this study assesses the prognostic value of PTX-3 for short- and mid-term mortality in patients with sepsis or septic shock, as defined by the latest definitions, treated at a medical intensive care unit (ICU). The study includes 213 ICU patients with clinical criteria of sepsis and septic shock. Plasma levels of PTX-3, procalcitonin (PCT) and interleukin-6 were measured on day 1, 3, and 8. All-cause mortality was followed up to 30 days and at 6 months. On all three days, PTX-3 levels were able to discriminate non-survivors from survivors at 30 days and 6 months (AUC range: 0.59 - 0.70; 95% CI: 0.52 - 0.79; p ≤ 0.02). Highest PTX-3 levels within the fourth quartiles during the first week of ICU treatment were associated with an increased mortality rate at 30 days (OR = 7; 95% CI: 2.0 - 23.5; p ≤ 0.002) and at 6 months (OR = 5; 95% CI: 2.1 - 11.4; p ≤ 0.006). Additionally, the prognostic value of PTX-3 was proven for all patients as well as in subcohorts of patients with sepsis and septic shock, according to Sepsis-3 criteria, both in univariate and multivariate analyses for 30-day and 6-months all-cause mortality, especially predicting all-cause mortality in septic shock (HRs range: 1.0 - 2.9; 95% CI: 0.3 - 5.1; p ≤ 0.03). PTX-3 offers prognostic value for the prediction of short- and mid-term all-cause mortality in patients suffering from sepsis and septic shock according to the latest Sepsis-3 criteria.

Association between Hyperglycaemia with Neurological Outcomes Following Severe Head Trauma.

PubMed

Khajavikhan, Javaher; Vasigh, Aminolah; Kokhazade, Taleb; Khani, Ali

2016-04-01

Head Trauma (HT) is a major cause of death, disability and important public health problem. HT is also the main cause of hyperglycaemia that can increase mortality. The aim of this study was to assess the correlation between hyperglycaemia with neurological outcomes following severe Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). This is a descriptive and correlation study that was carried out at the Imam Khomeini Hospital affiliated with Ilam University of Medical Sciences, Ilam, IR, during March 2014-March 2015 on patients with severe TBI. Data were collected from the patient records on mortality, Intensive Care Unit (ICU) length of stay, hospital length of stay, admission GCS score, Injury Severity Score (ISS), mechanical ventilation, Ventilation Associated Pneumonia (VAP) and Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS). Random Blood Sugar (RBS) level on admission was recorded. Patients with diabetes mellitus (to minimize the overlap between acute stress hyperglycaemia and diabetic hyperglycaemia) were excluded. About 34(40%) of patients were admitted with hyperglycaemia (RBS ≥ 200 mg/dl) over the study period. The mortality rate, length of ICU stay, hospital stay, ISS and VAP & ARDS in patients with RBS levels ≥ 200 mg was significantly higher than patients with RBS levels below ≤ 200mg (p<0.05, p<0.001). A significant correlation was found between RBS with GCS arrival, length of ICU stay, length of hospital stay, ISS, mechanical ventilation and VAP & ARDS (p<0.05, p< 0.001). RBS is a predicate factor for ISS (p <0.05, OR : 1.36), GCS (p <0.001, OR : 1.69), mechanical ventilation (p< 0.05, OR : 1.27), VAP & ARDS (p <0.001, OR : 1.68), length of ICU stay (p <0.001, OR : 1.87) and length of hospital stay (p <0.05, OR : 1.24). Hyperglycaemia after severe TBI (RBS ≥ 200) is associated with poor outcome. It can be a predictive factor for mortality rate, ICU stay, GCS arrival, VAP & RDS, hospital stay and ISS. Management of hyperglycaemia with insulin protocol in cases with value >200mg/dl, is critical in improving the outcome of patients with TBI.

Endotoxemia and mortality prediction in ICU and other settings: underlying risk and co-detection of gram negative bacteremia are confounders

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Introduction The interdependence between endotoxemia, gram negative (GN) bacteremia and mortality has been extensively studied. Underlying patient risk and GN bacteremia types are possible confounders of the relationship. Methods Published studies with ≥10 patients in either ICU or non-ICU settings, endotoxemia detection by limulus assay, reporting mortality proportions and ≥1 GN bacteremia were included. Summary odds ratios (OR) for mortality were derived across all studies by meta-analysis for the following contrasts: sub-groups with either endotoxemia (group three), GN bacteremia (group two) or both (group one) each versus the group with neither detected (group four; reference group). The mortality proportion for group four is the proxy measure of study level risk within L'Abbé plots. Results Thirty-five studies were found. Among nine studies in an ICU setting, the OR for mortality was borderline (OR <2) or non-significantly increased for groups two (GN bacteremia alone) and three (endotoxemia alone) and patient group one (GN bacteremia and endotoxemia co-detected) each versus patient group four (neither endotoxemia nor GN bacteremia detected). The ORs were markedly higher for group one versus group four (OR 6.9; 95% confidence interval (CI), 4.4 -to 11.0 when derived from non-ICU studies. The distributions of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Escherichia coli bacteremias among groups one versus two are significantly unequal. Conclusions The co-detection of GN bacteremia and endotoxemia is predictive of increased mortality risk versus the detection of neither but only in studies undertaken in a non-ICU setting. Variation in GN bacteremia species types and underlying risk are likely unrecognized confounders in the individual studies. PMID:22871090

Changes in the outcomes of severe trauma patients from 15-year experience in a Western European trauma ICU of Emilia Romagna region (1996-2010). A population cross-sectional survey study.

PubMed

Di Saverio, Salomone; Gambale, Giorgio; Coccolini, Federico; Catena, Fausto; Giorgini, Eleonora; Ansaloni, Luca; Amadori, Niki; Coniglio, Carlo; Giugni, Aimone; Biscardi, Andrea; Magnone, Stefano; Filicori, Filippo; Cavallo, Piergiorgio; Villani, Silvia; Cinquantini, Francesco; Annicchiarico, Massimo; Gordini, Giovanni; Tugnoli, Gregorio

2014-01-01

Our experience in trauma center management increased over time and improved with development of better logistics, optimization of structural and technical resources. In addition recent Government policy in safety regulations for road traffic accident (RTA) prevention, such compulsory helmet use (2000) and seatbelt restraint (2003) were issued with aim of decreasing mortality rate for trauma. The evaluation of their influence on mortality during the last 15 years can lead to further improvements. In our level I trauma center, 60,247 trauma admissions have been recorded between 1996 and 2010, with 2183 deaths (overall mortality 3.6 %). A total of 2,935 trauma patients with ISS >16 have been admitted to Trauma ICU and recorded in a prospectively collected database (1996-2010). Blunt trauma occurred in 97.1 % of the cases, whilst only 2.5 % were penetrating. A retrospective review of the outcomes was carried out, including mortality, cause of death, morbidity and length of stay (LOS) in the intensive care unit (ICU), with stratification of the outcome changes through the years. Age, sex, mechanism, glasgow coma scale (GCS), systolic blood pressure (SBP), respiratory rate (RR), revised trauma score (RTS), injury severity score (ISS), pH, base excess (BE), as well as therapeutic interventions (i.e., angioembolization and number of blood units transfused in the first 24 h), were included in univariate and multivariate analyses by logistic regression of mortality predictive value. Overall mortality through the whole period was 17.2 %, and major respiratory morbidity in the ICU was 23.3 %. A significant increase of trauma admissions has been observed (before and after 2001, p < 0.01). Mean GCS (10.2) increased during the period (test trend p < 0.05). Mean age, ISS (24.83) and mechanism did not change significantly, whereas mortality rate decreased showing two marked drops, from 25.8 % in 1996, to 18.3 % in 2000 and again down to 10.3 % in 2004 (test trend p < 0.01). Traumatic brain injury (TBI) accounted for 58.4 % of the causes of death; hemorrhagic shock was the death cause in 28.4 % and multiple organ failure (MOF)/sepsis in 13.2 % of the patients. However, the distribution of causes of death changed during the period showing a reduction of TBI-related and increase of MOF/sepsis (CTR test trend p < 0.05). Significant predictors of mortality in the whole group were year of admission (p < 0.05), age, hemorrhagic shock and SBP at admission, ISS and GCS, pH and BE (all p < 0.01). In the subgroup of patients that underwent emergency surgery, the same factors confirmed their prognostic value and remained significant as well as the adjunctive parameter of total amount of blood units transfused (p < 0.05). Surgical time (mean 71 min) showed a significant trend towards reduction but did not show significant association with mortality (p = 0.06). Mortality of severe trauma decreased significantly during the last 15 years as well as mean GCS improved whereas mean ISS remained stable. The new safety regulations positively influenced incidence and severity of TBI and seemed to improve the outcomes. ISS seems to be a better predictor of outcome than RTS.

Intensive Care Management of Patients with Cirrhosis.

PubMed

Olson, Jody C

2018-06-01

Cirrhosis is a major worldwide health problem which results in a high level of morbidity and mortality. Patients with cirrhosis who require intensive care support have high mortality rates of near 50%. The goal of this review is to address the management of common complications of cirrhosis in the ICU. Recent epidemiological studies have shown an increase in hospitalizations due to advanced liver disease with an associated increase in intensive care utilization. Given an increasing burden on the healthcare system, it is imperative that we strive to improve our management cirrhotic patients in the intensive care unit. Large studies evaluating the management of patients in the intensive care setting are lacking. To date, most recommendations are based on extrapolation of data from studies in cirrhosis outside of the ICU or by applying general critical care principles which may or may not be appropriate for the critically ill cirrhotic patient. Future research is required to answer important management questions.

Fatigue in Family Caregivers of Adult Intensive Care Unit Survivors

PubMed Central

Choi, JiYeon; Tate, Judith A.; Hoffman, Leslie A.; Schulz, Richard; Ren, Dianxu; Donahoe, Michael P.; Given, Barbara A.; Sherwood, Paula R.

2014-01-01

Context Family caregivers are a vital resource in the recovery of intensive care unit (ICU) survivors. Of concern, the stress associated with this role can negatively affect caregiver health. Fatigue, an important health indicator, has been identified as a predictor of various illnesses, greater use of health services, and early mortality. Examining the impact of fatigue on caregivers’ physical health can assist in identifying critical time points and potential targets for intervention. Objectives To describe self-reported fatigue in caregivers of ICU survivors from patients’ ICU admission to ≤ two weeks, two- and four-months post-ICU discharge. Methods Patient-caregiver pairs were enrolled from a medical ICU. Caregiver fatigue was measured using the Short-Form-36 Health Survey Vitality subscale (SF-36 Vitality). Caregiver psychobehavioral stress responses included depressive symptoms, burden, health risk behaviors, and sleep quality. Patient data included self-reported physical symptoms and disposition (home vs. institution). Results Forty seven patient-caregiver pairs were initially enrolled. Clinically significant fatigue (SF-36 Vitality ≤ 45) was reported by 43% to 53% of caregivers across the time points and these caregivers reported worse scores in measures of depressive symptoms, burden, health risk behaviors and sleep quality, and patients’ symptom burden. In 26 caregivers with data for all time points (55% of the total sample), SF-36 Vitality scores showed trends of improvement when the patient returned home and greater impairment when institutionalization continued. Conclusion In caregivers of ICU survivors, fatigue is common and potentially linked with poor psychobehavioral responses. Worsening fatigue was associated with greater symptom distress and long-term patient institutionalization. PMID:24439845

Effect of a Quality Improvement Intervention With Daily Round Checklists, Goal Setting, and Clinician Prompting on Mortality of Critically Ill Patients: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

PubMed

Cavalcanti, Alexandre B; Bozza, Fernando Augusto; Machado, Flavia R; Salluh, Jorge I F; Campagnucci, Valquiria Pelisser; Vendramim, Patricia; Guimaraes, Helio Penna; Normilio-Silva, Karina; Damiani, Lucas Petri; Romano, Edson; Carrara, Fernanda; Lubarino Diniz de Souza, Juliana; Silva, Aline Reis; Ramos, Grazielle Viana; Teixeira, Cassiano; Brandão da Silva, Nilton; Chang, Chung-Chou H; Angus, Derek C; Berwanger, Otavio

2016-04-12

The effectiveness of checklists, daily goal assessments, and clinician prompts as quality improvement interventions in intensive care units (ICUs) is uncertain. To determine whether a multifaceted quality improvement intervention reduces the mortality of critically ill adults. This study had 2 phases. Phase 1 was an observational study to assess baseline data on work climate, care processes, and clinical outcomes, conducted between August 2013 and March 2014 in 118 Brazilian ICUs. Phase 2 was a cluster randomized trial conducted between April and November 2014 with the same ICUs. The first 60 admissions of longer than 48 hours per ICU were enrolled in each phase. Intensive care units were randomized to a quality improvement intervention, including a daily checklist and goal setting during multidisciplinary rounds with follow-up clinician prompting for 11 care processes, or to routine care. In-hospital mortality truncated at 60 days (primary outcome) was analyzed using a random-effects logistic regression model, adjusted for patients' severity and the ICU's baseline standardized mortality ratio. Exploratory secondary outcomes included adherence to care processes, safety climate, and clinical events. A total of 6877 patients (mean age, 59.7 years; 3218 [46.8%] women) were enrolled in the baseline (observational) phase and 6761 (mean age, 59.6 years; 3098 [45.8%] women) in the randomized phase, with 3327 patients enrolled in ICUs (n = 59) assigned to the intervention group and 3434 patients in ICUs (n = 59) assigned to routine care. There was no significant difference in in-hospital mortality between the intervention group and the usual care group, with 1096 deaths (32.9%) and 1196 deaths (34.8%), respectively (odds ratio, 1.02; 95% CI, 0.82-1.26; P = .88). Among 20 prespecified secondary outcomes not adjusted for multiple comparisons, 6 were significantly improved in the intervention group (use of low tidal volumes, avoidance of heavy sedation, use of central venous catheters, use of urinary catheters, perception of team work, and perception of patient safety climate), whereas there were no significant differences between the intervention group and the control group for 14 outcomes (ICU mortality, central line-associated bloodstream infection, ventilator-associated pneumonia, urinary tract infection, mean ventilator-free days, mean ICU length of stay, mean hospital length of stay, bed elevation to ≥30°, venous thromboembolism prophylaxis, diet administration, job satisfaction, stress reduction, perception of management, and perception of working conditions). Among critically ill patients treated in ICUs in Brazil, implementation of a multifaceted quality improvement intervention with daily checklists, goal setting, and clinician prompting did not reduce in-hospital mortality. clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT01785966.

Quadratic function between arterial partial oxygen pressure and mortality risk in sepsis patients: an interaction with simplified acute physiology score.

PubMed

Zhang, Zhongheng; Ji, Xuqing

2016-10-13

Oxygen therapy is widely used in emergency and critical care settings, while there is little evidence on its real therapeutic effect. The study aimed to explore the impact of arterial oxygen partial pressure (PaO 2 ) on clinical outcomes in patients with sepsis. A large clinical database was employed for the study. Subjects meeting the diagnostic criteria of sepsis were eligible for the study. All measurements of PaO 2 were extracted. The primary endpoint was death from any causes during hospital stay. Survey data analysis was performed by using individual ICU admission as the primary sampling unit. Quadratic function was assumed for PaO 2 and its interaction with other covariates were explored. A total of 199,125 PaO 2 samples were identified for 11,002 ICU admissions. Each ICU stay comprised 18 PaO 2 samples in average. The fitted multivariable model supported our hypothesis that the effect of PaO 2 on mortality risk was in quadratic form. There was significant interaction between PaO 2 and SAPS-I (p = 0.007). Furthermore, the main effect of PaO 2 on SOFA score was nonlinear. The study shows that the effect of PaO 2 on mortality risk is in quadratic function form, and there is significant interaction between PaO 2 and severity of illness.

Study of Effect of Magnesium Sulphate in Management of Acute Organophosphorous Pesticide Poisoning.

PubMed

Vijayakumar, H N; Kannan, Sudheesh; Tejasvi, C; Duggappa, Devika Rani; Veeranna Gowda, K M; Nethra, S S

2017-01-01

Organophosphorus compound poisoning (OPCP) is a major public health problem in developing countries like India. Atropine and oximes remain the main-stay of management. Magnesium sulfate (MgSO 4 ) has shown benefit in the management of OPCP. This study was designed to assess the effect of MgSO 4 on outcome in OPCP patients admitted to Intensive Care Unit (ICU). Double-blind prospective randomized clinical trial in an ICU of tertiary care institution. One hundred patients (50 in each group) of OPCP, confirmed by history and syndrome of OPCP with low plasma pseudocholinesterase, aged between 18 and 60 years were studied. Magnesium group (Group M) received 4 g of 20% MgSO 4 infusion over 30 min at admission to ICU, control group (Group C) received normal saline placebo in the same manner. Patients were assessed for the need for intubation, requirement of atropine, duration of mechanical ventilation, duration of ICU stay, and its effect on mortality. Chi-square test and Fisher's exact test for categorical data, independent sample t -test, and paired t -test for nominal data. Demographics and basal serum magnesium levels were comparable. Atropine requirement was higher in Group C (74.82 ± 22.39 mg) compared to Group M (53.11 ± 45.83 mg) ( P < 0.001). A total of 33 patients in Group C and 23 patients in Group M required intubation, respectively ( P = 0.043). The mean duration of mechanical ventilation was 4.51 ± 2 days in Group C compared to 4.13 ± 1.6 days in Group M ( P = 0.45). ICU stay was 5.36 ± 2.018 days in Group C compared to 4.54 ± 1.581 days in Group M ( P = 0.026). There was no significant difference in mortality between the groups. Four grams of MgSO 4 given to OPCP patients within 24 h of admission to ICU, decreases atropine requirement, need for intubation, and ICU stay.

Timing and causes of death in septic shock.

PubMed

Daviaud, Fabrice; Grimaldi, David; Dechartres, Agnès; Charpentier, Julien; Geri, Guillaume; Marin, Nathalie; Chiche, Jean-Daniel; Cariou, Alain; Mira, Jean-Paul; Pène, Frédéric

2015-12-01

Most studies about septic shock report a crude mortality rate that neither distinguishes between early and late deaths nor addresses the direct causes of death. We herein aimed to determine the modalities of death in septic shock. This was a 6-year (2008-2013) monocenter retrospective study. All consecutive patients diagnosed for septic shock within the first 48 h of intensive care unit (ICU) admission were included. Early and late deaths were defined as occurring within or after 3 days following ICU admission, respectively. The main cause of death in the ICU was determined from medical files. A multinomial logistic regression analysis using the status alive as the reference category was performed to identify the prognostic factors associated with early and late deaths. Five hundred forty-three patients were included, with a mean age of 66 ± 15 years and a high proportion (67 %) of comorbidities. The in-ICU and in-hospital mortality rates were 37.2 and 45 %, respectively. Deaths occurred early for 78 (32 %) and later on for 166 (68 %) patients in the ICU (n = 124) or in the hospital (n = 42). Early deaths were mainly attributable to intractable multiple organ failure related to the primary infection (82 %) and to mesenteric ischemia (6.4 %). In-ICU late deaths were directly related to end-of-life decisions in 29 % of patients and otherwise mostly related to ICU-acquired complications, including nosocomial infections (20.4 %) and mesenteric ischemia (16.6 %). Independent determinants of early death were age, malignancy, diabetes mellitus, no pathogen identification, and initial severity. Among 3-day survivors, independent risk factors for late death were age, cirrhosis, no pathogen identification, and previous corticosteroid treatment. Our study provides a comprehensive assessment of septic shock-related deaths. Identification of risk factors of early and late deaths may determine differential prognostic patterns.

Increased plasma selenium is associated with better outcomes in children with systemic inflammation.

PubMed

Leite, Heitor Pons; Nogueira, Paulo Cesar Koch; Iglesias, Simone Brasil de Oliveira; de Oliveira, Susyane Vieira; Sarni, Roseli Oselka Saccardo

2015-03-01

The aim of this study was to assess the effects of changes in plasma selenium on the outcome of critically ill children. Plasma selenium was prospectively measured in 99 children with acute systemic inflammation. The exposure variables were selenium level on admission and on day 5 of stay in the intensive care unit (ICU) and the difference in selenium concentrations between day 5 post-admission and the ICU admission (delta selenium). Selenium was given only as part of enteral diets. Age, malnutrition, red cell glutathione peroxidase-1 activity, serum C-reactive protein, Pediatric Index of Mortality 2, and Pediatric Logistic Organ Dysfunction scores were analyzed as covariates. The outcome variables were ventilator-free days, ICU-free days, and 28-d mortality. Plasma selenium concentrations increased from admission (median 23.4 μg/L, interquartile range 12.0-30.8) to day 5 (median 25.1 μg/L, interquartile range 16.0-39.0; P = 0.018). After adjustment for confounding factors, a delta selenium increase of 10 μg/L was associated with reductions in ventilator days (1.3 d; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.2-2.3; P = 0.017) and ICU days (1.4 d; 95% CI, 0.5-2.3; P < 0.01). Delta selenium >0 was associated with decreased 28-d mortality on a univariate model (odds ratio, 0.67; 95% CI, 0.46-0.97; P = 0.036). The mean daily selenium intake (6.82 μg; range 0-48.66 μg) was correlated with the increase in selenium concentrations on day 5. An increase in plasma selenium is independently associated with shorter times of ventilation and ICU stay in children with systemic inflammation. These findings raise the hypothesis that selenium supplementation could be beneficial in children with critical illnesses. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Glycaemic variability in patients with severe sepsis or septic shock admitted to an Intensive Care Unit.

PubMed

Silveira, L M; Basile-Filho, A; Nicolini, E A; Dessotte, C A M; Aguiar, G C S; Stabile, A M

2017-08-01

Sepsis is associated with morbidity and mortality, which implies high costs to the global health system. Metabolic alterations that increase glycaemia and glycaemic variability occur during sepsis. To verify mean body glucose levels and glycaemic variability in Intensive Care Unit (ICU) patients with severe sepsis or septic shock. Retrospective and exploratory study that involved collection of patients' sociodemographic and clinical data and calculation of severity scores. Glycaemia measurements helped to determine glycaemic variability through standard deviation and mean amplitude of glycaemic excursions. Analysis of 116 medical charts and 6730 glycaemia measurements revealed that the majority of patients were male and aged over 60 years. Surgical treatment was the main reason for ICU admission. High blood pressure and diabetes mellitus were the most usual comorbidities. Patients that died during the ICU stay presented the highest SOFA scores and mean glycaemia; they also experienced more hypoglycaemia events. Patients with diabetes had higher mean glycaemia, evaluated through standard deviation and mean amplitude of glycaemia excursions. Organic impairment at ICU admission may underlie glycaemic variability and lead to a less favourable outcome. High glycaemic variability in patients with diabetes indicates that monitoring of these individuals is crucial to ensure better outcomes. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

[Septic shock due to community-acquired complicated intra-abdominal infection treated with ertapenem: outcome in 25 cases].

PubMed

Maseda, E; Lillo, M; Fernández, L; Villagrán, M J; Gómez-Rice, A; Ramasco, F

2008-04-01

To assess the effectiveness of ertapenem in patients admitted to a surgical intensive care unit with septic shock due to community-acquired complicated intra-abdominal infection. Patients undergoing emergency surgery for community-acquired complicated intra-abdominal infection were enrolled prospectively. All patients were given intravenous ertapenem at a rate of 1 g/24 h and the guidelines of the Surviving Sepsis Campaign were applied. Outcome measures were duration of antibiotic therapy, mean length of stay in the surgical intensive care unit (ICU), antibiotic failure, and death while in the surgical ICU. Twenty-five patients with a mean (SD) age of 74 (14) years were enrolled. The origin of infection was the colon in 56% of the cases; most patients (76%) had generalized peritonitis. The mean stay in the surgical ICU was 10 (7) days. The mean duration of antibiotic therapy was 5.8 (1.26) days. Antibiotic failure occurred in 12%. Mortality in the surgical ICU was 28%. Our findings suggest that patients with community-acquired intra-abdominal infection and septic shock have a good chance of survival when treated according to the guidelines of the Surviving Sepsis Campaign. Ertapenem seems to give good results when used in this setting.

Outcomes of the Surviving Sepsis Campaign in intensive care units in the USA and Europe: a prospective cohort study.

PubMed

Levy, Mitchell M; Artigas, Antonio; Phillips, Gary S; Rhodes, Andrew; Beale, Richard; Osborn, Tiffany; Vincent, Jean-Louis; Townsend, Sean; Lemeshow, Stanley; Dellinger, R Phillip

2012-12-01

Mortality from severe sepsis and septic shock differs across continents, countries, and regions. We aimed to use data from the Surviving Sepsis Campaign (SSC) to compare models of care and outcomes for patients with severe sepsis and septic shock in the USA and Europe. The SSC was introduced into more than 200 sites in Europe and the USA. All patients identified with severe sepsis and septic shock in emergency departments or hospital wards and admitted to intensive care units (ICUs), and those with sepsis in ICUs were entered into the SSC database. Patients entered into the database from its launch in January, 2005, through January, 2010, in units with at least 20 patients and 3 months of enrolment of patients were included in this analysis. Patients included in the cohort were limited to those entered in the first 4 years at every site. We used random-effects logistic regression to estimate the hospital mortality odds ratio (OR) for Europe relative to the USA. We used random-effects linear regression to find the relation between lengths of stay in hospital and ICU and geographic region. 25 375 patients were included in the cohort. The USA included 107 sites with 18 766 (74%) patients, and Europe included 79 hospital sites with 6609 (26%) patients. In the USA, 12 218 (65·1%) were admitted to the ICU from the emergency department whereas in Europe, 3405 (51·5%) were admitted from the wards. The median stay on the hospital wards before ICU admission was longer in Europe than in the USA (1·0 vs 0·1 days, difference 0·9, 95% CI 0·8-0·9). Raw hospital mortality was higher in Europe than in the USA (41·1%vs 28·3%, difference 12·8, 95% CI 11·5-14·7). The median length of stay in ICU (7·8 vs 4·2 days, 3·6, 3·3-3·7) and hospital (22·8 vs 10·5 days, 12·3, 11·9-12·8) was longer in Europe than in the USA. Adjusted mortality in Europe was not significantly higher than that in the USA (32·3%vs 31·3%, 1·0, -1·7 to 3·7, p=0·468). Complete compliance with all applicable elements of the sepsis resuscitation bundle was higher in the USA than in Europe (21·6%vs 18·4%, 3·2, 2·2-4·4). The significant difference in unadjusted mortality and the fact that this difference disappears with severity adjustment raise important questions about the effect of the approach to critical care in Europe compared with that in the USA. The effect of ICU bed availability on outcomes in patients with severe sepsis and septic shock requires further investigation. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Intensive care unit specialist: Report from the Task Force of World Federation of Societies of Intensive and Critical Care Medicine.

PubMed

Amin, Pravin; Fox-Robichaud, Alison; Divatia, J V; Pelosi, Paolo; Altintas, Defne; Eryüksel, Emel; Mehta, Yatin; Suh, Gee Young; Blanch, Lluís; Weiler, Norbert; Zimmerman, Janice; Vincent, Jean-Louis

2016-10-01

The role of the critical care specialist has been unequivocally established in the management of severely ill patients throughout the world. Data show that the presence of a critical care specialist in the intensive care unit (ICU) environment has reduced morbidity and mortality, improved patient safety, and reduced length of stay and costs. However, many ICUs across the world function as "open ICUs," in which patients may be admitted under a primary physician who has not been trained in critical care medicine. Although the concept of the ICU has gained widespread acceptance amongst medical professionals, hospital administrators and the general public; recognition and the need for doctors specializing in intensive care medicine has lagged behind. The curriculum to ensure appropriate training around the world is diverse but should ideally meet some minimum standards. The World Federation of Societies of Intensive and Critical Care Medicine has set up a task force to address issues concerning the training, functions, roles, and responsibilities of an ICU specialist. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Impact of a structured ICU training programme in resource-limited settings in Asia.

PubMed

Haniffa, Rashan; Lubell, Yoel; Cooper, Ben S; Mohanty, Sanjib; Alam, Shamsul; Karki, Arjun; Pattnaik, Rajya; Maswood, Ahmed; Haque, R; Pangeni, Raju; Schultz, Marcus J; Dondorp, Arjen M

2017-01-01

To assess the impact on ICU performance of a modular training program in three resource-limited general adult ICUs in India, Bangladesh, and Nepal. A modular ICU training programme was evaluated using performance indicators from June 2009 to June 2012 using an interrupted time series design with an 8 to 15 month pre-intervention and 18 to 24 month post-intervention period. ICU physicians and nurses trained in Europe and the USA provided training for ICU doctors and nurses. The training program consisted of six modules on basic intensive care practices of 2-3 weeks each over 20 months. The performance indicators consisting of ICU mortality, time to ICU discharge, rate at which patients were discharged alive from the ICU, discontinuation of mechanical ventilation or vasoactive drugs and duration of antibiotic use were extracted. Stepwise changes and changes in trends associated with the intervention were analysed. Pre-Training ICU mortality in Rourkela (India), and Patan (Nepal) Chittagong (Bangladesh), was 28%, 41% and 62%, respectively, compared to 30%, 18% and 51% post-intervention. The intervention was associated with a stepwise reduction in cumulative incidence of in-ICU mortality in Chittagong (adjusted subdistribution hazard ratio [aSHR] (95% CI): 0.62 (0.40, 0.97), p = 0.03) and Patan (aSHR 0.16 (0.06, 0.41), p<0.001), but not in Rourkela (aSHR: 1.17 (0.75, 1.82), p = 0.49). The intervention was associated with earlier discontinuation of vasoactive drugs at Rourkela (adjusted hazard ratio for weekly change [aHR] 1.08 (1.03, 1.14), earlier discontinuation of mechanical ventilation in Chittagong (aHR 2.97 (1.24, 7.14), p = 0.02), and earlier ICU discharge in Patan (aHR 1.87 (1.02, 3.43), p = 0.04). This structured training program was associated with a decrease in ICU mortality in two of three sites and improvement of other performance indicators. A larger cluster randomised study assessing process outcomes and longer-term indicators is warranted.

Bioelectrical impedance analysis-derived phase angle at admission as a predictor of 90-day mortality in intensive care patients.

PubMed

Stapel, Sandra N; Looijaard, Wilhelmus G P M; Dekker, Ingeborg M; Girbes, Armand R J; Weijs, Peter J M; Oudemans-van Straaten, Heleen M

2018-05-11

A low bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA)-derived phase angle (PA) predicts morbidity and mortality in different patient groups. An association between PA and long-term mortality in ICU patients has not been demonstrated before. The purpose of the present study was to determine whether PA on ICU admission independently predicts 90-day mortality. This prospective observational study was performed in a mixed university ICU. BIA was performed in 196 patients within 24 h of ICU admission. To test the independent association between PA and 90-day mortality, logistic regression analysis was performed using the APACHE IV predicted mortality as confounder. The optimal cutoff value of PA for mortality prediction was determined by ROC curve analysis. Using this cutoff value, patients were categorized into low or normal PA group and the association with 90-day mortality was tested again. The PA of survivors was higher than of the non-survivors (5.0° ± 1.3° vs. 4.1° ± 1.2°, p < 0.001). The area under the ROC curve of PA for 90-day mortality was 0.70 (CI 0.59-0.80). PA was associated with 90-day mortality (OR = 0.56, CI: 0.38-0.77, p = 0.001) on univariate logistic regression analysis and also after adjusting for BMI, gender, age, and APACHE IV on multivariable logistic regression (OR = 0.65, CI: 0.44-0.96, p = 0.031). A PA < 4.8° was an independent predictor of 90-day mortality (adjusted OR = 3.65, CI: 1.34-9.93, p = 0.011). Phase angle at ICU admission is an independent predictor of 90-day mortality. This biological marker can aid in long-term mortality risk assessment of critically ill patients.

Empirical mono- versus combination antibiotic therapy in adult intensive care patients with severe sepsis - A systematic review with meta-analysis and trial sequential analysis.

PubMed

Sjövall, Fredrik; Perner, Anders; Hylander Møller, Morten

2017-04-01

To assess benefits and harms of empirical mono- vs. combination antibiotic therapy in adult patients with severe sepsis in the intensive care unit (ICU). We performed a systematic review according to the Cochrane Collaboration methodology, including meta-analysis, risk of bias assessment and trial sequential analysis (TSA). We included randomised clinical trials (RCT) assessing empirical mono-antibiotic therapy versus a combination of two or more antibiotics in adult ICU patients with severe sepsis. We exclusively assessed patient-important outcomes, including mortality. Two reviewers independently evaluated studies for inclusion, extracted data, and assessed risk of bias. Risk ratios (RRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated and the risk of random errors was assessed by TSA. Thirteen RCTs (n = 2633) were included; all were judged as having high risk of bias. Carbapenems were the most frequently used mono-antibiotic (8 of 13 trials). There was no difference in mortality (RR 1.11, 95% CI 0.95-1.29; p = 0.19) or in any other patient-important outcomes between mono- vs. combination therapy. In TSA of mortality, the Z-curve reached the futility area, indicating that a 20% relative risk difference in mortality may be excluded between the two groups. For the other outcomes, TSA indicated lack of data and high risk of random errors. This systematic review of RCTs with meta-analysis and TSA demonstrated no differences in mortality or other patient-important outcomes between empirical mono- vs. combination antibiotic therapy in adult ICU patients with severe sepsis. The quantity and quality of data was low without firm evidence for benefit or harm of combination therapy. Copyright © 2016 The British Infection Association. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Cystectomy for bladder cancer in elderly patients is not associated with increased 30- and 90-day mortality or readmission, length of stay, and cost: propensity score matching using a population database.

PubMed

Lin, Wei-Yu; Wu, Chun-Te; Chen, Miao-Fen; Chang, Ying-Hsu; Lin, Cheng-Li; Kao, Chia-Hung

2018-01-01

Radical cystectomy (RC) is an effective but underused treatment for bladder cancer in elderly patients. This study performed analysis of propensity scores (PSs) to determine the outcomes of RC for elderly patients, with results generalizable at the population-based level. We conducted a population-based, retrospective cohort study of patients who underwent RC in Taiwan during 2000-2010. Multivariable logistic regression was implemented to evaluate 30- and 90-day mortality and readmission rates, length of intensive care unit (ICU) stay, length of hospital stay (LOS), and cost. Enrolled patients were divided into younger (≤75 years) and older groups (>75 years) who were matched according to their PSs. We identified 430 patients with bladder cancer who underwent RC between 2000 and 2010. Older age was not significantly associated with 30-day readmission (odds ratio [OR] = 0.80, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.38-1.70), 90-day readmission (OR = 1.10, 95% CI = 0.60-2.00), 30-day mortality (OR = 3.07, 95% CI = 0.31-30.0), or 90-day mortality (OR = 2.98, 95% CI = 0.91-9.70) in the PS-matched group. Similar trends were also observed for both groups regarding the mean length of ICU stay, LOS, and overall medical expenditure within the same admission. No significant differences existed between the older and younger groups for 30-and 90-day mortality and readmission rates, length of ICU stay, LOS, and medical expenditure in patients undergoing RC for bladder cancer. Some healthy elderly patients may be good candidates for this extensive curative treatment.

Acute respiratory failure in patients with hematological malignancies: outcomes according to initial ventilation strategy. A groupe de recherche respiratoire en réanimation onco-hématologique (Grrr-OH) study.

PubMed

Lemiale, Virginie; Resche-Rigon, Matthieu; Mokart, Djamel; Pène, Frederic; Rabbat, Antoine; Kouatchet, Achille; Vincent, François; Bruneel, Fabrice; Nyunga, Martine; Lebert, Christine; Perez, Pierre; Meert, Anne-Pascale; Benoit, Dominique; Chevret, Sylvie; Azoulay, Elie

2015-12-01

In patients with hematological malignancies and acute respiratory failure (ARF), noninvasive ventilation was associated with a decreased mortality in older studies. However, mortality of intubated patients decreased in the last years. In this study, we assess outcomes in those patients according to the initial ventilation strategy. We performed a post hoc analysis of a prospective multicentre study of critically ill hematology patients, in 17 intensive care units in France and Belgium. Patients with hematological malignancies admitted for ARF in 2010 and 2011 and who were not intubated at admission were included in the study. A propensity score-based approach was used to assess the impact of NIV compared to oxygen only on hospital mortality. Among 1011 patients admitted to ICU during the study period, 380 met inclusion criteria. Underlying diseases included lymphoid (n = 162, 42.6 %) or myeloid (n = 141, 37.1 %) diseases. ARF etiologies were pulmonary infections (n = 161, 43 %), malignant infiltration (n = 65, 17 %) or cardiac pulmonary edema (n = 40, 10 %). Mechanical ventilation was ultimately needed in 94 (24.7 %) patients, within 3 [2-5] days of ICU admission. Hospital mortality was 32 % (123 deaths). At ICU admission, 142 patients received first-line noninvasive ventilation (NIV), whereas 238 received oxygen only. Fifty-five patients in each group (NIV or oxygen only) were matched according the propensity score. NIV was not associated with decreased hospital mortality [OR 1.5 (0.62-3.65)]. In hematology patients with acute respiratory failure, initial treatment with NIV did not improve survival compared to oxygen only. gov number NCT 01172132.

Physical function impairment in survivors of critical illness in an ICU Recovery Clinic.

PubMed

Bakhru, Rita N; Davidson, James F; Bookstaver, Rebecca E; Kenes, Michael T; Welborn, Kristin G; Morris, Peter E; Clark Files, D

2018-06-01

The aims were to 1) determine feasibility of measuring physical function in our ICU Recovery Clinic (RC), 2) determine if physical function was associated with 6-month re-hospitalization and 1-year mortality and 3) compare ICU survivors' physical function to other comorbid populations. We established the Wake Forest ICU RC. Patients were seen in clinic 1month following hospital discharge. Testing included the Short Form-36 questionnaire and Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB). We related these measures to 6month re-hospitalizations and 1year mortality, and compared patients' functional performance with other comorbid populations. Thirty-six patients were seen in clinic from July 2014 to June 2015; the median SPPB score was 5 (IQR 5). The median SF-36 physical component summary score was 21.8 (IQR 28.8). Mortality was 14% at 1year. Of those who did not die by 1year, 35% were readmitted to our hospital within 6months of hospital discharge. SPPB scores demonstrated a non-significant trend with both mortality (p=0.06) and readmissions (p=0.09). ICU survivors' SPPB scores were significantly lower than those of other chronically ill populations (p<0.001). Physical function measurement in a recovery clinic is feasible and may inform subsequent morbidity and mortality. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The Association Between Visiting Intensivists and ICU Outcomes.

PubMed

Whitehouse, Tony; Hodson, James; Pemberton, Philip; Veenith, Tonny; Snelson, Catherine; Bion, Julian; Rubenfeld, Gordon D

2017-06-01

We hypothesized that intensivists unfamiliar with an ICU team and the context of that ICU would affect patient outcomes. We examined differences in mortality when ICU patients were admitted under intensivists routinely working in that ICU and compared with those admitted by intensivists familiar with an ICU elsewhere in the same hospital. A 5-year natural experimental crossover study involving patients admitted to four ICUs in a large U.K. teaching hospital. During a period of service reconfiguration, intensivists routinely rostered to work in one ICU worked in another of the hospital's four ICUs. "Home" intensivists were those who continued to work in their usual ICU; "visitor" intensivists were those who delivered care in an unfamiliar ICU. Patient data were obtained from electronic patient records to provide analysis on sex, age, admission Sequential Organ Failure Assessment score, date and time of admission, and admission type (elective, transfer, or unplanned). We analyzed 9,981 admissions to four separate ICUs over a 5-year period. In total, 34.5% of patients were admitted by intensivists working in nonfamiliar surroundings. Visitor intensivists admitted patients with similar age and gender distributions but with greater physiologic derangement (mean Sequential Organ Failure Assessment score, 4.1 ± 2.8 vs 3.9 ± 2.8; p < 0.001) than home intensivists. Overall ICU mortality rates were higher in visitor intensivists, albeit not significantly so (11.5% vs 10.2%; p = 0.052). However, when the ICUs were analyzed separately, visitor mortality rates were found to be significantly higher than for home intensivists in two of the four ICUs (p = 0.017, 0.006). A multivariable analysis adjusting for confounding factors and the clustering of consultants revealed that the overall mortality rate was significantly higher for visitors (odds ratio, 1.18; 95% CI, 1.02-1.37; p = 0.024). A significant interaction between the ICU and visitor status was also detected (p = 0.046), with the visitor effect remaining significant in the two ICUs identified previously (both p = 0.009). Visitor intensivists in some ICUs were associated with higher mortality. The reasons are unknown but could relate to intensivists' practices, unfamiliarity with the patients, or the interaction with the interprofessional team.

The use of mechanical ventilation in the ED.

PubMed

Easter, Benjamin D; Fischer, Christopher; Fisher, Jonathan

2012-09-01

Although EDs are responsible for the initial care of critically ill patients and the amount of critical care provided in the ED is increasing, there are few data examining mechanical ventilation (MV) in the ED. In addition, characteristics of ED-based ventilation may affect planning for ventilator shortages during pandemic influenza or bioterrorist events. The study examined the epidemiology of MV in US EDs, including demographic, clinical, and hospital characteristics; indications for MV; ED length of stay (LOS); and in-hospital mortality. This study was a retrospective review of the 1993 to 2007 National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey ED data sets. Ventilated patients were compared with ED patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) and to all other ED visits. There were 3.6 million ED MV visits (95% confidence interval [CI], 3.2-4.0 million) over the study period. Sex, age, race, and payment source were similar for mechanically ventilated and ICU patients (P > .05 for all). Approximately 12.5% of ventilated patients underwent cardiopulmonary resuscitation compared with 1.7% of ICU admissions and 0.2% of all other ED visits (P < .0001). Accordingly, in-hospital mortality was significantly higher for ventilated patients (24%; 95% CI, 13.1%-34.9%) than both comparison groups (9.3% and 2.5%, respectively). Median LOS for ventilated patients was 197 minutes (interquartile range, 112-313 minutes) compared with 224 minutes for ICU admissions and 140 minutes for all other ED visits. Patients undergoing ED MV have particularly high in-hospital mortality rates, but their ED LOS is sufficient for implementation of evidence-based ventilator interventions. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Impact of the implementation of a Sepsis Code hospital protocol in antibiotic prescription and clinical outcomes in an intensive care unit.

PubMed

García-López, L; Grau-Cerrato, S; de Frutos-Soto, A; Bobillo-De Lamo, F; Cítores-Gónzalez, R; Diez-Gutierrez, F; Muñoz-Moreno, M F; Sánchez-Sánchez, T; Gandía-Martínez, F; Andaluz-Ojeda, D

A study was performed to analyze the impact of an in-hospital Sepsis Code (SC) program on use of antibiotic and clinical outcomes. Quasi-experimental observational retrospective study. Polyvalent 11 beds ICU belonging to a tertiary Universitary hospital. Patients admitted consecutively to the ICU with diagnosis of severe sepsis or septic shock. A post intervention group (POST-SC) (September 2012-August 2013) was compared with a historical group (PRE-SC) used as control (January-December 2010). Antibiotic treatment, therapeutic antibiotic strategy, mortality and length of stay. Antibiotic consumption was expressed as defined daily doses (DDD)/ 100 stays. 42 patients with SS/SS in POST-SC group and 50 patients in PRE-SC group were consecutively recluted and further analyzed. Total antibiotic consumption (DDD) was similar in both groups. Rate of de-escalation therapy was significantly higher in POST-SC group (75% vs 30,8%, p<0,005) while prescription of restricted antibiotics was significantly lower (74% vs 52%, p=0,031). Finally POST-SC patients showed a significantly decrease in hospital and 28 days mortality rates [23% vs 44%, (p=0,035) and 31% vs 56% (p=0,014) respectively] as well as a reduction in ICU length of stay compared to PRE-SC cohort (5 days vs 10,5 days, p=0,05). The implementation of a Sepsis Code-hospital protocol is associated to an improvement in the management of antibiotic therapy with a significant increase in de-escalation therapy and lesser utilization of restricted use antibiotics, as well as a significant reduction in mortality, and a tendency towards shorter ICU length stay. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier España, S.L.U. y SEMICYUC. All rights reserved.

Repeated pulse intramuscular injection of pralidoxime chloride in severe acute organophosphorus pesticide poisoning.

PubMed

Tang, Xue; Wang, Ruilan; Xie, Hui; Hu, Jiachang; Zhao, Wenbiao

2013-06-01

This study aimed to clarify the efficacy of 2 therapies for patients with severe acute organophosphorus pesticide poisoning, including atropine adverse effects, the length of intensive care unit (ICU) stay, complications, and mortality. A retrospective cohort study of 152 cases collected from May 2008 to November 2012 at 2 urban university hospitals was conducted. Patients admitted to the hospital for organophosphate poisoning were divided into 2 groups with different therapeutic regimens: group A was administered a repeated pulse intramuscular injection of pralidoxime chloride, and group B received the same initial dosage of atropine and pralidoxime chloride, but pralidoxime chloride intravenous therapy was administered for only 3 days, regardless of the length of atropine therapy. Subsequently, atropine adverse effects, length of ICU stay, complications, and mortality were statistically analyzed and compared between the 2 groups. The total dose of atropine was 57.40 ± 15.14 mg in group A and 308.26 ± 139.16 mg in group B; group A received less atropine than did group B (P = .001). The length of ICU stay in group A was reduced (P = .025), and group A had fewer atropine adverse effects (P = .002). However, there was no significant difference in the mortality or complication rate between the 2 groups (P > .05). In patients with severe poisoning, group A used less atropine, had fewer atropine adverse effects, and had a shorter ICU stay. We suggest that therapy should be started as early as possible using a sufficient amount of pralidoxime chloride started intramuscularly in combination with atropine and that the drugs should not be prematurely discontinued. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Validation of the LOD score compared with APACHE II score in prediction of the hospital outcome in critically ill patients.

PubMed

Khwannimit, Bodin

2008-01-01

The Logistic Organ Dysfunction score (LOD) is an organ dysfunction score that can predict hospital mortality. The aim of this study was to validate the performance of the LOD score compared with the Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II (APACHE II) score in a mixed intensive care unit (ICU) at a tertiary referral university hospital in Thailand. The data were collected prospectively on consecutive ICU admissions over a 24 month period from July1, 2004 until June 30, 2006. Discrimination was evaluated by the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC). The calibration was assessed by the Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness-of-fit H statistic. The overall fit of the model was evaluated by the Brier's score. Overall, 1,429 patients were enrolled during the study period. The mortality in the ICU was 20.9% and in the hospital was 27.9%. The median ICU and hospital lengths of stay were 3 and 18 days, respectively, for all patients. Both models showed excellent discrimination. The AUROC for the LOD and APACHE II were 0.860 [95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.838-0.882] and 0.898 (95% Cl = 0.879-0.917), respectively. The LOD score had perfect calibration with the Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness-of-fit H chi-2 = 10 (p = 0.44). However, the APACHE II had poor calibration with the Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness-of-fit H chi-2 = 75.69 (p < 0.001). Brier's score showed the overall fit for both models were 0.123 (95%Cl = 0.107-0.141) and 0.114 (0.098-0.132) for the LOD and APACHE II, respectively. Thus, the LOD score was found to be accurate for predicting hospital mortality for general critically ill patients in Thailand.

Predictors and outcomes of acute pancreatitis in critically ill patients presenting to the emergency department of a tertiary referral centre in Australia.

PubMed

Sundararajan, Krishnaswamy; Schoeman, Tom; Hughes, Lara; Edwards, Suzanne; Reddi, Benjamin

2017-04-01

To provide a current review of the clinical characteristics, predictors and outcomes in critically ill patients presenting to the ED with acute pancreatitis and subsequently admitted to an intensive care unit (ICU) of a tertiary referral centre in Australia. A retrospective single-centre study of adult patients admitted with pancreatitis. Severe acute pancreatitis defined by Bedside Index of Severity in Acute Pancreatitis (BISAP) score ≥2. Eighty-seven patients fulfilled criteria for inclusion during the study period, representing 0.9% of all ICU admissions. The median age of patients was 54. Survival was independent of patients' age, sex, aetiology and comorbidities. Mortality was 30.8% for both inpatient referrals to the ICU and for direct referrals via the ED. Higher mortality was identified among patients requiring mechanical ventilation (74.2 vs 24.6% in survivors; P < 0.0001), vasopressor support (85.7 vs 33.8% in survivors; P < 0.0001) or renal replacement therapy (60 vs 16.9% in survivors; P < 0.002). BISAP score surpasses Ranson's and Acute Physiological and Chronic Health Examination (APACHE) II scores in discriminating between survivors and non-survivors among unselected patients with acute pancreatitis admitted to ICU, whereas APACHE II discriminates better in the cohort admitted from ED. Severe acute pancreatitis is associated with high mortality. Aetiology and comorbidity did not predict adverse outcomes in this population. BISAP score is non-inferior to APACHE II score as a prognostic tool in critically ill patients with acute pancreatitis and could be used to triage admission. Evidence of persistent organ dysfunction and requirements for organ support reliably identify patients at high-risk of death. © 2017 Australasian College for Emergency Medicine and Australasian Society for Emergency Medicine.

Acute respiratory distress syndrome mimickers lacking common risk factors of the Berlin definition.

PubMed

Gibelin, Aude; Parrot, Antoine; Maitre, Bernard; Brun-Buisson, Christian; Mekontso Dessap, Armand; Fartoukh, Muriel; de Prost, Nicolas

2016-02-01

Some patients presenting with acute respiratory failure and meeting the Berlin criteria for acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) lack exposure to common risk factors (CRF). These so-called ARDS mimickers often lack histological diffuse alveolar damage. We aimed to describe such ARDS mimickers lacking CRF (ARDS CRF-) in comparison with others (ARDS CRF+). Retrospective study including all patients receiving invasive mechanical ventilation for ARDS admitted to the intensive care units (ICUs) of two tertiary care centers from January 2003 to December 2012. The prevalence of ARDS CRF- was 7.5 % (95 % CI [5.5-9.5]; n = 50/665). On the basis of medical history, bronchoalveolar lavage fluid cytology, and chest CT scan patterns, four etiological categories were identified: immune (n = 18; 36 %), drug-induced (n = 13; 26 %), malignant (n = 7; 14 %), and idiopathic (n = 12; 24 %). Although the ARDS CRF- patients had a lower logistic organ dysfunction score (4 [3-8] vs. 10 [6-13]; p < 0.0001) and less often shock upon ICU admission (44 vs. 80 %; p < 0.0001) than their counterparts, their overall ICU mortality rate was very high (66 % [46-74]), and the absence of CRF remained associated with ICU mortality by multivariable logistic regression analysis (adjusted OR = 2.06; 95 % CI [1.02-4.18]; p = 0.044). Among ARDS CRF- patients, the presence of potentially reversible lung lesions with corticosteroids (aOR = 0.14; 95 % CI [0.03-0.62]) was associated with ICU survival. The absence of CRF among patients with ARDS is common and associated with a higher risk of mortality. For such atypical ARDS, a complete diagnostic workup, including bronchoalveolar lavage fluid cytology and chest CT scan patterns, should be performed to identify those patients who might benefit from specific therapies, including corticosteroids.

Outcomes Related to the Use of Frozen Plasma or Pooled Solvent/Detergent-Treated Plasma in Critically Ill Children.

PubMed

Camazine, Maraya N; Karam, Oliver; Colvin, Ryan; Leteurtre, Stephane; Demaret, Pierre; Tucci, Marisa; Muszynski, Jennifer A; Stanworth, Simon; Spinella, Philip C

2017-05-01

To determine if the use of fresh frozen plasma/frozen plasma 24 hours compared to solvent detergent plasma is associated with international normalized ratio reduction or ICU mortality in critically ill children. This is an a priori secondary analysis of a prospective, observational study. Study groups were defined as those transfused with either fresh frozen plasma/frozen plasma 24 hours or solvent detergent plasma. Outcomes were international normalized ratio reduction and ICU mortality. Multivariable logistic regression was used to determine independent associations. One hundred one PICUs in 21 countries. All critically ill children admitted to a participating unit were included if they received at least one plasma unit during six predefined 1-week (Monday to Friday) periods. All children were exclusively transfused with either fresh frozen plasma/frozen plasma 24 hours or solvent detergent plasma. None. There were 443 patients enrolled in the study. Twenty-four patients (5%) were excluded because no plasma type was recorded; the remaining 419 patients were analyzed. Fresh frozen plasma/frozen plasma 24 hours group included 357 patients, and the solvent detergent plasma group included 62 patients. The median (interquartile range) age and weight were 1 year (0.2-6.4) and 9.4 kg (4.0-21.1), respectively. There was no difference in reason for admission, severity of illness score, pretransfusion international normalized ratio, or lactate values; however, there was a difference in primary indication for plasma transfusion (p < 0.001). There was no difference in median (interquartile range) international normalized ratio reduction, between fresh frozen plasma/frozen plasma 24 hours and solvent detergent plasma study groups, -0.2 (-0.4 to 0) and -0.2 (-0.3 to 0), respectively (p = 0.80). ICU mortality was lower in the solvent detergent plasma versus fresh frozen plasma/frozen plasma 24 hours groups, 14.5% versus 29.1%%, respectively (p = 0.02). Upon adjusted analysis, solvent detergent plasma transfusion was independently associated with reduced ICU mortality (odds ratio, 0.40; 95% CI, 0.16-0.99; p = 0.05). Solvent detergent plasma use in critically ill children may be associated with improved survival. This hypothesis-generating data support a randomized controlled trial comparing solvent detergent plasma to fresh frozen plasma/frozen plasma 24 hours.

Infection control in intensive care units and prevention of ventilator-associated pneumonia.

PubMed

Bonten, M J; Weinstein, R A

2000-12-01

Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) is considered the most frequent infection in the intensive care unit (ICU), although incidence rates depend on the diagnostic methods. Because VAP has been associated with increased mortality and greater costs for medical care, prevention remains an important goal for intensive care medicine. Selective digestive decontamination (SDD), the most frequently studied method of infection prevention, is still controversial despite more than 30 prospective randomized trials and 6 metaanalyses. SDD reduces the incidence of VAP diagnoses, but beneficial effects on duration of ventilation or ICU stay, antibiotic use, and patient survival have not been shown unequivocally. Although recent metaanalyses suggest a 20% to 40% decrease in ICU mortality for SDD used with systemic prophylaxis, this benefit should be confirmed in a large, prospective, randomized study, preferably with a cost-benefit analysis. Selection of pathogens resistant to the antibiotics used in SDD remains the most important drawback of SDD, rendering SDD contraindicated in wards with endemic resistant problems. Other methods of infection prevention that do not create a selective growth advantage for resistant microorganisms may be more useful. Among these are the use of endotracheal tubes with the possibility of continuous aspiration of subglottic secretions, oropharyngeal decontamination with antiseptics, or the semirecumbent treatment position of patients. Although these methods were successful in single studies, more data are needed. Notwithstanding the potential benefits of these interventions, such classic infection control measures as handwashing remain the cornerstone of infection prevention.

The Lactate/Albumin Ratio: A Valuable Tool for Risk Stratification in Septic Patients Admitted to ICU

PubMed Central

Lichtenauer, Michael; Wernly, Bernhard; Ohnewein, Bernhard; Kabisch, Bjoern; Masyuk, Maryna; Lauten, Alexander; Schulze, Paul Christian; Hoppe, Uta C.; Kelm, Malte; Jung, Christian

2017-01-01

The lactate/albumin ratio has been reported to be associated with mortality in pediatric patients with sepsis. We aimed to evaluate the lactate/albumin ratio for its prognostic relevance in a larger collective of critically ill (adult) patients admitted to an intensive care unit (ICU). A total of 348 medical patients admitted to a German ICU for sepsis between 2004 and 2009 were included. Follow-up of patients was performed retrospectively between May 2013 and November 2013. The association of the lactate/albumin ratio (cut-off 0.15) and both in-hospital and post-discharge mortality was investigated. An optimal cut-off was calculated by means of Youden’s index. The lactate/albumin ratio was elevated in non-survivors (p < 0.001). Patients with an increased lactate/albumin ratio were of similar age, but clinically in a poorer condition and had more pronounced laboratory signs of multi-organ failure. An increased lactate/albumin ratio was associated with adverse in-hospital mortality. An optimal cut-off of 0.15 was calculated and was associated with adverse long-term outcome even after correction for APACHE2 and SAPS2. We matched 99 patients with a lactate/albumin ratio >0.15 to case-controls with a lactate/albumin ratio <0.15 corrected for APACHE2 scores: The group with a lactate/albumin ratio >0.15 evidenced adverse in-hospital outcome in a paired analysis with a difference of 27% (95%CI 10–43%; p < 0.01). Regarding long-term mortality, again, patients in the group with a lactate/albumin ratio >0.15 showed adverse outcomes (p < 0.001). An increased lactate/albumin ratio was significantly associated with an adverse outcome in critically ill patients admitted to an ICU, even after correction for confounders. The lactate/albumin ratio might constitute an independent, readily available, and important parameter for risk stratification in the critically ill. PMID:28869492

The Lactate/Albumin Ratio: A Valuable Tool for Risk Stratification in Septic Patients Admitted to ICU.

PubMed

Lichtenauer, Michael; Wernly, Bernhard; Ohnewein, Bernhard; Franz, Marcus; Kabisch, Bjoern; Muessig, Johanna; Masyuk, Maryna; Lauten, Alexander; Schulze, Paul Christian; Hoppe, Uta C; Kelm, Malte; Jung, Christian

2017-09-02

The lactate/albumin ratio has been reported to be associated with mortality in pediatric patients with sepsis. We aimed to evaluate the lactate/albumin ratio for its prognostic relevance in a larger collective of critically ill (adult) patients admitted to an intensive care unit (ICU). A total of 348 medical patients admitted to a German ICU for sepsis between 2004 and 2009 were included. Follow-up of patients was performed retrospectively between May 2013 and November 2013. The association of the lactate/albumin ratio (cut-off 0.15) and both in-hospital and post-discharge mortality was investigated. An optimal cut-off was calculated by means of Youden's index. The lactate/albumin ratio was elevated in non-survivors ( p < 0.001). Patients with an increased lactate/albumin ratio were of similar age, but clinically in a poorer condition and had more pronounced laboratory signs of multi-organ failure. An increased lactate/albumin ratio was associated with adverse in-hospital mortality. An optimal cut-off of 0.15 was calculated and was associated with adverse long-term outcome even after correction for APACHE2 and SAPS2. We matched 99 patients with a lactate/albumin ratio >0.15 to case-controls with a lactate/albumin ratio <0.15 corrected for APACHE2 scores: The group with a lactate/albumin ratio >0.15 evidenced adverse in-hospital outcome in a paired analysis with a difference of 27% (95%CI 10-43%; p < 0.01). Regarding long-term mortality, again, patients in the group with a lactate/albumin ratio >0.15 showed adverse outcomes ( p < 0.001). An increased lactate/albumin ratio was significantly associated with an adverse outcome in critically ill patients admitted to an ICU, even after correction for confounders. The lactate/albumin ratio might constitute an independent, readily available, and important parameter for risk stratification in the critically ill.

Blood Urea Nitrogen (BUN) is independently associated with mortality in critically ill patients admitted to ICU.

PubMed

Arihan, Okan; Wernly, Bernhard; Lichtenauer, Michael; Franz, Marcus; Kabisch, Bjoern; Muessig, Johanna; Masyuk, Maryna; Lauten, Alexander; Schulze, Paul Christian; Hoppe, Uta C; Kelm, Malte; Jung, Christian

2018-01-01

Blood urea nitrogen (BUN) was reported to be associated with mortality in heart failure patients. We aimed to evaluate admission BUN concentration in a heterogeneous critically ill patient collective admitted to an intensive care unit (ICU) for prognostic relevance. A total of 4176 medical patients (67±13 years) admitted to a German ICU between 2004 and 2009 were included. Follow-up of patients was performed retrospectively between May 2013 and November 2013. Association of admission BUN and both intra-hospital and long-term mortality were investigated by Cox regression. An optimal cut-off was calculated by means of the Youden-Index. Patients with higher admission BUN concentration were older, clinically sicker and had more pronounced laboratory signs of multi-organ failure including kidney failure. Admission BUN was associated with adverse long-term mortality (HR 1.013; 95%CI 1.012-1.014; p<0.001). An optimal cut-off was calculated at 28 mg/dL which was associated with adverse outcome even after correction for APACHE2 (HR 1.89; 95%CI 1.59-2.26; p<0.001), SAPS2 (HR 1.85; 95%CI 1.55-2.21; p<0.001) and several parameters including creatinine in an integrative model (HR 3.34; 95%CI 2.89-3.86; p<0.001). We matched 614 patients with admission BUN >28 mg/dL to case-controls ≤ 28mg/dL corrected for APACHE2 scores: BUN above 28 mg/dL remained associated with adverse outcome in a paired analysis with the difference being 5.85% (95%CI 1.23-10.47%; p = 0.02). High BUN concentration at admission was robustly associated with adverse outcome in critically ill patients admitted to an ICU, even after correction for co-founders including renal failure. BUN might constitute an independent, easily available and important parameter for risk stratification in the critically ill.

Blood Urea Nitrogen (BUN) is independently associated with mortality in critically ill patients admitted to ICU

PubMed Central

Lichtenauer, Michael; Franz, Marcus; Kabisch, Bjoern; Muessig, Johanna; Masyuk, Maryna; Lauten, Alexander; Schulze, Paul Christian; Hoppe, Uta C.; Kelm, Malte; Jung, Christian

2018-01-01

Purpose Blood urea nitrogen (BUN) was reported to be associated with mortality in heart failure patients. We aimed to evaluate admission BUN concentration in a heterogeneous critically ill patient collective admitted to an intensive care unit (ICU) for prognostic relevance. Methods A total of 4176 medical patients (67±13 years) admitted to a German ICU between 2004 and 2009 were included. Follow-up of patients was performed retrospectively between May 2013 and November 2013. Association of admission BUN and both intra-hospital and long-term mortality were investigated by Cox regression. An optimal cut-off was calculated by means of the Youden-Index. Results Patients with higher admission BUN concentration were older, clinically sicker and had more pronounced laboratory signs of multi-organ failure including kidney failure. Admission BUN was associated with adverse long-term mortality (HR 1.013; 95%CI 1.012–1.014; p<0.001). An optimal cut-off was calculated at 28 mg/dL which was associated with adverse outcome even after correction for APACHE2 (HR 1.89; 95%CI 1.59–2.26; p<0.001), SAPS2 (HR 1.85; 95%CI 1.55–2.21; p<0.001) and several parameters including creatinine in an integrative model (HR 3.34; 95%CI 2.89–3.86; p<0.001). We matched 614 patients with admission BUN >28 mg/dL to case-controls ≤ 28mg/dL corrected for APACHE2 scores: BUN above 28 mg/dL remained associated with adverse outcome in a paired analysis with the difference being 5.85% (95%CI 1.23–10.47%; p = 0.02). Conclusions High BUN concentration at admission was robustly associated with adverse outcome in critically ill patients admitted to an ICU, even after correction for co-founders including renal failure. BUN might constitute an independent, easily available and important parameter for risk stratification in the critically ill. PMID:29370259

Outcome and prognostic factors of patients with right-sided infective endocarditis requiring intensive care unit admission.

PubMed

Georges, Hugues; Leroy, Olivier; Airapetian, Norair; Lamblin, Nicolas; Zogheib, Elie; Devos, Patrick; Preau, Sebastien

2018-02-21

Right-sided infective endocarditis (RSIE) is an uncommon diagnosis accounting for less than 10% of cases of infective endocarditis. Optimal management for severely ill patients with RSIE remains challenging because few studies reported on management and outcome. The goal of our study was to determine outcome and associated prognostic factors in a population of ICU patients with a diagnosis of definite, active and severe RSIE. We performed a retrospective study in 10 French ICUs between January 2002 and December 2012. Main outcome was mortality at 30 days after ICU admission. Significant variables associated with 30-days mortality in the bivariate analysis were included in a logistic regression analysis. A total of 37 patients were studied. Mean age was 47.9 ± 18.4 years. Mean SAPS II, SOFA score and Charlson comorbidity index were 32.4 ± 17.4, 6.3 ± 4.4 and 3.1 ± 3.4, respectively. Causative pathogens, identified in 34 patients, were mainly staphylococci (n = 29). The source of endocarditis was a catheter related infection in 10 patients, intravenous drug abuse in 8 patients, cutaneous in 7 patients, urinary tract related in one patient and has an unknown origin in 7 patients. Vegetation size was higher than 20 mm for 14 patients. Valve tricuspid regurgitation was classified as severe in 11 patients. All patients received initial appropriate antimicrobial therapy. Aminoglycosides were delivered in combination with β-lactam antibiotics or vancomycin in 22 patients. Surgical procedure was performed in 14 patients. Eight patients (21.6%) died within 30 days following ICU admission. One independent prognostic factor was identified: use of aminoglycosides was associated with improved outcome (OR = 0.1; 95%CI = 0.0017-0.650; p = 0.007). Mortality of patients with RSIE needing ICU admission is high. Aminoglycosides used in combination with β-lactam or vancomycin could reduce 30 days mortality.

Post-operative outcomes in older patients: a single-centre observational study.

PubMed

Tang, Benjamin; Green, Cameron; Yeoh, Aun Chian; Husain, Faisal; Subramaniam, Ashwin

2018-05-01

Improved life-expectancies have seen increased rates of older patients undergoing surgery worldwide. These patients are at increased risk of post-operative complications. Australian evidence is limited regarding the association between age and post-operative outcomes, especially rapid response calls (RRCs) as indicators of adverse outcomes. The aim was to compare the post-operative outcomes of older patients (≥80 years) to younger patients. Specifically, 30-day in-hospital mortality; unplanned intensive care unit (ICU) admission; and RRC activation within 72 h post-operatively. Single-centre retrospective observational study conducted over 12 months in a metropolitan Australian hospital. All adult patients (≥16 years) undergoing surgical procedures were included, excluding cardiac and obstetric/gynaecological surgeries. Patient co-morbidities were quantified using Charlson co-morbidity index (CCI) and American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status classification. Seven thousand four hundred and seventy-nine patients met inclusion criteria, 14.5% (n = 1086) aged ≥80 years. Most procedures (65%) were elective; and general surgical procedures were most common (24.2%). Compared to younger patients, older patients had significantly higher 30-day mortality (2.3% versus 0.2%; P < 0.001), increased post-operative RRC rates (7.3% versus 1.2%; P < 0.001), and unplanned ICU admissions (3.2% versus 1.6%; P < 0.001). Increasing age was associated with increased risk of post-operative RRC, unplanned ICU admission, and in-hospital mortality (all P < 0.01), with associations remaining significant after controlling for surgery type and CCI. Older patients are at increased risk of adverse post-operative outcomes, including post-operative RRC, unplanned ICU admission, and mortality, especially if they underwent emergency procedures. This has implications for preoperative risk stratification and post-operative management. Incidence of post-operative RRCs may be an important indicator of post-operative care. © 2018 Royal Australasian College of Surgeons.

Predictors of poor outcome in gastrointestinal bleeding in emergency department.

PubMed

Kaya, Ender; Karaca, Mehmet Ali; Aldemir, Deniz; Ozmen, M Mahir

2016-04-28

To determine the prognostic risk factors of gastrointestinal bleeding in emergency department cases. The trial was a retrospective single-center study involving 600 patients over 18-years-old and carried out with approval by the Institutional Ethics Committee. Patient data included demographic characteristics, symptoms at admission, past medical history, vital signs, laboratory results, endoscopy and colonoscopy results, length of hospital stay, need of intensive care unit (ICU) admission, and mortality. Mortality rate was the principal endpoint of the study, while duration of hospital stay, required interventional treatment, and admission to the ICU were secondary endpoints. The mean age of patients was 61.92-years-old. Among the 600 total patients, 363 (60.5%) underwent upper gastrointestinal endoscopy and the most frequent diagnoses were duodenal ulcer (19.2%) and gastric ulcer (12.8%). One-hundred-and-fifteen (19.2%) patients required endoscopic treatment, 20 (3.3%) required surgical treatment, and 5 (0.8%) required angiographic embolization. The mean length of hospital stay was 5.21 ± 5.85 d. The mortality rate was 6.3%. The ICU admission rate was 5.3%. Patients with syncope, higher blood glucose levels, and coronary artery disease had significantly higher ICU admission rates (P = 0.029, P = 0.043, and P = 0.002, respectively). Patients with low thrombocyte levels, high creatinine, high international normalized ratio, and high serum transaminase levels had significantly longer hospital stay (P = 0.02, P = 0.001, P = 0.019, and P = 0.005, respectively). Patients who died had significantly higher serum blood urea nitrogen and creatinine levels (P = 0.016 and P = 0.038), and significantly lower mean blood pressure and oxygen saturation (P = 0.004 and P = 0.049). Malignancy and low Glasgow coma scale (GCS) were independent predictive factors of mortality. Prognostic factors for gastrointestinal bleeding in emergency room cases are malignancy, hypotension on admission, low GCS, and impaired kidney function.

[Aspirative pneumonia associated to swallowing dysfunction: case report].

PubMed

Toufen Junior, Carlos; Camargo, Fernanda Pereira de; Carvalho, Carlos Roberto Ribeiro

2007-03-01

Critically ill patients represent a population with multiple risk factors for aspiration. Features such as decreased level of consciousness, mechanical ventilation, and comorbities as stroke, correlate with this increased threat in intensive care unit (ICU) patients. Recognition of deglutition dysfunction may identify patients at high risk of aspiration, and thereby help to avoid pulmonary complications such as recurrent pneumonia. The goal of our report is show a severe case of recurrent aspirative pneumonia after acute stroke and intubation, alerting to appropriate diagnosis and treatment of this condition. A male patient, 57 year old, was admitted to the hospital because of acute stroke. Ten days later, the patient began to have fever and severe shortness of breath. He was admitted to the ICU necessitating of intratracheal intubation. Four days after intubation he was extubated, however, he had a new aspirative pneumonia in ICU, newly treated. An evaluation of swallowing demonstrated a severe deglutition dysfunction with a high risk of aspiration. The patient was transferred, but aspirative pneumonia was diagnosed eight days after his ICU discharge and he was readmitted, stayed for a long time in ICU and presenting severe morbidity. ICU patients who are at risk for swallowing dysfunction and aspiration should be identified to prevent their associated morbidity and mortality.

Long-term outcome of refractory status epilepticus in adults: A retrospective population-based study.

PubMed

Kantanen, Anne-Mari; Reinikainen, Matti; Parviainen, Ilkka; Kälviäinen, Reetta

2017-07-01

Refractory status epilepticus (RSE) is a neurological emergency with significant morbidity and mortality. We aimed to analyze the long-term outcome of intensive care unit (ICU)-treated RSE and super-refractory status epilepticus (SRSE) patients in a population based cohort. A retrospective study of ICU- and anesthesia-treated RSE patients in Kuopio University Hospital's (KUH) special responsibility area hospitals in the central and eastern part of Finland from Jan. 1, 2010 to Dec. 31, 2012 was conducted. KUH's catchment area consists of five hospitals-one university hospital and four central hospitals-and covers a population of 840 000. We included all consecutive adult (16 years or older) RSE patients admitted in the participating ICUs during the 3-year period and excluded patients with postanoxic etiologies. We used a modified Rankin Scale (mRS) as a long-term (1-year) outcome measure: good (mRS 0-3, recovered to baseline function) or poor (mRS 4-6, major functional deficit or death). We identified 75 patients with ICU- and anesthesia-treated RSE, corresponding to an annual incidence of 3.0 (95% confidence interval (CI) 2.4-3.8). 21% of the patients were classified as SRSE, with the annual incidence being 0.6/100 000 (95% CI 0.4-1.0). For RSE, the ICU mortality was 0%, hospital mortality was 7% (95% CI 1.2%-12.8%) (n=5), and one-year mortality was 23% (CI 95% 13.4%-32.5%) (n=17). 48% (n=36) of RSE patients recovered to baseline, and 29% (n=22) showed neurological deficit at 1year. Poor outcome (mRS 4-6) was recorded for 52% (n=39) of the patients. Older age was associated with poorer outcome at 1year (p=0.03). For SRSE, hospital mortality was 6% (n=1) and 1-year mortality was 19% (n=3) (95%CI 0%-38.2%). During 1-year follow-up, nearly 50% of the ICU-treated RSE patients recovered to baseline function, whereas 30% showed new functional defects and 20% died. SRSE does not have a necessarily poorer outcome. The outcome is worse in older patients and in patients with progressive or fatal etiologies. SE should be treated with generalized anesthesia only in refractory cases after failure of adequately used first- and second-line antiepileptic drugs. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Assessment of performance and utility of mortality prediction models in a single Indian mixed tertiary intensive care unit.

PubMed

Sathe, Prachee M; Bapat, Sharda N

2014-01-01

To assess the performance and utility of two mortality prediction models viz. Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II (APACHE II) and Simplified Acute Physiology Score II (SAPS II) in a single Indian mixed tertiary intensive care unit (ICU). Secondary objectives were bench-marking and setting a base line for research. In this observational cohort, data needed for calculation of both scores were prospectively collected for all consecutive admissions to 28-bedded ICU in the year 2011. After excluding readmissions, discharges within 24 h and age <18 years, the records of 1543 patients were analyzed using appropriate statistical methods. Both models overpredicted mortality in this cohort [standardized mortality ratio (SMR) 0.88 ± 0.05 and 0.95 ± 0.06 using APACHE II and SAPS II respectively]. Patterns of predicted mortality had strong association with true mortality (R (2) = 0.98 for APACHE II and R (2) = 0.99 for SAPS II). Both models performed poorly in formal Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness-of-fit testing (Chi-square = 12.8 (P = 0.03) for APACHE II, Chi-square = 26.6 (P = 0.001) for SAPS II) but showed good discrimination (area under receiver operating characteristic curve 0.86 ± 0.013 SE (P < 0.001) and 0.83 ± 0.013 SE (P < 0.001) for APACHE II and SAPS II, respectively). There were wide variations in SMRs calculated for subgroups based on International Classification of Disease, 10(th) edition (standard deviation ± 0.27 for APACHE II and 0.30 for SAPS II). Lack of fit of data to the models and wide variation in SMRs in subgroups put a limitation on utility of these models as tools for assessing quality of care and comparing performances of different units without customization. Considering comparable performance and simplicity of use, efforts should be made to adapt SAPS II.

African Americans Are Less Likely to Receive Care by a Cardiologist During an Intensive Care Unit Admission for Heart Failure.

PubMed

Breathett, Khadijah; Liu, Wenhui G; Allen, Larry A; Daugherty, Stacie L; Blair, Irene V; Jones, Jacqueline; Grunwald, Gary K; Moss, Marc; Kiser, Tyree H; Burnham, Ellen; Vandivier, R William; Clark, Brendan J; Lewis, Eldrin F; Mazimba, Sula; Battaglia, Catherine; Ho, P Michael; Peterson, Pamela N

2018-05-01

This study sought to determine whether the likelihood of receiving primary intensive care unit (ICU) care by a cardiologist versus a noncardiologist was greater for Caucasians than for African Americans admitted to an ICU for heart failure (HF). The authors further evaluated whether primary ICU care by a cardiologist is associated with higher in-hospital survival, irrespective of race. Increasing data demonstrate an association between better HF outcomes and care by a cardiologist. It is unclear if previously noted racial differences in cardiology care persist in an ICU setting. Using the Premier database, adult patients admitted to an ICU with a primary discharge diagnosis of HF from 2010 to 2014 were included. Hierarchical logistic regression models were used to determine the association between race and primary ICU care by a cardiologist, adjusting for patient and hospital variables. Cox regression with inverse probability weighting was used to assess the association between cardiology care and in-hospital mortality. Among 104,835 patients (80.3% Caucasians, 19.7% African Americans), Caucasians had higher odds of care by a cardiologist than African Americans (adjusted odds ratio: 1.42; 95% confidence interval: 1.34 to 1.51). Compared with a noncardiologist, primary ICU care by a cardiologist was associated with higher in-hospital survival (adjusted hazard ratio: 1.20, 95% confidence interval: 1.11 to 1.28). The higher likelihood of survival did not differ by patient race (interaction p = 0.32). Among patients admitted to an ICU for HF, African Americans were less likely than Caucasians to receive primary care by a cardiologist. Primary care by a cardiologist was associated with higher survival for both Caucasians and African Americans. Copyright © 2018 American College of Cardiology Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Factors Associated with the Incidence and Severity of New-Onset Atrial Fibrillation in Adult Critically Ill Patients

PubMed Central

Leichtweis, Gustavo Elias; Andriolo, Luiza; Delevatti, Yasmim A.; Jorge, Amaury C.; Fumagalli, Andreia C.; Santos, Luiz Claudio; Miura, Cecilia K.; Saito, Sergio K.

2017-01-01

Background Acute Atrial Fibrillation (AF) is common in critically ill patients, with significant morbidity and mortality; however, its incidence and severity in Intensive Care Units (ICUs) from low-income countries are poorly studied. Additionally, impact of vasoactive drugs on its incidence and severity is still not understood. This study aimed to assess epidemiology and risk factors for acute new-onset AF in critically ill adult patients and the role of vasoactive drugs. Method Cohort performed in seven general ICUs (including cardiac surgery) in three cities in Paraná State (southern Brazil) for 45 days. Patients were followed until hospital discharge. Results Among 430 patients evaluated, the incidence of acute new-onset AF was 11.2%. Patients with AF had higher ICU and hospital mortality. Vasoactive drugs use (norepinephrine and dobutamine) was correlated with higher incidence of AF and higher mortality in patients with AF; vasopressin (though used in few patients) had no effect on development of AF. Conclusions In general ICU patients, incidence of new-onset AF was 11.2% with a high impact on morbidity and mortality, particularly associated with the presence of Acute Renal Failure. The use of vasoactive drugs (norepinephrine and dobutamine) could lead to a higher incidence of new-onset AF-associated morbidity and mortality. PMID:28702263

Factors Associated with the Incidence and Severity of New-Onset Atrial Fibrillation in Adult Critically Ill Patients.

PubMed

Duarte, Péricles A D; Leichtweis, Gustavo Elias; Andriolo, Luiza; Delevatti, Yasmim A; Jorge, Amaury C; Fumagalli, Andreia C; Santos, Luiz Claudio; Miura, Cecilia K; Saito, Sergio K

2017-01-01

Acute Atrial Fibrillation (AF) is common in critically ill patients, with significant morbidity and mortality; however, its incidence and severity in Intensive Care Units (ICUs) from low-income countries are poorly studied. Additionally, impact of vasoactive drugs on its incidence and severity is still not understood. This study aimed to assess epidemiology and risk factors for acute new-onset AF in critically ill adult patients and the role of vasoactive drugs. Cohort performed in seven general ICUs (including cardiac surgery) in three cities in Paraná State (southern Brazil) for 45 days. Patients were followed until hospital discharge. Among 430 patients evaluated, the incidence of acute new-onset AF was 11.2%. Patients with AF had higher ICU and hospital mortality. Vasoactive drugs use (norepinephrine and dobutamine) was correlated with higher incidence of AF and higher mortality in patients with AF; vasopressin (though used in few patients) had no effect on development of AF. In general ICU patients, incidence of new-onset AF was 11.2% with a high impact on morbidity and mortality, particularly associated with the presence of Acute Renal Failure. The use of vasoactive drugs (norepinephrine and dobutamine) could lead to a higher incidence of new-onset AF-associated morbidity and mortality.

Serum thiamine concentration and oxidative stress as predictors of mortality in patients with septic shock.

PubMed

Costa, Nara Aline; Gut, Ana Lúcia; de Souza Dorna, Mariana; Pimentel, José Alexandre Coelho; Cozzolino, Silvia Maria Franciscato; Azevedo, Paula Schmidt; Fernandes, Ana Angélica Henrique; Zornoff, Leonardo Antonio Mamede; de Paiva, Sergio Alberto Rupp; Minicucci, Marcos Ferreira

2014-04-01

The purpose of the study is to determine the influence of serum thiamine, glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activity, and serum protein carbonyl concentrations in hospital mortality in patients with septic shock. This prospective study included all patients with septic shock on admission or during intensive care unit (ICU) stay, older than 18 years, admitted to 1 of the 3 ICUs of the Botucatu Medical School, from January to August 2012. Demographic information, clinical evaluation, and blood sample were taken within the first 72 hours of the patient's admission or within 72 hours after septic shock diagnosis for serum thiamine, GPx activity, and protein carbonyl determination. One hundred eight consecutive patients were evaluated. The mean age was 57.5 ± 16.0 years, 63% were male, 54.6% died in the ICU, and 71.3% had thiamine deficiency. Thiamine was not associated with oxidative stress. Neither vitamin B1 levels nor the GPx activity was associated with outcomes in these patients. However, protein carbonyl concentration was associated with increased mortality. In patients with septic shock, oxidative stress was associated with mortality. On the other hand, thiamine was not associated with oxidative stress or mortality in these patients. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Myeloperoxidase can differentiate between sepsis and non-infectious SIRS and predicts mortality in intensive care patients with SIRS.

PubMed

Schrijver, Irene T; Kemperman, Hans; Roest, Mark; Kesecioglu, Jozef; de Lange, Dylan W

2017-09-15

Systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) is a clinical syndrome following inflammation. Clinically, it is difficult to distinguish SIRS following an infection, i.e., sepsis, from non-infectious SIRS. Myeloperoxidase is a hemeprotein stored in the neutrophil azurophilic granules and is one of the main pillars of neutrophil attack. Therefore, we hypothesized that myeloperoxidase can differentiate between sepsis and non-infectious SIRS in patients with systemic inflammatory response syndrome in the intensive care unit (ICU). An observational single-center cohort study was conducted measuring myeloperoxidase in patients with SIRS in the first 48 h after admission. The outcomes were established using predefined definitions. Thirty-day mortality was retrospectively assessed. We found significantly higher levels of myeloperoxidase in patients with sepsis and septic shock compared to patients without sepsis (60 ng/ml versus 43 ng/ml, P = 0.002). Myeloperoxidase levels were related to 30-day mortality (P = 0.032), and high MPO levels on top of a high APACHE IV score further increased mortality risk. We show that myeloperoxidase is a potentially novel biomarker for sepsis in the ICU. Myeloperoxidase could eventually help in diagnosing sepsis and predicting mortality. However, more research is necessary to confirm our results.

Pre-morbid glycemic control modifies the interaction between acute hypoglycemia and mortality.

PubMed

Egi, Moritoki; Krinsley, James S; Maurer, Paula; Amin, Devendra N; Kanazawa, Tomoyuki; Ghandi, Shruti; Morita, Kiyoshi; Bailey, Michael; Bellomo, Rinaldo

2016-04-01

To study the impact of pre-morbid glycemic control on the association between acute hypoglycemia in intensive care unit (ICU) patients and subsequent hospital mortality in critically ill patients. We performed a multicenter, multinational, retrospective observational study of patients with available HbA1c levels within the 3-month period preceding ICU admission. We separated patients into three cohorts according to pre-admission HbA1c levels (<6.5, 6.5-7.9, ≥8.0%, respectively). Based on published data, we defined a glucose concentration of 40-69 mg/dL (2.2-3.8 mmol/L) as moderate hypoglycemia and <40 mg/dL (<2.2 mmol/L) as severe hypoglycemia. We applied logistic regression analysis to study the impact of pre-morbid glycemic control on the relationship between acute hypoglycemia and mortality. A total of 3084 critically ill patients were enrolled in the study. Among these patients, with increasing HbA1c levels from <6.5, to 6.5-7.9, and to ≥8.0%, the incidence of both moderate (3.8, 11.1, and 16.4%, respectively; p < 0.001) and severe (0.9, 2.5, and 4.3%, respectively; p < 0.001) hypoglycemia progressively and significantly increased. The relationship between the occurrence of hypoglycemic episodes in the ICU and in-hospital mortality was independently and significantly affected by pre-morbid glucose control, as assessed by adjusted odds ratio (OR) and 95 % confidence interval (CI) for hospital mortality: (1) moderate hypoglycemia: in patients with <6.5, 6.5-7.9, and ≥8.0 % of HbA1c level-OR 0.54, 95% CI 0.25-1.16; OR 0.82, 95 % CI 0.33-2.05; OR 3.42, 95 % CI 1.29-9.06, respectively; (2) severe hypoglycemia: OR 1.50, 95% CI 0.42-5.33; OR 1.59, 95% CI 0.36-7.10; OR 23.46, 95% CI 5.13-107.28, respectively (interaction with pre-morbid glucose control, p = 0.009). We found that the higher the glucose level before admission to the ICU, the higher the mortality risk when patients experienced hypoglycemia. In critically ill patients, chronic pre-morbid hyperglycemia increases the risk of hypoglycemia and modifies the association between acute hypoglycemia and mortality.

Which AIS based scoring system is the best predictor of outcome in orthopaedic blunt trauma patients?

PubMed

Harwood, Paul J; Giannoudis, Peter V; Probst, Christian; Van Griensven, Martijn; Krettek, Christian; Pape, Hans-Christoph

2006-02-01

Abbreviated Injury Scale (AIS)-based systems-the Injury Severity Score (ISS), New Injury Severity Score (NISS), and AISmax-are used to assess trauma patients. The merits of each in predicting outcome are controversial. A large prospective database was used to assess their predictive capacity using receiver operator characteristic curves. In all, 10,062 adult, blunt-trauma patients met the inclusion criteria. All systems were significant outcome predictors for sepsis, multiple organ failure (MOF), length of hospital stay, length of intensive care unit (ICU) admission and mortality (p < 0.0001). NISS was a significantly better predictor than the ISS for mortality (p < 0.0001). NISS was equivalent to the AISmax for mortality prediction and superior in patients with orthopaedic injuries. NISS was significantly better for sepsis, MOF, ICU stay, and total hospital stay (p < 0.0001). NISS is superior or equivalent to the ISS and AISmax for prediction of all investigated outcomes in a population of blunt trauma patients. As NISS is easier to calculate, its use is recommended to stratify patients for clinical and research purposes.

Evaluation of pneumonia severity and acute physiology scores to predict ICU admission and mortality in patients hospitalized for influenza.

PubMed

Muller, Matthew P; McGeer, Allison J; Hassan, Kazi; Marshall, John; Christian, Michael

2010-03-05

The demand for inpatient medical services increases during influenza season. A scoring system capable of identifying influenza patients at low risk death or ICU admission could help clinicians make hospital admission decisions. Hospitalized patients with laboratory confirmed influenza were identified over 3 influenza seasons at 25 Ontario hospitals. Each patient was assigned a score for 6 pneumonia severity and 2 sepsis scores using the first data available following their registration in the emergency room. In-hospital mortality and ICU admission were the outcomes. Score performance was assessed using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) and the sensitivity and specificity for identifying low risk patients (risk of outcome <5%). The cohort consisted of 607 adult patients. Mean age was 76 years, 12% of patients died (71/607) and 9% required ICU care (55/607). None of the scores examined demonstrated good discriminatory ability (AUC>or=0.80). The Pneumonia Severity Index (AUC 0.78, 95% CI 0.72-0.83) and the Mortality in Emergency Department Sepsis score (AUC 0.77, 95% 0.71-0.83) demonstrated fair predictive ability (AUC>or=0.70) for in-hospital mortality. The best predictor of ICU admission was SMART-COP (AUC 0.73, 95% CI 0.67-0.79). All other scores were poor predictors (AUC <0.70) of either outcome. If patients classified as low risk for in-hospital mortality using the PSI were discharged, 35% of admissions would have been avoided. None of the scores studied were good predictors of in-hospital mortality or ICU admission. The PSI and MEDS score were fair predictors of death and if these results are validated, their use could reduce influenza admission rates significantly.

Patients' recollections of experiences in the intensive care unit may affect their quality of life

PubMed Central

Granja, Cristina; Lopes, Alice; Moreira, Sara; Dias, Claudia; Costa-Pereira, Altamiro; Carneiro, António

2005-01-01

Introduction We wished to obtain the experiences felt by patients during their ICU stay using an original questionnaire and to correlate the memories of those experiences with health-related quality of life (HR-QOL). Methods We conducted a prospective study in 10 Portuguese intensive care units (ICUs). Six months after ICU discharge, an original questionnaire on experiences of patients during their ICU stay, the recollection questionnaire, was delivered. HR-QOL was evaluated simultaneously, with the EQ-5D questionnaire. Between 1 September 2002 and 31 March 2003 1433 adult patients were admitted. ICU and hospital mortalities were 21% and 28%, respectively. Six months after ICU discharge, 464 patients completed the recollection questionnaire. Results Thirty-eight percent of the patients stated they did not remember any moment of their ICU stay. The ICU environment was described as friendly and calm by 93% of the patients. Sleep was described as being good and enough by 73%. The experiences reported as being more stressful were tracheal tube aspiration (81%), nose tube (75%), family worries (71%) and pain (64%). Of respondents, 51% experienced dreams and nightmares during their ICU stay; of these, 14% stated that those dreams and nightmares disturb their present daily life and they exhibit a worse HR-QOL. Forty-one percent of patients reported current sleep disturbances, 38% difficulties in concentrating in current daily activities and 36% difficulties in remembering recent events. More than half of the patients reported more fatigue than before the ICU stay. Multiple and linear regression analysis showed that older age, longer ICU stay, higher Simplified Acute Physiology Score II, non-scheduled surgery and multiple trauma diagnostic categories, present sleep disturbances, daily disturbances by dreams and nightmares, difficulties in concentrating and difficulties in remembering recent events were independent predictors of worse HR-QOL. Multicollinearity analysis showed that, with the exception of the correlation between admission diagnostic categories and length of ICU stay (0.47), all other correlations between the independent variables and coefficient estimates included in the regression models were weak (below 0.30). Conclusion This study suggests that neuropsychological consequences of critical illness, in particular the recollection of ICU experiences, may influence subsequent HR-QOL. PMID:15774056

Association Between ICU Admission During Morning Rounds and Mortality

PubMed Central

Gajic, Ognjen; Morales, Ian J.; Keegan, Mark T.; Peters, Steve G.; Hubmayr, Rolf D.

2009-01-01

Background: No previous study has evaluated the association between admission to ICUs during round time and patient outcome. The objective of this study was to determine the association between round-time ICU admission and patient outcome. Methods: This retrospective study included 49,844 patients admitted from October 1994 to December 2007 to four ICUs (two surgical, one medical, and one multispecialty) of an academic medical center. Of these patients, 3,580 were admitted to the ICU during round time (8:00 am to 10:59 am) and 46,264 were admitted during nonround time (from 1:00 pm to 6:00 am). The medical ICU had 24-h/7-day per week intensivist coverage during the last 2 years of the study. We compared the baseline characteristics and outcome of patients admitted to the ICU between the two groups. Data were abstracted from the acute physiology and chronic health evaluation (APACHE) III database. Results: The round-time and non-round-groups were similar in gender, ethnicity, and age. The predicted hospital mortality rate of the round time group was higher (17.4% vs 12.3% predicted, respectively; p < 0.001). The hospital length of stay was similar between the two groups. The round-time group had a higher hospital mortality rate (16.2% vs 8.8%, respectively; p < 0.001). Most of the round-time ICU admissions and deaths occurred in the medical ICU. Round-time admission was an independent risk factor for hospital death (odds ratio, 1.321; 95% CI, 1.178 to 1.481). This independent association was present for the whole study period except for the last 2 years. Conclusions: Patients admitted to the ICU during morning rounds have higher severity of illness and mortality rates. PMID:19505985

The Relation between Sarcopenia and Mortality in Patients at Intensive Care Unit.

PubMed

Toptas, Mehmet; Yalcin, Mazhar; Akkoc, İbrahim; Demir, Eren; Metin, Cagatay; Savas, Yildiray; Kalyoncuoglu, Muhsin; Can, Mehmet Mustafa

2018-01-01

Psoas muscle area (PMA) can reflect the status of skeletal muscle in the whole body. It has been also reported that decreased PMA was associated with postoperative mortality or morbidity after several surgical procedures. In this study, we aimed to investigate the relation between PMA and mortality in all age groups in intensive care unit (UNIT). The study consists of 362 consecutive patients. The demographic characteristics of patients, indications for ICU hospitalization, laboratory parameters, and clinical parameters consist of mortality and length of stay, and surgery history was obtained from intensive care archive records. The mean age was 61.2 ± 18.2 years, and the percentage of female was 33.3%. The mean duration of stay was 10.3 ± 24.4 days. Exitus ratio, partial healing, and healing were 25%, 70%, and 5%, respectively. The mean right, left, and total PMA were 8.7 ± 3.6, 8.9 ± 3.4, and 17.6 ± 6.9, respectively. The left and total PMA averages of the nonoperation patients were statistically significantly lower ( p = 0.021   p = 0.043). The mean PMA between the ex and recovered patients were statistically significantly lower ( p = 0.001, p = 0.001, p < 0.001). Dyspnoea, renal insufficiency, COPD, transfusion rate, operation rate, ventilator needy, and mean duration of hospitalization were statistically significant higher in patients with exitus. There is a significant difference in operation types, anesthesia type, and clinic rates. Our data suggest that sarcopenia can be used to risk stratification in ICU patients. Future studies may use this technique to individualize postoperative interventions that may reduce the risk for an adverse discharge disposition related to critical illness, such as early mobilization, optimized nutritional support, and reduction of sedation and opioid dose.

Derivation of data-driven triggers for palliative care consultation in critically ill patients.

PubMed

Hua, May S; Ma, Xiaoyue; Li, Guohua; Wunsch, Hannah

2018-04-30

To examine the ability of existing triggers for intensive care unit (ICU) palliative care consultation to predict 6-month mortality, and derive new triggers for consultation based on risk factors for 6-month mortality. Retrospective cohort study of NY state residents who received intensive care, 2008-2013. We examined sensitivity and specificity of existing triggers for predicting 6-month mortality and used logistic regression to generate patient subgroups at high-risk for 6-month mortality as potential novel triggers for ICU palliative care consultation. Of 1,019,849 patients, 195,847 (19.2%) died within 6 months of admission. Existing triggers were specific but not sensitive for predicting 6-month mortality, (sensitivity 0.3%-11.1%, specificity 96.5-99.9% for individual triggers). Using logistic regression, patient subgroups with the highest predicted probability of 6-month mortality were older patients admitted with sepsis (age 70-79 probability 49.7%, [49.5-50.0]) or cancer (non-metastatic cancer, age 70-79 probability 51.5%, [51.1-51.9]; metastatic cancer, age 70-79 probability 60.3%, [59.9-60.6]). Sensitivity and specificity of novel triggers ranged from 0.05% to 9.2% and 98.6% to 99.9%, respectively. Existing triggers for palliative care consultation are specific, but insensitive for 6-month mortality. Using a data-driven approach to derive novel triggers may identify subgroups of patients at high-risk of 6-month mortality. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Upper gastrointestinal bleeding in patients with hepatic cirrhosis: clinical course and mortality prediction.

PubMed

Afessa, B; Kubilis, P S

2000-02-01

We conducted this study to describe the complications and validate the accuracy of previously reported prognostic indices in predicting the mortality of cirrhotic patients hospitalized for upper GI bleeding. This prospective, observational study included 111 consecutive hospitalizations of 85 cirrhotic patients admitted for GI bleeding. Data obtained included intensive care unit (ICU) admission status, Child-Pugh score, the development of systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS), organ failure, and inhospital mortality. The performances of Garden's, Gatta's, and Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) II prognostic systems in predicting mortality were assessed. Patients' mean age was 48.7 yr, and the median APACHE II and Child-Pugh scores were 17 and 9, respectively. Their ICU admission rate was 71%. Organ failure developed in 57%, and SIRS in 46% of the patients. Nine patients had acute respiratory distress syndrome, and three patients had hepatorenal syndrome. The inhospital mortality was 21%. The APACHE II, Garden's, and Gatta' s predicted mortality rates were 39%, 24%, and 20%, respectively, and their areas under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) were 0.78, 0.70, and 0.71, respectively. The AUC for Child-Pugh score was 0.76. SIRS and organ failure develop in many patients with hepatic cirrhosis hospitalized for upper GI bleeding, and are associated with increased mortality. Although the APACHE II prognostic system overestimated the mortality of these patients, the receiver operating characteristic curves did not show significant differences between the various prognostic systems.

[Implementation of a patient data management system. Effects on intensive care documentation].

PubMed

Castellanos, I; Ganslandt, T; Prokosch, H U; Schüttler, J; Bürkle, T

2013-11-01

Patient data management systems (PDMS) enable digital documentation on intensive care units (ICU). A commercial PDMS was implemented in a 25-bed ICU replacing paper-based patient charting. The ICU electronic patient record is completely managed inside the PDMS. It compiles data from vital signs monitors, ventilators and further medical devices and facilitates some drug dose and fluid balance calculations as well as data reuse for administrative purposes. Ventilation time and patient severity scoring as well as coding of diagnoses and procedures is supported. Billing data transferred via interface to the central billing system of the hospital. Such benefits should show in measurable parameters, such as documented ventilator time, number of coded diagnoses and procedures and others. These parameters influence reimbursement in the German DRG system. Therefore, measurable changes in cost and reimbursement data of the ICU were expected. A retrospective analysis of documentation quality parameters, cost data and mortality rate of a 25-bed surgical ICU within a German university hospital 3 years before (2004-2006) and 5 years after (2007-2011) PDMS implementation. Selected parameters were documented electronically, consistently and reproducibly for the complete time span of 8 years including those years where no electronic patient recording was available. The following parameters were included: number of cleared DRG, cleared ventilator time, case mix (CM), case mix index (CMI), length of stay, number of coded diagnoses and procedures, detailed overview of a specific procedure code based on daily Apache II and TISS Core 10 scores, mortality, total ICU costs and revenues and partial profits for specific ICU procedures, such as renal replacement therapy and blood products. Systematic shifts were detected over the study period, such as increasing case numbers and decreasing length of stay as well as annual fluctuations in severity of disease seen in the CM and CMI. After PDMS introduction, the total number of coded diagnoses increased but the proportion of DRG relevant diagnoses dropped significantly. The number of procedures increased (not significantly) and the number of procedures per case did not rise significantly. The procedure 8-980 showed a significant increase after PDMS introduction whereas the DRG-relevant proportion of those procedures dropped insignificantly. The number of ventilator-associated DRG cases as well as the total ventilator time increased but not significantly. Costs and revenues increased slightly but profit varied considerably from year to year in the 5 years after system implementation. A small increase was observed per case, per nursing day and per case mix point. Additional revenues for specific ICU procedures increased in the years before and dropped after PDMS implementation. There was an insignificant increase in ICU mortality rate from 7.4 % in the year 2006 (before) to 8.5 % in 2007 (after PDMS implementation). In the following years mortality dropped below the base level. The implementation of the PDMS showed only small effects on documentation of reimbursement-relevant parameters which were too small to set off against the total investment. The method itself, a long-term follow-up of different parameters proved successful and can be adapted by other organizations. The quality of results depends on the availability of long-term parameters in good quality. No significant influence of PDMS on mortality was found.

A comparison of pre ICU admission SIRS, EWS and q SOFA scores for predicting mortality and length of stay in ICU.

PubMed

Siddiqui, Shahla; Chua, Maureen; Kumaresh, Venkatesan; Choo, Robin

2017-10-01

The 2015 sepsis definitions suggest using the quick SOFA score for risk stratification of sepsis patients among other changes in sepsis definition. Our aim was to validate the q sofa score for diagnosing sepsis and comparing it to traditional scores of pre ICU admission sepsis outcome prediction such as EWS and SIRS in our setting in order to predict mortality and length of stay. This was a retrospective cohort study. We retrospectively calculated the q sofa, SIRS and EWS scores of all ICU patients admitted with the diagnosis of sepsis at our center in 2015. This was analysed using STATA 12. Logistic regression and ROC curves were used for analysis in addition to descriptive analysis. 58 patients were included in the study. Based on our one year results we have shown that although q SOFA is more sensitive in predicting LOS in ICU of sepsis patients, the EWS score is more sensitive and specific in predicting mortality in the ICU of such patients when compared to q SOFA and SIRS scores. In conclusion, we find that in our setting, EWS is better than SIRS and q SOFA for predicting mortality and perhaps length of stay as well. The q Sofa score remains validated for diagnosis of sepsis. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Implementation of a transfusion algorithm to reduce blood product utilization in pediatric cardiac surgery.

PubMed

Whitney, Gina; Daves, Suanne; Hughes, Alex; Watkins, Scott; Woods, Marcella; Kreger, Michael; Marincola, Paula; Chocron, Isaac; Donahue, Brian

2013-07-01

The goal of this project is to measure the impact of standardization of transfusion practice on blood product utilization and postoperative bleeding in pediatric cardiac surgery patients. Transfusion is common following cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) in children and is associated with increased mortality, infection, and duration of mechanical ventilation. Transfusion in pediatric cardiac surgery is often based on clinical judgment rather than objective data. Although objective transfusion algorithms have demonstrated efficacy for reducing transfusion in adult cardiac surgery, such algorithms have not been applied in the pediatric setting. This quality improvement effort was designed to reduce blood product utilization in pediatric cardiac surgery using a blood product transfusion algorithm. We implemented an evidence-based transfusion protocol in January 2011 and monitored the impact of this algorithm on blood product utilization, chest tube output during the first 12 h of intensive care unit (ICU) admission, and predischarge mortality. When compared with the 12 months preceding implementation, blood utilization per case in the operating room odds ratio (OR) for the 11 months following implementation decreased by 66% for red cells (P = 0.001) and 86% for cryoprecipitate (P < 0.001). Blood utilization during the first 12 h of ICU did not increase during this time and actually decreased 56% for plasma (P = 0.006) and 41% for red cells (P = 0.031), indicating that the decrease in OR transfusion did not shift the transfusion burden to the ICU. Postoperative bleeding, as measured by chest tube output in the first 12 ICU hours, did not increase following implementation of the algorithm. Monthly surgical volume did not change significantly following implementation of the algorithm (P = 0.477). In a logistic regression model for predischarge mortality among the nontransplant patients, after accounting for surgical severity and duration of CPB, use of the transfusion algorithm was associated with a 0.247 relative risk of mortality (P = 0.013). These results indicate that introduction of an objective transfusion algorithm in pediatric cardiac surgery significantly reduces perioperative blood product utilization and mortality, without increasing postoperative chest tube losses. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Effects of low-dose acetylsalicylic acid and atherosclerotic vascular diseases on the outcome in patients with severe sepsis or septic shock.

PubMed

Otto, Gordon Philipp; Sossdorf, Maik; Boettel, Janina; Kabisch, Björn; Breuel, Hannes; Winning, Johannes; Lösche, Wolfgang

2013-01-01

Sepsis and its sequelae of multiple organ failure is one of the leading causes of death in the industrial countries. Several studies have shown that patients who are treated with low-dose acetyl salicylic acid (ASA) for secondary prevention of atherothrombosis may have a lower risk to develop organ failure in the case of critical illness. The benefit of ASA is probably due to an inhibition of platelet activation as well as an increase in the formation of anti-inflammatory lipoxin A4. On the other hand, the effect of ASA could be - at least partially - an indirect one, caused by atherosclerotic vascular diseases as the cause of ASA treatment. Atherosclerosis is considered as a moderate systemic inflammation and we hypothesise that this chronic condition could have an impact on the outcome in sepsis. To get more information on the benefit of ASA in critically ill patients and on possible interference with atherosclerotic vascular diseases, we analysed the medical records of 886 septic patients who were admitted to the surgical intensive care unit (ICU) of a university hospital. Logistic regression analysis indicated that patients who were treated during the ICU stay with ASA (100 mg/d) had a significantly lower mortality. Odds ratios (ORs; with 95% confidential intervals) of 0.56 (0.37-0.84) and 0.57 (0.39-0.83) were calculated for ICU and hospital mortality, respectively. In contrast, statin treatment did not have significant effect on mortality. Diagnosis of atherosclerotic vascular diseases according to ICD classification did not influence ICU mortality but lowered hospital mortality (OR = 0.71 (0.52-0.99)). Subgroup analysis provided preliminary evidence that clopidogrel when given as only anti-platelet drug may have a similar benefit as ASA, but the combination of ASA and clopidogrel failed to improve the outcome. The time course of plasma fibrinogen and procalcitonin levels indicate that ASA seems to reduce the activation of haemostasis and increase the resolution of inflammation. It is concluded that prospective interventional studies should be done to test the use of ASA as novel therapeutic approach in critically ill patients.

Patient demographics, insurance status, race, and ethnicity as predictors of morbidity and mortality after spine trauma: a study using the National Trauma Data Bank.

PubMed

Schoenfeld, Andrew J; Belmont, Philip J; See, Aaron A; Bader, Julia O; Bono, Christopher M

2013-12-01

Predictors of complications and mortality after spine trauma are underexplored. At present, no study exists capable of predicting the impact of demographic factors, injury-specific predictors, race, ethnicity, and insurance status on morbidity and mortality after spine trauma. This study endeavored to describe the impact of patient demographics, comorbidities, injury-specific factors, race/ethnicity, and insurance status on outcomes after spinal trauma using the National Sample Program (NSP) of the National Trauma Data Bank (NTDB). The weighted sample of 75,351 incidents of spine trauma in the NTDB was used to develop a predictive model for important factors associated with mortality, postinjury complications, length of hospital stay, intensive care unit (ICU) days, and time on a ventilator. A weighted sample of 75,351 incidents of spine trauma as contained in the NTDB. Mortality, postinjury complications, length of hospital stay, ICU days, and time on a ventilator as reported in the NTDB. The 2008 NSP of the NTDB was queried to identify patients sustaining spine trauma. Patient demographics, race/ethnicity, insurance status, comorbidities, injury-specific factors, and outcomes were recorded, and a national estimate model was derived. Unadjusted differences in baseline characteristics between racial/ethnic groups and insurance status were evaluated using the t test for continuous variables and Wald chi-square analysis for categorical variables with Bonferroni correction for multiple comparisons. Weighted logistic regression was performed for categorical variables (mortality and risk of one or more complications), and weighted multiple linear regression analysis was used for continuous variables (length of hospital stay, ICU days, and ventilator time). Initial determinations were checked against a sensitivity analysis using imputed data. The weighted sample contained 75,351 incidents of spine trauma. The average age was 45.8 years. Sixty-four percent of the population was male, 9% was black/African American, 38% possessed private/commercial insurance, and 12.5% lacked insurance. The mortality rate was 6% and 16% sustained complications. Increased age, male gender, Injury Severity Score (ISS), and blood pressure at presentation were significant predictors of mortality, whereas age, male gender, other mechanism of injury, ISS, and blood pressure at presentation influenced the risk of one or more complications. Nonwhite and black/African American race increased risk of mortality, and lack of insurance increased mortality and decreased the number of hospital days, ICU days, and ventilator time. This is the first study to postulate predictors of morbidity and mortality after spinal trauma in a national model. Race/ethnicity and insurance status appear to be associated with greater risk of mortality after spine trauma. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Inverse association between serum creatinine and mortality in acute kidney injury.

PubMed

de Souza, Sergio Pinto; Matos, Rodrigo Santos; Barros, Luisa Leite; Rocha, Paulo Novis

2014-01-01

Sepsis is a leading precipitant of Acute Kidney Injury (AKI) in intensive care unit (ICU) patients, and is associated with a high mortality rate. We aimed to evaluate the risk factors for dialysis and mortality in a cohort of AKI patients of predominantly septic etiology. Adult patients from an ICU for whom nephrology consultation was requested were included. End-stage chronic renal failure and kidney transplant patients were excluded. 114 patients were followed. Most had sepsis (84%), AKIN stage 3 (69%) and oliguria (62%) at first consultation. Dialysis was performed in 66% and overall mortality was 70%. Median serum creatinine in survivors and non-survivors was 3.95 mg/dl (2.63 - 5.28) and 2.75 mg/dl (1.81 - 3.69), respectively. In the multivariable models, oliguria and serum urea were positively associated with dialysis; otherwise, a lower serum creatinine at first consultation was independently associated with higher mortality. In a cohort of septic AKI, oliguria and serum urea were the main indications for dialysis. We also described an inverse association between serum creatinine and mortality. Potential explanations for this finding include: delay in diagnosis, fluid overload with hemodilution of serum creatinine or poor nutritional status. This finding may also help to explain the low discriminative power of general severity scores - that assign higher risks to higher creatinine levels - in septic AKI patients.

Fatigue in family caregivers of adult intensive care unit survivors.

PubMed

Choi, JiYeon; Tate, Judith A; Hoffman, Leslie A; Schulz, Richard; Ren, Dianxu; Donahoe, Michael P; Given, Barbara A; Sherwood, Paula R

2014-09-01

Family caregivers are a vital resource in the recovery of intensive care unit (ICU) survivors. Of concern, the stress associated with this role can negatively affect caregiver health. Fatigue, an important health indicator, has been identified as a predictor of various illnesses, greater use of health services, and early mortality. Examining the impact of fatigue on caregivers' physical health can assist in identifying critical time points and potential targets for intervention. To describe self-reported fatigue in caregivers of ICU survivors from patients' ICU admission to ≤ 2 weeks, two- and four-months post-ICU discharge. Patient-caregiver pairs were enrolled from a medical ICU. Caregiver fatigue was measured using the Short-Form 36 Health Survey Vitality subscale (SF-36 Vitality). Caregiver psychobehavioral stress responses included depressive symptoms, burden, health risk behaviors, and sleep quality. Patient data included self-reported physical symptoms and disposition (home vs. institution). Forty-seven patient-caregiver pairs were initially enrolled. Clinically significant fatigue (SF-36 Vitality ≤ 45) was reported by 43%-53% of caregivers across the time points, and these caregivers reported worse scores in measures of depressive symptoms, burden, health risk behaviors and sleep quality, and patients' symptom burden. In 26 caregivers with data for all time points (55% of the total sample), SF-36 Vitality scores showed trends of improvement when the patient returned home and greater impairment when institutionalization continued. In caregivers of ICU survivors, fatigue is common and potentially linked with poor psychobehavioral responses. Worsening fatigue was associated with greater symptom distress and long-term patient institutionalization. Copyright © 2014 American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

In Silico Testing of an Artificial-Intelligence-Based Artificial Pancreas Designed for Use in the Intensive Care Unit Setting

PubMed Central

DeJournett, Leon; DeJournett, Jeremy

2016-01-01

Background: Effective glucose control in the intensive care unit (ICU) setting has the potential to decrease morbidity and mortality rates which should in turn lead to decreased health care expenditures. Current ICU-based glucose controllers are mathematically derived, and tend to be based on proportional integral derivative (PID) or model predictive control (MPC). Artificial intelligence (AI)–based closed loop glucose controllers may have the ability to achieve control that improves on the results achieved by either PID or MPC controllers. Method: We conducted an in silico analysis of an AI-based glucose controller designed for use in the ICU setting. This controller was tested using a mathematical model of the ICU patient’s glucose-insulin system. A total of 126 000 unique 5-day simulations were carried out, resulting in 107 million glucose values for analysis. Results: For the 7 control ranges tested, with a sensor error of ±10%, the following average results were achieved: (1) time in control range, 94.2%, (2) time in range 70-140 mg/dl, 97.8%, (3) time in hyperglycemic range (>140 mg/dl), 2.1%, and (4) time in hypoglycemic range (<70 mg/dl), 0.09%. In addition, the average coefficient of variation (CV) was 11.1%. Conclusions: This in silico study of an AI-based closed loop glucose controller shows that it may be able to improve on the results achieved by currently existing ICU-based PID/MPC controllers. If these results are confirmed in clinical testing, this AI-based controller could be used to create an artificial pancreas system for use in the ICU setting. PMID:27301982

Incidence, Microbiological Profile and Risk Factors of Healthcare-Associated Infections in Intensive Care Units: A 10 Year Observation in a Provincial Hospital in Southern Poland

PubMed Central

Kołpa, Małgorzata; Wałaszek, Marta; Gniadek, Agnieszka; Wolak, Zdzisław; Dobroś, Wiesław

2018-01-01

Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) occurring in patients treated in an intensive care unit (ICU) are serious complications in the treatment process. Aetiological factors of these infections can have an impact on treatment effects, treatment duration and mortality. The aim of the study was to determine the prevalence and microbiological profile of HAIs in patients hospitalized in an ICU over a span of 10 years. The active surveillance method was used to detect HAIs in adult patients who spent over 48 h in a general ICU ward located in southern Poland between 2007 and 2016. The study was conducted in compliance with the methodology recommended by the Healthcare-associated Infections Surveillance Network (HAI-Net) of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). During the 10 years of the study, 1849 patients hospitalized in an ICU for a total of 17,599 days acquired 510 with overall HAIs rates of 27.6% and 29.0% infections per 1000 ICU days. Intubation-associated pneumonia (IAP) posed the greatest risk (15.2 per 1000 ventilator days), followed by CLA-BSI (8.0 per 1000 catheter days) and CA-UTI (3.0 per 1000 catheter days). The most common isolated microorganism was Acinetobacter baumannii (25%) followed by Coagulaase-negativ staphylococci (15%), Escherichia coli (9%), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (8%), Klebsiella pneumoniae (7%), Candida albicans (6%). Acinetobacter baumannii in 87% and were classified as extensive-drug resistant (XDR). In summary, in ICU patients pneumonia and bloodstream infections were the most frequently found. Acinetobacter baumannii strains were most often isolated from clinical materials taken from HAI patients and showed resistance to many groups of antibiotics. A trend of increasing resistance of Acinetobacter baumannii to carbapenems was observed. PMID:29324651

Follow-up after four-year quality improvement program to prevent inferior limb deep vein thrombosis in intensive care unit.

PubMed

Boddi, Maria; Cecchi, Andrea; Bonizzoli, Manuela; Barbani, Francesco; Franci, Andrea; Anichini, Valentina; Batacchi, Stefano; Parodo, Jessyca; Gensini, Gian Franco; Peris, Adriano

2014-09-01

Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is a life-threatening complication in intensive care unit (ICU) patients and DVT incidence is used as a marker of quality care. In our ICU an educational program for implementation of DVT prophylaxis and ultrasound screening resulted in a remarkable decrease in DVT incidence which fell from 11.6% to 4.7%. The aim of this paper is to investigate a 4-year long persistent quality improvement of DVT prophylaxis obtained through the implementation of our educational intervention. The study was composed of three phases: after the first retrospective investigation of DVT incidence and the evidence of the efficacy of the educational program, this third phase investigates the 2-year long sustainability and persistence in the fall of DVT incidence by the adoption of 1) an electronic form for DVT prophylaxis prescription, 2) a nursing protocol for the application of elastic stokes and 3) a personalized form with a check-list dedicated to DVT prophylaxis. Ultrasound DVT screening was performed twice a week by ICU clinicians. The application of DVT prophylaxis was associated with a very low incidence of DVT (2.6%) not entirely attributable to changes in characteristics of enrolled patients and/or to less intensive DVT ultrasound screening when compared to the preceding phases. Mean mechanical ventilation duration and ICU length of stay were short and similar to those of the second phase and ICU mortality did not change. The direct involvement of ICU clinicians and nurses in the application of DVT prophylaxis and in DVT diagnosis markedly contributed to maintain a low DVT incidence over time, despite the high turnover of patients. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

[Hospital infection surveillance in 5 Roman intensive care units].

PubMed

Orsi, G B; Raponi, M; Sticca, G; Branca, L; Scalise, E; Franchi, C; Venditti, M; Fara, G M

2003-01-01

The A.A. carried out a survey on hospital acquired infection (HAI) in the intensive care units (ICU) of five roman hospitals. The study monitored the following site-specific infection rates: pneumonia (PNE), blood stream infections (BSI), urinary tract infections (UTI), surgical site infections (SSI). According to CDC definitions all patients developing infection 48 hours or more after ward admission were included. Furthermore risk factors (i.e. age, sex, SAPS II), invasive procedures (i.e. endotracheal intubation, vascular and urinary catheterisation), microbiological isolates and their antibiotic susceptibility were screened. The overall 503 patients characteristics (i.e., age, length of stay, case-mix...) showed the wards as general ICU's. Although the SAPS II score was similar, mortality (18.2%-42.9%) and general infection rates (15.4%-40.4%) among the five ICU's were considerably variable (p < 0.05), as HAI episodes distribution by type: PNE (37-88%), BSI (6-42%), UTI (6-24%), SSI (3-7%) (p < 0.05). Also device-associated infection rates such as Ventilator-associated PNE (11.6-24.6@1000), Vascular catheter-associated BSI (3.4-19.2@1000). Urinary catheter-associated UTI (2.6-14.0@1000) and invasive procedures management were different. Among the infected patients the most commonly isolated microorganisms were P. aeruginosa and Staphylococcus spp., which presented a considerable antibiotic resistance. The study showed: 1) sampling (i.e. blood cultures, tracheal aspirate and urine samples) and laboratory methodology indispensable for a correct HAI diagnosis were not standardized in the five ICU's; 2) hospital infection control policy was not carried out in all ICU's. The study showed a lack of standardization which limits the comparability of the general roman ICU's.

In Silico Testing of an Artificial-Intelligence-Based Artificial Pancreas Designed for Use in the Intensive Care Unit Setting.

PubMed

DeJournett, Leon; DeJournett, Jeremy

2016-11-01

Effective glucose control in the intensive care unit (ICU) setting has the potential to decrease morbidity and mortality rates which should in turn lead to decreased health care expenditures. Current ICU-based glucose controllers are mathematically derived, and tend to be based on proportional integral derivative (PID) or model predictive control (MPC). Artificial intelligence (AI)-based closed loop glucose controllers may have the ability to achieve control that improves on the results achieved by either PID or MPC controllers. We conducted an in silico analysis of an AI-based glucose controller designed for use in the ICU setting. This controller was tested using a mathematical model of the ICU patient's glucose-insulin system. A total of 126 000 unique 5-day simulations were carried out, resulting in 107 million glucose values for analysis. For the 7 control ranges tested, with a sensor error of ±10%, the following average results were achieved: (1) time in control range, 94.2%, (2) time in range 70-140 mg/dl, 97.8%, (3) time in hyperglycemic range (>140 mg/dl), 2.1%, and (4) time in hypoglycemic range (<70 mg/dl), 0.09%. In addition, the average coefficient of variation (CV) was 11.1%. This in silico study of an AI-based closed loop glucose controller shows that it may be able to improve on the results achieved by currently existing ICU-based PID/MPC controllers. If these results are confirmed in clinical testing, this AI-based controller could be used to create an artificial pancreas system for use in the ICU setting. © 2016 Diabetes Technology Society.

Improvement in process of care and outcome after a multicenter severe sepsis educational program in Spain.

PubMed

Ferrer, Ricard; Artigas, Antonio; Levy, Mitchell M; Blanco, Jesús; González-Díaz, Gumersindo; Garnacho-Montero, José; Ibáñez, Jordi; Palencia, Eduardo; Quintana, Manuel; de la Torre-Prados, María Victoria

2008-05-21

Concern exists that current guidelines for care of patients with severe sepsis and septic shock are followed variably, possibly due to a lack of adequate education. To determine whether a national educational program based on the Surviving Sepsis Campaign guidelines affected processes of care and hospital mortality for severe sepsis. Before and after design in 59 medical-surgical intensive care units (ICUs) located throughout Spain. All ICU patients were screened daily and enrolled if they fulfilled severe sepsis or septic shock criteria. A total of 854 patients were enrolled in the preintervention period (November-December 2005), 1465 patients during the postintervention period (March-June 2006), and 247 patients during the long-term follow-up period 1 year later (November-December 2006) in a subset of 23 ICUs. The educational program consisted of training physicians and nursing staff from the emergency department, wards, and ICU in the definition, recognition, and treatment of severe sepsis and septic shock as outlined in the guidelines. Treatment was organized in 2 bundles: a resuscitation bundle (6 tasks to begin immediately and be accomplished within 6 hours) and a management bundle (4 tasks to be completed within 24 hours). Hospital mortality, differences in adherence to the bundles' process-of-care variables, ICU mortality, 28-day mortality, hospital length of stay, and ICU length of stay. Patients included before and after the intervention were similar in terms of age, sex, and Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II score. At baseline, only 3 process-of-care measurements (blood cultures before antibiotics, early administration of broad-spectrum antibiotics, and mechanical ventilation with adequate inspiratory plateau pressure) we had compliance rates higher than 50%. Patients in the postintervention cohort had a lower risk of hospital mortality (44.0% vs 39.7%; P = .04). The compliance with process-of-care variables also improved after the intervention in the sepsis resuscitation bundle (5.3% [95% confidence interval [CI], 4%-7%] vs 10.0% [95% CI, 8%-12%]; P < .001) and in the sepsis management bundle (10.9% [95% CI, 9%-13%] vs 15.7% [95% CI, 14%-18%]; P = .001). Hospital length of stay and ICU length of stay did not change after the intervention. During long-term follow-up, compliance with the sepsis resuscitation bundle returned to baseline but compliance with the sepsis management bundle and mortality remained stable with respect to the postintervention period. A national educational effort to promote bundles of care for severe sepsis and septic shock was associated with improved guideline compliance and lower hospital mortality. However, compliance rates were still low, and the improvement in the resuscitation bundle lapsed by 1 year.

Factors Affecting the Length of Stay in the Intensive Care Unit: Our Clinical Experience

PubMed Central

Sengul Samanci, Nilay; Akkoc, İbrahim; Yucetas, Esma; Cebeci, Egemen; Ozturk, Savas

2018-01-01

Background and Aim Long hospital days in intensive care unit (ICU) due to life-threatening diseases are increasing in the world. The primary goal in ICU is to decrease length of stay in order to improve the quality of medical care and reduce cost. The aim of our study is to identify and categorize the factors associated with prolonged stays in ICU. Materials and Method We retrospectively analyzed 3925 patients. We obtained the patients' demographic, clinical, diagnostic, and physiologic variables; mortality; lengths of stay by examining the intensive care unit database records. Results The mean age of the study was 61.6 ± 18.9 years. The average length of stay in intensive care unit was 10.2 ± 25.2 days. The most common cause of hospitalization was because of multiple diseases (19.5%). The length of stay was positively correlated with urea, creatinine, and sodium. It was negatively correlated with uric acid and hematocrit levels. Length of stay was significantly higher in patients not operated on than in patients operated on (p < 0.001). Conclusion Our study showed a significantly increased length of stay in patients with cardiovascular system diseases, multiple diseases, nervous system diseases, and cerebrovascular diseases. Moreover we showed that when urea, creatinine, and sodium values increase, in parallel the length of stay increases. PMID:29750174

Impact of ventilator-associated pneumonia in patients with severe head injury.

PubMed

Rincón-Ferrari, M Dolores; Flores-Cordero, Juan M; Leal-Noval, S Ramón; Murillo-Cabezas, Francisco; Cayuelas, Aurelio; Muñoz-Sánchez, M Angeles; Sánchez-Olmedo, J Ignacio

2004-12-01

The impact of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) on outcome seems to vary depending on the critically ill patients we analyze. Our objective, therefore, has been to evaluate the influence of VAP on the mortality and morbidity in patients with severe head injury (Glasgow Coma Scale score

A 15-year retrospective analysis of prognostic factors in childhood bacterial meningitis.

PubMed

Wee, Liang Yi Justin; Tanugroho, Raymond Reinaldo; Thoon, Koh Cheng; Chong, Chia Yin; Choong, Chew Thye; Krishnamoorthy, Subramania; Maiwald, Matthias; Tee, Nancy Wen Sim; Tan, Natalie Woon Hui

2016-01-01

This retrospective chart review aimed to identify factors in childhood bacterial meningitis that predicted disease severity and long-term outcome. The study included 112 episodes of microbiologically confirmed bacterial meningitis in children aged three days to 15 years who were admitted to a Singapore hospital from 1998 to 2013. The mortality rate was 6%, and 44% required intensive care unit (ICU) admission. Predictive factors associated with ICU admission included pneumococcal meningitis, with an odds ratio (OR) of 5.2 and 95% confidence interval (CI) of 1.5-18.2, leukopenia (OR 5.6, 95% CI 1.7-17.9) and a cerebrospinal fluid (CSF):serum glucose ratio <0.25 (OR 4.5, 95% CI 1.4-14.4). An initial CSF white blood cell count >1000/mm(3) (OR 0.26, 95% CI 0.086-0.76) was negatively associated with ICU admission. Five years after meningitis, 32% had residual sequelae, and the associated prognostic factors were Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) meningitis (OR 29.5, 95% CI 2-429), seizures during their inpatient stay (OR 10.6, 95% CI 1.9-60.2) and septic shock (OR 8.4, 95% CI 1.1-62.1). As mortality was low in this bacterial meningitis study, ICU admission was used as a marker of disease severity. These findings underscore the importance of the pneumococcal and Hib meningitis vaccines. ©2015 Foundation Acta Paediatrica. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Ventilator-associated pneumonia in neonatal and pediatric intensive care unit patients.

PubMed

Foglia, Elizabeth; Meier, Mary Dawn; Elward, Alexis

2007-07-01

Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) is the second most common hospital-acquired infection among pediatric intensive care unit (ICU) patients. Empiric therapy for VAP accounts for approximately 50% of antibiotic use in pediatric ICUs. VAP is associated with an excess of 3 days of mechanical ventilation among pediatric cardiothoracic surgery patients. The attributable mortality and excess length of ICU stay for patients with VAP have not been defined in matched case control studies. VAP is associated with an estimated $30,000 in attributable cost. Surveillance for VAP is complex and usually performed using clinical definitions established by the CDC. Invasive testing via bronchoalveolar lavage increases the sensitivity and specificity of the diagnosis. The pathogenesis in children is poorly understood, but several prospective cohort studies suggest that aspiration and immunodeficiency are risk factors. Educational interventions and efforts to improve adherence to hand hygiene for children have been associated with decreased VAP rates. Studies of antibiotic cycling in pediatric patients have not consistently shown this measure to prevent colonization with multidrug-resistant gram-negative rods. More consistent and precise approaches to the diagnosis of pediatric VAP are needed to better define the attributable morbidity and mortality, pathophysiology, and appropriate interventions to prevent this disease.

Hypocapnia and Hypercapnia Are Predictors for ICU Admission and Mortality in Hospitalized Patients With Community-Acquired Pneumonia

PubMed Central

Laserna, Elena; Sibila, Oriol; Aguilar, Patrick R.; Mortensen, Eric M.; Anzueto, Antonio; Blanquer, Jose M.; Sanz, Francisco; Rello, Jordi; Marcos, Pedro J.; Velez, Maria I.; Aziz, Nivin

2012-01-01

Objective: The purpose of our study was to examine in patients hospitalized with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) the association between abnormal Paco2 and ICU admission and 30-day mortality. Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted at two tertiary teaching hospitals. Eligible subjects were admitted with a diagnosis of CAP. Arterial blood gas analyses were obtained with measurement of Paco2 on admission. Multivariate analyses were performed using 30-day mortality and ICU admission as the dependent measures. Results: Data were abstracted on 453 subjects with a documented arterial blood gas analysis. One hundred eighty-nine patients (41%) had normal Paco2 (35-45 mm Hg), 194 patients (42%) had a Paco2 < 35 mm Hg (hypocapnic), and 70 patients (15%) had a Paco2 > 45 mm Hg (hypercapnic). In the multivariate analysis, after adjusting for severity of illness, hypocapnic patients had greater 30-day mortality (OR = 2.84; 95% CI, 1.28-6.30) and a higher need for ICU admission (OR = 2.88; 95% CI, 1.68-4.95) compared with patients with normal Paco2. In addition, hypercapnic patients had a greater 30-day mortality (OR = 3.38; 95% CI, 1.38-8.30) and a higher need for ICU admission (OR = 5.35; 95% CI, 2.80-10.23). When patients with COPD were excluded from the analysis, the differences persisted between groups. Conclusion: In hospitalized patients with CAP, both hypocapnia and hypercapnia were associated with an increased need for ICU admission and higher 30-day mortality. These findings persisted after excluding patients with CAP and with COPD. Therefore, Paco2 should be considered for inclusion in future severity stratification criteria to appropriate identified patients who will require a higher level of care and are at risk for increased mortality. PMID:22677348

Serum levels of immunoglobulins and severity of community-acquired pneumonia

PubMed Central

de la Torre, Mari C; Torán, Pere; Serra-Prat, Mateu; Palomera, Elisabet; Güell, Estel; Vendrell, Ester; Yébenes, Joan Carles; Torres, Antoni; Almirall, Jordi

2016-01-01

Instruction There is evidence of a relationship between severity of infection and inflammatory response of the immune system. The objective is to assess serum levels of immunoglobulins and to establish its relationship with severity of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) and clinical outcome. Methods This was an observational and cross-sectional study in which 3 groups of patients diagnosed with CAP were compared: patients treated in the outpatient setting (n=54), patients requiring in-patient care (hospital ward) (n=173), and patients requiring admission to the intensive care unit (ICU) (n=191). Results Serum total IgG (and IgG subclasses IgG1, IgG2, IgG3, IgG4), IgA and IgM were measured at the first clinical visit. Normal cutpoints were defined as the lowest value obtained in controls (≤680, ≤323, ≤154, ≤10, ≤5, ≤30 and ≤50 mg/dL for total IgG, IgG1, IgG2, IgG3, IgG4, IgM and IgA, respectively). Serum immunoglobulin levels decreased in relation to severity of CAP. Low serum levels of total IgG, IgG1 and IgG2 showed a relationship with ICU admission. Low serum level of total IgG was independently associated with ICU admission (OR=2.45, 95% CI 1.4 to 4.2, p=0.002), adjusted by the CURB-65 severity score and comorbidities (chronic respiratory and heart diseases). Low levels of total IgG, IgG1 and IgG2 were significantly associated with 30-day mortality. Conclusions Patients with severe CAP admitted to the ICU showed lower levels of immunoglobulins than non-ICU patients and this increased mortality. PMID:27933180

Prophylactic Plasma Transfusion Is Not Associated With Decreased Red Blood Cell Requirements in Critically Ill Patients.

PubMed

Warner, Matthew A; Chandran, Arun; Jenkins, Gregory; Kor, Daryl J

2017-05-01

Critically ill patients frequently receive plasma transfusion under the assumptions that abnormal coagulation test results confer increased risk of bleeding and that plasma transfusion will decrease this risk. However, the effect of prophylactic plasma transfusion remains poorly understood. The objective of this study was to determine the relationship between prophylactic plasma transfusion and bleeding complications in critically ill patients. This is a retrospective cohort study of adults admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) at a single academic institution between January 1, 2009 and December 31, 2013. Inclusion criteria included age ≥18 years and an international normalized ratio measured during ICU admission. Multivariable propensity-matched analyses were used to evaluate associations between prophylactic plasma transfusion and outcomes of interest with a primary outcome of red blood cell transfusion in the ensuing 24 hours and secondary outcomes of hospital- and ICU-free days and mortality within 30 days of ICU discharge. A total of 27,561 patients were included in the investigation with 2472 (9.0%) receiving plasma therapy and 1105 (44.7%) for which plasma transfusion was prophylactic in nature. In multivariable propensity-matched analyses, patients receiving plasma had higher rates of red blood cell transfusion (odds ratio: 4.3 [95% confidence interval: 3.3-5.7], P < .001) and fewer hospital-free days (estimated % increase: -11.0% [95% confidence interval: -11.4, -10.6%], P < .001). There were no significant differences in ICU-free days or mortality. These findings appeared robust, persisting in multiple predefined sensitivity analyses. Prophylactic administration of plasma in the critically ill was not associated with improved clinical outcomes. Further investigation examining the utility of plasma transfusion in this population is warranted.

Six-year single-center survey on AKI requiring renal replacement therapy: epidemiology and health care organization aspects.

PubMed

Fagugli, Riccardo Maria; Patera, Francesco; Battistoni, Sara; Mattozzi, Francesca; Tripepi, Giovanni

2015-06-01

Evidence regarding hospital-based acute kidney injury (AKI) reveals a continuous increase in incidence over the years, at least in intensive care units (ICU). Fewer reports are available for non critically-ill patients admitted to general or specialist wards other than ICU (non-ICU). The consequence of greater incidence is an increase in therapies such as dialysis; but how the health care organization deals with this problem is not clearly known. Here we quantified the incidence of dialysis-requiring AKI (AKI-D) among patients admitted to a University Hospital which serves a population of 354,000 inhabitants. Between 2007 and 2012, the incidence of AKI-D increased from 209 to 410 per million population (pmp)/year; age of patients and cardiovascular comorbid pathologies also increased. AKI-D was more frequent in non-ICU and 32% of patients were admitted to ICU. Considering the site of treatment of non-ICU patients, in 2007 the ratio of patients admitted to non-ICU wards apart from Nephrology to those admitted to Nephrology was 1:1, but in 2012 the ratio increased to 2.4:1 (p < 0.05). The complexity of acute disease, measured with the New Simplified Acute Physiology Score (SAPS II), did not reveal differences over the years. The number of dialysis treatments/year increased by 82%, and the total hours/year increased by 86%. Low-efficiency daily dialysis was performed in 52.4% of patients admitted to ICU, but dialysis sessions longer than 8 h were performed in only 40% of cases. Overall, 6-year mortality was 48.8%, without significant differences over the years. Mortality in ICU was 65.6%, and in non-ICU 41.2% (p < 0.001). Dialysis treatments needed to be continued after hospital discharge in 21% of patients. We conclude that dialysis-requiring AKI is becoming more common, and that two-thirds of patients are admitted as non-ICU: in these patients, during the last year of the study, the treatment site was more frequently in non-ICUs other than Nephrology. Over the 6-year period, the local healthcare organization had to dispense 80% more dialysis treatments/year in terms of total number and hours of treatment. One-fifth of surviving patients needed to continue dialysis after hospital discharge. Our data highlight the public health importance of AKI and the need for adequate resources for Nephrology.

Effect of a Pediatric Early Warning System on All-Cause Mortality in Hospitalized Pediatric Patients: The EPOCH Randomized Clinical Trial.

PubMed

Parshuram, Christopher S; Dryden-Palmer, Karen; Farrell, Catherine; Gottesman, Ronald; Gray, Martin; Hutchison, James S; Helfaer, Mark; Hunt, Elizabeth A; Joffe, Ari R; Lacroix, Jacques; Moga, Michael Alice; Nadkarni, Vinay; Ninis, Nelly; Parkin, Patricia C; Wensley, David; Willan, Andrew R; Tomlinson, George A

2018-03-13

There is limited evidence that the use of severity of illness scores in pediatric patients can facilitate timely admission to the intensive care unit or improve patient outcomes. To determine the effect of the Bedside Paediatric Early Warning System (BedsidePEWS) on all-cause hospital mortality and late admission to the intensive care unit (ICU), cardiac arrest, and ICU resource use. A multicenter cluster randomized trial of 21 hospitals located in 7 countries (Belgium, Canada, England, Ireland, Italy, New Zealand, and the Netherlands) that provided inpatient pediatric care for infants (gestational age ≥37 weeks) to teenagers (aged ≤18 years). Participating hospitals had continuous physician staffing and subspecialized pediatric services. Patient enrollment began on February 28, 2011, and ended on June 21, 2015. Follow-up ended on July 19, 2015. The BedsidePEWS intervention (10 hospitals) was compared with usual care (no severity of illness score; 11 hospitals). The primary outcome was all-cause hospital mortality. The secondary outcome was a significant clinical deterioration event, which was defined as a composite outcome reflecting late ICU admission. Regression analyses accounted for hospital-level clustering and baseline rates. Among 144 539 patient discharges at 21 randomized hospitals, there were 559 443 patient-days and 144 539 patients (100%) completed the trial. All-cause hospital mortality was 1.93 per 1000 patient discharges at hospitals with BedsidePEWS and 1.56 per 1000 patient discharges at hospitals with usual care (adjusted between-group rate difference, 0.01 [95% CI, -0.80 to 0.81 per 1000 patient discharges]; adjusted odds ratio, 1.01 [95% CI, 0.61 to 1.69]; P = .96). Significant clinical deterioration events occurred during 0.50 per 1000 patient-days at hospitals with BedsidePEWS vs 0.84 per 1000 patient-days at hospitals with usual care (adjusted between-group rate difference, -0.34 [95% CI, -0.73 to 0.05 per 1000 patient-days]; adjusted rate ratio, 0.77 [95% CI, 0.61 to 0.97]; P = .03). Implementation of the Bedside Paediatric Early Warning System compared with usual care did not significantly decrease all-cause mortality among hospitalized pediatric patients. These findings do not support the use of this system to reduce mortality. clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT01260831.

Intensive nutrition in acute lung injury: a clinical trial (INTACT).

PubMed

Braunschweig, Carol A; Sheean, Patricia M; Peterson, Sarah J; Gomez Perez, Sandra; Freels, Sally; Lateef, Omar; Gurka, David; Fantuzzi, Giamila

2015-01-01

Despite extensive use of enteral (EN) and parenteral nutrition (PN) in intensive care unit (ICU) populations for 4 decades, evidence to support their efficacy is extremely limited. A prospective randomized trial was conducted evaluate the impact on outcomes of intensive medical nutrition therapy (IMNT; provision of >75% of estimated energy and protein needs per day via EN and adequate oral diet) from diagnosis of acute lung injury (ALI) to hospital discharge compared with standard nutrition support care (SNSC; standard EN and ad lib feeding). The primary outcome was infections; secondary outcomes included number of days on mechanical ventilation, in the ICU, and in the hospital and mortality. Overall, 78 patients (40 IMNT and 38 SNSC) were recruited. No significant differences between groups for age, body mass index, disease severity, white blood cell count, glucose, C-reactive protein, energy or protein needs occurred. The IMNT group received significantly higher percentage of estimated energy (84.7% vs 55.4%, P < .0001) and protein needs (76.1 vs 54.4%, P < .0001) per day compared with SNSC. No differences occurred in length of mechanical ventilation, hospital or ICU stay, or infections. The trial was stopped early because of significantly greater hospital mortality in IMNT vs SNSC (40% vs 16%, P = .02). Cox proportional hazards models indicated the hazard of death in the IMNT group was 5.67 times higher (P = .001) than in the SNSC group. Provision of IMNT from ALI diagnosis to hospital discharge increases mortality. © 2014 American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition.

A retrospective evaluation of critically ill patients infected with H1N1 influenza A virus in Bursa, Turkey, during the 2009-2010 pandemic.

PubMed

Nermin, Kelebek Girgin; Remzi, Iscimen; Zeynep, Akogul; Ilker, Cimen; Meltem, Oner Torlar; Guven, Ozkaya; Ferda, Kahveci; Halis, Akalin

2015-06-01

H1N1 influenza A virus infections were first reported in April 2009 and spread rapidly, resulting in mortality worldwide. The aim of this study was to evaluate patients with H1N1 infection treated in the intensive care unit (ICU) in Bursa, Turkey. Demographic characteristics, clinical features, and outcome relating to H1N1 infection were retrospectively analysed in patients treated in the ICU. Twenty-three cases of H1N1 infection were treated in the ICU. The mean age of patients was 37 years range: (17-82). Fifteen patients were female (65.2%). The mean Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) II score was 19 range: (5-39). The most common symptoms were dyspnea (73.9%), fever (69.6%), and cough (60.9%). Mechanical ventilation was required for all patients. Oseltamivir and antibiotics were administered to all patients. Six (26.1%) patients died. APACHE II scores were higher in the deceased 28.5 range: [16-39] vs. 14 range: [5-28] in survivors; p = 0.013). When compared to the literature, the demographic, epidemiological, and clinical characteristics were similar in the cases we encountered. The mortality rate was high despite the use of appropriate treatment. We believe that the high mortality is related to higher APACHE II scores. The H1N1 virus should be considered in community acquired pneumonia, especially in younger patients presenting with severe pneumonia.

Assessment of delirium using the PRE-DELIRIC model in an intensive care unit in Argentina

PubMed Central

Sosa, Fernando Ariel; Roberti, Javier; Franco, Margarita Tovar; Kleinert, María Mercedes; Patrón, Agustina Risso; Osatnik, Javier

2018-01-01

Objective To describe the incidence of and risk factors for delirium in the intensive care unit of a tertiary care teaching hospital in Argentina and to conduct the first non-European study exploring the performance of the PREdiction of DELIRium in ICu patients (PRE-DELIRIC) model. Methods Prospective observational study in a 20-bed intensive care unit of a tertiary care teaching hospital in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The PRE-DELIRIC model was applied to 178 consecutive patients within 24 hours of admission to the intensive care unit; delirium was assessed with the Confusion Assessment Method for the Intensive Care Unit (CAM-ICU). Results The mean age was 64.3 ± 17.9 years. The median time of stay in the intensive care unit was 6 (range, 2 - 56) days. Of the total number of patients, 49/178 (27.5%) developed delirium, defined as a positive CAM-ICU assessment, during their stay in the intensive care unit. Patients in the delirium group were significantly older and had a significantly higher Acute Physiological and Chronic Health Evaluation II (APACHE II) score. The mortality rate in the intensive care unit was 14.6%; no significant difference was observed between the two groups. Predictive factors for the development of delirium were increased age, prolonged intensive care unit stay, and opioid use. The area under the curve for the PRE-DELIRIC model was 0.83 (95%CI; 0.77 - 0.90). Conclusions The observed incidence of delirium highlights the importance of this problem in the intensive care unit setting. In this first study conducted outside Europe, PRE-DELIRIC accurately predicted the development of delirium. PMID:29742219

Association between increased blood interleukin-6 levels on emergency department arrival and prolonged length of intensive care unit stay for blunt trauma.

PubMed

Taniguchi, Masashi; Nakada, Taka-Aki; Shinozaki, Koichiro; Mizushima, Yasuaki; Matsuoka, Tetsuya

2016-01-01

Systemic immune response to injury plays a key role in the pathophysiological mechanism of blunt trauma. We tested the hypothesis that increased blood interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels of blunt trauma patients on emergency department (ED) arrival are associated with poor clinical outcomes, and investigated the utility of rapid measurement of the blood IL-6 level. We enrolled 208 consecutive trauma patients who were transferred from the scene of an accident to a level I trauma centre in Japan and admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU). Blood IL-6 levels on ED arrival were measured by using a rapid measurement assay. The primary outcome variable was prolonged ICU stay (length of ICU stay > 7 days). The secondary outcomes were 28-day mortality, probability of survival and Abbreviated Injury Scale (AIS) scores. Patients with prolonged ICU stay had significantly higher blood IL-6 levels on ED arrival than the patients without prolonged ICU stay (P < 0.0001). The receiver-operating characteristic curves produced an area under the curve of 0.75 (95 % confidence interval [CI], 0.66-0.84; P < 0.0001) for prolonged ICU stay. The patients who had increased blood IL-6 levels on ED arrival had increased 28-day mortality (P = 0.021) and decreased probability of survival (P < 0.0001). The AIS scores for the thorax, abdomen, extremity, and external body regions independently correlated with blood IL-6 levels (unstandardized coefficients [95 % CI] for the thorax: 23.8 [12.6-35.1]; P < 0.0001; abdomen: 42.7 [23.8-61.7]; P < 0.0001; extremity: 19.0 [5.5-32.4]; P = 0.0060; external body regions: 62.9 [13.2-112.7]; P = 0.030); the standardized coefficients for the thorax (0.27) and abdomen (0.28) were larger than those for the extremity (0.18) and external body regions (0.15). Increased blood IL-6 level on ED arrival was significantly associated with prolonged length of ICU stay. Blood IL-6 level on ED arrival independently correlated with the AIS scores for the abdomen and thorax, and, to a lesser extent, those for the extremity and external body regions. The rapid measurement of blood IL-6 level on ED arrival can be utilized as a fast screening tool to improve assessment of injury severity and prediction of clinical outcomes in the initial phase of trauma care.

Septic shock with no diagnosis at 24 hours: a pragmatic multicenter prospective cohort study.

PubMed

Contou, Damien; Roux, Damien; Jochmans, Sébastien; Coudroy, Rémi; Guérot, Emmanuel; Grimaldi, David; Ricome, Sylvie; Maury, Eric; Plantefève, Gaëtan; Mayaux, Julien; Mekontso Dessap, Armand; Brun-Buisson, Christian; de Prost, Nicolas

2016-11-06

The lack of a patent source of infection after 24 hours of management of shock considered septic is a common and disturbing scenario. We aimed to determine the prevalence and the causes of shock with no diagnosis 24 hours after its onset, and to compare the outcomes of patients with early-confirmed septic shock to those of others. We conducted a pragmatic, prospective, multicenter observational cohort study in ten intensive care units (ICU) in France. We included all consecutive patients admitted to the ICU with suspected septic shock defined by clinical suspicion of infection leading to antibiotic prescription plus acute circulatory failure requiring vasopressor support. A total of 508 patients were admitted with suspected septic shock. Among them, 374 (74 %) had early-confirmed septic shock, while the 134 others (26 %) had no source of infection identified nor microbiological documentation retrieved 24 hours after shock onset. Among these, 37/134 (28 %) had late-confirmed septic shock diagnosed after 24 hours, 59/134 (44 %) had a condition mimicking septic (septic shock mimicker, mainly related to adverse drug reactions, acute mesenteric ischemia and malignancies) and 38/134 (28 %) had shock of unknown origin by the end of the ICU stay. There were no differences between patients with early-confirmed septic shock and the remainder in ICU mortality and the median duration of ICU stay, of tracheal intubation and of vasopressor support. The multivariable Cox model showed that the risk of day-60 mortality did not differ between patients with or without early-confirmed septic shock. A sensitivity analysis was performed in the subgroup (n = 369/508) of patients meeting the Sepsis-3 definition criteria and displayed consistent results. One quarter of the patients admitted in the ICU with suspected septic shock had no infection identified 24 hours after its onset and almost half of them were eventually diagnosed with a septic shock mimicker. Outcome did not differ between patients with early-confirmed septic shock and other patients.

Outcomes of nighttime refusal of admission to the intensive care unit: The role of the intensivist in triage.

PubMed

Hinds, Nicholas; Borah, Amit; Yoo, Erika J

2017-06-01

To compare outcomes of patients refused medical intensive care unit (MICU) admission overnight to those refused during the day and to examine the impact of the intensivist in triage. Retrospective, observational study of patients refused MICU admission at an urban university hospital. Of 294 patients, 186 (63.3%) were refused admission overnight compared to 108 (36.7%) refused during the day. Severity-of-illness by the Mortality Probability Model was similar between the two groups (P=.20). Daytime triage refusals were more likely to be staffed by an intensivist (P=.01). After risk-adjustment, daytime refusals had a lower odds of subsequent ICU admission (OR 0.46, 95% CI 0.22-0.95, P=.04) than patients triaged at night. There was no evidence for interaction between time of triage and intensivist staffing of the patient (P=.99). Patients refused MICU admission overnight are more likely to be later admitted to an ICU than patients refused during the day. However, the mechanism for this observation does not appear to depend on the intensivist's direct evaluation of the patient. Further investigation into the clinician-specific effects of ICU triage and identification of potentially modifiable hospital triage practices will help to improve both ICU utilization and patient safety. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Clinical Features, Short-Term Mortality, and Prognostic Risk Factors of Septic Patients Admitted to Internal Medicine Units

PubMed Central

Mazzone, Antonino; Dentali, Francesco; La Regina, Micaela; Foglia, Emanuela; Gambacorta, Maurizia; Garagiola, Elisabetta; Bonardi, Giorgio; Clerici, Pierangelo; Concia, Ercole; Colombo, Fabrizio; Campanini, Mauro

2016-01-01

Abstract Only a few studies provided data on the clinical history of sepsis within internal Medicine units. The aim of the study was to assess the short-term mortality and to evaluate the prognostic risk factors in a large cohort of septic patients treated in internal medicine units. Thirty-one internal medicine units participated to the study. Within each participating unit, all admitted patients were screened for the presence of sepsis. A total of 533 patients were included; 78 patients (14.6%, 95%CI 11.9, 18.0%) died during hospitalization; mortality rate was 5.5% (95% CI 3.1, 9.6%) in patients with nonsevere sepsis and 20.1% (95%CI 16.2, 28.8%) in patients with severe sepsis or septic shock. Severe sepsis or septic shock (OR 4.41, 95%CI 1.93, 10.05), immune system weakening (OR 2.10, 95%CI 1.12, 3.94), active solid cancer (OR 2.14, 95% CI 1.16, 3.94), and age (OR 1.03 per year, 95% CI 1.01, 1.06) were significantly associated with an increased mortality risk, whereas blood culture positive for Escherichia coli was significantly associated with a reduced mortality risk (OR 0.46, 95%CI 0.24, 0.88). In-hospital mortality of septic patients treated in internal medicine units appeared similar to the mortality rate obtained in recent studies conducted in the ICU setting. PMID:26825876

Clinical Features, Short-Term Mortality, and Prognostic Risk Factors of Septic Patients Admitted to Internal Medicine Units: Results of an Italian Multicenter Prospective Study.

PubMed

Mazzone, Antonino; Dentali, Francesco; La Regina, Micaela; Foglia, Emanuela; Gambacorta, Maurizia; Garagiola, Elisabetta; Bonardi, Giorgio; Clerici, Pierangelo; Concia, Ercole; Colombo, Fabrizio; Campanini, Mauro

2016-01-01

Only a few studies provided data on the clinical history of sepsis within internal Medicine units. The aim of the study was to assess the short-term mortality and to evaluate the prognostic risk factors in a large cohort of septic patients treated in internal medicine units. Thirty-one internal medicine units participated to the study. Within each participating unit, all admitted patients were screened for the presence of sepsis. A total of 533 patients were included; 78 patients (14.6%, 95%CI 11.9, 18.0%) died during hospitalization; mortality rate was 5.5% (95% CI 3.1, 9.6%) in patients with nonsevere sepsis and 20.1% (95%CI 16.2, 28.8%) in patients with severe sepsis or septic shock. Severe sepsis or septic shock (OR 4.41, 95%CI 1.93, 10.05), immune system weakening (OR 2.10, 95%CI 1.12, 3.94), active solid cancer (OR 2.14, 95% CI 1.16, 3.94), and age (OR 1.03 per year, 95% CI 1.01, 1.06) were significantly associated with an increased mortality risk, whereas blood culture positive for Escherichia coli was significantly associated with a reduced mortality risk (OR 0.46, 95%CI 0.24, 0.88). In-hospital mortality of septic patients treated in internal medicine units appeared similar to the mortality rate obtained in recent studies conducted in the ICU setting.

Mortality Predictors in Renal Transplant Recipients with Severe Sepsis and Septic Shock

PubMed Central

de Carvalho, Mônica Andrade; Freitas, Flávio Geraldo Rezende; Silva Junior, Hélio Tedesco; Bafi, Antônio Toneti; Machado, Flávia Ribeiro; Pestana, José Osmar Medina

2014-01-01

Introduction The growing number of renal transplant recipients in a sustained immunosuppressive state is a factor that can contribute to increased incidence of sepsis. However, relatively little is known about sepsis in this population. The aim of this single-center study was to evaluate the factors associated with hospital mortality in renal transplant patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) with severe sepsis and septic shock. Methods Patient demographics and transplant-related and ICU stay data were retrospectively collected. Multiple logistic regression was conducted to identify the independent risk factors associated with hospital mortality. Results A total of 190 patients were enrolled, 64.2% of whom received kidneys from deceased donors. The mean patient age was 51±13 years (males, 115 [60.5%]), and the median APACHE II was 20 (16–23). The majority of patients developed sepsis late after the renal transplantation (2.1 [0.6–2.3] years). The lung was the most common infection site (59.5%). Upon ICU admission, 16.4% of the patients had ≤1 systemic inflammatory response syndrome criteria. Among the patients, 61.5% presented with ≥2 organ failures at admission, and 27.9% experienced septic shock within the first 24 hours of ICU admission. The overall hospital mortality rate was 38.4%. In the multivariate analysis, the independent determinants of hospital mortality were male gender (OR = 5.9; 95% CI, 1.7–19.6; p = 0.004), delta SOFA 24 h (OR = 1.7; 95% CI, 1.2–2.3; p = 0.001), mechanical ventilation (OR = 30; 95% CI, 8.8–102.2; p<0.0001), hematologic dysfunction (OR = 6.8; 95% CI, 2.0–22.6; p = 0.002), admission from the ward (OR = 3.4; 95% CI, 1.2–9.7; p = 0.02) and acute kidney injury stage 3 (OR = 5.7; 95% CI,1.9–16.6; p = 0.002). Conclusions Hospital mortality in renal transplant patients with severe sepsis and septic shock was associated with male gender, admission from the wards, worse SOFA scores on the first day and the presence of hematologic dysfunction, mechanical ventilation or advanced graft dysfunction. PMID:25369197

The long-term quality of life in patients with persistent inflammation-immunosuppression and catabolism syndrome after severe acute pancreatitis: A retrospective cohort study.

PubMed

Yang, Na; Li, Baiqiang; Ye, Bo; Ke, Lu; Chen, Faxi; Lu, Guotao; Jiang, Fangfang; Tong, Zhihui; Li, Jieshou; Li, Weiqin

2017-12-01

To explore clinical characteristics and long-term quality of life (QOL) in severe acute pancreatitis (SAP) patients with persistent inflammation-immunosuppression and catabolism syndrome (PICS). SAP patients admitted to ICU were eligible for the retrospective cohort study if they needed prolonged intensive care (>14days). Post-ICU QOL was assessed by a questionnaire, including 36-item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) and record of re-work in a long-term follow-up. 214 SAP patients were enrolled, in which 149 (69.6%) patients met the criteria of PICS. PICS patients had more complications and ICU days compared to non-PICS patients (P<0.001), and their post-ICU mortality was higher (P=0.046). When adjusted for confounders, PICS was independently associated with higher post-ICU mortality (hazard ratio 4.5; 95% CI, 1.2 to 16.3; P=0.024). The 36-item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) score was lower for PICS group in six subscales (P<0.001). Only 28.8% patients in the PICS group returned to work compared to 60% patients in the non-PICS group (P=0.001) CONCLUSIONS: SAP patients with prolonged ICU stay had a high morbidity of PICS, which was a risk factor for the post-ICU mortality and poor long-term QOL. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Pediatric sports-related traumatic brain injury in United States trauma centers.

PubMed

Yue, John K; Winkler, Ethan A; Burke, John F; Chan, Andrew K; Dhall, Sanjay S; Berger, Mitchel S; Manley, Geoffrey T; Tarapore, Phiroz E

2016-04-01

OBJECTIVE Traumatic brain injury (TBI) in children is a significant public health concern estimated to result in over 500,000 emergency department (ED) visits and more than 60,000 hospitalizations in the United States annually. Sports activities are one important mechanism leading to pediatric TBI. In this study, the authors characterize the demographics of sports-related TBI in the pediatric population and identify predictors of prolonged hospitalization and of increased morbidity and mortality rates. METHODS Utilizing the National Sample Program of the National Trauma Data Bank (NTDB), the authors retrospectively analyzed sports-related TBI data from children (age 0-17 years) across 5 sports categories: fall or interpersonal contact (FIC), roller sports, skiing/snowboarding, equestrian sports, and aquatic sports. Multivariable regression analysis was used to identify predictors of prolonged length of stay (LOS) in the hospital or intensive care unit (ICU), medical complications, inpatient mortality rates, and hospital discharge disposition. Statistical significance was assessed at α < 0.05, and the Bonferroni correction (set at significance threshold p = 0.01) for multiple comparisons was applied in each outcome analysis. RESULTS From 2003 to 2012, in total 3046 pediatric sports-related TBIs were recorded in the NTDB, and these injuries represented 11,614 incidents nationally after sample weighting. Fall or interpersonal contact events were the greatest contributors to sports-related TBI (47.4%). Mild TBI represented 87.1% of the injuries overall. Mean (± SEM) LOSs in the hospital and ICU were 2.68 ± 0.07 days and 2.73 ± 0.12 days, respectively. The overall mortality rate was 0.8%, and the prevalence of medical complications was 2.1% across all patients. Severities of head and extracranial injuries were significant predictors of prolonged hospital and ICU LOSs, medical complications, failure to discharge to home, and death. Hypotension on admission to the ED was a significant predictor of failure to discharge to home (OR 0.05, 95% CI 0.03-0.07, p < 0.001). Traumatic brain injury incurred during roller sports was independently associated with prolonged hospital LOS compared with FIC events (mean increase 0.54 ± 0.15 days, p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS In pediatric sports-related TBI, the severities of head and extracranial traumas are important predictors of patients developing acute medical complications, prolonged hospital and ICU LOSs, in-hospital mortality rates, and failure to discharge to home. Acute hypotension after a TBI event decreases the probability of successful discharge to home. Increasing TBI awareness and use of head-protective gear, particularly in high-velocity sports in older age groups, is necessary to prevent pediatric sports-related TBI or to improve outcomes after a TBI.

The epidemiology of chronic critical illness in the United States*.

PubMed

Kahn, Jeremy M; Le, Tri; Angus, Derek C; Cox, Christopher E; Hough, Catherine L; White, Douglas B; Yende, Sachin; Carson, Shannon S

2015-02-01

The epidemiology of chronic critical illness is not well characterized. We sought to determine the prevalence, outcomes, and associated costs of chronic critical illness in the United States. Population-based cohort study using data from the United States Healthcare Costs and Utilization Project from 2004 to 2009. Acute care hospitals in Massachusetts, North Carolina, Nebraska, New York, and Washington. Adult and pediatric patients meeting a consensus-derived definition for chronic critical illness, which included one of six eligible clinical conditions (prolonged acute mechanical ventilation, tracheotomy, stroke, traumatic brain injury, sepsis, or severe wounds) plus at least 8 days in an ICU. None. Out of 3,235,741 admissions to an ICU during the study period, 246,151 (7.6%) met the consensus definition for chronic critical illness. The most common eligibility conditions were prolonged acute mechanical ventilation (72.0% of eligible admissions) and sepsis (63.7% of eligible admissions). Among patients meeting chronic critical illness criteria through sepsis, the infections were community acquired in 48.5% and hospital acquired in 51.5%. In-hospital mortality was 30.9% with little change over the study period. The overall population-based prevalence was 34.4 per 100,000. The prevalence varied substantially with age, peaking at 82.1 per 100,000 individuals 75-79 years old but then declining coincident with a rise in mortality before day 8 in otherwise eligible patients. Extrapolating to the entire United States, for 2009, we estimated a total of 380,001 cases; 107,880 in-hospital deaths and $26 billion in hospital-related costs. Using a consensus-based definition, the prevalence, hospital mortality, and costs of chronic critical illness are substantial. Chronic critical illness is particularly common in the elderly although in very old patients the prevalence declines, in part because of an increase in early mortality among potentially eligible patients.

The impact of patient demographics and comorbidities upon burns admitted to Tygerberg Hospital Burns Unit, Western Cape, South Africa.

PubMed

Cloake, T; Haigh, T; Cheshire, J; Walker, D

2017-03-01

In South Africa, burns are a major public health problem responsible for significant morbidity and long-term physical disability. This is, in part, due to a significant proportion of the urban population living in poorly constructed, combustible accommodation. The presence of co-morbid diseases such as diabetes and malignancy in patients with burns has been associated with a poorer outcome. The impact of other diseases such as HIV has yet to be defined. A retrospective data collection study analysed the 221 patients admitted to Tygerberg Hospital Burns Unit in 2011 and the first six months of 2013. Using hospital records, patient demographic data was collected alongside burn agent, ICU admission, complications, and patient outcome in terms of length of stay and mortality. The most common burn agent was hot liquid (45.7%). A significant proportion of patients were subject to intentional attacks (34.3%). Shack fires and flame accounted cumulatively for 85% of total inhalational burns, the highest rates of admission to ICU (85.5%), the highest rate of complications, as well as 92.3% of all total fatalities. HIV+ patients had a higher mortality (13.3% vs 5%, p=0.22) and a higher complication rate (46.7% vs 30%, p=0.21). There was no difference in length of stay between the HIV+ and HIV- cohort (12days vs. 15.5 days, p=0.916). Burns are a significant yet preventable cause of mortality and morbidity. The rising number of shack fires, responsible for extensive burns and resultant mortality is concerning and indicates urgent attention and action. HIV complicates the recovery from burn and is responsible for an increased rate of in hospital mortality. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd and ISBI. All rights reserved.

Burn mortality in patients with preexisting cardiovascular disease.

PubMed

Knowlin, Laquanda; Reid, Trista; Williams, Felicia; Cairns, Bruce; Charles, Anthony

2017-08-01

Burn shock, a complex process, which develops following burn leads to severe and unique derangement of cardiovascular function. Patients with preexisting comorbidities such as cardiovascular diseases may be more susceptible. We therefore sought to examine the impact of preexisting cardiovascular disease on burn outcomes. A retrospective analysis of patients admitted to a regional burn center from 2002 to 2012. Independent variables analyzed included basic demographics, burn mechanism, presence of inhalation injury, TBSA, pre-existing comorbidities, and length of ICU/hospital stay. Bivariate analysis was performed and Poisson regression modeling was utilized to estimate the incidence of being in the ICU and mortality. There were a total of 5332 adult patients admitted over the study period. 6% (n=428) had a preexisting cardiovascular disease. Cardiovascular disease patients had a higher mortality rate (16%) compared to those without cardiovascular disease (3%, p<0.001). The adjusted Poisson regression model to estimate incidence risk of being in intensive care unit in patients with cardiovascular disease was 33% higher compared to those without cardiovascular disease (IRR=1.33, 95% CI=1.22-1.47). The risk for mortality is 42% higher (IRR=1.42, 95% CI=1.10-1.84) for patients with pre-existing cardiovascular disease compared to those without cardiovascular disease after controlling for other covariates. Preexisting cardiovascular disease significantly increases the risk of intensive care unit admission and mortality in burn patients. Given the increasing number of Americans with cardiovascular diseases, there will likely be a greater number of individuals at risk for worse outcomes following burn. This knowledge can help with burn prognostication. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd and ISBI. All rights reserved.

qSOFA, SIRS and NEWS for predicting inhospital mortality and ICU admission in emergency admissions treated as sepsis.

PubMed

Goulden, Robert; Hoyle, Marie-Claire; Monis, Jessie; Railton, Darran; Riley, Victoria; Martin, Paul; Martina, Reynaldo; Nsutebu, Emmanuel

2018-06-01

The third international consensus definition for sepsis recommended use of a new prognostic tool, the quick Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (qSOFA), based on its ability to predict inhospital mortality and prolonged intensive care unit (ICU) stay in patients with suspected infection. While several studies have compared the prognostic accuracy of qSOFA to the Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (SIRS) criteria in suspected sepsis, few have compared qSOFA and SIRS to the widely used National Early Warning Score (NEWS). This was a retrospective cohort study carried out in a UK tertiary centre. The study population comprised emergency admissions in whom sepsis was suspected and treated. The accuracy for predicting inhospital mortality and ICU admission was calculated and compared for qSOFA, SIRS and NEWS. Among 1818 patients, 53 were admitted to ICU (3%) and 265 died in hospital (15%). For predicting inhospital mortality, the area under the receiver operating characteristics curve for NEWS (0.65, 95% CI 0.61 to 0.68) was similar to qSOFA (0.62, 95% CI 0.59 to 0.66) (test for difference, P=0.18) and superior to SIRS (P<0.001), which was not predictive. The sensitivity of NEWS≥5 (74%, 95% CI 68% to 79%) was similar to SIRS≥2 (80%, 95% CI 74% to 84%) and higher than qSOFA≥2 (37%, 95% CI 31% to 43%). The specificity of NEWS≥5 (43%, 95% CI 41% to 46%) was higher than SIRS≥2 (21%, 95% CI 19% to 23%) and lower than qSOFA≥2 (79%, 95% CI 77% to 81%). The negative predictive value was 88% (86%-90%) for qSOFA, 86% (82%-89%) for SIRS and 91% (88%-93%) for NEWS. Results were similar for the secondary outcome of ICU admission. NEWS has equivalent or superior value for most test characteristics relative to SIRS and qSOFA, calling into question the rationale of adopting qSOFA in institutions where NEWS is already in use. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2018. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

Effect of dextran-70 on outcome in severe sepsis; a propensity-score matching study.

PubMed

Bentzer, Peter; Broman, Marcus; Kander, Thomas

2017-07-06

Albumin may be beneficial in patients with septic shock but availability is limited and cost is high. The objective of the present study was to investigate if the use of dextran-70 in addition to albumin and crystalloids influences organ failure or mortality in patients with severe sepsis or septic shock. Patients with severe sepsis or septic shock (n = 778) admitted to a university hospital intensive care unit (ICU) between 2007 and 2015 that received dextran-70 during resuscitation were propensity score matched to controls at a 1 to 1 ratio. Outcomes were highest acute kidney injury network (AKIN) score the first 10 days in the ICU, use of renal replacement therapy, days alive and free of organ support the first 28 days after admission to ICU, mortality and events of severe bleeding. Outcomes were assessed using paired hypothesis testing. Propensity score matching resulted in two groups of patients with 245 patients in each group. The dextran group received a median volume of 1483 ml (interquartile range, 1000-2000 ml) of dextran-70 during the ICU stay. Highest AKIN score did not differ between the control- and dextran groups (1 (0-3) versus 2 (0-3), p = 0.06). Incidence of renal replacement therapy in the control- and dextran groups was similar (19% versus 22%, p = 0.42, absolute risk reduction -2.9% [95% CI: -9.9 to 4.2]). Days alive and free of renal replacement, vasopressors and mechanical ventilation did not differ between the control- and dextran groups. The 180-day mortality was 50.2% in the control group and 41.6% in the dextran group (p = 0.046, absolute risk reduction 8.6% [-0.2 to 17.4]). Fraction of patients experiencing a severe bleeding in the first 10 days in the ICU did not differ between the control and dextran groups (14% versus 18%, p = 0.21). There is a paucity of high quality data regarding effects of dextran solutions on outcome in sepsis. In the present study, propensity score matching was used in attempt to reduce bias. No evidence to support a detrimental effect of dextran-70 on mortality or on organ failures in patients with severe sepsis or septic shock could be detected.

Subjects hospitalized with the 2009 pandemic influenza A (H1N1) virus in a respiratory infection unit: clinical factors correlating with ICU admission.

PubMed

Rovina, Nikoletta; Erifaki, Magdalini; Katsaounou, Paraskevi; Lyxi, Georgia; Koutsoukou, Antonia; Koulouris, Nikolaos G; Alchanatis, Manos

2014-10-01

The 2009 pandemic influenza A (H1N1) virus was accompanied by high morbidity and mortality. The aim of this study was to describe the clinical characteristics of patients with documented 2009 influenza A (H1N1) virus admitted to a reference chest hospital, the disease outcome, and risk factors associated with ICU admission. We assessed 109 subjects admitted to the respiratory infection unit of a hospital for chest disease with signs and symptoms of the 2009 influenza A (H1N1) virus between April 2009 and December 2010. Demographic data, comorbidities, clinical signs and symptoms, laboratory tests, radiographic findings, treatment, and final outcomes were all recorded. Factors associated with severe disease requiring ICU admission were determined. Ninety subjects (82.5%) had laboratory-confirmed 2009 influenza A (H1N1). Sixty-four percent of these subjects had pneumonia on admission, 26% had respiratory failure, and 11% required care in the ICU. Dyspnea and the presence of infiltrates on chest x-rays were the most common signs among the subjects with H1N1. All subjects were treated with antiviral therapy, and 75% received antibiotic treatment based on their clinical and laboratory findings. The predictive factors of ICU admission were severe hypoxemia and lymphocytosis. The outcome of subjects with influenza A (H1N1) virus infection was influenced by the severity of the disease on admission, the subjects' underlying conditions, and complications during hospitalization. Copyright © 2014 by Daedalus Enterprises.

Emergency feasibility in medical intensive care unit of extracorporeal life support for refractory cardiac arrest.

PubMed

Mégarbane, Bruno; Leprince, Pascal; Deye, Nicolas; Résière, Dabor; Guerrier, Gilles; Rettab, Samia; Théodore, Jonathan; Karyo, Souheil; Gandjbakhch, Iradj; Baud, Frédéric J

2007-05-01

To report the feasibility, complications, and outcomes of emergency extracorporeal life support (ECLS) in refractory cardiac arrests in medical intensive care unit (ICU). Prospective cohort study in the medical ICU in a university hospital in collaboration with the cardiosurgical team of a neighboring hospital. Seventeen patients (poisonings: 12/17) admitted over a 2-year period for cardiac arrest unresponsive to cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and advanced cardiac life support, without return of spontaneous circulation. ECLS femoral implantation under continuous cardiac massage, using a centrifugal pump connected to a hollow-fiber membrane oxygenator. Stable ECLS was achieved in 14 of 17 patients. Early complications included massive transfusions (n=8) and the need for surgical revision at the cannulation site for bleeding (n=1). Four patients (24%) survived at medical ICU discharge. Deaths resulted from multiorgan failure (n=8), thoracic bleeding(n=2), severe sepsis (n=2), and brain death (n=1). Massive hemorrhagic pulmonary edema during CPR (n=5) and major capillary leak syndrome (n=6) were observed. Three cardiotoxic-poisoned patients (18%, CPR duration: 30, 100, and 180 min) were alive at 1-year follow-up without sequelae. Two of these patients survived despite elevated plasma lactate concentrations before cannulation (39.0 and 20.0 mmol/l). ECLS was associated with a significantly lower ICU mortality rate than that expected from the Simplified Acute Physiology Score II (91.9%) and lower than the maximum Sequential Organ Failure Assessment score (>90%). Emergency ECLS is feasible in medical ICU and should be considered as a resuscitative tool for selected patients suffering from refractory cardiac arrest.

Incidence and preventability of adverse events requiring intensive care admission: a systematic review.

PubMed

Vlayen, Annemie; Verelst, Sandra; Bekkering, Geertruida E; Schrooten, Ward; Hellings, Johan; Claes, Neree

2012-04-01

Adverse events are unintended patient injuries or complications that arise from health care management resulting in death, disability or prolonged hospital stay. Adverse events that require critical care are a considerable financial burden to the health care system, but also their global impact on patients and society is probably underestimated. The objectives of this systematic review were to synthesize the best available evidence regarding the estimates of the incidence and preventability of adverse events that necessitate intensive care admission, to determine the type and consequences [mortality, length of intensive care unit (ICU) stay and costs] of these adverse events. MEDLINE (from 1966 to present), EMBASE (from 1974 to present) and CENTRAL (version 1-2010) were searched for studies reporting on unplanned admissions on ICUs. Several other sources were searched for additional studies. Only quantitative studies that used chart review for the detection of adverse events requiring intensive care admission were considered for eligibility. For the purposes of this systematic review, ICUs were defined as specialized hospital facilities which provide continuous monitoring and intensive care for acutely ill patients. Studies that were published in the English, Dutch, German, French or Spanish language were eligible for inclusion. Two reviewers independently extracted data and assessed the methodological quality of the included studies. A total of 27 studies were reviewed. Meta-analysis of the data was not appropriate because of methodological and statistical heterogeneity between studies; therefore, results are presented in a descriptive way. The percentage of surgical and medical adverse events that required ICU admission ranged from 1.1% to 37.2%. ICU readmissions varied from 0% to 18.3%. Preventability of the adverse events varied from 17% to 76.5%. Preventable adverse events are further synthesized by type of event. Consequences of the adverse events included a mean length of ICU stay that ranged from 1.5 days to 10.4 days for the patient's first stay in ICU and mortality percentages between 0% and 58%. Adverse events are an important reason for (re)admission to the ICU and a considerable proportion of these are preventable. It was not possible to estimate an overall incidence and preventability rate of these events as we found considerable heterogeneity. To decrease adverse events that necessitate ICU admission, several systems are recommended such as early detection of patients with clinical instability on general wards and the implementation of rapid response teams. Step-down or intermediate care units could be a useful strategy for patients who require monitoring to avoid ICU readmissions. However, the effectiveness of such systems needs to be investigated. © 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

RBC Distribution Width: Biomarker for Red Cell Dysfunction and Critical Illness Outcome?

PubMed

Said, Ahmed S; Spinella, Philip C; Hartman, Mary E; Steffen, Katherine M; Jackups, Ronald; Holubkov, Richard; Wallendorf, Mike; Doctor, Allan

2017-02-01

RBC distribution width is reported to be an independent predictor of outcome in adults with a variety of conditions. We sought to determine if RBC distribution width is associated with morbidity or mortality in critically ill children. Retrospective observational study. Tertiary PICU. All admissions to St. Louis Children's Hospital PICU between January 1, 2005, and December 31, 2012. We collected demographics, laboratory values, hospitalization characteristics, and outcomes. We calculated the relative change in RBC distribution width from admission RBC distribution width to the highest RBC distribution width during the first 7 days of hospitalization. Our primary outcome was ICU mortality or use of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation as a composite. Secondary outcomes were ICU- and ventilator-free days. We identified 3,913 eligible subjects with an estimated mortality (by Pediatric Index of Mortality 2) of 2.94% ± 9.25% and an actual ICU mortality of 2.91%. For the study cohort, admission RBC distribution width was 14.12% ± 1.89% and relative change in RBC distribution width was 2.63% ± 6.23%. On univariate analysis, both admission RBC distribution width and relative change in RBC distribution width correlated with mortality or the use of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (odds ratio, 1.19 [95% CI, 1.12-1.27] and odds ratio, 1.06 [95% CI, 1.04-1.08], respectively; p < 0.001). After adjusting for confounding variables, including severity of illness, both admission RBC distribution width (odds ratio, 1.13; 95% CI, 1.03-1.24) and relative change in RBC distribution width (odds ratio, 1.04; 95% CI, 1.01-1.07) remained independently associated with ICU mortality or the use of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. Admission RBC distribution width and relative change in RBC distribution width both weakly correlated with fewer ICU- (r = 0.038) and ventilator-free days (r = 0.05) (p < 0.001). Independent of illness severity in critically ill children, admission RBC distribution width is associated with ICU mortality and morbidity. These data suggest that RBC distribution width may be a biomarker for RBC injury that is of sufficient magnitude to influence critical illness outcome, possibly via oxygen delivery impairment.

The Association Between Daytime Intensivist Physician Staffing and Mortality in the Context of Other ICU Organizational Practices: A Multicenter Cohort Study.

PubMed

Costa, Deena Kelly; Wallace, David J; Kahn, Jeremy M

2015-11-01

Daytime intensivist physician staffing is associated with improved outcomes in the ICU. However, it is unclear whether this association persists in the era of interprofessional, protocol-directed critical care. We sought to reexamine the association between daytime intensivist physician staffing and ICU mortality and determine if interprofessional rounding and protocols for mechanical ventilation in part mediate this relationship. Retrospective cohort study of ICUs in the Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation clinical information system from 2009 to 2010. Forty-nine ICUs in 25 U.S. hospitals. Adults (17 yr and older) admitted to a study ICU. None. We defined high-intensity daytime intensivist staffing as either a mandatory consult or closed ICU model; interprofessional rounds as rounds that included a respiratory therapist, pharmacist, physician and nurse; and protocol use as having protocols for liberation from mechanical ventilation and lung protective mechanical ventilation. Using multivariable logistic regression, we estimated the independent effect of daytime intensivist physician staffing on in-hospital mortality controlling for interprofessional rounds and protocols for mechanical ventilation, as well as other patient and hospital characteristics. Twenty-seven ICUs (55%) reported high-intensity daytime physician staffing, 42 ICUs (85%) reported daily interprofessional rounds, and 31 (63%) reported having protocols for mechanical ventilation. There was no association between daytime intensivist physician staffing and in-hospital mortality (adjusted odds ratio, 0.86; 95% CI, 0.65-1.14). After adjusting for interprofessional rounds and protocols for mechanical ventilation, the effect of daytime intensivist physician staffing remained nonsignificant (adjusted odds ratio, 0.90; 95% CI, 0.70-1.17). High-intensity daytime physician staffing in the ICU was not significantly associated with lower mortality in a modern cohort. This association was not affected by interprofessional rounds or protocols for mechanical ventilation.

Recommendations for intensive care unit and hospital preparations for an influenza epidemic or mass disaster: summary report of the European Society of Intensive Care Medicine's Task Force for intensive care unit triage during an influenza epidemic or mass disaster.

PubMed

Sprung, Charles L; Zimmerman, Janice L; Christian, Michael D; Joynt, Gavin M; Hick, John L; Taylor, Bruce; Richards, Guy A; Sandrock, Christian; Cohen, Robert; Adini, Bruria

2010-03-01

To provide recommendations and standard operating procedures for intensive care units and hospital preparedness for an influenza pandemic. Based on a literature review and expert opinion, a Delphi process was used to define the essential topics. Key recommendations include: Hospitals should increase their ICU beds to the maximal extent by expanding ICU capacity and expanding ICUs into other areas. Hospitals should have appropriate beds and monitors for these expansion areas. Establish a management system with control groups at facility, local, regional and/or national levels to exercise authority over resources. Establish a system of communication, coordination and collaboration between the ICU and key interface departments. A plan to access, coordinate and increase labor resources is required with a central inventory of all clinical and non-clinical staff. Delegate duties not within the usual scope of workers' practice. Ensure that adequate essential medical equipment, pharmaceuticals and supplies are available. Protect patients and staff with infection control practices and supporting occupational health policies. Maintain staff confidence with reassurance plans for legal protection and assistance. Have objective, ethical, transparent triage criteria that are applied equitably and publically disclosed. ICU triage of patients should be based on the likelihood for patients to benefit most or a 'first come, first served' basis. Develop protocols for safe performance of high-risk procedures. Train and educate staff. Mortality, although inevitable during a severe influenza outbreak or disaster, can be reduced by adequate preparation.

Nurse staffing, medical staffing and mortality in Intensive Care: An observational study.

PubMed

West, Elizabeth; Barron, David N; Harrison, David; Rafferty, Anne Marie; Rowan, Kathy; Sanderson, Colin

2014-05-01

To investigate whether the size of the workforce (nurses, doctors and support staff) has an impact on the survival chances of critically ill patients both in the intensive care unit (ICU) and in the hospital. Investigations of intensive care outcomes suggest that some of the variation in patient survival rates might be related to staffing levels and workload, but the evidence is still equivocal. Information about patients, including the outcome of care (whether the patient lived or died) came from the Intensive Care National Audit & Research Centre (ICNARC) Case Mix Programme. An Audit Commission survey of ICUs conducted in 1998 gave information about staffing levels. The merged dataset had information on 65 ICUs and 38,168 patients. This is currently the best available dataset for testing the relationship between staffing and outcomes in UK ICUs. A cross-sectional, retrospective, risk adjusted observational study. Multivariable, multilevel logistic regression. ICU and in-hospital mortality. After controlling for patient characteristics and workload we found that higher numbers of nurses per bed (odds ratio: 0.90, 95% confidence interval: [0.83, 0.97]) and higher numbers of consultants (0.85, [0.76, 0.95]) were associated with higher survival rates. Further exploration revealed that the number of nurses had the greatest impact on patients at high risk of death (0.98, [0.96, 0.99]) whereas the effect of medical staffing was unchanged across the range of patient acuity (1.00, [0.97, 1.03]). No relationship between patient outcomes and the number of support staff (administrative, clerical, technical and scientific staff) was found. Distinguishing between direct care and supernumerary nurses and restricting the analysis to patients who had been in the unit for more than 8h made little difference to the results. Separate analysis of in-unit and in-hospital survival showed that the clinical workforce in intensive care had a greater impact on ICU mortality than on hospital mortality which gives the study additional credibility. This study supports claims that the availability of medical and nursing staff is associated with the survival of critically ill patients and suggests that future studies should focus on the resources of the health care team. The results emphasise the urgent need for a prospective study of staffing levels and the organisation of care in ICUs. Copyright © 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

The effect of intraoperative hypotension on the outcomes of initial hybrid palliation for single ventricle congenital heart disease: an historical cohort study.

PubMed

Koziol, James; Gertler, Ralph; Manlhiot, Cedric; McCrindle, Brian; Holtby, Helen; Caldarone, Christopher A; Taylor, Katherine

2013-05-01

The "hybrid procedure" is an alternative surgical palliation strategy for single ventricle congenital heart disease. The purported benefit is improved cognitive ability secondary to avoidance of cardiopulmonary bypass in the neonatal period when neuronal apoptosis is greater. It is unknown whether survival is improved after this procedure. Intraoperative hypotension is common in these patients, and we hypothesized that this hypotension was associated with mortality or morbidity. We reviewed the records of 58/58 patients undergoing a first-stage hybrid procedure from 2004 to 2010 in a tertiary pediatric academic centre. Risk factors for poor outcome and the association between intraoperative hypotension and morbidity or mortality were investigated. Average preoperative arterial blood pressure (ABP) [systolic/diastolic presented as mean (standard deviation)] were 68 (12.7) / 38 (9.4) mmHg. Post-induction ABP was 65 (15.2) / 37 (8.6) mmHg. The average intraoperative nadir of ABP was 45 (7.0) / 26 (4.8) mmHg. On return to the intensive care unit (ICU), the average ABP was 69 (13.7) / 38 (11.6) mmHg. The nadir lasted longer than ten minutes in 32/58 patients. The mortality at 48 hr, 60 days, and 12 months was 3/58 (5%), 10/58 (17%), and 15/58 (26%), respectively. Six patients returned to the ICU on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). There was a weak statistical correlation between the average mean and diastolic BP pre-induction and changes of > 20% in systolic and diastolic BP during the case. In this patient cohort, we can show an association between short periods of intraoperative hypotension and mortality or return to the ICU on ECMO, but the importance of this is not certain.

Higher mortality of severe influenza patients with probable aspergillosis than those with and without other coinfections.

PubMed

Ku, Yee-Huang; Chan, Khee-Siang; Yang, Chun-Chieh; Tan, Che-Kim; Chuang, Yin-Ching; Yu, Wen-Liang

2017-09-01

Aspergillus-associated infection might comprise up to 23-29% of severe influenza patients from the community throughout stay in an intensive care unit (ICU). In Taiwan, cases of severe influenza with aspergillosis are increasingly reported. Therefore, we describe the relative risk of mortality among severe influenza patients with aspergillosis and other coinfections compared to severe influenza patients without Aspergillus coinfections. We retrospectively reviewed 124 adult patients with severe influenza in a tertiary medical center in southern Taiwan from January 2015 through March 2016. The definition of probable aspergillosis required abnormal radiological findings and positive Aspergillus galactomannan (GM) antigen and/or Aspergillus isolation. Probable aspergillosis (detected throughout the whole course) and other coinfections (only community-acquired) were diagnosed in 21 (17%) and 38 (31%) of all patients respectively. Klebsiella pneumoniae (36.8%), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (31.6%) and Staphylococcus aureus (31.6%) were the most frequent isolates of other coinfections. In-ICU mortality of Aspergillus group (66.7%) was significantly higher than other coinfections (23.7%, p = 0.001) or control group without coinfections (15.4%, p < 0.001), with significant odds ratios after adjusting for important variables. The factor of GM index ≥0.6 had a 19.82 (95% CI, 4.91 to 80.07, p < 0.0001) odds of expiring in an ICU among the Aspergillus group. Dual Aspergillus and influenza infection is emerging in southern Taiwan. Meanwhile, community-acquired P. aeruginosa should be listed in the common copathogens with severe influenza. The 67% mortality linked to aspergillosis highlights the need for physicians to focus attention on patients with GM ≥ 0.6. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Anemia, hypoalbuminemia, and elevated troponin levels as risk factors for respiratory failure in patients with severe exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease requiring invasive mechanical ventilation.

PubMed

Pavliša, Gordana; Labor, Marina; Puretić, Hrvoje; Hećimović, Ana; Jakopović, Marko; Samaržija, Miroslav

2017-12-31

To determine in-hospital and post-discharge mortality, readmission rates, and predictors of invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV) in patients treated at intensive care unit (ICU) due to acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD). A retrospective observational cohort study included all patients treated at a respiratory ICU for AECOPD during one year. A total of 62 patients (41 men) with mean age 68.4±10.4 years were analyzed for outcomes including in-hospital and post-discharge mortality, readmission rates, and IMV. Patients' demographic, hematologic, biochemical data and arterial blood gas (ABG) values were recorded on admission to hospital. Mean duration of follow-up time was 2.4 years. Of 62 patients, 7 (11.3%) died during incident hospitalization and 21 (33.9%) died during the follow-up. The overall 2.4-year mortality was 45.2%. Twenty nine (46.8%) patients were readmitted due to AECOPD. The average number of readmissions was 1.2. Multivariate analysis showed that blood pH, bicarbonate levels, low albumin, low serum chloride, and low hemoglobin were significant predictors of IMV during incident hospitalization (P<0.001 for the overall model fit). High in-hospital and post-discharge mortality and high readmission rates in our patients treated due to AECOPD at ICU indicate that these patients represent a high risk group in need of close monitoring. Our results suggested that anemia, hypoalbuminemia, and elevated troponin levels were risk factors for the need of IMV in severe AECOPD. Identification of such high-risk patients could provide the opportunity for administration of an appropriate and timely treatment.

Operative fixation of rib fractures after blunt trauma: A practice management guideline from the Eastern Association for the Surgery of Trauma.

PubMed

Kasotakis, George; Hasenboehler, Erik A; Streib, Erik W; Patel, Nimitt; Patel, Mayur B; Alarcon, Louis; Bosarge, Patrick L; Love, Joseph; Haut, Elliott R; Como, John J

2017-03-01

Rib fractures are identified in 10% of all injury victims and are associated with significant morbidity (33%) and mortality (12%). Significant progress has been made in the management of rib fractures over the past few decades, including operative reduction and internal fixation (rib ORIF); however, the subset of patients that would benefit most from this procedure remains ill-defined. The aim of this project was to develop evidence-based recommendations. Population, intervention, comparison, and outcome (PICO) questions were formulated for patients with and without flail chest. Outcomes of interest included mortality, duration of mechanical ventilation (DMV), hospital and intensive care unit (ICU) length of stay (LOS), incidence of pneumonia, need for tracheostomy, and pain control. A systematic review and meta-analysis of currently available evidence was performed per the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation methodology. Twenty-two studies were identified and analyzed. These included 986 patients with flail chest, of whom 334 underwent rib ORIF. Rib ORIF afforded lower mortality; shorter DMV, hospital LOS, and ICU LOS; and lower incidence of pneumonia and need for tracheostomy. The data quality was deemed very low, with only three prospective randomized trials available. Analyses for pain in patients with flail chest and all outcomes in patients with nonflail chest were not feasible due to inadequate data. In adult patients with flail chest, we conditionally recommend rib ORIF to decrease mortality; shorten DMV, hospital LOS, and ICU LOS; and decrease incidence of pneumonia and need for tracheostomy. We cannot offer a recommendation for pain control, or any of the outcomes in patients with nonflail chest with currently available data. Systematic review/meta-analysis, level III.

Plasma suPAR as a prognostic biological marker for ICU mortality in ARDS patients.

PubMed

Geboers, Diederik G P J; de Beer, Friso M; Tuip-de Boer, Anita M; van der Poll, Tom; Horn, Janneke; Cremer, Olaf L; Bonten, Marc J M; Ong, David S Y; Schultz, Marcus J; Bos, Lieuwe D J

2015-07-01

We investigated the prognostic value of plasma soluble urokinase plasminogen activator receptor (suPAR) on day 1 in patients with the acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) for intensive care unit (ICU) mortality and compared it with established disease severity scores on day 1. suPAR was determined batchwise in plasma obtained within 24 h after admission. 632 ARDS patients were included. Significantly (P = 0.02) higher median levels of suPAR were found with increasing severity of ARDS: 5.9 ng/ml [IQR 3.1-12.8] in mild ARDS (n = 82), 8.4 ng/ml [IQR 4.1-15.0] in moderate ARDS (n = 333), and 9.0 ng/ml [IQR 4.5-16.0] in severe ARDS (n = 217). Non-survivors had higher median levels of suPAR [12.5 ng/ml (IQR 5.1-19.5) vs. 7.4 ng/ml (3.9-13.6), P < 0.001]. The area under the receiver operator characteristic curve (ROC-AUC) for mortality of suPAR (0.62) was lower than the ROC-AUC of the APACHE IV score (0.72, P = 0.007), higher than that of the ARDS definition classification (0.53, P = 0.005), and did not differ from that of the SOFA score (0.68, P = 0.07) and the oxygenation index (OI) (0.58, P = 0.29). Plasma suPAR did not improve the discrimination of the established disease severity scores, but did improve net reclassification of the APACHE score (29%), SOFA score (23%), OI (38%), and Berlin definition classification (39%). As a single biological marker, the prognostic value for death of plasma suPAR in ARDS patients is low. Plasma suPAR, however, improves the net reclassification, suggesting a potential role for suPAR in ICU mortality prediction models.

Antimicrobial resistance in Hispanic patients hospitalized in San Antonio, TX with community-acquired pneumonia.

PubMed

Restrepo, Marcos I; Velez, Maria I; Serna, Gloria; Anzueto, Antonio; Mortensen, Eric M

2010-11-01

Limited information is available on the antimicrobial resistance of patients with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) depending on their ethnicity. Our aim was to compare the clinical characteristics, etiology, and microbiological resistance of Hispanic versus non-Hispanic white patients. A retrospective cohort of 601 patients with a diagnosis of CAP included 288 non-Hispanic whites and 313 Hispanics. Penicillin-resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae was more common among Hispanic patients (21.7% vs 0%; P=0.03) but there were no significant differences in macrolide-resistant S pneumoniae, drug-resistant S pneumoniae, or potential or actual multidrug-resistant pathogens (eg, drug-resistant S pneumoniae, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas spp., and Acinetobacter spp.). There were no differences among groups in length of hospital stay, intensive care unit (ICU) admission, or 30-day mortality. This study suggests that Hispanic patients with CAP have a higher rate of penicillin-resistant S pneumoniae, but no differences in antimicrobial resistance, 30-day mortality, ICU admission, or length of stay when compared with non-Hispanic white patients.

Acetazolamide: a second wind for a respiratory stimulant in the intensive care unit?

PubMed

Heming, Nicholas; Urien, Saïk; Faisy, Christophe

2012-08-07

Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are affected by episodes of respiratory exacerbations, some of which can be severe and may necessitate respiratory support. Prolonged invasive mechanical ventilation is associated with increased mortality rates. Persistent failure to discontinue invasive mechanical ventilation is a major issue in patients with COPD. Pure or mixed metabolic alkalosis is a common finding in the intensive care unit (ICU) and is associated with a worse outcome. In patients with COPD, the condition is called post-hypercapnic alkalosis and is a complication of mechanical ventilation. Reversal of metabolic alkalosis may facilitate weaning from mechanical ventilation of patients with COPD. Acetazolamide, a non-specific carbonic anhydrase inhibitor, is one of the drugs employed in the ICU to reverse metabolic alkalosis. The drug is relatively safe, undesirable effects being rare. The compartmentalization of the different isoforms of the carbonic anhydrase enzyme may, in part, explain the lack of evidence of the efficacy of acetazolamide as a respiratory stimulant. Recent findings suggest that the usually employed doses of acetazolamide in the ICU may be insufficient to significantly improve respiratory parameters in mechanically ventilated patients with COPD. Randomized controlled trials using adequate doses of acetazolamide are required to address this issue.

[Prevalence of severe sepsis in intensive care units. A national multicentric study].

PubMed

Dougnac, Alberto L; Mercado, Marcelo F; Cornejo, Rodrigo R; Cariaga, Mario V; Hernández, Glenn P; Andresen, Max H; Bugedo, Guillermo T; Castillo, Luis F

2007-05-01

Severe sepsis (SS) is the leading cause of death in the Intensive Care Units (ICU). To study the prevalence of SS in Chilean ICUs. An observational, cross-sectional study using a predesigned written survey was done in all ICUs of Chile on April 21st, 2004. General hospital and ICU data and the number of hospitalized patients in the hospital and in the ICU at the survey day, were recorded. Patients were followed for 28 days. Ninety four percent of ICUs participated in the survey. The ICU occupation index was 66%. Mean age of patients was 57.7+/-18 years and 59% were male, APACHE II score was 15+/-7.5 and SOFA score was 6+/-4. SS was the admission diagnosis of 94 of the 283 patients (33%) and 38 patients presented SS after admission. On the survey day, 112 patients fulfilled SS criteria (40%). APACHE II and SOFA scores were significantly higher in SS patients than in non SS patients. Global case-fatality ratio at 28 days was 15.9% (45/283). Case-fatality ratio in patients with or without SS at the moment of the survey was 26.7% (30/112) and 8.7% (17/171), respectively p <0.05. Thirteen percent of patients who developed SS after admission, died. Case-fatality ratios for patients with SS from Santiago and the other cities were similar, but APACHE II score was significantly higher in patients from Santiago. In SS patients, the independent predictors of mortality were SS as cause of hospital admission, APACHE II and SOFA scores. Ninety nine percent of SS patients had a known sepsis focus (48% respiratory and 30% abdominal). Eighty five patients that presented SS after admission, had a respiratory focus. SS is highly prevalent in Chilean ICUs and represents the leading diagnosis at admission. SS as cause of hospitalization, APACHE II and SOFA scores were independent predictors of mortality.

The use of a low dose hydrocortisone to prevent pulmonary embolism in patients with multiple trauma.

PubMed

Chaari, Anis; Ghadhoune, Hatem; Chakroune, Olfa; Abid, Hanen; Turki, Olfa; Bahloul, Mabrouk; Bouaziz, Mounir

2013-08-01

Venous thromboembolism events are common in trauma patients. Immediate acute inflammation following injury triggers coagulation cascade and may increase the risk of pulmonary embolism (PE) in this population. We aimed to evaluate whether early low-dose steroids prevent symptomatic PE onset in multiple trauma patients. The medical surgical intensive care unit of Habib Bourguiba University Hospital (Sfax--Tunisia). Comparative study of two cohorts: a retrospective cohort of patients who didn't receive early low-dose steroids (steroid (-) group) and a prospective cohort of patients who received hydrocortisone with a dose of 100 mg/8 h for a scheduled period of 7 days (steroid (+) group). All adult patients admitted in our intensive care unit (ICU) for multiple trauma with predicted duration of mechanical ventilation over 48 h were included. Evaluation of the impact of low-dose steroids on the incidence of symptomatic PE. We included 175 patients: 92 in the steroids (-) group and 83 in the steroids (+) group. PE was diagnosed in 15 patients (8.5 %). The incidence of PE was significantly lower in steroid (+) group (3.6 vs 13 %; p = 0.013). In multivariate analysis, independent factors predicting PE onset were meningeal hemorrhage [OR = 14.7; 95 % CI (2.2-96.3); p = 0.013] and pelvic ring trauma [OR = 8; 95 % CI (1.8-36.4); p = 0.007] whereas low-dose steroids were significantly associated with a protective effect [OR = 0.2; 95 % CI (0.05-0.77); p = 0.019]. There was no significant difference between steroids (+) and steroids (-) groups neither in terms of mean ICU length of stay (LOS) (respectively 11 ± 9.7 and 12.3 ± 10.7 days; p = 0.372) nor in terms of ICU mortality (respectively 29.3 and 24.1 %; p = 0.434). Steroids are effective in reducing the incidence of PE in multiple trauma patients. However, no significant benefice was found on ICU mortality.

Usefulness of CURB-65 and pneumonia severity index for influenza A H1N1v pneumonia.

PubMed

Estella, A

2012-01-01

Usefulness of CURB-65 and pneumonia severity index for influenza A H1N1v pneumonia. A. Estella. Different prognostic scales have been documented to assess the severity and indications for hospitalization and ICU admissions of community acquired pneumonia. During the past two years Influenza A H1N1v infections have been commonly attended to in emergency departments. The aim of the study was to analyse the usefulness of the application of the Pneumonia Severity Index (PSI) and CURB-65 prognostic scales in patients with primary viral pneumonia caused by influenza A H1N1v. A retrospective study was performed at a community hospital with a 17 bed-intensive care unit. Patients admitted in hospital with influenza A H1N1v pneumonia over a two year period were analysed. CURB 65 and PSI scales were applied in the emergency department and outcome and destination of admission were analysed. 24 patients were registered, 19 required ICU admission and 5 patients were admitted in medical wards. Most of the patients admitted to the intensive care unit (78.9%) required mechanical ventilation. Mortality was 21.1%. Most patients admitted to the ICU had CURB 65 scale of 1 (60%), 13.3% obtained 0 and 26.7% 2. PSI scale resulted class I in a 20%, class II 40%, 26.7% class IV and 13.3% class V. The scales CURB 65 and PSI showed no differences in scores according to the destination of admission and mortality. Use of CURB-65 and PSI in the emergency department may underestimate the risk of patients with Influenza A H1N1v pneumonia. Based in our results, the ability of these scales to predict ICU admissions for Influenza A H1N1v pneumonia is questioned.

Social determinants and maternal exposure to intimate partner violence of obstetric patients with severe maternal morbidity in the intensive care unit: a systematic review protocol.

PubMed

Ayala Quintanilla, Beatriz Paulina; Taft, Angela; McDonald, Susan; Pollock, Wendy; Roque Henriquez, Joel Christian

2016-11-28

Maternal mortality is a potentially preventable public health issue. Maternal morbidity is increasingly of interest to aid the reduction of maternal mortality. Obstetric patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) are an important part of the global burden of maternal morbidity. Social determinants influence health outcomes of pregnant women. Additionally, intimate partner violence has a great negative impact on women's health and pregnancy outcome. However, little is known about the contextual and social aspects of obstetric patients treated in the ICU. This study aimed to conduct a systematic review of the social determinants and exposure to intimate partner violence of obstetric patients admitted to an ICU. A systematic search will be conducted in MEDLINE, CINAHL, ProQuest, LILACS and SciELO from 2000 to 2016. Studies published in English and Spanish will be identified in relation to data reporting on social determinants of health and/or exposure to intimate partner violence of obstetric women, treated in the ICU during pregnancy, childbirth or within 42 days of the end of pregnancy. Two reviewers will independently screen for study eligibility and data extraction. Risk of bias and assessment of the quality of the included studies will be performed by using the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP) checklist. Data will be analysed and summarised using a narrative description of the available evidence across studies. This systematic review protocol will be reported according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Protocols (PRISMA-P) guidelines. Since this systematic review will be based on published studies, ethical approval is not required. Findings will be presented at La Trobe University, in Conferences and Congresses, and published in a peer-reviewed journal. CRD42016037492. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/.

Social determinants and maternal exposure to intimate partner violence of obstetric patients with severe maternal morbidity in the intensive care unit: a systematic review protocol

PubMed Central

Ayala Quintanilla, Beatriz Paulina; Taft, Angela; McDonald, Susan; Pollock, Wendy; Roque Henriquez, Joel Christian

2016-01-01

Introduction Maternal mortality is a potentially preventable public health issue. Maternal morbidity is increasingly of interest to aid the reduction of maternal mortality. Obstetric patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) are an important part of the global burden of maternal morbidity. Social determinants influence health outcomes of pregnant women. Additionally, intimate partner violence has a great negative impact on women's health and pregnancy outcome. However, little is known about the contextual and social aspects of obstetric patients treated in the ICU. This study aimed to conduct a systematic review of the social determinants and exposure to intimate partner violence of obstetric patients admitted to an ICU. Methods and analysis A systematic search will be conducted in MEDLINE, CINAHL, ProQuest, LILACS and SciELO from 2000 to 2016. Studies published in English and Spanish will be identified in relation to data reporting on social determinants of health and/or exposure to intimate partner violence of obstetric women, treated in the ICU during pregnancy, childbirth or within 42 days of the end of pregnancy. Two reviewers will independently screen for study eligibility and data extraction. Risk of bias and assessment of the quality of the included studies will be performed by using the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP) checklist. Data will be analysed and summarised using a narrative description of the available evidence across studies. This systematic review protocol will be reported according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Protocols (PRISMA-P) guidelines. Ethics and dissemination Since this systematic review will be based on published studies, ethical approval is not required. Findings will be presented at La Trobe University, in Conferences and Congresses, and published in a peer-reviewed journal. Trial registration number CRD42016037492. PMID:27895065

Use of the APACHE II score to assess impact of therapeutic plasma exchange for critically ill patients with hypertriglyceride-induced pancreatitis.

PubMed

Nakhoda, Shazia; Zimrin, Ann B; Baer, Maria R; Law, Jennie Y

2017-04-01

Hypertriglyceridemic (HTG) pancreatitis carries significant morbidity and mortality and often requires intensive care unit (ICU) admission. Therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE) rapidly lowers serum triglyceride (TG) levels. However, evidence supporting TPE for HTG pancreatitis is lacking. Ten patients admitted to the ICU for HTG pancreatitis underwent TPE at our institution from 2005-2015. We retrospectively calculated the Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Examination II (APACHE II) score at the time of initial TPE and again after the final TPE session to assess the impact of triglyceride apheresis on morbidity and mortality associated with HTG pancreatitis. All 10 patients had rapid reduction in TG level after TPE, but only 5 had improvement in their APACHE II score. The median APACHE II score decreased from 19% to 17% after TPE, correlating with an 8% and 9% decrease in median predicted non-operative and post-operative mortality, respectively. The APACHE II score did not differ statistically before and after TPE implementation in our patient group (p=0.39). TPE is a clinically useful tool to rapidly lower TG levels, but its impact on mortality of HTG pancreatitis as assessed by the APACHE II score remains uncertain. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The impact of extracerebral organ failure on outcome of patients after cardiac arrest: an observational study from the ICON database.

PubMed

Nobile, Leda; Taccone, Fabio S; Szakmany, Tamas; Sakr, Yasser; Jakob, Stephan M; Pellis, Tommaso; Antonelli, Massimo; Leone, Marc; Wittebole, Xavier; Pickkers, Peter; Vincent, Jean-Louis

2016-11-14

We used data from a large international database to assess the incidence and impact of extracerebral organ dysfunction on prognosis of patients admitted after cardiac arrest (CA). This was a sub-analysis of the Intensive Care Over Nations (ICON) database, which contains data from all adult patients admitted to one of 730 participating intensive care units (ICUs) in 84 countries from 8-18 May 2012, except admissions for routine postoperative surveillance. For this analysis, patients admitted after CA (defined as those with "post-anoxic coma" or "cardiac arrest" as the reason for ICU admission) were included. Data were collected daily in the ICU for a maximum of 28 days; patients were followed up for outcome data until death, hospital discharge, or a maximum of 60 days in-hospital. Favorable neurological outcome was defined as alive at hospital discharge with a last available neurological Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) subscore of 0-2. Among the 469 patients admitted after CA, 250 (53 %) had had out-of-hospital CA; 210 (45 %) patients died in the ICU and 357 (76 %) had an unfavorable neurological outcome. Non-survivors had a higher incidence of renal (43 vs. 16 %), cardiovascular (56 vs. 45 %), and respiratory (62 vs. 48 %) failure on admission and during the ICU stay than survivors (all p < 0.05). Similar results were found for patients with unfavorable vs. favorable neurological outcomes. In multivariable analysis, independent predictors of ICU mortality were renal failure on admission, high admission Simplified Acute Physiology Score (SAPS) II, high maximum serum lactate levels within the first 24 h after ICU admission, and development of sepsis. Independent predictors of unfavorable neurological outcome were mechanical ventilation on admission, high admission SAPS II score, and neurological dysfunction on admission. In this multicenter cohort, extracerebral organ dysfunction was common in CA patients. Renal failure on admission was the only extracerebral organ dysfunction independently associated with higher ICU mortality.

COPD is a clear risk factor for increased use of resources and adverse outcomes in patients undergoing intervention for colorectal cancer: a nationwide study in Spain

PubMed Central

Baré, Marisa; Montón, Concepción; Mora, Laura; Redondo, Maximino; Pont, Marina; Escobar, Antonio; Sarasqueta, Cristina; Fernández de Larrea, Nerea; Briones, Eduardo; Quintana, Jose Maria

2017-01-01

Background We hypothesized that patients undergoing surgery for colorectal cancer (CRC) with COPD as a comorbidity would consume more resources and have worse in-hospital outcomes than similar patients without COPD. Therefore, we compared different aspects of the care process and short-term outcomes in patients undergoing surgery for CRC, with and without COPD. Methods This was a prospective study and it included patients from 22 hospitals located in Spain – 472 patients with COPD and 2,276 patients without COPD undergoing surgery for CRC. Clinical variables, postintervention intensive care unit (ICU) admission, use of invasive mechanical ventilation, and postintervention antibiotic treatment or blood transfusion were compared between the two groups. The reintervention rate, presence and type of complications, length of stay, and in-hospital mortality were also estimated. Hazard ratio (HR) for hospital mortality was estimated by Cox regression models. Results COPD was associated with higher rates of in-hospital complications, ICU admission, antibiotic treatment, reinterventions, and mortality. Moreover, after adjusting for other factors, COPD remained clearly associated with higher and earlier in-hospital mortality. Conclusion To reduce in-hospital morbidity and mortality in patients undergoing surgery for CRC and with COPD as a comorbidity, several aspects of perioperative management should be optimized and attention should be given to the usual comorbidities in these patients. PMID:28461746

Admission Cell Free DNA Levels Predict 28-Day Mortality in Patients with Severe Sepsis in Intensive Care

PubMed Central

Almog, Yaniv; Perl, Yael; Novack, Victor; Galante, Ori; Klein, Moti; Pencina, Michael J.; Douvdevani, Amos

2014-01-01

Aim The aim of the current study is to assess the mortality prediction accuracy of circulating cell-free DNA (CFD) level at admission measured by a new simplified method. Materials and Methods CFD levels were measured by a direct fluorescence assay in severe sepsis patients on intensive care unit (ICU) admission. In-hospital and/or twenty eight day all-cause mortality was the primary outcome. Results Out of 108 patients with median APACHE II of 20, 32.4% have died in hospital/or at 28-day. CFD levels were higher in decedents: median 3469.0 vs. 1659 ng/ml, p<0.001. In multivariable model APACHE II score and CFD (quartiles) were significantly associated with the mortality: odds ratio of 1.05, p = 0.049 and 2.57, p<0.001 per quartile respectively. C-statistics for the models was 0.79 for CFD and 0.68 for APACHE II. Integrated discrimination improvement (IDI) analyses showed that CFD and CFD+APACHE II score models had better discriminatory ability than APACHE II score alone. Conclusions CFD level assessed by a new, simple fluorometric-assay is an accurate predictor of acute mortality among ICU patients with severe sepsis. Comparison of CFD to APACHE II score and Procalcitonin (PCT), suggests that CFD has the potential to improve clinical decision making. PMID:24955978

[Impact of quality improvement process upon the state of nutritional support in a critical care unit].

PubMed

Martinuzzi, A; Ferraresi, E; Orsati, M; Palaoro, A; Chaparro, J; Alcántara, S; Amin, C; Feller, C; Di Leo, M E; Guillot, A; García, V

2012-01-01

In a preceding article the state of Nutritional support (NS) in an Intensive Care Unit (ICU) was documented [Martinuzzi A et al. Estado del soporte nutricional en una unidad de Cuidados críticos. RNC 2011; 20: 5-17]. In this follow-up work we set to assess the impact of several organizational, recording and educational interventions upon the current state of NS processes. Interventions comprised presentation of the results of the audit conducted at the ICU before the institution's medical as well as paramedical personnel; their publication in a periodical, peer-reviewed journal; drafting and implementation of a protocol regulating NS schemes to be carried out at the ICU; and conduction of continuous education activities on Nutrition (such as "experts talks", interactive courses, and training in the implementation of the NS protocol). The state of NS processes documented after the interventions was compared with the results annotated in the preceding article. Study observation window ran between March the 1st, 2011 and May 31th, 2011, both included. Study series differed only regarding overall-mortality: Phase 1: 40.0% vs. Phase 2: 20.5%; Difference: 19.5%; Z = 1.927; two-tailed-p = 0.054. Interventions resulted in a higher fulfillment rate of the prescribed NS indication; an increase in the number of patients receiving ≥ 80% of prescribed energy; and a reduction in the number of NS lost days. Mortality was (numerically) lower in patients in which the prescribed NS scheme was fulfilled, NS was early initiated, and whom received ≥ 80% of prescribed energy. Adopted interventions had no effect upon average energy intakes: Phase 1: 574.7 ± 395.3 kcal/24 h⁻¹ vs. Phase 2: 591.1 ± 315.3 kcal/24 h⁻¹; two-tailed-p > 0.05. Educational, recording and organizational interventions might result in a better conduction of NS processes, and thus, in a lower mortality. Hemodynamic instability is still the most formidable obstacle for initiating and completing NS.

Epidemiologic features, risk factors, and outcome of sepsis in stroke patients treated on a neurologic intensive care unit.

PubMed

Berger, Benjamin; Gumbinger, Christoph; Steiner, Thorsten; Sykora, Marek

2014-04-01

Because of the immune-suppressive effect of cerebral damage, stroke patients are at high risk for infections. These might result in sepsis, which is the major contributor to intensive care unit (ICU) mortality. Although there are numerous studies on infections in stroke patients, the role of sepsis as a poststroke complication is unknown. We retrospectively analyzed incidence of and risk factors for sepsis acquisition as well as outcome parameters of 238 patients with ischemic or hemorrhagic strokes consecutively admitted to the neurologic ICU in a tertiary university hospital between January 1, 2009, and December 31, 2010. Basic demographic and clinical data including microbiological parameters as well as factors describing stroke severity (eg, lesion volume and National Institute of Health stroke scale score) were recorded and included into the analysis. The diagnosis of sepsis was based on the criteria of the German Sepsis Society. We identified 30 patients (12.6%) with sepsis within the first 7 days from stroke onset. The lungs were the most frequent source of infection (93.3%), and gram-positive organisms were dominating the microbiologic spectrum (52.4%). Comorbidities (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and immunosuppressive disorders) and Simplified Acute Physiology Score II but none of the factors describing stroke severity were independent predictors of sepsis acquisition. Sepsis was associated with a significantly worse prognosis, leading to a 2-fold increased mortality rate during in-hospital care (36.7% vs 18.8%) and after 3 months (56.5% vs 28.5%), but only in the subgroup of supratentorial hemorrhages, it was an independent predictor of in-hospital and 3-month mortality. Other factors significantly associated with death in a multivariate analysis were chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, malignancies (in-hospital mortality only), and Simplified Acute Physiology Score II (3-month mortality only) for ischemia and heart failure (in-hospital mortality only), National Institute of Health stroke scale score (in-hospital mortality only), and stroke volume for hemorrhages, respectively. Sepsis seems to be a frequent complication of stroke patients requiring neurologic ICU treatment. Predictors of sepsis acquisition in our study were comorbidities and severity of deterioration of physiological status, but not stroke severity. A better understanding of risk factors is important for prevention and early recognition, whereas knowledge of outcome may help in prognosis prediction. Further studies are needed to clarify the optimal preventive treatment for these patients. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Economic aspects of severe sepsis: a review of intensive care unit costs, cost of illness and cost effectiveness of therapy.

PubMed

Burchardi, Hilmar; Schneider, Heinz

2004-01-01

Severe sepsis remains both an important clinical challenge and an economic burden in intensive care. An estimated 750,000 cases occur each year in the US alone (300 cases per 100,000 population). Lower numbers are estimated for most European countries (e.g. Germany and Austria: 54-116 cases per year per 100,000). Sepsis patients are generally treated in intensive care units (ICUs) where close supervision and intensive care treatment by a competent team with adequate equipment can be provided. Staffing costs represent from 40% to >60% of the total ICU budget. Because of the high proportion of fixed costs in ICU treatment, the total cost of ICU care is mainly dependent on the length of ICU stay (ICU-LOS). The average total cost per ICU day is estimated at approximately 1200 Euro for countries with a highly developed healthcare system (based on various studies conducted between 1989 and 2001 and converted at 2003 currency rates). Patients with infections and severe sepsis require a prolonged ICU-LOS, resulting in higher costs of treatment compared with other ICU patients. US cost-of-illness studies focusing on direct costs per sepsis patient have yielded estimates of 34,000 Euro, whereas European studies have given lower cost estimates, ranging from 23,000 Euro to 29,000 Euro. Direct costs, however, make up only about 20-30% of the cost of illness of severe sepsis. Indirect costs associated with severe sepsis account for 70-80% of costs and arise mainly from productivity losses due to mortality. Because of increasing healthcare cost pressures worldwide, economic issues have become important for the introduction of new innovations. This is evident when introducing new biotechnology products, such as drotrecogin-alpha (activated protein C), into specific therapy for severe sepsis. Data so far suggest that when drotrecogin-alpha treatment is targeted to those patients most likely to achieve the greatest benefit, the drug is cost effective by the standards of other well accepted life-saving interventions.

The quest for a universal definition of polytrauma: a trauma registry-based validation study.

PubMed

Butcher, Nerida E; D'Este, Catherine; Balogh, Zsolt J

2014-10-01

A pilot validation recommended defining polytrauma as patients with an Abbreviated Injury Scale (AIS) score greater than 2 in at least two Injury Severity Score (ISS) body regions (2 × AIS score > 2). This study aimed to validate this definition on larger data set. We hypothesized that patients defined by the 2 × AIS score > 2 cutoff have worse outcomes and use more resources than those without 2 × AIS score > 2 and that this would therefore be a better definition of polytrauma. Patients injured between 2009 and 2011, with complete documentation of AIS by New South Wales Trauma Registry and 16 years and older were selected. Age and sex were obtained in addition to outcomes of ISS, hospital length of stay (LOS), intensive care unit (ICU) admission, ICU LOS, and mortality. We compared demographic characteristics and outcomes between patients with ISS greater than 15 who did and did not meet the 2 × AIS score > 2 definition. We then undertook regression analyses (logistic regression for binary outcomes [ICU admission and death] and linear regression for hospital and ICU LOS) to compare outcomes for patients with and without 2 × AIS score > 2, adjusting for sex and age categories. In the adjusted analyses, patients with 2 × AIS score > 2 had twice the odds of being admitted to the ICU compared with those without 2 × AIS score > 2 (odds ratio, 2.5; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.2-2.8) and 1.7 times the odds of dying (95% CI, 1.4-2.0; p < 0.001 for both models). Patients with 2 × AIS score > 2 also had a mean difference of 1.5 days longer stay in the hospital compared with those without 2 × AIS score > 2 (95% CI, 1.4-1.7) and 1.6 days longer ICU stay (95% CI, 1.4-1.8; p < 0.001 for all models). Patients with 2 × AIS score > 2 had higher mortality, more frequent ICU admissions, and longer hospital and ICU stay than those without 2 × AIS score > 2 and represents a superior definition to the definitions for polytrauma currently in use. Diagnostic test/ criteria, level III.

An observational study on bloodstream extended-spectrum beta-lactamase infection in critical care unit: incidence, risk factors and its impact on outcome.

PubMed

Nasa, Prashant; Juneja, Deven; Singh, Omender; Dang, Rohit; Singh, Akhilesh

2012-03-01

The incidence of nosocomial infections caused by extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) producing microbes is increasing rapidly in the last few years. However, the clinical significance of infections caused by ESBL-producing bacteria in ICU patients remains unclear. We did a prospective study to look for incidence, risk factors and outcome of these infections in ICU patients. Consecutive isolates of Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae in blood cultures were included for the analysis. Patients were divided into two groups based on the production of ESBL. Primary outcome measure was ICU mortality. Logistic regression analysis was done to identify risk factors for ESBL production. Among the 95 isolates tested, 73 (76.8%) produced ESBL. Transfer from other hospitals or wards (OR 3.65; 95% CI: 1.3-10.1 and RR 1.35; 95% CI: 1.05-1.73) and previous history of antibiotics usage (OR 3.54; 95% CI: 1.04-11.97 and RR 1.5; 95% CI: 0.89-2.5) were risk factors for ESBL production. There was no significant difference in ICU mortality (p=0.588), need for organ support between two groups. There is a high incidence of ESBL producing organisms causing blood stream infections in critically ill patients. Transfer from other hospitals and previous antibiotic usage are important risk factors for ESBL production. However ESBL production may not be associated with a poorer outcome if appropriate early antibiotic therapy is instituted. Copyright © 2011 European Federation of Internal Medicine. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Effect of type II diabetes mellitus on outcomes in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome.

PubMed

Singla, Abhishek; Turner, Paul; Pendurthi, Madhu Kalyan; Agrawal, Vrinda; Modrykamien, Ariel

2014-02-01

The acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is a life-threatening condition, whereas the presence of diabetes has been shown to be protective in its development. We undertook this study to assess the association of type II diabetes mellitus with clinical outcomes in patients with ARDS. We retrospectively examined the medical records of consecutive series of patients with ARDS requiring mechanical ventilation from January 2008 to March 2011. Patients with type I diabetes were excluded from the study. Clinical outcomes such as ventilator-free days, mortality, length of stay in the hospital and intensive care unit (ICU), and reintubations were compared based on the presence of diabetes. Multivariate regression model was used to find if the presence of type II diabetes mellitus predicts ventilator-free days at day 28. Two hundred forty-nine patients with ARDS were admitted to the ICU during the study period. Fifty (20%) subjects had type II diabetes mellitus. Differences in ventilator-free days, in-hospital mortality, reintubation rate, and length of stay in the hospital or ICU were not statistically significant between diabetic and nondiabetic patients with ARDS. Acute Physiologic and Chronic Health Evaluation II, ICU specialty, use of vasopressors, and the need for reintubation were predictors of ventilator-free days at day 28. The presence of type II diabetes mellitus and its adjustment by body mass index did not show association with ventilator-free days at day 28. The presence of type II diabetes mellitus is not associated with clinical outcomes in ARDS, even when its presence is adjusted by body mass index. © 2013.

Acute kidney injury subphenotypes based on creatinine trajectory identifies patients at increased risk of death.

PubMed

Bhatraju, Pavan K; Mukherjee, Paramita; Robinson-Cohen, Cassianne; O'Keefe, Grant E; Frank, Angela J; Christie, Jason D; Meyer, Nuala J; Liu, Kathleen D; Matthay, Michael A; Calfee, Carolyn S; Christiani, David C; Himmelfarb, Jonathan; Wurfel, Mark M

2016-11-17

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is common among intensive care unit (ICU) patients. AKI is highly heterogeneous, with variable links to poor outcomes. Current approaches to classify AKI severity and identify patients at highest risk for poor outcomes focus on the maximum change in serum creatinine (SCr) values. However, these scores are hampered by the need for a reliable baseline SCr value and the absence of a component differentiating transient from persistent rises in SCr. We hypothesized that identification of resolving or nonresolving AKI subphenotypes based on the early trajectory of SCr values in the ICU would better differentiate patients at risk of hospital mortality. We performed a secondary analysis of two prospective studies of ICU patients admitted to a trauma ICU (group 1; n = 1914) or general medical-surgical ICUs (group 2; n = 1867). In group 1, we tested definitions for resolving and nonresolving AKI subphenotypes and selected the definitions resulting in subphenotypes with the greatest separation in risk of death relative to non-AKI controls. We applied this definition to group 2 and tested whether the subphenotypes were independently associated with hospital mortality after adjustment for AKI severity. AKI occurred in 46% and 69% of patients in groups 1 and 2, respectively. In group 1, a resolving AKI subphenotype (defined as a decrease in SCr of 0.3 mg/dl or 25% from maximum in the first 72 h of study enrollment) was associated with a low risk of death. A nonresolving AKI subphenotype (defined as all AKI cases not meeting the "resolving" definition) was associated with a high risk of death. In group 2, the resolving AKI subphenotype was not associated with increased mortality (relative risk [RR] 0.86, 95% CI 0.63-1.17), whereas the nonresolving AKI subphenotype was associated with higher mortality (RR 1.68, 95% CI 1.15-2.44) even after adjustment for AKI severity stage. The trajectory of SCr levels identifies AKI subphenotypes with different risks for death, even among AKI cases of similar severity. These AKI subphenotypes might better define the patients at risk for poor outcomes who might benefit from novel interventions.

Antimicrobial strategy for severe community-acquired legionnaires' disease: a multicentre retrospective observational study.

PubMed

Cecchini, Jérôme; Tuffet, Samuel; Sonneville, Romain; Fartoukh, Muriel; Mayaux, Julien; Roux, Damien; Kouatchet, Achille; Boissier, Florence; Tchir, Martial; Thyrault, Martial; Maury, Eric; Jochmans, Sebastien; Mekontso Dessap, Armand; Brun-Buisson, Christian; de Prost, Nicolas

2017-05-01

Legionnaires' disease (LD) is an important cause of community-acquired pneumonia with high mortality rates in the most severe cases. To evaluate the effect of antimicrobial strategy on ICU mortality. Retrospective, observational study including patients admitted to 10 ICUs for severe community-acquired LD over a 10 year period (2005-15) and receiving an active therapy within 48 h of admission . Patients were stratified according to the antibiotic strategy administered: (i) fluoroquinolone-based versus non-fluoroquinolone-based therapy; and (ii) monotherapy versus combination therapy. The primary endpoint was in-ICU mortality. A multivariable Cox model and propensity score analyses were used. Two hundred and eleven patients with severe LD were included. A fluoroquinolone-based and a combination therapy were administered to 159 (75%) and 123 (58%) patients, respectively. One hundred and forty-six patients (69%) developed acute respiratory distress syndrome and 54 (26%) died in the ICU. In-ICU mortality was lower in the fluoroquinolone-based than in the non-fluoroquinolone-based group (21% versus 39%, P  =   0.01), and in the combination therapy than in the monotherapy group (20% versus 34%, P  =   0.02). In multivariable analysis, a fluoroquinolone-based therapy, but not a combination therapy, was associated with a reduced risk of mortality [HR = 0.41, 95% CI 0.19-0.89; P  =   0.02]. Patients with severe LD receiving a fluoroquinolone-based antimicrobial regimen in the early course of management had a lower in-ICU mortality, which persisted after adjusting for significant covariates. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Multidisciplinary Critical Care and Intensivist Staffing: Results of a Statewide Survey and Association With Mortality.

PubMed

Yoo, Erika J; Edwards, Jeffrey D; Dean, Mitzi L; Dudley, R Adams

2016-06-01

The role of multidisciplinary teams in improving the care of intensive care unit (ICU) patients is not well defined, and it is unknown whether the use of such teams helps to explain prior research suggesting improved mortality with intensivist staffing. We sought to investigate the association between multidisciplinary team care and survival of medical and surgical patients in nonspecialty ICUs. We conducted a community-based, retrospective cohort study of data from 60 330 patients in 181 hospitals participating in a statewide public reporting initiative, the California Hospital Assessment and Reporting Taskforce (CHART). Patient-level data were linked with ICU organizational data collected from a survey of CHART hospital ICUs between December 2010 and June 2011. Clustered logistic regression was used to evaluate the independent effect of multidisciplinary care on the in-hospital mortality of medical and surgical ICU patients. Interactions between multidisciplinary care and intensity of physician staffing were examined to explore whether team care accounted for differences in patient outcomes. After adjustment for patient characteristics and interactions, there was no association between team care and mortality for medical patients. Among surgical patients, multidisciplinary care was associated with a survival benefit (odds ratio 0.79; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.62-1.00; P = .05). When stratifying by intensity of physician staffing, although the lowest odds of death were observed for surgical patients cared for in ICUs with multidisciplinary teams and high-intensity staffing (odds ratio, 0.77; 95% CI, 0.55-1.09; P = .15), followed by ICUs with multidisciplinary teams and low-intensity staffing (odds ratio 0.84, 95% CI 0.65-1.09, p = 0.19), these differences were not statistically significant. Our results suggest that multidisciplinary team care may improve outcomes for critically ill surgical patients. However, no relationship was observed between intensity of physician staffing and mortality. © The Author(s) 2014.

Thrombocytopenia Is Associated with Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome Mortality: An International Study

PubMed Central

Duan, Meili; Li, Gang; Wang, Shupeng; Li, Wenxiong; Zhu, Zhaozhong; Wei, Yongyue; Christiani, David C.; Li, Ang; Zhu, Xi

2014-01-01

Background Early detection of the Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) has the potential to improvethe prognosis of critically ill patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU). However, no reliable biomarkers are currently available for accurate early detection of ARDS in patients with predisposing conditions. Objectives This study examined risk factors and biomarkers for ARDS development and mortality in two prospective cohort studies. Methods We examined clinical risk factors for ARDS in a cohort of 178 patients in Beijing, China who were admitted to the ICU and were at high risk for ARDS. Identified biomarkers were then replicated in a second cohort of1,878 patients in Boston, USA. Results Of 178 patients recruited from participating hospitals in Beijing, 75 developed ARDS. After multivariate adjustment, sepsis (odds ratio [OR]:5.58, 95% CI: 1.70–18.3), pulmonary injury (OR: 3.22; 95% CI: 1.60–6.47), and thrombocytopenia, defined as platelet count <80×103/µL, (OR: 2.67; 95% CI: 1.27–5.62)were significantly associated with increased risk of developing ARDS. Thrombocytopenia was also associated with increased mortality in patients who developed ARDS (adjusted hazard ratio [AHR]: 1.38, 95% CI: 1.07–1.57) but not in those who did not develop ARDS(AHR: 1.25, 95% CI: 0.96–1.62). The presence of both thrombocytopenia and ARDS substantially increased 60-daymortality. Sensitivity analyses showed that a platelet count of <100×103/µLin combination with ARDS provide the highest prognostic value for mortality. These associations were replicated in the cohort of US patients. Conclusions This study of ICU patients in both China and US showed that thrombocytopenia is associated with an increased risk of ARDS and platelet count in combination with ARDS had a high predictive value for patient mortality. PMID:24732309

Initial therapeutic strategy of invasive candidiasis for intensive care unit patients: a retrospective analysis from the China-SCAN study.

PubMed

Cui, Na; Wang, Hao; Su, Longxiang; Qiu, Haibo; Li, Ruoyu; Liu, Dawei

2017-01-23

To investigate the impact of initial antifungal therapeutic strategies on the prognosis of invasive Candida infections (ICIs) in intensive care units (ICUs) in China. A total of 306 patients with proven ICIs in the China-SCAN study were analyzed retrospectively. Empiric, pre-emptive, and targeted therapy were adopted based on starting criteria including clinical, microbiological, and other conventional prediction rules. The primary outcome was hospital mortality and the secondary endpoints were duration days in ICU and duration days in hospital. The global responses (clinical and microbiological) at the end of the empirical therapy were also assessed. A total of 268/306 (87.6%) ICI patients received antifungal therapy, including 142/268 (53.0%) initial empirical therapy, 53/268 (19.8%) initial pre-emptive therapy, and 73/268 (27.2%) initial targeted therapy. Compared with the initial empirical antifungal therapy and targeted antifungal therapy, patients with initial pre-emptive antifungal therapy had significantly less clinical remission [11/53 (21.2%) vs. 61/142 (43.3%) vs. 22/73 (30.1%), P = 0.009], higher ICU [26/53 (57.8%) vs. 42/142 (32.2%) vs. 27/73 (43.5%), P = 0.008] and hospital mortality [27/53 (60.0%) vs. 43/142 (32.8%) vs. 29/73 (46.8%), P = 0.004] and more microbiological persistence [9/53 (17.0%) vs. 6/142 (4.2%) vs. 9/73 (12.3%), P = 0.011]. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis revealed that ICI patients with initial pre-emptive antifungal therapy and targeted antifungal therapy were associated with reduced hospital duration compared with patients with initial empirical antifungal therapy after confirmation of fungal infection (log-rank test: P = 0.021). Multivariate regression analysis provided evidence that initial empirical antifungal therapy was an independent predictor for DECREASING the hospital mortality in ICI patients on ICU admission and at ICI diagnosis (odds ratio 0.327, 95% confidence interval 0.160-0.667, P = 0.002; odds ratio 0.351, 95% confidence interval 0.168-0.735, P = 0.006). The initial therapeutic strategy for invasive candidiasis was independently associated with hospital mortality. Prompt empirical antifungal therapy could be critical to decrease early hospital mortality. Clinicaltrials.gov NCT01253954 (retrospectively registration date: December 3, 2010).

Impact of chronic liver disease in intensive care unit acquired pneumonia: a prospective study.

PubMed

Di Pasquale, Marta; Esperatti, Mariano; Crisafulli, Ernesto; Ferrer, Miquel; Bassi, Gianluigi Li; Rinaudo, Mariano; Escorsell, Angels; Fernandez, Javier; Mas, Antoni; Blasi, Francesco; Torres, Antoni

2013-10-01

To assess the impact of chronic liver disease (CLD) on ICU-acquired pneumonia. This was a prospective, observational study of the characteristics, microbiology, and outcomes of 343 consecutive patients with ICU-acquired pneumonia clustered according to the presence of CLD. Sixty-seven (20%) patients had CLD (67% had liver cirrhosis, LC), MELD score 26 ± 9, 20% Child-Pugh class C). They presented higher severity scores than patients without CLD both on admission to the ICU (APACHE II, LC 19 ± 6 vs. other CLD 18 ± 6 vs. no CLD 16 ± 6; p < 0.001; SOFA, 10 ± 3 vs. 8 ± 4 vs. 7 ± 3; p < 0.001) and at onset of pneumonia (APACHE II, 19 ± 6 vs. 17 ± 6 vs. 16 ± 5; p = 0.001; SOFA, 11 ± 4 vs. 9 ± 4 vs. 7 ± 3; p < 0.001). Levels of CRP were lower in patients with LC than in the other two groups (day 1, 6.5 [2.5-11.5] vs. 13 [6-23] vs. 15.5 [8-24], p < 0.001, day 3, 6 [3-12] vs. 16 [9-21] vs. 11 [5-20], p = 0.001); all the other biomarkers were higher in LC and other CLD patients. LC patients had higher 28- and 90-day mortality (63 vs. 28%, p < 0.001; 72 vs. 38%, p < 0.001, respectively) than non-CLD patients. Presence of LC was independently associated with decreased 28- and 90-day survival (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.982-17.250; p = 0.001; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.915-20.699, p = 0.001, respectively). In critically ill patients with ICU-acquired pneumonia, CLD is associated with a more severe clinical presentation and poor clinical outcomes. Moreover, LC is independently associated with 28- and 90-day mortality. The results of this study are important for future trials focused on mortality.

Managing critically Ill hematology patients: Time to think differently.

PubMed

Azoulay, Elie; Pène, Frédéric; Darmon, Michael; Lengliné, Etienne; Benoit, Dominique; Soares, Marcio; Vincent, Francois; Bruneel, Fabrice; Perez, Pierre; Lemiale, Virginie; Mokart, Djamel

2015-11-01

The number of patients living with hematological malignancies (HMs) has increased steadily over time. This is the result of intensive and effective treatments that also increase the probability of infiltrative, infectious or toxic life threatening event. Over the last two decades, the number of patients with HMs admitted to the ICU increased and their mortality has dropped sharply. ICU patients with HMs require an extensive diagnostic workup and the optimal use of ICU treatments to identify the reason for ICU admission and the nature of the complication that explains organ dysfunctions. Mortality of ARDS or septic shock is up to 50%, respectively. In this review, the authors share their experience with managing critically ill patients with HMs. They discuss the main aspects of the diagnostic and therapeutic management of critically ill patients with HMs and argue that outcomes have improved over time and that many classic determinants of mortality have become irrelevant. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

[The impact of non-thrombolytic management of acute ischemic stroke in older individuals: the experience of the Federal District, Brazil].

PubMed

Moura, Mirian; Casulari, Luiz Augusto

2015-07-01

To analyze the impact of a non-specific, decentralized treatment protocol for ischemic stroke in older individuals on the quality of the care provided in the public health care system (SUS, Sistema Único de Saúde) in the Federal District. This retrospective historical control study employed data from the SUS Hospital Information System (SIH/SUS). Two time periods were compared: before and after the adoption of a protocol based on non-specific measures (medical therapy without alteplase) and decentralized care. A set of 2 369 admissions of patients older than 60 years with ischemic stroke was analyzed for the period of 2006/2007, and 5 207 admissions for 2010/2011. The variables were frequency, length of stay, mortality, lethality of ischemic stroke, intensive care unit (ICU) admission, and hospital reimbursement for ischemic stroke admissions. Effectiveness was evaluated based on mortality and lethality rates and efficiency was evaluated based on length of stay, use of ICU, and reimbursed amounts. In the second time period, there was an increase of 119.8% in the number of ischemic stroke admissions (P = 0.0001), increase of 27.3% in absolute mortality, decrease of 5.0% in lethality rate (P = 0.02), and increase of 130.6% in ICU utilization rate (P = 0.0001). There was no difference between the periods regarding mean number of inpatient days and reimbursed amounts. The indicators used in the present study showed improved effectiveness of acute ischemic stroke treatment with the use of a non-specific, decentralized protocol. However, no impact was observed on efficiency.

Impact of delirium on clinical outcome in critically ill patients: a meta-analysis.

PubMed

Zhang, Zhongheng; Pan, Lifei; Ni, Hongying

2013-01-01

Delirium is prevalent in the intensive care unit (ICU) and has been associated with negative clinical outcomes. However, a quantitative and systematic assessment of published studies has not been conducted. Meta-analysis of clinical observational studies was performed to investigate the association between delirium and clinical outcomes. Relevant studies were identified by investigators from databases including Medline, Embase, OVID and EBSCO from inception to May 2012. Studies that reported the association of delirium with clinical outcomes in critical care setting were included. Data were extracted independently by reviewers and summary effects were obtained using random effects model. Of the 16 studies included, 14 studies involving 5891 patients reported data on mortality, and delirious patients had higher mortality rate than non-delirious patients (odds ratio [OR]: 3.22; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.30-4.52). Delirious patients had higher rate of complications (OR: 6.5; 95% CI: 2.7-15.6), and were more likely to be discharged to skilled placement (OR: 2.59; 95% CI: 1.59-4.21). Furthermore, patients with delirium had longer length of stay in both ICU (weighted mean difference [WMD]: 7.32 days; 95% CI: 4.63-10.01) and hospital (WMD: 6.53 days; 95% CI: 3.03-10.03), and they spent more time on mechanical ventilation (WMD: 7.22 days; 95% CI: 5.15-9.29). Delirium in critically ill patients is associated with higher mortality rate, more complications, longer duration of mechanical ventilation, and longer length of stay in ICU and hospital. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Prognosis of patients with rheumatic diseases admitted to intensive care.

PubMed

Beil, M; Sviri, S; de la Guardia, V; Stav, I; Ben-Chetrit, E; van Heerden, P V

2017-01-01

Variable mortality rates have been reported for patients with rheumatic diseases admitted to an intensive care unit (ICU). Due to the absence of appropriate control groups in previous studies, it is not known whether the presence of a rheumatic disease constitutes a risk factor. Moreover, the accuracy of the Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II (APACHE II) score for predicting outcome in this group of patients has been questioned. The primary goal of this study was to compare outcome of patients with rheumatic diseases admitted to a medical ICU to those of controls. The records of all patients admitted between 1 April 2003 and 30 June 2014 (n=4020) were screened for the presence of a rheumatic disease during admission (n=138). The diagnosis of a rheumatic disease was by standard criteria for these conditions. An age- and gender-matched control group of patients without a rheumatic disease was extracted from the patient population in the database during the same period (n=831). Mortality in ICU, in hospital and after 180 days did not differ significantly between patients with and without rheumatic diseases. There was no difference in the performance of the APACHE II score for predicting outcome in patients with rheumatic diseases and controls. This score, as well as a requirement for the use of inotropes or vasopressors, accurately predicted hospital mortality in the group of patients with rheumatic diseases. In conclusion, patients with a rheumatic condition admitted to intensive care do not do significantly worse than patients without such a disease.

The efficacy and resource utilization of remifentanil and fentanyl in fast-track coronary artery bypass graft surgery: a prospective randomized, double-blinded controlled, multi-center trial.

PubMed

Cheng, D C; Newman, M F; Duke, P; Wong, D T; Finegan, B; Howie, M; Fitch, J; Bowdle, T A; Hogue, C; Hillel, Z; Pierce, E; Bukenya, D

2001-05-01

We compared (a) the perioperative complications; (b) times to eligibility for, and actual time of the following: extubation, less intense monitoring, intensive care unit (ICU), and hospital discharge; and (c) resource utilization of nursing ratio for patients receiving either a typical fentanyl/isoflurane/propofol regimen or a remifentanil/isoflurane/propofol regimen for fast-track cardiac anesthesia in 304 adults by using a prospective randomized, double-blinded, double-dummy trial. There were no differences in demographic data, or perioperative mortality and morbidity between the two study groups. The mini-mental status examination at postoperative Days 1 to 3 were similar between the two groups. The eligible and actual times for extubation, less intense monitoring, ICU discharge, and hospital discharge were not significantly different. Further analyses revealed no differences in times for extubation and resource utilization after stratification by preoperative risk scores, age, and country. The nurse/patient ratio was similar between the remifentanil/isoflurane/propofol and fentanyl/isoflu-rane/propofol groups during the initial ICU phase and less intense monitoring phase. Increasing preoperative risk scores and older age (>70 yr) were associated with longer times until extubation (eligible), ICU discharge (eligible and actual), and hospital discharge (eligible and actual). Times until extubation (eligible and actual) and less intense monitoring (eligible) were significantly shorter in Canadian patients than United States' patients. However, there was no difference in hospital length of stay in Canadian and United States' patients. We conclude that both anesthesia techniques permit early and similar times until tracheal extubation, less intense monitoring, ICU and hospital discharge, and reduced resource utilization after coronary artery bypass graft surgery. An ultra-short opioid technique was compared with a standard fast-track small-dose opioid technique in coronary artery bypass graft patients in a prospective randomized, double-blinded controlled study. The postoperative recovery and resource utilization, including stratification of preoperative risk score, age, and country, were analyzed.

Serum selenium and glutathione peroxidase-3 activity: biomarkers of systemic inflammation in the critically ill?

PubMed

Manzanares, William; Biestro, Alberto; Galusso, Federico; Torre, Maria H; Mañay, Nelly; Pittini, Gustavo; Facchin, Gianella; Hardy, Gil

2009-05-01

To confirm the influence of systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) on selenium (Se) levels and prospectively evaluate the relationship between serum Se concentration [Se], glutathione peroxidase activity [GPx-3] and injury severity in patients at the time of intensive care unit (ICU) admission. Prospective, observational study. Multidisciplinary University Hospital ICU. A total of 36 ICU patients and 23 healthy volunteer subjects (HVS). Healthy volunteer subjects were designated as controls (Group 1). ICU patients were divided into three groups: without SIRS (Group 2); with SIRS (Group 3); with SIRS and multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS) (Group 4). The latter groups had APACHE II scores >15. [GPx-3] and [Se] were determined by standard methods within the first 48 h of admission to ICU. Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney U test were used for analysis of non-parametric continuous variables. The predictive value of [Se] and [GPx-3] for SIRS was calculated using a receiver operating characteristics (ROC) analysis. In SIRS and MODS patients [GPx-3] and [Se] decreased significantly (P = 0.0001 and P = 0.002, respectively). After ICU admission [GPx-3] and [Se] had a predictive value for SIRS ([GPx-3] sensitivity: 90%, specificity: 86.2% (cut-off value: 0.5 U/mL); [Se]: sensitivity 90%, specificity 72.4% (cut-off value: 60 microg/L). [Se] had predictive value for ICU mortality (P = 0.034). Systemic inflammatory response syndrome and MODS were associated with early decreases in [Se] and [GPx-3]. Low [Se] and [GPx-3] after ICU admission had a predictive value for SIRS, which may aid future selection of patients who could benefit from Se supplementation.

Comparison of the Nosocomial Pneumonia Mortality Prediction (NPMP) model with standard mortality prediction tools.

PubMed

Srinivasan, M; Shetty, N; Gadekari, S; Thunga, G; Rao, K; Kunhikatta, V

2017-07-01

Severity or mortality prediction of nosocomial pneumonia could aid in the effective triage of patients and assisting physicians. To compare various severity assessment scoring systems for predicting intensive care unit (ICU) mortality in nosocomial pneumonia patients. A prospective cohort study was conducted in a tertiary care university-affiliated hospital in Manipal, India. One hundred patients with nosocomial pneumonia, admitted in the ICUs who developed pneumonia after >48h of admission, were included. The Nosocomial Pneumonia Mortality Prediction (NPMP) model, developed in our hospital, was compared with Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II (APACHE II), Mortality Probability Model II (MPM 72  II), Simplified Acute Physiology Score II (SAPS II), Multiple Organ Dysfunction Score (MODS), Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA), Clinical Pulmonary Infection Score (CPIS), Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia Predisposition, Insult, Response, Organ dysfunction (VAP-PIRO). Data and clinical variables were collected on the day of pneumonia diagnosis. The outcome for the study was ICU mortality. The sensitivity and specificity of the various scoring systems was analysed by plotting receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves and computing the area under the curve for each of the mortality predicting tools. NPMP, APACHE II, SAPS II, MPM 72  II, SOFA, and VAP-PIRO were found to have similar and acceptable discrimination power as assessed by the area under the ROC curve. The AUC values for the above scores ranged from 0.735 to 0.762. CPIS and MODS showed least discrimination. NPMP is a specific tool to predict mortality in nosocomial pneumonia and is comparable to other standard scores. Copyright © 2017 The Healthcare Infection Society. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Mortality prediction using TRISS methodology in the Spanish ICU Trauma Registry (RETRAUCI).

PubMed

Chico-Fernández, M; Llompart-Pou, J A; Sánchez-Casado, M; Alberdi-Odriozola, F; Guerrero-López, F; Mayor-García, M D; Egea-Guerrero, J J; Fernández-Ortega, J F; Bueno-González, A; González-Robledo, J; Servià-Goixart, L; Roldán-Ramírez, J; Ballesteros-Sanz, M Á; Tejerina-Alvarez, E; Pino-Sánchez, F I; Homar-Ramírez, J

2016-10-01

To validate Trauma and Injury Severity Score (TRISS) methodology as an auditing tool in the Spanish ICU Trauma Registry (RETRAUCI). A prospective, multicenter registry evaluation was carried out. Thirteen Spanish Intensive Care Units (ICUs). Individuals with traumatic disease and available data admitted to the participating ICUs. Predicted mortality using TRISS methodology was compared with that observed in the pilot phase of the RETRAUCI from November 2012 to January 2015. Discrimination was evaluated using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves and the corresponding areas under the curves (AUCs) (95% CI), with calibration using the Hosmer-Lemeshow (HL) goodness-of-fit test. A value of p<0.05 was considered significant. Predicted and observed mortality. A total of 1405 patients were analyzed. The observed mortality rate was 18% (253 patients), while the predicted mortality rate was 16.9%. The area under the ROC curve was 0.889 (95% CI: 0.867-0.911). Patients with blunt trauma (n=1305) had an area under the ROC curve of 0.887 (95% CI: 0.864-0.910), and those with penetrating trauma (n=100) presented an area under the curve of 0.919 (95% CI: 0.859-0.979). In the global sample, the HL test yielded a value of 25.38 (p=0.001): 27.35 (p<0.0001) in blunt trauma and 5.91 (p=0.658) in penetrating trauma. TRISS methodology underestimated mortality in patients with low predicted mortality and overestimated mortality in patients with high predicted mortality. TRISS methodology in the evaluation of severe trauma in Spanish ICUs showed good discrimination, with inadequate calibration - particularly in blunt trauma. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier España, S.L.U. y SEMICYUC. All rights reserved.

A protocol for the 0.9% saline versus Plasma-Lyte 148 for intensive care fluid therapy (SPLIT) study.

PubMed

Reddy, Sumeet K; Bailey, Michael J; Beasley, Richard W; Bellomo, Rinaldo; Henderson, Seton J; Mackle, Diane M; McArthur, Colin J; Mehrtens, Jan E; Myburgh, John A; McGuinness, Shay P; Psirides, Alex J; Young, Paul J

2014-12-01

0.9% saline is the most commonly used intravenous (IV) fluid in the world. However, recent data raise the possibility that, compared with buffered crystalloid fluids such as Plasma-Lyte 148, the administration of 0.9% saline to intensive care unit patients might increase their risk of acute kidney injury (AKI). To describe the protocol for the 0.9% Saline v Plasma-Lyte 148 for ICU Fluid Therapy (SPLIT) study. This is a multicentre, cluster-randomised, double crossover feasibility study to be conducted in four New Zealand tertiary ICUs over a 28-week period and will enroll about 2300 participants. All ICU patients who need crystalloid IV fluid therapy (except those with established renal failure needing dialysis and those admitted to the ICU for palliative care) will be enrolled. Participating ICUs will be randomly assigned to 0.9% saline or Plasma-Lyte 148 as the routine crystalloid IV fluid, in a blinded fashion, in four alternating 7-week blocks. The primary outcome will be the proportion of patients who develop AKI in the ICU. Secondary outcomes will include the difference between the most recent serum creatinine level measured before study enrollment and the peak serum creatinine level in the ICU; use of renal replacement therapy; and ICU and in hospital mortality. All analyses will be conducted on an intention-to-treat basis. The SPLIT study started on 1 April 2014 and will provide preliminary data on the comparative effectiveness of using 0.9% saline v Plasma- Lyte 148 as the routine IV fluid therapy in ICU patients.

Acute kidney injury is a powerful independent predictor of mortality in critically ill patients: a multicenter prospective cohort study from Kinshasa, the Democratic Republic of Congo.

PubMed

Masewu, Angèle; Makulo, Jean-Robert; Lepira, François; Amisi, Eric Bibonge; Sumaili, Ernest Kiswaya; Bukabau, Justine; Mokoli, Vieux; Longo, Augustin; Nlandu, Yannick; Engole, Yannick; Ilunga, Cedric; Mosolo, Alphonse; Ngalala, Alex; Kazadi, Justin; Mvuala, Richard; Athombo, Jackson; Aliocha, Nkodila; Akilimali, Pierre Zalagile; Kilembe, Adolphe; Nseka, Nazaire; Jadoul, Michel

2016-08-24

Despite the growing incidence of acute kidney injury (AKI) worldwide, there is little data on the burden and outcomes of AKI in intensive care unit (ICU) in low resource settings. The present study assessed the incidence of AKI and its impact on mortality in ICU in Kinshasa (Democratic Republic of Congo). In a prospective cohort study, 476 consecutive critically ill patients (mean age 52 years, 57 % male) were screened for the presence of AKI in seven ICU from January 1st to March 30th, 2015. Serum creatinine was measured by the enzymatic method (Cobas C111 device®). AKI and its stages (no AKI, AKI 1, AKI 2 and AKI 3) were defined according to AKIN recommendations. The primary outcome was 28 days mortality. Survival (time-to death) curves were built using the Kaplan Meier methods. Predictors of mortality were assessed by Cox proportional hazards regression models. p < 0.05 defined the level of statistical significance. The cumulative incidence of AKI was 52.7 % with AKI stage 1, 2 and 3 in 23.7 %, 16.2 % and 12.8 % of patients, respectively. Among patients who developed AKI, 146 died (58 %) vs 62 patients (28 %) in the group without AKI. Only 6.5 % of the patients with AKI stage 3 benefited from dialysis. Median survival time was 15.0 days in patients without AKI and 3.0 days, 6.0 days and 8.0 days in patients with AKI stage 3, 2 and 1 (p < 0.001), respectively. In addition to respiratory distress-induced polypnea (HRa 1.60; 95 % CI: 1.08-2.37; p = 0.018), oxygen desaturation (HRa 1.53; 95 % CI: 1.13-2.08; p = 0.006) and multi-organic involvement (HRa 1.63; 95 % CI: 1.15-2.30), AKI emerged as an independent predictor of death (HRa 1.82; 95 % CI: 1.34-2.48; p < 0.001). More than half of critically ill patients in the present cohort developed AKI which contributed substantially to short-term mortality, highlighting the need for its prevention, early detection and management as well as the availability of dialysis in ICU.

Effectiveness Trial of an Intensive Communication Structure for Families of Long-Stay ICU Patients

PubMed Central

Douglas, Sara L.; O’Toole, Elizabeth; Gordon, Nahida H.; Hejal, Rana; Peerless, Joel; Rowbottom, James; Garland, Allan; Lilly, Craig; Wiencek, Clareen; Hickman, Ronald

2010-01-01

Background: Formal family meetings have been recommended as a useful approach to assist in goal setting, facilitate decision making, and reduce use of ineffective resources in the ICU. We examined patient outcomes before and after implementation of an intensive communication system (ICS) to test the effect of regular, structured formal family meetings on patient outcomes among long-stay ICU patients. Methods: One hundred thirty-five patients receiving usual care and communication were enrolled as the control group, followed by enrollment of intervention patients (n = 346), from five ICUs. The ICS included a family meeting within 5 days of ICU admission and weekly thereafter. Each meeting discussed medical update, values and preferences, and goals of care; treatment plan; and milestones for judging effectiveness of treatment. Results: Using multivariate analysis, there were no significant differences between control and intervention patients in length of stay (LOS), the primary end point. Similarly, there were no significant differences in indicators of aggressiveness of care or treatment limitation decisions (ICU mortality, LOS, duration of ventilation, treatment limitation orders, or use of tracheostomy or percutaneous gastrostomy). Exploratory analysis suggested that in the medical ICUs, the intervention was associated with a lower prevalence of tracheostomy among patients who died or had do-not-attempt-resuscitation orders in place. Conclusions: The negative findings of the main analysis, in combination with preliminary evidence of differences among types of unit, suggest that further examination of the influence of patient, family, and unit characteristics on the effects of a system of regular family meetings may be warranted. Despite the lack of influence on patient outcomes, structured family meetings may be an effective approach to meeting information and support needs. Trial registry: ClinicalTrials.gov; No.: NCT01057238 ; URL: www.clinicaltrials.gov PMID:20576734

A trial of a real-time alert for clinical deterioration in patients hospitalized on general medical wards.

PubMed

Bailey, Thomas C; Chen, Yixin; Mao, Yi; Lu, Chenyang; Hackmann, Gregory; Micek, Scott T; Heard, Kevin M; Faulkner, Kelly M; Kollef, Marin H

2013-05-01

With limited numbers of intensive care unit (ICU) beds available, increasing patient acuity is expected to contribute to episodes of inpatient deterioration on general wards. To prospectively validate a predictive algorithm for clinical deterioration in general-medical ward patients, and to conduct a trial of real-time alerts based on this algorithm. Randomized, controlled crossover study. Academic center with patients hospitalized on 8 general wards between July 2007 and December 2011. Real-time alerts were generated by an algorithm designed to predict the need for ICU transfer using electronically available data. The alerts were sent by text page to the nurse manager on intervention wards. Intensive care unit transfer, hospital mortality, and hospital length of stay. Patients meeting the alert threshold were at nearly 5.3-fold greater risk of ICU transfer (95% confidence interval [CI]: 4.6-6.0) than those not satisfying the alert threshold (358 of 2353 [15.2%] vs 512 of 17678 [2.9%]). Patients with alerts were at 8.9-fold greater risk of death (95% CI: 7.4-10.7) than those without alerts (244 of 2353 [10.4%] vs 206 of 17678 [1.2%]). Among patients identified by the early warning system, there were no differences in the proportion of patients who were transferred to the ICU or who died in the intervention group as compared with the control group. Real-time alerts were highly specific for clinical deterioration resulting in ICU transfer and death, and were associated with longer hospital length of stay. However, an intervention notifying a nurse of the risk did not result in improvement in these outcomes. Copyright © 2013 Society of Hospital Medicine.

Is There a Starling Curve for Intensive Care?

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Large differences exist in the provision of ICU beds worldwide, with a complicated mix of risks and benefits to the population of having either too few or too many beds. Having too few beds can result in delayed admission of patients to the ICU or no admission at all, with either scenario potentially increasing mortality. Potential societal benefits of having few beds include lower costs for health care and less futile intensive care at the end of life. With added ICU beds for a population, mortality benefit should accrue, but there is still the question of whether the addition of beds always means that more lives will be saved or whether there is a point at which no additional mortality benefit is gained. With an abundance of ICU beds may come the possibility of increasing harm in the forms of unnecessary costs, poor quality of deaths (ie, excessively intensive), and iatrogenic complications. The possibility of harm may be likened to the concept of falling off a Starling curve, which is traditionally used to describe worsening heart function when overfilling occurs. This commentary examines the possible implications of having too few or too many ICU beds and proposes the concept of a family of Starling curves as a way to conceptualize the balance of societal benefits and harms associated with different availability of ICU beds for a population. PMID:22670019

Human herpesviruses respiratory infections in patients with acute respiratory distress (ARDS).

PubMed

Bonizzoli, Manuela; Arvia, Rosaria; di Valvasone, Simona; Liotta, Francesco; Zakrzewska, Krystyna; Azzi, Alberta; Peris, Adriano

2016-08-01

Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is today a leading cause of hospitalization in intensive care unit (ICU). ARDS and pneumonia are closely related to critically ill patients; however, the etiologic agent is not always identified. The presence of human herpes simplex virus 1, human cytomegalovirus and Epstein-Barr virus in respiratory samples of critically ill patients is increasingly reported even without canonical immunosuppression. The main aim of this study was to better understand the significance of herpesviruses finding in lower respiratory tract of ARDS patients hospitalized in ICU. The presence of this group of herpesviruses, in addition to the research of influenza viruses and other common respiratory viruses, was investigated in respiratory samples from 54 patients hospitalized in ICU, without a known microbiological causative agent. Moreover, the immunophenotype of each patient was analyzed. Herpesviruses DNA presence in the lower respiratory tract seemed not attributable to an impaired immunophenotype, whereas a significant correlation was observed between herpesviruses positivity and influenza virus infection. A higher ICU mortality was significantly related to the presence of herpesvirus infection in the lower respiratory tract as well as to impaired immunophenotype, as patients with poor outcome showed severe lymphopenia, affecting in particular T (CD3+) cells, since the first days of ICU hospitalization. In conclusion, these results indicate that herpesviruses lower respiratory tract infection, which occurs more frequently following influenza virus infection, can be a negative prognostic marker. An independent risk factor for ICU patients with ARDS is an impaired immunophenotype.

Open intensive care units: a global challenge for patients, relatives, and critical care teams.

PubMed

Cappellini, Elena; Bambi, Stefano; Lucchini, Alberto; Milanesio, Erika

2014-01-01

The aims of this study were to describe the current status of intensive care unit (ICU) visiting hours policies internationally and to explore the influence of ICUs' open visiting policies on patients', visitors', and staff perceptions, as well as on patients' outcomes. A review of the literature was done through MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL) databases. The following keywords were searched: "visiting," "hours," "ICU," "policy," and "intensive care unit." Inclusion criteria for the review were original research paper, adult ICU, articles published in the last 10 years, English or Italian language, and available abstract. Twenty-nine original articles, mainly descriptive studies, were selected and retrieved. In international literature, there is a wide variability about open visiting policies in ICUs. The highest percentage of open ICUs is reported in Sweden (70%), whereas in Italy there is the lowest rate (1%). Visiting hours policies and number of allowed relatives are variable, from limits of short precise segments to 24 hours and usually 2 visitors. Open ICUs policy/guidelines acknowledge concerns with visitor hand washing to prevent the risk of infection transmission to patients. Patients, visitors, and staff seem to be inclined to support open ICU programs, although physicians are more inclined to the enhancement of visiting hours than nurses. The percentages of open ICUs are very different among countries. It can be due to local factors, cultural differences, and lack of legislation or hospital policy. There is a need for more studies about the impact of open ICUs programs on patients' mortality, length of stay, infections' risk, and the mental health of patients and their relatives.

Endotoxin Elimination in Patients with Septic Shock: An Observation Study.

PubMed

Adamik, Barbara; Zielinski, Stanislaw; Smiechowicz, Jakub; Kübler, Andrzej

2015-12-01

To evaluate the effectiveness of endotoxin elimination with an adsorption column in patients with septic shock and endotoxemia. The elimination therapy was guided by a new bedside method of measuring endotoxin activity (EA). Intensive care unit (ICU) patients with septic shock and suspected Gram-negative infection were consecutively added to the study group within the first 24 h. Endotoxin elimination was performed using hemoperfusion with the Alteco LPS Adsorber. The primary endpoint was improvement in organ function within the first 24 h of treatment. A secondary objective was to assess the usefulness of a new method of measuring EA to help guide endotoxin elimination therapy. Out of 64 patients 18 had a high baseline EA [0.70 EA units (0.66-0.77)]. Those patients had endotoxin elimination treatment in addition to conventional medical therapy. At 24 h after endotoxin elimination, the EA had decreased to 0.56 EA units (0.43-0.77), (p = 0.005); MAP increased from 69 (62-80) to 80 mm Hg (68-88), (p = 0.002), and noradrenaline use decreased from 0.28 (0.15-0.80) to 0.1 μg/kg/min (0.00-0.70) at the same time (p = 0.04). The SOFA score had decreased from 11 (9-15) to 9 (7-14) points 24 h after endotoxin elimination (p = 0.01) with a median delta SOFA -2 points. Endotoxin elimination did not have a significant effect on the ICU length of stay or ICU mortality. Effective endotoxin elimination resulted in a significant improvement in hemodynamic parameters and of organ function. The application of the EA assay was useful for the bedside monitoring of endotoxemia in critically ill ICU patients.

Effects of age, comorbidity and adherence to current antimicrobial guidelines on mortality in hospitalized elderly patients with community-acquired pneumonia.

PubMed

Han, Xiudi; Zhou, Fei; Li, Hui; Xing, Xiqian; Chen, Liang; Wang, Yimin; Zhang, Chunxiao; Liu, Xuedong; Suo, Lijun; Wang, Jinxiang; Yu, Guohua; Wang, Guangqiang; Yao, Xuexin; Yu, Hongxia; Wang, Lei; Liu, Meng; Xue, Chunxue; Liu, Bo; Zhu, Xiaoli; Li, Yanli; Xiao, Ying; Cui, Xiaojing; Li, Lijuan; Purdy, Jay E; Cao, Bin

2018-04-24

Limited information exists on the clinical characteristics predictive of mortality in patients aged ≥65 years in many countries. The impact of adherence to current antimicrobial guidelines on the mortality of hospitalized elderly patients with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) has never been assessed. A total of 3131 patients aged ≥65 years were enrolled from a multi-center, retrospective, observational study initiated by the CAP-China network. Risk factors for death were screened with multivariable logistic regression analysis, with emphasis on the evaluation of age, comorbidities and antimicrobial treatment regimen with regard to the current Chinese CAP guidelines. The mean age of the study population was 77.4 ± 7.4 years. Overall in-hospital and 60-day mortality were 5.7% and 7.6%, respectively; these rates were three-fold higher in those aged ≥85 years than in the 65-74 group (11.9% versus 3.2% for in-hospital mortality and 14.1% versus 4.7% for 60-day mortality, respectively). The mortality was significantly higher among patients with comorbidities compared with those who were otherwise healthy. According to the 2016 Chinese CAP guidelines, 62.1% of patients (1907/3073) received non-adherent treatment. For general-ward patients without risk factors for Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA) infection (n = 2258), 52.3% (1094/2090) were over-treated, characterized by monotherapy with an anti-pseudomonal β-lactam or combination with fluoroquinolone + β-lactam; while 71.4% of intensive care unit (ICU) patients (120/168) were undertreated, without coverage of atypical bacteria. Among patients with risk factors for PA infection (n = 815), 22.9% (165/722) of those in the general ward and 74.2% of those in the ICU (69/93) were undertreated, using regimens without anti-pseudomonal activity. The independent predictors of 60-day mortality were age, long-term bedridden status, congestive heart failure, CURB-65, glucose, heart rate, arterial oxygen saturation (SaO 2 ) and albumin levels. Overtreatment in general-ward patients and undertreatment in ICU patients were critical problems. Compliance with Chinese guidelines will require fundamental changes in standard-of-care treatment patterns. The data included herein may facilitate early identification of patients at increased risk of mortality. The study was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov ( NCT02489578 ).

Evaluation of the PaO2/FiO2 ratio after cardiac surgery as a predictor of outcome during hospital stay.

PubMed

Esteve, Francisco; Lopez-Delgado, Juan C; Javierre, Casimiro; Skaltsa, Konstantina; Carrio, Maria Ll; Rodríguez-Castro, David; Torrado, Herminia; Farrero, Elisabet; Diaz-Prieto, Antonio; Ventura, Josep Ll; Mañez, Rafael

2014-09-26

The arterial partial pressure of O2 and the fraction of inspired oxygen (PaO2/FiO2) ratio is widely used in ICUs as an indicator of oxygenation status. Although cardiac surgery and ICU scores can predict mortality, during the first hours after cardiac surgery few instruments are available to assess outcome. The aim of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of PaO2/FIO2 ratio to predict mortality in patients immediately after cardiac surgery. We prospectively studied 2725 consecutive cardiac surgery patients between 2004 and 2009. PaO2/FiO2 ratio was measured on admission and at 3 h, 6 h, 12 h and 24 h after ICU admission, together with clinical data and outcomes. All PaO2/FIO2 ratio measurements differed between survivors and non-survivors (p < 0.001). The PaO2/FIO2 at 3 h after ICU admission was the best predictor of mortality based on area under the curve (p < 0.001) and the optimum threshold estimation gave an optimal cut-off of 222 (95% Confidence interval (CI): 202-242), yielding three groups of patients: Group 1, with PaO2/FIO2 > 242; Group 2, with PaO2/FIO2 from 202 to 242; and Group 3, with PaO2/FIO2 < 202. Group 3 showed higher in-ICU mortality and ICU length of stay and Groups 2 and 3 also showed higher respiratory complication rates. The presence of a PaO2/FIO2 ratio < 202 at 3 h after admission was shown to be a predictor of in-ICU mortality (OR:1.364; 95% CI:1.212-1.625, p < 0.001) and of worse long-term survival (88.8% vs. 95.8%; Log rank p = 0.002. Adjusted Hazard ratio: 1.48; 95% CI:1.293-1.786; p = 0.004). A simple determination of PaO2/FIO2 at 3 h after ICU admission may be useful to identify patients at risk immediately after cardiac surgery.

Prevalence of chest trauma, associated injuries and mortality: a level I trauma centre experience.

PubMed

Veysi, Veysi T; Nikolaou, Vassilios S; Paliobeis, Christos; Efstathopoulos, Nicolas; Giannoudis, Peter V

2009-10-01

A review of prospectively collected data in our trauma unit for the years 1998-2003 was undertaken. Adult patients who suffered multiple trauma with an Injury Severity Score (ISS) of >/=16, admitted to hospital for more than 72 hours and with sustained blunt chest injuries were included in the study. Demographic details including pre-hospital care, trauma history, admission vital signs, blood transfusions, details of injuries and their abbreviated injury scores (AIS), operations, length of intensive care unit and hospital stays, Injury Severity Score (ISS) and mortality were analysed. Fulfilling the inclusion criteria with at least one chest injury were 1,164 patients. The overall mortality reached 18.7%. As expected, patients in the higher AIS groups had both a higher overall ISS and mortality rate with one significant exception; patients with minor chest injuries (AIS(chest) = 1) were associated with mortality comparable to injuries involving an AIS(chest) = 3. Additionally, the vast majority of polytraumatised patients with an AIS(chest) = 1 died in ICU sooner than patients of groups 2-5.

Ketamine as an Analgesic Adjuvant in Adult Trauma Intensive Care Unit Patients With Rib Fracture.

PubMed

Walters, Mary K; Farhat, Joseph; Bischoff, James; Foss, Mary; Evans, Cory

2018-03-01

Rib fracture associated pain is difficult to control. There are no published studies that use ketamine as a therapeutic modality to reduce the amount of opioid to control rib fracture pain. To examine the analgesic effects of adjuvant ketamine on pain scale scores in trauma intensive care unit (ICU) rib fracture. This retrospective, case-control cohort chart review evaluated ICU adult patients with a diagnosis of ≥1 rib fracture and an Injury Severity Score >15 during 2016. Patients received standard-of-care pain management with the physician's choice analgesics with or without ketamine as a continuous, fixed, intravenous infusion at 0.1 mg/kg/h. A total of 15 ketamine treatment patients were matched with 15 control standard-of-care patients. Efficacy was measured via Numeric Pain Scale (NPS)/Behavioral Pain Scale (BPS) scores, opioid use, and ICU and hospital length of stay. Safety of ketamine was measured by changes in vital signs, adverse effects, and mortality. Average NPS/BPS, severest NPS/BPS, and opioid use were lower in the ketamine group than in controls (NPS: 4.1 vs 5.8, P < 0.001; severest NPS: 7.0 vs 8.9, P = 0.004; opioid use: 2.5 vs 3.5 mg morphine equivalents/h/d, P = 0.015). No difference was found between the cohort's length of stay or mortality. Average diastolic blood pressure was higher in the treatment group versus the control group (75.3 vs 64.6 mm Hg, P = 0.014). Low-dose ketamine appears to be a safe and effective adjuvant option to reduce pain and decrease opioid use in rib fracture.