Multicenter study of obstetric admissions to 14 intensive care units in southern England

OBJECTIVES: To identify pregnant and postpartum patients admitted to intensive care units (ICUs), the cause for their admission, and the proportion that might be appropriately managed in a high-dependency environment (HDU) by using an existing database. To estimate the goodness-of-fit for the Simplified Acute Physiology Score II, the Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) II, and the APACHE III scoring systems in the obstetrical population. DESIGN: Retrospective analysis of demographic, diagnostic, treatment, and severity of illness data. SETTING: Fourteen ICUs in Southern England. PATIENTS: Pregnant or postpartum (<42 days) admissions between January 1, 1994, and December 31, 1996. INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: We identified 210 patients, constituting 1.84% (210 of 11,385) of all ICU admissions and 0.17% (210 of 122,850) of all deliveries. Most admissions followed postpartum complications (hypertensive disease of pregnancy [39.5%] and major hemorrhage [33.3%]). Seven women were transferred to specialist ICUs. There was considerable variation between ICUs with respect to the number and type of interventions required by patients. Some 35.7% of patients stayed in ICU for <2 days and received no specific ICU interventions; these patients might have been safely managed in an HDU. There were seven maternal deaths (3.3%); fetal mortality rate was 20%. The area under the receiver operator characteristic curve and the standardized mortality ratio were 0.92 (confidence interval [CI], 0.85-0.99) and 0.43 for the Simplified Acute Physiology Score II, 0.94 (CI, 0.86-1.0) and 0.24 for APACHE II, and 0.98 (CI, 0.96-1.0) and 0.43 for APACHE III, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Existing databases can both identify critically ill obstetrical patients and provide important information about them. Obstetrical ICU admissions often require minimal intervention and are associated with low mortality rates. Many might be more appropriately managed in an HDU. The commonly used severity of illness scoring systems are good discriminators of outcome from intensive care admission in this group but may overestimate mortality rates. Severity of illness scoring systems may require modification in obstetrical patients to adjust for the normal physiologic responses to pregnancy.     

A prospective cohort study of 6-month mortality in a community hospital experiencing a gradual reduction in critical care services

OBJECTIVE: To analyse the effect of reduction of critical care services on admissions, resource consumption and outcome. DESIGN: Observation outcome study with analysis of patient data collected prospectively during 1993, 1995 and 1997. SETTING: High dependency and intensive care unit (HDU/ICU) of a community hospital serving a population of 168,000. The number of beds decreased from 12 (1993), to 10 (1995) and to 8 (1997) with concomitant decrease in staff. PATIENTS AND PARTICIPANTS: Three patient cohorts admitted to the HDU/ICU during 1993, 1995 and 1997. MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS: Admissions were classified into recovery room care or critical care admissions and stratified according to workload (Levels I-IV). Illness severity scores of critical care admissions were recorded according to the APACHE II system. Mortality data were acquired from a national database. The total number of admissions to the unit did not change over the years. Length of stay decreased significantly over the years. Standardised mortality rates based on mortality within 30 days of discharge from the HDU/ICU were 1.17 (95% confidence interval 0.96-1.43) for critical care admissions during 1993, 0.86 (0.70-1.06) for 1995 and 0.98 (0.79-1.22) for 1997. Survival 180 days after discharge from the HDU/ICU did not differ significantly over the years. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that an excess of resources were used in critical care services during 1993 and 1995. Reduction of HDU/ICU beds by 30% from 7.1 to 4.8 beds/100,000 was not associated with increased 6-month mortality of the patients admitted.     

MEWS与APACHE Ⅱ评分在急诊潜在危重病患者病情评价和预后预测中的对比研究

目的比较APACHEⅡ和MEWS评分在急诊潜在危重病病情评价和预后预测中的适用性和可行性。方法分别对急诊科留观察和抢救室的501例患者进行APACHEⅡ和MEWS评分,追踪所有患者的去向和预后。分别比较APACHEⅡ和MEWS评分不同分数段患者收住ICU、HDU、门诊治疗的构成比;死亡、1月以内出院、门诊治疗后痊愈的构成比;比较A-PACHEⅡ和MEWS评分对患者病情评价和预测预后分辨度的ROC曲线差异。结果MEWS评分5分以上,危重患者的构成比明显增加,与5分以下相比差异显著(P<0.05)。MEWS评分5分以上对危重患者(需要收住ICU)鉴别的灵敏度为100%,特异度为81.5%;对需要收专科病房治疗患者鉴别的灵敏度为84.3%,特异度为88.3%。APACHEⅡ评分15分以上,危重患者的构成比明显增加,与15分以下相比,差异显著(P<0.05)。APACHEⅡ评分15分以上对危重患者(需要收住ICU)鉴别的灵敏度为89.2%,特异度为96.3%;APACHEⅡ评分10分以上对需要收专科病房治疗患者鉴别的灵敏度为94.3%,特异度为82.3%。就患者是否收住ICU或患者病死危险性的预测和评估的鉴别能力而言,MEWS和APACHEⅡ评分两者相当,其ROC曲线下面积均在0.90以上,具有较高的分辨能力,但两者间无显著差异(P>0.05);而在是否收住专科病房的鉴别能力上,APACHEⅡ评分显著高于MEWS(P<0.05)。结论APACHEⅡ评分和MEWS评分均可用于判断急诊患者的病情严重程度,有一定的识别“急诊潜在危重病”的能力。而MEWS评分因快速、简捷、费用低廉和便于操作,更适用于急诊科。     

Maternal severity of illness across levels of care: A prospective, cross-sectional study

Background

The severity of illness of women experiencing severe maternal morbidity has not been quantified outside of the intensive care setting yet is likely to have a bearing on clinical needs.

Aim

To examine severity of illness in women with severe maternal morbidity.

Methods

A prospective observational study of critically ill pregnant and postpartum women was undertaken in intensive care units (ICU), high dependency units (HDU) and delivery suites (DS) of seven tertiary-level hospitals in Melbourne, during 2002–2004. Severity of illness was scored using the Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation version II (APACHE II) and Therapeutic Intervention Scoring System 28 items (TISS 28).

Results

137 women participated in the study: ICU (n = 33), HDU (n = 46) and DS (n = 58). The mean APACHE II score was 8.6 (95% CI 7.7–9.5) and mean TISS 28 score was 22.5 (95% CI 21.2–23.9). Women in ICU were sicker according to both APACHE II (mean 12.6, 95% CI 8.3–16.9) and TISS 28 (mean 31.5, 95% CI 28.2–35.5) compared to women not admitted to ICU (p < .005). There was no difference in the mean APACHE II scores of women in HDU (7.7, 95% CI 5.5–9.9) and DS (7.0, 95% CI 5.2–8.8; p = .20). Women born outside of Australia were more likely to be admitted to ICU (OR 3.27, 95% CI 1.19–8.97). Known risk factors like multiple pregnancy, age ≥35 years and nulliparity were not associated with ICU admission.

Conclusions

There was no difference in the severity of illness in women cared for in HDU and DS. It was not possible to predict which women would require ICU admission. Measurement of severity of illness adds a valuable dimension to the study of severe maternal morbidity.     

2种评分标准对急诊潜在危重病患者病情评估及预后分析的比较

目的对比急诊潜在危重患者应用改良式早期预警评分(MEWS)与急性生理和慢性健康状况评分系统Ⅱ(A-PACHEⅡ)对病情评估及预后分析的可行性及适用性。方法对455例危重病患者分别进行MEWS及APACHEⅡ评分,对2种评分标准不同分数段患者在门诊、专科普通病房(HDU)、重症监护室(ICU)、急诊中治疗的构成比进行分析,比较2种评分标准的门诊治愈率、1个月内出院率,以及对门诊、HDU、ICU、急诊患者预后评价的灵敏性及特异性。结果 MEWS>5分时,患者病情危险性及死亡率显著升高,与5分以下者相比差异有统计学意义(P<0.05);APACHEⅡ>15分时,患者危险性显著增加,与15分以下者相比差异显著。两种评分标准对门诊、HDU、ICU、急诊患者的灵敏性及特异性差异无统计学意义。结论两种评分标准均可对危重患者病情做出正确评估,能有效识别急诊中潜在的危重患者,但与APACHEⅡ相比,MEWS操作简单、评分快速、费用较低,更适合应用于急诊科室。     

Identifying potentially ineffective care in a community hospital

OBJECTIVES: To develop a formula to predict mortality for intensive care unit patients between day 5 in an intensive care unit and 100 days after hospital discharge from a community hospital. DESIGN: Retrospective 1-yr derivation study with validation on a subsequent year's intensive care unit population. SETTING: An 850-bed, not-for-profit community hospital with three adult intensive care units, including medical-surgical, cardiac-medical, and cardiac-surgical units. PATIENTS: The development patient set included 4045 consecutive adult admissions to the intensive care unit between July 1995 and June 1996. The validation sample consisted of 4084 admissions between July 1996 and June 1997. RESULTS: During the first year, 100-day posthospital discharge mortality was predicted by the combination Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) III predicted mortality on day 5 of >0.92 or the product of day 1 and day 5 APACHE predicted mortality of >0.40, with an increase in the APACHE predicted mortality from day 1 to day 5 of >0.10. Specificity in the development cohort was 0.99, sensitivity was 0.30, and positive predictive value was 0.95. The second-year validation study demonstrated a specificity, sensitivity, and positive predictive value of 0.98, 0.29, and 0.91, respectively, when applying the model to the validation sample. CONCLUSIONS: By using readily available APACHE III data, we were able to identify patients at high risk of dying between intensive care unit day 5 and 100 days after discharge. Although the low sensitivity limits the number of patients for whom death at 100 days is predicted, the high specificity and positive predictive value suggests this information may provide useful information for families and physicians. If these formulas can be validated in diverse institutional settings, decisions regarding short- and long-term outcomes may be improved by using objective survival predictions from two time points.     

Prognostic indicators of patients with acute kidney injury in intensive care unit

BACKGROUND:

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is associated with a high mortality. This study was undertaken to detect the factors associated with the prognosis of AKI.

METHODS:

We retrospectively reviewed 98 patients with AKI treated from March 2008 to August 2009 at this hospital. In these patients, 60 were male and 38 female. Their age ranged from 19 to 89 years (mean 52.4±16.1 years). The excluded patients were those who died within 24 hours after admission to ICU or those who had a history of chronic kidney disease or incomplete data. After 60 days of treatment, the patients were divided into a survival group and a death group. Clinical data including gender, age, history of chronic diseases, the worst laboratory values within 24 hours after diagnosis (values of routine blood tests, blood gas analysis, liver and renal function, levels of serum cystatin C, and blood electrolytes) were analyzed. Acute physiology, chronic health evaluation (APACHE) II scores and 60-day mortality were calculated. Univariate analysis was performed to find variables relevant to prognosis, odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI). Multiple-factor analysis with logistic regression analysis was made to analyze the correlation between risk factors and mortality.

RESULTS:

The 60-day mortality was 34.7% (34/98). The APACHE II score of the death group was higher than that of the survival group (17.4±4.3 vs. 14.2±4.8, P<0.05). The mortality of the patients with a high level of cystatin C>1.3 mg/L was higher than that of the patients with a low level of cystatin C (<1.3 mg/L) (50% vs. 20%, P<0.05). The univariate analysis indicated that organ failures≥2, oliguria, APACHE II>15 scores, cystatin C>1.3 mg/L, cystatin C>1.3 mg/L+APACHE II>15 scores were the risk factors of AKI. Logistic regression analysis, however, showed that organ failures≥2, oliguria, cystatin C>1.3 mg/L +APACHE II>15 scores were the independent risk factors of AKI.

CONCLUSION:

Cystatin C>1.3 mg/L+APACHE II>15 scores is useful in predicting adverse clinical outcomes in patients with AKI.KEY WORDS: Intensive care unit, Acute kidney injury, Serum cystatin C, APACHE II, Oliguria, Retrospective studies, Prognosis     

Ventilation bundle compliance in two Australian intensive care units: An observational study

BackgroundThe ventilation bundle has been used in adult intensive care units to decrease harm and improve quality of care for mechanically ventilated patients. The ventilation bundle focuses on prevention of specific complications of mechanical ventilation; ventilator-associated pneumonia, sepsis, barotrauma, pulmonary oedema, pulmonary embolism, and acute respiratory distress syndrome. The Institute for Healthcare Improvement ventilation bundle consists of five structured evidence-based interventions: head of the bed elevation at 30–45°; daily sedation interruptions and assessment of readiness to extubate; peptic ulcer prophylaxis; deep vein thrombosis prophylaxis; and daily oral care with chlorhexidine.ObjectivesThe objective of the study was to evaluate the use of the ventilation bundle in two intensive care units in Victoria, Australia.MethodsThis is a 3-month prospective observational study in two intensive care units. Patient medical records were reviewed on days 3, 4, and 5 of mechanical ventilation using a prevalidated ventilation bundle checklist.ResultsA total of 96 critically ill patients required mechanical ventilation for more than 2 d. Patients had a mean age of 64.50 y (standard deviation = 14.89), with an Acute Physiology, Age, Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) III mean score of 79.27 (standard deviation = 27.11). The mean ventilation bundle compliance rate was 88.3% on the three consecutive mechanical ventilation days (day 3 = 79.4%, day 4 = 91.1%, and day 5 = 96.7%). There was a statistically significant difference in the mean APACHE III score between patients who had head of bed elevation and those without head of bed elevation, on days 3 (p = <0.001) and 4 (p = 0.007).ConclusionThe ventilation bundle elements were used in Australian intensive care units. The likelihood of having all ventilation bundle elements on day 3 was low if the patient's APACHE III score was high. However, the ventilation bundle compliance rate increased with mechanical ventilation days.     

Effect of intensive care after cardiac arrest on patient outcome: a database analysis

Introduction

The study aimed to determine the impact of treatment frequency, hospital size, and capability on mortality of patients admitted after cardiac arrest for postresuscitation care to different intensive care units.

Methods

Prospectively recorded data from 242,588 adults consecutively admitted to 87 Austrian intensive care units over a period of 13 years (1998 to 2010) were analyzed retrospectively. Multivariate analysis was used to assess the effect of the frequency of postresuscitation care on mortality, correcting for baseline parameters, severity of illness, hospital size, and capability to perform coronary angiography and intervention.

Results

In total, 5,857 patients had had cardiac arrest and were admitted to an intensive care unit. Observed hospital mortality was 56% in the cardiac-arrest cohort (3,302 nonsurvivors). Patients treated in intensive care units with a high frequency of postresuscitation care generally had high severity of illness (median Simplified Acute Physiology Score (SAPS II), 65). Intensive care units with a higher frequency of care showed improved risk-adjusted mortality. The SAPS II adjusted, observed-to-expected mortality ratios (O/E-Ratios) in the three strata (<18; 18 to 26; >26 resuscitations per ICU per year) were 0.869 (95% confidence interval, 0.844 to 894), 0.876 (0.850 to 0.902), and 0.808 (0.784 to 0.833).

Conclusions

In this database analysis, a high frequency of post-cardiac arrest care at an intensive care unit seemed to be associated with improved outcome of cardiac-arrest patients. We were able to identify patients who seemed to profit more from high frequency of care, namely, those with an intermediate severity of illness. Considering these findings, cardiac-arrest care centers might be a reasonable step to improve outcome in this specific population of cardiac-arrest patients.     

Paediatric high dependency provision: a case for urgent review in the United Kingdom.

The issues surrounding paediatric high dependency provision require attention. The field of adult high dependency has revealed some useful studies, which promote the benefits of designated care. These relate to improved quality of care and reduced pressure on the availability of intensive care beds. This review outlines recent initiatives made in the development of paediatric intensive care units in Britain and demonstrates how practical lessons learnt in the adult critical care sector may be used to establish appropriate Level 1 care in paediatrics. Two paediatric clinical issues are reviewed that support the need for high dependency provision, these being: paediatric respiratory management and the management of sedation withdrawal. The options available to district general hospitals, specialist hospitals, as well as lead paediatric hospitals are discussed, and include quality issues, where education, training and clinical audit are integral to structural and staffing HDU considerations.     

Nurse-led discharge from high dependency unit

High dependency care is a rapidly evolving area of critical care, with high patient turnover, which ultimately leads to high levels of pressure for beds. There is a growing trend emerging, recognizing the importance and value of nurse-led initiatives in delivering effective nursing care in acute care settings. One specific nurse-led initiative this author has developed is that of nurse-led discharge (NLD) from the high dependency unit (HDU), in order to optimize the utilization of critical care beds within the HDU. An audit of the current practice was undertaken, which ultimately led to the implementation of NLD. Early experiences indicate that HDU beds are now being used more effectively.     

Simple translational equations to compare illness severity scores in intensive care trials

Purpose

Comparison of illness severity for intensive care unit populations assessed according to different scoring systems should increase our ability to compare and meta-analyze past and future trials but is currently not possible. Accordingly, we aimed to establish a methodology to translate illness severity scores obtained from one system into another.

Materials and methods

Using the Australian and New-Zealand intensive care adult patient database, we obtained simultaneous admission Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) II and APACHE III scores and Simplified Acute Physiology Score (SAPS) II in 634 428 patients admitted to 153 units between 2001 and 2010. We applied linear regression analyses to create models enabling translation of one score into another. Sensitivity analyses were performed after removal of diagnostic categories excluded from the original APACHE database, after matching for similar risk of death, after splitting data according to country of origin (Australia or New Zealand) and after splitting admissions occurring before or after 2006.

Results

The translational models were APACHE III = 3.08 × APACHE II + 5.75; APACHE III = 1.47 × SAPS II + 8.6; and APACHE II = 0.36 × SAPS II + 4.4. The area under the receiver operating curve for mortality prediction was 0.853 (95% confidence interval, 0.851-0.855) for the “APACHE II derived APACHE III” score and 0.854 (0.852-0.855) for the “SAPS II derived APACHE III” vs 0.854 (0.852-0.855) for the original APACHE III score. Similarly, it was 0.841 (0.839-0.843) for the “SAPS II derived APACHE II score” vs 0.842 (0.840-0.843) for the original APACHE II score. Correlation coefficients as well as intercepts remained very similar in all subgroups analyses.

Conclusions

Simple and robust translational formulas can be developed to allow clinicians to compare illness severity between studies involving critically ill patients. Further studies in other countries and health care systems are needed to confirm the generalizability of these results.     

Comparison of acute physiology and chronic health evaluations II and III and simplified acute physiology score II: a prospective cohort study evaluating these methods to predict outcome in a German interdisciplinary intensive care unit

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the ability of three scoring systems to predict hospital mortality in adult patients of an interdisciplinary intensive care unit in Germany. DESIGN: A prospective cohort study. SETTING: A mixed medical and surgical intensive care unit at a teaching hospital in Germany. PATIENTS: From a total of 3,108 patients, 2,795 patients (89.9%) for Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) II and 2,661 patients (85.6%) for APACHE III and Simplified Acute Physiology Score (SAPS) II could be enrolled to the study because of defined exclusion criteria. INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Probabilities of hospital death for patients were estimated by applying APACHE II and III and SAPS II and compared with observed outcomes. The overall goodness-of-fit of the three models was assessed. Hospital death rates were equivalent to those predicted by APACHE II but higher than those predicted by APACHE III and SAPS II. Calibration was good for APACHE II. For the other systems, it was insufficient, but better for SAPS II than for APACHE III. The overall correct classification rate, applying a decision criterion of 50%, was 84% for APACHE II and 85% for APACHE III and SAPS II. The areas under the receiver operating characteristic curve were 0.832 for APACHE II and 0.846 for APACHE III and SAPS II. Risk estimates for surgical and medical admissions differed between the three systems. For all systems, risk predictions for diagnostic categories did not fit uniformly across the spectrum of disease categories. CONCLUSIONS: Our data more closely resemble those of the APACHE II database, demonstrating a higher degree of overall goodness-of-fit of APACHE II than APACHE III and SAPS II. Although discrimination was slightly better for the two new systems, calibration was good with a close fit for APACHE II only. Hospital mortality was higher than predicted for both new models but was underestimated to a greater degree by APACHE III. Both score systems demonstrated a considerable variation across the spectrum of diagnostic categories, which also differed between the two models.     

Application of the APACHE III prognostic system in Brazilian intensive care units: A prospective multicenter study

Objective To compare patients and their outcomes at ten Brazilian intensive care units (ICUs) with those reported from the United States.Design Prospective multicenter inception cohort study.Setting Ten Brazilian adult medical-surgical ICUs.Patients 1734 consecutive adult ICU admissions.Measurements and results We used demographic, clinical and physiologic information and the APACHE III prognostic system to predict risk of hospital death for 1734 ICU admissions. We then divided the observed by the predicted hospital death rate to calculate standardized mortality ratios (SMRs) for patient groups and each ICU. Hospital mortality for Brazilian patients (34%) was double that found in the United States (17%,p<0.01). Discrimination of survivors from non-survivors using APACHE III was good (area under a receiver operating characteristic curve=0.82), but the predicted risk of death was significantly (p<0.0001) lower than observed outcome (SMR=1.67). Three of the ten Brazilian ICUs, however, had SMRs of 1.01 to 1.1 and no significant difference between observed and predicted outcomes; the remaining seven ICUs had significatly higher SMRs, ranging from 1.50 to 2.30.Conclusion The APACHE III prognostic system was a good discriminator of hospital mortality for ICU admissions at 10 Brazilian ICUs. There was substantial and significant variation, however, in SMRs among the Brazilian ICUs, which suggests that further evaluations of international differences in intensive care using a common risk assessment system should be performed and factors associated with variations in risk-adjusted mortality scrutinized.Supported by the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research (HSO7137); The John A. Hartford Foundation (87267); The Department of Anesthesiology, The George Washington University Medical Center, The National Council of Scientific and Technology Development (CNPq), Brazil (No. 202321/98.4); and APACHE Medical Systems IncA complete list of study hospitals and participants appears at the end of this article     

La escala APACHE III: un factor pronóstico en la aparición de úlceras por presión en una Unidad de Cuidados Intensivos

ObjectiveTo analyze total APACHE III score association to pressure ulcers development in patients hospitalized in an intensive care unit (ICU).Material and methodsProspective cohort study conducted in an intensive care unit of the Hospital General de VIC. All the patients hospitalized between January 2001 to December 2001 were enrolled. Age, gender, length of stay, total Norton and APACHE III score and pressure sore development were collected.ResultsPressure sore incidence was 12.5% of the patients. The factors were significantly associated with the appearance of pressure sores in those patients with a length of stay in the intensive care unit, total Norton and severity of the disease measured by the APACHE III score. Patients having the greatest risk of pressure ulcers development were those whose Norton score was less than or equal to 14, and an APACHE III score higher than or equal to 50 (Odds Ratio: 37.9, 95% CI 11.16-128.47)ConclusionThe severity of the diseases measured with the APACHE III scale showed a relationship with the appearance of in-hospital pressure ulcers.The joint use of the APACHE III and Norton scale could be a good strategy to detect patients with very high risk of suffering pressure sores.     

Colonization and infection with Enterococcus faecalis in intensive care units: the role of antimicrobial agents.

We studied the influences of antimicrobial agents on the colonization of the respiratory tract and infection with Enterococcus faecalis in intensive care unit (ICU) patients receiving mechanical respiration for at least 3 days. In a matched-cohort analysis, patients receiving topical antimicrobial prophylaxis (TAP) of the oropharynx and stomach with antimicrobial agents not treating E. faecalis were compared with patients not receiving TAP. Patients were matched with controls on the basis of their duration in the ICU, their use of systemic antibiotics treating and not treating E. faecalis, the administration of TAP, their APACHE II score, and surgical procedures they had undergone. In all, 276 patients were analyzed. The colonization of the oropharynx and/or trachea by E. faecalis at admission was demonstrated for 43 patients (16%). Twenty patients (9%) acquired tracheal colonization and 91 patients (40%) acquired oropharyngeal colonization with E. faecalis. In the matched-cohort analysis, 43 patients receiving TAP were matched in two controls each. TAP patients more frequently acquired tracheal colonization (15 of 43 versus 2 of 86 patients, P < 0.00001) and infections with E. faecalis (6 of 43 versus 1 of 86 patients, P < 0.01). The use of topical antibiotics and treating E. faecalis increased the risk for colonization and infection with E. faecalis.     

Commentary: Kause J et al. (2004). A comparison of antecedents to cardiac arrest, deaths and emergency intensive care admissions in Australia and ANZ, and the UK – the ACADEMIA study

Many patients have physiological deterioration prior to cardiac arrest, death and intensive care unit (ICU) admission that are detected and documented by medical and nursing staff. Appropriate early response to detected deterioration is likely to benefit patients. In a multi‐centre, prospective, observational study over three consecutive days, we studied the incidence of antecedents (serious physiological abnormalities) preceding primary events (defined as in‐hospital deaths, cardiac arrests and unanticipated ICU admissions) in 90 hospitals [69 UK, 19 Australia and two New Zealand (ANZ)]. Sixty‐eight hospitals reported primary events during the 3‐day study period (50 UK, 16 Australia and two ANZ). Data on the availability of ICU/high‐dependency unit (HDU) beds and cardiac arrest teams and medical emergency teams (METs) were also collected. Of 638 primary events, there were 308 (48.3%) deaths, 141 (22.1%) cardiac arrests and 189 (29.6%) unplanned ICU admissions. There were differences in the pattern of primary events between the UK and ANZ (P < 0.001). There were proportionally more deaths in the UK (52.3% versus 35.3%) and a higher number of unplanned ICU admissions in ANZ (47.3% versus 24.2%). Sixty per cent (383) of primary events had a total of 1032 documented antecedents. The most common antecedents were hypotension and a fall in Glasgow Coma Scale. The proportion of ICU/HDU to general hospital beds was greater in ANZ (0.034 versus 0.016, P < 0.001) and METs were more common in ANZ (70.0% versus 27.5%, P = 0.001). The data confirm antecedents are common before death, cardiac arrest and unanticipated ICU admission. The study also shows differences in patterns of primary events, the provision of ICU/HDU beds and resuscitation teams, between the UK and ANZ. Future research, focusing upon the relationship between service provision and the pattern of primary events, is suggested. This abstract was published in Resuscitation, volume 62, Kause J et al., ‘A comparison of antecedents to cardiac arrest, deaths and emergency intensive care admissions in Australia and ANZ, and the UK – the ACADEMIA study.’, pages 275–282. Copyright Elsevier 2004.     

Acute abdomen in the medical intensive care unit

OBJECTIVE: Acute abdominal complication in the medical intensive care unit may be underdiagnosed and can add significant risk of death. We hypothesize that delays in surgery because of atypical presentation, such as the absence of peritoneal signs, may contribute to mortality. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study (1995-2000). SETTING: Medical intensive care unit in a tertiary care center. PATIENTS: Medical intensive care unit patients with clinical, surgical, or autopsy diagnosis of acute abdominal catastrophe (gangrenous or perforated viscus). INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Seventy-seven patients (1.3%) met inclusion criteria. Ischemic bowel was the most common diagnosis, followed by perforated ulcer, bowel obstruction, and cholecystitis. Actual mortality rate was higher than predicted by Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) III scores at the time of medical intensive care unit admission (63% vs. 31%). Twenty-six patients (34%) did not have surgery, and none of these survived. Fifty-one patients underwent surgery and 28 survived (56%). Delay in surgical evaluation (p <.01) and intervention (p <.03), APACHE III scores (p <.01), renal insufficiency (p <.01), and a diagnosis of ischemic bowel (p <.01) were associated with increased mortality rates. Surgical delay was more likely to occur in patients with altered mental state (p <.01), no peritoneal signs (p <.01), previous opioids (p <.03), antibiotics (p <.02), and mechanical ventilation (p <.02). CONCLUSION: Delays in surgical evaluation and intervention are critical contributors to mortality rate in patients who develop acute abdominal complications in a medical intensive care unit.