Endotoxaemia in patients with severe sepsis or septic shock

Objective: To examine the incidence and the bacteriological and clinical significance of endotoxaemia in ICU patients with severe sepsis or septic shock. Design: Prospective review. Setting: A 15-bed general ICU in a university hospital. Patients: One hundred sixteen patients hospitalised in our ICU fulfilling Bone's criteria for severe sepsis or septic shock and with an available early endotoxin assay (chromogenic limulus assay). Interventions: None. Measurements and results: The clinical characteristics of the population were: age 63.6 ± 11.4 years; SAPS II: 45.4 ± 15.6; mechanical ventilation: 72.4 %; septic shock: 51.7 % (n = 60); bacteraemia: 28.4 % (n = 33); gram-negative bacteria (GNB) infection 47.4 % (n = 55); ICU mortality: 39.6 % (n = 46). Detectable endotoxin occurred in 61 patients (51.2 %; mean level: 310 ± 810 pg/ml). There was no relationship between detectable endotoxin and severity of infection at the moment of the assay. Endotoxaemia was associated with a higher incidence of bacteraemia (39.3 % vs 16.3 %; p = 0.01). There was a trend (p = 0.09) towards an association between positive endotoxin and gram-negative bacteraemia or GNB infection but this was non-significant. This relationship became significant only in the case of bacteraemia associated with GNB infection irrespective of the site of infection. Conclusion: Early detection of endotoxaemia appeared to be associated with GNB infection only in cases of bacteraemic GNB infection. Early endotoxaemia correlated neither to occurrence of organ dysfunction nor mortality in patients with severe sepsis or septic shock. This study suggests that the use of endotoxaemia as a diagnostic or a prognostic marker in daily practice remains difficult. Received: 28 September 1999 Final revision received: 31 January 2000 Accepted: 1 February 2000     

Red cell distribution width is a prognostic factor in severe sepsis and septic shock

ObjectiveThis study was performed to investigate the association of red cell distribution width (RDW) with 28-day mortality in patients with severe sepsis and septic shock.MethodsWe performed a retrospective analysis of patients with severe sepsis and septic shock. Patients' demographic data, comorbidities, the blood test results including RDW at admission to the emergency department, and Acute Physiologic and Chronic Health Evaluation II score were compared between 28-day survivors and nonsurvivors. Red cell distribution width was categorized into tertiles as 14% or less, 14.1% to 15.7%, and 15.8% or greater. Multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression analysis was performed to determine the risk factors for mortality.ResultsA total of 566 patients were included, and overall mortality was 29%. Red cell distribution width was significantly higher in nonsurvivors than in survivors, and the corresponding mortality of patients with an RDW of 14% or less, 14.1% to 15.7%, and 15.8% or greater was 13.1%, 30.1%, and 44.9%, respectively (P < .001). In Cox proportional hazards analysis, groups with higher RDW are independently associated with 28-day mortality compared with groups with an RDW of 14.0% or less: RDW 14.1% to 15.7% (hazard ratio, 1.66; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.00-2.76) and RDW of 15.8% or greater (hazard ratio, 2.57; 95% CI, 1.53-4.34). The area under the receiver operating curve of RDW was 0.68 (95% CI, 0.63-0.72).ConclusionRed cell distribution width is associated with 28-day mortality in patients with severe sepsis and septic shock.     

Red blood cell distribution width is associated with mortality in elderly patients with sepsis

Introduction

RDW is a prognostic biomarker and associated with mortality in cardiovascular disease, stroke and metabolic syndrome. For elderly patients, malnutrition and multiple comorbidities exist, which could affect the discrimination ability of RDW in sepsis. The main purpose of our study was to evaluate the prognostic value of RDW in sepsis among elderly patients.

Pharmacokinetics of moxifloxacin in patients with severe sepsis or septic shock

Purpose  

To investigate the steady-state pharmacokinetics of moxifloxacin in critically ill patients after intravenous administration of the 400 mg fixed dose.     

被动抬腿试验预测严重感染和感染性休克患者的容量反应性

目的 观察被动抬腿试验(PLR)预测严重感染和感染性休克患者容量反应性的价值.方法 采用前瞻性观察性研究方法,选择2009年2月至2010年1月北京大学深圳医院重症监护病房(ICU)的30例严重感染和感染性休克患者.在患者平卧位、PLR期间和扩容后进行血流动力学监测,用超声心排血量监测仪无创监测每搏量(SV)、心排血量(CO)、外周血管阻力(SVR)等血流动力学指标,持续监测有创动脉血压、中心静脉压(CVP).将扩容后SV增加值(△SV)≥15%定义为有容量反应性,用受试者工作特征曲线(ROC曲线)评价PLR预测容量反应性的价值.结果 扩容后有15例患者有容量反应.PLR期间无反应组和有反应组患者CVP(cm H2O,1 cm H2O=0.098 kPa)均较平卧位时增加(13.6±6.6比12.1±6.0,11.9±5.5比10.8±5.2,均P＜0.01);有反应组PLR期间△SV明显高于无反应组[(16.6±5.5)%比(3.8±8.2)%,P=0.000];PLR期间△SV与扩容后△SV呈显著正相关(r=0.681,P=0.000);PLR预测容量反应性的ROC曲线下面积(AUC)为0.944±0.039(P=0.000),PLR期间△SV＞11%预测容量反应性的敏感性和特异性分别为86.7%和93.3%,阳性预测率和阴性预测率分别为92.9%和87.5%.结论 PLR能精确预测严重感染和感染性休克患者的容量反应性,可指导临床治疗.

Abstract：

Objective To evaluate the role of passive leg raising(PLR)test in predicting volume responsiveness in severe sepsis and septic shock patients. Methods Thirty severe sepsis and septic shock patients in intensive care unit(ICU)of Peking University Shenzhen Hospital were prospectively observed from February 2009 to January 2010. The hemodynamics including stroke volume(SV), cardiac output (CO)and systemic vascular resistance(SVR)were measured non-invasively by ultrasonic cardiac output monitor(USCOM)device in the supine position, during PLR and after volume expansion(VE), and invasive arterial blood pressure and central venous pressure(CVP)were monitored consecutively. Responders were defined by the appearance of an increase in SV(△SV)≥15% after VE. The role of PLR for predicting volume responsiveness was evaluated by receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curves. Results The CVP (cm H2O, 1 cm H2O=0. 098 kPa)during PLR was increased compared with that at supine position in both responder group(n= 15)and non-responder group(n= 15, 13. 6± 6. 6 vs. 12. 1 ± 6. 0, 11.9± 5.5 vs.10. 8±5.2, both P＜0. 01). △SV was higher in responder group than in non-responder group during PLR [(16. 6±5.5)% vs.(3. 8±8. 2)%, P=0. 000]. △SV during PLR was highly correlated to △SV after VE (r=0. 681, P=0. 000). The area under the ROC curve(AUC)for PLR predicting volume responsiveness was 0. 944±0. 039(P=0. 000). The △SV＞11% during PLR was found to predict volume responsiveness with a sensitivity of 86. 7%, specificity of 93. 3 %, positive predictive value of 92. 9 % and negative predictive value of 87.5%. Conclusion PLR can be used generally to predict volume responsiveness accurately in severe sepsis and septic shock patients, and it can be used to direct clinical practice.     

Predictive value of red blood cell distribution width in septic shock patients with thrombocytopenia: A retrospective study using machine learning

BackgroundSepsis‐associated thrombocytopenia (SAT) is common in critical patients and results in the elevation of mortality. Red cell distribution width (RDW) can reflect body response to inflammation and oxidative stress. We try to investigate the relationship between the RDW and the prognosis of patients with SAT through machine learning.Methods809 patients were retrospectively analyzed from the Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care III (MIMIC‐III) database. The eXtreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost) and SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) were used to analyze the impact of each feature. Logistic regression analysis, propensity score matching (PSM), receiver‐operating characteristics (ROC) curve analysis, and the Kaplan‐Meier method were used for data processing.ResultsThe patients with thrombocytopenia had higher 28‐day mortality (48.2%). Machine learning indicated that RDW was the second most important in predicting 28‐day mortality. The RDW was significantly increased in non‐survivors by logistic regression and PSM. ROC curve shows that RDW has moderate predictive power for 28‐day mortality. The patients with RDW>16.05 exhibited higher mortality through Kaplan‐Meier analysis.ConclusionsInterpretable machine learning can be applied in clinical research. Elevated RDW is not only common in patients with SAT but is also associated with a poor prognosis.     

红细胞分布宽度与脓毒症患者预后的相关性研究

目的探讨红细胞分布宽度(RDW)与脓毒症患者预后的相关性。方法回顾性分析2013年7月至2015年12月广东省中医院重症监护病房收治的脓毒症患者入院24h内的RDW和急性生理和慢性健康评分Ⅱ(APACHEⅡ评分)。根据患者预后分为存活组和死亡组,采用Mann-Whitney U检验比较两组患者RDW和APACHEⅡ评分的差异;采用Spearman相关分析对RDW和APACHEⅡ评分进行相关性分析;采用受试者工作特征曲线(ROC曲线)评价RDW和APACHEⅡ评分对脓毒症患者出院结局的预测价值。结果死亡组RDW和APACHEⅡ评分均显著高于存活组,差异有统计学意义(P0.05);Spearman相关分析显示,RDW与APACHEⅡ评分呈显著正相关(r=0.513,P0.05);RDW和APACHEⅡ评分预测脓毒症患者病死率的ROC曲线下面积分别为0.726和0.696,二者联合的ROC曲线下面积为0.752。结论入院24h内RDW水平对脓毒症患者预后的评估具有重要参考价值。     

Prognostic value of red blood cell distribution width for mortality in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy

BackgroundRed blood cell distribution width (RDW) has emerged as a useful indicator for adverse outcomes in several cardiovascular diseases. The relation between RDW and the prognosis of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) remains to be evaluated. We examined the relation between RDW and all-cause mortality and HCM-related death in a population of adult HCM patients.MethodsWe performed clinical evaluation in 414 consecutive adult HCM patients (median age, 57.5 years; male, 54.8%).ResultsDuring a median follow-up of 3.7 years, all-cause mortality and HCM-related death occurred in 75 (18.1%) and 50 (12.1%) patients, respectively. Based on the tertiles of baseline RDW, mortality increased with higher tertile. With the tertile 1 as reference, adjusted all-cause mortality hazard ratios (HRs) were 3.9 for the tertile 2 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.5–10.3) and 3.1 for the tertile 3 (95% CI: 1.1–8.2). Adjusted HCM-related death HRs were higher in the tertile 2 (HR: 5.5; 95% CI: 1.2–24.4) and tertile 3 (HR: 6.6; 95% CI: 1.5–29.0) compared with the tertile 1. Further smooth curve fitting exhibited a saturation effect after adjusting for confounders, and there were a two-stage change and an inflection point. Two-piecewise Cox model suggested mortality significantly increased with RDW level up to the inflection point (about 14.0% for both all-cause mortality and HCM-related death), and RDW was not associated with mortality after the point.ConclusionIn adult HCM patients, we found increased RDW was a significant risk predictor for all-cause mortality and HCM-related death, and a saturation effect was observed.     

Lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio predicts mortality in cirrhotic patients with septic shock

IntroductionPatients with liver cirrhosis and septic shock have a significantly higher risk of mortality and morbidity compared with non-cirrhotic patients. The peripheral blood lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio (LMR) can determine the prognosis of cirrhotic patients. Our study aimed to investigate the usefulness of LMR as a predictive marker of mortality risk in cirrhotic patients with septic shock.MethodsThis single-center, retrospective case-control study included adult patients who visited the emergency department between January 1, 2018 and June 30, 2020 and diagnosed with liver cirrhosis and septic shock. They were divided into survivor and non-survivor groups according to their survival status at the 60-day follow-up. We used a Cox proportional hazards regression model to identify independent factors associated with mortality risk and tested the mortality discriminative ability of those factors using the area under a receiver operating characteristic curve.ResultsA total of 93 patients were eligible for this study. Compared with the patients in the survivor group, those in the non-survivor group had significantly higher Child-Pugh (11 ± 2 vs. 9 ± 2, p < 0.001) and MELD scores (29 ± 6 vs. 22 ± 8, p < 0.001), higher serum international normalized ratio (1.7 vs.1.4, p = 0.03), bilirubin (6.0 vs. 3.3 mg/dL, p = 0.02), lactate (5.4 vs. 2.7 mmol/L, p < 0.01), creatinine (2.2 vs. 1.6 mg/dL, p = 0.04), higher neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (13.0 vs. 10.3, p = 0.02), and lower LMR (1.1 vs. 2.3, p < 0.01). The LMR (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR] = 1.54, p = 0.01) and lactate (aHR = 1.03, p < 0.01) were identified as independent predictive factors for mortality in the multivariate regression model. Furthermore, LMR (area under curve [AUC]: 0.87) revealed a superior discrimination ability in mortality prediction compared with the Child-Pugh (AUC: 0.72) and MELD (AUC: 0.76) scores.ConclusionsThe LMR can be used to predict mortality risk in cirrhotic patients with septic shock.     

Prognostic factors of mortality in patients with community-acquired bloodstream infection with severe sepsis and septic shock

Purpose

The purpose of the study was to determine the independent risk factors on mortality in patients with community-acquired severe sepsis and septic shock.

Methods

A single-site prospective cohort study was carried out in a medical-surgical intensive care unit in an academic tertiary care center. One hundred twelve patients with community-acquired bloodstream infection with severe sepsis and septic shock were identified. Clinical, microbiologic, and laboratory parameters were compared between hospital survivors and hospital deaths.

Results

One-hundred twelve patients were included. The global mortality rate was 41.9%, 44.5% in septic shock and 34.4% in severe sepsis. One or more comorbidities were present in 66% of patients. The most commonly identified bloodstream pathogens were Escherichia coli (25%) and Staphylococcus aureus (21.4%). The proportion of patients receiving inadequate antimicrobial treatment was 8.9%. By univariate analysis, age, Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II score, at least 3 organ dysfunctions, and albumin, but neither microbiologic characteristics nor site of infection, differed significantly between survivors and nonsurvivors. Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II (odds ratio, 1.13; 95% confidence interval, 1.06-1.21) and albumin (odds ratio, 0.34; 95% confidence interval, 0.15-0.76) were independent risk factors associated with global mortality in logistic regression analysis.

Conclusion

In addition to the severity of illness, hypoalbuminemia was identified as the most important prognostic factor in community-acquired bloodstream infection with severe sepsis and septic shock.     

ED identification of patients with severe sepsis/septic shock decreases mortality in a community hospital

Study objectives

Our objective was to quantify the mortality difference between patients with severe sepsis/septic shock (SS/SS) identified in the emergency department (EDI) vs those not identified in the emergency department (NEDI) within our community hospital.

Methods

We conducted a retrospective review of all patients with SS/SS from July 2007 to January 2010 who were admitted to the intensive care unit within our community hospital. Our primary outcome measure was the difference in mortality rates of patients with SS/SS between the EDI and NEDI cohorts. Our secondary outcome measures included the final disposition, the length of stay, and direct cost (DC) for both groups. The data were analyzed using a 2 × 2 contingency table and the Fisher exact test for significance to compare the mortality rates between groups. Lengths of stay and DC between both groups were reported as medians, and significance was calculated using the Mann-Whitney U test.

Results

A total of 267 patients with SS/SS were identified during the 31-month study period. Of these patients, 155 were EDI patients with a mortality rate of 27.7%, and 112 were NEDI patients with a mortality rate of 41.1%. This represents an absolute difference in mortality rates of 13.4% between the 2 groups (P = .0257). The median length of stay between both groups was 7 days for the EDI group and 12.5 days for the NEDI group, translating to median DCs of $9861.01 vs $16 031.07.

Conclusions

Emergency department identification of patients with SS/SS in the community hospital significantly improves mortality.     

老年脓毒症患者红细胞分布宽度与病情程度的相关性

目的探讨老年脓毒症患者血浆红细胞分布宽度(RDW)与病情严重程度的相关性。方法选取129例老年脓毒症患者并分别根据否合并休克、入院7 d内的预后情况进行分组。根据是否合并休克分为无休克组102例及休克组27例;按入院7 d内的预后情况分为存活组93例和死亡组36例。比较无休克组和休克组的RDW及血乳酸、C反应蛋白(CRP)、降钙素原(PCT)、序贯器官衰竭评估(SOFA)及慢性健康状况评分系统Ⅱ(APACHEⅡ)评分;比较存活组和死亡组上述指标情况;对RDW与血乳酸、SOFA、APACHEⅡ评分分别进行相关回归分析。结果无休克组与休克组患者RDW、血乳酸、SOFA及APACHEⅡ评分比较,差异有统计学意义(P0.05或P0.01)。存活组和死亡组患者RDW、血乳酸、PCT、SOFA及APACHEⅡ评分比较,差异有统计学意义(P0.05或P0.01)。RDW与PCT、SOFA及APACHEⅡ评分存在正性相关关系。结论老年脓毒症患者RDW与病情严重程度存在相关性,具有重要的临床意义。     

De-escalation of empirical therapy is associated with lower mortality in patients with severe sepsis and septic shock

Purposes

We set out to assess the safety and the impact on in-hospital and 90-day mortality of antibiotic de-escalation in patients admitted to the ICU with severe sepsis or septic shock.

Methods

We carried out a prospective observational study enrolling patients admitted to the ICU with severe sepsis or septic shock. De-escalation was defined as discontinuation of an antimicrobial agent or change of antibiotic to one with a narrower spectrum once culture results were available. To control for confounding variables, we performed a conventional regression analysis and a propensity score (PS) adjusted-multivariable analysis.

Results

A total of 712 patients with severe sepsis or septic shock at ICU admission were treated empirically with broad-spectrum antibiotics. Of these, 628 were evaluated (84 died before cultures were available). De-escalation was applied in 219 patients (34.9 %). By multivariate analysis, factors independently associated with in-hospital mortality were septic shock, SOFA score the day of culture results, and inadequate empirical antimicrobial therapy, whereas de-escalation therapy was a protective factor [Odds-Ratio (OR) 0.58; 95 % confidence interval (CI) 0.36–0.93). Analysis of the 403 patients with adequate empirical therapy revealed that the factor associated with mortality was SOFA score on the day of culture results, whereas de-escalation therapy was a protective factor (OR 0.54; 95 % CI 0.33–0.89). The PS-adjusted logistic regression models confirmed that de-escalation therapy was a protective factor in both analyses. De-escalation therapy was also a protective factor for 90-day mortality.

Conclusions

De-escalation therapy for severe sepsis and septic shock is a safe strategy associated with a lower mortality. Efforts to increase the frequency of this strategy are fully justified.