Diagnostic utility of fecal calprotectin in patients presenting to the emergency department with suspected acute appendicitis

BackgroundAcute appendicitis (AA) is one of the most common diseases faced by the surgeon in the emergency department. In clinical practice, how to diagnose patients with AA accurately is still challenging.MethodsWe conducted a prospective study of 84 patients who presented in the emergency department with suspected AA and measured fecal calprotectin (FC) value. The final diagnosis of AA was independently determined without reference to the test results of FC. Then, we retrospectively analyzed the FC value for identifying AA.ResultsFC value in patients with AA were significantly higher than that in patients without AA (240.5 vs. 68.5 ug/g, P < 0.001). Receiver-operating characteristic analyses demonstrated FC value to be highly sensitive and specific for the diagnosis of AA, as indicated by an overall area under the curve (AUC) of 0.928 (500 times of boot strap estimated 95% CI, 0.855–0.972), with an optimal cut off point of 106 ug/g. FC levels in 26 patients with simple AA were significantly lower than it in the 14 patients with suppurative AA (206 vs. 304ug/g, P = 0.001).ConclusionsFC test provides a sensitive, convenient and economical method to help facilitate the diagnosis of AA in emergency department. Especially for hospitals without computed tomography equipment or patients who are not suitable to exposed to radiation, FC test is of great significance for improving the diagnostic accuracy of AA.     

降钙素原、C反应蛋白、前清蛋白及白细胞计数在重症肺炎诊断中的应用评价

目的探讨血清中降钙素原(PCT)、C反应蛋白(CRP)、前清蛋白(PA)及白细胞(WBC)计数在重症肺炎诊断中的意义。方法选取重症肺炎患者34例,非重症肺炎患者68例,健康体检者40例的血液样本为试验材料,测定其血清PCT、CRP、PA和外周血WBC的水平并进行统计分析。结果重症肺炎组血清PCT、CRP、PA水平和WBC分别为(24.07±34.77)ng/mL、(98.75±69.63)mg/L、(105.65±68.88)mg/L和(12.64±7.62)×109/L,与其他组相比较差异均有统计学意义(P0.05)。ROC曲线分析发现PCT的灵敏度、特异度和Youden指数分别为64.7%、77.9%和0.426。结论 PCT可作为重症肺炎诊断的有效指标,联合检测CRP和WBC在重症肺炎的辅助诊断中具有一定的临床应用价值。     

3项炎症标志物检测在重症监护病房患者细菌感染中的诊断价值

目的评估炎症标志物降钙素原（PCT）、C反应蛋白（CRP）、白细胞计数（WBC）检测与重症监护病房（ICU）患者的相关性。方法收集50例ICU患者的血清,细菌感染组（78例）和非细菌感染组（22例）检测血PCT、CRP和WBC。结果与WBC相比,PCT和CRP的中位值（Median）在细菌和非细菌感染两组中差异都有统计学意义。对于早期探测细菌感染,PCT有最高的敏感性,再结合临床参数及CRP检测其敏感性可达到100％。PCT曲线下的面积是0．859（95％CI,0．731～0．941）,CRP0．761（95％CIO．619～0．870）、WBC0．611（95％CIO．463～0．746）,PCT与CRP、WBC比较差异有统计学意义（P〈O．01）。诊断细菌和非细菌感染方面PCT比CRP、WBC有更高的敏感性和特异性。结论PCT在诊断ICU患者早期细菌感染比CRP和WBC有更好的应用价值。     

Prognostic accuracy of qSOFA at triage in patients with suspected infection in a Brazilian emergency department

ObjectiveTo evaluate the prognostic accuracy of qSOFA for predicting in-hospital mortality among patients with suspected infection presenting to the ED of a public tertiary hospital in Brazil.MethodsWe performed a retrospective cohort study of consecutive adult patients (age ≥ 18 years) with suspected infection who presented to an academic tertiary ED in Porto Alegre (Southern Brazil) during an 18-month period. The qSOFA was calculated by using information collected at triage and patients were followed throughout hospitalization for the primary outcome of in-hospital mortality. Sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative likelihood ratios, and diagnostic odds ratios with corresponding 95% CIs were calculated for the qSOFA and qSOFA65.ResultsA total of 7523 ED visits of patients with suspected infection in which an intravenous antibiotic was administered within 24 h were included, which resulted in 908 in-hospital deaths (12.1%). There were 690 (9.2%) patients whose triage qSOFA was ≥2 points. When such cutoff was used, the sensitivity for in-hospital death was 24.6% (95% CI 21.8 to 27.4%) and the specificity was 92.9% (95% CI 92.3% to 93.5%). The sensitivity increased to 67.4% (95% CI 64.2% to 70.3%) when a cutoff of ≥1 was tested, but the specificity decreased to 55.3% (95% CI 54.1% to 56.5%). Using a cutoff of ≥2, the qSOFA65 had a sensitivity of 51.0% (95% CI 47.7% to 54.3%) and a specificity of 75.7% (95% CI 74.6% to 76.7%).ConclusionsThe qSOFA score yielded very low sensitivity in predicting in-hospital mortality. Emergency physicians or ED triage nurses in low-to-middle income countries should not be using qSOFA or qSOFA65 as “rule-out” screening tools in the initial evaluation of patients with suspected infection.     

血浆降钙素原联合C反应蛋白和白细胞计数检测在呼吸道感染中的应用

目的 探讨血浆降钙素原（PCT）、C反应蛋白（CRP）和白细胞计数（WBC）联合检测在诊断呼吸道感染中的作用.方法 应用电化学发光法检测PCT,在CRP分析仪上快速检测CRP,在全自动血球仪上检测WBC,对呼吸道感染组和健康对照组分别检测.结果 感染组PCT、CRP、WBC均明显高于健康对照组,差异有统计学意义（P〈0.01）.细菌性感染患者血浆PCT、CRP、WBC水平明显升高,而非细菌性感染患者血浆中PCT、CRP、WBC水平正常或轻度升高,两者之间差异有统计学意义（P〈0.01）.PCT、CRP以及WBC联合测定,敏感性可达87.8%,特异性为93.5%.结论 三者联合检测可以提高临床检测率,有利于鉴别诊断,有助于抗生素的合理使用.     

Diagnostic accuracy of emergency physician performed graded compression ultrasound study in acute appendicitis: a prospective study

Purpose

Accurate early diagnosis of appendicitis can decrease its complications and minimize the mortality, morbidity and costs. This prospective study evaluates the accuracy of bedside emergency physician performed ultrasound study diagnosis in acute appendicitis.

Methods

Patients who were suspicious to have appendicitis based on their clinical findings were included and underwent emergency physician performed ultrasound study. Then they were followed up until the recognition of final diagnosis based on pathology report or identification of an alternative diagnosis. Ultrasound studies were done by post-graduate year three emergency medicine residents or emergency medicine attending physicians who were attended in a 4 h didactic and practical course and with 7.5 MHz linear probe both in longitudinal and axial axes.

Results

Ninety-seven patients were included and analyzed. 27 (27.8 %) of patients had appendicitis according to the results of emergency physicians performed ultrasound studies. 19 (70.37 %) of them had appendicitis according to their pathologic reports too. Forty-three (44.3 %) of patients had appendicitis according to pathology reports. Only 19 (44.18 %) of them were diagnosed by emergency physicians. Emergency physician performed ultrasound study had a sensitivity of 44.18 %, specificity of 85.18 %, positive predictive value of 70.37 %, negative predictive value of 65.71 % and overall accuracy of 67.01 % in diagnosing appendicitis in patients clinically suspicious to have acute appendicitis.

Conclusion

Emergency physician performed bedside ultrasound has an acceptable overall accuracy but its sensitivity is low thus it can help emergency physicians to diagnose the acute appendicitis when used in conjunction with other clinical and para-clinical evaluations but not per se.     

Assessment of BNP and NT-proBNP in emergency department patients presenting with suspected acute coronary syndromes

OBJECTIVES: The relationship between BNP and NT-proBNP among physiologically and clinically relevant demographic subgroups has never been clarified in the context of the emergency department (ED). DESIGN AND METHODS: A blood sample taken from patients presenting to the E.D. with suspected acute coronary syndromes (ACS) was analyzed for BNP and NT-proBNP, and correlation between them was examined as an entire group then as subgroups according to gender, ethnicity, age, and comorbidity variables. RESULTS: BNP and NT-proBNP correlate well (0.89, P < 0.0001) in a population of 420 patients and in patient subgroups with a history of various etiologies, including vascular disorders. CONCLUSIONS: In general, BNP and NT-proBNP correlate very well in patients with suspected ACS and may aid in the risk stratification process in emergency departments.     

尿肺炎链球菌、白细胞计数和C反应蛋白联合检测在儿童下呼吸道感染中的诊断价值

目的探讨尿肺炎链球菌检测对儿童下呼吸道感染快速诊断的临床意义。方法收集2014年9~10月在江苏省妇幼保健院的住院患儿66例,采集尿液标本用于检测尿中肺炎链球菌抗原,同时进行血液分析和C反应蛋白(CRP)检测。结果66例患儿中,尿肺炎链球菌检测、白细胞计数(WBC)和CRP的阳性率分别为4.55%、25.76%和54.55%;而对于明确的肺炎链球菌感染者,三者的阳性率类似,均达75.00%以上。结论尿肺炎链球菌快速检测技术联合WBC和CRP检测,有助于临床医生辅助快速诊断链球菌感染。     

CRP、WBC、MP-Ab联合检测在儿童急性呼吸道感染中的价值

目的探讨C-反应蛋白（CRP）、白细胞（WBC）计数和肺炎支原体抗体（MP-Ab）测定在诊断儿童急性呼吸道感染的意义。方法检测182例患儿的CRP、WBC、MP-Ab,并以30例健康儿童作对照。结果细菌感染组和肺炎支原体感染组的CRP和WBC明显增高,与正常对照组比较,差异有统计学意义（P〈0.05）;病毒感染组的CRP和WBC水平与正常对照组比较无显著性差异（P〉0.05）。结论联合检测CRP、WBC、MP-Ab可为临床提供快捷、可靠的鉴别诊断急性呼吸道感染的依据和合理用药。     

Predictors of bacteremia in emergency department patients with suspected infection

Objectives

The goal of this study is to identify clinical variables associated with bacteremia. Such data could provide a rational basis for blood culture testing in emergency department (ED) patients with suspected infection.

Methods

This is a secondary analysis of a prospective cohort of ED patients with suspected infection. Data collected included demographics, vital signs, medical history, suspected source of infection, laboratory and blood culture results and outcomes. Bacteremia was defined as a positive blood culture by Centers for Disease Control criteria. Clinical variables associated with bacteremia on univariate logistic regression were entered into a multivariable model.

Results

There were 5630 patients enrolled with an average age of 59.9 ± 19.9 years, and 54% were female. Blood cultures were obtained on 3310 (58.8%). There were 409 (12.4%) positive blood cultures, of which 68 (16.6%) were methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and 161 (39.4%) were Gram negatives. Ten covariates (respiratory failure, vasopressor use, neutrophilia, bandemia, thrombocytopenia, indwelling venous catheter, abnormal temperature, suspected line or urinary infection, or endocarditis) were associated with all-cause bacteremia in the final model (c-statistic area under the curve [AUC], 0.71). Additional factors associated with MRSA bacteremia included end-stage renal disease (odds ratio [OR], 3.9; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.9-7.8) and diabetes (OR, 2.0; 95% CI, 1.1-3.6) (AUC, 0.73). Factors strongly associated with Gram-negative bacteremia included vasopressor use in the ED (OR, 2.8; 95% CI, 1.7-4.6), bandemia (OR, 3.5; 95% CI, 2.3-5.3), and suspected urinary infection (OR, 4.0; 95% CI, 2.8-5.8) (AUC, 0.75).

Conclusions

This study identified several clinical factors associated with bacteremia as well as MRSA and Gram-negative subtypes, but the magnitude of their associations is limited. Combining these covariates into a multivariable model moderately increases their predictive value.     

Utility of the immature granulocyte percentage for diagnosing acute appendicitis among clinically suspected appendicitis in adult

Background

Acute appendicitis is the most common cause of abdominal surgical emergencies that present at the emergency department (ED). Although early phase of acute appendicitis cannot induce systemic inflammatory responses, it may induce proliferation immature granulocyte before leukocytosis is occurred. Based on this, we hypothesized that IG% may be beneficial for detecting appendicitis, in addition to classic inflammatory markers including the WBC count, a left shift in neutrophils, and CRP, at no additional cost.

Methods

A retrospective observational study was conducted in a tertiary‐care, university‐affiliated hospital emergency department in adults (>18 years old) with suspected appendicitis from January 1, 2015 to December 31, 2016. The diagnostic performance of IG% and other inflammatory markers, namely white blood cell (WBC) count, proportion of neutrophils, and C‐reactive protein (CRP), for acute appendicitis was evaluated.

Results

Of 403 patients, 204 (50.6%) were diagnosed with acute appendicitis and 45 (22.0%) had complicated appendicitis. All inflammatory markers, including WBC count, proportion of neutrophils, IG%, and CRP, were statistically different between the appendicitis and nonappendicitis group (P < .01). However, IG% was not clinically useful because the median IG% was the same (0.3 vs 0.3) between the appendicitis and nonappendicitis group. Moreover, the area under the curve for IG% was smaller than for other inflammatory markers (0.57, 0.51‐0.63, P < .02).

Conclusion

The diagnostic ability of IG% for appendicitis is insufficient, and it brings no additional benefit over other inflammatory markers.

     

CRP、WBC、MP-Ab联合检测在儿童急性呼吸道感染中的价值

目的探讨C-反应蛋白(CRP)、白细胞(WBC)计数和肺炎支原体抗体(MP-Ab)测定在诊断儿童急性呼吸道感染的意义。方法检测182例患儿的CRP、WBC、MP-Ab,并以30例健康儿童作对照。结果细菌感染组和肺炎支原体感染组的CRP和WBC明显增高,与正常对照组比较,差异有统计学意义(P<0.05);病毒感染组的CRP和WBC水平与正常对照组比较无显著性差异(P>0.05)。结论联合检测CRP、WBC、MP-Ab可为临床提供快捷、可靠的鉴别诊断急性呼吸道感染的依据和合理用药。     

Diagnostic performance of MRI for pregnant patients with clinically suspected appendicitis

Abdominal Radiology - To evaluate the accuracy of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the diagnosis of acute appendicitis in pregnant patients and the value of additional diffusion-weighted MRI...     

New methods for improved evaluation of patients with suspected acute coronary syndrome in the emergency department

This paper aims to identify and review new and unproven emergency department (ED) methods for improved evaluation in cases of suspected acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Systematic news coverage through PubMed from 2000 to 2006 identified papers on new methods for ED assessment of patients with suspected ACS. Articles found described decision support models, new ECG methods, new biomarkers and point-of-care testing, cardiac imaging, immediate exercise tests and the chest pain unit concept. None of these new methods is likely to be the perfect solution, and the best strategy today is therefore a combination of modern methods, where the optimal protocol depends on local resources and expertise. With a suitable combination of new methods, it is likely that more patients can be managed as outpatients, that length of stay can be shortened for those admitted, and that some patients with ACS can get earlier treatment.     

The accuracy of emergency medicine and surgical residents in the diagnosis of acute appendicitis

Objective

This study was conducted to compare the diagnostic accuracy for acute appendicitis between emergency medicine residents (EMRs) and surgical residents (SRs).

Methods

We conducted a prospective cohort study of adult patients with right lower quadrant pain. Each patient was evaluated by an EMR and an SR, and physicians predicted the probability of appendicitis into 4 groups from highest (group 1) to lowest (group 4). The diagnostic accuracies of EMR and SR for the diagnosis of appendicitis were compared by constructing receiver operating characteristics curves. In each case, an Alvarado score was calculated and a computed tomography (CT) scan of the abdomen and pelvis was performed, and their diagnostic accuracies were also compared with the predicted probabilities.

Results

Of a total 191 patients, 120 underwent surgery, and the negative appendectomy rate was 6.8%. There was a significant correlation between the predicted probabilities of EMR and SR. The areas under the curve for EMR and SR were 0.698 and 0.657, which were not statistically different. The areas under the curve of the Alvarado score and the CT were 0.735 and 0.978, respectively. The diagnostic accuracy of the CT scan was significantly higher than those of the Alvarado score and the resident-predicted probabilities.

Conclusion

In patients with right lower quadrant abdominal pain who have already been evaluated by EMR, consultation evaluation by SR does not appear to improve clinical diagnostic accuracy, and routine performance of CT before surgical consultation should be considered for these patients.     

Beyond the twelve-lead electrocardiogram: Diagnostic tests in the evaluation for suspected acute myocardial infarction in the emergency department, part I

On a daily basis the emergency physician is faced with the difficult task of determining whether or not a patient with acute chest pain is sustaining an acute myocardial infarction. In most cases, this is not a straightforward decision. Although observation units are being used more often for chest pain evaluations, many emergency physicians currently admit such patients to an intensive care setting. Because fewer than one-third of emergency department chest pain patients actually suffer an acute myocardial infarction, expensive resources are, in retrospect, used unnecessarily. Conversely, patients who are infarcting, and are inadvertently discharged home from the emergency department, have a worse prognosis than those admitted. This two-part series reviews the newer modalities available that may help the emergency physician arrive at a more accurate diagnosis. The current article, Part I, examines the use of myocardial imaging, computer assisted diagnostic protocols, and newer uses of the electrocardiogram. Part II reviews the use of biochemical assays of cardiac proteins and the Chest Pain Observation Unit.