Mortality of patients with rheumatoid arthritis requiring intensive care: a single-center retrospective study

Clinical Rheumatology - Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are at a high risk for life-threatening conditions requiring admission to the intensive care unit (ICU), but the data regarding the...     

Mortality among patients with tuberculosis requiring intensive care: a retrospective cohort study

Background  

To describe the characteristics of patients with tuberculosis (TB) requiring intensive care and to identify the factors that predicts in-hospital mortality in a city of a developing country with intermediate-to-high TB endemicity.     

老年患者侵袭性念珠菌病特点和治疗研究

目的:探讨老年患者侵袭性念珠菌病(IC)的临床及真菌学特点、治疗现状与预后。方法:回顾性收集2010年1月至2019年12月10年间依据真菌培养确诊为IC的老年住院患者(≥65岁)的临床资料,对其感染菌株进行鉴定及耐药性实验,分析老年IC患者的临床、真菌学、治疗与预后特点,并与非老年人患者进行比较。结果:共纳入99例老...     

Physician-attributable differences in intensive care unit costs: a single-center study

RATIONALE: Variation in practice and outcomes, not explained by patient or illness characteristics, is common in health care, including in intensive care units (ICUs). OBJECTIVE: To quantify within-ICU, between-physician variation in resource use in a single medical ICU. METHODS: This was a prospective, noninterventional study in a medical ICU where nine intensivists provide care in 14-d rotations. Consecutive sample consisted of 1,184 initial patient admissions whose care was provided by a single intensivist. Multivariate models were constructed for average daily discretionary costs, ICU length of stay, and hospital mortality, adjusting for patient and illness characteristics, and workload. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: The identity of the intensivist was a significant predictor for average daily discretionary costs (p < 0.0001), but not ICU length of stay (p = 0.33) or hospital mortality (p = 0.83). The intensivists had more influence on costs than all other variables except the severity and type of acute illness. Average daily discretionary costs varied by 43% across the different intensivists, equating to a mean difference of 1,003 dollars per admission between the highest and lowest terciles of intensivists. CONCLUSIONS: There are large differences among intensivists in the amount of resources they use to manage critically ill patients. Higher resource use was not associated with lower length of stay or mortality.     

Prognosis of the second predominant subtype in lung adenocarcinoma: a retrospective single-center cohort study

BackgroundThe histologic classification of lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) was mainly divided into three pathological subtype groups: the low-grade predominant subtype group (lepidic), the intermediate-grade predominant subtype group (papillary and acinar), and the high-grade predominant subtype group (micropapillary and solid). Previous studies have focused on the prognostic impact of predominant subtypes of lung adenocarcinoma. In this investigation, we investigated the effect of the second predominant subtype on prognosis.MethodsThe data of LUAD postoperative patients were retrospectively collected. Exclusion criteria included cases in which the pathologic results revealed a single characteristic, the presence of invasive mucinous LUAD, or if the first predominant and the second predominant groups could not be distinguished. Categorical variables were compared with the two-tailed Pearson χ² test and continuous variables with the Student’s t-test. Follow-up was conducted by telephone and other methods. Independent prognostic factors of the second major subtype were determined by the Kaplan-Meier method and log-rank test. The Cox proportional risk regression model was used to analyze the possible prognostic factors.ResultsAmong 293 patients, the mean age was 61.9 years and 47.1% were male. The results revealed that when the predominant group was the low-grade group, the second predominant groups had no significant influence on overall survival (OS) (P=0.15) but significantly influenced disease free survival (DFS) (P=0.037). Subsequently, when the predominant group was the intermediate-grade group, the second predominant groups significantly influenced OS (P=0.024) but had no significant influence on DFS (P=0.3). Moreover, when the predominant group was the high-grade group, the second predominant groups significantly influenced OS (P=0.033) but had no significant influence on DFS (P=0.31).ConclusionsThe independent prognostic effect of the second predominant group was not identified for OS and DFS of lung adenocarcinoma. The effects of the second predominant subtype groups on OS and DFS were not evenly distributed among different predominant subtype groups, and the low-grade second predominant subtype exhibited some protective effects on the middle-grade predominant subtypes.     

Tuberculosis in the intensive care unit: A retrospective descriptive cohort study with determination of a predictive fatality score

BACKGROUND:

Despite effective treatments, tuberculosis-related mortality remains high among patients requiring admission to the intensive care unit (ICU).

OBJECTIVE:

To determine prognostic factors of death in tuberculosis patients admitted to the ICU, and to develop a simple predictive scoring system.

METHODS:

A 10-year, retrospective study of 53 patients admitted consecutively to the Hôpitaux de Paris, Hôpital Lariboisière (Paris, France) ICU with confirmed tuberculosis, was conducted. A multivariate analysis was performed to identify risk factors for death. A predictive fatality score was determined.

RESULTS:

Diagnoses included pulmonary tuberculosis (96%) and tuberculous encephalomeningitis (26%). Patients required mechanical ventilation (45%) and vasopressor infusion (28%) on admission. Twenty patients (38%) died, related to direct tuberculosis-induced organ failure (n=5), pulmonary bacterial coinfections (n=14) and pulmonary embolism (n=1). Using a multivariate analysis, three independent factors on ICU admission were predictive of fatality: miliary pulmonary tuberculosis (OR 9.04 [95% CI 1.25 to 65.30]), mechanical ventilation (OR 11.36 [95% CI 1.55 to 83.48]) and vasopressor requirement (OR 8.45 [95% CI 1.29 to 55.18]). A score generated by summing these three independent variables was effective at predicting fatality with an area under the ROC curve of 0.92 (95% CI 0.85 to 0.98).

CONCLUSIONS:

Fatalities remain high in patients admitted to the ICU with tuberculosis. Miliary pulmonary tuberculosis, mechanical ventilation and vasopressor requirement on admission were predictive of death.     

Benzodiazepine poisoning: experience of 702 admissions to an intensive care unit during a 14-year period

A retrospective study covering a 14-year period was carried out to estimate the incidence and assess the clinical features of benzodiazepine (BZD) poisoning. The annual contribution of BZDs to the total number of drug overdose cases admitted to an intensive care unit displayed an increasing trend over the period, and during the last years BZDs were involved in nearly one-third of all cases. Among the 702 cases of BZD overdosage, 144 had ingested BZD alone, 200 had poisoned themselves with BZD combined with alcohol and 358 had taken BZD with other miscellaneous drugs. In 56% of all the cases the patients had severe central nervous system depression on admission. In 47% orotracheal intubation was performed and in 18% artificial ventilation was administered. Complications were recorded in 69 of the 702 cases (9.8%) and five cases were fatal. These clinical features were essentially the same in the group that had overdosed with just BZD. In conclusion, patients with drug overdosage involving BZD have a low hospital mortality, but the acute somatic risk is not negligible. Moreover, they consume a substantial proportion of the resources in the emergency room and the intensive care unit.     

Predictors of prolonged vancomycin-resistant enterococci colonization in acute stroke patients admitted to an intensive care unit: A retrospective cohort study

To investigate the factors affecting the duration of vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) colonization in stroke patients.A total of 52 stroke patients with VRE colonization were enrolled. We divided the groups into several factors and confirmed whether each factor affected VRE colonization. Independent t test, bivariate correlation analysis, and Cox proportional hazards model were used to confirm statistical significance.Among 52 patients, 28 were ischemic stroke and 24 were hemorrhagic stroke. The mean duration of the VRE colonization was 39.08 ± 44.22 days. The mean duration of VRE colonization of the ischemic stroke patients was 25.57 ± 30.23 days and the hemorrhagic stroke patients was 54.83 ± 52.75 days. The mean intensive care unit (ICU) care period was 15.23 ± 21.98 days. Independent sample t test showed the hemorrhagic stroke (P < .05), use of antibiotics (P < .01), oral feeding (P < .01) were associated with duration of VRE colonization. Bivariate correlation analysis showed duration of ICU care (P < .001) was associated with duration of VRE colonization. Cox proportional hazard model showed oral feeding (P = .001), use of antibiotics (P = .003), and duration of ICU care (P = .001) as independent factors of duration of VRE colonization.Careful attention should be given to oral feeding, duration of ICU care, and use of antibiotics in stroke patients, especially hemorrhagic stroke patients, for intensive rehabilitation at the appropriate time.     

Effectiveness and safety of oral anticoagulants in patients with sickle cell disease and venous thromboembolism: a retrospective cohort study

Patients with sickle cell disease (SCD) experience initial and recurrent venous thromboembolism (VTE) more commonly and at a younger age than the general population, and it confers a higher mortality for patients with SCD. However, limited evidence is available to guide anticoagulant use for VTE treatment in this population. The primary objective of this study is to characterize the effectiveness and safety of direct oral anticoagulants (DOAC) and warfarin for VTE treatment among patients with SCD. This single-center retrospective study includes adult patients with SCD who were diagnosed with VTE. Data was obtained from review of electronic health records for the 6 months after VTE diagnosis. Among the 22 patients treated initially with a DOAC, 6 (27%) developed recurrent VTE, none experienced major bleeding, and 3 (14%) experienced clinically relevant non-major bleeding (CRNMB). Similarly, of 15 patients initially treated with warfarin, 3 (20%) developed a recurrent VTE, 1 (7%) experienced major bleeding, and 2 (13%) experienced CRNMB. Twelve patients received more than one oral anticoagulant during the study period, most commonly due to a recurrent VTE, concern for non-adherence, or subtherapeutic INR. Overall, the incidence of VTE recurrence and bleeding events were similar between groups, but occurred at a higher rate than those found in major clinical trials of anticoagulant agents. Prescribers should continue to individualize therapeutic decision-making regarding oral anticoagulant therapy for VTE treatment for individuals with SCD based on patient-specific factors and anticipated ability to adhere to the drug regimen or required monitoring.     

Outcomes of septic cirrhosis patients admitted to the intensive care unit: A retrospective cohort study

The aim of this study is to examine the outcome of septic patients with cirrhosis admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) and predictors of mortality.Single center, retrospective cohort study.The study was conducted in Intensive care Department of King Abdulaziz Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.Data was extracted from a prospectively collected ICU database managed by a full time data collector. All patients with an admission diagnosis of sepsis according to the sepsis-3 definition were included from 2002 to 2017. Patients were categorized into 2 groups based on the presence or absence of cirrhosis.The primary outcome of the study was in-hospital mortality. Secondary outcomes included ICU mortality, ICU and hospital lengths of stay and mechanical ventilation duration.A total of 7906 patients were admitted to the ICU with sepsis during the study period, of whom 497 (6.29%) patients had cirrhosis. 64.78% of cirrhotic patients died during their hospital stay compared to 31.54% of non-cirrhotic. On multivariate analysis, cirrhosis patients were at greater odds of dying within their hospital stay as compared to non-cirrhosis patients (Odds ratio {OR} 2.53; 95% confidence interval {CI} 2.04 – 3.15) independent of co-morbidities, organ dysfunction or hemodynamic status. Among cirrhosis patients, elevated international normalization ratio (INR) (OR 1.69; 95% CI 1.29-2.23), hemodialysis (OR 3.09; 95% CI 1.76-5.42) and mechanical ventilation (OR 2.61; 95% CI 1.60–4.28) were the independent predictors of mortality.Septic cirrhosis patients admitted to the intensive care unit have greater odds of dying during their hospital stay. Among septic cirrhosis patients, elevated INR and the need for hemodialysis and mechanical ventilation were associated with increased mortality.     

Machine‐learning algorithms for predicting hospital re‐admissions in sickle cell disease

Reducing preventable hospital re‐admissions in Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) could potentially improve outcomes and decrease healthcare costs. In a retrospective study of electronic health records, we hypothesized Machine‐Learning (ML) algorithms may outperform standard re‐admission scoring systems (LACE and HOSPITAL indices). Participants (n = 446) included patients with SCD with at least one unplanned inpatient encounter between January 1, 2013, and November 1, 2018. Patients were randomly partitioned into training and testing groups. Unplanned hospital admissions (n = 3299) were stratified to training and testing samples. Potential predictors (n = 486), measured from the last unplanned inpatient discharge to the current unplanned inpatient visit, were obtained via both data‐driven methods and clinical knowledge. Three standard ML algorithms, Logistic Regression (LR), Support‐Vector Machine (SVM), and Random Forest (RF) were applied. Prediction performance was assessed using the C‐statistic, sensitivity, and specificity. In addition, we reported the most important predictors in our best models. In this dataset, ML algorithms outperformed LACE [C‐statistic 0·6, 95% Confidence Interval (CI) 0·57–0·64] and HOSPITAL (C‐statistic 0·69, 95% CI 0·66–0·72), with the RF (C‐statistic 0·77, 95% CI 0·73–0·79) and LR (C‐statistic 0·77, 95% CI 0·73–0·8) performing the best. ML algorithms can be powerful tools in predicting re‐admission in high‐risk patient groups.     

Ambulatory hypertension in a pediatric cohort of sickle cell disease

Hypertension is an established risk factor for subsequent cardiovascular and renal disease in children as well as adults. Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a genetic disorder associated with chronic hemolytic anemia with the major manifestation of vaso-occlusive crises. Although this disease entity involves most organ systems causing vascular and pulmonary injury, little is known about blood pressure (BP) levels or prevalence of hypertension in children with SCD. A cross-sectional study was conducted on 56 children with SCD (54 with hemoglobin SS disease; 2 with hemoglobin Sβ⁰ thalassemia; 29 females). Study participants underwent 24-hour ambulatory BP monitoring (ABPM). Serum creatinine and cystatin C were obtained to assess estimated glomerular filtration rate with age-based formulas. A random urine sample was obtained to estimate urine osmolality and urine albumin to creatinine ratio. Mean age range was 11.9 (±4.5) years. Seventeen participants (30%) met criteria for hypertension based on ABPM. Of the 17 participants classified with hypertension, three had office hypertension with ambulatory hypertension, and 14 had masked hypertension detected on ABPM. Another 28 participants (50%) had some abnormal ABPM parameters in the form of either prehypertension and/or lack of normal nocturnal dipping status. The prevalence of confirmed hypertension, largely manifest by masked hypertension, is high in children, as young as 6 years of age with SCD. Early identification of hypertension in SCD children can confer benefit as it is an important modifiable risk factor for progression of cardiovascular and renal disease.