Use of Integra artificial skin is associated with decreased length of stay for severely injured adult burn survivors

Mortality and length of stay (LOS) of survivors was examined retrospectively in 270 adults with acute burns > or =20% of body surface area to determine the effect of Integra Dermal Regeneration Template treatment on outcome. No difference in mortality was found between patients who received Integra (30%; n = 43) and patients who did not (30%; n = 227). Surviving Integra patients (n = 30) stayed longer, but they were more extensively injured than survivors who did not receive Integra (n = 158), and therefore longer hospitalizations were expected. In a subgroup analysis, mean LOS of Integra patients with two or more mortality risk factors (age > 60 years, burn size >40% body surface area, or inhalation injury; n = 15) was 63 days compared with 107 days in patients with two or more risk factors (n = 29) who did not receive Integra ( =.014). Integra use in severely injured burned adults was associated with a marked decrease in LOS.     

Blood pressure changes in severely injured patients

Sixty-five severely injured patients with hypertension on arrival at the Accident and Emergency Department were studied. Forty-eight had head injuries. In children there were significantly higher diastolic blood pressures in those admitted unconscious than in those conscious on admission. The possible cause of this is discussed. There was a fall in both the systolic and diastolic blood pressures of all patients after treatment and rest for some hours.     

SARS患者心功能不全的影响因素分析

目的探讨SARS患者心功能不全的影响因素和处理方法。方法回顾性分析304例SARS患者住院期间的临床资料。结果经逐步COX回归分析显示,与SARS患者心功能不全有关的影响因素有血氧饱和度,重症患者,糖尿病,心律失常,白细胞总数,淋巴细胞绝对值和心肌酶。结论心律失常,糖尿病和重症SARS等是影响心脏功能的主要危险因素。     

Interleukin-18 plasma levels are increased in patients with sepsis compared to severely injured patients.

Interleukin-18 (IL-18) appears to play a critical role in cytokine-induced organ failure during endotoxemia in animal models. Therefore, plasma samples from patients with severe trauma and sepsis were examined for the presence of IL-18. Significantly elevated plasma IL-18 concentrations were found in patients with sepsis compared to severely injured patients and healthy humans. Septic patients who died and patients with septic shock exhibited higher levels of IL-18 than survivors and septic patients without shock. In addition, septic patients with gram-positive infections had significantly higher IL-18 plasma levels than patients with gram-negative infection. These findings were confirmed by whole blood assay from healthy humans where Staphylococcus aureus markedly (P < 0.05) increased the release of IL-18 in whole blood ex vivo, while endotoxin was ineffective. Although obtained from a small patient group, these results suggest that IL-18 production may discriminate between gram-positive and gram-negative sepsis, and that increased IL-18 appearance may be associated with an adverse outcome in septic patients.     

Relative adrenal insufficiency in patients with severe acute pancreatitis

Objective Inadequate cortisol levels and adrenal dysfunction may play a role in the pathophysiology of severe acute pancreatitis. This study aimed to analyse the incidence of relative adrenal insufficiency (RAI) in these patients, to identify factors associated with RAI and to describe how adrenal responsiveness affects outcome. Design Prospective observational multicenter study. Patients Twenty-five patients with severe acute pancreatitis. Interventions A short Synacthen test (SST) was performed within 5 days after admission to the hospital. The incidence of RAI, defined as an increment after SST of less than 9 μg/dl was the primary endpoint of the study. Serum cortisol was measured at baseline and at 30 and 60 min after administration of 250 μg adrenocorticotropic hormone. Measurements and results Median baseline cortisol level was 26.6 μg/dl, and increased to 43.2 μg/dl and 48.8 μg/dl after 30 min and 60 min respectively. RAI was found in 16% of all patients and in 27% of patients with organ dysfunction. Patients with RAI were more severely ill and had higher SOFA scores from days 4 to 7 after admission. All patients with RAI developed pancreatic necrosis, and all of them needed surgical intervention. Twenty-eight-day mortality was significantly higher in patients with RAI (75% vs. 5%, p = 0.007). Patients who died had a lower increment in cortisol levels after the SST than patients who survived. Conclusion RAI is frequent in patients with severe acute pancreatitis and organ dysfunction. It occurs in patients with more severe pancreatitis and is associated with increased mortality. An abstract of this work was presented at the 27th International Symposium on Intensive Care and Emergency Medicine (ISICEM) in Brussels, March 2007.     

某院重症烧伤患者医院感染相关因素调查

摘要 目的 〖JP2〗调查烧伤重症监护室住院患者发生医院感染的相关危险因素，为降低重症烧伤患者医院感染发病率提供参考依据。方法 回顾性调查某三级甲等综合医院烧伤重症监护室2016-2017年住院患者，对相关危险因素进行调查分析。结果 共调查烧伤患者220例，其中发生医院感染41例，医院感染发病率为18.63%；医院感染例次数为54，例次感染率为24.54%。医院感染部位主要是血液，占83.33%；其次是下呼吸道和皮肤软组织。医院感染病原菌主要为革兰阴性菌，占63.46%；其次是革兰阳性菌(26.92%)和真菌(9.62%)。年龄、性别、重症监护时间、手术次数、气管切开、中心静脉置管时间、使用有创呼吸机、糖尿病和烧伤面积等调查因素与医院感染发生有关。年龄、住院时间、中心静脉置管时间和烧伤面积是重症烧伤患者医院感染的独立危险因素。结论 为减少重症烧伤患者医院感染的发生，需做好大面积烧伤及高龄患者护理，规范中心静脉置管操作，加强烧伤重症监护室消毒。     

Risk factors associated with ulnar nerve compression in bedridden patients

This study was undertaken to determine the incidence of ulnar nerve compression in patients on bedrest and to determine which historical risk factors and assessment measures were most predictive of ulnar nerve compression. Thirty subjects were chosen from the orthopedic, neurological/neurosurgical, and rehabilitation units of two teaching hospitals. The incidence of ulnar nerve compression in this population was 23 percent (seven cases). The overall incidence of compression was then compared with the incidence of subjects having certain risk factors. A combination of two risk factors in subjects carried a greater relative risk of ulnar nerve compression than the presence of single risk factors alone. Using multiple regression analysis, the best multivariate model consisted of four variables which explained 72.8 percent of the variance in ulnar nerve compression. The findings suggest the use of an elbow flexion test and simple questioning as a method for screening patients at higher risk of ulnar nerve compression.     

Refractory collapse and severe burn: Think about acute adrenal insufficiency

Introduction

Adrenal insufficiency (AI) is a rare endocrine disorder, which can in its acute form be life-threatening in case of late diagnosis or treatment. The stress during a thermal burn can easily decompensate the AI. We report the case of an acute adrenal insufficiency (AAI) discovered following a refractory collapse occurred after a severe thermal burn.

Risk factors and predictive model of adrenocortical insufficiency in patients with traumatic brain injury

BACKGROUND: Neuroendocrine dysfunction after traumatic brain injury (TBI) has received increased attention due to its impact on the recovery of neural function. The purpose of this study is to investigate the incidence and risk factors of adrenocortical insufficiency (AI) after TBI to reveal independent predictors and build a prediction model of AI after TBI.     

Risk factors associated with difficult venous access in adult ED patients

Objective

The objective was to determine risk factors associated with difficult venous access (DVA) in the emergency department (ED).

Methods

This was a prospective, observational study conducted in the ED of an urban tertiary care hospital. Adult patients undergoing intravenous (IV) placement were consecutively enrolled during periods of block enrollment. The primary outcome was DVA, defined as 3 or more IV attempts or use of a method of rescue vascular access to establish IV access. Univariate and multivariate analyses for factors predicting DVA were performed using logistic regression.

Results

A total of 743 patients were enrolled, of which 88 (11.8%) met the criteria for DVA. In the adjusted analysis, only 3 medical conditions were significantly associated with DVA: diabetes (odds ratio [OR] 1.72, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.1-2.8), sickle cell disease (OR 3.8, 95% CI 1.5-9.5), and history of IV drug abuse (OR 2.5, 95% CI 1.1-5.7). Notably, age, body mass index, and dialysis were not. Of patients who reported a history of requiring multiple IV attempts in the past for IV access, 14% met criteria for DVA on this visit (OR 7.7 95% CI 3-18). Of the patients who reported a history of IV insertion into the external jugular, ultrasound-guided IV placement, or a central venous catheter for IV access, 26% had DVA on this visit (OR 16.7, 95% CI 6.8-41).

Conclusions

Nearly 1 of every 9 to 10 adults in an urban ED had DVA. Diabetes, IV drug abuse, and sickle cell disease were found to be significantly associated with DVA.     

Risk factors for outbreaks of multidrug-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae in critical burn patients

The objective of this study is to identify the risk factors related to colonization or infection in an outbreak of multidrug-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae in a burn patient unit. The authors studied the risk factors associated with colonization or infection using a case-control study design involving patients with multidrug resistant K. pneumoniae (n = 26) and controls (n = 50). They describe the outbreak and provide a retrospective analysis that encompasses patient demographics, microbiological isolation, culture sites, burn features, inhalation injury, biomarkers (lactate and N-terminal probrain natriuretic peptide), general illness severity scores (Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II and Sepsis-related Organ Failure Assessment), burn-specific severity scores such as the Abbreviated Burn Severity Index (ABSI), length of stay, and mortality. Patients colonized with multidrug-resistant K. pneumoniae were older (55 vs 42 years), presented with larger burns (32 vs 18% of BSA), and more frequently had full-thickness burns (53 vs 22%). They also had higher ABSI, Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II, and Sepsis-related Organ Failure Assessment scores, and they required more days of mechanical ventilation and longer stays in the critical burn unit. Multivariate analysis showed that the factors most significantly related to the development of infection or colonization with K. pneumoniae were burns located on head and neck (odds ratio, 4.81) and the ABSI score (odds ratio, 1.66). Control of the outbreak was achieved by enforcing contact precautions and extensive cleaning. An elevated ABSI score and burns located on the head and neck were the risk factors most significantly related to colonization or infection in an outbreak of multidrug-resistant K. pneumoniae in a critical burn patient unit.     

Clinical approach to adrenal insufficiency in hospitalised patients

Primary adrenal insufficiency (Addison’s disease) refers to glucocorticoid deficiency resulting from adrenal gland disease. Central adrenal insufficiency is because of disorders of the pituitary gland (secondary) or the hypothalamus (tertiary). Long‐term hypothalamic‐pituitary‐adrenal (HPA) axis suppression is commonly seen after chronic glucocorticoid therapy (iatrogenic). Transient HPA axis suppression is increasingly being reported in hospitalised patients with acute illness (relative adrenal insufficiency). This article extensively reviews various aetiologies and management of adrenal insufficiency.     

Risk factors and prognosis of critically ill cancer patients with postoperative acute respiratory insufficiency

BACKGROUND:

This study aimed to investigate the risk factors and outcome of critically ill cancer patients with postoperative acute respiratory insufficiency.

METHODS:

The data of 190 critically ill cancer patients with postoperative acute respiratory insufficiency were retrospectively reviewed. The data of 321 patients with no acute respiratory insufficiency as controls were also collected. Clinical variables of the first 24 hours after admission to intensive care unit were collected, including age, sex, comorbid disease, type of surgery, admission type, presence of shock, presence of acute kidney injury, presence of acute lung injury/acute respiratory distress syndrome, acute physiologic and chronic health evaluation (APACHE II) score, sepsis-related organ failure assessment (SOFA), and PaO₂/FiO₂ ratio. Duration of mechanical ventilation, length of intensive care unit stay, intensive care unit death, length of hospitalization, hospital death and one-year survival were calculated.

RESULTS:

The incidence of acute respiratory insufficiency was 37.2% (190/321). Multivariate logistic analysis showed a history of chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases (P=0.001), surgery-related infection (P=0.004), hypo-volemic shock (P<0.001), and emergency surgery (P=0.018), were independent risk factors of postoperative acute respiratory insufficiency. Compared with the patients without acute respiratory insufficiency, the patients with acute respiratory insufficiency had a prolonged length of intensive care unit stay (P<0.001), a prolonged length of hospitalization (P=0.006), increased intensive care unit mortality (P=0.001), and hospital mortality (P<0.001). Septic shock was shown to be the only independent prognostic factor of intensive care unit death for the patients with acute respiratory insufficiency (P=0.029, RR: 8.522, 95%CI: 1.243–58.437, B=2.143, SE=0.982, Wald=4.758). Compared with the patients without acute respiratory insufficiency, those with acute respiratory insufficiency had a shortened one-year survival rate (78.7% vs. 97.1%, P<0.001).

CONCLUSION:

A history of chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases, surgery-related infection, hypovolemic shock and emergency surgery were risk factors of critically ill cancer patients with postoperative acute respiratory insufficiency. Septic shock was the only independent prognostic factor of intensive care unit death in patients with acute respiratory insufficiency. Compared with patients without acute respiratory insufficiency, those with acute respiratory insufficiency had adverse short-term outcome and a decreased one-year survival rate.KEY WORDS: Acute respiratory insufficiency, Risk factors, Prognosis, Critical illness, Postoperative care, Septic shock, Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, Survival