Evaluation of the SOFA score: a single-center experience of a medical intensive care unit in 303 consecutive patients with predominantly cardiovascular disorders

Objective: To evaluate the use of the Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score, the total maximum SOFA (TMS) score, and a derived variable, the ΔSOFA (TMS score minus total SOFA score on day 1) in medical, cardiovascular patients as a means for describing the incidence and severity of organ dysfunction and the prognostic value regarding outcome. Design: Prospective, clinical study. Setting: Medical intensive care unit in a university hospital. Patients: A total of 303 consecutive patients were included (216 men, 87 women; mean age 62 ± 12.6 years; SAPS II 26.2 ± 12.7). They were evaluated 24 h after admission and thereafter every 24 h until ICU discharge or death between November 1997 and March 1998. Readmissions and patients with an ICU stay shorter than 12 h were excluded. Main outcome measure: Survival status at hospital discharge, incidence of organ dysfunction/failure. Interventions: Collection of clinical and demographic data and raw data for the computation of the SOFA score every 24 h until ICU discharge. Measurements and main results: Length of ICU stay was 3.7 ± 4.7 days. ICU mortality was 8.3 % and hospital mortality 14.5 %. Nonsurvivors had a higher total SOFA score on day 1 (5.9 ± 3.7 vs. 1.9 ± 2.3, p < 0.001) and thereafter until day 8. High SOFA scores for any organ system and increasing number of organ failures (SOFA score ≥ 3) were associated with increased mortality. Cardiovascular and neurological systems (day 1) were related to outcome and cardiovascular and respiratory systems, and admission from another ICU to length of ICU stay. TMS score was higher in nonsurvivors (1.76 ± 2.55 vs. 0.58 ± 1.39, p < 0.01), and ΔSOFA/total SOFA on day 1 was independently related to outcome. The area under the receiver-operating characteristic curve was 0.86 for TMS, 0.82 for SOFA on day 1, and 0.77 for SAPS II. Conclusions: The SOFA, TMS, and ΔSOFA scores provide the clinician with important information on degree and progression of organ dysfunction in medical, cardiovascular patients. On day 1 both SOFA score and TMS score had a better prognostic value than SAPS II score. The model is closely related to outcome and identifies patients who are at increased risk for prolonged ICU stay. Received: 6 August 1999 Final revision received: 3 January 2000 Accepted: 28 March 2000     

Application of SOFA score to trauma patients

Objective: To assess the ability of the SOFA score (Sequential Organ Failure Assessment) to describe the evolution of organ dysfunction/failure in trauma patients over time in intensive care units (ICU). Design: Retrospective analysis of a prospectively collected database. Setting: 40 ICUs in 16 countries. Patients: All trauma patients admitted to the ICU in May 1995. Main outcome measures and results: Incidence of dysfunction/failure of different organs during the first 10 days of stay and the relation between the dysfunction, outcome, and length of stay. Included in the SOFA study were 181 trauma patients (140 males and 41 females).The non-survivors were significantly older than the survivors (51 years ± 20 vs 38 ± 16 years, p < 0.05) and had a higher global SOFA score on admission (8 ± 4 vs 4 ± 3, p < 0.05) and throughout the 10-day stay. On admission, the non-survivors had higher scores for respiratory ( > 3 in 47 % of non-survivors vs 17 % of survivors), cardiovascular ( > 3 in 24 % of non-survivors vs 5.7 % of survivors), and neurological systems ( > 4 in 41 % of non-survivors vs 16 % of survivors); although the trend was maintained over the whole study period, the differences were greater during the first 4–5 days. After the first 4 days, only respiratory dysfunction was significantly related to outcome. A higher SOFA score, admission to the ICU from the same hospital, and the presence of infection on admission were the three major variables associated with a longer length of stay in the ICU (additive regression coefficients: 0.85 days for each SOFA point, 4.4 for admission from the same hospital, 7.26 for infection on admission). Conclusions: The SOFA score can reliably describe organ dysfunction/failure in trauma patients. Regular and repeated scoring may be helpful for identifying categories of patients at major risk of prolonged ICU stay or death. Received: 3 March 1998 Accepted: 21 December 1998     

不同时点序贯器官衰竭评估评分对重症医学科患者院内死亡的预测价值比较

目的比较不同时点序贯器官衰竭评估（SOFA）评分对重症医学科（ICU）患者院内死亡的预测价值,以期为实际临床工作中合理选用SOFA评分指标提供一定的研究证据。 方法从美国重症监护数据库中选择住院时间>72 h的成年ICU患者,提取其基本信息与相关检验指标并计算不同时点SOFA评分,以院内死亡为结局指标,采用多因素Logistic回归分析不同时点SOFA评分与院内死亡的关联,绘制受试者工作特征（ROC）曲线并计算曲线下面积（AUC）以评价各指标的预后预测价值。 结果共有11 968例患者纳入最终分析,其中男性患者占56.15%,平均年龄为（64.75±16.63）岁,院内病死率为10.41%（1246/11 968）。多因素Logistic回归分析显示不同时点SOFA评分均与院内死亡密切相关（P均<0.0001）,ROC曲线分析显示不同时点SOFA评分预测院内死亡的能力存在差异,以T₇₂最高（AUC=0.7246,95%CI：0.7101~0.7391）。 结论对于住院时间>72 h的成年ICU患者,入院后72 h的SOFA评分可能具有更好的预后预测价值。     

Dynamic microsimulation to model multiple outcomes in cohorts of critically ill patients

Background Existing intensive care unit (ICU) prediction tools forecast single outcomes, (e.g., risk of death) and do not provide information on timing.Objective To build a model that predicts the temporal patterns of multiple outcomes, such as survival, organ dysfunction, and ICU length of stay, from the profile of organ dysfunction observed on admission.Design Dynamic microsimulation of a cohort of ICU patients.Setting 49Forty-nine ICUs in 11 countries.Patients One thousand four hundred and forty-nine patients admitted to the ICU in May 1995.Interventions None.Model construction We developed the model on all patients (n=989) from 37 randomly-selected ICUs using daily Sequential Organ Function Assessment (SOFA) scores. We validated the model on all patients (n=460) from the remaining 12 ICUs, comparing predicted-to-actual ICU mortality, SOFA scores, and ICU length of stay (LOS).Main results In the validation cohort, the predicted and actual mortality were 20.1% (95%CI: 16.2%–24.0%) and 19.9% at 30 days. The predicted and actual mean ICU LOS were 7.7 (7.0–8.3) and 8.1 (7.4–8.8) days, leading to a 5.5% underestimation of total ICU bed-days. The predicted and actual cumulative SOFA scores per patient were 45.2 (39.8–50.6) and 48.2 (41.6–54.8). Predicted and actual mean daily SOFA scores were close (5.1 vs 5.5, P=0.32). Several organ-organ interactions were significant. Cardiovascular dysfunction was most, and neurological dysfunction was least, linked to scores in other organ systems.Conclusions Dynamic microsimulation can predict the time course of multiple short-term outcomes in cohorts of critical illness from the profile of organ dysfunction observed on admission. Such a technique may prove practical as a prediction tool that evaluates ICU performance on additional dimensions besides the risk of death.Electronic Supplementary Material Supplementary material is available in the online version of this article at http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00134-004-2456-5Financial support: partially supported by Eli Lilly & Company (Gilles Clermont and Derek C. Angus) and by the Stiefel-Zangger Foundation, University of Zurich, Switzerland (Vladimir Kaplan)     

Strong vasopressor support may be futile in the intensive care unit patient with multiple organ failure

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to determine the prognosis in patients who needed norepinephrine treatment in our institution in relation to the degree of organ failure and the evolution of the disease process. DESIGN: Retrospective case note analysis of outcome of those patients who needed norepinephrine according to our institutional regimen. PATIENTS: A total of 100 consecutive patients admitted to our 31-bed medical-surgical intensive care unit (ICU) who were treated with norepinephrine for severe hypotension and evidence of end-organ hypoperfusion unresponsive to both fluid resuscitation and dopamine treatment at 20 microg/kg/min. MEASUREMENTS: The degree of organ dysfunction at the time of starting norepinephrine treatment was assessed by the sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA) score. The time before starting norepinephrine treatment was defined as the time elapsed between ICU admission and that of starting norepinephrine administration. The patients were defined as survivors or nonsurvivors according to their ICU outcome. RESULTS: There were relationships between mortality and the degree of organ dysfunction and mortality and the duration of ICU stay before starting norepinephrine treatment. The mortality rate was 100% in the 30 patients with a total SOFA score of >12 and a delay before starting norepinephrine treatment of >1 day. The mortality rate of the other patients was 63%. The lowest mortality was seen in patients with lower SOFA scores and early norepinephrine administration after admission. CONCLUSIONS: Both the time of starting norepinephrine treatment after admission to the ICU and the degree of organ dysfunction have an important bearing on subsequent outcome. Although norepinephrine may be a lifesaving catecholamine in some cases, its administration to patients who have already developed multiple organ failure during their stay in the ICU is associated with a poor outcome.     

Non-neurological organ dysfunction in neurocritical care

PURPOSE: To determine the incidence of non-neurological organ dysfunction in patients with severe neurological injury. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Modified daily SOFA (mSOFA) scores were retrospectively calculated for 55 consecutive patients with severe head injury or subarachnoid hemorrhage. mSOFA was defined as the sum of the 5 non-neurological component SOFA scores, maximum mSOFA as the sum of the most abnormal non-neurological SOFA component scores and delta mSOFA as the difference between maximum mSOFA and admission mSOFA. Organ failure was defined as a SOFA component score > or =3. RESULTS: Median (IQR) admission, maximum and delta mSOFA scores were 4 (3-6), 8 (6-9), and 2 (1-5), respectively. Respiratory and cardiac failure developed in 80% and 82% of patients, respectively. No patient developed renal or hepatic failure. Three patients developed hematological failure. There was no difference between survivors and nonsurvivors with respect to admission mSOFA (P =.45), maximum mSOFA (P =.54), or delta mSOFA (P =.19). There was no difference between those patients with favorable or unfavorable neurological outcome with respect to admission mSOFA (P =.24), maximum mSOFA (P =.84), or delta mSOFA (P =.20). CONCLUSIONS: Cardiopulmonary failure, as defined by SOFA, is common in intensive care unit patients with severe head injury and subarachnoid hemorrhage. In contrast to other intensive care unit patient populations, the mortality of patients with closed head injury or subarachnoid hemorrhage was not related to the severity of organ dysfunction on admission or its development during the intensive care unit stay.     

Mortality after discharge from intensive care: the impact of organ system failure and nursing workload use at discharge

OBJECTIVES: Mortality after ICU discharge accounts for approx. 20-30% of deaths. We examined whether post-ICU discharge mortality is associated with the presence and severity of organ dysfunction/failure just before ICU discharge. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The study used the database of the EURICUS-II study, with a total of 4,621 patients, including 2,958 discharged alive to the general wards (post-ICU mortality 8.6%). Over a 4-month period we collected clinical and demographic characteristics, including the Simplified Acute Physiology Score (SAPS II), Nine Equivalents of Nursing Manpower Use Score, and Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score. RESULTS: Those who died in the hospital after ICU discharge had a higher SAPS II score, were more frequently nonoperative, admitted from the ward, and had stayed longer in the ICU. Their degree of organ dysfunction/failure was higher (admission, maximum, and delta SOFA scores). They required more nursing workload resources while in the ICU. Both the amount of organ dysfunction/failure (especially cardiovascular, neurological, renal, and respiratory) and the amount of nursing workload that they required on the day before discharge were higher. The presence of residual CNS and renal dysfunction/failure were especially prognostic factors at ICU discharge. Multivariate analysis showed only predischarge organ dysfunction/failure to be important; thus the increased use of nursing workload resources before discharge probably reflects only the underlying organ dysfunction/failure. CONCLUSIONS: It is better to delay the discharge of a patient with organ dysfunction/failure from the ICU, unless adequate monitoring and therapeutic resources are available in the ward.     

冠脉搭桥病人术后器官功能评分和预后分析

目的　采用序贯器官衰竭估计 (SOFA)评价急诊和择期冠状动脉搭桥 (CABG)术后的器官功能并对预后进行分析。方法　急诊CABG和择期CABG病人各 4 2例 ,进行回顾性分析。根据SOFA评分标准 ,确定术后在重症监护病房 (ICU)期间每天的器官功能评分 ,比较两组病人SOFA总分 (totalSOFAscore) ,分析总的最高SOFA评分 (TMS)以及各器官最差SOFA评分与预后的关系。结果　急诊组的死亡率高于择期组 (P <0 0 5 )。急诊组术后前 5d的SOFA总分均高于择期组 (P <0 0 1) ,死亡病例的TMS、除肝脏外的器官最差评分均高于存活病例 (P <0 0 5或 P <0 0 1) ,Logistic回归分析发现呼吸、心血管和中枢神经系统与死亡相关 (P <0 0 1)。急诊组存活病例的TMS高于择期组 (P <0 0 1) ,心血管支持时间和ICU停留时间较长 (P <0 0 5或P <0 0 1)。存活病例的ICU停留时间和TMS之间存在相关性 ,相关系数为 0 4 5 2 (P <0 0 1)。结论　SOFA是反映CABG病人预后的指标。急诊CABG术后器官功能评分较高 ,预后较差 ,与呼吸、心血管和中枢神经系统功能障碍有关。     

The combined use of three widely available biochemical markers as predictor of organ failure in critically ill patients

Background: We hypothesized that lactate dehydrogenase, LDH/albumin ratio in combination with or without magnesium (Mg²⁺) could predict organ failure in critically ill adult patients. The aim of this study was to describe a new risk index for organ failure or mortality in critically ill patients based on a combination of these routinely available biochemical plasma biomarkers.

Methods: Patients?≥?18 years admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) were screened. Albumin and LDH were analyzed at the time of admission to ICU (n?=?347). Organ failure assessed with ‘Sequential Organ Failure Assessment’ (SOFA) score was used, and 30-day mortality was recorded. The predictive value of the test was calculated using the areas under the receiving operating characteristic (ROC) curve.

Results: The LDH/albumin ratio was higher in patients who developed organ failure as compared to those who did not (p?n?=?183) admitted to ICU from the emergency department, the predictive values were 0.86 and 0.80, respectively.

Conclusion: The LDH/albumin ratio at ICU admission was associated with the development of multiple organ failure and 30-day mortality in this prospective study. The clinical value of this biomarker as a predictor of organ failure in critically ill patients is yet to be defined.     

Patterns and early evolution of organ failure in the intensive care unit and their relation to outcome

Introduction

Recognition of patterns of organ failure may be useful in characterizing the clinical course of critically ill patients. We investigated the patterns of early changes in organ dysfunction/failure in intensive care unit (ICU) patients and their relation to outcome.

Methods

Using the database from a large prospective European study, we studied 2,933 patients who had stayed more than 48 hours in the ICU and described patterns of organ failure and their relation to outcome. Patients were divided into three groups: patients without sepsis, patients in whom sepsis was diagnosed within the first 48 hours after ICU admission, and patients in whom sepsis developed more than 48 hours after admission. Organ dysfunction was assessed by using the sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA) score.

Results

A total of 2,110 patients (72% of the study population) had organ failure at some point during their ICU stay. Patients who exhibited an improvement in organ function in the first 24 hours after admission to the ICU had lower ICU and hospital mortality rates compared with those who had unchanged or increased SOFA scores (12.4 and 18.4% versus 19.6 and 24.5%, P < 0.05, pairwise). As expected, organ failure was more common in sepsis than in nonsepsis patients. In patients with single-organ failure, in-hospital mortality was greater in sepsis than in nonsepsis patients. However, in patients with multiorgan failure, mortality rates were similar regardless of the presence of sepsis. Irrespective of the presence of sepsis, delta SOFA scores over the first 4 days in the ICU were higher in nonsurvivors than in survivors and decreased significantly over time in survivors.

Conclusions

Early changes in organ function are strongly related to outcome. In patients with single-organ failure, in-hospital mortality was higher in sepsis than in nonsepsis patients. However, in multiorgan failure, mortality rates were not influenced by the presence of sepsis.     

最高SOFA评分对G+/G-主要致病菌致脓毒症患者临床结局的预测

目的 评价最高序贯脏器衰竭(SOFA)评分、平均SOFA评分用于革兰阳性(G+)/革兰阴性(G-)主要致病菌所致脓毒症患者临床结局预测的价值。方法 纳入石河子大学医学院第一附属医院急诊ICU、综合ICU 2016年10月至2017年7月收治的脓毒症患者,于入院时即刻留取血培养、痰培养,分离致病菌,将培养结果阳性患者按照病原学检测结果分为G+和G-致病菌2组。在入院时、24 h、48 h、72 h、4 d、5 d......出院/死亡时间点,采集患者呼吸系统(PO2/FiO2)、肝脏(总胆红素)、肾脏(肌酐)、心血管系统(平均动脉压)、血凝(血小板计数)、神经系统(GCS评分)指标,行SOFA评分,计算平均SOFA评分。结果 纳入脓毒症患者62例,其中女20例,男42例,平均年龄(65.79±14.17)岁。G^+组28例,G^-组34例。患者器官衰竭数目与最高SOFA评分明确相关(G^+组男性患者相关系数为0.927,G^-组女性患者相关系数为0.847,P <0.05;G-组男性患者关系数为0.719,P <0.01)。最高SOFA评分与患者死亡结局明确相关(G+组相关系数为0.480,G-组相关系数为0.621,P <0.01)。绘制受试者工作特征曲线(ROC),各组最高SOFA评分ROC的曲线下面积(AUC)均高于平均SOFA评分ROC的AUC。结论 最高SOFA评分与患者器官衰竭数目、患者死亡结局均相关,最高SOFA评分对于患者死亡结局的预测价值更大。     

Multicenter study of the multiple organ dysfunction syndrome in intensive care units: the usefulness of Sequential Organ Failure Assessment scores in decision making

Objective This study examined the incidence and mortality of multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS) in intensive care units, evaluated the limitation of life support in these patients, and determined whether daily measurement of the Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) is useful for decision making.Design and setting Prospective, observational study in 79 intensive care units.Patients and participants Of the 7,615 patients admitted during a 2-month period we found 1,340 patients to have MODS.Measurements and results We recorded mortality and length of stay in the intensive care unit and the hospital and the maximum and minimum total SOFA scores during MODS. Limitation of life support in MODS patients was also evaluated. Stepwise logistic regression was used to determine the factors predicting mortality. The in-hospital mortality rate in patients with MODS was 44.6%, and some type of limitation of life support was applied in 70.6% of the patients who died. The predictive model maximizing specificity included the following variables: maximum SOFA score, minimum SOFA score, trend of the SOFA for 5 consecutive days, and age over 60 years. The model diagnostic yield was: specificity 100%, sensitivity 7.2%, positive predictive value 100%, and negative predictive value 57.3%; the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.807.Conclusions This model showed that in our population with MODS those older than 60 years and with SOFA score higher than 9 for at least 5 days were unlikely to survive.     

Comparison of Sepsis-related Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score and CIS (cellular injury score) for scoring of severity for patients with multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS)

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the usefulness of cellular injury score (CIS) and Sepsis-related Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score for determination of the severity of multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS). DESIGN: A prospective observational study. SETTING: A medical and surgical intensive care unit (ICU) of a teaching hospital. Patients: Forty-seven consecutive MODS patients. MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS: SOFA score and CIS were measured every day for 12 months for 47 MODS patients. Comparison was made of the SOFA score and CIS for usefulness in the scoring of severity of MODS in 26 survivors and 21 non-survivors. In addition, receiver operating characteristics (ROC) analysis was used to determine the usefulness of these two indexes as predictors of prognosis. No significant differences were found on admission between the survivors and non-survivors, but significant differences between the two subgroups (p < 0.001) were found in maximum value within 1 week after admission and maximum value during the course of treatment for both indexes. Analysis of changes after admission indicated that significant differences between survivors and non-survivors began to appear on day 3 of admission for both indexes; at that time SOFA score began to deteriorate in the non-survivors while CIS began to improve in the survivors. ROC analysis demonstrated that the area under the ROC curve was 0.769 for SOFA scores and 0.760 for CIS. CONCLUSIONS: Both SOFA score and CIS sequentially reflected the severity of MODS. Furthermore, they were comparable in diagnostic value as predictors of prognosis. These findings may indicate the possibility that MODS is a summation of effects of cellular injury. In addition, sequential evaluation of both SOFA score and CIS would provide a more accurate prediction of prognosis than conventional methods.     

Acute renal failure in the ICU: risk factors and outcome evaluated by the SOFA score

Objectives: To describe risk factors for the development of acute renal failure (ARF) in a population of intensive care unit (ICU) patients, and the association of ARF with multiple organ failure (MOF) and outcome using the sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA) score. Design: Prospective, multicenter, observational cohort analysis. Setting: Forty ICUs in 16 countries. Patients: All patients admitted to one of the participating ICUs in May 1995, except those who stayed in the ICU for less than 48 h after uncomplicated surgery, were included. After the exclusion of 38 patients with a history of chronic renal failure requiring renal replacement therapy, a total of 1411 patients were studied. Measurements and results: Of the patients, 348 (24.7 %) developed ARF, as diagnosed by a serum creatinine of 300 μmol/l (3.5 mg/dl) or more and/or a urine output of less than 500 ml/day. The most important risk factors for the development of ARF present on admission were acute circulatory or respiratory failure; age more than 65 years, presence of infection, past history of chronic heart failure (CHF), lymphoma or leukemia, or cirrhosis. ARF patients developed MOF earlier than non-ARF patients (median 24 vs 48 h after ICU admission, p < 0.05). ARF patients older than 65 years with a past history of CHF or with any organ failure on admission were most likely to develop MOF. ICU mortality was 3 times higher in ARF than in other patients (42.8 % vs 14.0 %, p < 0.01). Oliguric ARF was an independent risk factor for overall mortality as determined by a multivariate regression analysis (OR = 1.59 [CI 95 %: 1.23–2.06], p < 0.01). Infection increased the risk of death associated with all factors. Factors that increased the ICU mortality of ARF patients were a past history of hematologic malignancy, age more than 65 years, the number of failing organs on admission and the presence of acute cardiovascular failure. Conclusion: In ICU patients, the most important risk factors for ARF or mortality from ARF are often present on admission. During the ICU stay, other organ failures (especially cardiovascular) are important risk factors. Oliguric ARF was an independent risk factor for ICU mortality, and infection increased the contribution to mortality by other factors. The severity of circulatory shock was the most important factor influencing outcome in ARF patients. Received: 9 August 1999/Final revision received: 24 January 2000/Accepted: 6 April 2000     

Development of ionized hypomagnesemia is associated with higher mortality rates

OBJECTIVE: Previous studies have shown a wide variation in the prevalence of total serum hypomagnesemia in intensive are unit (ICU) patients and in associated mortality rates. As the ionized part of magnesium is the active portion, we sought to define the prevalence of ionized hypomagnesemia in critically ill patients and to evaluate its relationship with organ dysfunction, length of stay, and mortality. DESIGN: Prospective observational study. SETTING: A 31-bed, medical-surgical, university hospital ICU. PATIENTS: A total of 446 consecutive patients admitted to the ICU over a 3-month period. INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: The ionized magnesium level (normal value, 0.42-0.59 mmol/L) was measured at admission and then every day until discharge from the ICU. At admission, 18% of patients had ionized hypomagnesemia, 68% had normal ionized magnesium levels, and 14% had ionized hypermagnesemia. There was no significant difference in the length of stay or in the mortality rate between these three groups of patients. Hypomagnesemic patients more frequently had total and ionized hypocalcemia, hypokalemia, and hypoproteinemia. A total of 23 patients developed ionized hypomagnesemia during their ICU stay; these patients had higher Acute Physiology And Chronic Health Evaluation II (14.9 +/- 5.4 vs. 11.0 +/- 6.2) and Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA; 7.1 +/- 5.4 vs. 3.9 +/- 2.8) scores at admission (p <.01 for both), a higher maximum SOFA score during their ICU stay (10.0 +/- 5.6 vs. 4.4 +/- 3.2, p <.01), a higher prevalence of severe sepsis and septic shock (57 vs. 11%, p <.01), a longer ICU stay (15.4 +/- 15.5 vs. 2.8 +/- 4.7 days, p <.01), and a higher mortality rate (35% vs. 12%, p <.01) than the other patients. The major risk factors for developing hypomagnesemia during the ICU stay were a prolonged ICU stay, treatment with diuretics, and sepsis. CONCLUSION: Development of ionized hypomagnesemia during an ICU stay is associated with a worse prognosis. It is often associated with the use of diuretics and the development of sepsis. Monitoring of ionized magnesium levels may have prognostic, and perhaps therapeutic, implications.     

The Multiple Organ Dysfunction Score (MODS) versus the Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score in outcome prediction

OBJECTIVE: To compare outcome prediction using the Multiple Organ Dysfunction Score (MODS) and the Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA), two of the systems most commonly used to evaluate organ dysfunction in the intensive care unit (ICU). DESIGN: Prospective, observational study. SETTING: Thirty-one-bed, university hospital ICU. PATIENTS AND PARTICIPANTS: Nine hundred forty-nine ICU patients. MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS: The MODS and the SOFA score were calculated on admission and every 48 h until ICU discharge. The Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) II score was calculated on admission. Areas under receiver operating characteristic (AUROC) curves were used to compare initial, 48 h, 96 h, maximum and final scores. Of the 949 patients, 277 died (mortality rate 29.1%). Shock was observed in 329 patients (mortality rate 55.3%). There were no significant differences between the two scores in terms of mortality prediction. Outcome prediction of the APACHE II score was similar to the initial MODS and SOFA score in all patients, and slightly worse in patients with shock. Using the scores' cardiovascular components (CV), outcome prediction was better for the SOFA score at all time intervals (initial AUROC SOFA CV 0.750 vs MODS CV 0.694, p<0.01; 48 h AUROC SOFA CV 0.732 vs MODS CV 0.675, p<0.01; and final AUROC SOFA CV 0.781 vs MODS CV 0.674, p<0.01). The same tendency was observed in patients with shock. There were no significant differences in outcome prediction for the other five organ systems. CONCLUSIONS: MODS and SOFA are reliable outcome predictors. Cardiovascular dysfunction is better related to outcome with the SOFA score than with the MODS.     

序贯器官衰竭评分对急性中毒病情及预后的评价

目的 评估急性中毒患者器官衰竭情况,研究序贯器官衰竭评分(SOFA)与急性中毒患者预后的关系.方法 回顾性分析2006年6月至2007年6月中国医科大学附属一院急诊ICU收治的76例急性中毒患者的临床资料,收集其入院即刻及入院后48 h的心率、血压、血氧饱和度、血气、血常规、肝功能、肾功能、心肌酶谱、血糖值及神志状态,并记录各时间段应用的血管活性药物的剂量,对其进行分段SOFA评分(人院即刻和入院后48 h),比较存活组与死亡组不同时间点的SOFA评分是否存在差异,评估SOFA评分与预后的关系.结果 入院即刻累计SOFA评分(s0FAu)在死亡组与存活组中差异无统计学意义(P=0.26),48 h累计s0FA评分(soFA48)及两者之差(ΔSOFA)在两组中差异具有统计学意义(P<0.01).Logistic回归分析结果显示48 h SOFA评分中的肾脏及神经系统的评分是急性中毒患者预后的独立危险因素(P值分别为0.003和0.012),Speannan秩相关分析结果提示ALT、CK-MB、WBC、BE值及血糖值(BG)与SOFA48有相关性(P<0.05).结论 SOFA评分与急性中毒患者预后呈相关趋势,而动态观察SOFA评分的变化对评价病情严重程度及判断预后具有重要意义.     

Early organ dysfunction course,cooling time and outcome in classic heatstroke

Purpose  To describe the course of early organ dysfunction in a cohort of patients admitted in ICU suffering classic heatstroke. Methods  Prospective observational single-centre cohort study with a 1-year follow-up. Interventions  None. Measurements and main results  Clinical and biological data of 22 patients were analysed. Median body temperature on admission was 41.1°C. Respiratory, circulatory, haematological, hepatic and renal function all deteriorated within the first 24 h of admission. ICU-mortality was 63.6%. Cooling time, serum lactate, serum cardiac troponin I and creatinine were significantly higher in non-survivors. Early ICU-mortality (within 7 days of ICU stay) was due to multiple organ failure. Late ICU-mortality was due to neurological disability. Conclusions  Classic heat stroke may demonstrate a rapidly worsening organ dysfunction course leading to death even though cooling procedures and intensive care management are promptly started. Presented in part at the 17th Annual Congress of the European Society of Intensive Care Medicine, Berlin, 2004 (Intensive Care Med 30: S776).     

The Multiple Organ Dysfunction Score as a descriptor of patient outcome in septic shock compared with two other scoring systems.

OBJECTIVE: To demonstrate if daily Multiple Organ Dysfunction scoring could describe outcome groups in septic shock better than daily Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) II and Organ Failure scores. DESIGN: A prospective cohort study. SETTING: A medical and surgical adult intensive care unit (ICU) at a tertiary referral center. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Daily data collection over a 14-month period was performed on 368 ICU patients, 39 of whom developed septic shock while in the ICU. These data were entered into a computer programmed to calculate APACHE II, Organ Failure, and Multiple Organ Dysfunction scores. The admission Multiple Organ Dysfunction scores for nonsurvivors and survivors of septic shock in the ICU was 6.5 +/- 2.7 and 6.6 +/- 2.8 (SD), respectively. These patients deteriorated due to the development of septic shock during their ICU stay resulting in a maximum Multiple Organ Dysfunction score of 12.2 +/- 3.7 in nonsurvivors and 9.4 +/- 2.7 in survivors (p < .05). The difference between the maximum and initial Multiple Organ Dysfunction scores (delta score) was also significantly greater in nonsurvivors than in survivors (5.6 +/- 4.7 vs. 2.8 +/- 3.0) (p < .05). There were no significant differences between the maximum and delta scores in the outcome groups using the APACHE II and Organ Failure scoring systems. These results were mirrored by 2.3 +/- 0.7 and 1.7 +/- 0.5 organ failures in nonsurvivors and survivors, respectively (p < .01). For all 368 patients, the initial and maximum Multiple Organ Dysfunction scores were 3.5 +/- 2.5 and 10.5 +/- 3.6, respectively. CONCLUSION: Maximum and delta Multiple Organ Dysfunction scores mirrored organ dysfunction and could accurately describe the outcome groups, whereas daily APACHE II and Organ Failure scores could not.