Risk stratification of severe sepsis patients in the emergency department

Objective

To determine the efficacy of the Mortality in Emergency Department Sepsis (MEDS) score in the stratification of patients who presented to the emergency department (ED) with severe sepsis.

Methods

Adults who presented to the ED with severe sepsis were retrospectively recruited and divided into group A (MEDS score <12) and group B (MEDS score ⩾12). Their outcomes were evaluated with 28 day hospital mortality rate, length of hospital stay, Kaplan‐Meier survival analysis, and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis. Discriminatory power of the MEDS score in mortality prediction was further compared with the Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) II model.

Results

In total, 276 patients (44.6% men and 55.4% women) were analysed, with 143 patients placed in group A and 133 patients in group B. Patients with MEDS score ⩾12 had a significantly higher mortality rate (48.9% v 17.5%, p<0.01) and higher median APACHE II score (25 v 20 points, p<0.01). Significant difference in mortality risk was also demonstrated with Kaplan‐Meier survival analysis (log rank test, p<0.01). No difference in the length of hospital stay was found between the groups. ROC analysis indicated a better performance in mortality prediction by the MEDS score compared with the APACHE II score (ROC 0.75 v 0.62, p<0.01).

Conclusion

Our results showed that mortality risk stratification of severe sepsis patients in the ED with MEDS score is effective. The MEDS score also discriminated better than the APACHE II model in mortality prediction.     

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.     

Prognostic nutrition index is associated with the all‐cause mortality in sepsis patients: A retrospective cohort study

BackgroundThe study aimed at evaluating the prognostic utility of the prognostic nutritional index (PNI) for patients with sepsis.MethodsData in the present study were obtained from the Multiparameter Intelligent Monitoring in Intensive Care Database III. The calculation for PNI was as follows: serum albumin concentration (g/L) +0.005 × total lymphocyte count. 30‐day mortality was considered as the primary outcome, while 90‐day mortality and one‐year mortality were the secondary outcomes. Cox proportional risk models and propensity score matching (PSM) analyses were used to analyze the association between PNI and clinical outcomes in patients with sepsis. To assess the predictive value of PNI for 30‐day mortality, receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was performed.ResultsA total of 2669 patients were in the study. After the confounding factors were adjusted, PNI ≥ 29.3 was identified as an independent predictive prognostic factor for the 30‐day all‐cause mortality (hazard ratio [HR]: 0.65; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.56–0.76; p < 0.00001). Moreover, PSM analysis further validated the prognostic predictive value of PNI for patients with sepsis. The AUC of the PNI was 0.6436 (95% CI: 0.6204–0.6625) which was significantly high than the AUC of NLR (0.5962, 95% CI: 0.5717–0.6206) (p = 0.0031), the RDW (0.5878, 95% CI: 0.5629–0.6127) (p < 0.0001), and PLR (0.4979, 95% CI: 0.4722–0.5235) (p < 0.0001).ConclusionThe findings suggested that PNI was also a significant risk factor for sepsis.     

The prognostic value of the lactate/albumin ratio for predicting mortality in septic patients presenting to the emergency department: a prospective study

ObjectivesLactate/albumin (L/A) ratio is a biomarker in sepsis that has been shown to outperform lactate. This prospective study aims to validate the superior prognostic value of the L/A ratio to lactate in sepsis and septic shock.MethodsProspective cohort conducted from September 2018 till February 2021 on adult patients presenting to the Emergency Department (ED) at a tertiary care centre with sepsis or septic shock. The primary outcome was the prognostic value of the L/A ratio compared to lactate with regards to mortality.ResultsA total of 939 septic patients were included throughout the study period. A total of 236 patients developed septic shock. The AUC value of the L/A ratio in septic patients was 0.65 (95% CI 0.61–0.70) and was higher than that of lactate alone 0.60 (95% CI 0.55–0.64) with a p < .0001. The optimal L/A ratio cut-off threshold that separated survivors from non-survivors was found to be 0.115 for all septic patients. The AUC of the L/A ratio was significantly higher for patients with a lactate ≥2 mmol/L: 0.69 (95% CI 0.64–0.74) versus 0.60 (95% CI 0.54–0.66) with a p < .0001 as well as for patients with an albumin level less than 30 g/L (AUC = 0.69 95% CI= 0.62–0.75 vs AUC= 0.66 95% CI= 0.59–0.73, p = .04). Among septic shock patients there was no statically significant difference in the AUC value of the L/A ratio compared to lactate (0.53 95% CI 0.45–0.61 vs 0.50 95% CI 0.43–0.58 respectively with a p-value = .11).ConclusionsThe L/A ratio is a better predictor of in-patient mortality than lactate in sepsis patients. This superiority was not found in the septic shock subgroup. Our results encourage the use of the ratio early in the ED as a superior prognostic tool in sepsis patients.

Key messages

1. We aimed to assess the prognostic usefulness of the Lactate/Albumin ratio compared to lactate alone in septic and septic shock patients.
2. The L/A ratio proved to be a better predictor of in-patient mortality than lactate alone in sepsis patients. This pattern also applies across various subgroups in our study (malignancy, diabetics, age above 65, lactate level less than 2 mmol/L, albumin less than 30 g/L). Our results favour the use of the L/A ratio over lactate alone in patients with sepsis and the previously mentioned subgroups.
3. Our results do not favour the use of the ratio instead of lactate in septic shock patients as there was no statistically significant difference between the AUCs of the ratio and lactate alone.

     

医生对急诊血糖超过6.1mmol/L患者的诊治现状调查

目的调查急诊和病房医生对急诊随机毛细血管血糖或静脉血浆血糖大于或等于6.1mmol/L患者的检查、诊断和治疗情况。方法 2009年1月重庆市第四人民医院急诊科入院检查随机毛细血管血糖或静脉血浆血糖,血糖值大于或等于6.1mmol/L并住院的患者,查阅出院病历记录中是否复查血糖,以及诊断和治疗的情况。结果急诊血糖大于或等于6.1mmol/L且住院的患者共104例,11例在急诊室被诊断为糖尿病或高血糖;患者住院后复查血糖的69例,占所有患者的66.3%,做口服葡萄糖耐量试验(OGTT)的仅1例,占患者总数的0.98%,检查糖化血红蛋白(HbA1c)的15例,均值为7.86%;入院后被诊断为糖尿病的19例,诊断为葡萄糖耐量异常(IGT)的1例;24例使用胰岛素治疗,其中1例使用胰岛素加口服降糖药。结论急诊和病房医生可能低估了急诊血糖大于或等于6.1mmol/L人群的糖尿病流行情况。     

Validating a point of care lactate meter in adult patients with sepsis presenting to the emergency department of a tertiary care hospital of a low- to middle-income country

BACKGROUND: Timely identification of high blood lactate levels in septic patients may allow faster detection of those patients requiring immediate resuscitation. Point-of-care (POC) testing is being increasingly utilized in the emergency department (ED). We examined the accuracy and time-saving effect of a handheld POC lactate device for the measurement of fingertip and whole blood lactate as compared with reference laboratory blood testing in septic ED patients.     

Blood long non‐coding RNA intersectin 1–2 is highly expressed and links with increased Th17 cells,inflammation, multiple organ dysfunction,and mortality risk in sepsis patients

BackgroundLong non‐coding RNA intersectin 1–2 (lnc‐ITSN1‐2) exacerbates inflammation and promotes T‐helper (Th) cell differentiation, also serves as a biomarker in critical illness diseases. However, its clinical role in sepsis remains obscure. Hence, the study aimed to explore the relationship of lnc‐ITSN1‐2 with Th cells, inflammation, disease severity, multiple organ dysfunction, and mortality risk in sepsis.MethodsPeripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) were isolated from 95 sepsis patients and 50 health controls, followed by lnc‐ITSN1‐2 evaluation using RT‐qPCR. PBMC Th1, Th17 cells and their secreted cytokines in serum were detected by flow cytometry and ELISA, respectively.ResultsLnc‐ITSN1‐2 in sepsis patients was higher than it in health controls (Z = −7.328, p < 0.001). Lnc‐ITSN1‐2 correlated with increased interferon‐gamma (p = 0.009), Th17 cells (p = 0.022), and interleukin‐17A (p = 0.006), but not Th1 cells (p = 0.169) in sepsis patients. Moreover, lnc‐ITSN1‐2 had a positive connection with C‐reactive protein (p = 0.001), acute pathologic and chronic health evaluation (APACHE) II (p = 0.024), and sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA) scores (p = 0.022). Regarding SOFA subscales, lnc‐ITSN1‐2 linked with elevated respiratory system score (p = 0.005), cardiovascular system score (p = 0.007), and renal system score (p = 0.004) but no other subscales. Besides, lnc‐ITSN1‐2 had an increasing trend, but no statistical difference, in septic deaths compared to survivors (Z = −1.852, p = 0.064).ConclusionLnc‐ITSN1‐2 reflects sepsis progression and unfavorable prognosis to some extent, which may serve as a potential biomarker to improve the management of sepsis patients.