Glycated hemoglobin A: A predictor of outcome in trauma admissions to intensive care unit

Background and Aim:

Although large studies have demonstrated the association between hyperglycemia and adverse intensive care unit (ICU) outcomes, it is yet unclear which subset of patients benefit from tight sugar control in ICU. Recent evidence suggests that stress induced hyperglycemia (SIH) and co-incidentally detected diabetes mellitus are different phenomena with different prognoses. Differentiating SIH from diabetic hyperglycemia is challenging in ICU settings. We followed a cohort of trauma patients admitted to a surgical intensive care unit (SICU) to evaluate if initial glycated hemoglobin A (HbA₁c) level predicts the outcome of admission.

Materials and Methods:

A cohort of 120 consecutive admissions to SICU following trauma were recruited and admission blood sugar and HbA₁c were measured. Outcomes were prospectively measured by blinded ICU doctors. A logistic regression model was developed to assess if HbA₁c predicts poor outcomes in these settings.

Results:

Nearly 24% of the participants had HbA₁c ≥ 6. Those with HbA₁c ≥ 6 had 3.14 times greater risk of poor outcome at the end of hospital stay when compared to those with HbA₁c < 6 and this risk increased to an odds ratio of 4.57 on adjusting for other significant predictors: Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II, injury severity score, admission blood sugar and age at admission.

Conclusions:

Substantial proportion of trauma admissions has underlying diabetes. HbA₁c, a measure of pre admission glycaemic status is an important predictor of ICU outcome in trauma patients.     

Hypomagnesemia in the intensive care unit: Choosing your gastrointestinal prophylaxis,a case report and review of the literature

We report a case of symptomatic hypomagnesaemia in medical intensive care unit that is strongly related to proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) and provide literature review. A 65-year-old male with severe gastroesophageal reflux on omeprazole 20 mg orally twice a day, who presented to the hospital with abdominal pain, nausea, diarrhea, and new onset seizures. On admission, his serum magnesium level was undetectable. Electrocardiogram showed a new right bundle branch block with a prolonged QT interval. The hypomagnesemia was corrected with aggressive magnesium supplementation and hypomagnesemia resolved only after the PPI was stopped. Neurologic and cardiac abnormalities were corrected. This is a life-threatening case of an undetectable magnesium level strongly associated with PPI use. In critically, ill patients with refractory hypomagnesemia, we advocate considering changing gastrointestinal prophylaxis from a PPI to a histamine-receptor blocker.     

Emerging role of interleukin‐33 in autoimmune diseases

Interleukin‐33 (IL‐33) is a member of the IL‐1 cytokine family. It predominantly induces type 2 immune responses and thus is protective against atherosclerosis and nematode infections but contributes to allergic airway inflammation. Interleukin‐33 also plays a pivotal role in the development of many autoimmune diseases through mechanisms that are still not fully understood. In this review, we focus on the recent advances in understanding of the expression and function of IL‐33 in some autoimmune disorders, aiming to provide insight into its potential role in disease development.