An algorithm for the classification of mRNA patterns in eosinophilic esophagitis: Integration of machine learning

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Significance of elevated cardiac troponin T levels in critically ill patients with acute respiratory disease

Background

Elevations in cardiac troponin have prognostic importance in critically ill patients. However, there are no data addressing the independent association between troponin levels and mortality, adjusted for the severity of the underlying disease, in patients hospitalized for acute respiratory disorders. We investigated whether troponin T (cTnT) elevations are independently associated with in-hospital mortality in patients in the intensive care unit (ICU) admitted for severe and acute respiratory conditions. After adjusting for the severity of disease measured by the Acute Physiology, Age, and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) III prognostic system, we evaluated short-term (30 days) and long-term (3 years) mortality.

Methods

We studied the APACHE III database and cTnT levels from patients admitted consecutively to the ICU at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota. Between January 2001 and December 2005, 2078 patients with respiratory conditions had cTnT measured at ICU admission. In-hospital, short-term (30 days) and long-term (3 years) all-cause mortality were determined.

Results

Of the study patients, 878 (42.3%) had elevated cTnT and 1200 patients (57.7%) had undetectable cTnT. During hospitalization, 1.1% of the patients with troponin T <0.01 ng/mL died compared to 21% of those with troponin T ≥0.01 ng/mL (P <.0001). At 30 days, mortality was 18.6% in patients with elevations of cTnT and 1.5% in patients without elevations of cTnT (P <.0001). The Kaplan-Meier probability of survival at 1-year follow-up was 71.0%, at 2-year follow-up was 48.3%, and 3-year follow-up was 39.4% with troponin T ≥0.01 ng/mL and at 1-year follow-up was 98.8%, at 2-year follow-up was 97.2%, and at 3-year follow-up was 95.5% with troponin T <0.01 μg/L (P <.0001). After adjustment for severity of disease and baseline characteristics, cTnT levels remained associated with in-hospital, short-term and long-term mortality (P <.0001).

Conclusions

In patients admitted to the ICU for respiratory disorders, cTnT elevations are independently associated with in-hospital, short-term and long-term mortality.     

Myocardial ischemia in untreated hypertensive patients: effect of a single small oral dose of a beta-adrenergic blocking agent

In a non-double-blind, prospective, randomized study, the intra-operative electrocardiograms of 128 mildly hypertensive surgical patients were examined in order to determine the incidence of myocardial ischemia during anesthesia. No patient had been receiving chronic antihypertensive therapy prior to the study, but a single small oral dose of a beta-adrenergic blocking agent (labetalol, atenolol, or oxprenolol) was given to 89 of them along with premedication. Forty-four per cent of the untreated control patients and 61% of the patients pretreated with a beta-adrenergic blocking agent had normal preoperative electrocardiograms and no risk factors for coronary artery disease other than hypertension (this difference between groups was not statistically significant). During tracheal intubation and/or emergence from anesthesia, a brief, self-limited episode of myocardial ischemia was detected in 11 of 39 untreated control patients, and in two of 89 patients pretreated with a beta-adrenergic blocking agent (P less than 0.001). Tachycardia always accompanied the ischemic events, but a conspicuous increase in blood pressure did not. The authors conclude that mild hypertension, when untreated prior to the induction of anesthesia, is associated with a high incidence of myocardial ischemia; and that a single small oral dose of a beta-adrenergic blocking agent, given with pre-medication, can significantly reduce that risk.     

Influence of volume loading on intraoperative hemodynamics and perioperative fluid retention in patients with valvular regurgitation undergoing prosthetic replacement

Preload and afterload were controlled intraoperatively in 2 groups of patients with valvular regurgitation and congestive heart failure in order to determine the effect of fluid loading on weight gain and subsequent recovery. As a part of their anesthetic management before cardiopulmonary bypass, 16 patients were given 1 liter of crystalloid with nitroprusside infused at 1 microgram/kg/min and 16 received 4 liters of crystalloid with nitroprusside at 4 micrograms/kg/min. Arterial and filling pressures were kept the same in both groups. Heart rate and vascular resistance became significantly lower and cardiac index and stroke volume significantly higher in the fluid-augmented group. The transition to cardiopulmonary bypass was smoother for the fluid-augmented patients. All patients survived, and 2 in each group were ventilated beyond 24 hours. The mean weight gain at surgery was the same in the 2 groups (3 kg). For the first 2 postoperative days, body weight remained unchanged and thereafter, both groups lost weight at 0.6 kg/day. Preoperative weight was reached on day 7 and discharge occurred on day 15, 2 kg below control. Thus, a modest operative weight gain in these patients is inevitable, benign, and independent of the volume of fluid infused before bypass.     

Management of right ventricular outflow tract reactivity following pulmonary valve dilatation under general anesthesia: experience of a medical mission

During a recent volunteer medical mission to the Dominican Republic, we administered anesthesia to a child with severe pulmonary valvular stenosis and suprasystemic right ventricular pressure. This patient underwent a balloon pulmonary valvuloplasty but then developed worsening right ventricular outflow tract obstruction that required immediate therapy to prevent a low cardiac output state. As the development of hyperdynamic right ventricular outflow tract obstruction cannot be predicted, we emphasize the need for preemptive hydration and beta-blockade therapy prior to balloon dilatation.