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1.
A novel biomarker for predicting sepsis mortality: SCUBE-1.
Erdoğan, M, Findikli, HA, Okuducu Teran, İ
Medicine. 2021;(6):e24671
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Abstract
The mortality rate of patients diagnosed with sepsis is high. To date, many markers in sepsis patients have been studied to diagnose, determine their prognosis, and contribute to treatment. These studies were conducted in both experimental and clinical settings, but clinical trials remain limited. Therefore, more well-planned clinical studies are needed in patients with sepsis.The current study aimed to examine the prognostic role of signal peptide-CUB-epidermal growth factor-like domain-containing protein 1 (SCUBE-1) in sepsis and sepsis-related mortality. We also wanted to study its relationship with inflammatory markers and scoring systems.This prospective, cross-sectional, observational study included a total of 187 sepsis cases treated in the intensive care unit. Venous samples were obtained after diagnosis. The patients were separated into 2 groups: (1) the survivor group who were discharged or transferred within 28 days of the first diagnosis and (2) the nonsurvivor group who died within 28 days of the first diagnosis.The SCUBE-1, C-reactive protein, procalcitonin, creatinine, lactate values, acute physiology and chronic health evaluation 2, sequential organ failure assessment scores were significantly higher in the survivor group, and platelets were higher in the survivor group. In addition, SCUBE-1 positively correlated with the inflammatory markers C-reactive protein, lactate, sequential organ failure assessment, and acute physiology and chronic health evaluation 2. Additionally, the SCUBE-1 value predicts 28-day mortality, and the optimal cutoff value for predicting mortality is 4,73 pg/mL.Sepsis is a disease with high mortality. SCUBE-1 can be used as a new prognostic factor for sepsis patients.
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Factors relating to mortality in septic patients in Vietnamese intensive care units from a subgroup analysis of MOSAICS II study.
Do, SN, Luong, CQ, Pham, DT, Nguyen, MH, Nguyen, NT, Huynh, DQ, Hoang, QTA, Dao, CX, Le, TM, Bui, HN, et al
Scientific reports. 2021;(1):18924
Abstract
Sepsis is the most common cause of in-hospital deaths, especially from low-income and lower-middle-income countries (LMICs). This study aimed to investigate the mortality rate and associated factors from sepsis in intensive care units (ICUs) in an LMIC. We did a multicenter cross-sectional study of septic patients presenting to 15 adult ICUs throughout Vietnam on the 4 days representing the different seasons of 2019. Of 252 patients, 40.1% died in hospital and 33.3% died in ICU. ICUs with accredited training programs (odds ratio, OR: 0.309; 95% confidence interval, CI 0.122-0.783) and completion of the 3-h sepsis bundle (OR: 0.294; 95% CI 0.083-1.048) were associated with decreased hospital mortality. ICUs with intensivist-to-patient ratio of 1:6 to 8 (OR: 4.533; 95% CI 1.621-12.677), mechanical ventilation (OR: 3.890; 95% CI 1.445-10.474) and renal replacement therapy (OR: 2.816; 95% CI 1.318-6.016) were associated with increased ICU mortality, in contrast to non-surgical source control (OR: 0.292; 95% CI 0.126-0.678) which was associated with decreased ICU mortality. Improvements are needed in the management of sepsis in Vietnam such as increasing resources in critical care settings, making accredited training programs more available, improving compliance with sepsis bundles of care, and treating underlying illness and shock optimally in septic patients.
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Early changes in laboratory parameters are predictors of mortality and ICU admission in patients with COVID-19: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Kiss, S, Gede, N, Hegyi, P, Németh, D, Földi, M, Dembrovszky, F, Nagy, B, Juhász, MF, Ocskay, K, Zádori, N, et al
Medical microbiology and immunology. 2021;(1):33-47
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Abstract
Despite the growing knowledge of the clinicopathological features of COVID-19, the correlation between early changes in the laboratory parameters and the clinical outcomes of patients is not entirely understood. In this study, we aimed to assess the prognostic value of early laboratory parameters in COVID-19. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis based on the available literature in five databases. The last search was on July 26, 2020, with key terms related to COVID-19. Eligible studies contained original data of at least ten infected patients and reported on baseline laboratory parameters of patients. We calculated weighted mean differences (WMDs) for continuous outcomes and odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals. 93 and 78 studies were included in quantitative and qualitative syntheses, respectively. Higher baseline total white blood cell count (WBC), C-reactive protein (CRP), lactate-dehydrogenase (LDH), creatine kinase (CK), D-dimer and lower absolute lymphocyte count (ALC) (WMDALC = - 0.35 × 109/L [CI - 0.43, - 0.27], p < 0.001, I2 = 94.2%; < 0.8 × 109/L, ORALC = 3.74 [CI 1.77, 7.92], p = 0.001, I2 = 65.5%) were all associated with higher mortality rate. On admission WBC, ALC, D-dimer, CRP, LDH, and CK changes could serve as alarming prognostic factors. The correct interpretation of laboratory abnormalities can guide therapeutic decisions, especially in early identification of potentially critical cases. This meta-analysis should help to allocate resources and save lives by enabling timely intervention.
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Vitamin-D levels and intensive care unit outcomes of a cohort of critically ill COVID-19 patients.
Orchard, L, Baldry, M, Nasim-Mohi, M, Monck, C, Saeed, K, Grocott, MPW, Ahilanandan, D
Clinical chemistry and laboratory medicine. 2021;(6):1155-1163
Abstract
OBJECTIVES The pattern of global COVID-19 has caused many to propose a possible link between susceptibility, severity and vitamin-D levels. Vitamin-D has known immune modulatory effects and deficiency has been linked to increased severity of viral infections. METHODS We evaluated patients admitted with confirmed SARS-COV-2 to our hospital between March-June 2020. Demographics and outcomes were assessed for those admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) with normal (>50 nmol/L) and low (<50 nmol/L) vitamin-D. RESULTS There were 646 SARS-COV-2 PCR positive hospitalisations and 165 (25.5%) had plasma vitamin-D levels. Fifty patients were admitted to ICU. There was no difference in vitamin-D levels of those hospitalised (34, IQR 18.5-66 nmol/L) and those admitted to the ICU (31.5, IQR 21-42 nmol/L). Higher proportion of vitamin-D deficiency (<50 nmol/L) noted in the ICU group (82.0 vs. 65.2%). Among the ICU patients, low vitamin D level (<50 nmol/L) was associated with younger age (57 vs. 67 years, p=0.04) and lower cycle threshold (CT) real time polymerase chain reaction values (RT-PCR) (26.96 vs. 33.6, p=0.02) analogous to higher viral loads. However, there were no significant differences in ICU clinical outcomes (invasive and non-invasive mechanical ventilation, acute kidney injury and mechanical ventilation and hospital days) between patients with low and normal vitamin-D levels. CONCLUSIONS Despite the association of low vitamin-D levels with low CT values, there is no difference in clinical outcomes in this small cohort of critically ill COVID-19 patients. The complex relationship between vitamin-D levels and COVID-19 infection needs further exploration with large scale randomized controlled trials.
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Characteristics and outcomes of COVID-19 in hospitalized patients with and without diabetes.
Al-Salameh, A, Lanoix, JP, Bennis, Y, Andrejak, C, Brochot, E, Deschasse, G, Dupont, H, Goeb, V, Jaureguy, M, Lion, S, et al
Diabetes/metabolism research and reviews. 2021;(3):e3388
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Abstract
BACKGROUND Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a rapidly progressing pandemic, with four million confirmed cases and 280 000 deaths at the time of writing. Some studies have suggested that diabetes is associated with a greater risk of developing severe forms of COVID-19. The primary objective of the present study was to compare the clinical features and outcomes in hospitalized COVID-19 patients with vs without diabetes. METHODS All consecutive adult patients admitted to Amiens University Hospital (Amiens, France) with confirmed COVID-19 up until April 21st, 2020, were included. The composite primary endpoint comprised admission to the intensive care unit (ICU) and death. Both components were also analysed separately in a logistic regression analysis and a Cox proportional hazards model. RESULTS A total of 433 patients (median age: 72; 238 (55%) men; diabetes: 115 (26.6%)) were included. Most of the deaths occurred in non-ICU units and among older adults. Multivariate analyses showed that diabetes was associated neither with the primary endpoint (odds ratio (OR): 1.12; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.66-1.90) nor with mortality (hazard ratio: 0.73; 95%CI: 0.40-1.34) but was associated with ICU admission (OR: 2.06; 95%CI 1.09-3.92, P = .027) and a longer length of hospital stay. Age was negatively associated with ICU admission and positively associated with death. CONCLUSIONS Diabetes was prevalent in a quarter of the patients hospitalized with COVID-19; it was associated with a greater risk of ICU admission but not with a significant elevation in mortality. Further investigation of the relationship between COVID-19 severity and diabetes is warranted.
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Clinical and Scientific Rationale for the "MATH+" Hospital Treatment Protocol for COVID-19.
Kory, P, Meduri, GU, Iglesias, J, Varon, J, Marik, PE
Journal of intensive care medicine. 2021;(2):135-156
Abstract
In December 2019, COVID-19, a severe respiratory illness caused by the new coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) emerged in Wuhan, China. The greatest impact that COVID-19 had was on intensive care units (ICUs), given that approximately 20% of hospitalized cases developed acute respiratory failure (ARF) requiring ICU admission. Based on the assumption that COVID-19 represented a viral pneumonia and no anti-coronaviral therapy existed, nearly all national and international health care societies' recommended "supportive care only" avoiding other therapies outside of randomized controlled trials, with a specific prohibition against the use of corticosteroids in treatment. However, early studies of COVID-19-associated ARF reported inexplicably high mortality rates, with frequent prolonged durations of mechanical ventilation (MV), even from centers expert in such supportive care strategies. These reports led the authors to form a clinical expert panel called the Front-Line COVID-19 Critical Care Alliance (www.flccc.net). The panel collaboratively reviewed the emerging clinical, radiographic, and pathological reports of COVID-19 while initiating multiple discussions among a wide clinical network of front-line clinical ICU experts from initial outbreak areas in China, Italy, and New York. Based on the shared early impressions of "what was working and what wasn't working," the increasing medical journal publications and the rapidly accumulating personal clinical experiences with COVID-19 patients, a treatment protocol was created for the hospitalized patients based on the core therapies of methylprednisolone, ascorbic acid, thiamine, heparin and co-interventions (MATH+). This manuscript reviews the scientific and clinical rationale behind MATH+ based on published in-vitro, pre-clinical, and clinical data in support of each medicine, with a special emphasis of studies supporting their use in the treatment of patients with viral syndromes and COVID-19 specifically. The review concludes with a comparison of published multi-national mortality data with MATH+ center outcomes.
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A Risk Score to Predict Admission to the Intensive Care Unit in Patients with COVID-19: the ABC-GOALS score.
Mejía-Vilet, JM, Córdova-Sánchez, BM, Fernández-Camargo, DA, Méndez-Pérez, RA, Morales-Buenrostro, LE, Hernández-Gilsoul, T
Salud publica de Mexico. 2020;(1, ene-feb):1-11
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To develop a score to predict the need for ICU admission in COVID-19. METHODS We assessed patients admitted to a COVID-19 center in Mexico. Patients were segregated into a group that required ICU admission, and a group that never required ICU admission. By logistic regression, we derived predictive models including clinical, laboratory, and imaging findings. The ABC-GOALS was constructed and compared to other scores. RESULTS We included 329 and 240 patients in the development and validation cohorts, respectively. One-hundred-fifteen patients from each cohort required ICU admission. The clinical (ABC-GOALSc), clinical+laboratory (ABC-GOALScl), clinical+laboratory+image (ABC-GOALSclx) models area under the curve were 0.79 (95%CI=0.74-0.83) and 0.77 (95%CI=0.71-0.83), 0.86 (95%CI=0.82-0.90) and 0.87 (95%CI=0.83-0.92), 0.88 (95%CI=0.84-0.92) and 0.86 (95%CI=0.81-0.90), in the development and validation cohorts, respectively. The ABC-GOALScl and ABC-GOALSclx outperformed other COVID-19 and pneumonia predictive scores. CONCLUSION ABC-GOALS is a tool to timely predict the need for admission to ICU in COVID-19.
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Medical management of status epilepticus: Emergency room to intensive care unit.
Crawshaw, AA, Cock, HR
Seizure. 2020;:145-152
Abstract
In convulsive status epilepticus (SE), achieving seizure control within the first 1-2 hours after onset is a significant determinant of outcome. Treatment is also more likely to work and be cost effective the earlier it is given. Initial first aid measures should be accompanied by establishing intravenous access if possible and administering thiamine and glucose if required. Calling for help will support efficient management, and also the potential for video-recording the events. This can be done as a best interests investigation to inform later management, provided adequate steps to protect data are taken. There is high quality evidence supporting the use of benzodiazepines for initial treatment. Midazolam (buccal, intranasal or intramuscular) has the most evidence where there is no intravenous access, with the practical advantages of administration outweighing the slightly slower onset of action. Either lorazepam or diazepam are suitable IV agents. Speed of administration and adequate initial dosing are probably more important than choice of drug. Although only phenytoin (and its prodrug fosphenytoin) and phenobarbitone are licensed for established SE, a now considerable body of evidence and international consensus supports the utility of both levetiracetam and valproate as options in established status. Both also have the advantage of being well tolerated as maintenance treatment, and possibly a lower risk of serious adverse events. Two adequately powered randomized open studies in children have recently reported, supporting the use of levetiracetam as an alterantive to phenytoin. The results of a large double blind study also including valproate are also imminent, and together likely to change practice in benzodiazepine-resistant SE.
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The intensive care unit: How to make this unfriendly environment geriatric-friendly.
Tardini, F, Pinciroli, R, Berra, L
European journal of surgical oncology : the journal of the European Society of Surgical Oncology and the British Association of Surgical Oncology. 2020;(3):379-382
Abstract
Patients 80 years old or older are increasingly being admitted to intensive care units, particularly in western countries, where life expectancy is constantly increasing. The benefits of intensively treating critically ill elderly patients are uncertain. The high mortality rate in the presence of underlying chronic diseases is a factor. More generally, frailty, defined as an impaired resilience following a health stressor event, must be taken into account. No consensus exists on the risk-benefit ratio to admit octogenarians to the ICU. Treatment decisions should account for life expectancy but also tailored to the needs and wishes of patients and next-of-kins. The cohort of elderly patients is known to be the most vulnerable to functional decline and cognitive impairment, including neuropsychological complications, such as delirium.. Interventions directed at reducing the incidence of delirium may mitigate brain injury associated with critical illness, potentially being the single most effective intervention in this population. A multimodal approach to analgesia should be considered to avoid untreated pain and its consequences. Sleep protocols can effectively reduce the risk of delirium. Notably, the deployment of "sleep bundles" (regular sleep-wake rhythms, reduced night-time light, noise control strategies), may be helpful. As well, adequate nutritional support, spontaneous awakening trials, early mobilization, and physical therapy are crucial to prevent physical deconditioning. The psychological consequences of critical illness for both patients and caregivers are also being increasingly recognized. Attention to the needs of families is essential, due to its positive effects on patients and as a quality improvement goal by itself. Death and dying in the ICU is a more frequent outcome in the elderly population. A real culture for the management of distress and grieving is a required skill for the ICU staff. Privacy and adequate palliative care should be contemplated for an ethical and comfortable end of life.
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Severe acute malnutrition in children admitted in an Intensive Therapeutic and Feeding Centre of South Kivu, Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo: Why do our patients die?
Kambale, RM, Ngaboyeka, GA, Ntagazibwa, JN, Bisimwa, MI, Kasole, LY, Habiyambere, V, Kubuya, VB, Kasongo, JK, André, E, Van der Linden, D
PloS one. 2020;(7):e0236022
Abstract
BACKGROUND Severe acute malnutrition (SAM) remains a serious public health concern in low- and middle-income countries. Little is known about treatment outcomes of child inpatients in Intensive Therapeutic and Feeding Units. This study aimed to assess treatment outcomes of SAM and identify factors associated with mortality among children treated at Saint Joseph Nutritional Center, South Kivu, Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. METHODS A retrospective hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted on medical records of 633 severely malnourished children followed as inpatients at Saint Joseph Nutritional Center from July 2017 to December 2018. Data were entered, thoroughly cleaned and analyzed in SPSS version 25. Univariable and multivariable logistic regression model were fitted to identify factors associated with mortality. RESULTS Among 633 patients admitted with SAM, 13.1% were lost to follow-up and 9.2% died while in hospital. Children with late referral to the health facility (> 14 days) after the onset of main external malnutrition signs had 2.03 times higher odds of death than those referred less than 14 days [AOR = 2.03 at 95%CI (1.12, 3.68)]. The odds of death was 1.91 times higher for children with MUAC < 115 mm than for those with MUAC ≥ 115 mm [AOR = 1.91 at 95% CI (1.05, 3.50)]. Children infected with HIV were 3.90 times more likely to die compared to their counterparts [AOR = 3.90 at 95% CI (2.80, 9.41)]. CONCLUSION Particular emphasis should be placed on partnering with communities to improve information on malnutrition signs and on critical importance of early referral to the health system. While HIV incidence in DRC is still low (0.21%), its impact on mortality among severely malnourished children is increased due to the limited access to HIV testing and antiretroviral therapy.