Benefits and Harms of Procalcitonin- or C-Reactive Protein-Guided Antimicrobial Discontinuation in Critically Ill Adults With Sepsis: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-Analysis.

OBJECTIVES: In sepsis treatment, antibiotics are crucial, but overuse risks development of antibiotic resistance. Recent guidelines recommended the use of procalcitonin to guide antibiotic cessation, but solid evidence is insufficient. Recently, concerns were raised that this strategy would increase recurrence. Additionally, optimal protocol or difference from the commonly used C-reactive protein (CRP) are uncertain. We aimed to compare the effectiveness and safety of procalcitonin- or CRP-guided antibiotic cessation strategies with standard of care in sepsis. DATA SOURCES: A systematic search of PubMed, Embase, CENTRAL, Igaku Chuo Zasshi, ClinicalTrials.gov, and World Health Organization International Clinical Trials Platform. STUDY SELECTION: Randomized controlled trials involving adults with sepsis in intensive care. DATA EXTRACTION: A systematic review with network meta-analyses was performed. The Grading of Recommendations, Assessments, Developments, and Evaluation method was used to assess certainty. DATA SYNTHESIS: Eighteen studies involving 5023 participants were included. Procalcitonin-guided and CRP-guided strategies shortened antibiotic treatment (-1.89 days [95% CI, -2.30 to -1.47], -2.56 days [95% CI, -4.21 to -0.91]) with low- to moderate-certainty evidence. In procalcitonin-guided strategies, this benefit was consistent even in subsets with shorter baseline antimicrobial duration (7-10 d) or in Sepsis-3, and more pronounced in procalcitonin cutoff of "0.5 µg/L and 80% reduction." No benefit was observed when monitoring frequency was less than half of the initial 10 days. Procalcitonin-guided strategies lowered mortality (-27 per 1000 participants [95% CI, -45 to -7]) and this was pronounced in Sepsis-3, but CRP-guided strategies led to no difference in mortality. Recurrence did not increase significantly with either strategy (very low to low certainty). CONCLUSIONS: In sepsis, procalcitonin- or CRP-guided antibiotic discontinuation strategies may be beneficial and safe. In particular, the usefulness of procalcitonin guidance for current Sepsis-3, where antimicrobials are used for more than 7 days, was supported. Well-designed studies are needed focusing on monitoring protocol and recurrence.

Peripheral Nerve Blocks in the Preoperative Management of Hip Fractures: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-Analysis.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: We conducted a systematic review and network meta-analysis to evaluate the comparative efficacy of peripheral nerve block types for preoperative pain management of hip fractures. METHODS: We searched Cochrane, Central Register of Controlled Trials, MEDLINE, EMBASE, ICTRP, ClinicalTrials.gov, and Google Scholar for randomized clinical trials. We included participants aged more than 16 years with hip fractures who received peripheral nerve blocks or analgesics for preoperative pain management. The primary outcomes were defined as absolute pain score 2 hours after block placement, preoperative consumption of morphine equivalents, and length of hospital stay. We used a random-effects network meta-analysis conceptualized in the Bayesian framework. Confidence of evidence was assessed using Confidence in Network Meta-Analysis (CINeMA). RESULTS: We included 63 randomized controlled studies (4,778 participants), of which only a few had a low risk of bias. The femoral nerve block, 3-in-1 block, fascia iliaca compartment block, and pericapsular nerve group block yielded significantly lowered pain scores at 2 hours after block placement compared with those with no block (standardized mean differences [SMD]: -1.1; 95% credible interval [CrI]: -1.7 to -0.48, [confidence of evidence: low]; SMD: -1.8; 95% CrI: -3.0 to -0.55, [low]; SMD: -1.4; 95% CrI: -2.0 to -0.72, [low]; SMD: -2.3; 95% CrI: -3.2 to -1.4, [moderate], respectively). The pericapsular nerve group block, 3-in-1 block, fascia iliaca compartment block, and femoral nerve block resulted in lower pain scores than the no-block group. Additionally, the pericapsular nerve group block yielded a lower pain score than femoral nerve block or fascia iliaca compartment block (SMD: -1.21; 95% CrI: -2.18 to -0.23, [very low]: SMD: -0.92; 95% CrI: -1.70 to -0.16, [low]). However, both the fascia iliaca compartment block and femoral nerve block did not show a reduction in morphine consumption compared with no block. To our knowledge, no studies have compared the pericapsular nerve group block with other methods regarding morphine consumption. Furthermore, no significant difference was observed between peripheral nerve blocks and no block in terms of the length of hospital stay. CONCLUSIONS: Compared with no block, preoperative peripheral nerve blocks for hip fractures appear to reduce pain 2 hours after block placement. Comparing different blocks, pericapsular nerve group block might be superior to fascia iliaca compartment block and femoral nerve block for pain relief, though the confidence evidence was low in most comparisons because of the moderate to high risk of bias in many of the included studies and the high heterogeneity of treatment strategies across studies. Therefore, further high-quality research is needed.

Efficacy of therapeutic drug monitoring-based antibiotic regimen in critically ill patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

BACKGROUND: The efficacy of therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM)-based antimicrobial dosing optimization strategies on pharmacokinetics/pharmacodynamics and specific drug properties for critically ill patients is unclear. Here, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials to evaluate the effectiveness of TDM-based regimen in these patients. METHODS: Articles from three databases were systematically retrieved to identify relevant randomized control studies. Version two of the Cochrane tool for assessing risk of bias in randomized trials was used to assess the risk of bias in studies included in the analysis, and quality assessment of evidence was graded using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation approach. Primary outcome was the 28-day mortality and secondary outcome were in-hospital mortality, clinical cure, length of stay in the intensive care unit (ICU) and target attainment at day 1 and 3. RESULTS: In total, 5 studies involving 1011 patients were included for meta-analysis of the primary outcome, of which no significant difference was observed between TDM-based regimen and control groups (risk ratio [RR] 0.94, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.77-1.14; I2 = 0%). In-hospital mortality (RR 0.96, 95% CI: 0.76-1.20), clinical cure (RR 1.23, 95% CI: 0.91-1.67), length of stay in the ICU (mean difference 0, 95% CI: - 2.18-2.19), and target attainment at day 1 (RR 1.14, 95% CI: 0.88-1.48) and day 3 (RR 1.35, 95% CI: 0.90-2.03) were not significantly different between the two groups, and all evidence for the secondary outcomes had a low or very low level of certainty because the included studies had serious risk of bias, variation of definition for outcomes, and small sample sizes. CONCLUSION: TDM-based regimens had no significant efficacy for clinical or pharmacological outcomes. Further studies with other achievable targets and well-defined outcomes are required. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Clinical trial registration; PROSPERO ( https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/ ), registry number: CRD 42022371959. Registered 24 November 2022.

Heat stroke management during the COVID-19 pandemic: Recommendations from the experts in Japan (2nd edition).

Both coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and heat stroke have symptoms of fever or hyperthermia and the difficulty in distinguishing them could lead to a strain on emergency medical care. To mitigate the potential confusion that could arise from actions for preventing both COVID-19 spread and heat stroke, particularly in the context of record-breaking summer season temperatures, this work offers new knowledge and evidence that address concerns regarding indoor ventilation and indoor temperatures, mask wearing and heat stroke risk, and the isolation of older adults. Specifically, the current work is the second edition to the previously published guidance for handling heat stroke during the COVID-19 pandemic, prepared by the "Working group on heat stroke medical care during the COVID-19 epidemic," composed of members from four organizations in different medical and related fields. The group was established by the Japanese Association for Acute Medicine Heatstroke and Hypothermia Surveillance Committee. This second edition includes new knowledge, and conventional evidence gleaned from a primary selection of 60 articles from MEDLINE, one article from Cochrane, 13 articles from Ichushi, and a secondary/final selection of 56 articles. This work summarizes the contents that have been clarified in the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases and heat stroke to provide guidance for the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of heat stroke during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Compression-associated injuries using CLOVER3000 device in non-survivor patients of OHCA: A retrospective cohort study.

AIM: The incidence of compression-associated injuries from using the CLOVER3000, a new mechanical cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) device, is not well studied in the context of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). Thus, we aimed to compare compression-associated injuries between CLOVER3000 and manual CPR. METHODS: This single-center, retrospective, cohort study used data from the medical records of a tertiary care center in Japan between April 2019 and August 2022. We included adult non-survivor patients with non-traumatic OHCA who were transported by emergency medical services and underwent post-mortem computed tomography. Compression-associated injuries were tested using logistic regression models adjusting for age, sex, bystander CPR performance, and CPR duration. RESULTS: A total of 189 patients (CLOVER3000, 42.3%; manual CPR, 57.7%) were included in the analysis. The overall incidence of compression-associated injuries was similar between the two groups (92.5% vs. 94.54%; adjusted odds ratio (AOR), 0.62 [95% confidence interval (CI), 0.06-1.44]). The most common injury was anterolateral rib fractures with a similar incidence between the two groups (88.7% vs. 88.9%; AOR, 1.03 [95% CI, 0.38 to 2.78]). The second most common injury was sternal fracture in both groups (53.1% vs. 56.7%; AOR, 0.68 [95% CI, 0.36-1.30]). The incidence rates of other injuries were not statistically different between the both groups. CONCLUSION: We observed a similar overall incidence of compression-associated injuries between the CLOVER3000 and manual CPR groups on small sample size.

Comparative efficacy of sedation or analgesia methods for reduction of anterior shoulder dislocation: A systematic review and network meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: We performed a network meta-analysis (NMA) to compare the efficacy and safety of intravenous sedation (IVS), intraarticular anesthetic injection (IAA), and peripheral nerve block (PNB) as sedation or analgesia methods for the reduction of anterior shoulder dislocation. METHODS: We included randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing different sedation or analgesia methods for anterior shoulder dislocation reduction. The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, MEDLINE, EMBASE, ICTRP, ClinicalTrials.gov, and Google Scholar databases were searched in October 2021. We conducted a random-effects NMA within a frequentist framework. We evaluated the confidence in each outcome using the CINeMA tool. RESULTS: Sixteen RCTs (957 patients) were included. Regarding the primary outcomes, the three methods might result in little to no difference in the immediate success rate of reduction and patient satisfaction. The IAA method had a shorter emergency department length of stay than that of the IVS method (mean difference [MD] -107.88 min, 95% confidence interval [CI] -202.58 to -13.18). In the secondary outcomes, the IAA method had a lower pain score than that of the PNB method (standardized MD -1.83, 95% CI -3.64 to -0.02). The IAA and PNB methods might require a longer time for reduction than that of the IVS method (MD 5.3 min, 95% CI 2.4 to 10.36; MD 15.25, 95% CI 5.49 to 25.01). The three methods might result in little to no difference in the number of reduction attempts and total success rate of reduction. However, the confidence ratings for all treatment comparisons were very low. IAA and PNB had no adverse respiratory events. CONCLUSIONS: The results of our NMA indicated that three sedation or analgesia methods (IVS, IAA, and PNB) might result in little to no difference in the success rate of reduction and patient satisfaction. IAA and PNB had no adverse respiratory events.

Success rate of anterior shoulder dislocation reduction by emergency physicians: a retrospective cohort study.

Aim: Emergency physicians (EPs) often treat anterior shoulder dislocation, but epidemiology of anterior shoulder dislocation in the emergency department of Japan remains unclear. In this study, we clarified the success rate of anterior shoulder reduction performed by EPs. Methods: This single-center cohort study included patients with anterior shoulder dislocation for whom the EP performed initial reduction. The period was from January 2006 to March 2021 and we used the electronic medical record data of the tertiary care hospital. Our primary outcome was the success rate of the shoulder reduction performed by EP. The secondary outcome was to compare the success of reduction with the failure of the reduction. Results: In total, 293 eligible patients were identified. Of these patients, 244 were included in this study. The success rate of the shoulder reduction performed by EP was 92.2% (225/244). EPs failed in successfully performing reduction in 19 (7.8%) cases of anterior shoulder dislocations. The failure group was older (P = 0.017), had a higher frequency of fall down in the mechanism of dislocation (P = 0.019), used intravenous analgesics more frequently (P = 0.004), used peripheral nerve blocks more frequently (P = 0.006), and had fewer patients who did not use drugs (P = 0.002). We could not perform statical adjustment because the sample size was small. Conclusion: The success rate of the shoulder reduction performed by EPs was 92.2%. Older age might be associated with failure of shoulder reduction.

Absence of calvarial fracture could predict the need for tracheostomy in traumatic brain injury.

AIM: Tracheostomy is a common procedure for intubated patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI) in the intensive care unit (ICU) but optimal timing and the predictors of tracheostomy are still unclear. The aim of our study was to explore whether the traumatic variables of head injury predict the need for tracheostomy in intubated TBI patients. METHODS: A single-center, retrospective observational study including a series of TBI patients admitted to Fukui Prefectural Hospital from April 1, 2004 to March 31, 2020 was carried out. Our primary outcome was tracheostomy. Patients with TBI who were intubated and admitted into the ICU within 24 h after injury were enrolled. Exclusion criteria were age less than 18 years, pregnancy, mortality within 24 h, post-cardiac arrest syndrome, and patients for whom life-sustaining interventions were withheld. Radiologic images were also reviewed and the morphology of the head injury was categorized. RESULTS: Seventy-six patients were included. Forty-six patients (60.5%) underwent tracheostomy and 30 patients (39.5%) were successfully extubated. Calvarial fracture (odds ratio [OR] 0.34; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.13-0.88; P = 0.03), Injury Severity Score (OR 1.07; 95% CI, 1.00-1.15; P = 0.04), and Glasgow Comas Scale score (OR 0.84; 95% CI, 0.73-0.96) were statistically significant in the univariable analysis. Multivariate logistic regression identified calvarial fracture as an independent predictor for tracheostomy. The model involving calvarial fracture, Injury Severity Score ≥16, and Glasgow Coma Scale score ≤8 showed the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve for the model was 0.737 (95% CI, 0.629-0.846). CONCLUSIONS: The absence of calvarial fracture could predict the necessity for tracheostomy in intubated TBI patients when combined with other factors. Further prospective randomized trials are necessary to confirm the findings.

Point-of-care procalcitonin may predict the need for surgical treatment in patients with small bowel obstruction.

BACKGROUND: The early identification of patients with small bowel obstruction who require surgical treatment could potentially lead to improved patient outcomes. We evaluated the efficacy of point-of-care procalcitonin for predicting surgical treatment among patients with small bowel obstruction. METHODS: This was a prospective observational study. We measured serum procalcitonin levels in patients who presented to the emergency department and were diagnosed with small bowel obstruction from April 1, 2018 through March 31, 2019. Patients were grouped into two groups: the elevated procalcitonin and normal procalcitonin groups. Our primary outcome was surgical treatment. RESULTS: A total of 53 patients with small bowel obstruction were included in the study, and 11 patients (20.8%) were treated operatively. Baseline characteristics were similar, except for age, between the elevated procalcitonin (≥0.12 ng/ml) and normal procalcitonin groups. The elevated procalcitonin level was significantly correlated with surgical treatment and hospital length of stay (p < 0.05). The sensitivity, specificity, and positive likelihood of procalcitonin for the former were 45.5%, 85.7%, and 5.0 respectively. CONCLUSION: The patients with small bowel obstruction who had elevated procalcitonin levels on presentation showed significantly higher rate of surgical treatment than those who had normal procalcitonin levels. Point-of-care procalcitonin might predict the need for surgical treatment in patients with small bowel obstruction and could be used as an additional diagnostic test. Further studies with more patients are needed to investigate the predictive value of point-of-care procalcitonin for surgical treatment.

A comprehensive validation of very early rule-out strategies for non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction in emergency departments: protocol for a multicentre prospective cohort study.

INTRODUCTION: Recent advances in troponin sensitivity enabled early and accurate judgement of ruling-out myocardial infarction, especially non-ST elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) in emergency departments (EDs) with development of various prediction-rules and high-sensitive-troponin-based strategies (hs-troponin). Reliance on clinical impression, however, is still common, and it remains unknown which of these strategies is superior. Therefore, our objective in this prospective cohort study is to comprehensively validate the diagnostic accuracy of clinical impression-based strategies, prediction-rules and hs-troponin-based strategies for ruling-out NSTEMIs. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: In total, 1500 consecutive adult patients with symptoms suggestive of acute coronary syndrome will be prospectively recruited from five EDs in two tertiary-level, two secondary-level community hospitals and one university hospital in Japan. The study has begun in July 2018, and recruitment period will be about 1 year. A board-certified emergency physician will complete standardised case report forms, and independently perform a clinical impression-based risk estimation of NSTEMI. Index strategies to be compared will include the clinical impression-based strategy; prediction rules and hs-troponin-based strategies for the following types of troponin (Roche Elecsys hs-troponin T; Abbott ARCHITECT hs-troponin I; Siemens ADVIA Centaur hs-troponin I; Siemens ADVIA Centaur sensitive-troponin I). The reference standard will be the composite of type 1 MI and cardiac death within 30 days after admission to the ED. Outcome measures will be negative predictive value, sensitivity and effectiveness, defined as the proportion of patients categorised as low risk for NSTEMI. We will also evaluate inter-rater reliability of the clinical impression-based risk estimation. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: The study is approved by the Ethics Committees of the Kyoto University Graduate School and Faculty of Medicine and of the five hospitals where we will recruit patients. We will disseminate the study results through conference presentations and peer-reviewed journals.

Implementation of an empirical antimicrobial protocol in a critical care setting: A single-center retrospective observational cohort study in bacteremic patients.

In the treatment of severe infections in critical care settings, the selection of initial empirical antimicrobials affects patient outcomes and antimicrobial overuse. The application of a comprehensive treatment guidance might facilitate appropriate antimicrobial selection. Therefore, we developed such an antimicrobial guidance for use in emergency and critical care center and verified its efficacy. We retrospectively analyzed the data of 195 patients (96 patients before guidance introduction [control group] and 99 after guidance introduction [intervention group]) who were ultimately diagnosed with bacteremia to assess the effects of the guidance (the intervention). The appropriateness of the empirical therapy was greater in the intervention than in the control group (96% vs. 90%, respectively; P = 0.10). Moreover, the rate of carbapenem use was significantly lower in the intervention than in the control group (6% vs. 20%, respectively; P < 0.01). The control and intervention groups had similar 28-day survival rates of 81% and 85%, respectively; P = 0.50). These findings imply that introducing an empirical antimicrobial guidance in emergency outpatient and emergency intensive care settings could improve antimicrobial stewardship without affecting patient mortality. The data of this study can be used as a reference for establishing the study design of a large-scale prospective trial, aimed at verifying guidance efficacy.

Displaced anterior pelvic fracture on initial pelvic radiography predicts massive hemorrhage.

INTRODUCTION: Massive hemorrhage is often associated with unstable pelvic fractures with posterior ring injury. Initial pelvic radiography alone may not detect these posterior lesions. We examined whether the presence of an anterior pelvic fracture on initial pelvic radiography alone may identify patients who are at a high risk of major hemorrhage. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 288 patients with pelvic fractures were admitted to the Fukui Prefectural Hospital during an 11-year period. After excluding 33 patients who were in cardiopulmonary arrest on arrival and nine with concomitant abdominal organ injuries requiring emergency laparotomy, 246 eligible patients were retrospectively reviewed. Anterior pelvic fractures were defined as displacement of the obturator ring, obturator ring with laterality, or displacement of the pubic symphysis on pelvic radiography. RESULTS: Massive hemorrhage was identified in 106 of 246 patients. Patients with massive hemorrhage had a higher frequency of anterior pelvic fractures on pelvic radiography and higher frequency of posterior pelvic fractures on computed tomography than those without massive hemorrhage. Logistic regression analysis identified displacement of the obturator ring by ≥5mm, obturator ring with laterality of ≥5mm, and displacement of the pubic symphysis by ≥4mm on pelvic radiography as predictors of massive pelvic hemorrhage. CONCLUSION: The results of the present study suggested that the presence of displaced anterior lesions of the pelvic ring on pelvic radiography alone, without the use of computed tomography during the initial treatment stage, may promptly identify patients at high risk of massive pelvic hemorrhage who require intervention for hemorrhage control.

Successful non-operative management of traumatic extrahepatic portal venous injury without intraperitoneal hemorrhage: a case report.

Case: A 52-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital with hypotension after falling from the fifth floor of an apartment building. Contrast-enhanced computed tomography showed liver injury with extravasation of contrast material from the hepatic artery, and extrahepatic portal venous injury with extravasation and pseudoaneurysm. Intra-abdominal hemorrhage was not observed, and bleeding was confined to the retroperitoneal space. Hepatic arteriography showed extravasation, while portal venography showed pseudoaneurysm but no extravasation. After transarterial embolization, the patient's vital signs improved. Non-operative management was selected for the portal venous injury. Outcome: Computed tomography on the 58th hospital day revealed disappearance of the portal venous pseudoaneurysm. The patient was discharged on the 90th hospital day without any complications. Conclusion: This case shows that non-operative management can be selected for portal venous injury when there is no retroperitoneal injury and bleeding is confined to the retroperitoneal space.

Small tube thoracostomy (20-22 Fr) in emergent management of chest trauma.

BACKGROUND: The optimal tube size for an emergent thoracostomy for traumatic pneumothorax or hemothorax is unknown. Both small catheter tube thoracostomy and large-bore chest tube thoracostomy have been shown to work for the nonemergent management of patients with traumatic pneumothorax or hemothorax. This study was conducted to compare the efficacy of a small chest tube with that of a large tube in emergent thoracostomy due to chest trauma. Our hypothesis was that there would be no difference in clinical outcomes including tube-related complications, the need for additional tube placement, and thoracotomy, with the replacement of large tubes with small tubes. METHODS: A retrospective review of all patients with chest trauma requiring tube thoracostomy within the first 2h from arrival at our emergency department over a 7-year period was conducted. Charts were reviewed for demographic data and outcomes including complications and initial drainage output. Small chest tubes (20-22 Fr) were compared with a large tube (28 Fr). Our primary outcome was tube-related complications. Secondary outcomes included additional invasive procedures, such as additional tube insertion and thoracotomy. RESULTS: There were 124 tube thoracostomies (small: 68, large: 56) performed in 116 patients. There were no significant differences between the small- and large-tube groups with regard to age, gender, injury mechanism, systolic blood pressure, heart rate, and injury severity score. Both groups were similar in the posterior direction of tube insertion, initial drainage output, and the duration of tube insertion. There was no significant difference in the primary outcomes of tube-related complications, including empyema (small: 1/68 vs. large: 1/56; p=1.000) or retained hemothorax (small: 2/68 vs. large: 2/56; p=1.000). Secondary outcomes, including the need for additional tube placement (small: 2/68 vs. large: 4/56; p=0.408) or thoracotomy (small: 2/68 vs. large: 1/56; p=1.000), were also similar. CONCLUSION: For patients with chest trauma, emergent insertion of 20-22 Fr chest tubes has no difference in the efficacy of drainage, rate of complications, and need for additional invasive procedures compared with a large tube (28 Fr).

Duration of isolation of children with influenza A treated with oseltamivir.

The duration of fervescence (24 hours in children or 30 hours in adults) was shorter in the oseltamivir group than in the placebo group. According to a Japanese law enacted before oseltamivir therapy became available, schoolchildren with influenza must be isolated 48 hours after defervescence. Our data suggest isolation should be at least 84 hours for children with influenza A treated with oseltamivir and 108 hours for preschool children.

Stress barometer at diagnoses in children with school non-attendance.

BACKGROUND: School non-attendance is a major social problem in Japan. Many children stop attending school for a variety of reasons. The authors previously reported stress barometer values for healthy Japanese children. In this study, the authors examined the stress barometer values of children with school non-attendance. METHODS: The authors measured stress barometer values, that is, urinary 17-hydroxycorticosteroids (17-OHCS) and 17-ketosteroid sulfates (17-KS-S) in 65 children (40 girls and 25 boys; 7-15 years of age) with school non-attendance, except for pervasive developmental disorder and mental retardation, who attended the outpatient department of Dokkyo University School of Medicine Hospital, Tochigi, Japan, during the past 4 years. RESULTS: A total of 24 (36.9%) of the 65 children had urinary 17-OHCS values above 2SD, and 14 (21.5%) had urinary 17-OHCS below 2SD. In total, 10 (15.4%) children had urinary 17-KS-S values above 2SD, and four (6.2%) had urinary 17-KS-S below 2SD. Five (7.7%) children had urinary 17-KS-S/17-OHCS values above 2SD, and 10 (15.4%) had urinary 17-KS-S/17-OHCS below 2SD. CONCLUSION: The stress barometer values appear to be clinically useful for evaluating objectively whether children with school non-attendance have emotional stress.