Procedure volume is one determinant of centre effect in mechanically ventilated patients.

Survival rates vary significantly between intensive care units, most notably in patients requiring mechanical ventilation (MV). The present study sought to estimate the effect of hospital MV volume on hospital mortality. We included 179,197 consecutive patients who received mechanical ventilation in 294 hospitals. Multivariate logistic regression models with random intercepts were used to estimate the effect of annual MV volume in each hospital, adjusting for differences in severity of illness and case mix. Median annual MV volume was 162 patients (interquartile range 99-282). Hospital mortality in MV patients was 31.4% overall, 40.8% in the lowest annual volume quartile and 28.2% in the highest quartile. After adjustment for severity of illness, age, diagnosis and organ failure, higher MV volume was associated with significantly lower hospital mortality among MV patients (OR 0.9985 per 10 additional patients, 95% CI 0.9978-0.9992; p = 0.0001). A significant centre effect on hospital mortality persisted after adjustment for volume effect (p < 0.0001). Our study demonstrated higher hospital MV volume to be independently associated with increased survival among MV patients. Significant differences in outcomes persisted between centres after adjustment for hospital MV volume, supporting a role for other significant determinants of the centre effect.

[ICU performance: results of a French study involving 80,000 ICU stays]. / Performance en réanimation: résultats du PHRC Sfar-SRLF.

OBJECTIVE: The Standard Mortality Ratio (SMR), comparing the observed in-hospital mortality to the predicted, may measure the intensive care units (ICU) performance. STUDY DESIGN: Multicentric retrospective national study. METHODS: A probability model using a severity score such SAPS II calculated the predicted mortality rate. A national French study has been undertaken to compare the SMR of ICUs and looked for explanation. RESULTS: One hundred six units, 34 were medical (32%), 18 surgical (17%) and 57 medical/surgical (51%) participated to the study. Forty-six ICUs (43%) were located in teaching hospitals. The SMR of the 87,099 stays was 0.84 (0.82-0.85). The SMR of ICUs varied from 0.41 to 1.55. Ten units had a SMR>0.85, which suggested a low performance. They had more stays for cardiovascular failures, as compared with others. The best units (SMR<0.82) had more stays for drug overdose. The SMR increased with the number of organ failures, from 0.47 with zero failure to 1.11 with 4 or more organ failures. The stays with cardiovascular failure, either unique or associated, had a higher SMR. The 7935 stays with a drug overdose had a SMR of 0.12 (0.10-0.14), which suggested a bad calibration of the model in theses cases. CONCLUSION: The case mix must be taken in account when comparing the ICUs performance by the mean of SMR, particularly when the units admitted a lot of drug overdoses.

[Completeness of ICU activity reports sent to French healthcare authorities]. / Exhaustivité des résumés d'unité médicale adressés aux départements d'information médicale.

INTRODUCTION: Hospital units report on their inpatient care activity by writing yearly activity reports, which are used by their Medical Information Department (MID) to develop standardized summaries for communication to healthcare authorities. The data are categorized by uniform patient groups and used to describe inpatient care activity and to guide resource allocation. The objective of this study was to evaluate the completeness of activity reports from intensive care units (ICUs) in France. METHODS: Activity reports sent in 1998 and 1999 by French ICUs participating in the study were collected using dedicated abstracting software supplied to the relevant MIDs. Completeness of data in the activity reports was evaluated, with special attention to the SAPSII score, Omega rating of ICU procedures according to the Classification of Medical Procedures, and primary and secondary diagnoses. RESULTS: The 106 ICUs that volunteered for the study reported data on 107,652-hospital stays. Mean age and SAPSII were 55 +/- 21 years and 35 +/- 21 years, respectively. Mean ICU and hospital lengths of stay were 6.2 +/- 12.4 and 16.1 +/- 21.6 days, respectively. Mean ICU and hospital mortality rates were 15% and 19%. The SAPSII and Omega procedures were reported for 81% and 80% of stays, respectively. The SAPSII and Omega procedures were calculated or coded in 94% (100/106) and 96% (102/106) of ICUs, respectively. Mean number of Omega procedures was 4.3+/-3.9. However, only 5% (5/106) of ICUs entered the SAPSII for every stay, and 21% (22/106) of ICUs failed to enter the SAPSII for over 20% of stays. Similarly, 53% (56/106) of ICUs rated no more than five Omega procedures on average per stay. The primary diagnosis was reported for all stays, and the mean number of secondary diagnoses was 3.5 +/- 3.8. In 80% (86/106) of ICUs, no more than five secondary diagnoses were coded on average per stay. CONCLUSION: The analysis of this national database shows that data communicated to the MIDs and therefore to the healthcare authorities, are incomplete regarding SAPSII, ICU procedures, treatment intensity, and diagnoses. This may lead to the underestimation of ICU activity and resource needs, particularly if the SAPSII and selected procedures identified as markers for high-intensity critical care are used in the future.

Compliance with triage to intensive care recommendations.

DESIGN: Recommendations for triage to intensive care units (ICUs) have been issued but not evaluated. SETTING: In this prospective, multicenter study, all patients granted or refused admission to 26 ICUs affiliated with the French Society for Critical Care were included during a 1-month period. Characteristics of participating ICUs and patients, circumstances of triage, and description of the triage decision with particular attention to compliance with published recommendations were recorded. RESULTS: During the study period, 1,009 patients were and 283 were not admitted to the participating ICUs. Refused patients were more likely to be older than 65 yrs (odds ratio [OR], 3.53; confidence interval [CI], 1.98-5.32) and to have a poor chronic health status (OR, 3.09; CI, 2.05-4.67). An admission diagnosis of acute respiratory or renal failure, shock, or coma was associated with admission, whereas chronic severe respiratory and heart failure or metastatic disease without hope of remission were associated with refusal (OR, 2.24; CI, 1.38-3.64). Only four (range, 0-8) of the 20 recommendations for triage to ICU were observed; a full unit and triage over the phone were associated with significantly poorer compliance with recommendations (0 [0-2] vs. 6 [2-9], p =.0003; and 1 [0-6] vs. 6 [1-9], p <.0001; respectively). CONCLUSION: Recommendations for triage to intensive care are rarely observed, particularly when the unit is full or triage is done over the phone. These recommendations may need to be redesigned to improve their practicability under real-life conditions, with special attention to phone triage and triaging to a full unit.

Routine exploratory thoracentesis in ICU patients with pleural effusions: results of a French questionnaire study.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to report the opinions of intensivists regarding pleural effusions in patients in the intensive care unit (ICU). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Questionnaires were sent to 1,032 intensivists, who were members of the French Society of Critical Care. RESULTS: Four hundred thirty-one questionnaires (41.7%) were returned. Overall, the respondents' estimated the incidence of pleural effusion in ICU patients to be 22.19 +/- 17%, whereas 37 +/- 27% considered that exploratory thoracentesis was likely to determine the cause of the effusion, and 17.36 +/- 16% considered that its results were likely to result in a change in their therapeutic attitude. Sixty-five (15%) physicians, chiefly pulmonologists, performed exploratory thoracentesis routinely (Group 1). Compared with those who did not perform routine thoracentesis (Group 2), they ascribed a higher proportion of pleural effusions to infection (31.3% vs. 13.5%) and were more likely to consider that exploratory thoracentesis had a diagnostic and therapeutic contribution (51.2% vs. 34% and 23% vs. 16%, respectively). In addition to the respiratory medicine subspecialty, the practice of routine exploratory thoracentesis was significantly related to seniority, to the frequency of the suspicion of an infectious cause in the physician's practice, and to his or her appreciation of the risks associated with exploratory thoracentesis. Physicians from Group 1 were also more likely to describe exploratory thoracentesis as a noninvasive procedure. CONCLUSIONS: The beliefs and attitudes of intensivists regarding pleural effusions and exploratory thoracentesis are divergent. This may be due to the lack of precise guidelines on the topic and prompt the design of further studies to establish precisely the epidemiology and causes of pleural effusions in ICU patients.

Symptoms of anxiety and depression in family members of intensive care unit patients: ethical hypothesis regarding decision-making capacity.

OBJECTIVE: Anxiety and depression may have a major impact on a person's ability to make decisions. Characterization of symptoms that reflect anxiety and depression in family members visiting intensive care patients should be of major relevance to the ethics of involving family members in decision-making, particularly about end-of-life issues. DESIGN: Prospective multicenter study. SETTING: Forty-three French intensive care units (37 adult and six pediatric); each unit included 15 patients admitted for longer than 2 days. PATIENTS: Six hundred thirty-seven patients and 920 family members. INTERVENTIONS: Intensive care unit characteristics and data on the patient and family members were collected. Family members completed the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale to allow evaluation of the prevalence and potential factors associated with symptoms of anxiety and depression. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Of 920 Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale questionnaires that were completed by family members, all items were completed in 836 questionnaires, which formed the basis for this study. The prevalence of symptoms of anxiety and depression in family members was 69.1% and 35.4%, respectively. Symptoms of anxiety or depression were present in 72.7% of family members and 84% of spouses. Factors associated with symptoms of anxiety in a multivariate model included patient-related factors (absence of chronic disease), family-related factors (spouse, female gender, desire for professional psychological help, help being received by general practitioner), and caregiver-related factors (absence of regular physician and nurse meetings, absence of a room used only for meetings with family members). The multivariate model also identified three groups of factors associated with symptoms of depression: patient-related (age), family-related (spouse, female gender, not of French descent), and caregiver-related (no waiting room, perceived contradictions in the information provided by caregivers). CONCLUSIONS: More than two-thirds of family members visiting patients in the intensive care unit suffer from symptoms of anxiety or depression. Involvement of anxious or depressed family members in end-of-life decisions should be carefully discussed.

Evaluation of the logistic organ dysfunction system for the assessment of organ dysfunction and mortality in critically ill patients.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the performance of the logistic organ dysfunction (LOD) system for the assessment of morbidity and mortality in multiple organ dysfunction/failure (MOD/F) in an independent database and to evaluate the use of sequential LOD measurements for the prediction of outcome. DESIGN AND SETTING: Prospective, multicentric cohort study in 13 adult medical, surgical, and mixed intensive care units (ICUs) in Austria. PATIENTS: A total of 2,893 consecutive admissions to the ICUs. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Patient vital status at ICU and hospital discharge was recorded. Univariate analysis showed that the LOD was able to distinguish between survivors and nonsurvivors (2 vs. 6 median score). Within organ systems, higher levels of the severity of organ dysfunction were consistently associated with higher mortality. For the prediction of hospital mortality, the original prognostic LOD model did not perform well in our patients, as indicated by the goodness-of-fit C statistic. Using multiple logistic regression we developed a prognostic model with a satisfactory fit in our patients. The integration of further measurements during the ICU stay increased discrimination but not calibration. CONCLUSIONS: The LOD system is well correlated well with the numbers and levels of organ dysfunctions and discriminates well between survivors and nonsurvivors. It can thus be used to quantify the baseline severity of organ dysfunction. Moreover, after customization of the predictive equation the LOD predicted hospital mortality in our patients with high precision. It thus provides a combined measure of morbidity and mortality for critically ill patients with MOD/F.

Meeting the needs of intensive care unit patient families: a multicenter study.

Intensive care unit (ICU) caregivers should seek to develop collaborative relationships with their patients' family members, based on an open exchange of information and aimed at helping family members cope with their distress and allowing them to speak for the patient if necessary. We conducted a prospective multicenter study of family member satisfaction evaluated using the Critical Care Family Needs Inventory. Forty-three French ICUs participated in the study. ICU characteristics, patient and family member demographics, and data on satisfaction were collected. Factors associated with satisfaction were identified using a Poisson regression model. A total of 637 patients were included in the study, and 920 family members completed the questionnaire. Seven predictors of family satisfaction were found: one family-related factor, namely, family of French descent and six caregiver-related factors, namely, no perceived contradictions in information given by caregivers; information provided by a junior physician; patient to nurse ratio

Infection as a trigger of diabetic ketoacidosis in intensive care-unit patients.

We determined the prevalence and indicators of infection in intensive care unit (ICU) patients with diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) by performing a retrospective analysis of 123 episodes of DKA (in 113 patients) managed in a medical ICU between 1990 and 1997. In univariate analysis, features associated with infection were female sex, neurological symptoms at admission, fever during the week before admission, a need for colloids, a high blood lactate level at admission, and lack of complete clearance of ketonuria within 12 h. Multivariate analysis identified 3 independent predictors of infection: female sex (odds ratio [OR], 2.31; confidence interval [CI], 1.05-5.35), neurological symptoms at admission (OR, 2.83; CI, 1.18-6.8), and lack of complete clearance of ketonuria within 12 h (OR, 3.73; CI, 1.58-9.09). Infection is the leading trigger of DKA in ICU patients. Neurological symptoms at admission and lack of complete clearance of ketonuria within 12 h are useful warning signals of infection.

Ratios of observed to expected mortality are affected by differences in case mix and quality of care.

OBJECTIVES: To validate SAPS II-AM, a recently customized version of the Simplified Acute Physiology Score II (SAPS II) in a larger cohort of Austrian intensive care patients and to evaluate the effect of the customization process on the ratio of observed to expected mortality. DESIGN: Prospective, multicentric cohort study. PATIENTS AND SETTING: A total of 2,901 patients consecutively admitted to 13 adult medical, surgical, and mixed intensive care units (ICUs) in Austria. MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS: After the database was divided randomly into a development sample (n = 1,450) and a validation sample (n = 1,451), logistic regression was used to develop a new model (SAPS II-AM2). The original SAPS II, the SAPS IIAM, and the newly developed SAPS II-AM2 were then compared by means of calibration, discrimination and O/E ratios. Differences in O/E ratios before and after customization (deltaO/E) were calculated. The Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness-of-fit H and C statistics revealed poor calibration of the original SAPS II on the database. The new model, SAPS II-AM2, performed better than the SAPS II-AM and excellent in the validation data set. However, mean O/E ratios varied widely among diagnostic categories (range 0.55-1.05 for the SAPS II). Moreover, the deltaO/E of the 13 ICUs ranged from -3.6 % to +25 %. CONCLUSIONS: Today's severity scoring systems, such as the SAPS II, are limited by not measuring (and adjusting for) a profound part of what constitutes case mix. Changes in the distribution of patient characteristics (known and unknown) therefore affect prognostic accuracy. First-level customization was not able to solve all these problems. Using O/E ratios for quality of care comparisons one must therefore be critical when using these data and should search for possible confounding factors. In the case of unsatisfactory calibration, customized severity of illness models may be useful as an adjunct for quality control.

Rapid diagnosis of infectious pleural effusions by use of reagent strips.

Reagent strips have not yet been tested for use in the diagnosis of infectious pleural effusions. A reagent strip was used to evaluate 82 patients with pleural effusions: 20 patients had transudative effusions, 35 had infectious exudative effusions (empyema in 14 and parapneumonic effusion in 21), and 27 had noninfectious exudative effusions. Pleural fluid protein, as evaluated by the reagent strip, proved accurate for the detection of exudative effusions (sensitivity, 93.1%; specificity, 50%; positive predictive value, 84.3%; negative predictive value, 71.5%; odds ratio [OR], 6.77; and 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.87-24). The reagent strip leukocyte esterase test effectively detected infectious exudative effusions (sensitivity, 42.8%; specificity, 91.3%; positive predictive value, 88.2%; negative predictive value, 51.2%; OR, 4.46; and 95% CI, 1.2-16.4). Pleural pH was significantly predicted by the reagent strip but was of no assistance in categorization of exudative effusions as infectious or noninfectious. Compared with physical, laboratory, and microbiological data, the reagent strip was as accurate for estimation of percentages of infectious and noninfectious exudative effusions. Thus, reagent strips may be a rapid, easy-to-use, and inexpensive technique for discriminating transudative from exudative pleural effusions and for categorizing exudative pleural effusions as infectious or noninfectious.

Half the families of intensive care unit patients experience inadequate communication with physicians.

OBJECTIVE: Effective communication of simple, clear information to families of intensive care unit (ICU) patients is a vital component of quality care. The purpose of this study was to identify factors associated with poor comprehension by family members of the status of ICU patients. DESIGN: Prospective study. SETTING: University-affiliated medical intensive care unit. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 102 patients admitted to an ICU for >2 days. INTERVENTION: The representatives of 76 patients who were visited by at least one person during their ICU stay were interviewed. RESULTS: Mean patient age was 54+/-17 yrs and mean Simplified Acute Physiology Score II at admission was 40+/-20. The representative was the spouse in 47 cases (62%). Among representatives, 25 (33%) were of foreign descent and 12 (16%) did not speak French. Mean duration of the first meeting with a physician was 10+/-6 mins. In 34 cases (54%), the representative failed to comprehend the diagnosis, prognosis, or treatment of the patient. Factors associated with poor comprehension by representatives included patient-related, family-related, and physician-related factors. Patient-related factors included age <50 yrs (p = .03), unemployment (p = .01), referral from a hematology or oncology ward (p = .006), admission for acute respiratory failure (p = .005) or coma (p = .01), and a relatively favorable prognosis (p = .04). Family-related factors were foreign descent (p = .007), no knowledge of French (p = .03), representative not the spouse (p = .03), and no healthcare professional in the family (p = .01). Physician-related factors were first meeting with representative <10 mins (p = .03) and failure to give the representative an information brochure (p = .02). Moreover, after the first meeting, caregivers accurately predicted poor comprehension by representatives (p = .03). CONCLUSIONS: Patient information is frequently not communicated effectively to family members by ICU physicians. Physicians should strive to identify patients and families who require special attention and to determine how their personal style of interrelating with family members may impair communication.

Predictors of short-term mortality in critically ill patients with solid malignancies.

UNLABELLED: Admission of cancer patients with serious medical complications to the ICU remains controversial primarily because of the high short-term mortality rates in these patients. However, the cancer patient population is heterogeneous regarding age, underlying conditions, and curability of their disease, suggesting that large variations may occur in the effectiveness of intensive care within this subgroup of critically ill patients. OBJECTIVES: To identify factors predicting 30-day mortality in patients with solid tumors admitted to a medical ICU. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We conducted a retrospective study in 120 consecutive cancer patients (excluding patients with hematological malignancies) admitted to the medical ICU of a 650-bed university hospital between January 1990 and July 1997. Medical history, physical and laboratory test findings at admission, and therapeutic interventions within the first 24 h in the ICU were recorded. The study endpoint was vital status 30 days after ICU admission. Stepwise logistic regression was used to identify independent prognostic factors. RESULTS: The observed 30-day mortality rate was 58.7 % (n = 68), with most deaths (92 %) occurring in the ICU. Univariate predictors of 30-day mortality were either protective [prior surgery for the cancer (p = 0.01) and complete remission (p = 0.01)] or associated with higher mortality [Knaus scale C or D (p = 0.02), shock (p = 0.04), need for vasopressors (p = 0.0006) or for mechanical ventilation (p = 0.0001), SAPS II score greater than 36 (p = 0.0001), LOD score greater than 6 (p = 0.0001), and ODIN score > 2 (p = 0.0001)]. Three variables were independent predictors: previous surgery for the cancer (OR 0.20, 95 % CI 0.07-0.58), LOD score > 6 (OR 1.26, 95 % CI 1.09-1.44), and need for mechanical ventilation (OR 3.55, 95 % CI; 1.26-6.7). Variables previously thought to be indicative of a poor prognosis (i. e., advanced age, metastatic or progressive disease, neutropenia or bone marrow transplantation) were not predictive of outcome. CONCLUSION: When transfer to an ICU is considered an option by patients and physicians, 30-day mortality is better estimated by an evaluation of acute organ dysfunction than by the characteristics of the underlying malignancy.

[The performance of intensive care services]. / La performance des services de réanimation.

To evaluate the performance of intensive care unit (ICU) the severity scores are measured on the first day; organ system dysfunctions are measured several times during the stay. The severity scores are developed from large data bases of thousands of patients. They include the patient age, previous health status, severity and sometimes the main diagnosis. Prediction models are published to evaluate the risk of death for each patient. By adding the risk of death of each patient and dividing by the number of patients, the expected mortality rate is calculated. By comparing the observed and expected mortality rates the Standard Mortality Ratio (SMR) may be measured. The data collection must be rigorous, the studied population must be similar to the population of the large data bases. Other elements of performance may be evaluated, such as the cost-efficiency or the quality of life or surviving patients.

Changing use of intensive care for hematological patients: the example of multiple myeloma.

OBJECTIVE: Intensivists generally view patients with hematological malignancies as poor candidates for intensive care. Nevertheless, hematologists have recently developed more aggressive treatment protocols capable of achieving prolonged complete remissions in many of these patients. This change mandates a reappraisal of indications for ICU admission in each type of hematological disease. Improved knowledge of the prognosis is of assistance in making treatment decisions. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The records of 75 myeloma patients consecutively admitted to our ICU between 1992 and 1998 were reviewed retrospectively and predictors of 30-day mortality were identified using stepwise logistic regression. RESULTS: The median age was 56 years (37-84). Chronic health status (Knaus scale) was C or D in 39 cases. Fifty-five patients (73%) had stage III disease and 17 had a complete or partial remission. Autologous bone marrow transplantation had been performed in 28 patients (37%). ICU admission occurred between 1992 and 1995 in 41 patients (54.7%), and between 1996 and 1998 in 34 patients (45.3%). The median SAPS II and LOD scores were 60 (23-107) and 7 (0-21), respectively. Reasons for ICU admission were acute respiratory failure in 39 patients (52%) and shock in 31 (41%). Forty-six patients (61%) required mechanical ventilation. Fifty patients (66%) received vasopressors and 24 dialysis. Thirty-day mortality was 57%. Only five parameters were independently associated with 30-day mortality in the multivariate model: female gender (OR = 5.12), mechanical ventilation (OR = 16.7) and use of vasopressor agents (OR = 5.67) were associated with a higher mortality rate, whereas disease remission (OR = 0.16) and ICU admission between 1996 and 1998 (OR = 0.09) were associated with a lower one. CONCLUSION: The prognosis for myeloma patients in the ICU is improving over time. This may reflect either recent therapeutic changes in hematological departments and ICUs or changes in patient selection for ICU admission. Hematologists and intensivists should work closely together to select hematological patients likely to benefit from ICU admission.

[Organization and quality control of a clinical database on intensive care medicine in central and suburban Paris]. / Mise en oeuvre et évaluation d'une base de données commune aux services de réanimation d'Ile-de-France.

BACKGROUND: Epidemiology and medical care appraisal of intensive care medicine relies on the homogeneity of information systems. This work is about a collaborative database related to intensive care units in Paris and its suburb. METHODS: A college of intensivists defined a standard dataset about stays, outcomes, severity of illness, diagnoses and work load, which are collected and analysed by a data management center. A quality control of the database was performed on a random sample of 199 stays. RESULTS: In 1996, 25 intensive care units participated in the database which encompassed more than 35,000 stays. The control of data quality showed a good reliability of data about stays, severity and workload but reproducibility of diagnosis coding has to be improved by means of more accurate coding guidelines. CONCLUSION: This database of case-mix and outcome information allows comparison and medical care appraisal of intensive care units.

Estimation of direct cost and resource allocation in intensive care: correlation with Omega system.

OBJECTIVE: An instrument able to estimate the direct costs of stays in Intensive Care Units (ICUs) simply would be very useful for resource allocation inside a hospital, through a global budget system. The aim of this study was to propose such a tool. DESIGN: Since 1991, a region-wide common data base has collected standard data of intensive care such as the Omega Score, Simplified Acute Physiologic Score, length of stay, length of ventilation, main diagnosis and procedures. The Omega Score, developed in France in 1986 and proved to be related to the workload, was recorded on each patient of the study. SETTING: Eighteen ICUs of Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris (AP-HP) and suburbs. PATIENTS: 1) Hundred twenty-one randomly selected ICU patients; 2) 12,000 consecutive ICU stays collected in the common data base in 1993. MEASUREMENTS: 1) On the sample of 121 patients, medical expenditure and nursing time associated with interventions were measured through a prospective study. The correlation between Omega points and direct costs was calculated, and regression equations were applied to the 12,000 stays of the data base, leading to estimated costs. 2) From the analytic accounting of AP-HP, the mean direct cost per stay and per unit was calculated, and compared with the mean associated Omega score from the data base. In both methods a comparison of actual and estimated costs was made. RESULTS: The Omega Score is strongly correlated to total direct costs, medical direct costs and nursing requirements. This correlation is observed both in the random sample of 121 stays and on the data base' stays. The discrepancy of estimated costs through Omega Score and actual costs may result from drugs, blood product underestimation and therapeutic procedures not involved in the Omega Score. CONCLUSIONS: The Omega system appears to be a simple and relevant indicator with which to estimate the direct costs of each stay, and then to organise nursing requirements and resource allocation.

[Pheochromocytoma mimicking septic shock]. / Phéochromocytome simulant un choc septique.

A tumour arising from chromaffin cells, the pheochromocytoma may be associated or present with hypotension and result in a lethal shock. The authors report a rare case of pheochromocytoma simulating septic shock. They review the mechanisms by which hypersecretion of catecholamines may cause shock. The detection of pheochromocytoma in its atypical presentation is essential for early diagnosis and the reduction of mortality related to this condition.