Influence of gender on age-associated in-hospital mortality in patients with sepsis and septic shock: a prospective nationwide multicenter cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Numerous epidemiological studies investigating gender-dependent clinical outcomes in sepsis have shown conflicting evidence. This study aimed to investigate the effect of gender on in-hospital mortality due to sepsis according to age group. METHODS: This study used data from the Korean Sepsis Alliance, an ongoing nationwide prospective multicenter cohort from 19 participating hospitals in South Korea. All adult patients diagnosed with sepsis in the emergency departments of the participating hospitals between September 2019 and December 2021 were included in the analysis. Clinical characteristics and outcomes were compared between male and female. Eligible patients were stratified by age into 19-50 years, 50-80 years, and ≥ 80 years old individuals. RESULTS: During the study period, 6442 patients were included in the analysis, and 3650 (56.7%) were male. The adjusted odds ratio (OR) [95% confidence interval (CI)] for in-hospital mortality for male compared with female was 1.15 (95% CI = 1.02-1.29). Interestingly, in the age 19-50 group, the risk of in-hospital mortality for males was significantly lower than that of females [0.57 (95% CI = 0.35-0.93)]. For female, the risk of death remained relatively stable until around age 80 (P for linearity = 0.77), while in males, there was a linear increase in the risk of in-hospital death until around age 80 (P for linearity < 0.01). Respiratory infection (53.8% vs. 37.4%, p < 0.01) was more common in male, whereas urinary tract infection (14.7% vs. 29.8%, p < 0.01) was more common in female. For respiratory infection, male had significantly lower in-hospital mortality than female in the age 19-50 groups (adjusted OR = 0.29, 95% CI = 0.12-0.69). CONCLUSIONS: Gender may influence age-associated sepsis outcomes. Further studies are needed to replicate our findings and fully understand the interaction of gender and age on the outcomes of patients with sepsis.

The Association Between Tachycardia and Mortality in Septic Shock Patients According to Serum Lactate Level: A Nationwide Multicenter Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to evaluate whether the effect of tachycardia varies according to the degree of tissue perfusion in septic shock. METHODS: Patients with septic shock admitted to the intensive care units were categorized into the tachycardia (heart rate > 100 beats/min) and non-tachycardia (≤ 100 beats/min) groups. The association of tachycardia with hospital mortality was evaluated in each subgroup with low and high lactate levels, which were identified through a subpopulation treatment effect pattern plot analysis. RESULTS: In overall patients, hospital mortality did not differ between the two groups (44.6% vs. 41.8%, P = 0.441), however, tachycardia was associated with reduced hospital mortality rates in patients with a lactate level ≥ 5.3 mmol/L (48.7% vs. 60.3%, P = 0.030; adjusted odds ratio [OR], 0.59, 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.35-0.99, P = 0.045), not in patients with a lactate level < 5.3 mmol/L (36.5% vs. 29.7%, P = 0.156; adjusted OR, 1.39, 95% CI, 0.82-2.35, P = 0.227). CONCLUSION: In septic shock patients, the effect of tachycardia on hospital mortality differed by serum lactate level. Tachycardia was associated with better survival in patients with significantly elevated lactate levels.

Comparison between pressure support ventilation and T-piece in spontaneous breathing trials.

BACKGROUND: Recent guidelines recommended conducting spontaneous breathing trial (SBT) with modest inspiratory pressure augmentation rather than T-piece or continuous positive airway pressure. However, it was based on few studies focused on the outcomes of extubation rather than the weaning process, despite the existence of various weaning situations in clinical practice. This study was designed to investigate the effects of SBT with pressure support ventilation (PSV) or T-piece on weaning outcomes. METHODS: All consecutive patients admitted to two medical intensive care units (ICUs) and those requiring mechanical ventilation (MV) for more than 24 h from November 1, 2017 to September 30, 2020 were prospectively registered. T-piece trial was used until March 2019, and then, pressure support of 8 cmH2O and 0 positive end-expiratory pressure were used for SBT since July 2019, after a 3-month transition period for the revised SBT protocol. The primary outcome of this study was successful weaning defined according to the WIND (Weaning according to a New Definition) definition and were compared between the T-piece group and PSV group. The association between the SBT method and weaning outcome was evaluated with logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: In this study, 787 eligible patients were divided into the T-piece (n = 473) and PSV (n = 314) groups after excluding patients for a 3-month transition period. Successful weaning was not different between the two groups (85.0% vs. 86.3%; p = 0.607). However, the PSV group had a higher proportion of short weaning (70.1% vs. 59.0%; p = 0.002) and lower proportion of difficult weaning (13.1% vs. 24.1%; p < 0.001) than the T-piece group. The proportion of prolonged weaning was similar between the two groups (16.9% vs. 16.9%; p = 0.990). After excluding patients who underwent tracheostomy before the SBTs, similar results were found. Reintubation rates at 48 h, 72 h, and 7 days following the planned extubation were not different between the PSV and T-piece groups. Moreover, no significant differences in intensive care unit and hospital mortality and length of stay were observed. CONCLUSIONS: In critically ill medical patients, SBT using PSV was not associated with a higher rate of successful weaning compared with SBT using T-piece. However, PSV could shorten the weaning process without increasing the risk of reintubation.

Time-to-antibiotics and clinical outcomes in patients with sepsis and septic shock: a prospective nationwide multicenter cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Timely administration of antibiotics is one of the most important interventions in reducing mortality in sepsis. However, administering antibiotics within a strict time threshold in all patients suspected with sepsis will require huge amount of effort and resources and may increase the risk of unintentional exposure to broad-spectrum antibiotics in patients without infection with its consequences. Thus, controversy still exists on whether clinicians should target different time-to-antibiotics thresholds for patients with sepsis versus septic shock. METHODS: This study analyzed prospectively collected data from an ongoing multicenter cohort of patients with sepsis identified in the emergency department. Adjusted odds ratios (ORs) were compared for in-hospital mortality of patients who had received antibiotics within 1 h to that of those who did not. Spline regression models were used to assess the association of time-to-antibiotics as continuous variables and increasing risk of in-hospital mortality. The differences in the association between time-to-antibiotics and in-hospital mortality were assessed according to the presence of septic shock. RESULTS: Overall, 3035 patients were included in the analysis. Among them, 601 (19.8%) presented with septic shock, and 774 (25.5%) died. The adjusted OR for in-hospital mortality of patients whose time-to-antibiotics was within 1 h was 0.78 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.61-0.99; p = 0.046). The adjusted OR for in-hospital mortality was 0.66 (95% CI 0.44-0.99; p = 0.049) and statistically significant in patients with septic shock, whereas it was 0.85 (95% CI 0.64-1.15; p = 0.300) in patients with sepsis but without shock. Among patients who received antibiotics within 3 h, those with septic shock showed 35% (p = 0.042) increased risk of mortality for every 1-h delay in antibiotics, but no such trend was observed in patients without shock. CONCLUSION: Timely administration of antibiotics improved outcomes in patients with septic shock; however, the association between early antibiotic administration and outcome was not as clear in patients with sepsis without shock.

Prediction of successful de-cannulation of tracheostomised patients in medical intensive care units.

BACKGROUND: Limited data are available on practical predictors of successful de-cannulation among the patients who undergo tracheostomies. We evaluated factors associated with failed de-cannulations to develop a prediction model that could be easily be used at the time of weaning from MV. METHODS: In a retrospective cohort of 346 tracheostomised patients managed by a standardized de-cannulation program, multivariable logistic regression analysis identified variables that were independently associated with failed de-cannulation. Based on the logistic regression analysis, the new predictive scoring system for successful de-cannulation, referred to as the DECAN score, was developed and then internally validated. RESULTS: The model included age > 67 years, body mass index < 22 kg/m2, underlying malignancy, non-respiratory causes of mechanical ventilation (MV), presence of neurologic disease, vasopressor requirement, and presence of post-tracheostomy pneumonia, presence of delirium. The DECAN score was associated with good calibration (goodness-of-fit, 0.6477) and discrimination outcomes (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve 0.890, 95% CI 0.853-0.921). The optimal cut-off point for the DECAN score for the prediction of the successful de-cannulation was ≤ 5 points, and was associated with the specificities of 84.6% (95% CI 77.7-90.0) and sensitivities of 80.2% (95% CI 73.9-85.5). CONCLUSIONS: The DECAN score for tracheostomised patients who are successfully weaned from prolonged MV can be computed at the time of weaning to assess the probability of de-cannulation based on readily available variables.

Comparative Study on the Effect of Cidofovir Treatment for Severe Adenovirus Pneumonia.

BACKGROUND: Adenovirus infection can cause severe pneumonia even in immunocompetent adults. However, there is limited data on the benefits of cidofovir treatment in severe adenovirus pneumonia. The objective of this study was to evaluate the association of cidofovir treatment with clinical improvement in immunocompetent adult patients with severe adenovirus pneumonia. METHODS: We evaluated 22 male patients who admitted to intensive care unit (ICU) with severe adenovirus pneumonia between January 2014 and December 2019. The patients were divided into 2 groups, patients treated with cidofovir or not. Clinical outcomes including time to defervescence and stopping of oxygen supplement, length of stay in ICU and hospital, and the need for mechanical ventilation (MV) and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) were compared between the 2 groups. RESULTS: Among 22 patients, 13 patients (59%) were treated with cidofovir and 9 (41%) were not. The difference in mean time (95% confidence interval [CI]) to defervescence and stopping of oxygen supplement between cidofovir group and no cidofovir group was 2.1 (-5.7 to 10.0) and 1.0 (-14.9 to 16.8) days, respectively. The difference in mean length of stay (95% CI) in ICU and hospital between the 2 groups was 0.2 (-7.1 to 7.5) and -0.4 (-18.3 to 17.5) days, respectively. The differences in proportion of patients requiring MV and ECMO between the 2 groups was 28.2 (-17.4 to 73.8) % and -10.3 (-52.2 to 31.7) %, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The treatment with cidofovir for severe adenovirus pneumonia in immunocompetent patients did not improve clinical outcomes. Further studies with larger samples with prospective design are warranted.

Outcomes of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation in adults with active hematologic and nonhematologic malignancy.

Although the number of cancer patients admitted to the intensive care unit is increasing, the data on the use of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation in patients with malignancy are limited. We applied extracorporeal membrane oxygenation to carefully selected patients with active hematologic malignancy or nonhematologic malignancy who experienced respiratory or cardiac failure despite maximal conventional therapy. Patients with active malignancy who underwent extracorporeal membrane oxygenation in our institution between January 2012 and December 2016 were included in this study. The primary outcome of this study was defined as survival to hospital discharge. We also investigated the factors associated with survival to hospital discharge. There were 30 (30.6%) and 68 (69.4%) patients in the hematologic malignancy group and the nonhematologic malignancy group, respectively. Patients in the hematologic malignancy group were younger, more neutropenic, more hypotensive, had a lower Charlson Comorbidity Index, higher sequential organ failure assessment score, and lower platelet count than those in the nonhematologic malignancy group. Forty-six (46.9%) patients were successfully weaned off extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, and 30 (30.6%) patients survived until hospital discharge. Hospital survival rate and survival status 6 months after hospital discharge were significantly lower in patients with hematologic malignancy than in those with nonhematologic malignancy (13.3% vs. 38.2%, P = .026 and 3.3% vs. 26.5%, P = .017, respectively). Multivariate analysis identified an active hematologic malignancy, older age, acidosis, thrombocytopenia, high vasoactive-inotrope score, and respiratory failure as the risk factors for in-hospital death. Patients with hematologic malignancy requiring extracorporeal membrane oxygenation support had significantly lower rates of hospital survival and 6-month survival after discharge than patients with nonhematologic malignancy. Therefore, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation for treating cardiac or respiratory failure should only be considered in highly selected patients with hematologic malignancy.

A Scoring Model with Simple Clinical Parameters to Predict Successful Discontinuation of Continuous Renal Replacement Therapy.

BACKGROUND: Continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) is the standard treatment for severe acute kidney injury in critically ill patients. However, a practical consensus for discontinuing CRRT is lacking. We aimed to develop a prediction model with simple clinical parameters for successful discontinuation of CRRT. METHODS: Adult patients who received CRRT at Samsung Medical Center from 2007 to 2017 were included. Patients with preexisting ESRD and patients who progressed to ESRD within 1 year or died within 7 days after CRRT were excluded. Successful discontinuation of CRRT was defined as no requirement for renal replacement therapy for 7 days after discontinuing CRRT. Patients were assigned to either a success group or failure group according to whether discontinuation of CRRT was successful or not. RESULTS: A total of 1,158 patients were included in the final analyses. The success group showed greater urine output on the day before CRRT discontinuation (D-1) and the discontinuation day (D0). Multivariable analysis identified that urine output ≥300 mL on D-1, and mean arterial pressure 50∼78 mm Hg, serum potassium <4.1 mmol/L, and BUN <35 mg/dL (12.5 mmol/L) on D0 were predictive factors for successful discontinuation of CRRT. A scoring system using the 4 variables above (area under the receiver operating curve: 0.731) was developed. CONCLUSIONS: Scoring system composed of urine output ≥300 mL/day on D-1, and adequate blood pressure, serum potassium <4.1 mmol/L, and BUN <35 mg/dL (12.5 mmol/L) on D0 was developed to predict successful discontinuation of CRRT.

Risk Factors for Early Medical Emergency Team Reactivation in Hospitalized Patients.

OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to investigate the risk factors for early medical emergency team reactivation (which is defined as repeated medical emergency team calls within 72 hr after the index medical emergency team call) in the patients remaining on the ward after index medical emergency team activation. DESIGN: Retrospective analysis with prospectively collected data. SETTING: A university-affiliated, tertiary referral hospital. PATIENTS: All consecutive patients over 18 years old who received medical emergency team intervention. INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Of the 3,989 cases eligible for analysis, 514 cases (12.9%) were classified into the reactivation group, with the remainder assigned to the nonreactivation group. In a multivariate analysis, chronic lung disease (odds ratio, 1.38; 95% CI, 1.03-1.86; p = 0.032), chronic liver disease (odds ratio, 1.44; 95% CI, 1.04-1.99; p = 0.028), activation due to bedside concern about overall deterioration without abnormal physiological variables (odds ratio, 1.30; 95% CI, 1.00-1.68; p = 0.049), advice or consultation only for medical emergency team intervention (odds ratio, 0.78; 95% CI, 0.63-0.97; p = 0.027), and discussion about treatment limitation (odds ratio, 0.39; 95% CI, 0.25-0.60; p < 0.001) were independently associated with medical emergency team reactivation. In the reactivation group, 249 patients (48.5%) were transferred to the ICU after repeated calls. Medical department admission (odds ratio, 1.68; 95% CI, 1.12-2.52; p = 0.012), chronic liver disease (odds ratio, 1.73; 95% CI, 1.07-2.79; p = 0.025), hematological malignancies (odds ratio, 1.63; 95% CI, 1.10-2.41; p = 0.015), and tachypnea at the end of medical emergency team were risk factors for medical emergency team reactivation requiring ICU admission. Discussion about treatment limitation (odds ratio, 0.14; 95% CI, 0.05-0.40; p < 0.001) was also associated with decreased risk of medical emergency team reactivation requiring ICU admission. CONCLUSIONS: An increased risk of early medical emergency team reactivation was associated with medical emergency team activation by bedside concern about overall deterioration and patients with chronic lung or liver disease.

Intensive care unit-acquired hyponatremia in critically ill medical patients.

BACKGROUND: Previous research has focused on intensive care unit (ICU)-acquired hypernatremia; however, ICU-acquired hyponatremia has frequently been overlooked and has rarely been studied in surgical or mixed ICUs. The aim of this study is to investigate the incidence of ICU-acquired hyponatremia, the risk factors associated with its development, and its impact on outcomes in critically ill medical patients. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective cohort study based on the prospective registry of all critically ill patients admitted to the medical ICU from January 2015 to December 2018. Baseline characteristics and management variables were compared between ICU-acquired hyponatremia and normonatremia patients. RESULTS: Of 1342 patients with initial normonatremia, ICU-acquired hyponatremia developed in 217 (16.2%) patients and ICU-acquired hypernatremia developed in 117 (8.7%) patients. The Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (8.0 vs 7.0, P = 0.009) and Simplified Acute Physiology Score 3 scores (55.0 vs 51.0, P = 0.005) were higher in ICU-acquired hyponatremia patients compared with normonatremia patients. Baseline sodium (137.0 mmol/L vs 139.0 mmol/L, P < 0.001), potassium (4.2 mmol/L vs 4.0 mmol/L, P = 0.001), and creatinine (0.98 mg/dL vs 0.88 mg/dL, P = 0.034) levels were different between the two groups. Net volume balance over first 3 days was higher in ICU-acquired hyponatremia patients (19.4 mL/kg vs 11.5 mL/kg, P = 0.004) and was associated with the development of ICU-acquired hyponatremia (adjusted odds ratio, 1.004; 95% confidence interval, 1.002-1.007; P = 0.001). ICU mortality was similar in both groups (15.2% vs. 14.4%, P = 0.751), but renal replacement therapy was more commonly required in ICU-acquired hyponatremia patients (13.4% vs 7.4%, P = 0.007). CONCLUSIONS: ICU-acquired hyponatremia is not uncommon in critically ill medical patients. Increased volume balance is associated with its development. ICU-acquired hyponatremia is related to increased use of renal replacement therapy but not to mortality.

Predictors of Survival to Discharge After Successful Weaning From Venoarterial Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation in Patients With Cardiogenic Shock.

BACKGROUND: This study identified predictors of hospital mortality after successful weaning of patients with cardiogenic shock off venoarterial (VA) extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) support.Methods and Results:Adult patients who received peripheral VA ECMO from January 2012 to April 2017 were reviewed retrospectively. After excluding patients who died on ECMO support, predictors for survival to discharge were investigated in patients who were successfully weaned off ECMO. Of 191 patients successfully weaned off ECMO, 143 (74.9%) survived to discharge. The prevalence of a history of stroke and coronary artery disease, as well as ECMO-related complications, including newly developed stroke and sepsis, was a higher in patients who did not survive to discharge than in those who did. On the day of ECMO weaning, Sequential Organ Failure Assessment score and serum lactate were higher in patients who did not survive to discharge, although there was no significant difference in blood pressure and the use of vasoactive drugs between the 2 groups. On multivariable analysis, stroke and sepsis during ECMO support, a lower Glasgow Coma Scale and acute kidney injury requiring continuous renal replacement therapy after weaning were significant predictors for in-hospital mortality. CONCLUSIONS: Complications that occurred during ECMO and the presence of extracardiac organ dysfunction after weaning were associated with in-hospital mortality in patients with cardiogenic shock who were successfully weaned off ECMO.

Validation of the Pneumocystis pneumonia score in haematology patients with acute respiratory failure.

BACKGROUND: Pneumocystis pneumonia (PCP) is an important cause of acute respiratory failure (ARF) in immunocompromised patients, yet no actual clinical tool suitably identifies patients at risk. Recently, a multivariable prediction model has been proposed for haematology patients with ARF requiring intensive care unit (ICU) admission to assess the risk of PCP (PCP score). However, it has not yet been validated externally. METHODS: To validate the PCP score, a retrospective cohort study was conducted in two large designated haematology centres in Korea. One-hundred and forty haematology patients with ARF were admitted to ICU. They underwent aetiologic evaluations between July 2016 and June 2019. The predictive ability of the score was assessed with the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis for both the discrimination and calibration of the score. RESULTS: Among the 141 patients, 13 (9.2%) were finally diagnosed of PCP. Although the median of PCP score in PCP group was higher than in non-PCP group (3.0 [interquartile range 0.0-4.0] vs. 2.0 [0.5-4.0]), the difference was not statistically significant (P = 0.679). The area under the ROC curve of the PCP score in our cohort was 0.535 (95% CI, 0.449-0.620), indicating no discriminatory ability. When using a cut-off of 3.0 the score, the result was 38.5% (95% CI, 13.9-68.4) sensitive and 7.03% (95% CI, 61.6-78.1) specific. The negative predictive value was 58.8% and positive predictive value was 59.8% for a 10% prevalence of PCP. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, the PCP score was not useful to predict the risk of PCP in haematology patients with ARF. Further prospective validation studies are needed to validate the score's use in routine clinical practice for the early diagnosis of PCP in haematology patients.

Association of time-to-treatment with outcomes of Pneumocystis pneumonia with respiratory failure in HIV-negative patients.

BACKGROUND: The prevalence of pneumocystis pneumonia (PCP) and associated hypoxic respiratory failure is increasing in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-negative patients. However, no prior studies have evaluated the effect of early anti-PCP treatment on clinical outcomes in HIV-negative patient with severe PCP. Therefore, this study investigated the association between the time to anti-PCP treatment and the clinical outcomes in HIV-negative patients with PCP who presented with hypoxemic respiratory failure. METHODS: A retrospective observational study was performed involving 51 HIV-negative patients with PCP who presented in respiratory failure and were admitted to the intensive care unit between October 2005 and July 2018. A logistic regression model was used to adjust for potential confounding factors in the association between the time to anti-PCP treatment and in-hospital mortality. RESULTS: All patients were treated with appropriate anti-PCP treatment, primarily involving trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole. The median time to anti-PCP treatment was 58.0 (28.0-97.8) hours. Thirty-one (60.8%) patients were treated empirically prior to confirmation of the microbiological diagnosis. However, the hospital mortality rates were not associated with increasing quartiles of time until anti-PCP treatment (P = 0.818, test for trend). In addition, hospital mortality of patients received early empiric treatment was not better than those of patients received definitive treatment after microbiologic diagnosis (48.4% vs. 40.0%, P = 0.765). In a multiple logistic regression model, the time to anti-PCP treatment was not associated with increased mortality. However, age (adjusted OR 1.07, 95% CI 1.01-1.14) and failure to initial treatment (adjusted OR 13.03, 95% CI 2.34-72.65) were independently associated with increased mortality. CONCLUSIONS: There was no association between the time to anti-PCP treatment and treatment outcomes in HIV-negative patients with PCP who presented in hypoxemic respiratory failure.

Association Between Body Mass Index and Mortality in Patients Requiring Cardiac Critical Care.

BACKGROUND: Data on the association between obesity and mortality in patients who require acute cardiac care are limited, so we investigated the effect of obesity on clinical outcomes in patients admitted to the cardiac intensive care unit (CICU). Methods and Results: We reviewed 2,429 eligible patients admitted to the CICU at Samsung Medical Center between January 2012 and December 2015. After excluding 197 patients with low body mass index (BMI) to adjust for the possibility of frailty, patients were divided into 3 categories: normal BMI (n=822), 18.5-22.9 kg/m2; moderate BMI (n=1,050), 23-27.4 kg/m2; and high BMI (n=360), ≥27.5 kg/m2. The primary outcome was 28-day mortality. Overall, 124 (2.6%) of 2,232 patients died during 28-day follow-up after CICU admission. The 28-day mortality was numerically lower in the moderate (4.5%) and high (5.3%) BMI groups than in the normal BMI group (7.1%), but the difference was not statistically significant (P=0.052). After multivariable adjustment, the moderate and high BMI categories were not significant predictors of primary outcome (adjusted hazard ratio [HR] 0.74, 95% CI 0.50-1.09, P=0.127 and adjusted HR 0.80, 95% CI 0.47-1.36, P=0.404, respectively). However, Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II scores, liver cirrhosis, malignancy, history of cardiac arrest, and need for organ support treatment were independent predictors of 28-day mortality. CONCLUSIONS: Obesity was not associated with short-term mortality in patients requiring cardiac critical care.

Prognostic Value of Admission Blood Glucose Level in Critically Ill Patients Admitted to Cardiac Intensive Care Unit according to the Presence or Absence of Diabetes Mellitus.

BACKGROUND: Admission blood glucose (BG) level is a predictor of mortality in critically ill patients with various conditions. However, limited data are available regarding this relationship in critically ill patients with cardiovascular diseases according to diabetic status. METHODS: A total of 1,780 patients (595 with diabetes) who were admitted to cardiac intensive care unit (CICU) were enrolled from a single center registry. Admission BG level was defined as maximal serum glucose level within 24 hours of admission. Patients were divided by admission BG level: group 1 (< 7.8 mmol/L), group 2 (7.8-10.9 mmol/L), group 3 (11.0-16.5 mmol/L), and group 4 (≥ 16.6 mmol/L). RESULTS: A total of 105 patients died in CICU (62 non-diabetic patients [5.2%] and 43 diabetic patients [7.9%]; P = 0.105). The CICU mortality rate increased with admission BG level (1.7%, 4.8%, 10.3%, and 18.8% from group 1 to group 4, respectively; P < 0.001). On multivariable analysis, hypertension, mechanical ventilator, continuous renal replacement therapy, acute physiology and chronic health evaluation II (APACHE II) score, and admission BG level significantly influenced CICU mortality in non-diabetic patients (group 1 vs. group 3: hazard ratio [HR], 3.31; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.47-7.44; P = 0.004; group 1 vs. group 4: HR, 6.56; 95% CI, 2.76-15.58; P < 0.001). However, in diabetic patients, continuous renal replacement therapy and APACHE II score influenced CICU mortality but not admission BG level. CONCLUSION: Admission BG level was associated with increased CICU mortality in critically ill, non-diabetic patients admitted to CICU but not in diabetic patients.

Using additional pressure control lines when connecting a continuous renal replacement therapy device to an extracorporeal membrane oxygenation circuit.

BACKGROUND: The introduction of a continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) device into the extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) circuit is widely used. However, excessive pressure transmitted to the CRRT device is a major disadvantage. We investigated the effects of using additional pressure control lines on the pressure and the lifespan of the CRRT circuit connected to the ECMO. METHODS: This is an observational study using prospectively collected data from consecutive patients receiving CRRT connected into the ECMO circuit at a university-affiliated, tertiary hospital from January 2013 to December 2016. The CRRT circuit was connected into the ECMO circuit through the Luer Lock connection without an additional pressure control line in 16 patients (9%, no line group), an additional pressure control line on the inlet line in 36 patients (23%, single line group), and additional pressure control lines on both the inlet and outlet lines in 118 patients (77%, double line group). The outcome measures of interest were compared among the three groups. RESULTS: The median access pressure was higher in the no line group compared to the groups. However, median filter pressure, effluent pressure, and return pressure were higher in the double line group compared to the other groups. There were no significant differences in platelets, lactate dehydrogenase, and plasma hemoglobin among the 3 groups over the time period studied. Median lifespan of the CRRT circuits in the double line group was 45.0 (29.0-63.7) hours, which was higher compared to 21.8 (11.6-31.8) hours in the no line group and 23.0 (15.0-34.6) hours in the single line group, respectively. In addition, in-hospital mortality was lower in the double line group (48.3%) compared to the no line group (68.8%) and the single line group (75.0%). CONCLUSIONS: Additional tubing can be considered a simple and safe method for pressure control and lengthening circuit survival when connecting the CRRT device to the ECMO circuit.

Iliocaval fistula presenting with paradoxical pulmonary embolism combined with high-output heart failure successfully treated by endovascular stent-graft repair: case report.

A 51-yr-old man presented exertional dyspnea as a consequence of iliocaval fistula combined with paradoxical pulmonary embolism and high-output heart failure. Endovascular stent-graft repair was performed to cover iliocaval fistula and restore the heart function. After the procedure, dyspnea was improved and procedure related complication was not seen. A 6-month follow-up computed tomography showed regression of pulmonary thromboembolism and well-positioned stent-graft without graft migration, aortacaval communication or endoleak. Stent graft implantation should be considered an alternative of open repair surgery for treament of abdominal arteriovenous fisula, especially in patient with high risk for surgery.

Machine learning methods for developing a predictive model of the incidence of delirium in cardiac intensive care units.

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: Delirium, recognized as a crucial prognostic factor in the cardiac intensive care unit (CICU), has evolved in response to the changing demographics among critically ill cardiac patients. This study aimed to create a predictive model for delirium for patients in the CICU. METHODS: This study included consecutive patients admitted to the CICU of the Samsung Medical Center. To assess the candidate variables for the model: we applied the following machine learning methods: random forest, extreme gradient boosting, partial least squares, and Plmnet-elastic.net. After selecting relevant variables, we performed a logistic regression analysis to derive the model formula. Internal validation was conducted using 100-repeated hold-out validation. RESULTS: We analyzed 2774 patients, 677 (24.4%) of whom developed delirium in the CICU. Machine learning-based models showed good predictive performance. Clinically significant and frequently important predictors were selected to construct a delirium prediction scoring model for CICU patients. The model included albumin level, international normalized ratio, blood urea nitrogen, white blood cell count, C-reactive protein level, age, heart rate, and mechanical ventilation. The model had an area under the receiver operating characteristics curve (AUROC) of 0.861 (95%CI, 0.843-0.879). Similar results were obtained in internal validation with 100-repeated cross-validation (AUROC, 0.854; 95%CI, 0.826-0.883). CONCLUSIONS: Using variables frequently ranked as highly important in four machine learning methods, we created a novel delirium prediction model. This model could serve as a useful and simple tool for risk stratification for the occurrence of delirium at the patient's bedside in the CICU.

The association of the Sequential Organ Failure Assessment score at intensive care unit discharge with intensive care unit readmission in the cardiac intensive care unit.

AIMS: Unplanned intensive care unit (ICU) readmissions contribute to increased morbidity, mortality, and healthcare costs. The severity of patient illness at ICU discharge may predict early ICU readmission. Thus, in this study, we investigated the association of cardiac ICU (CICU) discharge Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score with unplanned CICU readmission in patients admitted to the CICU. METHODS AND RESULTS: We retrospectively reviewed the hospital medical records of 4659 patients who were admitted to the CICU from 2012 to 18. Sequential Organ Failure Assessment scores at CICU admission and discharge were obtained. The predictive performance of organ failure scoring was evaluated by using area under the receiver operating characteristic (AUROC) curves. The primary outcome was unplanned CICU readmission. Of the 3949 patients successfully discharged from the CICU, 184 (4.7%) had an unplanned CICU readmission or they experienced a deteriorated condition but died without being readmitted to the CICU (readmission group). The readmission group had significantly higher rates of organ failure in all organ systems at both CICU admission and discharge than the non-readmission group. The AUROC of the discharge SOFA score for CICU readmission was 0.731, showing good predictive performance. The AUROC of the discharge SOFA score was significantly greater than that of either the initial SOFA score (P = 0.020) or the Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II score (P < 0.001). In the multivariable regression analysis, SOFA score, overweight or obese status, history of heart failure, and acute heart failure as reasons for ICU admission were independent predictors of unplanned ICU readmission during the same hospital stay. CONCLUSION: The discharge SOFA score may identify patients at a higher risk of unplanned CICU readmission, enabling targeted interventions to reduce readmission rates and improve patient outcomes.

Associations of albumin and nutritional index factors with delirium in patients admitted to the cardiac intensive care unit.

Background: Limited data are available on the association of malnutrition with the occurrence of delirium in the cardiac intensive care unit (CICU). Thus, we aimed to analyze whether nutritional indices and their components can predict the development of delirium in CICU. Methods: We enrolled 2,783 patients admitted to the CICU of Samsung Medical Center for more than 24 h between September 2012 and December 2018. We assessed the nutritional status at admission using three indices, the Prognostic Nutrition Index (PNI), the Geriatric Nutritional Risk Index (GNRI), and the Controlling Nutritional Status (CONUT). Then, we compared predictive performances for the occurrence of delirium among nutritional indices using Delong's test. Results: Delirium developed in 678 patients (24.3%) assessed three times daily for 7 days of CICU stay. Nutritional indices had fair predictive performance for development of delirium in critically ill cardiac patients using the area under the receiver-operating characteristic curve (AUROC: 0.729 for the GNRI, 0.728 for PNI, and 0.762 for CONUT). Furthermore, the AUROC of albumin alone (0.77, 95% CI, 0.75-0.79) was significantly greater than that of either GNRI (p < 0.001) or PNI (p < 0.001). In a multivariable analysis including each component of nutritional indices, albumin was a significant predictor for delirium but not absolute lymphocyte count, bodyweight/ideal bodyweight, or total cholesterol level as a component of nutritional indices. Conclusion: Predictive performances of nutritional indices for the occurrence of delirium were acceptable in patients admitted to CICU. Albumin alone might be a helpful and straightforward indicator for the occurrence of delirium.