Sarcopenia associated with 90-day readmission and overall survival after abdominal trauma.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: It is widely recognized that sarcopenia increases postoperative complications in trauma patients. However, the effects on prognosis remain unclear. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of sarcopenia on 90-day readmission and overall survival (OS) in abdominal trauma patients. METHODS AND STUDY DESIGN: 485 consecutive patients who underwent abdominal surgery after trauma in our institution were enrolled. Sarcopenia was diagnosed with low muscle mass and low muscle strength-handgrip. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to identify factors that contributed to 90-day readmission and OS. Cox logistic regression analysis was used to assess the relationship between sarcopenia and OS. RESULTS: Sarcopenia was present in 120 of 485 patients (24.7%) with abdominal trauma within one week after admission based on the diagnostic cut-off values (40.9 cm2/m2 for men and 36.8 cm2/m2 for women). 90-day readmission was significantly higher in the sarcopenia group (p=0.019), and OS lower in the sarcopenia group (p=0.025). Sarcopenia was an independent predictor of 90-day readmission [odds ratio (OR): 5.34, 95% confidence interval (CI): 2.52-11.3]. CONCLUSIONS: Sarcopenia was associated with high 90-day readmission and low OS in abdominal trauma patients, and it was an independent risk factor for 90-day readmission.

Predictive value of transabdominal intestinal sonography in critically ill patients: a prospective observational study.

BACKGROUND: This study examined the feasibility of transabdominal intestinal ultrasonography in evaluating acute gastrointestinal injury (AGI). METHODS: A total of 116 patients were included. Intestinal ultrasonography was conducted daily within 1 week after admission to the intensive care unit. Ultrasonography indicators including intestinal diameter, changes in the intestinal folds, thickness of the intestinal wall, stratification of the intestinal wall, and intestinal peristalsis (movement of the intestinal contents) were observed to determine the acute gastrointestinal injury ultrasonography (AGIUS) score. The gastrointestinal and urinary tract sonography ultrasound (GUTS) protocol score was also calculated. During the first week of the study, the gastrointestinal failure (GIF) score was determined daily. The correlations between transabdominal intestinal scores (AGIUS and GUTS) and the GIF score were analyzed to clarify the feasibility of evaluating AGI through observation of the intestine. The utility of intestinal ultrasonography indicators in predicting feeding intolerance was investigated to improve the ability of clinicians to manage AGI. RESULTS: A total of 751 ultrasonic examinations were performed with 511 images (68%) considered to be of "good quality." AGIUS and GUTS scores differed significantly between AGI patients (GIF score 0-2) and non-AGI patients (GIF score 3-4) (p < 0.001). Both scores correlated positively with GIF score (r = 0.54, p < 0.001; r = 0.66, p < 0.001). These ultrasonography indicators could predict feeding intolerance, with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.60 (0.48-0.71; intestinal diameter), 0.76 (0.67-0.85; intestinal folds), 0.71 (0.62-0.80; wall thickness), 0.77 (0.69-0.86; wall stratification), and 0.78 (0.68-0.88; intestinal peristalsis). Compared to patients with a normal rate of peristalsis (5-10/min), patients with abnormal peristalsis rates (< 5/min or > 10/min) have increased risk for feeding intolerance (16/83 vs. 25/33, p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The transabdominal intestinal ultrasonography represents an effective means for assessing gastrointestinal injury in critically ill patients. Intestinal ultrasonography indicators, especially the degree of intestinal peristalsis, may be used to predict feeding intolerance. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrial.gov, NCT03589248. Registered 04 July 2018-retrospectively registered.

Hypothalamic AMPK-induced autophagy ameliorates hypercatabolism in septic rats by regulating POMC expression.

Hypercatabolism plays a critical role in the pathogenesis of post-critical care debility in critical patients. Central nervous system may exerte a critical role in the regulation of hypercatabolism. However, little is known about the exact mechanisms of the central role. Here, we reported that actived hypothalamic AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK)-induced autophagy modulated the expression of POMC to ameliorate hypercatabolism in septic rats. Firstly, rats were i.c.v. injected with the lentiviral vector containing shRNA against POMC. Two weeks after injections, rats were intraperitoneally injected with LPS or saline. Twenty-four hours later, blood, skeletal muscle and hypothalamus tissues were obtained. Hypercatabolism markers and neuropeptides expression were detected. Then, rats were injected with AICAR or saline into third ventricle and promptly intraperitoneally injected with LPS or saline. Twenty-four hours after infection, blood, skeletal muscle and hypothalamus tissues were obtained. Hypercatabolism, hypothalamic AMPK-induced autophagy markers and neuropeptides expression were also detected. Results showed that sepsis would decrease the level of hypothalamic autophagy accompany with the alterations of POMC expression and hypercatabolism. Knocking out hypothalamus POMC expression could significantly ameliorate hypercatabolism. Moreover, Central activation of AMPK-induced autophagy pathway via third ventricle injection of AICAR, an AMPK activator, could efficiently ameliorate hypercatabolism as well as attenuate the elevated POMC expression rather than other neuropeptides. Taken together, these results suggested that hypothalamic AMPK-autophagy pathway as a regulatory pathway for POMC expression was essential for hypercatabolism during sepsis. And hypothalamic AMPK-autophagy activation could attenuate the POMC expression to ameliorate hypercatabolism. Pharmaceuticals with the ability of activating hypothalamic AMPK-autophagy pathway may be a therapeutic potential for hypercatabolism in septic patients.

Mild hypothermia ameliorates muscle wasting in septic rats associated with hypothalamic AMPK-induced autophagy and neuropeptides.

Sepsis, always developing muscle wasting, contributes to serious complications and mortality. Mild hypothermia has been reported to have protective effects on the prognosis of septic patients. However, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. We therefore hypothesized that mild hypothermia could ameliorate muscle wasting during sepsis and whether it was associated with hypothalamus AMPK-induced autophagy and neuropeptides. Adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were intraperitoneally injected with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) (5 mg/kg) or saline. Mild hypothermia was instantly induced at 33 °C for 3h after LPS injected. Meanwhile, the control and sepsis groups were simultaneously placed on the thermal mattress to maintain the a normal temperature in control group whatever the changes induced by anesthesia. Twenty-four hours after injection, skeletal muscle and hypothalamus tissues were obtained. Muscle wasting was measured by the mRNA expression of two muscle atrophic genes, muscle ring finger 1 (MuRF-1) and muscle atrophy F-box (MAFbx), as well as 3-methylhistidine (3-MH) and tyrosine release. Hypothalamic AMPK-induced autophagy markers and neuropeptides expression were also detected. Results showed that LPS administration significantly decreased hypothalamic AMPK-induced autophagy together with muscle wasting. Also, increased hypothalamic neuropeptides, proopiomelanocortin (POMC), cocaine and amphetamine-related transcript (CART) and neuro-peptides Y (NPY) and decreased agouti-related protein (AgRP) were observed. Mild hypothermia significantly increased hypothalamic AMPK-induced autophagy and ameliorated LPS-induced muscle wasting, and attenuated the alteration of neuropeptides, POMC, CART and NPY. In conclusion, mild hypothermia could alleviate muscle wasting by LPS injection, which was associated with reversing the level of hypothalamic AMPK-induced autophagy and the alteration of neuropeptides. These results suggested that mild hypothermia could be a potential treatment concept and a novel mechanism in management of muscle wasting in critically ill patients.

Estrogen Maintains Skeletal Muscle in Septic Rats Associated with Altering Hypothalamic Inflammation and Neuropeptides.

Muscle wasting is one of the main contributors to the worse outcomes in sepsis. Whether estrogen could alleviate muscle wasting induced by sepsis remains unclear. This study was designed to test the effect of estrogen on muscle wasting and its relationship with central alteration in sepsis. Thirty Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into 3 groups: control group, sepsis group, and estrogen treated sepsis group. Animals were intraperitoneally injected with lipopolysaccharide (10 mg/kg) or saline, followed by subcutaneous injection of 17ß-estradiol (1 mg/kg) or saline. Twenty-four hours later, all animals were killed and their hypothalamus and skeletal muscles were harvested for analysis. Muscle wasting markers, hypothalamic neuropeptides, and hypothalamic inflammatory markers were measured. As a result, lipopolysaccharide administration caused a significant increase in muscle wasting, hypothalamic inflammation, and anorexigenic neuropeptides (POMC and CART) gene expression, and a significant decrease in orexigenic neuropeptides (AgRP and NPY) gene expression. Administration of estrogen signifcantl attenuated lipopolysaccharide-induced muscle wasting (body weight and extensor digitorum longus loss [52 and 62 %], tyrosine and 3-methylhistidine release [17 and 22 %], muscle ring fnger 1 [MuRF-1; 65 %], and muscle atrophy F-box [MAFbx] gene expression), hypothalamic inflammation (Tumor necrosis factor-α and interlukin-1ß [69 and 70%]) as well as alteration of POMC, CART and AgRP (61, 37, and 1008 %) expression.In conclusion, estrogen could alleviate sepsis-induced muscle wasting and it was associated with reducing hypothalamic inflammation and alteration of hypothalamic neuropeptides.

The Addition of Dexmedetomidine to Analgesia for Patients After Abdominal Operations: A Prospective Randomized Clinical Trial.

BACKGROUND: Postoperative pain and anxiety are two common factors influencing patient's recovery. Benefits and safety in the use of sedative agents after abdominal operations to improve recovery are not well known. The present study is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of dexmedetomidine use in this population. METHODS: A prospective randomized controlled trial of 145 patients undergoing abdominal operations was conducted in the Surgical Intensive Care Unit of Jinling Hospital between October and December 2015. Thirty-two patients were excluded, and 113 were included and divided into the experimental group (59 patients) receiving dexmedetomidine and analgesics for 72 h after abdominal operations, and the control group (54 patients) receiving only analgesics. Postoperative pain, inflammatory response, recovery of gastrointestinal function, adverse events, and sedation level were analyzed. RESULTS: Pain scores, assessed by Prince Henry Pain Scale (PHPS), in the experimental group were significantly lower than in the control group on the first (1.53 vs. 2.07, p ≤ 0.01), second (1.07 vs. 1.63, p ≤ 0.01), and third day (1.08 vs. 1.82, p = 0.01). Time to defecation was 0.60 days shorter in the experimental group than the control group (2.51 vs. 3.11, p = 0.01). There was no significant difference between inflammatory responses in the two groups (p > 0.05). Both groups had similar blood pressure, heart rate, prevalence of bradycardia, and hypotension requiring interventions (p > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The addition of dexmedetomidine to analgesia after abdominal operations is safe and could enhance gastrointestinal function recovery and pain control when monitored carefully. The capacity of dexmedetomidine to attenuate inflammatory responses requires further investigation.

Insulin ameliorating endotoxaemia-induced muscle wasting is associated with the alteration of hypothalamic neuropeptides and inflammation in rats.

OBJECTIVES: Septic patients always develop muscle wasting, which delays the rehabilitation and contributes to the increased complications and mortality. Previous studies have implied the crucial role of central inflammation and neuropeptides in the energy balance and muscle metabolism. Insulin has been confirmed to attenuate muscle degradation and inhibit inflammation. We tested the hypothesis whether insulin ameliorating muscle wasting was associated with modulating hypothalamic inflammation and neuropeptides. DESIGN AND SUBJECTS: Thirty-two adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were in intraperitoneally injected with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) (5 mg/kg) or saline, followed by subcutaneous injection of insulin (5 IU/kg) or saline. Twenty-four hours after injection, skeletal muscle and hypothalamus tissues were harvested. Muscle wasting was measured by the mRNA expression of two E3 ubiquitin ligases, muscle ring finger 1 (MuRF-1) and muscle atrophy F-box (MAFbx), as well as 3-methylhistidine (3-MH) and tyrosine release. Hypothalamic inflammatory markers and neuropeptides expression were also measured in four groups. RESULTS: LPS injection led to significant increase in hypothalamic inflammation as well as muscle wasting. Also, increased hypothalamic neuropeptides, proopiomelanocortin (POMC), cocaine and amphetamine-related transcript (CART) and neuropeptides Y (NPY) and decreased agouti-related protein (AgRP) were observed. Insulin treatment ameliorated endotoxaemia-induced muscle wasting and hypothalamic inflammation, and attenuated the alteration of neuropeptides, POMC, CART and AgRP. CONCLUSION: Hypothalamic inflammation and neuropeptides are involved in the endotoxaemia-induced muscle wasting. Insulin treatment can reduce muscle wasting, which is associated with reduced hypothalamic inflammation and alteration of hypothalamic neuropeptides.

Continuous renal replacement therapy reduces the systemic and pulmonary inflammation induced by venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation in a porcine model.

Pulmonary changes in veno-venous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VV-ECMO) are rarely determined. We compared the contribution of VV-ECMO and cannulation based on the observation of pulmonary inflammatory reaction and parenchymal construction in a porcine model of low tidal volume (VT ) ventilation. We also evaluated the effect of adding continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) to the ECMO circuit, because CRRT is known to reduce systemic cytokine release induced by VV-ECMO. A total of 18 pigs undergoing low-VT ventilation were randomly divided into three groups (group 1, cannulation; group 2, VV-ECMO; group 3, VV-ECMO + CRRT) and studied for 24 h. Hemodynamic and ventilation parameters were recorded. We assessed plasma and alveolar cytokines, expression of pulmonary inflammatory genes, histopathological grading, and ultrastructural changes of the lungs. During the process, inspiratory volume increased and PaO2 decreased in group 1. Systemic tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin 6 (IL-6) levels increased at 2 h in group 2 and partly decreased in group 3. At 24 h, the levels of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, TNF-α, and IL-6 in group 2 were remarkably higher than those in groups 1 and 3. Pulmonary mRNA expression of cytokines did not differ between the groups. We observed an increased score of pulmonary pathological findings in pro-inflammatory cell infiltration and interstitial thickening of the lungs in group 2. The epithelium of the blood-air barrier after VV-ECMO was swollen. In group 3, the pulmonary parenchyma and blood-air barrier were well preserved. We concluded that in a porcine model of low-VT ventilation, both VV-ECMO and VV-ECMO in combination with CRRT provided adequate oxygenation and carbon dioxide removal. Compared with VV-ECMO alone, VV-ECMO in combination with CRRT better preserved the lung parenchyma by eliminating systemic cytokines.

Effects of Delayed Enteral Nutrition on Inflammatory Responses and Immune Function Competence in Critically Ill Patients with Prolonged Fasting.

Although different studies suggest that early enteral nutrition (EEN) has benefits in reducing infectious complications, there is no data that addresses whether delayed enteral nutrition (EN) is detrimental and if it may have effects on inflammatory responses and immune function. Forty-five critically ill patients with long fasting were randomly allocated in two groups according to the type of nutritional support. The first group included patients assuming a standard enteral nutrition (EN, n = 22) and the second group assuming a parenteral nutrition (PN, n = 23). The daily nutritional amount was 25 kcal (105 kJ)/kg for all patients. The inflammatory markers white blood cells (WBC), C-reactive protein (CRP), TNF-α, IL-1-ß, IL-6, IL-4, IL- 10 and the immune T-lymphocyte sub-populations CD3+, CD4+, CD8+, and HLA-DR+ were evaluated at day 1, and after 2, 3 and 7 days. IL-4, IL-10, CD3+, CD4+, CD8+ and the CD4+/CD8+ ratio were not statistically different between the two groups. WBC and TNF-α in EN patients were higher than those in PN after 3 and 7 days (P < 0.05). CRP and IL-6 levels were higher in EN patients than those assuming a PN after 2 and 3 days (P < 0.05). HLA-DR levels in patients assuming an EN were found higher than those in PN at day 7 (P < 0.05). Delayed EN for critically ill patients with long-term fasting increased systemic inflammatory responses, whereas EN could modify immune function, therefore reducing hospital stay and costs.

Thromboelastography can Identify Postoperative Active Bleeding and Evaluate Blood Product Requirements in Abdominal Surgery.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Hemorrhage after abdominal surgery remains a frequent clinical complication, and associated with prolonged length of stay, increased complications and mortality. Indication of blood product requirements accurately and promptly is very important for recovery of patients. Thrombelastography (TEG) as a tool for evaluation of bleeding and effects of blood components and blood products is increasing. We investigated that whether TEG can identify postoperative active bleeding and evaluate blood product requirements in abdominal surgery. METHODOLOGY: Between June to December in 2012, there were 55 patients who had bleeding after operation in SICU of Jinling Hospital. Recorded data included vital signs (MAP, heart rate, respiratory rate, blood oxygen saturation), urine volume per hour, blood routine (Hb, Hct, Plt), the coagulation tests (Fib, PT, aPTT, INR), TEG parameters (R, K, Angle, MA, Cl) and blood product requirements within 24h. Patients were divided into active bleeding group and non-active bleeding group based on the findings of reoperation or digital subtraction angiography (DSA). To compare vital signs, laboratory values, TEG values and blood product requirements in two groups. RESULTS: Vital signs (MAP, heart rate, respiratory rate, blood oxygen saturation), urine volume per hour and the coagulation tests (Fib, PT, INR) showed no significant correlations with subsequent blood product requirements, but aPTT (R = 0.546, P = 0.000) and MA (R = 0.665, P = 0.000) correlated with the blood products use. MA values of patients had more blood loss was significantly lower and had a descending tendency which did not showed in aPTT values. 25 patients had postoperative active bleeding confirmed by reoperation or DSA. They had significantly increased use of blood products, and significantly lower MA, Hb, Hct, and Fib values, whereas aPTT exhibited no significant differences. CONCLUSION: MA can not only identify postoperative active bleeding together with hemoglobin, hematocrit, and fibrinogen, but also evaluate blood product requirements in abdominal surgery.

Restricted intravenous fluid regimen reduces fluid redistribution of patients operated for abdominal malignancy.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Recent studies indicate that perioperative fluid restriction leads to better preserved clinical data as well as reduced complication rates. This study aimed to determine the probable mechanism of fluid restriction influence on the complication rate of patients undergoing gastrointestinal surgery for malignancy. METHODOLOGY: Patients (n = 174) undergoing restricted fluid regimen (R group) or standard fluid regimen (S group) were included in this prospective, randomized trial over 16 months. Fluid distribution was determined by Bioelectrical Impedance Analyzer (BIA) and the difference between two groups was compared regarding complications and the relationship between complications and fluid distribution changes. RESULTS: The restricted intravenous fluid regimen significantly reduced perioperative intravenous fluid volume. Weight gained in S group and was not significantly changed in R group after surgery, especially in POD2 (media; R vs. S; 61.17 vs. 65.40 kg, p = 0.017). The number of patients with postoperative complications was reduced in R group compared with in S group (34.5% vs. 47.8%, p = 0.076). Systemic complications were significantly reduced in R group (t = -5.895, p = 0.000). Patients with complications had an average of 1.6 complications in R group vs. 2.0 in S group (t = -1.345, p = 0.183). The multivariate analysis suggested that perioperative fluid distribution changes were associated with the development of postoperative complications. CONCLUSIONS: Perioperative fluid restriction could effect on fluid distribution and reduce tissue and cellular edema, and further, could reduce postoperative complication rates.

Early parenteral nutrition comparing to enteral nutrition cannot reduce 28-day mortality in critically ill patients: a retrospective comparative cohort study based on the MIMIC­IV database.

Background: Enteral nutrition (EN) is recommended as the first choice by guidelines for critical ill patients. But the timing of safe and effective delivery of parenteral nutrition (PN) is unclear and the results of previous studies are controversial. There is insufficient evidence for the use of early PN, so we designed this cohort study to compared the clinical outcomes of critical ill patients who received early PN with those who did not. Methods: This retrospective study conducted using the Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care (MIMIC)-IV database. Patients who received nutrition therapy within 3 days of ICU admission were included and we categorized them as patients who received any kind of PN (PN group) or only enteral nutrition (EN group). Confounding factors were adjusted by propensity-score matching (PSM). The primary outcome was the 28-day mortality rate, and secondary outcomes included length of stay (LOS) in the hospital and ICU, hospital infection, and mechanical ventilation time. Results: A total of 5,019 patients (PN group, 357; EN group, 4,662) were included in the analyses. The 28-day mortality rates showed no significant intergroup difference (EN, 22.3% vs. PN, 20.2%; P=0.378). The PN group showed a shorter median ICU LOS (EN, 8.14 vs. PN, 6.89 days, P=0.00955), and a longer median hospital LOS (PN, 21.55 vs. EN, 15.1 days, P<0.001). After PSM, each group included 355 patients, with no significant intergroup difference in the 28-day mortality rate (EN, 18.9% vs. PN, 20.3%; P=0.705). The PN group still showed a longer hospital LOS (median LOS: PN, 21.45 vs. EN, 14.81 days, P<0.001), but the other outcomes showed no differences. Conclusions: PN within 3 days of ICU admission did not reduce the 28-day mortality rate and could extend hospital LOS. This study supports further fundamental and clinical research to ascertain the effect of PN for ICU patients.

Longitudinal D-Dimer Trajectories and the Risk of Mortality in Abdominal Trauma Patients: A Group-Based Trajectory Modeling Analysis.

This study aimed to identify the long-term D-dimer trajectory patterns and their associations with in-hospital all-cause mortality in abdominal trauma patients. This is a retrospective cohort study of general adult abdominal trauma patients admitted to Jinling Hospital (Nanjing, China) between January 2010 and April 2020. Group-based trajectory modeling was applied to model D-dimer trajectories over the first 50 days post-trauma. A multivariable logistic regression was performed to estimate the associations between D-dimer trajectories and in-hospital all-cause mortality. A total of 309 patients were included. We identified four distinct D-dimer trajectories: group 1 (57.61%; "stable low"), group 2 (28.16%; "moderate-decline"), group 3 (8.41%; "high-rapid decline"), and group 4 (5.83%; "high-gradual decline"). The SOFA score (p = 0.005) and ISS (p = 0.001) were statistically higher in groups 3 and 4 than in groups 1 and 2. The LMWH and UFH did not differ between groups 3 and 4. Compared with the patients in group 1, only the patients in group 4 were at a higher risk of in-hospital all-cause mortality (OR = 6.94, 95% CI: 1.20-40.25). The long-term D-dimer trajectories post-trauma were heterogeneous and associated with mortality. An initially high and slowly-resolved D-dimer might function as the marker of disease deterioration, and specific interventions are needed.

High Fat-to-Muscle Ratio Was Associated with Increased Clinical Severity in Patients with Abdominal Trauma.

Overweight and moderate obesity confer a survival benefit in chronic diseases such as coronary artery disease and chronic kidney disease, which has been termed the "obesity paradox". However, whether this phenomenon exists in trauma patients remains controversial. We performed a retrospective cohort study in abdominal trauma patients admitted to a Level I trauma center in Nanjing, China between 2010 and 2020. In addition to the traditional body mass index (BMI) based measures, we further examined the association between body composition-based indices with clinical severity in trauma populations. Body composition indices including skeletal muscle index (SMI), fat tissue index (FTI), and total fat-to-muscle ratio (FTI/SMI) were measured using computed tomography. Our study found that overweight was associated with a four-fold risk of mortality (OR, 4.47 [95% CI, 1.40-14.97], p = 0.012) and obesity was associated with a seven-fold risk of mortality (OR, 6.56 [95% CI, 1.07-36.57], p = 0.032) compared to normal weight. Patients with high FTI/SMI had a three-fold risk of mortality (OR, 3.06 [95% CI, 1.08-10.16], p = 0.046) and double the risk of an intensive care unit length of stay ≥ 5 d (OR, 1.75 [95% CI, 1.06-2.91], p = 0.031) compared to patients with low FTI/SMI. The obesity paradox was not observed in abdominal trauma patients, and high FTI/SMI ratio was independently associated with increased clinical severity.

Subcutaneous Adipose Tissue Is Associated with Acute Kidney Injury after Abdominal Trauma Based on the Generalized Propensity Score Approach: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

INTRODUCTION: Obesity is associated with an increased risk of acute kidney injury (AKI) after trauma. However, the associations between different adipose tissue depots and AKI remain unknown. Our study aimed to quantify the effect of abdominal adiposity on AKI in trauma patients. METHODS: We performed a retrospective cohort study of abdominal trauma patients who were admitted to our hospital from January 2010 to March 2020. Abdominal visceral adipose tissue (VAT) and subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) were measured at the level of the third lumbar vertebra using computed tomography. Causal modeling based on the generalized propensity score was used to quantify the effects of body mass index (BMI), VAT, and SAT on AKI. RESULTS: Among 324 abdominal trauma patients, 67 (20.68%) patients developed AKI. Patients with AKI had higher BMI (22.46 kg/m2 vs. 22.04 kg/m2, p = 0.014), higher SAT areas (89.06 cm2 vs. 83.39 cm2, p = 0.151), and higher VAT areas (140.02 cm2 vs. 91.48 cm2, p = 0.001) than those without AKI. By using causal modeling, we found that the risk of developing AKI increased by 8.3% (p = 0.001) and 4.8% (p = 0.022) with one unit increase in BMI (per 1 kg/m2) and ten units increase in SAT (per 10 cm2), respectively. However, VAT did not show a significant association with AKI (p = 0.327). CONCLUSION: SAT, but not VAT, increased the risk of AKI among abdominal trauma patients. Measurement of SAT might help identify patients at higher risk of AKI.

Real-Time Prediction of Sepsis in Critical Trauma Patients: Machine Learning-Based Modeling Study.

BACKGROUND: Sepsis is a leading cause of death in patients with trauma, and the risk of mortality increases significantly for each hour of delay in treatment. A hypermetabolic baseline and explosive inflammatory immune response mask clinical signs and symptoms of sepsis in trauma patients, making early diagnosis of sepsis more challenging. Machine learning-based predictive modeling has shown great promise in evaluating and predicting sepsis risk in the general intensive care unit (ICU) setting, but there has been no sepsis prediction model specifically developed for trauma patients so far. OBJECTIVE: To develop a machine learning model to predict the risk of sepsis at an hourly scale among ICU-admitted trauma patients. METHODS: We extracted data from adult trauma patients admitted to the ICU at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center between 2008 and 2019. A total of 42 raw variables were collected, including demographics, vital signs, arterial blood gas, and laboratory tests. We further derived a total of 485 features, including measurement pattern features, scoring features, and time-series variables, from the raw variables by feature engineering. The data set was randomly split into 70% for model development with stratified 5-fold cross-validation, 15% for calibration, and 15% for testing. An Extreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost) model was developed to predict the hourly risk of sepsis at prediction windows of 4, 6, 8, 12, and 24 hours. We evaluated model performance for discrimination and calibration both at time-step and outcome levels. Clinical applicability of the model was evaluated with varying levels of precision, and the potential clinical net benefit was assessed with decision curve analysis (DCA). A Shapley additive explanation algorithm was applied to show the effect of features on the prediction model. In addition, we trained an L2-regularized logistic regression model to compare its performance with XGBoost. RESULTS: We included 4603 trauma patients in the study, 1196 (26%) of whom developed sepsis. The XGBoost model achieved an area under the receiver operating characteristics curve (AUROC) ranging from 0.83 to 0.88 at the 4-to-24-hour prediction window in the test set. With a ratio of 9 false alerts for every true alert, it predicted 73% (386/529) of sepsis-positive timesteps and 91% (163/179) of sepsis events in the subsequent 6 hours. The DCA showed our model had a positive net benefit in the threshold probability range of 0 to 0.6. In comparison, the logistic regression model achieved lower performance, with AUROC ranging from 0.76 to 0.84 at the 4-to-24-hour prediction window. CONCLUSIONS: The machine learning-based model had good discrimination and calibration performance for sepsis prediction in critical trauma patients. Using the model in clinical practice might help to identify patients at risk of sepsis in a time window that enables personalized intervention and early treatment.

Association of longitudinal changes in skeletal muscle mass with prognosis and nutritional intake in acutely hospitalized patients with abdominal trauma: a retrospective observational study.

Background: The objective of this study was to explore whether longitudinal changes in skeletal muscle mass, from hospital admission to 3 weeks post-trauma, are associated with poor prognosis and nutritional intake in acutely hospitalized patients with abdominal trauma. Methods: A single-center retrospective observational review was conducted on 103 patients with abdominal trauma admitted to the Affiliated Jinling Hospital, Medical School of Nanjing University between January 2010 and April 2020. Skeletal muscle mass was assessed by abdominal computed tomography (CT) performed within 14 days before surgery and on post-trauma days 1-3 (week 0), 7-10 (week 1), 14-17 (week 2), and 21-24 (week 3). The skeletal muscle index (SMI) at L3, change in SMI per day (ΔSMI/day), and percent change in SMI per day (ΔSMI/day [%]) were calculated. The receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to evaluate the discriminatory performance of ΔSMI/day (%) for mortality. Linear correlation analysis was used to evaluate the associations between ΔSMI/day (%) and daily caloric or protein intake. Results: Among the included patients, there were 91 males and 12 females (mean age ± standard deviation 43.74 ± 15.53 years). ΔSMI4-1/d (%) had a ROC-area under the curve of 0.747 (p = 0.048) and a cut-off value of -0.032 for overall mortality. There were significant positive correlations between ΔSMI4-1/d (%) and daily caloric intake and protein intake (Y = 0.0007501*X - 1.397, R2 = 0.282, R = 0.531, p < 0.001; Y = 0.008183*X - 0.9228, R2 = 0.194, R = 0.440, p < 0.001). Δ SMI/day (%) was positively correlated with daily caloric intake ≥80% of resting energy expenditure in weeks 2, 3, and 1-3 post-trauma and with protein intake >1.2 g/kg/d in weeks 3 and 1-3 post-trauma. Conclusion: Loss of skeletal muscle mass is associated with poor prognosis and nutritional intake in patients admitted to hospital with abdominal trauma.

Restricted intravenous fluid regimen reduces the rate of postoperative complications and alters immunological activity of elderly patients operated for abdominal cancer: a randomized prospective clinical trail.

BACKGROUND: Perioperative fluid restriction can lead to better clinical outcomes and reduced complications. However, whether perioperative fluid restriction can alter the patient's postoperative cellular immunity is unknown. Therefore, a randomized, prospective clinical study was designed to determine whether fluid restriction improves immunological outcome in elderly patients who undergo gastrointestinal surgery for cancer removal. METHODS: A total of 179 patients aged 65 years or older were recruited for the study and were randomly assigned to receive the restricted fluid regimen (R group) or the standard fluid regimen (S group). Postoperative T-lymphocyte subpopulations (CD3(+), CD4(+), and CD8(+)) frequencies and monocyte HLA-DR expression was investigated. Perioperative complications and cellular immunity changes were analyzed comparatively between the two groups. RESULTS: The restricted intravenous fluid regimen was associated with significantly less postoperative complications (1.5 complications/patient vs. S group: 2.2 complications/patient), especially for infection complications (15% vs. S group: 27%, p = 0.04). Circulating CD3(+) T-cells were suppressed after surgery in both treatment groups, but the cell frequency (cell/µL) was higher in the R group (746 vs. S group: 480 at postoperative day (POD) 2, p = 0.022; 878 vs. 502 at POD 3, p = 0.005; 892 vs. 674 at POD 5, p = 0.042). Similarly, the HLA-DR expression (% of all T cells) in monocytes were decreased in both groups, but the expression remained higher in the R group (66.20 vs. S group: 51.97 at POD 1, p = 0.029; 68.19 vs. 51.26 at POD 2, p = 0.039; 72.19 vs. 57.45 at POD 3, p = 0.014; 73.92 vs. 60.46 at POD 5, p = 0.036). Multivariate analysis suggested that perioperative CD3(+) T cell changes were associated with the development of postoperative complications [odds ratio (OR) = 1.963; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.019-3.782; p = 0.044] and postoperative infections (OR = 3.106; 95% CI 1.302-7.406; p = 0.011). CONCLUSIONS: In elderly gastrointestinal cancer patients, cellular immunity is better preserved by the perioperative fluid restriction regimen. The better preserved cellular immunological function is correlated with a reduced perioperative complications rate.

Novel fast pathogen diagnosis method for severe pneumonia patients in the intensive care unit: randomized clinical trial.

Background: Severe pneumonia is one of the common acute diseases caused by pathogenic microorganism infection, especially by pathogenic bacteria, leading to sepsis with a high morbidity and mortality rate. However, the existing bacteria cultivation method cannot satisfy current clinical needs requiring rapid identification of bacteria strain for antibiotic selection. Therefore, developing a sensitive liquid biopsy system demonstrates the enormous value of detecting pathogenic bacterium species in pneumonia patients. Methods: In this study, we developed a tool named Species-Specific Bacterial Detector (SSBD, pronounce as 'speed') for detecting selected bacterium. Newly designed diagnostic tools combining specific DNA-tag screened by our algorithm and CRISPR/Cas12a, which were first tested in the lab to confirm the accuracy, followed by validating its specificity and sensitivity via applying on bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) from pneumonia patients. In the validation I stage, we compared the SSBD results with traditional cultivation results. In the validation II stage, a randomized and controlled clinical trial was completed at the ICU of Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital to evaluate the benefit SSBD brought to the treatment. Results: In the validation stage I, 77 BALF samples were tested, and SSBD could identify designated organisms in 4 hr with almost 100% sensitivity and over 87% specific rate. In validation stage II, the SSBD results were obtained in 4 hr, leading to better APACHE II scores (p=0.0035, ANOVA test). Based on the results acquired by SSBD, cultivation results could deviate from the real pathogenic situation with polymicrobial infections. In addition, nosocomial infections were found widely in ICU, which should deserve more attention. Conclusions: SSBD was confirmed to be a powerful tool for severe pneumonia diagnosis in ICU with high accuracy. Funding: National Natural Science Foundation of China. The National Key Scientific Instrument and Equipment Development Project. Project number: 81927808. Clinical trial number: This study was registered at https://clinicaltrials.gov/ (NCT04178382).

Low skeletal muscle mass predicts poor clinical outcomes in patients with abdominal trauma.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate whether low skeletal muscle mass is associated with clinical outcomes in patients with abdominal trauma. METHODS: Patients presenting to our institution with abdominal trauma from January 2010 to April 2020 were retrospectively included. Low skeletal muscle mass was defined, using computed tomography, as skeletal muscle index (SMI) at the third lumbar vertebra below the lowest sex-specific quartile within 1 wk of admission. Clinical outcomes such as complications, hospital stay, and hospital cost were recorded, and univariate and multivariate analyses were performed. RESULTS: Among 684 patients, 451 were eligible. Of these, 112 (24.8%) were classified as having low skeletal muscle mass, based on SMI diagnostic cutoff values (42.08 cm2/m2 for men and 37.35 cm2/m2 for women). Low skeletal muscle mass was significantly associated with longer hospital length of stay, longer intensive care length of stay, higher cost, higher frequency of mechanical ventilation, longer duration of vasopressor use, and higher incidence of massive transfusion and overall complications (P < 0.05). Subgroup analysis showed that pneumonia, acute gastrointestinal dysfunction, cholecystitis, digestive tract fistula, gastric fistula, and intestinal fistula were significantly associated with low skeletal muscle mass (P < 0.05). Multivariate analysis showed that low skeletal muscle mass was an independent risk factor for overall complications (odds ratio [OR], 2.44; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.33-4.49; P = 0.004), hospital length of stay (OR, 3.49; 95% CI, 1.96-6.20; P < 0.001), and hospital cost (OR, 2.67; 95% CI, 1.48-4.80; P = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Low skeletal muscle mass could be an independent predictor of poor clinical outcomes in patients with abdominal trauma.