Analysis of Bacterial Pathogens Causing Complicating HAP in Patients with Secondary Peritonitis.

BACKGROUND: Diffuse peritonitis is an acute abdominal condition characterized by high mortality. The main treatment modality is surgery, requiring a subsequent prolonged hospital stay. These patients are, among other things, at risk of developing hospital-acquired pneumonia (HAP), which considerably worsens their treatment outcomes. This study aimed to extend the existing knowledge by providing more detailed microbiological characteristics of complicating HAP in patients with secondary peritonitis, including the identification of isolated bacterial pathogens and their potential sources. METHODS: The 2015-2019 retrospective study comprised all patients with an intraoperatively confirmed diagnosis of secondary diffuse peritonitis who were classified in accordance with the quick Sepsis Related Organ Failure Assessment scoring system. RESULTS: HAP developed in 15% of patients. The 90-day mortality rates were 53% and 24% in patients with and without HAP; respectively. The most frequent pathogens responsible for HAP were Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Escherichia coli, Enterobacter cloacae complex and Enterococcus faecalis. Multidrug resistance to antibiotics was found in 38% of bacterial pathogens. Clonal spread of these bacterial pathogens among patients was not detected. Rather, the endogenous characteristic of HAP was confirmed. CONCLUSIONS: The initial antibiotic therapy of complicating HAP in patients with secondary peritonitis must be effective mainly against enterobacteria, including strains with the production of ESBL and AmpC beta-lactamases, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Enterococcus faecalis. The study further highlighted the importance of monitoring the respiratory tract bacterial microflora in patients with secondary peritonitis. The results should be used for initial antibiotic treatment of complicating HAP instances.

Prognostic Significance of Simple Scoring Systems in the Prediction of Diffuse Peritonitis Morbidity and Mortality.

INTRODUCTION: Diffuse peritonitis is a serious disease. It is often addressed within urgent management of an unstable patient in shock. The therapy consists of treatment of the source of peritonitis, decontamination of the abdominal cavity, stabilization of the patient and comprehensive resuscitation care in an intensive care unit. A number of scoring systems to determine patient prognosis are available, but most of them require complex input data, making their practical application a substantial problem. OBJECTIVE: Our aim was to assess simple scoring systems within a cohort, evaluate the level of mortality, morbidity, and duration of hospital stay, followed by a comparison of the acquired data with the literature and determination of an easily implementable scoring system for use in clinical practice. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We evaluated a group of patients with diffuse peritonitis who underwent surgery in the 2015-2019 period. Medical history, surgical findings, and paraclinical examinations were used as the input for four scoring systems commonly used in practice-MPI, qSOFA, ECOG, and ASA. We compared the results between the systems and with the literature. RESULTS: Our cohort included 274 patients diagnosed with diffuse peritonitis. Mortality was 22.6%, morbidity 73.4%, with a 25.2 day average duration of hospital stay. Mortality and morbidity increased with rising MPI and qSOFA, well-established scoring systems, but also with rising ASA and ECOG, similarly to MPI and qSOFA. CONCLUSIONS: The utilized scoring systems correlated well with the severity of the condition and with predicted mortality and morbidity as reported in the literature. Simple scoring systems primarily used in other indications (i.e., ASA and ECOG) have a similar predictive value in our cohort as commonly used systems (MPI, qSOFA). We recommend them in routine clinical practice due to their simplicity.

Delirium as a complication of the surgical intensive care.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to examine the impact of somatic illnesses, electrolyte imbalance, red blood cell count, hypotension, and antipsychotic and opioid treatment on the duration of delirium in Central Intensive Care Unit for Surgery. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients who were admitted to the Department of Central Intensive Care Unit for Surgery in the University Hospital Olomouc from February 2004 to November 2008 were evaluated using Riker sedation-agitation scale. Their blood pressure, heart rate, respiratory rate, and peripheral blood oxygen saturation were measured continually, and body temperature was monitored once in an hour. The laboratory blood tests including sodium, potassium, chlorides, phosphorus, urea and creatinine, hemoglobin, hematocrit, red and white blood cell count, and C-reactive protein, albumin levels and laboratory markers of renal and liver dysfunction were done every day. All measurements were made at least for ten consecutive days or longer until the delirium resolved. RESULTS: The sample consisted of 140 consecutive delirious patients with a mean age of 68.21±12.07 years. Delirium was diagnosed in 140 of 5,642 patients (2.48%) admitted in CICUS in the last 5 years. The median duration of delirium was 48 hours with a range of 12-240 hours. Statistical analysis showed that hyperactive subtype of delirium and treatment with antipsychotics were associated with prolonged delirium duration (hyperactive 76.15±40.53 hours, hypoactive 54.46±28.44 hours, mixed 61.22±37.86 hours; Kruskal-Wallis test: 8.022; P<0.05). The duration of delirium was significantly correlated also with blood potassium levels (Pearson's r=0.2189, P<0.05), hypotension (hypotension 40.41±30.23 hours versus normotension 70.47±54.98 hours; Mann-Whitney U=1,512; P<0.05), administration of antipsychotics compared to other drugs (antipsychotics 72.83±40.6, benzodiazepines 42.00±20.78, others drugs, mostly piracetam 46.96±18.42 hours; Kruskal-Wallis test: 17.39, P<0.0005), and history of alcohol abuse (with a history of abuse 73.63±45.20 hours, without a history of abuse 59.54±30.61 hours; Mann-Whitney U=1,840; P<0.05). One patient had suffered from complicated postoperative hypostatic pneumonia and died due to respiratory failure (patient with hypoactive subtype). According to the backward stepwise multiple regression, the best significant predictors of duration of the delirium were the hypotension, type of psychopharmacs, type of delirium, the daily dose of opioids, a combination of psychopharmacs, history of alcohol abuse, plasma level of potassium, anemia, hyperpyrexia, and plasma level of albumin, reaching statistical significance (analysis of variance: F=5.205; df=24; P<0.005; adjusted r2=0.637). CONCLUSION: The hyperactive type of delirium, hypotension, usage of antipsychotics, the higher daily dose of opioids, a combination of psychopharmacs, history of alcohol abuse, low blood levels of potassium, anemia, hyperpyrexia, and hypoalbuminemia in the CICUS were associated with longer duration of delirium.

Alcohol withdrawal delirium - diagnosis, course and treatment.

OBJECTIVE: Delirium tremens represents the most severe complication of alcohol withdrawal syndrome and, in its complications, significantly increases the morbidity and mortality of patients. Alcohol withdrawal delirium is characterized by features of alcohol withdrawal itself (tremor, sweating, hypertension, tachycardia etc.) together with general delirious symptoms such as clouded consciousness, disorientation, disturbed circadian rhythms, thought processe and sensory disturbances, all of them fluctuating in time. The treatment combines a supportive and symptomatic approach. Benzodiazepines in supramaximal doses are usually used as drugs of choice but in some countries such as the Czech Republic or Germany, clomethiazole is frequently used as well. METHOD: A computer search of the all the literature published between 1966 and December 2012 was accomplished on MEDLINE and Web of Science with the key words "delirium tremens", "alcohol withdrawal", "treatment" and "pharmacotherapy". There were no language or time limits applied. CONCLUSIONS: When not early recognized and treated adequately, delirium tremens may result in death due to malignant arrhythmia, respiratory arrest, sepsis, severe electrolyte disturbance or prolonged seizures and subsequent trauma. Owing to these possible fatalities and other severe unexpected complications, delirium tremens should be managed at an ICU or wards ensuring vital signs monitoring. In symptomatic treatment, high doses of benzodiazepines, especially lorazepam, diazepam and oxazepam are considered the gold standard drugs. Supportive therapy is also of great importance.