Clinical practice guidelines for nutritional assessment and monitoring of adult ICU patients in China.

The Chinese Society of Critical Care Medicine (CSCCM) has developed clinical practice guidelines for nutrition assessment and monitoring for patients in adult intensive care units (ICUs) in China. This guideline focuses on nutrition evaluation and metabolic monitoring to achieve optimal and personalized nutrition therapy for critically ill patients. This guideline was developed by experts in critical care medicine and evidence-based medicine methodology and was developed after a thorough review of the system and a summary of relevant trials or studies published from 2000 to July 2023. A total of 18 recommendations were formed and consensus was reached through discussions and reviews by expert groups in critical care medicine, parenteral and enteral nutrition, and surgery. The recommendations are based on currently available evidence and cover several key fields, including screening and assessment, evaluation and assessment of enteral feeding intolerance, metabolic and nutritional measurement and monitoring during nutrition therapy, and organ function evaluation related to nutrition supply. Each question was analyzed according to the Population, Intervention, Comparison, and Outcome (PICO) principle. In addition, interpretations were provided for four questions that did not reach a consensus but may have potential clinical and research value. The plan is to update this nutrition assessment and monitoring guideline using the international guideline update method within 3-5 years.

Cost-effectiveness of de-escalation from micafungin versus escalation from fluconazole for invasive candidiasis in China.

AIMS: Guidelines on treating invasive candidiasis recommend initial treatment with a broad-spectrum echinocandin (e.g. micafungin), then switching to fluconazole if isolates prove sensitive (de-escalation strategy). This study aimed to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of de-escalation from micafungin vs escalation from fluconazole from a Chinese public payers perspective. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Cost-effectiveness was estimated using a decision analytic model, in which patients begin treatment with fluconazole 400 mg/day (escalation) or micafungin 100 mg/day (de-escalation). From Day 3, when susceptibility results are available, patients are treated with either fluconazole (if isolates are fluconazole-sensitive/dose-dependent) or micafungin (if isolates are resistant). The total duration of (appropriate) treatment is 14 days. Model inputs are early (Day 3) and end-of-treatment mortality rates, treatment success rates, and health resource utilization. Model outputs are costs of health resource utilization over 42 days, incremental cost per life-year, and incremental cost per quality-adjusted life-year (QALY) over a lifetime horizon. RESULTS: In the base-case analysis, the de-escalation strategy was associated with longer survival and higher treatment success rates compared with escalation, at a lower overall cost (-¥1,154; -175 United States Dollars). Life-years and QALYs were also better with de-escalation. Thus, this strategy dominated the escalation strategy for all outcomes. In a probabilistic sensitivity analysis, 99% of 10,000 simulations were below the very cost-effective threshold (1 × gross domestic product). LIMITATIONS: The main limitation of the study was the lack of real-world input data for clinical outcomes on treatment with micafungin in China; data from other countries were included in the model. CONCLUSION: A de-escalation strategy is cost-saving from the Chinese public health payer perspective compared with escalation. It improves outcomes and reduces costs to the health system by reducing hospitalization, due to an increase in the proportion of patients receiving appropriate treatment.

[The correlation between procalcitonin, C-reactive protein and severity scores in patients with sepsis and their value in assessment of prognosis].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the correlation between procalcitonin (PCT), C-reactive protein (CRP) and acute physiology and chronic health evaluation II (APACHE II) score and sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA) score, and to investigate the value in assessment of PCT and CRP in prognosis in patients with sepsis. METHODS: Clinical data of patients admitted to intensive care unit (ICU) of Changzheng Hospital Affiliated to the Second Military Medical University from January 2011 to June 2014 were retrospectively analyzed. 201 sepsis patients who received PCT and CRP tests, and evaluation of APACHE II score and SOFA score were enrolled. The values of PCT, CRP, APACHE II score and SOFA score between survivals (n = 136) and non-survivals (n = 65) were compared. The values of PCT and CRP among groups with different APACHE II scores and SOFA scores were compared. The relationships between PCT, CRP and APACHE II score and SOFA score were analyzed by Spearman correlation analysis. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was plotted to assess the prognostic value of PCT and CRP for prognosis of patients with sepsis. RESULTS: Compared with survival group, the values of PCT [µg/L: 11.03 (19.17) vs. 1.39 (2.61), Z = -4.572, P < 0.001], APACHE II score (19.16±5.32 vs. 10.01±3.88, t = -13.807, P < 0.001) and SOFA score (9.66±4.28 vs. 4.27±3.19, t = -9.993, P < 0.001) in non-survival group were significantly increased, but the value of CRP was not significantly different between non-survival group and survival group [mg/L: 75.22 (110.94) vs. 56.93 (100.75), Z = -0.731, P = 0.665]. The values of PCT were significantly correlated with APACHE II score and SOFA score (r1 = 0.373, r2 = 0.392, both P < 0.001), but the values of CRP were not significantly correlated with APACHE II score and SOFA score (r1 = -0.073, P1 = 0.411; r2 = -0.106, P2 = 0.282). The values of PCT rose significantly as the APACHE II score and SOFA score became higher, but the value of CRP was not significantly increased. When APACHE II score was 0-10, 11-20, and > 20, the value of PCT was 1.45 (2.62), 1.96 (9.04), and 7.41 (28.9) µg/L, respectively, and the value of CRP was 57.50 (83.40), 59.00 (119.70), and 77.60 (120.00) mg/L, respectively. When SOFA score was 0-5, 6-10, and > 10, the value of PCT was respectively 1.43 (3.09), 3.41 (9.75), and 5.43 (29.60) µg/L, and the value of CRP was 49.30 (86.20), 76.00 (108.70), and 75.60 (118.10) mg/L, respectively. There was significant difference in PCT between any two groups with different APACHE II and SOFA scores (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01), but no significant differences in CRP were found. The area under the ROC curve (AUC) of PCT for prognosis was significantly greater than that of CRP [0.872 (95% confidence interval 0.811-0.943) vs. 0.512 (95% confidence interval 0.427-0.612), P < 0.001]. When the cut-off value of PCT was 3.36 µg/L, the sensitivity was 66.8%, and the specificity was 45.4%. When the cut-off value of CRP was 44.50 mg/L, the sensitivity was 82.2%, and the specificity was 80.3%. CONCLUSIONS: Compared with CRP, PCT was more significantly correlated with APACHE II score and SOFA score. PCT can be a better indicator for evaluation of degree of severity, and also prognosis in sepsis patients.

[Combination of Weighted index of comorbidities and sepsis-related organ failure assessment score in death risk evaluation of septic patients].

OBJECTIVE: To predict the risk of 28- day mortality on septic patients in intensive care unit (ICU) with the combination of the Weighted index of comorbidities (WIC) and sepsis-related organ failure assessment (SOFA) score. METHODS: The clinical data of adult sever sepsis/ septic shock patients in Department of Emergency Medicine of Chagzeng Hospital and Department of Clinical Care Medicine of Jinan Military General Hospital from October 2011 to February 2013 were analyzed retrospectively. The etiological factor, past history, having sever sepsis or not were recorded. Age score, WIC score, acute physiology and chronic health evaluation II (APACHE II) score and SOFA score were calculated at or 24 hours after admission. The logistic regression was used and the receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC curve) was drawn to calculate the patients' outcome. RESULTS: In 310 enrolled patients, 223 (71.9%) patients survived and 87 (28.1%) died. Univariate analysis showed the P values of the age score, WIC score, APACHE II score and SOFA score. chronic cardiac insufficiency, type 2 diabetes, cerebrovascular disease, tumor, multiple injury, pulmonary infection and having severe sepsis or not were all less tha 0.2. The above 11 variables were put into the multivariate logistic regression equation 1, of which predicted probability was reserved. It revealed that 5 variables were independently associated with 28-day prognosis, of which influence power in descending order were SOFA score [odds ratio (OR)=1.308, 95 % confidence interval (95% CI): 1.158-1.478, P=0.000], having sever sepsis or not (OR=0.206, 95% Cl:0.100-0.424, P=0.000), APACHE II score (OR=1.090, 95% CI:1.021-1.164, P=0.010) WIC score (OR=1.441, 95% CI:1.067-1.947, P=0.017) age score (OR=1.228, 95% CI:1.027-1.468, P=0.024), the Wals were 18.554, 18.369, 6.725, 5.662, 5.067, respectively. The 3 variables, age score, WIC score and SOFA score, were brought into the multivariate logistic regression equation 2, of which predicted probability was reserved too. It revealed that age score (OR=1.330, 95 % CI: 1.145-1.546, P=0.000), WIC score (OR=1.496, 95% CI: 1.145-1.546, P=000) and SOFA score (OR=1.429, 95% CI: 1.303-1.567, P=0.000), were independently associated with the septic patients' 28-day prognosis. There was no significant difference in the area under receiver operating characteristics curve (AUC) between the SOFA score and APACHE II score (0.784 vs. 0.780, Z=0.014, P=0.989). However, compared with APACHE II score, the AUC of equation 1 (0.888) and 2 (0.851) were much more (Z=4.333, P= 0.000; Z= 2.669, P= 0.008). CONCLUSION: The sensitivity of 28-day prognosis 28-day prognosis by WIC score was improved greatly with the combination of SOFA score and age score.

Clinical review: critical care medicine in mainland China.

Critical care medicine began in mainland China in the early 1980s. After almost 30 years of effort, it has been recognized as a specialty very recently. However, limited data suggest that critical care resources, especially ICU beds, are inadequate compared with those of developed countries. National critical care societies work together to set up good practice standards, and to improve academic levels with scientific meetings, education programs, and training courses. Critical care research in mainland China is beginning to evolve, with great potential for improvement.