Respiratory rate­oxygenation (ROX) index for predicting high-flow nasal cannula failure in patients with and without COVID-19.

BACKGROUND: The predictive value of the respiratory rate­oxygenation (ROX) index for a high-flow nasal cannula (HFNC) in patients with COVID-19 with acute hypoxemic respiratory failure (AHRF) may differ from patients without COVID-19 with AHRF, but these patients have not yet been compared. We compared the diagnostic accuracy of the ROX index for HFNC failure in patients with AHRF with and without COVID-19 during acute emergency department (ED) visits. METHODS: We performed a retrospective analysis of patients with AHRF treated with an HFNC in an ED between October 2020 and April 2022. The ROX index was calculated at 1, 2, 4, 6, 12, and 24 h after HFNC placement. The primary outcome was the failure of the HFNC, which was defined as the need for subsequent intubation or death within 72 h. A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to evaluate discriminative power of the ROX index for HFNC failure. RESULTS: Among 448 patients with AHRF treated with an HFNC in an ED, 78 (17.4%) patients were confirmed to have COVID-19. There was no significant difference in the HFNC failure rates between the non-COVID-19 and COVID-19 groups (29.5% vs. 33.3%, p = 0.498). The median ROX index was higher in the non-COVID-19 group than in the COVID-19 group at all time points. The prognostic power of the ROX index for HFNC failure as evaluated by the area under the ROC curve was generally higher in the COVID-19 group (0.73-0.83) than the non-COVID-19 group (0.62-0.75). The timing of the highest prognostic value of the ROX index for HFNC failure was at 4 h for the non-COVID-19 group, whereas in the COVID-19 group, its performance remained consistent from 1 h to 6 h. The optimal cutoff values were 6.48 and 5.79 for the non-COVID-19 and COVID-19 groups, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The ROX index had an acceptable discriminative power for predicting HFNC failure in patients with AHRF with and without COVID-19 in the ED. However, the higher ROX index thresholds than those in previous publications involving intensive care unit (ICU) patients suggest the need for careful monitoring and establishment of a new threshold for patients admitted outside the ICU.

Performance analysis considering endpoints for three accelerated diagnostic protocols for chest pain.

INTRODUCTION: The modified accelerated diagnostic protocol (ADP) to assess patients with chest pain symptoms using troponin as the only biomarker (mADAPT), the History, ECG, Age, Risk factors, and Troponin (HEART) pathway, and the Emergency Department Assessment of Chest Pain Rule (EDACS)-ADP, are the three most well-known ADPs for patients with chest pain. These ADPs define major adverse cardiac event (MACE) as components of acute myocardial infarction, revascularization, and death; unstable angina is not included as an endpoint. METHODS: We performed a single-center prospective observational study comparing the performance of these 3 ADPs for patients with 30-day MACE with and without unstable angina. We hypothesized that these ADPs will have high sensitivities for MACE without unstable angina, a definition used for score derivation studies. However, when unstable angina is included in the MACE, their performances would be lower than the acceptable rate of >99% sensitivity. RESULTS: A total of 1,214 patients were included in the analysis. When unstable angina was not included in the endpoint, sensitivities for MACE were 99.1% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 96.7-99.9%), 99.5% (95% CI: 97.4-100%), and 100% (95% CI: 98.3-100%) for mADAPT, EDACS-ADP, and HEART pathway, respectively. The HEART pathway had the highest proportion of patients classified as low risk (39.2%, 95% CI: 35.8-42.9%), followed by EDACS-ADP (31.3%, 95% CI: 28.2-34.6%) and mADAPT (29.3%, 95% CI: 26.4-32.5%). However, when unstable angina was included in the MACE, sensitivities were 96.6% (95% CI: 94.4-98.1%) for mADAPT, 97.3% (95% CI: 95.3-98.6%) for EDACS-ADP, and 97.3% (95% CI: 95.3-98.6%) for the HEART pathway, respectively. There were 15 false-negative cases with mADAPT, and 12 false-negative cases each for EDACS-ADP and HEART pathway. CONCLUSION: All three ADPs-mADAPT, EDACS-ADP, and HEART pathway-were similarly accurate in their discriminatory performance for the risk stratification of ED patients presenting with possible ACS when unstable angina was not included in the endpoint. The HEART pathway showed the best combination of sensitivity and proportion of patients that can be classified as safe for early discharge. However, when unstable angina was added to the endpoint, all three ADPs did not show appropriate safety levels and their performances were lower than the acceptable risk of MACE.

Augmented-Medication CardioPulmonary Resuscitation Trials in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest: a pilot randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Previously conducted physician-centered trials on the usefulness of vasopressin have yielded negative results; thus, patient-oriented trials have been warranted. We hypothesize that Augmented-Medication CardioPulmonary Resuscitation could be helpful for selected patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). METHODS: This is a double-blind, single-center, randomized, placebo-controlled trial conducted in the emergency department in a tertiary, university-affiliated hospital in Seoul, Korea. A total of 148 adults with non-traumatic OHCA who had initial diastolic blood pressure (DBP) < 20 mm Hg via invasive arterial monitoring during the early cardiac compression period were randomly assigned to two groups. Patients received a dose of 40 IU of vasopressin or placebo with initial epinephrine. The primary endpoint was a sustained return of spontaneous circulation. Secondary endpoints were survival discharge, and neurologic outcomes at discharge. RESULTS: Of the 180 included patients, 32 were excluded, and 148 were enrolled in the trial. A sustained return of spontaneous circulation was achieved by 27 patients (36.5%) in the vasopressin group and 24 patients (32.4%) in the control group (risk difference, 4.1%; P = .60). Survival discharge and good neurologic outcomes did not differ between groups. The trial group had significantly higher median DBPs during resuscitation than the control group (16.0 vs. 14.5 mm Hg, P < 0.01). There was no difference in end-tidal carbon dioxide, acidosis, and lactate levels at baseline, 10 min, and end-time. CONCLUSION: Among patients with refractory vasodilatory shock in OHCA, administration of vasopressin, compared with placebo, did not significantly increase the likelihood of return of spontaneous circulation.

Prognostic accuracy of the sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA) and quick SOFA for mortality in cancer patients with sepsis defined by systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS).

PURPOSE: We aimed to assess the prognostic accuracy of SOFA and qSOFA scores in cancer patients with sepsis, and also to determine if the addition of hyperlactatemia to qSOFA increases the accuracy in predicting the 30-day mortality. MATERIAL AND METHOD: We consecutively included adult active cancer patients (age ≥ 18 years) with sepsis defined by SIRS who visited the emergency department (ED) from May 1st to July 30th, 2017. Data were collected retrospectively through reviewing medical records. The SOFA and qSOFA scores were calculated with the initial variables at the time of ED admission. The primary endpoint was 30-day mortality. RESULT: Of 1137 screened, 301 were included. The 30-day mortality was 14.3% (43 patients). Among the total 301, the SOFA score was ≥ 2 in 168 and qSOFA ≥ 2 in 23. For those with SOFA ≥ 2 and < 2, the mortality was 23.2% and 3%, respectively (P < 0.001). For those with qSOFA ≥ 2 and < 2, the mortality was 47.8% and 11.5%, respectively (P < 0.001). The AUROC of 30-day mortality for qSOFA was lower than that for SOFA (0.66 (95% CI, 0.56-0.75) vs. 0.79 (95% CI, 0.72-0.87), P = 0.004)). However, the combination of qSOFA with lactate ≥ 2 threshold considerably enhanced a discrimination capacity for mortality with an AUROC 0.77 (95% CI, 0.69-0.85), which was similar to SOFA (P = 0.11). CONCLUSION: In cancer patients with sepsis, qSOFA was inferior to SOFA in predicting mortality. However, adding lactate to qSOFA resulted in greater prognostic accuracy for short-term mortality, comparable with SOFA.

Performance of the EDACS-ADP incorporating highsensitivity troponin assay: Do components of major adverse cardiac events matter?

BACKGROUND: The accelerated diagnostic protocol (ADP) using the Emergency Department Assessment of Chest pain Score (EDACS-ADP), a tool to identify patients at low risk of a major adverse cardiac event (MACE) among patients presenting with chest pain to the emergency department, was developed using a contemporary troponin assay. This study was performed to validate and compare the performance of the EDACS-ADP incorporating high-sensitivity cardiac troponin I between patients who had a 30-day MACE with and without unstable angina (MACE I and II, respectively). METHODS: A single-center prospective observational study of adult patients presenting with chest pain suggestive of acute coronary syndrome was performed. The performance of EDACS-ADP in predicting MACE was assessed by calculating the sensitivity and negative predictive value. RESULTS: Of the 1,304 patients prospectively enrolled, 399 (30.6%; 95% confidence interval [95% CI]: 27.7%-33.8%) were considered low-risk using the EDACS-ADP. Among them, the rates of MACE I and II were 1.3% (5/399) and 1.0% (4/399), respectively. The EDACS-ADP showed sensitivities and negative predictive values of 98.8% (95% CI: 97.2%-99.6%) and 98.7% (95% CI: 97.0%-99.5%) for MACE I and 98.7% (95% CI: 96.8%-99.7%) and 99.0% (95% CI: 97.4%-99.6%) for MACE II, respectively. CONCLUSION: EDACS-ADP could help identify patients as safe for early discharge. However, when unstable angina was added to the outcome, the 30-day MACE rate among the designated low-risk patients remained above the level acceptable for early discharge without further evaluation.

Diagnostic Accuracy of Plasma Renin Concentration and Renin Activity in Predicting Mortality and Kidney Outcomes in Patients With Septic Shock and Hypoperfusion or Hypotension: A Multicenter, Prospective, Observational Study.

Background: Lactate is a commonly used biomarker for sepsis, although it has limitations in certain cases, suggesting the need for novel biomarkers. We evaluated the diagnostic accuracy of plasma renin concentration and renin activity for mortality and kidney outcomes in patients with sepsis with hypoperfusion or hypotension. Methods: This was a multicenter, prospective, observational study of 117 patients with septic shock treated at three tertiary emergency departments between September 2021 and October 2022. The accuracy of renin activity, renin, and lactate concentrations in predicting 28-day mortality, acute kidney injury (AKI), and renal replacement requirement was assessed using the area under the ROC curve (AUC) analysis. Results: The AUCs of initial renin activity, renin, and lactate concentrations for predicting 28-day mortality were 0.66 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.55-0.77), 0.63 (95% CI, 0.52-0.75), and 0.65 (95% CI, 0.53-0.77), respectively, and those at 24 hrs were 0.74 (95% CI, 0.62-0.86), 0.70 (95% CI, 0.56-0.83), and 0.67 (95% CI, 0.54-0.79). Renin concentrations and renin activity outperformed initial lactate concentrations in predicting AKI within 14 days. The AUCs of renin and lactate concentrations were 0.71 (95% CI, 0.61-0.80) and 0.57 (95% CI, 0.46-0.67), respectively (P=0.030). The AUC of renin activity (0.70; 95% CI, 0.60-0.80) was also higher than that of lactate concentration (P=0.044). Conclusions: Renin concentration and renin activity show comparable performance to lactate concentration in predicting 28-day mortality in patients with septic shock but superior performance in predicting AKI.

Glaucoma medications.

Glaucoma is a common eye condition that affects millions of individuals worldwide, making it the second-leading cause of blindness. Because glaucoma is associated with increased IOP level, the primary goal in treatment of glaucoma includes lowering IOP to prevent further progression of the disease. While various surgical interventions exist, medical therapy is currently the first line of treatment. Medical treatment of glaucoma includes topical beta-blockers, alpha-2 agonists, prostaglandins, parasympathomimetics and CAIs. Anti-glaucoma agents help reduce IOP by affecting the production of aqueous humor or increasing the outflow of aqueous through the trabecular or uveoscleral pathway. Choosing an appropriate medical regimen can be challenging and various factors such as efficacy, safety, cost and patient compliance must be considered. First-line treatment is often topical beta-blockers or prostaglandin analogs. However, beta-blocking agents can be associated with systemic side effects and need to be used cautiously in patients with serious concomitant cardiopulmonary disease. Alpha-2 agonists and parasympathomimetics are often considered second- or third-line treatment options but good adjunctive agents. Oral CAIs are often indicated for patients with elevated IOP in an acute setting or for patients resistant to other glaucoma medications and patients who are not good surgical candidates.

Computed tomography coronary angiography after excluding myocardial infarction: high-sensitivity troponin versus risk score-guided approach.

BACKGROUND: Patients with suspected acute coronary syndrome (ACS) in whom myocardial infarction has been ruled out are still at risk of having obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD). This rate is higher among patients with intermediate high-sensitivity troponin I (hsTnI) concentrations (5 ng/L to 99th percentile) than low concentrations (<5 ng/L). Therefore, an intermediate concentration has been suggested as a candidate for downstream investigation with computed tomography coronary angiography (CTCA). We tried to compare the HEART score-guided vs. hsTnI-guided approach for identifying obstructive CAD. METHODS: From a prospective cohort study of patients presenting to the emergency department with suspected ACS, 433 patients without elevated hsTnI who also underwent CTCA were selected and analyzed. The performances of hsTnI concentration and HEART score were compared using sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV). RESULTS: Overall, 120 (27.7%) patients had obstructive CAD. Patients with intermediate hsTnI concentrations were more likely to have obstructive CAD than those with low hsTnI concentrations (40.0% vs. 18.1%); patients with non-low-risk HEART scores (≥4 points) were also more likely to have obstructive CAD than those with low-risk scores (0 to 3 points) (41.0% vs. 7.6%). The HEART score had higher sensitivity and NPV for detecting obstructive CAD in each classification than hsTnI concentration (sensitivity: 89.2% vs. 63.3% NPV: 92.4% vs. 81.9%, respectively). CONCLUSION: After excluding myocardial infarction in patients with suspected ACS, adding the HEART score for selecting candidates for CTCA could improve patient risk stratification more accurately than relying on hsTnI concentration.

Modification of HEART Pathway for Patients With Chest Pain: A Korean Perspective.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The History, Electrocardiography, Age, Risk factors, and Troponin (HEART) pathway was developed to identify patients at low risk of a major adverse cardiac event (MACE) among patients presenting with chest pain to the emergency department. METHODS: We modified the HEART pathway by replacing the Korean cut-off of 25 kg/m² with the conventional threshold of 30 kg/m² in the definition of obesity among risk factors. The primary outcome was a MACE within 30 days, which included acute myocardial infarction, primary coronary intervention, coronary artery bypass grafting, and all-cause death. RESULTS: Of the 1,304 patients prospectively enrolled, MACE occurred in 320 (24.5%). The modified HEART pathway identified 37.3% of patients as low-risk compared with 38.3% using the HEART pathway. Of the 500 patients classified as low-risk with HEART pathway, 8 (1.6%) experienced MACE, and of the 486 low-risk patients with modified HEART pathway, 4 (0.8%) experienced MACE. The modified HEART pathway had a sensitivity of 98.8%, a negative predictive value (NPV) of 99.2%, a specificity of 49.0%, and a positive predictive value (PPV) of 38.6%, compared with the original HEART pathway, with a sensitivity of 97.5%, a NPV of 98.4%, a specificity of 50.0%, and a PPV of 38.8%. CONCLUSIONS: When applied to Korean population, modified HEART pathway could identify patients safe for early discharge more accurately by using body mass index cut-off levels suggested for Koreans.

Vitamin D deficiency on admission to the emergency department is a mortality predictor for patients with septic shock treated with early protocol-driven resuscitation bundle therapy.

BACKGROUND: Vitamin D is an important immune modulator and is associated with susceptibility to infection. However, past studies have reported inconsistent results regarding the association between vitamin D deficiency and mortality in patients with sepsis, and early-stage data regarding septic shock are limited. This study aimed to determine the relationship between vitamin D deficiency on admission to the emergency department (ED) and mortality in patients with septic shock. METHODS: We analyzed prospectively collected data on adult patients with septic shock who were treated with protocol-driven resuscitation bundle therapy in the ED between September 2019 and February 2021. Septic shock was defined by the sepsis-3 definition and vitamin D deficiency was defined as a 25-hydroxyvitamin D <20 ng/ml. The primary outcome was 30-day mortality. RESULTS: A total of 302 patients were included, 236 (78.1%) patients had vitamin D deficiency; it was significantly higher in non-survivors than in survivors (89.3% vs. 73.9%, P = 0.004). Mortality was higher in vitamin D deficient patients than in non-deficient patients (31.8% vs. 13.6%, P = 0.004). In multivariate analysis, vitamin D deficiency (odds ratio [OR], 2.43; 95 % confidence interval [CI], 1.03-5.74), hyperlactatemia (OR, 3.65; 95 % CI, 1.95-6.83), Sequential Organ Failure Assessment scores (OR, 1.22; 95% CI, 1.09-1.36), and albumin levels (OR, 0.39; 95% CI, 0.21-0.73) were significantly associated with 30-day mortality. CONCLUSIONS: Vitamin D deficiency was prevalent in patients with septic shock visiting the ED and was associated with mortality.

Development and validation of a new risk scoring system for solid tumor patients with suspected infection.

This study aimed to develop a new prognostic model for predicting 30-day mortality in solid tumor patients with suspected infection. This study is a retrospective cohort study and was conducted from August 2019 to December 2019 at a single center. Adult active solid tumor patients with suspected infection were enrolled among visitors to the emergency room (ER). Logistic regression analysis was used to identify potential predictors for a new model. A total of 899 patients were included; 450 in the development cohort and 449 in the validation cohort. Six independent variables predicted 30-day mortality: Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status (PS), peripheral oxygen saturation (SpO2), creatinine, bilirubin, C-reactive protein (CRP), and lactate. The C-statistic of the new scoring system was 0.799 in the development cohort and 0.793 in the validation cohort. The C-statistics in the development cohort was significantly higher than those of SOFA [0.723 (95% CI: 0.663-0.783)], qSOFA [0.596 (95% CI: 0.537-0.655)], and SIRS [0.547 (95% CI: 0.483-0.612)]. The discriminative capability of the new cancer-specific risk scoring system was good in solid tumor patients with suspected infection. The new scoring model was superior to SOFA, qSOFA, and SIRS in predicting mortality.

Elevation of the D-dimer cut-off level might be applicable to rule out pulmonary embolism for active cancer patients in the emergency department.

Recent guidelines for diagnosing acute pulmonary embolism (PE) are based on clinical decision rules and D-dimer. D-dimer measurement is recommended only for patients who are 'PE-unlikely'. We aimed to assess the current guidelines for cancer patients and to determine an optimal D-dimer cut-off level. This retrospective observational study was conducted in the emergency department of Asan Medical Center (Seoul, Korea) between 02/2017 and 09/2017 for the development cohort and between 06/2018 and 02/2019 for the validation cohort. Among adult active cancer patients with suspected PE, we included those who were 'PE-unlikely' according to Wells' criteria and who underwent D-dimer testing and computed tomographic pulmonary angiography (CTPA). A total of 498 patients (227 in the development cohort and 271 in the validation cohort) were included, and PE was diagnosed in 8.8% and 18.5% of patients, respectively. The optimal D-dimer cut-off level was 2.0 µg/mL. This elevated cut-off level showed a much higher specificity of 21.3% (95% confidence interval [CI] 16.2-27.3%) and 21.7% (95% CI 16.8-7.6%) in the development and validation sets, respectively, compared with the specificity of 4.4% (95% CI 2.3-8.1%) and 4.1% (95% CI 2.2-7.6%) using the age-adjusted cut-off. The new D-dimer cut-off value identified unnecessary CTPA for 21.3% of patients (absolute difference, 16.9%, 35 of 207) in the development cohort and 21.7% (absolute difference, 17.6%, 39 of 221) of patients in the validation cohort compared to using the standard age-adjusted cut-off. The elevated D-dimer cut-off value combined with Wells' criteria might reduce unnecessary CTPA in active cancer patients with a 'PE-unlikely' classification. Further clinical trials are warranted to improve the PE diagnostic strategy in cancer patients.

Association between Vitamin D deficiency and Neurologic Outcomes in Patients after Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation.

AIM: We investigated the association between vitamin D deficiency and neurologic outcomes after cardiopulmonary resuscitation. METHOD: Data from the prospective cardiac arrest registry in the emergency department between October 2019 and April 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. Blood samples were obtained during cardiopulmonary resuscitation wherein 25-hydroxyvitamin D serum levels were analyzed; deficiency was defined as levels < 10 ng/mL. The primary outcome was neurologic outcomes at 3 months assessed using the modified Rankin Scale. RESULT: A total of 195 patients (mean age, 64.5 ±â€Š16.1 years; 135 [69.2%] men) were included. A significantly greater proportion of patients with poor outcomes had vitamin D deficiency compared with those with good outcomes (49.4% vs. 18.2%, P = 0.001). The area under the curve for a sustained return of spontaneous circulation and 3-month poor neurologic outcomes was 0.595 (P = 0.031) and 0.704 (P < 0.001), respectively. In a multivariate analysis, vitamin D deficiency (odds ratio [OR]: 10.22; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.47-70.82, P = 0.019), initial shockable rhythm (OR: 0.03; 95% CI: 0.00-0.84, P = 0.040), low flow time (OR: 1.10; 95% CI: 1.03-1.16, P = 0.003), and thrombocytopenia (OR: 10.66; 95% CI: 1.13-100.41, P = 0.039) were significantly associated with 3-month poor neurologic outcomes. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in patients with cardiac arrest was 44% and was associated with poor neurological outcomes at 3 months.

Augmented-Medication CardioPulmonary Resuscitation (AMCPR) trial: a study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

Objective Clinical trials on demodynamic-directed cardiopulmonary resuscitation have been limited. The aim of this study is to investigate whether Augmented-Medication CardioPulmonary Resuscitation (AMCPR) would improve the odds of return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) in patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. Methods This is a double-blind, single-center, randomized placebo-controlled trial that will be conducted in the emergency department of a tertiary, university-affiliated hospital in Seoul, Korea. A total of 148 adult patients with nontraumatic, nonshockable, out-of-hospital cardiac arrest who have an initial diastolic blood pressure above 20 mmHg will be randomly assigned to two groups of 74 patients (a 1:1 ratio). Patients will receive an intravenous dose of 40 IU of vasopressin with epinephrine, or a placebo with epinephrine. The primary endpoint is a sustained ROSC (over 20 minutes). Secondary endpoints are enhanced diastolic blood pressure, end-tidal carbon dioxide levels, acidosis, and lactate levels during resuscitation. Discussion AMCPR is a trial about tailored medication for select patients during resuscitation. This is the first randomized control trial to identify patients who would benefit from vasopressin for achieving ROSC. This study will provide evidence about the effect of administration of vasopressin with epinephrine to increase ROSC rate. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT03191240. Registered on June 19, 2017.

Extracellular Water to Total Body Water Ratio in Septic Shock Patients Receiving Protocol-Driven Resuscitation Bundle Therapy.

(1) Bio-electrical impedance analysis (BIA) is a rapid, simple, and noninvasive tool for evaluating the metabolic status and for assessing volume status in critically ill patients. Little is known, however, the prognostic value of body composition analysis in septic shock patients. This study assessed the association between parameters by body composition analysis and mortality in patients with septic shock in the emergency department (ED). (2) Data were prospectively collected on adult patients with septic shock who underwent protocol-driven resuscitation bundle therapy between December 2019 and January 2021. The primary outcome was 30-day mortality. (3) The study included 261 patients, the average ratio of extracellular water (ECW) to total body water (TBW) was significantly higher in non-survivors than in survivors (0.414 vs. 0.401, p < 0.001). Multivariate analysis showed that ECW/TBW ≥ 0.41 (odds ratio (OR), 4.62; 95% confidence interval (CI), 2.31-9.26, p < 0.001), altered mental status (OR, 2.88; 95% CI, 1.28-6.46, p = 0.010), and lactate level (OR, 1.24; 95% CI, 1.12-1.37, p < 0.001) were significantly associated with 30-day mortality in patients with septic shock. (4) ECW/TBW ≥ 0.41 may be associated with 30-day mortality in patients with septic shock receiving protocol-driven resuscitation bundle therapy in the ED.

Role of thromboelastography in the evaluation of septic shock patients with normal prothrombin time and activated partial thromboplastin time.

Coagulopathy is frequent in septic shock and plays a key role in multiple organ dysfunction. The aim of this study is to investigate application values of thromboelastography (TEG) for outcome in septic shock patients with a normal value of prothrombin time (PT) and active partial thromboplastin time (aPTT). Prospective observational study using 1298 consecutive septic shock patients with TEG at admission was conducted at the emergency department (ED) of a tertiary care hospital in South Korea between 2016 and 2019. After excluding overt-disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) defined by scoring system, we included patients with a normal value of international normalized ratio ≤ 1.3 and aPTT ≤ 34 s. The primary outcome was 28-day mortality. 893 patients were included and 129 patients with overt DIC were excluded. Of the 764 remaining patients, 414 (54.2%) patients showed normal PT and aPTT (28-day mortality rate, 11.4%). TEG values such as reaction time, kinetic time (K), alpha angle (α), maximum amplitude (MA) and lysis index (LY 30) showed no significant mean difference between the survivor and non-survivor groups. However, hypocoagulable TEG values such as α < 53° (12.0% vs. 23.4%; p = 0.039), and MA < 50 mm (6.3% vs. 21.3%; p = 0.002) were significantly higher in the non-survived group. In multivariate analysis, hypocoagulable state (defined as K > 3 and α < 53 and MA < 50) was independent factors associated with increased risk of death (OR 4.882 [95% CI, 1.698-14.035]; p = 0.003). In conclusion, septic shock patients with normal PT and aPTT can be associated with impaired TEG profile, such as hypocoagulability, associated with increased mortality.

Role of Thromboelastography as an Early Predictor of Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation in Patients with Septic Shock.

(1) Background: The currently proposed criteria for diagnosing overt disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) are not suitable for early detection of DIC. Thromboelastography (TEG) rapidly provides a comprehensive assessment of the entire coagulation process and is helpful as a guide for correcting consumptive coagulopathy in sepsis-induced DIC. This study aimed to investigate the role of TEG in the prediction of DIC in patients with septic shock. (2) Methods: TEG was conducted prospectively in 1294 patients with septic shock at the emergency department (ED) between January 2016 and December 2019. After exclusion of 405 patients with "do not attempt resuscitation" orders, those refusing enrollment, and those developing septic shock after ED presentation, 889 patients were included. DIC was defined as an International Society on Thrombosis and Hemostasis score ≥ 5 points within 24 h. (3) Results: Of the 889 patients with septic shock (mean age 65.6 ± 12.7 years, 58.6% male), 158 (17.8%) developed DIC. TEG values, except lysis after 30 min, were significantly different between the DIC and non-DIC groups. Among the TEG values, the maximal amplitude (MA) had the highest discriminating power for DIC, with an area under the curve of 0.814. An MA < 60 indicated DIC with 79% sensitivity, 73% specificity, and 94% negative predictive value. Based on multivariable analysis, MA < 60 was an independent predictor of DIC (odds ratio 5.616 (95% confidence interval: 3.213-9.818)). (4) Conclusions: In patients with septic shock, the MA value in TEG could be a valuable tool for early prediction of DIC.

Type 3 neovascularisation: long-term analysis of visual acuity and optical coherence tomography anatomical outcomes.

BACKGROUND: To investigate the long-term visual and optical coherence tomography (OCT) anatomical outcomes of type 3 neovascularisation (NV) and to identify any baseline predictors of poor outcomes. METHODS: In this retrospective study, patients diagnosed with treatment naïve type 3 NV were identified and categorised into two groups: good or poor vision based on final vision at 1 year. Baseline demographic features and visual acuity (VA) and baseline and 1-year spectral domain OCT (SD-OCT) anatomical findings were studied and correlated with good versus poor visual outcomes. RESULTS: Ten of 25 eyes were classified as having a poor visual outcome (20/50 or worse) at 1 year. Increased age (P=0.049), male gender (p=0.041) and worse baseline VA (ρs=0.61, p=0.001) were associated with poor vision at 1 year. Greater foveal atrophy was noted at 1 year in the poor visual outcome group (p=0.030). Subretinal hyper-reflective material and choroidal thinning were additional features noted more commonly in this group. CONCLUSION: Increased age, male gender and lower baseline vision may be important baseline predictors of poor visual outcomes in eyes with type 3 NV. The development of central outer retinal atrophy and fibrosis, as identified with SD-OCT, may limit long-term vision in eyes with type 3 NV.

Prevalence and Phenotypes of Age-Related Macular Degeneration in Eyes With High Myopia.

Purpose: To analyze the frequency and phenotypic variation of AMD in subjects with high myopia (HM), and to describe the clinical course and response to treatment of neovascularization (NV). Methods: Patients with HM were identified at five retina tertiary referral centers. Inclusion criteria were myopic patients aged 55 years or more with axial lengths equal or greater than 25.5 mm. Results: A total of 874 eyes from 442 HM subjects older than 55 years were identified and 104 eyes of 54 patients (72 ± 11 years) were included in the study and followed up for 23.5 ± 19.5 months. The estimated AMD frequency in HM subjects over 55 years was 11.9% (95% confidence interval; 9.8%-14.0%). A total of 34 of 104 eyes were diagnosed with drusen, 22 with reticular pseudodrusen (RPD), 28 with both drusen and RPD, and 20 with geographic atrophy. Neovascularization was detected in 52 eyes (50%), and type 1 was the most frequent form (39 eyes, 75%). Overall, NV was treated with 4.6 ± 2.6 anti-VEGF injections. Eyes with treatment-naïve NV at baseline (n = 34) required 3.8 ± 1.5 anti-VEGF injections during the first year of treatment. This exceeded the injection number in the purely myopic population (1.8 to 3.6 injections for the first year). Conclusions: This study provides evidence to suggest that older patients with HM are at a significant risk of the dry and neovascular forms of AMD. NV in eyes with HM and AMD required more injections in the first year compared to NV in HM eyes without AMD.

Fractal Dimensional Analysis of Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography in Eyes With Diabetic Retinopathy.

PURPOSE: We used fractal dimensional analysis to analyze retinal vascular disease burden in eyes with diabetic retinopathy using spectral-domain optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA). METHODS: A retrospective study was performed of 13 eyes with diabetic retinopathy without diabetic macular edema and 56 control eyes. Optical coherence tomography angiography images were acquired using the RTVue XR Avanti. Automated segmentation was obtained through the superficial and deep capillary plexuses for each eye. Grayscale OCTA images were standardized and binarized using ImageJ. Fractal box-counting analyses were performed using Fractalyse. Fractal dimensions (FD) as well as software-generated vascular density analyses of the superficial and deep capillary plexuses were compared between diabetic and control eyes using 2-tailed t-tests and 1-way multivariate ANOVA (MANOVA) analyses. RESULTS: The superficial and deep plexuses from diabetic and control eyes were analyzed. The average FD for diabetic eyes was significantly lower than control eyes for the superficial (P = 4.513 × 10-3) and deep (P = 2.653 × 10-3) capillary plexuses. In diabetic eyes, the vascular density also was significantly reduced in the superficial (P = 8.068 × 10-5) and deep (P = 3.120 × 10-6) capillary plexuses. One-way MANOVA showed a significant difference between diabetic and control eyes. CONCLUSIONS: The OCTA FD is significantly reduced in the superficial and deep capillary plexuses in eyes with diabetic retinopathy. Applying fractal analysis to OCTA imaging holds the potential to establish quantitative parameters for microvascular pathology.