Cardiometabolic biomarkers are predictors of readmission and death in patients hospitalized for acute dyspnea.

BACKGROUND: Acute dyspnea affects a large heterogeneous patient group with high mortality and readmission rates. PURPOSE: To investigate if cardiometabolic biomarkers and clinical characteristics predict readmission and death in patients hospitalized for acute dyspnea. METHODS: 65 dyspnea patients at a general internal medicine ward were followed for six months. The combined endpoint was readmission or death. MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS: Cardiometabolic biomarkers at admission were related to the endpoint in Cox proportional hazard models (adjusted for sex, age, oxygen saturation, respiratory rate and C-reactive protein (CRP)). The biomarkers tissue-type plasminogen activator (tPA), prolactin (PRL), tumor necrosis factor receptor superfamily member 6 (FAS) and C-C motif chemokine 3 (CCL3) were independently and significantly related to the endpoint and combined into a biomarker risk score (BRS). Each SD increment of the BRS conferred a hazard ratio (HR) of 2.13 (1.39-3.27) P=0.001. The top vs bottom tertile of the BRS conferred a HR of 4.75 (1.93-11.68) P=0.001. Dyspnea severity was also associated with worse outcome, HR=3.43 (1.28-9.20) P=0.014. However, when mutually adjusted the BRS remained significant (P=0.004) whereas dyspnea severity was not. The BRS was related to the endpoint among patients with mild to moderate dyspnea (P=0.016) but not among those with severe dyspnea. CONCLUSION: A score of tPA, PRL, FAS and CCL3 predicts 6-month death and readmission in patients hospitalized for acute dyspnea and may prove useful to optimize length of stay and follow-up. Although the BRS outweighs dyspnea severity in prediction of the endpoint, its prognostic role is strongest in mild-moderate dyspnea.

Inflammatory biomarkers predicting prognosis in patients with acute dyspnea.

OBJECTIVE/PURPOSE: The objective was to identify inflammatory biomarkers that predict risk of 90-day mortality in patients with acute dyspnea. METHOD: We analyzed 25 inflammatory biomarkers, in plasma, in 407 adult patients admitted to the emergency department (ED) with acute dyspnea and related them to risk of 90-day mortality using Cox proportional hazard models adjusted for age, sex, oxygen saturation, respiratory rate, C-reactive protein, and Medical Emergency Triage and Treatment System-Adult score. RESULTS: Fifty patients (12%) died within 90 day from admission. Two strong and independent biomarker signals were detected: The hazard ratio (95% confidence interval) for 90-day mortality per 1-SD increment of interleukin-8 (IL-8) was 2.20 (1.67-2.90) (P = 2.5 × 10(-8)) and for growth differentiation factor-15 (GDF-15) was 3.45 (2.18-5.45) (P = 1.3 × 10(-7)) A Biomarker Mortality Risk Score (BMRS) summing standardized and weighted values of IL-8 and GDF-15 revealed that of patients belonging to quartile 1 (Q1) of the BMRS, only 1 patient died, whereas 32 patients died among those belonging to quartile 4. Each 1-SD increment of the BMRS was associated with a hazard ratio of 3.79 (2.50-5.73) (P = 2 × 10(-10)) for 90-day mortality, and the point estimate was 13 times higher in Q4 as compared with Q1 of the BMRS (P(trend) over quartiles = 2 × 10(-6)). CONCLUSION: Interleukin-8 and GDF-15 are strongly and independently related to risk of 90-day mortality in unselected patients admitted to the ED because of acute dyspnea, suggesting that they may guide first-line physicians at the ED in risk assessment which in turn could lead to more accurate level of care and treatment intensity.

High total carbon dioxide predicts 1-year readmission and death in patients with acute dyspnea.

RATIONALE: Patients with acute dyspnea are a large heterogeneous patient group where initial management is important for outcome. OBJECTIVES: The objective of the study is to investigate if venous blood gas parameters predict 1-year risk of readmission or death in patients admitted to the emergency department due to acute dyspnea. METHODS: We studied 283 patients with acute dyspnea and followed them up for 1 year regarding incidence of readmission or death. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: In venous blood obtained immediately upon admission levels of total carbon dioxide (TCO2), base excess (BE), potential hydrogen (pH), and partial pressure of carbon dioxide (pCO2) were measured. In Cox proportional hazards models, patients belonging to top and bottom quartiles of TCO2, BE, pH, and pCO2 were compared to patients belonging to the 2 central quartiles and assessed for end point. After adjustment, top (hazard ratio [HR], 1.48; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.08-2.04; P=.016) and bottom (HR, 1.54; 95% CI, 1.08-2.18; P=.017) quartiles of BE were associated with increased risk of readmission or death. The strongest predictor was top quartile of TCO2 (HR, 1.68; 95% CI, 1.21-2.35; P=.002). In the combined analysis, top quartile of TCO2 remained significantly related to the end point (HR, 1.59; 95% CI, 1.03-2.45; P=.035), whereas BE became nonsignificant. Comorbidities, for example, prevalent chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, did not explain the association. Neither pCO2 nor pH predicted the end point. CONCLUSIONS: A high value of TCO2 appears to be an easily accessible marker for 1-year readmission or death in patients with acute dyspnea and may thus add clinically important information for risk stratification and follow-up strategies.

Risk factors, outcome and impact of empirical antimicrobial treatment in extended-spectrum ß-lactamase-producing Escherichia coli bacteraemia.

BACKGROUND: To investigate patient characteristics and empirical antimicrobial treatment of extended-spectrum ß-lactamase-producing Escherichia coli (ESBL-EC) bacteraemia, to determine risk factors, outcome and impact of empirical antimicrobial treatment. METHODS: We performed a retrospective case-control study of all patients diagnosed with ESBL-EC from January 2011 to September 2012. The control group consisted of patients with non-ESBL E. coli bacteraemia. The groups were compared with respect to empirical treatment, risk factors and outcome, using univariate and multivariate analysis. RESULTS: The study consisted of 70 consecutive cases of ESBL-producing and 140 controls of non-ESBL-producing E. coli bacteraemia. ESBL-EC prevalence of bloodstream invasive E. coli isolates was 6.1%. The independent risk factor found for ESBL-EC bacteraemia was a prior culture with ESBL production (p < 0.001). A higher frequency of inappropriate empirical antibiotic treatment (p < 0.001) and a trend towards worse outcome was observed in patients infected with ESBL-EC and empirical guidelines were more often not followed (p = 0.013). If the guidelines were followed this was associated with adequate initial antibiotic treatment (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Patients with ESBL-EC frequently received inappropriate empirical treatment and guidelines were more often not followed. A prior culture of ESBL-producing bacteria was an independent predictor and risk factor for ESBL-EC bacteraemia. Since the prevalence of ESBL-producing E. coli is increasing the importance of adequate guidelines must be emphasized.