Respiratory extracorporeal membrane oxygenation for severe sepsis and septic shock in adults: a propensity score analysis in a multicenter retrospective observational study.

Aim: This multicenter retrospective observational study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) support for septic patients with severe respiratory failure using propensity score analyses. Methods: The data of severe sepsis patients from 42 intensive care units between January 2011 and December 2013 were retrospectively collected. Propensity score matching analyses were undertaken for severe respiratory failure patients with/without veno-venous ECMO support. The main outcome was in-hospital all-cause mortality. Results: Of 3195 patients with severe sepsis, 570 had severe respiratory failure. Forty patients in the ECMO group were matched with 150 patients in the control group. A survival time analysis revealed no difference in the in-hospital survival (hazard ratio, 0.854; 95% confidence interval, 0.531-1.373; P = 0.515). Two-hundred and eighty-five patients had severe respiratory failure induced by lung infection. Twenty-five ECMO group patients were matched with 89 patients in the control group. In the ECMO group, the survival time was longer than in the control group (hazard ratio, 0.498; 95% confidence interval, 0.279-0.889; P = 0.018). The number of renal replacement therapy- and vasopressor-free days improved. The ECMO group received more red blood cells transfused than the control group, but there was no significant difference in the rate of severe bleeding complications between the groups. Conclusions: There was no difference in the in-hospital survival between the ECMO group and control group among overall septic patients with severe respiratory failure. However, in sepsis patients with severe respiratory failure induced by lung infection, ECMO support may improve their survival time.

Hemostasis during the early stages of trauma: comparison with disseminated intravascular coagulation.

INTRODUCTION: We tested two hypotheses that disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) and acute coagulopathy of trauma-shock (ACOTS) in the early phase of trauma are similar disease entities and that the DIC score on admission can be used to predict the prognosis of patients with coagulopathy of trauma. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective study of 562 trauma patients, including 338 patients whose data were obtained immediately after admission to the emergency department. We collected serial data for the platelet counts, global markers of coagulation and fibrinolysis, and antithrombin levels. DIC was diagnosed according to the Japanese Association for Acute Medicine (JAAM) DIC scoring system, and ACOTS was defined as a prothrombin-time ratio of >1.2. RESULTS: The higher levels of fibrin/fibrinogen degradation products (FDP) and D-dimer and greater FDP/D-dimer ratios in the DIC patients suggested DIC with the fibrinolytic phenotype. The DIC patients with the fibrinolytic phenotype exhibited persistently lower platelet counts and fibrinogen levels, increased prothrombin time ratios, higher FDP and D-dimer levels, and lower antithrombin levels compared with the non-DIC patients on arrival to the emergency department and during the early stage of trauma. Almost all ACOTS patients met the criteria for a diagnosis of DIC; therefore, the same changes were observed in the platelet counts, global markers of coagulation and fibrinolysis, and antithrombin levels as noted in the DIC patients. The JAAM DIC score obtained immediately after arrival to the emergency department was an independent predictor of massive transfusion and death due to trauma and correlated with the amount of blood transfused. CONCLUSIONS: Patients who develop DIC with the fibrinolytic phenotype during the early stage of trauma exhibit consumption coagulopathy associated with increased fibrin(ogen)olysis and lower levels of antithrombin. The same is true in patients with ACOTS. The JAAM DIC score can be used to predict the prognosis of patients with coagulopathy of trauma.

Effects of epinephrine administration in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest based on a propensity analysis.

BACKGROUND: Epinephrine administration has been advocated for cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) for decades. Despite the fact that epinephrine administration during CPR is internationally accepted, the effects of the prehospital epinephrine administration still remain controversial. We investigated the effects of epinephrine administration on patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest based on a propensity analysis with regard to the 'CPR time'. METHODS: From April 1, 2007, to December 31, 2009, 633 out-of-hospital cardiac arrest patients with bystander witnesses were included in the present study. To rule out any survival bias, we used the propensity scores, which included CPR time. CPR time was defined as the time span from when the emergency medical technicians started CPR until either the return of spontaneous circulation or arrival at the hospital. After performing propensity score matching, the epinephrine and no-drug groups each included 141 patients. The primary study endpoint was a favorable neurological outcome at 30 days after cardiac arrest. RESULTS: After propensity score matching, the frequency of the return of spontaneous circulation before arrival at the hospital in the matched epinephrine group was higher than that in the matched no-drug group (27% vs. 13%, P = 0.002). However, the frequency of a favorable neurological state did not differ between the two groups. With regard to the frequency of a favorable neurological state in the patients, the adjusted odds ratio of the time span from cardiac arrest to the first epinephrine administration was 0.917 (95% confidence interval 0.850-0.988, P = 0.023) per minute. CONCLUSIONS: In patients with witnessed out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, prehospital epinephrine administration was associated with increase of the return of spontaneous circulation before arrival at the hospital. Moreover, the early administration of epinephrine might improve the overall neurological outcome.

Shortening of cardiopulmonary resuscitation time before the defibrillation worsens the outcome in out-of-hospital VF patients.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of the study is to investigate the influence of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) time before the first defibrillation. METHODS: The present study retrospectively analyzed the Utstein template records from April 1, 2002, to June 30, 2005. Patients who had out-of-hospital-witnessed cardiac arrest caused by cardiac disease and who presented with ventricular fibrillation (VF) as the initial cardiac rhythm were included in the study. Before April 1, 2003, the emergency medical technician (EMT) needed to obtain telephone permission before attempting defibrillation, and CPR was continued until permission was received (CPR first). On and after April 1, 2003, the EMT was immediately able to attempt a defibrillation without obtaining permission (shock first). RESULTS: In 143 patients who had out-of-hospital-witnessed VF, 43 patients and 100 patients were treated with the CPR-first strategy and the shock-first strategy, respectively. The duration of CPR before the first defibrillation was longer in the CPR-first group than that in the shock-first group. The CPR-first group showed a higher rate of favorable neurologic outcome 30 days after (28% vs 14%; P = .048) and 1 year after cardiac arrest (26% vs 11%; P = .033) than those of the shock-first group. In the patients with witnessed VF, a stepwise multiple logistic regression analysis showed the CPR-first strategy to improve the neurologic outcome. CONCLUSIONS: In patients with out-of-hospital-witnessed VF, sufficient CPR before the first defibrillation is considered to improve the neurologic outcome in comparison to the performance of immediate defibrillation.

Venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation as an adjunct to surgery for empyema: report of a case.

Empyema is a serious and often life-threatening condition. We report the case of a 45-year-old man with severe hypoxia caused by empyema after streptococcal pneumonia, which we successfully treated by surgical drainage assisted by a venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) device. This device provided sufficient oxygenation during the perioperative period and was not associated with excessive bleeding under systemic heparinization. This case report shows the effectiveness of ECMO in allowing surgery and enhancing its benefits in patients with serious hypoxia.

[Successful percutaneous drainage of epidural abscess with a 4Fr sheath and pig-tail catheter].

A 61-year-old woman was transfered to our emergency center because of epidural abcess with neurological deficits. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed high intensity (T 2 WI) abscess in the epidural space from 5 th cervical to 3 rd thoracic spine level. Surgical drainage was interfered with her poor general conditions. Instead of surgical approach, we inserted a 4 Fr pig-tail catheter into the epidural space with a loss of resistance method, then made a continuous drainage of the abscess. Her neurological state improved after the procedure. Diminished epidural abscess was found on the MRI after the drainage. We demonstrated successfully treated epidural abscess by percutaneous drainage with a 4 Fr short sheath and pig-tail catheter.