Delayed Antibiotic Therapy and Organ Dysfunction in Critically Ill Septic Patients in the Emergency Department.

BACKGROUND: We investigated the effect of antibiotic timing on outcomes based on changes in surrogate markers of organ failure, including platelet, serum bilirubin, serum creatinine levels, and the PaO2/FiO2 (P/F) ratio. METHODS: This was a single-center, retrospective observational study of critically ill septic patients who presented to the emergency department (ED). The study period extended from August 2008 to September 2016. The primary outcomes included changes in platelet, serum bilirubin, serum creatinine levels, and the P/F ratio (δ-platelet, δ-serum bilirubin, δ-serum creatinine, and δ-P/F ratio were calculated as values measured on Day 3; values measured at ED enrollment). A multivariable linear regression model was developed to assess variables related to outcomes (δ-platelet, δ-serum bilirubin, δ-serum creatinine, and δ-P/F ratio). RESULTS: We analyzed 1784 patients who met the inclusion criteria. The overall 28-day mortality was 14% (n = 256/1784). On multivariable linear regression analysis, the hourly delay in antibiotic therapy was significantly associated with a decrease in δ-platelet count (coefficient, -1.741; standard error, 0.740; p = 0.019), and an increase in δ-serum bilirubin (coefficient, 0.054; standard error, 0.021; p = 0.009). In contrast, it was not associated with δ-creatinine (coefficient, 0.008; standard error, 0.010; p = 0.434) or the δ-P/F ratio (coefficient, -0.797; standard error, 1.858; p = 0.668). CONCLUSION: The hourly delay of antibiotic therapy was associated with decreased platelet count and increased serum bilirubin concentration in critically ill septic patients during the first three days of ED admission.

Prognostic Value of The Lactate/Albumin Ratio for Predicting 28-Day Mortality in Critically ILL Sepsis Patients.

AIM: The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical utility of the lactate/albumin (L/A) ratio as a predictive factor of 28-day mortality in critically ill sepsis patients. METHODS: This is a retrospective observational study from a prospectively collected multicenter registry of 10 emergency departments (EDs) in teaching hospitals that participated in the Korean Shock Society. It enrolled patients who were 19 years of age or older who had a suspected or confirmed infection and evidence of refractory hypotension or hypoperfusion. The prognostic performance of the L/A ratio and lactate level for predicting 28-day mortality was assessed. Lactate and albumin levels were measured immediately after ED arrival. RESULTS: A total of 946 patients were included, with 22.5% overall 28-day mortality. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) value of the L/A ratio (0.69, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.64-0.73, P < 0.01) was higher than that of lactate (0.65, 95% CI 0.61-0.70, P < 0.01) for predicting 28-day mortality. The optimal cutoff of the L/A ratio was 1.32. The AUROC value of the L/A ratio was better than that of lactate regardless of lactate level (normal [<2.0 mmol/L]: 0.68 vs. 0.55; intermediate [≥2.0, < 4.0 mmol/L]: 0.65 vs. 0.50; high [≥4.0 mmol/L]: 0.66 vs. 0.62). In the subgroup with decreased lactate elimination, the AUROC value of the L/A ratio was also significantly higher than that of lactate (hepatic dysfunction: 0.70 vs. 0.66; renal dysfunction: 0.71 vs. 0.67). The L/A ratio cut-off and hypoalbminemia showed further discriminative value for 28-day mortality even in patients with normal or intermediate lactate levels. CONCLUSIONS: The prognostic performance of the L/A ratio was superior to that of a single lactate measurement for predicting 28-day mortality of critically ill sepsis patients. L/A ratio can be a useful prognostic factor regardless of initial lactate level and the presence of hepatic or renal dysfunction.

Impact of early coronary angiography on the survival to discharge after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.

OBJECTIVE: Acute myocardial infarction is a major cause of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). Coronary angiography (CAG) enables diagnostic confirmation of coronary artery disease and subsequent revascularization, which might improve the prognosis of OHCA survivors. Non-randomized data has shown a favorable impact of CAG on prognosis for this population. However, the optimal timing of CAG has been debated. METHODS: The clinical outcomes of 607 OHCA patients registered in CAPTURES (Cardiac Arrest Pursuit Trial with Unique Registration and Epidemiologic Surveillance), a nationwide multicenter registry performed in 27 hospitals, were analyzed. Early CAG was defined as CAG performed within 24 hours of emergency department admission. The primary outcome was survival to discharge, with neurologically favorable status defined by cerebral performance category scores ≤2. RESULTS: Compared to patients without CAG (n=469), patients who underwent early CAG (n=138) were younger, more likely to be male, and more likely to have received bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation, pre-hospital defibrillation, and revascularization (P<0.01 for all). Analysis of 115 propensity score-matched pairs showed that early CAG is associated with a 2.3-fold increase in survival to discharge with neurologically favorable status (P<0.001, all). Survival to discharge increased consistently according to the time interval between emergency department visit and CAG (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Early CAG of OHCA patients was associated with better survival and favorable neurologic outcomes at discharge. However, there was no clear time threshold for CAG that predicted survival to discharge.