Effect of early vasopressin combined with norepinephrine on short-term mortality in septic shock: A retrospective study based on the MIMIC-IV database.

BACKGROUND: Septic shock is a leading cause of death in intensive care units (ICUs), with short-term mortality rates of 35-40%. Vasopressin (AVP) is a second-line vasoactive agent for septic shock, and recent studies suggest that early AVP use can be beneficial. However, differences between early initiation of AVP combined with norepinephrine (NE) and nonearly AVP with NE are unclear. A retrospective cohort research was designed to explore the effects of early AVP initiation versus nonearly AVP initiation. METHODS: This retrospective single-center cohort study included adult patients with septic shock from the MIMIC (Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care)-IV database. According to whether AVP was used early in the ICU (intensive care unit), patients were assigned to the early- (within 6 h of septic shock onset) and non-early-AVP (at least 6 h after septic shock onset) groups. The primary outcome was 28-day mortality. The secondary outcomes were ICU and hospital mortality, the numbers of vasopressor-free and ventilation-free days at 28 days, ICU length of stay (LOS), hospital LOS, sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA) score on days 2 and 3, and renal replacement therapy (RRT) use on days 2 and 3. Univariate and multivariate cox proportional-hazards regression, propensity-score matching were used to analyze the differences between the groups. RESULTS: The study included 531 patients with septic shock: 331 (62.5%) in the early-AVP group and 200 (37.5%) in the non-early-AVP group. For 1:1 matching, 158 patients in the early-AVP group were matched with the same number of patients with nonearly AVP. Regarding the primary outcome, there was no significant difference between the early- and non-early-AVP groups in 28-day mortality (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.91, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.68-1.24). For the secondary outcomes, there were no differences between the early- and non-early-AVP groups in ICU mortality (HR = 0.95, 95% CI = 0.67-1.35), hospital mortality (HR = 0.95, 95% CI = 0.69-1.31), the numbers of vasopressor-free and ventilation-free days at 28 days, ICU LOS, hospital LOS, SOFA score on days 2 and 3, and RRT use on days 2 and 3. CONCLUSIONS: There was no difference in short-term mortality between early AVP combined with NE and nonearly AVP with NE in septic shock.

Norepinephrine combined with phenylephrine versus norepinephrine in patients with septic shock: a retrospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Phenylephrine (PE) and norepinephrine (NE) may be used to maintain adequate blood pressure and tissue perfusion in patients with septic shock, but the effect of NE combined with PE (NE-PE) on mortality remains unclear. We hypothesized that NE-PE would not inferior to NE alone for all-cause hospital mortality in patients with septic shock. METHODS: This single-center, retrospective cohort study included adult patients with septic shock. According to the infusion type, patients were divided into the NE-PE or NE group. Multivariate logistic regression, propensity score matching and doubly robust estimation were used to analyze the differences between groups. The primary outcome was the all-cause hospital mortality rate after NE-PE or NE infusion. RESULTS: Among 1, 747 included patients, 1, 055 received NE and 692 received NE-PE. For the primary outcome, the hospital mortality rate was higher in patients who received NE-PE than in those who received NE (49.7% vs. 34.5%, p < 0.001), and NE-PE was independently associated with higher hospital mortality (odds ratio = 1.76, 95% confidence interval = 1.36-2.28, p < 0.001). Regarding secondary outcomes, patients in the NE-PE group had longer lengths of stay in ICU and hospitals. Patients in the NE-PE group also received mechanical ventilation for longer durations. CONCLUSIONS: NE combined with PE was inferior to NE alone in patients with septic shock, and it was associated with a higher hospital mortality rate.

Development and validation of a simple nomogram for predicting the short-term prognosis of patients with pulmonary embolism.

BACKGROUND: Pulmonary embolism (PE) is a disease caused by blood clots, tumor embolism, and other emboli within the pulmonary arteries. Various scoring scales are used for PE. One such same is the PESI, but it has 12 variables, making it inconvenient for clinical application. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to develop a new simple nomogram model to assess 30-day survival in PE patients. The new nomogram makes it easier and faster for clinicians to assess the prognosis of patients with PE. METHODS: We collected data about the patients with PE from the Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care-III (MIMIC-III) database and used the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, area under the ROC curve (AUROC), calibration plot, integrated discrimination improvement (IDI), and decision curve analysis (DCA) to evaluate the predictive power of the new model, and compared these with the PESI. RESULTS: According to the multivariable Cox regression model results, alongside the actual clinical conditions, we included the following seven variables: race, bicarbonate, age, tumor, systolic blood pressure (SBP), body temperature, and oxygen saturation (Spo2). The AUROC of the new model was greater than 0.70. Its IDI exceeded 0, but with P-value>0.05. CONCLUSION: The predictive performance of the new model was not worse than the PESI, but the new model only has seven variables, and is therefore more convenient for clinicians to use.

Association of lactate to albumin ratio and bicarbonate with short-term mortality risk in patients with acute myocardial infarction.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies have indicated that the ratio of lactate/albumin (L/A) has predictive value for the prognosis of critically ill patients with heart failure. Some studies have also indicated that a low serum bicarbonate concentration is inversely related to the mortality risk of patients with cardiogenic shock. However, the value of bicarbonate and the L/A ratio for predicting the mortality risk of patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is still unclear. We therefore conducted a retrospective study to research this problem. METHODS: The subjects of this study were patients with AMI, and the data source was the Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care III database. The primary endpoint was 30-day all-cause mortality after admission. The Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to compare the predictive value of L/A ratio, lactate and albumin for end-point events. The effects of different L/A ratio levels and different bicarbonate concentrations on 7-day and 30-day all-cause mortality were compared using Kaplan-Meier (K-M) curves. Hazard ratios for different L/A ratio and different bicarbonate concentrations were investigated using COX proportional hazards models. RESULTS: The Area Under Curve (AUC) of L/A ratio, lactate, and albumin were 0.736, 0.718, and 0.620, respectively. (1) L/A ratio: The patients were divided into three groups according to their L/A ratio: tertile T1 (L/A ratio ≤ 0.47), tertile T2 (L/A ratio ≤ 0.97), and tertile T3 (L/A ratio > 0.97). The T2 and T3 groups had higher 30-day all-cause mortality risks than the T1 group. The restricted cubic spline (RCS) model indicated that there was a nonlinear relationship between L/A ratio and 30-day mortality (P < 0.05). (2) Bicarbonate concentration: The patients were also divided into three groups based on their bicarbonate concentration: G1 (22-27 mmol/L), G2 (< 22 mmol/L), and G3 (> 27 mmol/L). The G2 and G3 groups had higher 30-day all-cause mortality risks than the G1 group. The RCS model indicated that there was a nonlinear relationship between bicarbonate concentration and 30-day mortality (P < 0.05). The RCS model indicated that there was a nonlinear relationship between hemoglobin level and 30-day all-cause mortality (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: L/A ratio and bicarbonate concentration and hemoglobin level have predictive value for predicting 30-day mortality in patients with acute myocardial infarction.

Association between statin use and the prognosis of patients with acute myocardial infarction complicated with diabetes.

Background: Type 2 diabetes leads to an increase in the prevalence of lipid abnormalities, which increases the risk of cardiovascular disease. Therefore, current guidelines generally recommend the use of moderate or high-intensity statins in patients with type 2 diabetes. There are still few studies on the overall risk benefit balance of statins for acute myocardial infarction (AMI) patients with diabetes. Compared with other types of lipid-lowering drugs, the advantage of statins for the prognosis of patients with AMI has not yet been determined. We investigated the effects of statins and non-statins on intensive care unit (ICU) and inpatient mortality in patients with AMI and diabetes. Methods: This study retrospectively collected all patients with AMI and diabetes in the Medical Information Mart Intensive Care-IV database. We assessed ICU and in-hospital mortality rates during hospitalization in both groups. The clinical end point was in-hospital mortality and ICU mortality. Kaplan-Meier and Cox proportional-hazards regression models were applied to analyze the correlation between the two groups and the outcomes. Results: Data on 1,315 patients with AMI and diabetes were collected, among which 1,211 used statins during hospitalization. The overall in-hospital mortality of patients with AMI and diabetes was 17.2%, and the total ICU mortality was 12.6%. The in-hospital mortality was lower for the statin group than for the non-statin group (13.9% and 55.8%, respectively). Kaplan-Meier survival curves demonstrated that survival probability was higher in the statin group than in the non-statin group. In the cohort without hyperlipidemia, the statin group had lower risks of ICU death (HR = 0.12, 95% CI = 0.04-0.40) and in-hospital death (HR = 0.36, 95% CI = 0.16-0.84) compared with the non-statin group. Conclusions: Statins can significantly reduce ICU and in-hospital mortality rates in patients with AMI and diabetes. Even in the population without hyperlipidemia, statins can still reduce the mortality in patients with AMI and diabetes.

Thiamine May Be Beneficial for Patients With Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia in the Intensive Care Unit: A Retrospective Study Based on the MIMIC-IV Database.

Background: Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) is a common infection complication in intensive care units (ICU). It not only prolongs mechanical ventilation and ICU and hospital stays, but also increases medical costs and increases the mortality risk of patients. Although many studies have found that thiamine supplementation in critically ill patients may improve prognoses, there is still no research or evidence that thiamine supplementation is beneficial for patients with VAP. The purpose of this study was to determine the association between thiamine and the prognoses of patients with VAP. Methods: This study retrospectively collected all patients with VAP in the ICU from the Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care-IV database. The outcomes were ICU and in-hospital mortality. Patients were divided into the no-thiamine and thiamine groups depending upon whether or not they had received supplementation. Associations between thiamine and the outcomes were tested using Kaplan-Meier (KM) survival curves and Cox proportional-hazards regression models. The statistical methods of propensity-score matching (PSM) and inverse probability weighting (IPW) based on the XGBoost model were also applied to ensure the robustness of our findings. Results: The study finally included 1,654 patients with VAP, comprising 1,151 and 503 in the no-thiamine and thiamine groups, respectively. The KM survival curves indicated that the survival probability differed significantly between the two groups. After multivariate COX regression adjusted for confounding factors, the hazard ratio (95% confidence interval) values for ICU and in-hospital mortality in the thiamine group were 0.57 (0.37, 0.88) and 0.64 (0.45, 0.92), respectively. Moreover, the results of the PSM and IPW analyses were consistent with the original population. Conclusion: Thiamine supplementation may reduce ICU and in-hospital mortality in patients with VAP in the ICU. Thiamine is an inexpensive and safe drug, and so further clinical trials should be conducted to provide more-solid evidence on whether it improves the prognosis of patients with VAP.

The Association Between Bronchoscopy and the Prognoses of Patients With Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia in Intensive Care Units: A Retrospective Study Based on the MIMIC-IV Database.

Background: In intensive care units (ICUs), the morbidity and mortality of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) are relatively high, and this condition also increases medical expenses for mechanically ventilated patients, which will seriously affect the prognoses of critically ill patients. The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of bronchoscopy on the prognosis of patients with VAP undergoing invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV). Methods: This was a retrospective study based on patients with VAP from the Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care IV database. The outcomes were ICU and in-hospital mortality. Patients were divided based on whether or not they had undergone bronchoscopy during IMV. Kaplan-Meier (KM) survival curves and Cox proportional-hazards regression models were used to analyze the association between groups and outcomes. Propensity score matching (PSM) and propensity score based inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW) were used to further verify the stability of the results. The effect of bronchoscopy on prognosis was further analyzed by causal mediation analysis (CMA). Results: This study enrolled 1,560 patients with VAP: 1,355 in the no-bronchoscopy group and 205 in the bronchoscopy group. The KM survival curve indicated a significant difference in survival probability between the two groups. The survival probabilities in both the ICU and hospital were significantly higher in the bronchoscopy group than in the no bronchoscopy group. After adjusting all covariates as confounding factors in the Cox model, the HRs (95% CI) for ICU and in-hospital mortality in the bronchoscopy group were 0.33 (0.20-0.55) and 0.40 (0.26-0.60), respectively, indicating that the risks of ICU and in-hospital mortality were 0.67 and 0.60 lower than in the no-bronchoscopy group. The same trend was obtained after using PSM and IPTW. CMA showed that delta-red blood cell distribution width (RDW) mediated 8 and 7% of the beneficial effects of bronchoscopy in ICU mortality and in-hospital mortality. Conclusion: Bronchoscopy during IMV was associated with reducing the risk of ICU and in-hospital mortality in patients with VAP in ICUs, and this beneficial effect was partially mediated by changes in RDW levels.