Mortality risk stratification in elderly trauma patients based on initial arterial lactate and base deficit levels.

Elderly trauma patients have worse outcomes than their younger counterparts. Early risk stratification remains difficult, particularly because traditional vital signs are less reliable. We hypothesized that arrival lactate and base deficit (BD) could be used to predict mortality in elderly trauma patients with a normal admission blood pressure. We retrospectively evaluated the prospectively collected trauma registry at our urban Level I trauma center between 2003 and 2009. Patients sustaining blunt trauma, age 55 years or older, with a systolic blood pressure 90 mmHg or higher, and who had arterial lactate and/or BD measured within 4 hours of arrival comprised the study group. Primary outcomes were in-hospital and 24-hour mortality. There were 364 patients with a lactate and 324 with a BD drawn. Patients with a lactate 2.5 mmol or greater were 3.7 times more likely to die than those with a lactate less than 2.5 mmol (95% CI, 1.6 to 8.2; P = 0.0018). The OR for mortality was 5.2 (95% CI, 2.5 to 11.2; P < 0.0001) in patients with a BD -4 or less. Elevated lactate and BD were even stronger predictors of early mortality (within first 24 hours). After increasing the hypotension threshold to a systolic blood pressure 110 mmHg or greater, lactate and BD remained highly predictive of in-hospital and 24-hour mortality.

Axillary recurrence after sentinel lymph node biopsy for breast cancer.

Sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) is routinely performed as an axillary staging procedure for breast cancer. Although the reported false-negative rate approaches 10 per cent, this does not always lead to axillary recurrence. We previously reported an axillary recurrence rate of 1 per cent at a median follow-up of 2 years. Our objective is to determine the rate of axillary recurrence with longer follow-up. A retrospective review of patients with invasive breast cancer and a negative SLNB treated between 2001 and 2005 was performed. Cases where neoadjuvant therapy was used or where isolated tumor cells (ITCs) were found were included, whereas those with fewer than 18 months of follow-up were excluded. One (0.7%) out of 139 patients had an axillary recurrence after a median follow-up of 52 months. No patient who underwent neoadjuvant chemotherapy or with ITCs had axillary recurrence. Twelve (8.6%) patients have died, with death attributed to breast cancer in three. Our study demonstrates that axillary recurrence after SLNB remains a rare event after a median follow-up of 52 months, despite including potentially higher risk scenarios such as where neoadjuvant chemotherapy is used and ITCs are found. Therefore, axillary lymph node dissection can safely be avoided in patients where SLNB is negative.