VASOPRESSOR REDUCTION EFFECT OF POLYMYXIN B HEMOPERFUSION IN PATIENTS WITH PERITONITIS-INDUCED SEPTIC SHOCK: A PROPENSITY SCORE-MATCHED ANALYSIS.

ABSTRACT: Background : This study aimed to evaluate the effect of polymyxin B hemoperfusion (PMX-HP) in patients with peritonitis-induced septic shock who still required high-dose vasopressors after surgical source control. Methods : This retrospective study included adult patients admitted to the surgical intensive care unit (ICU) at Seoul National University Hospital between July 2014 and February 2021 who underwent major abdominal surgery to control the source of sepsis. Patients were divided into two groups based on whether PMX-HP was applied after surgery or not. The primary and secondary endpoints were the vasopressor reduction effect, and in-ICU mortality, respectively. Propensity score matching was performed to compare the vasopressor reduction effect. Results : A total of 338 patients met the inclusion criteria, of which 23 patients underwent PMX-HP postoperatively, whereas 315 patients did not during the study period. Serum norepinephrine concentration decreased over time regardless of whether PMX-HP was applied. However, it decreased more rapidly in the PMX-HP(+) group than in the PMX-HP(-) group. There were no significant differences in demographics including age, sex, body mass index, and most underlying comorbidities between the two groups. Risk factors for in-ICU mortality were identified by comparing patient characteristics and perioperative factors between the two groups using multivariate analysis. Conclusion : For patients with peritonitis-induced septic shock, PMX-HP rapidly reduces the requirement of vasopressors immediately after surgery but does not reduce in-ICU mortality. This effect could potentially accelerate recovery from shock, reduce sequelae from vasopressors, and ultimately improve quality of life after discharge.

Perioperative urinary ketosis and metabolic acidosis in patients fasted for undergoing gynecologic surgery.

BACKGROUND: Our bodies have adaptive mechanisms to fasting, in which glycogen stored in the liver and muscle protein are broken down, but also lipid mobilisation is triggered. As a result, glycerol and fatty acids are released into the bloodstream, increasing the production of ketone bodies in liver. However, there are limited studies on the incidence of perioperative urinary ketosis, the intraoperative blood glucose changes and metabolic acidosis after fasting for surgery in non-diabetic adult patients. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective cohort study involving 1831 patients undergoing gynecologic surgery under general anesthesia from January to December 2022. Ketosis was assessed using a postoperative urine test, while blood glucose levels and acid-base status were collected from intraoperative arterial blood gas analyses. RESULTS: Of 1535 patients who underwent postoperative urinalysis, 912 (59.4%) patients had ketonuria. Patients with ketonuria were younger, had lower body mass index, and had fewer comorbidities than those without ketonuria. After adjustments, younger age, higher body mass index and surgery starting late afternoon were significant risk factors for postoperative ketonuria. Of the 929 patients assessed with intraoperative arterial blood gas analyses, 29.0% showed metabolic acidosis. Multivariable logistic regression revealed that perioperative ketonuria and prolonged surgery significantly increased the risk for moderate-to-severe metabolic acidosis. CONCLUSION: Perioperative urinary ketosis and intraoperative metabolic acidosis are common in patients undergoing gynecologic surgery, even with short-term preoperative fasting. The risks are notably higher in younger patients with lower body mass index. Optimization of preoperative fasting strategies including implementation of oral carbohydrate loading should be considered for reducing perioperative metabolic derangement due to ketosis.

Real-time machine learning model to predict short-term mortality in critically ill patients: development and international validation.

BACKGROUND: A real-time model for predicting short-term mortality in critically ill patients is needed to identify patients at imminent risk. However, the performance of the model needs to be validated in various clinical settings and ethnicities before its clinical application. In this study, we aim to develop an ensemble machine learning model using routinely measured clinical variables at a single academic institution in South Korea. METHODS: We developed an ensemble model using deep learning and light gradient boosting machine models. Internal validation was performed using the last two years of the internal cohort dataset, collected from a single academic hospital in South Korea between 2007 and 2021. External validation was performed using the full Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care (MIMIC), eICU-Collaborative Research Database (eICU-CRD), and Amsterdam University Medical Center database (AmsterdamUMCdb) data. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) was calculated and compared to that for the National Early Warning Score (NEWS). RESULTS: The developed model (iMORS) demonstrated high predictive performance with an internal AUROC of 0.964 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.963-0.965) and external AUROCs of 0.890 (95% CI 0.889-0.891) for MIMIC, 0.886 (95% CI 0.885-0.887) for eICU-CRD, and 0.870 (95% CI 0.868-0.873) for AmsterdamUMCdb. The model outperformed the NEWS with higher AUROCs in the internal and external validation (0.866 for the internal, 0.746 for MIMIC, 0.798 for eICU-CRD, and 0.819 for AmsterdamUMCdb; p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Our real-time machine learning model to predict short-term mortality in critically ill patients showed excellent performance in both internal and external validations. This model could be a useful decision-support tool in the intensive care units to assist clinicians.

Prevalence and outcomes of chronic comorbid conditions in patients with sepsis in Korea: a nationwide cohort study from 2011 to 2016.

BACKGROUND: Chronic comorbid conditions are common in patients with sepsis and may affect the outcomes. This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence and outcomes of common comorbidities in patients with sepsis. METHODS: We conducted a nationwide retrospective cohort study. Using data from the National Health Insurance Service of Korea. Adult patients (age ≥ 18 years) who were hospitalized in tertiary or general hospitals with a diagnosis of sepsis between 2011 and 2016 were analyzed. After screening of all International Classification of Diseases 10th revision codes for comorbidities, we identified hypertension, diabetes mellitus (DM), liver cirrhosis (LC), chronic kidney disease (CKD), and malignancy as prevalent comorbidities. RESULTS: Overall, 373,539 patients diagnosed with sepsis were hospitalized in Korea between 2011 and 2016. Among them, 46.7% had hypertension, 23.6% had DM, 7.4% had LC, 13.7% had CKD, and 30.7% had malignancy. In-hospital mortality rates for patients with hypertension, DM, LC, CKD, and malignancy were 25.5%, 25.2%, 34.5%, 28.0%, and 33.3%, respectively, showing a decreasing trend over time (P < 0.001). After adjusting for baseline characteristics, male sex, older age, use of mechanical ventilation, and continuous renal replacement therapy, LC, CKD, and malignancy were significantly associated with in-hospital mortality. CONCLUSIONS: Hypertension is the most prevalent comorbidity in patients with sepsis, and it is associated with an increased survival rate. Additionally, liver cirrhosis, chronic kidney disease, and malignancy result in higher mortality rates than hypertension and DM, and are significant risk factors for in-hospital mortality in patients with sepsis.

Comparison of postoperative ascites replacement strategies on time to first flatus after living donor liver transplantation: Albumin vs. lactated Ringer's solution.

INTRODUCTION: There is insufficient evidence regarding the optimal regimen for ascites replacement after living donor liver transplantation (LT) and its effectiveness. The aim of this study is to evaluate the impact of replacing postoperative ascites after LT with albumin on time to first flatus during recovery with early ambulation and incidence of acute kidney injury (AKI). METHODS: Adult patients who underwent elective living donor LT at Seoul National University Hospital from 2019 to 2021 were randomly assigned to either the albumin group or lactated Ringer's group, based on the ascites replacement regimen. Replacement of postoperative ascites was performed for all patients every 4 h after LT until the patient was transferred to the general ward. Seventy percent of ascites drained during the previous 4 h was replaced over the next 4 h with continuous infusion of fluids with a prescribed regimen according to the assigned group. In the albumin group, 30% of a total of 70% of drained ascites was replaced with 5% albumin solution, and remnant 40% was replaced with lactated Ringer's solution. In the lactated Ringer's group, 70% of drained ascites was replaced with only lactated Ringer's solution. The primary outcome was the time to first flatus from the end of the LT and the secondary outcome was the incidence of AKI for up to postoperative day 7. RESULTS: Among the 157 patients who were screened for eligibility, 72 patients were enrolled. The mean age was 63 ± 8.2 years, and 73.0 % (46/63) were male. Time to first flatus was similar between the two groups (66.7 ± 24.1 h vs. 68.5 ± 25.6 h, p = .778). The albumin group showed a higher glomerular filtration rate and lower incidence of AKI until postoperative day 7, compared to the lactated Ringer's group. CONCLUSIONS: Using lactated Ringer's solution alone for replacement of ascites after living donor LT did not reduce the time to first flatus and was associated with an increased risk of AKI. Further research on the optimal ascites replacement regimen and the target serum albumin level which should be corrected after LT is required.