Association of Hyperchloremia With Unfavorable Clinical Outcomes in Adults With Diabetic Ketoacidosis.

OBJECTIVE: Hyperchloremia is associated with worsened outcomes in various clinical situations; however, data are limited in patients with diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA). The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of hyperchloremia on time to DKA resolution. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of adult patients admitted with incident DKA from January 2013 through October 2017 and stratified by the development of hyperchloremia versus maintaining normochloremia. The primary outcome was time to final DKA resolution. Secondary outcomes included time to initial DKA resolution, incidence of acute kidney injury (AKI) on admission, in-hospital development of AKI, and hospital length of stay (LOS). RESULTS: Of the 102 patients included, 52 developed hyperchloremia. Patients with hyperchloremia had longer times to final DKA resolution compared to those with normochloremia (median 22.3 [interquartile range, IQR, 15.2-36.9] vs 14.2 [IQR 8.8-21.1] hours; P = .001). Time to initial DKA resolution was also longer in patients who developed hyperchloremia compared to those who did not (median 16.3 vs 10.9 hours; P = .024). More patients with hyperchloremia developed in-hospital AKI (26.9% vs 8.0%; P = .01). Median hospital LOS was significantly longer in the hyperchloremia cohort (P < .001). On Cox regression analysis, time to DKA resolution was significantly longer with each 1 mmol/L increase in serum chloride (HR 0.951; P < .001). CONCLUSION: The presence of hyperchloremia in patients with DKA was associated with increased time to DKA resolution, risk of in-hospital AKI, and hospital LOS. Further evaluation of the avoidance or treatment of hyperchloremia in DKA is needed.

Comparison of Continuous Albumin Infusion, Bolus Albumin, and Crystalloid Fluid Administration in Open-Abdomen Surgical-Trauma Patients.

Background: The open abdomen (OA), an intentional lack of fascial closure following abdominal cavity opening, is utilized for various indications among surgical-trauma patients. Among intravenous fluid options, administration of albumin as a continuous infusion may improve outcomes in OA. The purpose of this study is to compare the time to abdomen closure among patients with OA according to type of fluid administration. Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of adults with OA from 2012 through 2018 and stratified by intravenous fluid administration into one of three groups: continuous albumin infusion, intermittent bolus albumin, or crystalloid. The primary outcome was median time to abdomen closure. Secondary outcomes included hemodynamic parameters, length of stay (LOS), and mortality. Time to final abdomen closure was analyzed by Cox proportional hazards regression. Results: Eighty-four patients were included with 28 in each cohort. Compared to crystalloids (44.2 [interquartile range, IQR, 36.3-62.9] hours), median time to abdomen closure was significantly longer in bolus albumin (79.0 [IQR, 44.5-130.8] hours; P = .002) and continuous albumin groups (63.6 [IQR, 42.9-139.6] hours; P = .001) in Cox regression analysis. The incidence of hospital mortality was highest in the bolus albumin cohort (continuous albumin: 21.4% vs bolus albumin: 50.0% vs crystalloid: 25.0%; P = .044). All other secondary outcomes were similar between groups. Conclusions: Among patients with OA, administration of intravenous crystalloid was associated with the shortest time to abdomen closure compared to bolus or continuous albumin. Further evaluation of continuous albumin infusion in patients with OA is needed.