Limitation of life-sustaining treatment in severe trauma in the elderly after admission to an intensive care unit. / Limitación del tratamiento de soporte vital en el traumatismo grave en edades avanzadas tras el ingreso en una unidad de cuidados intensivos.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the factors associated to limitation of life-sustaining treatment (LLST) measures in elderly patients admitted to an intensive care unit (ICU) due to trauma. DESIGN: A retrospective, descriptive, observational study was carried out. SETTING: ICU. PATIENTS: A total of 149 patients aged 65 years or older admitted to the ICU due to trauma. Hospital mortality, the decision to limit life-sustaining treatment and the factors associated to these measures were analyzed. INTERVENTIONS: None. RESULTS: The mean patient age was 76.3±6.36 years. The average APACHE II and ISS scores were 15.9±7.4 and 19.6±11.4 points, respectively. LLST were used in 37 patients (24.8%). Factors associated to the use of these measures were patient age (OR 1.16; 95% CI 1.08 to 1.25], APACHE II score (OR 1.11; 95% CI 1.05-1.67), ISS score (OR 1.03; 95% CI 1.01 to 1.06), admission due to neurological impairment (OR 19.17; 95% CI 2.33 to 157.83) and traumatic brain injury (OR 2.89; 95% CI 1.05 to 7.96). CONCLUSIONS: LLST is frequently established in elderly patients admitted to the ICU due to trauma, and is associated to hospital mortality. Factors associated with the use of these measures are patient age, higher APACHE II and ISS scores, admission due to neurological impairment, and the presence of head injuries.

Meta-analysis of the effects of normal saline on mortality in intensive care. / Metaanálisis de los efectos del suero salino en la mortalidad en cuidados intensivos.

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVE: To evaluate, by means of a meta-analysis, the effect of normal saline on mortality in intensive care patients, when compared with the use of balanced crystalloids. MATERIAL AND METHOD: Published controlled clinical trials, randomised and sequential prospective studies in time, evaluating the mortality when physiological saline was used in patients admitted to intensive care units. Electronic search was performed in Medline, Embase, Cochrane Library, ISI Proceedings, and Web of Science, as well as a manual search of selected references. An independent evaluation was performed by 2 investigators. Discrepancies were resolved by consensus in the working group. Contingency tables were performed, and the OR with confidence intervals of each study were obtained. Heterogeneity was assessed by I2. Publication bias was assessed using funnel plot and Egger test. RESULTS: A total of 8 articles were selected for the meta-analysis of mortality, which included a total of 20,684 patients. A significant association was observed between the use of saline and mortality in intensive care patients (OR 1.0972; 95% CI 1.0049-1.1979), when compared to the use of balanced crystalloids. No statistical evidence of publication bias (Egger, P=.5349) was found. In the sensitivity analysis, none of the studies substantially modified the overall outcome if it was eliminated from the meta-analysis. CONCLUSIONS: There may be an increase in mortality associated with the use of saline in patients admitted to intensive care when comparing with the use of balanced crystalloids.

Whole-body computed tomography as a factor associated with lower mortality in severe geriatric trauma with thoracic-abdominal-pelvic injury. / La tomografía computarizada corporal como factor asociado a menor mortalidad en el traumatismo geriátrico grave con afectación toracoabdominopélvica.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the relationship between the use of whole-body computed tomography (WB-CT) and hospital mortality in elderly patients with thoracic-abdominal-pelvic injury requiring admission to an intensive care unit. PATIENTS AND METHOD: An observational, descriptive and retrospective study was conducted on 140 patients aged 65 years and older admitted to the intensive care unit after a thoracic-abdominal-pelvic injury. Two groups were established, depending on whether a WB-CT was performed as a routine part of the study or the diagnosis was established by conventional radiography or ultrasound. A comparative analysis was performed on both groups, as well as an analysis of mortality through logistic regression. RESULTS: The mean age of the patients was 75.16±8.89 years. The mean score on the APACHE II scale was 16.25±8.4 points, and on the Injury Severity Score scale, 22.38±15.45 points. WB-CT was performed on 102 patients (72.9%). In these patients, there was a lower mortality rate (15.7 vs. 52.6%, P˂.001), a lower need for mechanical ventilation (47.1 vs. 65.8%, P=.049), and a lower score on the APACHE II scale (14.75±7.19 vs. 20.26±10.06 points, P=.003). The multivariate analysis showed a lower mortality in the patients in whom WB-CT was performed, with an OR of 0.21 (95% CI 0.07-0.68; (P=.010), after adjusting for the APACHE II and ISS scores. CONCLUSIONS: Performing a WB-CT scan as part of the trauma study could improve the management of elderly patients with thoracic-abdominal-pelvic involvement admitted to the intensive care unit.

Influence of Proportion of Normal Saline Administered in the Perioperative Period of Renal Transplantation on Kalemia Levels.

BACKGROUND: The hyperchloremic metabolic acidosis triggered by the infusion of normal saline (NS) significantly increases the level of extracellular potassium. In this study we assessed the influence of proportion of NS administered in the perioperative period of renal transplantation on potassium levels in usual clinical practice. METHODS: This study was a retrospective cohort analysis of patients undergoing renal transplantation during a 24-month period (2015-2016). To determine the influence of NS on K+ levels, simple linear regression and multiple linear regression analyses were performed, adjusted for the total volume of fluids administered, establishing the difference in serum K+ levels for each 20% increase in the proportion of NS. RESULTS: As the proportion of NS administered increased, K+ levels at 24 hours were significantly increased (P = .026) (0.69 mEq/L K+ increase per 20% increase in NS ratio). Mean K+ values at 24 hours (adjusted for total volume of fluids administered) ranged from 4.17 mEq/L (95% confidence interval [CI] 3.7-4.56) in patients who did not receive NS to 4.85 mEq/L (95% CI 4.56-5.15) in those administered exclusively NS. CONCLUSION: The risk of developing hyperkalemia in patients who receive a balanced solution with potassium in its formulation compared with NS in the perioperative period of renal transplantation is not increased, but the volume of NS administered is significantly associated with increases in K+ levels at 24 hours.

Epidemiology of traumatic brain injury in the elderly over a 25 year period. / Epidemiología del traumatismo craneoencefálico en la población mayor de 65 años a lo largo de 25 años.

OBJECTIVE: To identify the changes in the epidemiology of traumatic brain injury (TBI) in a cohort of patients older than 65 years old admitted in the Intensive care unit of a third-level hospital over a 25 year period. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A retrospective cohort study conducted on patients over 65 years-old admitted with the diagnosis of TBI into an intensive care unit of a Spanish university hospital. The demographic, clinical variables were collected at the time of admission, including comorbidities, injury mechanisms, and injuries presented, and days of stay in ICU. A statistical analysis was carried out by five-year periods. RESULTS: A total of 446 TBI in patients over 65 years were included. In the analysis, an increase was observed in the proportion of patients presenting with epidural haematoma (1.39% in the period 1990-1995 vs. 9.46% in 2010-2015), with a significant linear tendency (P=.018). Falls from own height have increased from 8.33% (1991-1995) to currently more than 70% (2011-2015), P<.001. The percentage of traffic accidents declined from 26.39% to 3.95% in the last period, P<.001. CONCLUSIONS: In the last 25 years there seems to be evidence of a change in the origins of TBI in the elderly in our field.

Fluid balance and chloride load in the first 24h of ICU admission and its relation with renal replacement therapies through a multicentre, retrospective, case-control study paired by APACHE-II. / Balance hídrico y carga de cloro en las primeras 24h de ingreso en UCI y su relación con las terapias de reemplazo renal mediante un estudio multicéntrico, retrospectivo, de casos y controles emparejados por APACHE-II.

OBJECTIVE: To analyse the association between water balance during the first 24h of admission to ICU and the variables related to chloride levels (chloride loading, type of fluid administered, hyperchloraemia), with the development of acute kidney injury renal replacement therapy (AKI-RRT) during patients' admission to ICU. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Multicentre case-control study. Hospital-based, national, carried out in 6 ICUs. Cases were patients older than 18 years who developed an AKI-RRT. Controls were patients older than 18 years admitted to the same institutions during the study period, who did not develop AKI-RRT during ICU admission. Pairing was done by APACHE-II. An analysis of unconditional logistic regression adjusted for age, sex, APACHE-II and water balance (in evaluating the type of fluid). RESULTS: We analysed the variables of 430 patients: 215 cases and 215 controls. An increase of 10% of the possibility of developing AKI-RRT per 500ml of positive water balance was evident (OR: 1.09 [95% CI: 1.05 to 1.14]; P<.001). The study of mean values of chloride load administered did not show differences between the group of cases and controls (299.35±254.91 vs. 301.67±234.63; P=.92). CONCLUSIONS: The water balance in the first 24h of ICU admission relates to the development of IRA-TRR, regardless of chloraemia.