Search

Background: We compared the prognostic value of the C-reactive protein (CRP)-to-albumin ratio (CAR), neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), and modified Glasgow prognostic score (mGPS) with the Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score in an intensive care unit (ICUs). Methods: This study used the data of 53,877 adult patients admitted to an ICU between June 2013 and May 2022. Using the CAR, NLR, and mGPS values, as well as the SOFA score from the ICU, we conducted multivariable logistic regression analysis and used the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve to compare the predictive value for 28-day and 1-year mortality. Results: A total of 2419 patients (4.5%) died within 28 days, and 6209 (11.5%) patients died within 1 year. After an adjustment, all predictors were found to be independent risk factors for 28-day mortality (odds ratio [OR] 1.31, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.29–1.33, p < 0.001 for the SOFA score; OR 1.05, 95% CI 1.03–1.07, p < 0.001 for CAR; OR 1.01, 95% CI 1.00–1.02, p < 0.001 for the NLR; and OR 1.19, 95% CI 1.08–1.30, p < 0.001 for the mGPS). This trend persisted for the 1-year mortality. In ROC curve analysis, the CAR showed better predictability than the NLR and mGPS. Furthermore, the predictive power of the CAR was significantly higher than that of the SOFA score for 1-year mortality. Conclusions: The CAR, NLR, and mGPS values at ICU admission were independent risk factors of mortality after ICU admission. The predictive value of CAR was higher than that of the SOFA score for 1-year mortality. CAR assessment at ICU admission may be a feasible predictor of long-term mortality.

Background Respiratory quotient (RQ) may be used as a tissue hypoxia marker in various clinical settings but its prognostic significance in patients undergoing extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (ECPR) is not known. Methods Medical records of adult patients admitted to the intensive care units after ECPR in whom RQ could be calculated from May 2004 to April 2020 were retrospectively reviewed. Patients were divided into good neurologic outcome and poor neurologic outcome groups. Prognostic significance of RQ was compared to other clinical characteristics and markers of tissue hypoxia. Results During the study period, 155 patients were eligible for analysis. Of them, 90 (58.1%) had a poor neurologic outcome. The group with poor neurologic outcome had a higher incidence of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (25.6% vs. 9.2%, P=0.010) and longer cardiopulmonary resuscitation to pump-on time (33.0 vs. 25.2 minutes, P=0.001) than the group with good neurologic outcome. For tissue hypoxia markers, the group with poor neurologic outcome had higher RQ (2.2 vs. 1.7, P=0.021) and lactate levels (8.2 vs. 5.4 mmol/L, P=0.004) than the group with good neurologic outcome. On multivariable analysis, age, cardiopulmonary resuscitation to pump-on time, and lactate levels above 7.1 mmol/L were significant predictors for a poor neurologic outcome but not RQ. Conclusions In patients who received ECPR, RQ was not independently associated with poor neurologic outcome.

BackgroundWe investigated the predictors of poor neurological outcomes in extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (ECPR) patients using machine learning (ML) approaches.MethodsThis study was a retrospective, single-center, observational study that included adult patients who underwent ECPR while hospitalized between January 2010 and December 2020. The primary outcome was neurologic status at hospital discharge as assessed by the Cerebral Performance Categories (CPC) score (scores range from 1 to 5). We trained and tested eight ML algorithms for a binary classification task involving the neurological outcomes of survivors after ECPR.ResultsDuring the study period, 330 patients were finally enrolled in this analysis; 143 (43.3%) had favorable neurological outcomes (CPC score 1 and 2) but 187 (56.7%) did not. From the eight ML algorithms initially considered, we refined our analysis to focus on the three algorithms, eXtreme Gradient Boosting, random forest, and Stochastic Gradient Boosting, that exhibited the highest accuracy. eXtreme Gradient Boosting models exhibited the highest accuracy among all the machine learning algorithms (accuracy: 0.739, area under the curve: 0.837, Kappa: 0.450, sensitivity: 0.700, specificity: 0.740). Across all three ML models, mean blood pressure emerged as the most influential variable, followed by initial serum lactate, and arrest to extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) pump-on-time as important predictors in machine learning models for poor neurological outcomes following successful ECPR.ConclusionsIn conclusion, machine learning methods showcased outstanding predictive accuracy for poor neurological outcomes in patients who underwent ECPR.

Early proper nutritional support is important to critically ill patients. Nutritional support is also associated with clinical outcomes of neurocritically ill patients. We investigate whether early nutrition is associated with clinical outcomes in neurocritically ill patients. This was a retrospective, single-center, observational study including neurosurgical patients who were admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) from January 2013 to December 2019. Patients who started enteral nutrition or parenteral nutrition within 72 hours after ICU admission were defined as the early nutrition group. The primary endpoint was in-hospital mortality. The secondary endpoint was an infectious complication. Propensity score matching (PSM) and propensity score weighting overlap weights (PSOW) were used to control selection bias and confounding factors. Among 1,353 patients, early nutrition was performed in 384 (28.4%) patients: 152 (11.2%) early enteral nutrition (EEN) and 232 (17.1%) early parenteral nutrition (EPN). In the overall study population, the rate of in-hospital mortality was higher in patients with late nutrition than in those with early nutrition (P0.05). In the overall study population, EEN patients had a low rate of in-hospital mortality and infectious complications compared with those with EPN and late nutrition (P0.05), but EEN was significantly associated with in-hospital mortality and infectious complications (all P

Purpose In the intensive care unit, a peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC) may be an alternative option to standard central venous catheters, particularly in patients with coagulopathies or at high risk of infection. The purpose of this research was to assess the feasibility of bedside ultrasound (US)-guided PICC placement by critical care fellows on intensive care units. Methods All bedside US-PICCs inserted by critical care fellows from July 2013 to September 2015 were retrospectively reviewed focusing on the rate of successful insertion, complications of insertion, or during maintenance. Results A total of 177 US-guided PICCs were inserted in 163 patients and included in the analysis. The median age was 62 years (IQR 50–70 years) and 104 cases (58.8%) were male. There were 172 cases (90.4%) of PICCs inserted in the upper arm. Anticoagulant therapy was used in 26 patients (14.7%) and 8 patients (5.2%) had severe coagulopathies. The median procedural time was 30 minutes (IQR 19–45 minutes). Insertion success rate was 93.2%, and there were no major complications during insertions except for malposition (12.1%). Catheters remained in place for a total of 3,878 days (median 16 days: IQR 8–31 days). There was only 1 case (0.6%) of catheter-related bloodstream infection, and 2 cases (1.2%) of symptomatic venous thromboembolism. Conclusion Bedside US-guided placement of PICCs by critical care fellows is safe and feasible. The success rate of the procedure was “acceptable,” and was not associated with significant risks of infectious and non-infectious complications, even in patients with coagulopathies.

Abstract Background We evaluated severe pain-related adverse events (SAE) during the percutaneous dilatational tracheostomy (PDT) procedure performed by a neurointensivist and compared the outcomes with that of conventional surgical tracheostomy in neurocritically ill patients. Methods This was a retrospective and observational study of adult patients who were admitted to the neurosurgical intensive care unit between January 2014 and March 2018 and underwent tracheostomy. In this study, primary endpoints were incidence of SAE: cardiac arrest, arrhythmias, hypertension, hypotension, desaturation, bradypnea, or ventilatory distress. The secondary endpoint was procedure-induced complications. Results A total of 156 patients underwent tracheostomy during the study. Elective surgery of brain tumors (34.0%) and intracranial hemorrhage (20.5%) were the most common reasons for admission. The most common reasons for tracheostomy were difficult ventilator weaning or prolonged intubation (42.9%) and sedative reduction (23.7%). Tachycardia (30.1%) and hypertension (30.1%) were the most common SAE. Incidence of SAE was more common in conventional tracheostomy compared to PDT (67.1% vs. 42.3%, P = 0.002). The total duration of SAE (19.8 ± 23.0 min vs. 3.4 ± 5.3 min, P

Background We investigated the safety and feasibility of ultrasound-guided peripherally inserted central venous catheter (PICC) placements performed by intensive care medical trainees in comparison to PICC placements performed by intensivists. Methods This was a retrospective and observational study of adult patients who underwent PICC placement and were admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) between July 2013 and March 2018. Ultrasound-guided PICC was performed at the bedside by an intensivist or intensive care medical trainee if intrahospital transport was inappropriate. The primary endpoint was PICC-induced complications. The secondary endpoint was initial success of PICC. Results A total of 209 patients underwent PICC placement during the study period. There were no significant differences in age, sex, body mass index, comorbidities, causes of ICU admission, or severity scores between the trainee-led PICC and intensivist-led PICC groups. Difficult venous access (42.6%) and requirement for central line infusion (39.2%) were the most common reasons for PICC placement. The basilic vein (62.2%) was the most common target vein among patients who underwent PICC. There were no significant differences in complications between the two groups (P=0.473). In addition, the initial success rate and procedural time were similar between the two groups (P=0.108 and P=0.076, respectively). There were no insertional injuries and moderate or severe bleeding in patients with PICC. Conclusion Ultrasound-guided PICC placement by an intensive care medical trainee may be safe and feasible compared to PICC placement by an intensivist.

Purpose The aim of this study was to analyze the temporal change of resuscitation fluid use based on all fluids administered in a surgical intensive care unit (ICU). Methods The administration of resuscitation fluid to all patients admitted to a surgical ICU of a tertiary referral hospital was investigated from 2008 to 2015. The types and volumes of fluid, and laboratory data taken within 7 days after ICU admission were evaluated. Resuscitation fluids were defined as fluids infused according to stat orders, rather than routine orders. Results There were a total of 8,885 admissions to the ICU for 7,886 patients. The volumetric proportion of crystalloid to total resuscitation fluids increased significantly over the study period (p < 0.001; 79.6% in 2008; 93.7% in 2015). Although the proportion of 0.9% saline to crystalloids decreased, that of balanced solutions increased (p < 0.001; 29.5% in 2008; 55.6% in 2015). The use of colloids decreased from 20.4% in 2008, to 6.3% in 2015 (p < 0.001). Proportions calculated using the number of individual fluids administered revealed trends similar to those calculated using volumetric data. The amount of infused 0.9% saline was weakly correlated with the lowest blood pH and the highest serum chloride levels (ρ = -0.26 and 0.19, respectively). Conclusion Changes in the trends of fluid resuscitation practice were noted in a single surgical ICU over the 8-year study period. Crystalloid use increased owing to a rise in the utilization of balanced solutions with a downward trend in colloid use.

Abstract Background The purpose of this study was to evaluate the role of C-reactive protein (CRP) in predicting neurological outcomes of patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). Methods In this retrospective, observational study of adult patients with SAH treated between January 2012 and June 2017. Initial CRP levels collected within 24 h from the onset of SAH, the follow-up CRP levels were measured. The primary outcome was neurological status at six-month follow-up assessed with the Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOS, 1 to 5). Results Among 156 patients with SAH, 145 (92.9%) survived until discharge. Of these survivors, 109 (69.9%) manifested favorable neurological outcomes (GOS of 4 or 5). Initial CRP levels on admission and maximal CRP levels within four days were significantly higher in the group with poor neurological outcome compared with those manifesting favorable neurological outcomes (P = 0.022, P

To investigate whether high-sensitivity troponin I (hs-TnI) elevation is associated with in-hospital mortality and major adverse cardiac events (MACEs) in neurosurgical and neurocritically ill patients. Among neurosurgical patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) from January 2013 to December 2019, those whose serum hs-TnI levels were obtained within 7 days after ICU admission were included. Propensity score matching was used. Each patient with hs-TnI elevation was matched to a control patient. The primary endpoint was in-hospital mortality and the secondary outcome was MACEs. The hs-TnI elevation was shown in 848 (14.1%) of 6004 patients. After propensity score matching, 706 pairs of data were generated by 1:1 individual matching without replacement. In multivariable analysis of overall and propensity score-matched population, hs-TnI elevation was associated with in-hospital mortality (adjusted odds ratio (OR): 2.37, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.68–3.33 and adjusted OR: 1.89, 95% CI: 1.28–2.81, respectively). In addition, hs-TnI elevation was associated with MACEs (adjusted OR: 2.73, 95% CI: 1.74–4.29 and adjusted OR: 2.64, 95% CI: 1.60–4.51, respectively). In this study, hs-TnI elevation was associated with in-hospital mortality and MACEs in neurosurgical and neurocritically ill patients.

Abstract Background The outcomes of weaning processes are not well known in pediatric patients, and the International Conference Classification on weaning from mechanical ventilation showed limited application. We evaluate the relationship between the new Weaning according to a New Definition (WIND) classification and outcome in pediatric patients. Methods We conducted a retrospective cohort study in a tertiary pediatric intensive care unit (ICU). We included patients under 18 years of age who received invasive mechanical ventilation for more than 24 h and excluded cases with other than the first ICU admissions, tracheostomy with home ventilation before admission, intubation or weaning processes conducted in other ICU, and weaning with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. Weaning processes were classified into four groups according to weaning duration after the first separation attempt (SA): no-SA, short weaning ( 7 days). Mortality rates were compared across groups using the Kruskal–Wallis test, and risk factors for the no-SA group were analyzed by multivariate logistic regression tests with age, sex, severity score at admission, admission type, and underlying disease as variables. Results Among 313 patients, 224 were enrolled and had a median age of 2.1 (interquartile range 0.5–6.6) years. Spontaneous breathing tests were done in 70.1% of enrolled patients. The median duration of intubation to the first SA was 4 (range 0–36) days, and 92.8% patients underwent the first SA within 14 days. The mortality rate was 0% in the short (0/99) and difficult (0/53) weaning groups and 17.9% (5/28) in the prolonged weaning group (p

Abstract Background We evaluated the role of optic nerve sheath diameter (ONSD) using brain computed tomography (CT) in predicting neurological outcomes of patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). Methods This was a retrospective, multicenter, observational study of adult patients with SAH admitted between January 2012 and June 2017. Initial brain CT was performed within 12 h from onset of SAH, and follow-up brain CT was performed within 24 h from treatment of a ruptured aneurysm. Primary outcome was neurological status at 6-month follow-up assessed with the Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOS, 1 to 5). Results Among 223 SAH patients, 202 (90.6%) survived until discharge. Of these survivors, 186 (83.4%) manifested favorable neurological outcomes (GOS of 3, 4, or 5). In this study, the ONSDs in the group of patients with poor neurological outcome were significantly greater than those in the favorable neurological outcome group (all p

Abstract Background We evaluated whether Alberta Stroke Program Early Computed Tomography Score (ASPECTS) with some modifications could be used to predict neurological outcomes in patients after extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (ECPR). Methods This was a retrospective, multicenter, observational study of adult unconscious patients who were evaluated by brain computed tomography (CT) within 48 hours after ECPR between May 2010 and December 2016. ASPECTS, bilateral ASPECTS (ASPECTS-b), and modified ASPECTS (mASPECTS) were assessed by ROC curves to predict neurological outcomes. The primary outcome was neurological status upon hospital discharge assessed with the Cerebral Performance Categories (CPC) scale. Results Among 58 unconscious patients, survival to discharge was identified in 25 (43.1%) patients. Of these 25 survivors, 19 (32.8%) had good neurological outcomes (CPC score of 1 or 2). Interrater reliability of CT scores was excellent. Intraclass correlation coefficients of ASPECTS, ASPECTS-b, and mASPECTS were 0.918 (95% CI, 0.865–0.950), 0.918 (95% CI, 0.866–0.951), and 0.915 (95% CI, 0.860–0.949), respectively. The predictive performance of mASPECTS for poor neurological outcome was better than that of ASPECTS or ASPECTS-b (C-statistic for mASPECTS vs. ASPECTS, 0.922 vs. 0.812, p = 0.004; mASPECTS vs. ASPECTS-b, 0.922 vs. 0.818, p = 0.003). A cutoff of 25 for poor neurological outcome had a sensitivity of 84.6% (95% CI, 69.5–94.1%) and a specificity of 89.5% (95% CI, 66.9–98.7%) in mASPECTS. Conclusions mASPECTS might be useful for predicting neurological outcomes in patients after ECPR.

Increased levels of tissue corticosteroids are associated with important protective responses of critically ill patients. Critical illness and its treatment interfere with the normal corticosteroid response to illness and induce tissue corticosteroid insufficiency. Therefore, corticosteroid is commonly used in critically ill patients. In intensive care units, the main reasons for using steroids are critical illness-related corticosteroid insufficiency (CIRCI), septic shock, acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), airway edema, etc. CIRCI may be suspected due to symptoms or signs such as unconsciousness, hemodynamic instability, fever, or electrolyte imbalance. An adrenocorticotropic hormone stimulation test or measurement of a random plasma cortisol level is necessary to diagnose CIRCI. Corticosteroid administration can be helpful when CIRCI is confirmed. Similar to CIRCI, corticosteroid can be used in septic shock. However, corticosteroid administration is not recommended for patients with sepsis without shock. The use of corticosteroid in patients with ARDS is still controversial. Although steroids are commonly used for critically ill patients, there are controversies related to the use of steroids in the intensive care unit. In this article, we review the physiology of the corticosteroid response to critical illness and practical issues relating to the diagnosis and treatment of corticosteroid insufficiency in critically ill patients.

Abstract Background D-dimer levels have been used in the diagnosis of a variety of thrombosis-related diseases. In this study, we evaluated whether measuring D-dimer levels can help to diagnose cerebral infarction (CI) in critically ill cancer patients. Methods We retrospectively evaluated all cancer patients who underwent brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) between March 2010 and February 2014 at the medical oncology intensive care unit (ICU) of Samsung Medical Center. Brain MRI scanning was performed when CI was suspected due to acute neurological deficits. We compared D-dimer levels between patients ultimately diagnosed as having or not having CI and analyzed diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) lesion patterns. Results A total of 88 patients underwent brain MRI scanning due to clinical suspicion of CI; altered mental status and unilateral hemiparesis were the most common neurological deficits. CI was ultimately diagnosed in 43 (49%) patients. According to the DWI patterns, multiple arterial infarctions (40%) were more common than single arterial infarctions (9%). Cryptogenic stroke etiologies were more common (63%) than determined etiologies. There was no significant difference in D-dimer levels between patients with and without CI (P = 0.319). Although D-dimer levels were not helpful in diagnosing CI, D-dimer levels were associated with cryptogenic etiologies in critically ill cancer patients; D-dimer levels were higher in the cryptogenic etiology group than in the determined etiology group or the non-infarction group (P = 0.001). In multivariate analysis, elevated D-dimer levels (> 8.89 μg/mL) were only associated with cryptogenic stroke (adjusted OR 5.46; 95% confidence interval, 1.876–15.857). Conclusions Abnormal D-dimer levels may support the diagnosis of cryptogenic stroke in critically ill cancer patients.

We evaluated the safety and feasibility of ultrasound-guided peripherally-inserted central venous catheters (PICC) by a neurointensivist at the bedside compared to fluoroscopy-guided PICC and conventional central venous catheter (CCVC). This was a retrospective study of adult patients who underwent central line placement and were admitted to the neurosurgical intensive care unit (ICU) between January 2014 and March 2018. In this study, the primary endpoint was central line-induced complications. The secondary endpoint was initial success of central line placement. Placements of ultrasound-guided PICC and CCVC performed at the bedside if intra-hospital transport was inappropriate. Other patients underwent PICC placement at the interventional radiology suite under fluoroscopic guidance. A total of 191 patients underwent central line placement in the neurosurgery ICU during the study period. Requirement for central line infusion (56.0%) and difficult venous access (28.8%) were the most common reasons for central line placement. The basilic vein (39.3%) and the subclavian vein (35.1%) were the most common target veins among patients who underwent central line placement. The placements of ultrasound-guided PICC and CCVC at the bedside were more frequently performed in patients on mechanical ventilation (p = 0.001) and with hemodynamic instability (p

After a difficult brain tumor surgery, refractory intracranial hypertension (RICH) may occur due to residual tumor or post-operative complications such as hemorrhage, infarction, and aggravated brain edema. We investigated which predictors are associated with prognosis when using barbiturate coma therapy (BCT) as a second-tier therapy to control RICH after brain tumor surgery. The study included adult patients who underwent BCT after brain tumor surgery between January 2010 and December 2016. The primary outcome was neurological status upon hospital discharge, which was assessed using the Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOS). In the study period, 4,296 patients underwent brain tumor surgery in total. Of these patients, BCT was performed in 73 patients (1.7%). Among these 73 patients, 56 (76.7%) survived to discharge and 25 (34.2%) showed favorable neurological outcomes (GOS scores of 4 and 5). Invasive monitoring of intracranial pressure (ICP) was performed in 60 (82.2%) patients, and revealed that the maximal ICP within 6 h after BCT was significantly lower in patients with favorable neurological outcome as well as in survivors (p = 0.008 and p = 0.028, respectively). Uncontrolled RICH (ICP ≥ 22 mm Hg within 6 h of BCT) was an important predictor of mortality after BCT (adjusted hazard ratio 12.91, 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.788-59.749), and in particular, ICP ≥ 15 mm Hg within 6 h of BCT was associated with poor neurological outcome (adjusted odds ratio 9.36, 95% CI 1.664-52.614). Therefore, early-controlled ICP after BCT was associated with clinical prognosis. There were no significant differences in the complications associated with BCT between the two neurological outcome groups. No BCT-induced death was observed. The active and timely control of RICH may be beneficial for clinical outcomes in patients with RICH after brain tumor surgery.

Traumatic carotid-cavernous fistula (TCCF) is a pathologic communication between the internal carotid artery and cavernous sinus, and is associated with craniomaxillofacial trauma. TCCF are very rare, occurring in 0.17∼0.27% of craniomaxillofacial trauma cases. We describe a 76-year-old woman treated for multiple fractures including the skull base, left temporal bone, right tibia and fibula, left clavicle, and fifth and seventh rib fractures. She developed symptoms of TCCF two weeks after the initial trauma. We successfully treated her by endovascular occlusion of the internal carotid artery.

Purpose: This study evaluates respiratory complications related to nasogastric feeding tube insertion in intensive care units (ICU). Methods: This was a retrospective, observational study undertaken in adult intensive care units between August 1, 2014 and October 31, 2014. Critically ill patients who had small-bore feeding tubes for enteral feeding inserted in ICUs comprised the study sample. Information collected by medical record review included demographics, clinical characteristics, and data related to the feeding tube insertion (mechanical ventilator, artificial airway, Glasgow Coma scale, confusion assessment method for the ICU, sedative drug use, postplacement X-ray, and complications). Results: Two hundred and seventy-six patients were included in the study sample. The median age was 64, and male patients were 67% of the sample. One hundred and eighty-nine patients (69%) were treated with a mechanical ventilator and 215 patients (78%) needed an endotracheal tube or tracheal cannula during feeding tube insertion. Twelve feeding tubes (4%) were inserted into patients' tracheobronchial trees and four pneumothoraxes (1.4%) were checked by postplacement X-ray. Conclusion: Respiratory complications associated with feeding tube insertion are not rare. Such complications can lead to significant morbidity and mortality. Practitioners should be cognizant of the potential risks of feeding tube insertion. Standard protocol should be considered to minimize the risk.

We evaluated the association of body temperature patterns with neurological outcomes after extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (ECPR). Between December 2013 and December 2015, we enrolled 48 patients with cardiac arrest who survived for at least 24 hours after ECPR. Based on their body temperature patterns and the intention to control fever, we divided the patients into those in whom fever was actively controlled (N = 25), those with normothermia (N = 17), and those with unintended hypothermia (N = 6). The primary outcome was the Cerebral Performance Categories (CPC) scale at discharge. Of the 48 ECPR patients, 23 patients (47.9%) had good neurological outcomes (CPC 1 and 2) and 27 patients (56.3%) survived to discharge. The normothermia group showed a pattern of higher temperatures compared with the other groups during 48 hours after ECPR. Not only poor neurological outcomes but also intensive care unit (ICU) mortality occurred more often in the unintended hypothermia group than in the other two groups, regardless of the fever control strategy (p = 0.023 and p = 0.002, respectively). There were no differences in neurological outcomes and ICU mortality between the actively controlled fever group and the normothermia group (p = 0.845 and p = 0.616, respectively). Unintentionally sustained hypothermia may be associated with poor neurological outcomes after ECPR. These findings suggest that patients who are unable to generate a fever following ECPR may incur severe hypoxic brain injury.

BACKGROUND:Obesity might be associated with disturbance of cannulation in situation of extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (ECPR). However, limited data are available on obesity in the setting of ECPR. Therefore, we investigated the association between body mass index (BMI) and clinical outcome in patients underwent ECPR. METHODS:From January 2004 to December 2013, in-hospital cardiac arrest patients who had ECPR were enrolled from a single-center registry. We divided patients into four group according to BMI defined with the WHO classification (underweight, BMI < 18.5, n = 14; normal weight, BMI = 18.5-24.9, n = 118; overweight, BMI = 25.0-29.9, n = 53; obese, BMI ≥ 30, n = 15). The primary outcome was survival to hospital discharge. RESULTS:Analysis was carried out for a total of 200 adult patients (39.5% females). Their median BMI was 23.20 (interquartile range, 20.93-25.80). The rate of survival to hospital discharge was 31.0%. There was no significant difference in survival to hospital discharge among the four groups (underweight, 35.7%; normal, 31.4%; overweight, 30.2%; obese, 26.7%, p = 0.958). Neurologic outcomes (p = 0.85) and procedural complications (p = 0.40) were not significantly different among the four groups either. SOFA score, initial arrest rhythm, and CPR to extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) pump on time were significant predictors for survival to discharge, but not BMI. CONCLUSION:BMI was not associated with in-hospital mortality who underwent ECPR. Neurologic outcomes at discharge or procedural complications following ECPR were not related with BMI either.

Cerebrovascular diseases are a frequent cause of neurological symptoms in patients with cancer. The clinical characteristics of ischemic stroke (IS) in patients with cancer have been reported in several studies; however, limited data are available regarding critically ill patients with cancer who develop IS during their stay in the intensive care unit (ICU).All consecutive patients who underwent brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for suspicion of IS with acute abnormal neurologic symptoms or who developed signs of IS while in the ICU were retrospectively evaluated. We compared the clinical characteristics and diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) lesion patterns between patients finally diagnosed as having or not having IS.Over the study period, a total of 88 patients underwent brain MRI for suspicion of IS, with altered mental status in 55 (63%), hemiparesis in 28 (32%), and seizure in 20 (23%). A total of 43 (49%) patients were ultimately diagnosed with IS. Multiple DWI lesions (41%) were more common than single lesions (8%). The etiologies of IS were not determined in the majority of patients (n = 27, 63%). In the remaining 16 (37%) patients, the most common aetiology of IS was cardioembolism (n = 8), followed by large-vessel atherosclerosis (n = 3) and small-vessel occlusion (n = 2). However, brain metastases were newly diagnosed in only 7 (8%) patients. Univariate comparison of the baseline characteristics between patients with or without IS did not reveal any significant differences in sex, malignancy type, recent chemotherapy, vascular risk factors, or serum D-dimer levels at the time of suspicion of IS. Thrombotic events were more common in the IS group than in the non-IS group (P = 0.028). However, patients who were ultimately diagnosed with IS had more hemiparesis symptoms at the time of suspicion of IS (P = 0.001). This association was significant even after adjusting for potentially confounding factors (adjusted odds ratio 5.339; 95% confidence interval, 1.521-19.163).IS developed during ICU stays in critically ill patients with cancer have particular features that may be associated with cancer-related mechanism.

Sepsis is a major cause of mortality and morbidity in critically ill patients. Procalcitonin (PCT) and C-reactive protein (CRP) are the most frequently used biomarkers in sepsis. We investigated changes in PCT and CRP concentrations in critically ill patients with sepsis to determine which biochemical marker better predicts outcome. We retrospectively analyzed 171 episodes in 157 patients with severe sepsis and septic shock who were admitted to the Samsung Medical Center intensive care unit from March 2013 to February 2014. The primary endpoint was patient outcome within 7 days from ICU admission (treatment failure). The secondary endpoint was 28-day mortality. Severe sepsis was observed in 42 (25%) episodes from 41 patients, and septic shock was observed in 129 (75%) episodes from 120 patients. Fifty-five (32%) episodes from 42 patients had clinically-documented infection, and 116 (68%) episodes from 99 patients had microbiologically-documented infection. Initial peak PCT and CRP levels were not associated with treatment failure and 28-day mortality. However, PCT clearance (PCTc) and CRP (CRPc) clearance were significantly associated with treatment failure (p = 0.027 and p = 0.030, respectively) and marginally significant with 28-day mortality (p = 0.064 and p = 0.062, respectively). The AUC for prediction of treatment success was 0.71 (95% CI, 0.61-0.82) for PCTc and 0.71 (95% CI, 0.61-0.81) for CRPc. The AUC for survival prediction was 0.77 (95% CI, 0.66-0.88) for PCTc and 0.77 (95% CI, 0.67-0.88) for CRPc. Changes in PCT and CRP concentrations were associated with outcomes of critically ill septic patients. CRP may not be inferior to PCT in predicting outcome in these patients.

Objective: Hypernatremia is a common complication encountered during the treatment of neurocritically ill patients. However, it is unclear whether clinical outcomes correlate with the severity of hypernatremia in such patients. Therefore, we investigated the impact of hypernatremia on mortality of these patients, depending on the degree of hypernatremia. Methods: Among neurosurgical patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) in a tertiary hospital from January 2013 to December 2019, patients who were hospitalized in the ICU for more than 5 days and whose serum sodium levels were obtained during ICU admission were included. Hypernatremia was defined as the highest serum sodium level exceeding 150 mEq/L observed. We classified the patients into four subgroups according to the severity of hypernatremia and performed propensity score matching analysis. Results: Among 1146 patients, 353 patients (30.8%) showed hypernatremia. Based on propensity score matching, 290 pairs were included in the analysis. The hypernatremia group had higher rates of in-hospital mortality and 28-day mortality in both overall and matched population (both p<0.001 and p=0.001, respectively). In multivariable analysis of propensity score-matched population, moderate and severe hypernatremia were significantly associated with in-hospital mortality (adjusted odds ratio [OR], 4.58; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.15-9.75 and adjusted OR, 6.93; 95% CI, 3.46-13.90, respectively) and 28-day mortality (adjusted OR, 3.51; 95% CI, 1.54-7.98 and adjusted OR, 10.60; 95% CI, 5.10-21.90, respectively) compared with the absence of hypernatremia. However, clinical outcomes, including in-hospital mortality and 28-day mortality, were not significantly different between the group without hypernatremia and the group with mild hypernatremia (p=0.720 and p=0.690, respectively). The mortality rates of patients with moderate and severe hypernatremia were significantly higher in both overall and matched population. Interestingly, the mild hypernatremia group of matched population showed the best survival rate. Conclusion: Moderate and severe hypernatremia were associated with poor clinical outcomes in neurocritically ill patients. However, the prognosis of patients with mild hypernatremia was similar with that of patients without hypernatremia. Therefore, mild hypernatremia may be allowed during treatment of intracranial hypertension using hyperosmolar therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]