Ultrasound Assessment of Endothelial Function in Children

Although the clinical complications of atherosclerosis arise from developed lesions in old age, the atherosclerotic disease is a lifelong process with roots in childhood. Endothelial dysfunction is currently considered an early stage in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis, which precedes the formation of structural atherosclerotic changes. Improvements in noninvasive imaging modalities, mainly in ultrasound imaging, have made it possible to assess the endothelial health of asymptomatic children with or without cardiovascular risk factors. By using noninvasive ultrasound for endothelial function, important insights have been gained into the early stages of atherosclerosis and the effects of cardiovascular risk factors on vasculature in childhood. The ultrasound test of endothelial function is affordable, available, and safe and may be considered a potent aid in clinical risk stratification of children at high risk for subsequent clinical atherosclerosis in adulthood. At present, this methodology serves only research purposes, as many issues including reproducibility and normal values for healthy children need to be solved before clinical use can be considered. In adults, however, recent studies have shown that attenuated endothelial function predicts the occurrence of future cardiovascular events

Continuous hemodialysis with citrate anticoagulation and standard dialysate for managing acute kidney injury in patients with moderate to severe hyponatremia-A retrospective study

Background: The safety of continuous veno-venous hemodialysis (CVVHD) with citrate-calcium anticoagulation for acute kidney injury (AKI) with coincident hyponatremia remains unclear. We aimed to explore the feasibility of CVVHD with standard dialysate and citrate-calcium anticoagulation in hyponatremic critically ill AKI patients.Methods: Thirty-seven of the 493 critically ill AKI patients requiring CVVHD and admitted to our intensive care unit during a 10-year period had hyponatremia (Results: Median plasma sodium concentration was 127 (IQR 124-129) mmol/L at CVVHD initiation. CVVHD duration was median 3 (IQR 1.5-5.5) days and the mean daily sodium load of the trisodium citrate solution during the first 3 days of CVVHD was 1754 (SD 730) mmol. The plasma sodium concentration increased a median 8 (IQR 5-10) mmol/L during the first 24 hours of CVVHD and excessively high plasma sodium correction (>8 mmol/L/24 h) was observed in 18 (48.6%) patients. However, increased mortality in association to rapid plasma sodium correction was not observed in this study.Conclusions: CVVHD using standard citrate-calcium anticoagulation effectively increased plasma sodium concentration in this study. However, excessively high plasma sodium correction was observed in half of the patients and the sodium load provided by the standard citrate anticoagulation solutions was substantial.</div

Mortality and associated risk factors in perioperative acute kidney injury treated with continuous renal replacement therapy

Background: Perioperative acute kidney injury (AKI) is associated with multiple postoperative complications leading to prolonged hospital stay and higher costs. AKI requiring continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) after surgery has an incidence of 2-6% and mortality approximates 40-60%. Previous studies examining mortality in perioperative AKI patients managed with CRRT have concentrated on cardiac surgery patients and there are very limited data on broad surgical patient populations requiring CRRT. We examined long-term mortality and factors associated with poor outcome in a broad surgical population requiring CRRT for perioperative AKI during a 10-year period.Methods: Surgical patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) of academic tertiary hospital requiring CRRT between years 2010-2019 were included. CRRT was performed using regional citrate-calcium-anticoagulation. Extracted data included patient demographics, comorbidities, and clinical parameters at ICU admission and at the initiation of CRRT. Creatinine and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) were measured at 1 year after ICU admission.Results: A total of 157 patients were included in the study. ICU mortality was 42.7%, 90-day mortality 58.0% and 1year mortality 62.4%. Blood lactate at ICU admission and CRRT initiation were independently associated with mortality in the multivariate models. Patients with lactate > 4 mmol/l had higher mortality than patients with normal lactate (77% vs. 21%) (p < 0.001). Creatinine (p = 0.004) and eGFR (p < 0.001) remained significantly altered at 1 year of follow-up compared to baseline.Conclusions: Patients undergoing surgery and requiring perioperative CRRT in the ICU have a high risk of mortality. Mortality appears to be independently associated with lactate levels

Mortality and associated risk factors in patients with blood culture positive sepsis and acute kidney injury requiring continuous renal replacement therapy-A retrospective study

ObjectivesSeptic acute kidney injury (AKI) requiring continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) carries a mortality risk nearing 50%. Risk factors associated with mortality in AKI patients undergoing CRRT with blood culture positive sepsis remain unclear as sepsis has been defined according to consensus criteria in previous studies.MethodsRisk factors associated with intensive care unit (ICU), 90-day and overall mortality were studied in a retrospective cohort of 126 patients with blood culture positive sepsis and coincident severe AKI requiring CRRT. Comprehensive laboratory and clinical data were gathered at ICU admission and CRRT initiation.Results38 different causative pathogens for sepsis and associated AKI were identified. ICU mortality was 30%, 90-day mortality 45% and one-year mortality 50%. Immunosuppression, history of heart failure, APACHE II and SAPS II scores, C-reactive protein and lactate at CRRT initiation were independently associated with mortality in multivariable Cox proportional hazards models. Blood lactate showed good predictive power for ICU mortality in receiver operating characteristic curve analyses with AUCs of 0.76 (95%CI 0.66-0.85) for lactate at ICU admission and 0.84 (95%CI 0.72-0.95) at CRRT initiation.ConclusionsOur study shows for the first time that lactate measured at CRRT initiation is predictive of ICU mortality and independently associated with overall mortality in patients with blood culture positive sepsis and AKI requiring CRRT. Microbial etiology for septic AKI requiring CRRT is diverse

Renal Replacement Techniques in Septic Shock

Sepsis is defined as a life-threatening organ dysfunction caused by a dysregulated host response to an infection; it carries a risk for mortality, considerably exceeding that of a mere infection. Sepsis is the leading cause for acute kidney injury (AKI) and the requirement for renal replacement therapy (RRT) in intensive care unit (ICU) patients. Almost every second critically ill patient with sepsis will develop AKI. In septic shock, the dysregulated host response to infectious pathogens leads to a cytokine storm with uncontrolled production and release of humoral proinflammatory mediators that evoke cellular toxicity and promote the development of organ dysfunction and increased mortality. In addition to treating AKI, RRT techniques can be employed for extracorporeal adsorption of inflammatory mediators using specifically developed adsorption membranes, hemoperfusion sorbent cartridges or columns; these techniques are intended to decrease the level and early deleterious effects of circulating proinflammatory cytokines and endotoxins during the first hours and days of septic shock treatment, in order to improve patient outcomes. Several methods and devices, such as high cut-off membranes, the Oxiris(R)-AN69 membrane, CytoSorb(R) and HA380 cytokine hemoadsorption, polymyxin B endotoxin adsorption, and plasmapheresis have been examined in small study series or are under evaluation as ways of improving patient outcomes in septic shock. However, to date, the data on actual outcome benefits have remained controversial, as discussed in this review.</p

Feasibility of Intranasal Dexmedetomidine in Treatment of Postoperative Restlessness, Agitation, and Pain in Geriatric Orthopedic Patients

Objective The aim of this study was to report preliminary data on the use of intranasal dexmedetomidine to treat postoperative restlessness, agitation, and pain in 23 patients aged > 70 years and undergoing orthopedic surgery. Background Postoperative agitation and delirium are common among older adult patients undergoing orthopedic surgery. Most preparations used to treat agitation and delirium carry a risk for adverse events such as respiratory failure. Moreover, mere opioid therapy may be insufficient in treatment of pain. Dexmedetomidine, an alpha 2-adrenoreceptor agonist with sedative and analgesic properties, has been shown to reduce opioid requirement and reduce postoperative delirium in older adults. Methods We studied the use of post-operative intranasal dexmedetomidine in a retrospective study cohort of geriatric patients undergoing orthopedic surgery. Primary outcomes included alterations in heart rate (HR), mean arterial pressure (MAP), respiratory rate (RR), peripheral oxygen saturation (SpO2), Modified Richmond Agitation and Sedation Score (mRASS), and opioid consumption following dexmedetomidine administration. Results We identified 23 patients with a mean (SD) age of 79.9 (7.5) years who received dexmedetomidine 100 mu g intranasally postoperatively. After dexmedetomidine administration, HR decreased by 10.4 (3.7) beats/min (95% CI 2.9-17.8; p = 0.004) and MAP by 16.2 (4.4) mmHg (95% CI 7.3-25.1; p < 0.001). HR decrease was significant at 2 h and MAP decrease at 1, 2, and 3 h following dexmedetomidine administration. Dexmedetomidine administration was associated with significant reductions in opioid consumption (p < 0.001) and mRASS score (p < 0.001). SpO(2) and RR remained unchanged. Conclusions These preliminary findings suggest that intranasal dexmedetomidine reduces opioid consumption without causing respiratory depression and may be used to treat postoperative restlessness, agitation, and pain in geriatric patients. However, hemodynamic effects of dexmedetomidine may require close observation for 3 hours following administration in older adult patients

Atrial Fibrillation and Adverse Outcomes in Patients Undergoing Simultaneous Pancreas-Kidney Transplantation

Background. There are no published data on atrial fibrillation (AF) in patients receiving simultaneous pancreas-kidney transplantation (SPKT). We explored the epidemiology and adverse outcomes of AF in SPKT recipients in this retrospective observational cohort study. Materials and Methods. All 200 SPKT recipients in Finland to date between March 2010 and April 2021 were included in the present study. Demographics, comorbidities, medications, and transplantation data were collected from the electronic patient records. Outcome measures included new-onset AF (NOAF), ischemic stroke, and death. Results. Median age was 42 years (interquartile range [IQR] 35-49), 69 (35%) were female, and median dialysis vintage was 13 months (IQR 9-19). Altogether 7 patients (4%) had a previous diagnosis of AF at baseline, and heart failure was independently associated with prior AF in the age-adjusted multivariable logistic regression analysis. After a median follow-up of 3 years (IQR 1-5), 2 patients (1%) were observed with incident NOAF, 4 (2%) with ischemic stroke, and 7 patients (4%) died. Prior AF or NOAF were not associated with cardiovascular adverse outcomes, mortality or graft outcomes. Conclusions. We demonstrate a low prevalence and incidence of AF for the first time in this large observational study comprising all SPKT recipients in Finland to date.Peer reviewe

Predicting mortality in critically ill patients requiring renal replacement therapy for acute kidney injury in a retrospective single-center study of two cohorts

Half of the critically ill patients with renal replacement therapy (RRT) dependent acute kidney injury (AKI) die within one year despite RRT. General intensive care prediction models perform inadequately in AKI. Predictive models for mortality would be an invaluable complementary tool to aid clinical decision making. We aimed to develop and validate new prediction models for intensive care unit (ICU) and hospital mortality customized for patients with RRT dependent AKI in a retrospective single-center study. The models were first developed in a cohort of 471 critically ill patients with continuous RRT (CRRT) and then validated in a cohort of 193 critically ill patients with intermittent hemodialysis (IHD) as the primary modality for RRT. Forty-two risk factors for mortality were examined at ICU admission and CRRT initiation, respectively, in the first univariate models followed by multivariable model development. Receiver operating characteristics curve analyses were conducted to estimate the area under the curve (AUC), to measure discriminative capacity of the models for mortality. AUCs of the respective models ranged between 0.76 and 0.83 in the CRRT model development cohort, thereby showing acceptable to excellent predictive power for the mortality events (ICU mortality and hospital mortality). The models showed acceptable external validity in a validation cohort of IHD patients. In the IHD validation cohort the AUCs of the MALEDICT RRT initiation model were 0.74 and 0.77 for ICU and hospital mortality, respectively. The MALEDICT model shows promise for mortality prediction in critically ill patients with RRT dependent AKI. After further validation, the model might serve as an additional clinical tool for estimating individual mortality risk at the time of RRT initiation

Mortality and associated risk factors in patients with severe methanol or ethylene glycol poisoning treated with dialysis: a retrospective cohort study

Objective To compare the initial clinical course and data on 90-day mortality in adults with methanol (MET) or ethylene glycol (EG) poisoning treated with dialysis. Methods Data on patient demographics and clinical parameters at intensive care unit (ICU) admission and for the first 24 hours after dialysis initiation were collected, and 90-day outcome data were collected for patients with MET (n = 15) or EG (n = 13) poisoning treated with dialysis in this retrospective cohort study. Results In univariate analysis, patients with EG poisoning were older and they had lower hourly urine output during the first 24 hours after the initiation of dialysis. Six (46%) patients with MET poisoning and three (20%) patients with EG poisoning died within 90 days of ICU admission. A larger anion gap and lower pH, bicarbonate levels, base excess, and Glasgow Coma Scale scores on admission, as well as the need for mechanical ventilation, were associated with 90-day mortality. Conclusions Metabolic acidosis, a large anion gap, and an altered mental status on admission appear to be associated with mortality in MET or EG poisoning, and EG poisoning may be linked to lower urine output

Early restrictive fluid balance is associated with lower hospital mortality independent of acute disease severity in critically ill patients on CRRT

Fluid overload (FO) with coincident acute kidney injury has been associated with increased mortality. However, it is unclear whether FO is an independent determinant of mortality for disease severity. We aimed to explore whether the development of fluid balance (FB) during the first 72 h of continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) is independently associated with hospital mortality. All patients admitted to a single centre ICU requiring CRRT for at least 24 h between years 2010-2019 were included. Extracted data included patient demographics and clinical parameters including daily cumulative fluid balance (FBcum), lactate, SOFA score and vasoactive requirement at the initiation and during the first 72 h of CRRT. 399 patients were included in the analysis. Hospital survivors had a significantly lower FBcum at CRRT initiation compared to non-survivors (median 1382 versus 3265 ml; p = 0.003). Hourly fluid balance per bodyweight (FBnet) was lower in survivors at 0-24, 24-48 and 48-72 h after initiation of CRRT (p < 0.008 for all comparisons). In the survival analysis (analyzed with counting process model) significant time-dependent explanatory variables for hospital mortality were FBnet (per ml/kg/h: HR: 1.319, 95% CI 1.038-1.677, p = 0.02), lactate (HR: 1.086, 95% CI 1.030-1.145, p = 0.002) and SOFA score (per ml/kg/h: HR: 1.084, 95% CI 1.025-1.146, p = 0.005) during the first 72 h of CRRT. Even after careful adjustment for repeated measures of disease severity, FBnet during the first 72 h of CRRT remains independently associated with hospital mortality, in critically ill patients with AKI