The Sequential Organ Failure Assessment score for predicting outcome in patients with severe sepsis and evidence of hypoperfusion at the time of emergency department presentation

Objectives Organ failure worsens outcome in sepsis. The Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score numerically quantifies the number and severity of failed organs. We examined the utility of the SOFA score for assessing outcome of patients with severe sepsis with evidence of hypoperfusion at the time of emergency department (ED) presentation. Design Prospective observational study. Setting Urban, tertiary ED with an annual census of >110,000. Patients ED patients with severe sepsis with evidence of hypoperfusion. Inclusion criteria: suspected infection, two or more criteria of systemic inflammation, and either systolic blood pressure 4 mmol/L. Exclusion criteria age <18 years or need for immediate surgery. Interventions SOFA scores were calculated at ED recognition (T0) and 72 hours after intensive care unit admission (T72). The primary outcome was in-hospital mortality. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was used to evaluate the predictive ability of SOFA scores at each time point. The relationship between Δ SOFA (change in SOFA from T0 to T72) was examined for linearity. Results A total of 248 subjects aged 57 ± 16 years, 48% men, were enrolled over 2 years. All patients were treated with a standardized quantitative resuscitation protocol; the in-hospital mortality rate was 21%. The mean SOFA score at T0 was 7.1 ± 3.6 points and at T72 was 7.4 ± 4.9 points. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of SOFA for predicting in-hospital mortality at T0 was 0.75 (95% confidence interval 0.68 - 0.83) and at T72 was 0.84 (95% confidence interval 0.77-0.90). The Δ SOFA was found to have a positive relationship with in-hospital mortality. Conclusions The SOFA score provides potentially valuable prognostic information on in-hospital survival when applied to patients with severe sepsis with evidence of hypoperfusion at the time of ED presentation

Arterial pressure optimization in the treatment of septic shock: a complex puzzle

Arterial pressure optimization in septic shock is a critical, yet poorly understood component of resuscitation. New data suggest that, during the routine management of patients with severe sepsis, there is no association between mean arterial pressure achieved and outcome as long as the mean arterial pressure is maintained at or above 70 mmHg. Although these data add important new evidence to our understanding of arterial pressure management, there are still many unanswered questions upon which future investigations should focus

Early interventions for the prevention of post-traumatic stress symptoms in survivors of critical illness: protocol for a systematic review

Introduction: Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is being increasingly reported among survivors of critical illness and injury. Previous work has demonstrated that PTSD reduces patient quality of life and ability to return to work, as well as increases healthcare costs. As such, identifying interventions aimed at preventing the development of critical illness-related PTSD could have an important public health impact. The objective of this systematic review is to collate the world’s literature on early interventions aimed at preventing PTSD among survivors of critical illness. Methods and analysis: We will perform a qualitative systematic review of human clinical trials of interventions aimed at preventing or reducing critical illness-related PTSD symptoms. We will methodically search CENTRAL, MEDLINE, Embase and CINAHL. We will also search websites containing details on clinical trials registration (National Library of Medicine’s ClinicalTrials.gov and the WHO’s International Clinical Trials Registry Platform), as well as screen reference lists of the articles we select for inclusion to identify additional studies for potential inclusion. Two authors will independently review all search results. After identification and inclusion of articles, we will use a standardised form for data extraction. We will use tables to describe the study type, populations, interventions tested and timing of interventions, outcome measures and effects of interventions on outcome measures compared with control groups. This review will be completed between 1 August 2017 and 31 August 2017

Validation of a 5-Item Tool to Measure Patient Assessment of Clinician Compassion in Hospitals

BACKGROUND: We previously validated a 5-item compassion measure to assess patient experience of clinician compassion in the outpatient setting. However, currently, there is no validated and feasible method for health care systems to measure patient experience of clinician compassion in the inpatient setting across multiple hospitals. OBJECTIVE: To test if the 5-item compassion measure can validly and distinctly measure patient assessment of physician and nurse compassion in the inpatient setting. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study between July 1 and July 31, 2020, in a US health care network of 91 community hospitals across 16 states consisting of approximately 15,000 beds. PATIENTS: Adult patients who had an inpatient hospital stay and completed the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) survey. MEASUREMENTS: We adapted the original 5-item compassion measure to be specific for physicians, as well as for nurses. We disseminated both measures with the HCAHPS survey and used confirmatory factor analysis for validity testing. We tested reliability using Cronbach\u27s alpha, as well as convergent validity with patient assessment of physician and nursing communication and overall hospital rating questions from HCAHPS. RESULTS: We analyzed 4756 patient responses. Confirmatory factor analysis found good fit for two distinct constructs (i.e., physician and nurse compassion). Both measures demonstrated good internal consistency (alpha \u3e 0.90) and good convergent validity but reflected a construct (compassionate care) distinct from what is currently captured in HCAHPS. CONCLUSION: We validated two 5-item tools that can distinctly measure patient experience of physician and nurse compassion for use in the inpatient hospital setting in conjunction with HCAHPS

Emergency department hyperoxia is associated with increased mortality in mechanically ventilated patients: A cohort study

Definitions of comorbid conditions. (DOCX 13 kb

Effect of Glucose–Insulin–Potassium Infusion on Mortality in Critical Care Settings: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

This study seeks to measure the treatment effect of glucose—insulin—potassium (GIK) infusion on mortality in critically ill patients. A systematic review of randomized controlled trials is conducted, comparing GIK treatment with standard care or placebo in critically ill adult patients. The primary outcome variable is mortality. Two authors independently extract data and assess study quality. The primary analysis is based on the random effects model to produce pooled odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). The search yields 1720 potential publications; 23 studies are included in the final analysis, providing a sample of 22 525 patients. The combined results demonstrate no heterogeneity (P = .57, I2 = 0%) and no effect on mortality (OR = 1.02; 95% CI, 0.93–1.11) with GIK treatment. No experimental studies of shock or sepsis populations are identified. This meta-analysis finds that there is no mortality benefit to GIK infusion in critically ill patients; however, study populations are limited to acute myocardial infarction and cardiovascular surgery patients. No studies are identified using GIK in patients with septic shock or other forms of circulatory shock, providing an absence of evidence regarding the effect of GIK as a therapy in patients with shock

Plasma Levels of Mitochondrial DNA in Patients Presenting to the Emergency Department with Sepsis

Introduction Elevated levels of plasma mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) have been reported in trauma patients, and may contribute to the systemic immune response. We sought to determine the plasma levels of mtDNA in emergency department (ED) patients with and without sepsis and evaluate their association with severity of illness. Methods Prospective observational study of patients presenting to one of three large, urban, tertiary care EDs. Patients were enrolled into one of three cohorts: 1) sepsis defined as suspected infection and two or more SIRS criteria without hypotension; 2) septic shock defined as sepsis plus hypotension despite an adequate fluid challenge; and 3) control defined as non-infected ED patients without SIRS/hypotension. Plasma levels of three mtDNAs were measured using real-time quantitative PCR. Levels of mtDNAs were compared between the three cohorts and linear regression was used to assess the association between mtDNAs, IL-6, IL-10, and sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA) scores in patients with sepsis. Results We enrolled 93 patients: 24 controls, 29 with sepsis, and 40 with septic shock. As expected, co-morbidities and SOFA score increased across categories. We found no difference in mtDNA levels between the three groups (p = 0.14-0.30). Among patients with sepsis, we found a small but significant negative association between mtDNA level and SOFA score, most clearly with cytochrome b (p=0.03). Conclusions We found no difference in mtDNA levels between controls and patients with sepsis. mtDNA levels were negatively associated with organ dysfunction, suggesting that plasma mtDNA does not significantly contribute to the pathophysiology of sepsis

Curricula and methods for physician compassion training: protocol for a systematic review

Introduction: Compassionate patient care has been associated with improved clinical outcomes for patients. However, current evidence suggests that healthcare is experiencing a compassion crisis, with physicians frequently overlooking opportunities to treat patients with compassion. Although there is evidence that compassionate care can be enhanced through training interventions, it is currently unclear what specific skills and behaviours ought to be taught and how best to transfer this information to the learner. The objectives of this systematic review are to collate the world’s literature on compassion training to determine (1) the specific skills and behaviours that should be taught (curriculum), and (2) the methods of training that are most effective at improving compassionate patient care

Outcomes of Patients Undergoing Early Sepsis Resuscitation for Cryptic Shock Compared with Overt Shock

Introduction We sought to compare the outcomes of patients with cryptic versus overt shock treated with an emergency department (ED) based early sepsis resuscitation protocol. Methods Pre-planned secondary analysis of a large, multicenter ED-based randomized controlled trial of early sepsis resuscitation. All subjects were treated with a quantitative resuscitation protocol in the ED targeting 3 physiological variables: central venous pressure, mean arterial pressure and either central venous oxygen saturation or lactate clearance. The study protocol was continued until all endpoints were achieved or a maximum of 6 h. Outcomes data of patients who were enrolled with a lactate ≥4 mmol/L and normotension (cryptic shock) were compared to those enrolled with sustained hypotension after fluid challenge (overt shock). The primary outcome was in-hospital mortality. Results A total of 300 subjects were enrolled, 53 in the cryptic shock group and 247 in the overt shock group. The demographics and baseline characteristics were similar between the groups. The primary endpoint of in-hospital mortality was observed in 11/53 (20%, 95% CI 11–34) in the cryptic shock group and 48/247 (19%, 95% CI 15–25) in the overt shock group, difference of 1% (95% CI −10 to 14; log rank test p = 0.81). Conclusion Severe sepsis with cryptic shock carries a mortality rate not significantly different from that of overt septic shock. These data suggest the need for early aggressive screening for and treatment of patients with an elevated serum lactate in the absence of hypotension