Hypotension in ICU Patients Receiving Vasopressor Therapy

Vasopressor infusion (VPI) is used to treat hypotension in an ICU. We studied compliance with blood pressure (BP) goals during VPI and whether a statistical model might be efficacious for advance warning of impending hypotension, compared with a basic hypotension threshold alert. Retrospective data were obtained from a public database. Studying adult ICU patients receiving VPI at submaximal dosages, we analyzed characteristics of sustained hypotension episodes (>15 min) and then developed a logistic regression model to predict hypotension episodes using input features related to BP trends. The model was then validated with prospective data. In the retrospective dataset, 102-of-215 ICU stays experienced >1 hypotension episode (median of 2.5 episodes per day in this subgroup). When trained with 75% of retrospective dataset, testing with the remaining 25% of the dataset showed that the model and the threshold alert detected 99.6% and 100% of the episodes, respectively, with median advance forecast times (AFT) of 12 and 0 min. In a second, prospective dataset, the model detected 100% of 26 episodes with a median AFT of 22 min. In conclusion, episodes of hypotension were common during VPI in the ICU. A logistic regression model using BP temporal trend features predicted the episodes before their onset

Muscle Oxygen Saturation Improves Diagnostic Association Between Initial Vital Signs and Major Hemorrhage: A Prospective Observational Study

During initial assessment of trauma patients, vital signs do not identify all patients with life-threatening hemorrhage. We hypothesized that a novel vital sign, muscle oxygen saturation (SmO2 ), could provide independent diagnostic information beyond routine vital signs for identification of hemorrhaging patients who require packed red blood cell (RBC) transfusion. This was an observational study of adult trauma patients treated at a Level I trauma center. Study staff placed the CareGuide 1100 tissue oximeter (Reflectance Medical Inc., Westborough, MA), and we analyzed average values of SmO2 , systolic blood pressure (sBP), pulse pressure (PP), and heart rate (HR) during 10 minutes of early emergency department evaluation. We excluded subjects without a full set of vital signs during the observation interval. The study outcome was hemorrhagic injury and RBC transfusion ≥ 3 units in 24 hours (24-hr RBC ≥ 3). To test the hypothesis that SmO2 added independent information beyond routine vital signs, we developed one logistic regression model with HR, sBP, and PP and one with SmO2 in addition to HR, sBP, and PP and compared their areas under receiver operating characteristic curves (ROC AUCs) using DeLong's test. We enrolled 487 subjects; 23 received 24-hr RBC ≥ 3. Compared to the model without SmO2 , the regression model with SmO2 had a significantly increased ROC AUC for the prediction of ≥ 3 units of 24-hr RBC volume, 0.85 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.75-0.91) versus 0.77 (95% CI, 0.66-0.86; p < 0.05 per DeLong's test). Results were similar for ROC AUCs predicting patients (n = 11) receiving 24-hr RBC ≥ 9. SmO2 significantly improved the diagnostic association between initial vital signs and hemorrhagic injury with blood transfusion. This parameter may enhance the early identification of patients who require blood products for life-threatening hemorrhage

Challenges and Opportunities for Emergency Department Sepsis Screening at Triage

Feasibility of ED triage sepsis screening, before diagnostic testing has been performed, has not been established. In a retrospective, outcome-blinded chart review of a one-year cohort of ED adult septic shock patients (“derivation cohort”) and three additional, non-consecutive months of all adult ED visits (“validation cohort”), we evaluated the qSOFA score, the Shock Precautions on Triage (SPoT) vital-signs criterion, and a triage concern-for-infection (tCFI) criterion based on risk factors and symptoms, to screen for sepsis. There were 19,670 ED patients in the validation cohort; 50 developed ED septic shock, of whom 60% presented without triage hypotension, and 56% presented with non-specific symptoms. The tCFI criterion improved specificity without substantial reduction of sensitivity. At triage, sepsis screens (positive qSOFA vital-signs and tCFI, or positive SPoT vital-signs and tCFI) were 28% (95% CI: 16–43%) and 56% (95% CI: 41–70%) sensitive, respectively, p 0.05, and specificities were 97% (95% CI: 96–97%) and 95% (95% CI: 95–96%), p < 0.001. ED patients who developed septic shock requiring vasopressors often presented normotensive with non-specific complaints, necessitating a low threshold for clinical concern-for-infection at triage

Interaction Between Dietary Iron Intake and Genetically Determined Iron Overload : Risk of Islet Autoimmunity and Progression to Type 1 Diabetes in the TEDDY Study

OBJECTIVE: To examine whether iron intake and genetically determined iron overload interact in predisposing to the development of childhood islet autoimmunity (IA) and type 1 diabetes (T1D).RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: In The Environmental Determinants of Diabetes in the Young (TEDDY) study, 7,770 genetically high-risk children were followed from birth until the development of IA and progression to T1D. Exposures included energy-adjusted iron intake in the first 3 years of life and a genetic risk score (GRS) for increased circulating iron.RESULTS: We found a U-shaped association between iron intake and risk of GAD antibody as the first autoantibody. In children with GRS ≥2 iron risk alleles, high iron intake was associated with an increased risk of IA, with insulin as first autoantibody (adjusted hazard ratio 1.71 [95% CI 1.14; 2.58]) compared with moderate iron intake.CONCLUSIONS: Iron intake may alter the risk of IA in children with high-risk HLA haplogenotypes

Artropolis 90 : Lineages & Linkages

Varney documents the processes of organizing and mounting an exhibition of over 200 contemporary British Columbia artists. Includes artist's statements