Evaluation of APACHE II system among intensive care patients at a teaching hospital

CONTEXT: The high-complexity features of intensive care unit services and the clinical situation of patients themselves render correct prognosis fundamentally important not only for patients, their families and physicians, but also for hospital administrators, fund-providers and controllers. Prognostic indices have been developed for estimating hospital mortality rates for hospitalized patients, based on demographic, physiological and clinical data. OBJECTIVE: The APACHE II system was applied within an intensive care unit to evaluate its ability to predict patient outcome; to compare illness severity with outcomes for clinical and surgical patients; and to compare the recorded result with the predicted death rate. DESIGN: Diagnostic test. SETTING: Clinical and surgical intensive care unit in a tertiary-care teaching hospital. PARTICIPANTS: The study involved 521 consecutive patients admitted to the intensive care unit from July 1998 to June 1999. MAIN MEASUREMENTS: APACHE II score, in-hospital mortality, receiver operating characteristic curve, decision matrices and linear regression analysis. RESULTS: The patients' mean age was 50 &plusmn; 19 years and the APACHE II score was 16.7 &plusmn; 7.3. There were 166 clinical patients (32%), 173 (33%) post-elective surgery patients (33%), and 182 post-emergency surgery patients (35%), thus producing statistically similar proportions. The APACHE II scores for clinical patients (18.5 &plusmn; 7.8) were similar to those for non-elective surgery patients (18.6 &plusmn; 6.5) and both were greater than for elective surgery patients (13.0 &plusmn; 6.3) (p < 0.05). The higher this score was, the higher the mortality rate was (p < 0.05). The predicted death rate was 25.6% and the recorded death rate was 35.5%. Through the use of receiver operating curve analysis, good discrimination was found (area under the curve = 0.80). From the 2 x 2 decision matrix, 72.2% of patients were correctly classified (sensitivity = 35.1%; specificity = 92.6%). Linear regression analysis was equivalent to r² = 0.92. CONCLUSIONS: APACHE II was useful for stratifying these patients. The illness severity and death rate among clinical patients were higher than those recorded for surgical patients. Despite the stratification ability of the APACHE II system, it lacked accuracy in predicting death rates. The recorded death rate was higher than the predicted rate

Evaluation of APACHE II system among intensive care patients at a teaching hospital

CONTEXT: The high-complexity features of intensive care unit services and the clinical situation of patients themselves render correct prognosis fundamentally important not only for patients, their families and physicians, but also for hospital administrators, fund-providers and controllers. Prognostic indices have been developed for estimating hospital mortality rates for hospitalized patients, based on demographic, physiological and clinical data. OBJECTIVE: The APACHE II system was applied within an intensive care unit to evaluate its ability to predict patient outcome; to compare illness severity with outcomes for clinical and surgical patients; and to compare the recorded result with the predicted death rate. DESIGN: Diagnostic test. SETTING: Clinical and surgical intensive care unit in a tertiary-care teaching hospital. PARTICIPANTS: The study involved 521 consecutive patients admitted to the intensive care unit from July 1998 to June 1999. MAIN MEASUREMENTS: APACHE II score, in-hospital mortality, receiver operating characteristic curve, decision matrices and linear regression analysis. RESULTS: The patients' mean age was 50 ± 19 years and the APACHE II score was 16.7 ± 7.3. There were 166 clinical patients (32%), 173 (33%) post-elective surgery patients (33%), and 182 post-emergency surgery patients (35%), thus producing statistically similar proportions. The APACHE II scores for clinical patients (18.5 ± 7.8) were similar to those for non-elective surgery patients (18.6 ± 6.5) and both were greater than for elective surgery patients (13.0 ± 6.3) (p < 0.05). The higher this score was, the higher the mortality rate was (p < 0.05). The predicted death rate was 25.6% and the recorded death rate was 35.5%. Through the use of receiver operating curve analysis, good discrimination was found (area under the curve = 0.80). From the 2 x 2 decision matrix, 72.2% of patients were correctly classified (sensitivity = 35.1%; specificity = 92.6%). Linear regression analysis was equivalent to r² = 0.92. CONCLUSIONS: APACHE II was useful for stratifying these patients. The illness severity and death rate among clinical patients were higher than those recorded for surgical patients. Despite the stratification ability of the APACHE II system, it lacked accuracy in predicting death rates. The recorded death rate was higher than the predicted rate

Evaluation of the anthropometric clinical measurements and Vitamin D status in kidney transplant recipients: Comparison between sexes

Anthropometric clinical indexes have been used to verify the association of obesity with Vitamin D status; however, different reports have yielded conflicting results. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between anthropometric clinical indexes and Vitamin D status in kidney transplant recipients (KTR), comparing by sex. Eighty-five KTR were selected and demographic, clinical, and laboratory data were collected. Anthropometric evaluation using clinical indexes and body composition by bioelectrical impedance analysis were determined, and the patients compared by sex. No differences of serum 1,25-dihy-droxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) values between males and females were found. Females had higher abdominal obesity observed by waist/height ratio and waist/weight ratio, and also higher body fat%, than males. No correlation was found among the 25(OH)D levels and anthropometric data in both sexes. Since serum 25(OH)D concentrations could be influenced by body weight, we also analyzed the 25(OH)D/weight ratio, and this showed an inverse correlation with body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), WC/height ratio, index, conicity index, and body fat%, in females. Moreover, the comparison of the 25(OH)D values among patients classified by BMI showed no differences between sexes. However, the 25(OH)D/weight ratio revealed lower values in overweight and obese patients compared with the normal BMI group, and progressively decreased as the BMI increased, mainly in females. The study suggests that KTR with higher abdominal obesity may need higher Vitamin D intake to obtain adequate serum 25(OH)D status, notably in females

Functional and Respiratory Capacity of Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease Undergoing Cycle Ergometer Training during Hemodialysis Sessions: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Purpose. Exercise is recommended for patients undergoing hemodialysis, to reduce the decrease in functional capacity secondary to the progression of chronic kidney disease. A cycle ergometer can be easily added to an exercise routine during hemodialysis sessions. The purpose of this article was to assess the results of a training protocol with the cycle ergometer during hemodialysis sessions on the respiratory function and functional capacity of patients with chronic kidney disease on hemodialysis. Method. In this randomized clinical trial (NCT no. 02834026), 39 patients undergoing hemodialysis were randomly allocated into two groups: the treatment group (TG, n = 20), who underwent a cycle ergometer protocol training, and the control group (GC, n = 19), not trained. The TG attended 24 training sessions, three times a week, during the intradialytic period. Training intensity was aimed at keeping the heart rate between 50 and 70% of its maximum. All participants were evaluated before and after the eight consecutive weeks of follow-up and had biochemicals data, anthropometric, functional, and respiratory outcomes evaluated. Results. A significant difference was observed between groups in forced vital capacity, forced expiratory volume in the first second, peak expiratory flow, maximal inspiratory and expiratory pressure, and Borg score and distance covered in the six-minute walk test. Improvement was also observed in biochemical and Kt/V test results for the TG. Conclusion. The systematic training regimen with a cycle ergometer resulted in benefits in the respiratory function and functional capacity in patients with chronic kidney disease undergoing hemodialysis

Impact of neuromuscular electrical stimulation on functional capacity of patients with chronic kidney disease on hemodialysis

Abstract Introduction: Literature shows that patients undergoing hemodialysis present poor physical conditioning and low tolerance to exercise. They may also suffer from respiratory dysfunctions. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of neuromuscular electrical stimulation on pulmonary function and functional capacity of patients with chronic kidney disease on hemodialysis. Methods: Forty adult patients with chronic kidney disease on hemodialysis were prospectively studied and randomized into two groups (control n = 20 and treatment n = 20). The treatment group underwent bilateral femoral quadriceps muscles electrical stimulation for 30 minutes during hemodialysis, three times per week, for two months. The patients were evaluated by pulmonary function test, maximum respiratory pressures, maximum one-repetition test, and six-minute walk test (6MWT), before and after the treatment protocol. Results: The treatment group presented increased maximum inspiratory (MIP) (p = 0.02) and expiratory pressures (MEP) (p < 0.0001), muscular strength in maximum one-repetition test (p < 0.001), and distance covered in the 6MWT (p = 0.03), and decreased systolic blood pressure (p < 0.001) and respiratory frequency (p < 0.001) when compared with the control group. Conclusion: Electrical neuromuscular stimulation had a positive impact on pulmonary function and functional capacity, leading to better physical performance in patients on hemodialysis