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Background: As the incidences of preterm births and surgical cases increases, so do cases of neonatal sepsis in CMH. Furthermore, the common etiology of neonatal sepsis are multidrug-resistant bacteria which increase the risk of mortality. Cefepime is a fourth-generation cephalosporin which is increasingly being utilized in NICUs. Theoretically, continuous infusion of beta lactam antibiotics could maximize the time- dependent bactericidal activity and improve the probability of target attainment. This study aims to determine the effectiveness and safety of continuous cefepime administration in managing sepsis. Methods: This is retrospective cohort study on infants who suspected late onset sepsis from 2021 to 2023. The independent variables are continuous infusion and intermittent infusion, with outcomes including mortality rate, reduction in septic markers, use of antibiotic combinations, duration of antibiotic use, and renal function test. Result: There were 106 subjects receiving cefepime (56 continuous and 50 intermittent infusions; p>0.05). No significant differences in demographic data such as gestational age, prematurity condition, birth weight, and surgical conditions were found between the two methods. Out of 66 subjects with proven sepsis, 28% were classified as MDR, 12% as XDR, and 16% as PDR. No difference in sepsis-related mortality outcomes was observed between the two methods (64.3% vs. 70%; p=0.532). Continuous administration reduced C-reactive protein (80.52 vs. 51.69 mg/L; p=0.000) and procalcitonin (11.9 vs. 6.72 ng/mL; p=0.008) more effectively than intermittent. In surgical cases, continuous administration reduced the risk of multidrug therapy (RR 0.5 CI 95% 0.243-0.902; p=0.045). There was no difference renal function impairment between two methods. Conclusion: Cefepime continuous infusion can significantly reduce infection markers compared to intermittent administration. In surgical cases, continuous cefepime administration reduces the risk of multidrug therapy. The use of continuous cefepime can be considered as part of antibiotic stewardship in the NICU.
Case Presentation: A 68 year old man. Hospitalized with decreased consciousness. Experienced severe shortness of breath 3 days before entering the hospital. The patient also had wounds on his right and left legs since 1 month ago. But then became more widespread. The patient has kidney failure and routinely undergoes hemodialysis. The patient had diabetes since 6 years ago. Laboratory: Hemoglobin 7.5 Leukocytes 17.8 Netrophils 91.70 Lymphocytes 4.20 Albumin 2.2 Creatinine 2.5 Ureum 61 Artery 2.30, urine bacteria+++. Pus culture results: Enterobacter cloacae with the antibiotic meropenem. Sputum culture results Klebsiella pneumoniae ss. Pneumoniae with amikacin. After 1 week pus culture results: Pseudomonas aeruginosa with amikacin. Blood culture results: Staphylococcus epidermidis suggested vancomycin. The patient underwent debriment in the operating room. However, the condition did not improve. Discussion: This patient experienced sepsis with MDRO. Apart from geriatric age, the patient also has diabetes with complications of kidney failure. This worsens the patient’s immune system. So the patient’s diabetic ulcers and decubitus ulcers worsened with the results of cultures with various antibiotic-resistant multiorganisms. And also the respiratory infections increase the risk of mortality. Conclusion : MDRO is a risk factor for inappropriate antibiotic therapy, which is undoubtedly associated with increased mortality.
Sepsis, a life-threatening organ dysfunction resulting from a dysregulated host response to infections, poses a critical threat. Cardiac surgery itself induces a robust inflammatory response, further exacerbated by cardiopulmonary bypass, causing notable clinical and physiological changes. Identifying sepsis early in the post-operative period with elevated septic markers becomes challenging, with delayed antibiotic intervention ultimately posing a fatal risk for the patient.
Methods:
We performed a prospective observational cross-sectional study aimed at identifying sepsis markers that include total leucocyte count, absolute neutrophil count, platelet count, serum albumin, chest X-ray, blood, urine, and tracheal cultures, procalcitonin, c-reactive protein, serum lactate >2.5 mmol/l along with clinical parameters (fever, hypotension, tachycardia) on post-operative days 1, 3, 5, and 10 in paediatric patients undergoing cardiac surgery with prolonged cardiopulmonary bypass time >100 min.
Results:
Total leucocyte count, absolute neutrophil count, and platelet counts were not significant enough to detect early sepsis, especially in patients with prolonged cardiopulmonary bypass time. Chest X-ray was significant from post-operative day 3 onwards. Procalcitonin was significant from day 5, and C-reactive protein was significant only from day 10. Among the clinical parameters, fever, hypotension, tachycardia, and elevated lactate levels were significant from post-operative day 1 in the patients developing sepsis.
Conclusion:
Neonates and infants faced a higher sepsis risk than older children. Longer cardiopulmonary bypass and aortic clamp times correlated with increased sepsis likelihood. Clinical factors outweighed laboratory indicators for early sepsis detection post-cardiac surgery, prompting prompt investigation and intervention.
William Fawcett, Royal Surrey County Hospital, Guildford and University of Surrey,Olivia Dow, Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, London,Judith Dinsmore, St George's Hospital, London
Vascular access is a fundamental skill in anaesthesia and intensive care, not only for drug administration but also for delivery of fluids and blood products, and for sampling for blood tests. Peripheral venous access is used for all patients undergoing surgery, but for major surgery and/or very unwell patients, central venous access and arterial access may also be required.
Flow rates through cannulae are key in determining the size of cannula chosen, and are proportional to the fourth power of their internal radius. All vascular access must be inserted aseptically, and removed if signs of infection develop. Serious complications, particularly after central venous access are well described including pneumothorax, haemothorax and cardiac tamponade. The use of ultrasound for facilitating access is mandated for central access, but is also increasing for both more difficult arterial and peripheral venous access.
from
Section 4
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Walking the Walk (and Talking the Talk)
William Fawcett, Royal Surrey County Hospital, Guildford and University of Surrey,Olivia Dow, Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, London,Judith Dinsmore, St George's Hospital, London
Recognition and management of the sick patient outside of the operating theatre is often required by an anaesthetic trainee. There are a number of scoring systems in use, but the majority use the following parameters: respiration rate, oxygen saturation, systolic blood pressure, pulse rate, level of consciousness or new confusion and temperature. Values within the normal range score 0, and increase to 3 with progressively more abnormal (high or low) scores.
A number of clinical pictures may present with a sick patient but common scenarios encountered include haemorrhage and hypovolaemia, cardiac events (arrhythmias/myocardial infarction/failure), sepsis, pulmonary embolus and various iatrogenic problems ( e.g. pneumothorax, epidural problems, PCA overdose). Rapid diagnosis and management is essential. This will include blood tests, ABG, urinary catheter and often a urinary catheter. Patients may need imaging in the radiology department too, when stable.
Basic resuscitation involves ensuring delivering facemask oxygen, establishing reliable iv access and appropriate monitoring. This may include intravascular monitoring. Often iv fluids are required and should be guided by the monitoring available. Rapid treatment of sepsis is essential with appropriate antibiotics.
It is difficult to manage these patients on the ward and transfer to theatres/ICU is preferable.
Endomyometritis is a postpartum uterine infection that can lead to significant morbidity and mortality if not promptly recognized and managed. This case describes a 25-year-old primiparous patient with endometritis and how her condition was evaluated and managed. Endomyometritis is a clinical diagnosis. Key to the management is early introduction of antibiotics. If fevers persist, further evaluation is necessary to exclude alternative sources of infection. Early consideration of sepsis is crucial, and scoring systems can aid in identifying patients at risk for severe morbidity. Prevention strategies include reducing vaginal exams, minimizing the time between rupture of membranes and delivery, and implementing surgical bundles and prophylactic antibiotics for cesarean deliveries.
Minimising suffering is an ethical and legal requirement in animal research. This is particularly relevant for research on animal models of sepsis and septic shock, which show rapid progression towards severe stages and death. Specific and reliable criteria signalling non-recovery points can be used as humane endpoints, beyond which a study cannot be allowed to progress, thus preventing avoidable suffering. Body temperature is a key indicator for assessing animal health and welfare and has been suggested to have potential for monitoring the status of mouse models of sepsis. In this study, we monitored temperature variations using contactless methods – thermal imaging and subcutaneously implanted PIT tags – in a surgical model of sepsis by caecal ligation and puncture (CLP). We monitored body temperature variation following mid-grade CLP, high-grade CLP and sham surgery. All mice (Mus musculus) were monitored four times per day in the high-grade CLP model and three times per day in the mid-grade CLP model by both PIT tag readout and infrared thermography for ten days post-surgery, or until animals reached a predefined humane endpoint. Thermal data were compared with the clinical score and weight loss threshold used at our facility. Mean body surface temperature (MBST) assessed by thermal imaging and subcutaneous temperature (SCT) measured by PIT tags correlated, albeit not strongly. Moreover, while MBST does not appear to be a reliable predictor of non-recovery stages, SCT showed promise in this regard, even surpassing the widely used weight loss criterion, particularly for the high-grade CLP model of induced sepsis.
Extraintestinal pathogenic Escherichia coli (ExPEC) causes invasive E. coli disease (IED), including bacteraemia and (uro)sepsis, resulting in a high disease burden, especially among older adults. This study describes the epidemiology of IED in England (2013–2017) by combining laboratory surveillance and clinical data. A total of 191 612 IED cases were identified. IED incidence increased annually by 4.4–8.2% across all ages and 2.8–7.6% among adults ≥60 years of age. When laboratory-confirmed urosepsis cases without a positive blood culture were included, IED incidence in 2017 reached 149.4/100 000 person-years among all adults and 368.4/100 000 person-years among adults ≥60 years of age. Laboratory-confirmed IED cases were identified through E. coli-positive blood samples (55.3%), other sterile site samples (26.3%), and urine samples (16.6%), with similar proportions observed among adults ≥60 years of age. IED-associated case fatality rates ranged between 11.8–13.2% among all adults and 13.1–14.7% among adults ≥60 years of age. This study reflects the findings of other published studies and demonstrates IED constitutes a major and growing global health concern disproportionately affecting the older adult population. The high case fatality rates observed despite available antibiotic treatments emphasize the growing urgency for effective intervention strategies. The burden of urosepsis due to E. coli is likely underestimated and requires additional investigation.
Essential trace elements and micronutrients are critical in eliciting an effective immune response to combat sepsis, with selenium being particularly noteworthy. The objective of this investigation is to analyze and the levels of serum selenium in neonates within sepsis and control groups.
Methodology:
In 2023, a case–control study was carried out involving 66 hospitalized infants – 33 diagnosed with sepsis forming the case group and 33 free from sepsis constituting the control group – along with their mothers, at Children’s and Shariati Hospitals in Bandar Abbas. The serum selenium concentrations (expressed in micrograms per deciliter) were quantified utilizing atomic absorption spectrometry. Subsequently, the data were processed and analyzed using IBM SPSS statistical software, version 22.
Results:
The average serum selenium level in neonates with sepsis (42.06 ± 20.40 µg/dL) was notably lower compared to the control group (55.61 ± 20.33 µg/dL), a difference that was statistically significant (p-value = 0.009). The levels of serum selenium were comparable between neonates and mothers across both study groups.
Conclusion:
The findings of this research indicate that selenium levels in the sepsis group were reduced compared to the control group, despite similar selenium levels in the mothers and neonates in both groups, suggesting that sepsis could be associated with a decrease in selenium levels.
Organ dysfunction often occurs in the perioperative setting and in sepsis. Alterations in systemic hemodynamics may play a role, but even when these are within therapeutic goals, organ dysfunction may still occur. Microcirculatory alterations, a key determinant of tissue perfusion and of mitochondrial dysfunction, may play a role in the development of organ dysfunction. In this chapter, we discuss the evidence for alterations in microcirculatory and mitochondrial functions and their relevance, in circulatory failure and in the perioperative setting.
Infections cause direct maternal morbidity and remain a leading cause of maternal morbidity in the United States and globally. In this chapter, we will discuss the physiologic considerations of infectious diseases in pregnancy, alterations in pregnancy response to infections, changes in immune cell populations, and fetal immune response. Pregnancy is a state of relative immunosuppression order for the maternal “host” to not reject fetus and this immunosuppression has consequences in the setting of infectious illness. The pathophysiology, epidemiology, obstetric management, antibiotic therapy, and anesthetic management of the most frequent bacterial and viral infections in the obstetric patient including chorioamnionitis, sepsis, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), group A streptococcus, and TORCH infections. Additionally, we will present the obstetric and anesthetic management of uncommon bacterial, viral, and parasitic infections. This chapter provides nuanced understanding of peripartum immunologic physiology, an overview of common obstetrical infections, and a quick resource for uncommon as well as tropical infections, such as tuberculosis and malaria as they relate to pregnancy for obstetrics anesthesia providers. Management pearls included in this chapter can improve maternal and fetal outcomes for pregnant patients with infections illnesses.
Sepsis is currently defined as life-threatening organ dysfunction caused by dysregulated host response to infection. Septic shock is sepsis with persistent hypotension requiring vasopressor to maintain mean arterial pressure (MAP) ≥ 65 mmHg and having a serum lactate > 2 mmol/dL despite adequate fluid resuscitation.
There is wide variation in test characteristics for screening scores such as systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS), quick Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (qSOFA), National Early Warning Score (NEWS) and Modified Early Warning Score (MEWS). A qSOFA score of ≥ 2 or a change in SOFA score of ≥ 2 can promptly identify these patients; however, qSOFA is not recommended as a single screening tool over comparable scores such as SIRS, NEWS, or MEWS.
Shock is a pathological state resulting from inadequate delivery, increased demand or poor utilization of metabolic substrates (i.e., oxygen and glucose), which leads to cellular dysfunction and cell death. This then leads to progressive acidosis, endothelial dysfunction and inflammatory cascade that results in end-organ injury. Early in the course of shock, compensatory mechanisms may attempt to augment cardiac output (CO) and/or systemic vascular resistance (SVR) in an effort to improve tissue perfusion. Without treatment, those compensatory mechanisms are overwhelmed, leading to decompensated shock, multiorgan failure (MOF) and death.
This study aimed to determine the impact of current hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection on patients hospitalised with sepsis. This was a retrospective cohort study. Patients from three medical centres in Suzhou from 10 January 2016 to 23 July 2022 participated in this study. Demographic characteristics and clinical characteristics were collected. A total of 945 adult patients with sepsis were included. The median age was 66.0 years, 68.6% were male, 13.1% presented with current HBV infection, and 34.9% of all patients died. In the multivariable-adjusted Cox model, patients with current HBV infection had significantly higher mortality than those without (hazard ratio (HR) 1.50, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.11–2.02). A subgroup analysis showed that being infected with HBV significantly increased in-hospital mortality in patients younger than 65 years old (HR 1.74, 95% CI 1.16–2.63), whereas no significant impact was observed in patients ≥65 years. The propensity score-matched case–control analysis showed that the rate of septic shock (91.4% vs. 62.1%, P < 0.001) and in-hospital mortality (48.3% vs. 35.3%, P = 0.045) were much higher in the propensity score-matched HBV infection group compared with the control group. In conclusion, current HBV infection was associated with mortality in adults with sepsis.
The early recognition of patients with sepsis is difficult and the initial assessment outside of hospitals is challenging for ambulance clinicians (ACs). Indicators that ACs can use to recognize sepsis early are beneficial for patient outcomes. Research suggests that elevated point-of-care (POC) plasma glucose and serum lactate levels may help to predict sepsis in the ambulance service (AS) setting.
Study Objective:
The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that the elevation of POC plasma glucose and serum lactate levels may help to predict Sepsis-3 in the AS.
Methods:
A prospective observational study was performed in the AS setting of Gothenburg in Sweden from the beginning of March 2018 through the end of September 2019. The criteria for sampling POC plasma glucose and serum lactate levels in the AS setting were high or intermediate risk according to the Rapid Emergency Triage and Treatment System (RETTS), as red, orange, yellow, and green if the respiratory rate was >22 breaths/minutes. Sepsis-3 were identified retrospectively. A primary and secondary analyses were carried out. The primary analysis included patients cared for in the AS and emergency department (ED) and were hospitalized. In the secondary analysis, patients who were only cared for in the AS and ED without being hospitalized were also included. To evaluate the predictive ability of these biomarkers, the area under the curve (AUC), sensitivity, specificity, and predictive values were used.
Results:
A total of 1,057 patients were included in the primary analysis and 1,841 patients were included in the secondary analysis. In total, 253 patients met the Sepsis-3 criteria (in both analyses). The AUC for POC plasma glucose and serum lactate levels showed low accuracy in predicting Sepsis-3 in both the primary and secondary analyses. Among all hospitalized patients, regardless of Sepsis-3, more than two-thirds had elevated plasma glucose and nearly one-half had elevated serum lactate when measured in the AS.
Conclusions:
As individual biomarkers, an elevated POC plasma glucose and serum lactate were not associated with an increased likelihood of Sepsis-3 when measured in the AS in this study. However, the high rate of elevation of these biomarkers before arrival in hospital highlights that their role in clinical decision making at this early stage needs further evaluation, including other endpoints than Sepsis-3.
Sepsis is a clinical syndrome characterised by a severe disorder of pathophysiology caused by infection of pathogenic micro-organisms. The addition of antioxidant micronutrient therapies such as thiamine to sepsis treatment remains controversial. This study explored the effect of thiamine on the prognosis of patients with sepsis. This study was a retrospective study involving patients with sepsis from the Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care IV. Patients were divided into two groups, the thiamine received group (TR) and the thiamine unreceived group (TUR), according to whether they were supplemented with thiamin via intravenous while in the intensive care unit (ICU). The primary outcome was ICU mortality. The association between thiamine and outcome was analysed using the Cox proportional hazards regression model, propensity score matching (PSM), generalised boosted model-based inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW) and doubly robust estimation. A total of 11 553 sepsis patients were enrolled in this study. After controlling for potential confounders using Cox regression models, the TR group had a statistically significantly lower ICU mortality risk than the TUR group. The hazard ratio of ICU mortality for the TR group was 0·80 (95 % CI 0·70, 0·93). We obtained the same results after using PSM, IPTW and doubly robust estimation. Supplementation with thiamine has a beneficial effect on the prognosis of patients with sepsis. More randomised controlled trials are needed to confirm the effectiveness of thiamine supplementation in the treatment of sepsis.
Sepsis is a complex clinical syndrome triggered by an inflammatory host response to an infection. It is usually complicated to detect and diagnose, and has severe consequences in human and veterinary health, especially when treatment is not started early. Therefore, efforts to detect sepsis accurately are needed. In addition, its proper diagnosis could reduce the misuse of antibiotics, which is essential fighting against antimicrobial resistance. This case is a particular issue in farm animals, as antibiotics have been traditionally given massively, but now they are becoming increasingly restricted. When sepsis is suspected in animals, the most frequently used biomarkers are acute phase proteins such as C-reactive protein, serum amyloid A and haptoglobin, but their concentrations can increase in other inflammatory conditions. In human patients, the most promising biomarkers to detect sepsis are currently procalcitonin and presepsin, and there is a wide range of other biomarkers under study. However, there is little information on the application of these biomarkers in veterinary species. This review aims to describe the general concepts of sepsis and the current knowledge about the biomarkers of sepsis in pigs, horses, and cattle and to discuss possible advances in the field.
A 25-year-old female last menstrual period approximately eight weeks ago presents to the emergency department with fever and pelvic pain. She is a recent immigrant without health insurance who sought care for a termination of pregnancy from an unknown provider. She took several pills seven days ago and had subsequent heavy bleeding and cramping. She has continued bleeding and worsening cramping. She describes subjective fever for the last 24 hours. She has not obtained pain relief with acetaminophen. She feels light-headed and has not eaten today due to nausea. She denies vomiting, diarrhea, or any urinary symptoms. She is sexually active with one partner for the last six months. Her gynecologic history is significant for one full-term vaginal delivery and a history of chlamydia. She has no significant past medical or surgical history and has no known drug allergies.
1. The hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis plays a key role in the stress response to critical illness.
2. Critical illness-related corticosteroid insufficiency (CIRCI) is thought to occur when this response is inadequate to the severity of the metabolic stress encountered.
3. CIRCI should be distinguished from other forms of primary hypoadrenalism encountered in critical care.
4. There is currently no agreed definition nor diagnostic criteria for diagnosing CIRCI.
5. Supplemental corticosteroids should be considered for those patients thought to have CIRCI, with refractory hypotension in the context of sepsis, despite conflicting evidence of any benefit in clinical trials.