Etiology composition and prognosis of pediatric chronic critical illness in a pediatric intensive care unit / 中国当代儿科杂志

OBJECTIVES@#To explore the etiology composition and outcomes of pediatric chronic critical illness (PCCI) in the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU).@*METHODS@#The children who were hospitalized in the PICU of Dongguan Children's Hospital Affiliated to Guangdong Medical University and met the diagnostic criteria for PCCI from January 2017 to December 2022 were included in the study. The etiology of the children was classified based on their medical records and discharge diagnoses. Relevant clinical data during hospitalization were collected and analyzed.@*RESULTS@#Among the 3 955 hospitalized children in the PICU from January 2017 to December 2022, 321 cases (8.12%) met the diagnostic criteria for PCCI. Among the 321 cases, the most common etiology was infection (71.3%, 229 cases), followed by unintentional injury (12.8%, 41 cases), postoperation (5.9%, 19 cases), tumors/immune system diseases (5.0%, 16 cases), and genetic and chromosomal diseases (5.0%, 16 cases). Among the 321 cases, 249 cases (77.6%) were discharged after improvement, 37 cases (11.5%) were discharged at the request of the family, and 35 cases (10.9%) died in the hospital. Among the deaths, infection accounted for 74% (26/35), unintentional injury accounted for 17% (6/35), tumors/immune system diseases accounted for 6% (2/35), and genetic and chromosomal diseases accounted for 3% (1/35). From 2017 to 2022, the proportion of PCCI in PICU diseases showed an increasing trend year by year (P<0.05). Among the 321 children with PCCI, there were 148 infants and young children (46.1%), 57 preschool children (17.8%), 54 school-aged children (16.8%), and 62 adolescents (19.3%), with the highest proportion in the infant and young children group (P<0.05). The in-hospital mortality rates of the four age groups were 14.9% (22/148), 8.8% (5/57), 5.6% (3/54), and 8.1% (5/62), respectively. The infant and young children group had the highest mortality rate, but there was no statistically significant difference among the four groups (P>0.05).@*CONCLUSIONS@#The proportion of PCCI in PICU diseases is increasing, and the main causes are infection and unintentional injury. The most common cause of death in children with PCCI is infection. The PCCI patient population is mainly infants and young children, and the in-hospital mortality rate of infant and young children with PCCI is relatively high.

Discussion on a new model of holistic treatment for chronic critical illness patients by internal cross-disciplinary team in the department of intensive care unit: clinical data analysis of a case of acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease / 中华危重病急救医学

Objective:To explore the effect of setting up an internal-cross disciplinary team (ICDT) in the intensive care unit (ICU) on a new model of overall treatment for patients with chronic critical illness (CCI).Methods:A 60-year-old male patient with acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD) admitted to ICU in the Second Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University was introduced. The role of ICDT composed of physicians, nurses, respiratory therapists, physiotherapists, clinical dietitians and patients' family members in ventilator withdrawal and super-early rehabilitation was analyzed in this case.Results:The patient was diagnosed as AECOPD, type Ⅱ aspiration penumonia respiratory failure, septic shock. The ICDT in ICU carried out early rehabilitation treatment for the patient on the basis of traditional infection control and supportive treatment. Under the care of the ICDT, peripheral blood white blood cell count (WBC), neutrophil count (NEU), procalcitonin (PCT), arterial partial pressure of carbon dioxide (PaCO 2), maximum inspiratory pressure (MIP), maximum expiratory pressure (MEP), right excursion of diaphragm, sputum viscosity, tidal volume (VT) and respiratory rate (RR) were improved. Subsequently, the ventilator mode was gradually changed and the ventilator parameters were down-regulated. The ventilator was successfully weaned on the 10th day of treatment. After weaning, the patient's bedside pulmonary function indicators improved, and he was transferred out of ICU on the 15th day of treatment and discharged on the 20th day. The mental state of the patients was good and the quality of life was greatly improved in CCI outpatient follow-up. Conclusions:ICDT cooperation is very important for monitoring and treatment of CCI patients, which is beneficial to the super-early rehabilitation and prognosis improvement of critically ill patients.

Predictive value of mNUTRIC score for chronic critical illness in elderly patients with sepsis / 中华急诊医学杂志

Objective:To explore the predictive value of the modified NUTrition risk in the critically ill (mNUTRIC) score for chronic critical illness (CCI) in elderly sepsis patients.Methods:A prospective observational study was conducted. Elderly sepsis patients admitted to Medical Intensive Care Unit (MICU) of General Hospital of Southern Theatre Command for more than 24 h from August 2019 to January 2021 were enrolled. Age, sex, acute physiology and chronic health evaluation Ⅱ (APACHE Ⅱ) score, sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA) score, acute gastrointestinal injury (AGI) score, clinical frailty score and mNUTRIC score at admission, length of ICU stay, usage of mechanical ventilation and renal replacement therapy were recorded. According to the occurrence of CCI, patients were divided into the CCI group and rapid recovery (RAP) group, and the differences between the two groups were compared. The risk factor of CCI after sepsis in elderly patients were analyzed by log-binomial regression analysis. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was performed for mNUTRIC score. Differences were considered significant at P<0.05. Results:Of the enrolled 91 sepsis patients, 14 (15%) patients died within the first week, 37 (41%) exhibited RAP and 40 (44%) developed CCI. The CCI patients were significantly older and presented a higher APACHE Ⅱ score, CFS score, mNUTRIC score, and usage of mechanical ventilation and renal replacement therapy compared with the RAP patients ( P<0.05). Multivariate regression analysis revealed that mNUTRIC score was an independent risk factor for the development of CCI in elderly sepsis patients, prevalence ratio was 1.503 (95% CI: 1.007-2.244). The area under the curve (AUC) of mNUTRIC score was 0.706 (95% CI: 0.592-0.805). Conclusions:The mNUTRIC score at the time of admission in the intensive care unit can be used to predict CCI after sepsis in elderly sepsis patients.

Analysis of clinical characteristics of patients with chronic critical illness after sepsis / 中华危重病急救医学

Objective:To investigate the clinical characteristics of patients who develop chronic critical illness (CCI) after sepsis.Methods:The survival patients with sepsis admitted to the department of critical medicine of Baoan Central Hospital of Shenzhen for the first time from April 2019 to October 2020 were enrolled. According to clinical outcomes, patients were divided into CCI group [intensive care unit (ICU) stay ≥14 days, with persistent organ dysfunction] and rapid recovery (RAP) group. The baseline characteristic on admission and clinical outcomes of patients in the two groups were collected and compared. Blood samples were collected to measure serum interleukins (IL-6, IL-10) levels and peripheral blood lymphocyte count (LYM) count were obtained from all patients after admission. The differences of above indexes on the 1st, 7th and 14th day in ICU between the two groups were compared, the 180 day cumulative survival rate of the two groups was observed.Results:① Twenty-two septic patients developed CCI and 28 patients with RAP were included. There were no significant differences in gender and infection site between the two groups. The age, acute physiology and chronic health evaluationⅡ(APACHEⅡ), sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA), proportion of septic shock, mechanical ventilation time, length of ICU stay, total length of hospital stay and proportion of secondary infection of CCI patients were higher than those in RAP group [age (years old): 61.0±13.8 vs. 50.3±13.9, proportion of patients aged ≥ 65 years old: 54.5% (12/22) vs. 25.0% (7/28), APACHEⅡscore: 20.5±4.4 vs. 14.4±4.3, SOFA score: 10 (7, 12) vs. 5 (3, 8), septic shock ratio: 40.9% (9/22) vs. 17.9% (5/28), time of mechanical ventilation (days): 18.5 (12.0, 28.0) vs. 5.0 (3.0, 7.0), length of ICU stay (days): 26 (18, 46) vs. 8 (6, 12), total length of hospital stay (days): 31 (26, 51) vs. 14 (12, 17), secondary infection ratio: 72.7% (16/22) vs. 7.1% (2/28), all P < 0.05]. ② The IL-6 levels of CCI group were higher than that of RAP group at all time points (ng/L: 176.86±103.54 vs. 113.32±71.34 on the 1st day, 84.72±46.06 vs. 54.98±26.61 on the 7th day, 44.28±20.20 vs. 17.76±4.70 on the 14th day, all P < 0.05). On the 1st and 7th day of admission, there were no significant differences in IL-10 and LYM levels between the two groups. On the 14th day of admission, IL-10 levels in CCI group were higher than that in RAP group (ng/L: 15.09±3.61 vs. 8.92±1.98, P < 0.05), while LYM was relatively lower [×10 9/L: 0.62 (0.43, 1.02) vs. 1.17 (0.93, 1.71), P < 0.05]. ③ The Log-Rank test results of Kaplan-Meier survival curve showed that the 180-day cumulative survival rate of CCI group was significantly lower than that of RAP group (63.6% vs. 96.4%, Log-Rank:χ 2 = 9.024, P = 0.007). Conclusions:Septic patients with advanced age, high APAHCEⅡscore and high SOFA score are prone to secondary CCI, resulting in long hospital stay, high secondary infection rate and poor prognosis. The occurrence of CCI may be related to the continuous expression of proinflammatory mediators and subsequent immunosuppression.

Predictive value of neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio in the progression of sepsis to chronic critical illness in elderly patients / 中华危重病急救医学

Objective:To explore the predictive value of neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) in the progression of sepsis to chronic critical illness (CCI) in elderly patients.Methods:Patients with sepsis who were hospitalized more than 24 hours and older than 60 years old admitted to the department of medical intensive care unit (MICU) of General Hospital of Southern Theatre Command from August 2019 to April 2021 were enrolled. The neutrophil count (NEU), lymphocyte count (LYM) and NLR of peripheral blood cells were recorded on the 1st, 4th and 7th day after admission. Patients were divided into the CCI group and the non-CCI group according to whether they progressed to CCI, and differences between the two groups were compared. The CCI was defined as a MICU length of stay (LOS) ≥ 14 days and persistent organ dysfunction [sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA) score ≥ 2]. Logistic regression analysis was performed to evaluate the risk factors for predicting CCI. The receiver operator characteristic curve (ROC curve) was plotted for evaluating the predictive value of NLR in the progression of sepsis to CCI in elderly patients.Results:① Among 103 sepsis patients enrolled, 16 (15.5%) died within 2 weeks of admission to the MICU, 46 (44.7%) developed CCI, and 41 (39.8%) were non-CCI. ② Compared between the two groups, the NEU of CCI group on day 7 was significantly higher than that of non-CCI group [×10 9/L: 9.80 (6.72, 16.80) vs. 6.66 (5.14, 9.29), P < 0.01], LYM was significantly lower than that of non-CCI group [×10 9/L: 0.77 (0.46, 1.20) vs. 1.00 (0.86, 1.48), P < 0.05], and NLR on day 4 and day 7 were significantly higher than those of non-CCI group [12.85 (6.56, 17.56) vs. 8.26 (5.34, 13.17), 13.76 (6.97, 23.66) vs. 6.14 (4.04, 8.84), both P < 0.05]. Compared with different time points in the same group, NEU and NLR decreased gradually and LYM increased gradually in non-CCI group (χ 2 values were 10.216, 28.343, 7.189, respectively, all P < 0.05), which tended to be normal. There were no significant differences in NEU, LYM and NLR of CCI group at each time point (χ 2 values were 0.798, 4.478, 5.783, respectively, all P > 0.05). ③ Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that NLR on day 7 was an independent risk factor for sepsis progression to CCI [odds ratio ( OR) = 1.155, P = 0.005]. ④ ROC curve analysis showed that the area under the curve (AUC) of NLR predicting the sepsis progression to CCI on day 7 was 0.775, and the 95% confidence interval (95% CI) was 0.670-0.860, P < 0.01; when the cut-off value was 9.25, the sensitivity was 69.57% and the specificity was 80.56%. Conclusion:Dynamic monitoring of NLR is helpful to determine the progress of sepsis in elderly patients, NLR on day 7 has a certain predictive value for the occurrence of CCI.

A multicenter cross-sectional study on chronic critical illness and surgery-related chronic critical illness in China / 中华胃肠外科杂志

Objective@#To understand the prevalence, diagnosis and treatment of chronic critical illness (CCI) in China.@*Methods@#The clinical data of 472 adult patients admitted to ICU in 53 hospitals, including basic information, disease-related data, nutrition program, etc., were collected on May 10, 2019, by means of multi-center cross-sectional study. If surgical intervention was needed or the occurrence of the disease was directly related to the surgery, ICU patients were regarded as surgical ICU cases (n=211). In this study, the diagnostic criteria for CCI were: (1) admission to ICU >14 days;(2) combined with persistent organ dysfunction. The prevalence,distribution and treatment of CCI and surgery-related CCI were recorded and analyzed. The Mann-Whitney U test, chi-square test or Fisher exact test were used for comparative analysis.@*Results@#Among the 472 ICU patients from 53 hospitals, 326 were male (69.1%) and 146 were female (30.9%). The prevalence of CCI was 30.7% (145/472). Among 211 surgery-related ICU patients, 57 developed CCI with a prevalence of 27.0%. As compared to non-CCI patients, higher APACHE II score [median (IQR) 13.5 (10.0, 18.3) vs. 11.0 (7.0, 16.0), U=2970.000, P=0.007], higher Charlson comorbidity index [median (IQR) 4.0 (2.0, 7.0) vs. 3.0 (1.0, 5.0), U= 3570.000, P=0.036] and higher ratio of breath dysfunction [68.4% (39/57) vs. 48.1% (74/154), χ2=6.939, P=0.008] and renal dysfunction [42.1% (24/57) vs. 18.2% (28/154), χ2=12.821, P<0.001] were found in surgery-related CCI patients. While SOFA score, Glasgow coma score and other visceral function were not significantly different between surgery-related CCI and non-CCI patients (all P>0.05). NUTRIC score showed that surgery-related CCI patients had higher nutritional risk [43.9% (25/57) vs. 26.6%(41/154), U=5.750, P=0.016] and higher ratio of mechanical ventilation [66.7% (38/57) vs. 52.3% (79/154), χ2=3.977, P=0.046] than non-CCI patients. On the survey day, the daily caloric requirements of 50.2% (106/211) of surgery-related ICU patients were calculated according to the standard adult caloric intake index (104.6 to 125.5 kJ·kg-1·d-1, 1 kJ=0.239 kcal), and the daily caloric requirements of 46.4% (98/211) of patients were calculated by physicians according to the severity of the patient′s condition. 60.2% (127/211) of nutritional support therapy was enteral nutrition (including a combination of enteral and parenteral nutrition), while the remaining patients received parenteral nutrition (24.6%, 52/211), simple glucose infusion (9.0%, 19/211), or oral diet (6.2%, 13/211). The target calorie of CCI group was 104.6 (87.9, 125.5) kJ·kg-1·d-1, and the actual calorie intake accounted for 0.98 (0.80, 1.00) of the target calory. In the non-CCI group, the target calorie was 104.6 (87.9, 125.5) kJ·kg-1·d-1, and the actual calorie consumed accounted for 0.91 (0.66, 1.00) of the target calorie. There was no statistically significant difference between two groups (P=0.248, P=0.150).@*Conclusion@#The prevalence of CCI and surgery-related CCI in ICU is high, along with severe complications, respiratory and renal dysfunction and mechanical ventilation. Surgical patients admitted to ICU are at high nutritional risk, and active and correct nutritional support is essential for such patients.

Nutritional support therapy during treatment of chronic critical illness / 中华胃肠外科杂志

Chronic critical illness (CCI) refers to a group of critically ill patients who survive the acute phase of intensive care, but with persistent organ dysfunction, thus entering a chronic period of continuous dependence on life support system, and still need to stay in intensive care unit (ICU) for a long time. Persistent inflammatory response-immunosuppression-catabolic syndrome (PICS) is the main pathophysiological feature of CCI. Three factors interact to form a vicious circle, leading to poor prognosis. Nutritional support therapy is a key link in the comprehensive treatment of CCI. Enteral nutrition (EN) should be started as soon as possible if conditions permit. If EN can not be implemented, temporary or transitional parenteral nutrition (PN) should be used, and EN should be added gradually in time. At the same time, the amount of PN should be gradually reduced. When EN meets more than 60% of patients’ energy and protein requirements, PN can be considered to be discontinued. The main strategies and functions of CCI nutritional support therapy are as follows: strengthening high protein supply to correct negative nitrogen balance and inhibit catabolism, selecting branched chain amino acids (BCAA) to promote anabolism, using immunomodulators (arginine, ω3 polyunsaturated fatty acids) to improve immune suppression and inflammatory response, supplementing micronutrients (vitamins and trace elements) to counteract the decrease in intake and the increase in consumption, and adding probiotics to maintain the intestinal microecological balance, and so on. Reasonable nutritional support therapy not only improve malnutrition of CCI patients, but also help to reduce complications, thus speeding up rehabilitation, improving prognosis, shortening ICU hospitalization time, and even reducing mortality.

Role of de-escalation strategies in the treatment and prevention of chronic critical illness / 中华胃肠外科杂志

De-escalation strategy is the gradual transition of various complex, expensive, high-risk but effective treatments for critically ill patients to simple, safe, physiological but still effective ones. Chronic critical illness refers to patients suffering severe disease or surgical hit who later shift into a chronic state of relapse or even aggravation and stay in the intensive care unit for extended period. Risk factors for surgical related chronic critical illness include advanced age, malnutrition, multiple organ dysfunction and multiple hits. During the treatment of critically ill patients, the strategy of de-escalation therapy should always be implemented, including rational use of antibiotics, de-escalation of liquid therapy (i.e. de-resuscitation), timely removal of ventilator, rapid introduction and with drawal of continuous renal replacement measures, parenteral + enteral nutrition support therapy and timely cessation of sedation.

Características epidemiológicas de los pacientes con enfermedad crítica crónica / Epidemiological characteristics of patients with chronic critical illness

Resumen ANTECEDENTES: la población de pacientes que requiere cuidados intensivos por tiempo prologado se ha incrementado en las últimas décadas dando lugar a una nueva población de pacientes con enfermedad crítica crónica. OBJETIVO: describir las características epidemiológicas de los pacientes con enfermedad crítica crónica atendidos en el Hospital Regional de Alta Especialidad de Oaxaca. MATERIAL Y MÉTODO: estudio ambispectivo, observacional y descriptivo que incluyó los pacientes ingresados entre el 1 de enero de 2012 al 31 de diciembre de 2015. Se definió a los pacientes con enfermedad crítica crónica como aquéllos con ventilación mecánica prolongada definida como más de 21 días de ventilación mecánica por más de 6 horas al día. Los pacientes fueron seguidos hasta su egreso hospitalario o defunción. RESULTADOS: se incluyeron 284 pacientes, la incidencia de enfermedad crítica crónica fue de 10%. En los pacientes con enfermedad crítica crónica la escala de APACHE II fue de 19.4±9.7 y sin enfermedad crítica crónica fue de 15.94±8.6 (p=0.044), mientras que la escala SOFA en los pacientes con y sin enfermedad crítica crónica fue de 8.7±2.6 y 7.01±4.4, respectivamente (p=0.007). La media de días de estancia en la unidad de cuidados intensivos (UCI) en los pacientes con y sin enfermedad crítica crónica fue de 17.1±9.2 y 8±4.8, respectivamente (p=0.0000). Los días de estancia hospitalaria fueron 45.9±19.7 y 18.3±12.4 en los pacientes con y sin enfermedad crítica crónica, respectivamente (p=0.0000). La mortalidad en la UCI fue de 18 y 28% en los pacientes con y sin enfermedad crítica crónica, respectivamente (p=0.0000). La mortalidad hospitalaria fue de 50 y 16% en los pacientes con y sin enfermedad crítica crónica, respectivamente (p=0.0000). Egresaron del hospital 32 y 56% de los pacientes con y sin enfermedad crítica crónica, respectivamente (p=0.0000). CONCLUSIONES: la incidencia de enfermedad crítica crónica en nuestro estudio fue similar a la reportada en la bibliografía. La severidad de la enfermedad aguda al ingreso de acuerdo con las escalas SOFA y APACHE se relaciona con la aparición de enfermedad crítica crónica. Los pacientes con enfermedad crítica crónica tuvieron mayor estancia en la UCI, mayores días de sedación, así como mayor estancia y mortalidad hospitalarias.

Abstract BACKGROUND: Population of patients requiring intensive care for prolonged time has increased in recent decades resulting in a new population of patients with chronic critical illness (CCI). OBJECTIVE: To describe the epidemiologic characteristics of patients with chronic critical illness assisted at Regional Hospital of High Specialty of Oaxaca, Mexico. MATERIAL AND METHOD: A retrospective, prospective, observa tional and descriptive study included patients admitted from January 1st, 2012 to December 31st, 2015. Patients with CCI were defined as those with prolonged mechanical ventilation defined as ≥21 days of ventilation for ≥6 hours/day. Patients were followed until hospital discharge or death. RESULTS: 284 patients were included; the incidence of CCI was 10%. In patients with CCI the APACHE II score was 19.4±9.7 and without CCI was 15.94±8.6 (p=0.044), while the SOFA scale in patients with CCI was 8.7±2.6 and without CCI 7.01±4.4 (p=0.007). Days of ICU stay were 17.1±9.2 for patients with CCI and 8±4.8 without CCI (p=0.0000). Days of hospital stay were 45.9±19.7 in patients with CCI and 18.3±12.4 in patients without CCI (p=0.0000). ICU mortality was 18% in patients with CCI and 28% in patients without CCI (p=0.0000). The hospital mortality was 50% in patients with CCI and 16% in patients without CCI (p=0.0000). Discharged from hospital were 32% of patients with CCI and 56% of patients without CCI (p=0.0000). CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of CCI in our study was similar to that reported in the literature. Severity of acute disease income according to APACHE and SOFA scales was related to the development of CCI. Patients with chronic critical illness had higher ICU stay, more days sedation, longer hospital stays and increased hospital mortality.

A new challenge to the diagnosis and treatment of sepsis: Persistent inflammation immuno-suppression catabolism syndrome / 医学研究生学报

The early mortality of sepsis patients has been largely decreased since the publication of the Surviving Sepsis Campaign guidelines.However, the poor long-term prognosis, high 3-year mortality, impaired mental and physical functions, and tremendous financial burden constitute a new challenge to the treatment of sepsis.Persistent inflammation immuno-suppression catabolism syndrome (PICS) is known to be a definite factor affecting the long-term prognosis of sepsis.This article presents a systematic review of the concept, pathogenesis and treatment strategies of PICS, hoping to provide a new approach to the diagnosis and management of sepsis.

Clinical analysis of persistent inflammation-immunosuppression-catabolism syndrome in patients with severe acute pancreatitis / 医学研究生学报

Objective Up to the present time, no reports are seen at home or abroad on the clinical characteristics of severe acute pancreatitis (SAP) with persistent inflammation-immunosuppression-catabolism syndrome (PICS), and few studies have been conducted on the risk factors for PICS.This article summarizes the clinical characteristics of PICS in SAP patients and presents a multivariate regression analysis of its risk factors.Methods This is a retrospective study on the clinical data about 214 cases of SAP treated for over 14 days in the Surgical Intensive Care Unit (SICU) from January 1, 2014 to December 31, 2015.According to the diagnostic criteria of PICS, we divided the SAP patients into a PICS group (n=149) and a non-PICS group (n=65).We compared the systemic and pancreatitis-specific complications and mortality rates in the SICU and at 12 months after discharge.We also performed a multivariate regression analysis on the risk factors of PICS.Results The incidence rates of biliary SAP and multiple-organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS) were significantly higher in the PICS (44.3% and 93.3%) than in the non-PICS group (29.2% and 55.4%) (P=0.038).The results of multivariate regression analysis showed that the risk factors for PICS included obesity (OR=2.3;95% CI: 1.0-5.2), biliary causes (OR=4.2;95% CI: 1.4-13.0), and MODS (OR=4.4;95% CI: 1.3-14.4).The survival rate at 12 months after discharge was remarkably lower in the PICS than in the non-PICS group (88.5% vs 98.2%, P=0.036).Conclusion The incidence rate of PICS is high in SAP patients.Obesity, biliary causes and MODS are independent risk factors for PICS.The complication of PICS may be an important indicator of the poor prognosis of SAP.