Delayed hemodynamic monitoring with pulmonary artery catheter is a non-essential care in severe sepsis and septico shock

RESUMO

Objective: Prompt adequate antibiotic therapy, eradication of infection, fluids and vasoactive drugs are themain strategies for initial resuscitation of septic shock. Once initial resuscitative efforts are not effective,invasive hemodynamic monitoring (HM) with pulmonary artery catheter (PAC) has been frequently used toguide filling pressures and optimal doses of vasoactive agents. However, the evidence of benefit from PACuse in septic shock is still a matter of debate. We aimed to determine whether early compared to delayplacement of PAC could have influenced outcome.Methods: Retrospective analysis in a 24-bed general ICU tertiary care university hospital. From January 1999to December 2000, patients admitted with severe sepsis and septic shock and having a PAC inserted werestudied. Early invasive HM was defined whenever a PAC was placed in the first 48 hours, and delayedinvasive HM was placed more than 48 hours after the diagnosis of severe sepsis or septic shock. Organ failurewas defined as a SOFA score of > 3 points.Results. Among 104 patients submitted to invasive monitoring with PAC, 56 patients had sepsis. Fifty-twopatients with severe sepsis (5, 9.6 por cento) and septic shock (47, 90.4 por cento) were enrolled. Thirty-six patients (69 por cento) hadearly HM and 16 (21 por cento) delayed HM. Overall in-hospital mortality was 69 por cento. The groups had similar APACHEII score (18.6 ± 8.0, early HM; 18.5 ± 3.8, delayed HM), SOFA score (9.4 ± 3.2, early HM; 9.9 ± 4.4, delayed HM)and number of organs failure (1.6 ± 0.9, early HM; 1.8 ± 1.4, delayed HM) at the onset of severe sepsis/septicshock. The in-hospital mortality rate was significantly higher in delayed HM group (87.5 por cento) compared withearly HM (61.3 por cento) (RR 0.70, CI 95 por cento 0.50-0.96, p < 0.05). Compared with delayed HM, early HM patientsreceived significantly higher amount of fluids (10.3 ± 3.6 L vs 6.8 ± 3.5 L, p = 0.002) within 48 hours from onsetof severe sepsis/septic shock.Conclusion. Delayed monitoring with PAC patients with severe sepsis/septic shock is associated with a veryhigh risk of death and might be considered a non-essential care.