Plasma pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokine levels and outcome prediction in unselected critically ill patients.

PURPOSE: To determine the inter-relationships between cytokine levels and physiological scores in predicting outcome in unselected, critically ill patients. METHODS: To this end, 127 patients (96 men), having a mean+/-SD age of 45+/-20 years, with a wide range in admission diagnoses (medical, surgical, and multiple trauma patients) were prospectively investigated. Severity of critical illness and organ dysfunction were graded by acute physiology and chronic health evaluation (APACHE II) and sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA) scores, respectively. Blood samples were drawn on admission in the ICU to determine pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines, including tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha, interleukin (IL)-6, IL-8, and IL-10. The main outcome measure was 28-day mortality. RESULTS: Overall, 88 patients survived and 39 patients died. Univariate logistic regression analysis showed that SOFA, APACHE II, IL-8, IL-6, and IL-10 on admission in the ICU were related to mortality. Multiple logistic regression analysis in the entire cohort of critically ill patients revealed that SOFA (OR=1.341, p<0.001) and IL-6 (OR=1.075, p=0.01) constituted independent outcome predictors. receiver operator characteristics curve analysis showed that SOFA, APACHE II, and IL-6 had the highest area under the curve values. IL-6 correlated with APACHE II (r(s)=0.44, p<0.0001) and SOFA (r(s)=0.40, p<0.0001) scores. CONCLUSIONS: In mixed ICU patients cytokine concentrations on admission in the ICU represent independent outcome predictors in the presence of disease severity scores.

Endovascular versus open repair for blunt thoracic aortic injury: short-term results.

BACKGROUND: Endovascular stent grafting has been increasingly used as an alternative treatment modality. The aim of this study is to evaluate the immediate and short-term results of endovascular stent grafting repair after blunt thoracic aortic injury due to trauma. METHODS: A review of a tertiary trauma center registry identified all patients who suffered blunt thoracic aortic injury from 2002 to 2006. All patients underwent either open repair with synthetic graft interposition or endovascular stent grafting (EVS) of the descending thoracic aorta. Type and severity of injury, concomitant injuries, clinical factors, and outcome were compared between groups. Univariate and multivariate analysis was performed. RESULTS: Endovascular stent grafting was performed in 22 patients, and 10 patients underwent open surgical repair. In the open group, the 30-day mortality rate was 10%, the paraplegia rate was 10%, and incidence of major complications was 30%, which were comparable with the incidences observed in the EVS group of 4.5%, 4.5%, and 13.6%, respectively. No statistically significant differences were demonstrated. Multivariate regression analysis identified associated thoracic injury as the main independent predictor of hospital length of stay (p = 0.03, 95% confidence interval: 0.53 to 18.85). In the EVS group, 1 patient died in the short-term follow-up period and 2 cases of endovascular leak required additional treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Although postoperative mortality and morbidity between open and endovascular repair were comparable, EVS can be considered a safe alternative treatment modality in the therapeutic algorithm of blunt thoracic aortic injury particularly for the higher risk multitrauma patients.