Predictive value of urine interleukin-18 in the evolution and outcome of acute kidney injury in critically ill adult patients.

BACKGROUND: Interleukin-18 (IL-18) is a pro-inflammatory protein, which mediates ischaemic tubular injury, and has been suggested to be a sensitive and specific biomarker for acute kidney injury (AKI). The predictive value of IL-18 in the diagnosis, evolution, and outcome of AKI in critically ill patients is still unclear. METHODS: We measured urine IL-18 from critically ill patients at intensive care unit (ICU) admission and 24 h. We evaluated the association of IL-18 with developing new AKI, renal replacement therapy (RRT), and 90-day mortality. We calculated areas under receiver operating characteristics curves (AUCs), best cut-off values, and positive likelihood ratios (LR+) for IL-18 concerning these endpoints. Additionally, we compared the predictive value of IL-18 at ICU admission to that of urine neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL). RESULTS: In this study population of 1439 patients the highest urine IL-18 during the first 24 h in the ICU associated with the development of AKI with an AUC [95% confidence interval (CI)] of 0.586 (0.546-0.627) and with the development of Stage 3 AKI with an AUC (95% CI) of 0.667 (0.591-0.774). IL-18 predicted the initiation of RRT with an AUC (95% CI) of 0.655 (0.572-0.739), and 90-day mortality with an AUC (95% CI) of 0.536 (0.497-0.574). CONCLUSIONS: IL-18 had poor-to-moderate ability to predict AKI, RRT, or 90-day mortality in this large cohort of critically ill patients. Thus, it should be used with caution for diagnostic or predictive purposes in the critically ill.

Acute kidney injury in patients with severe sepsis in Finnish Intensive Care Units.

BACKGROUND: Severe sepsis is one of the leading causes of acute kidney injury (AKI). Patients with sepsis-associated AKI demonstrate high-hospital mortality. We evaluated the incidence of severe sepsis-associated AKI and its association with outcome in intensive care units (ICUs) in Finland. METHODS: This was a predetermined sub-study of the prospective, observational, multicentre FINNAKI study conducted in 17 ICUs during 1 September 2011 and 1 February 2012. All emergency ICU admissions and elective admissions exceeding 24 hours in the ICU were screened for presence of severe sepsis and AKI up to 5 days in ICU. AKI was defined according to the Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) criteria and severe sepsis according to the American College of Chest Physicians/Society of Critical Care Medicine (ACCP/SCCM) criteria. RESULTS: Of the 2901 included patients, severe sepsis was diagnosed in 918 (31.6%, 95% confidence interval [CI] 29.9-33.4%) patients. Of these 918 patients, 488 (53.2% [95% CI 49.9-56.5%]) had AKI. The 90-day mortality rate was 38.1% (95% CI 33.7-42.5%) for severe sepsis patients with AKI and 24.7% (95% CI 20.5-28.8%) for those without AKI. After adjusting for covariates, KDIGO stage 3 AKI was associated with an increased risk for 90-day mortality with an adjusted odds ratio (OR) of 1.94 (95% CI 1.28-2.94), but stages 1 and 2 were not. CONCLUSIONS: More than half of the patients with severe sepsis had AKI according to the KDIGO classification, and AKI stage 3 was independently associated with 90-day mortality.

Plasma neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin and adverse outcome in critically ill patients with ventilatory support.

OBJECTIVE: Plasma neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (pNGAL) has been introduced as an early and sensitive biomarker of acute kidney injury (AKI), with an increased risk for renal replacement therapy (RRT) and adverse outcome in selected critically ill patient groups. Acute respiratory failure is the most common organ dysfunction in critically ill patients with an increased risk for AKI. Accordingly, we hypothesized that pNGAL would independently predict adverse outcome in a heterogeneous group of critically ill adult patients with acute respiratory failure. DESIGN AND SETTING: Prospective, multi-centre study in 25 Finnish intensive care units. PATIENTS AND METHODS: pNGAL was measured from critically ill patients with acute respiratory failure. We evaluated the predictive value of pNGAL for RRT, and hospital and 90-day mortality first separately, second in addition to the Simplified Acute Physiology Score (SAPS II), and third to RIFLE (Risk, Injury, Failure, Loss, End-Stage Renal Disease) AKI classification. Additionally, we assessed the factors associated with pNGAL by linear regression analysis. INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: We included 369 patients. Median (interquartile range) baseline pNGAL was 169 (92-370) ng/ml. The areas under receiver operating characteristic curves of baseline pNGAL were as follows: 0.733 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.656-0.810] for RRT, 0.627 (95% CI 0.561-0.693) for hospital, and 0.582 (95% CI 0.520-0.645) for 90-day mortality. Present infection, baseline creatinine, operative status, and pancreatitis were independently associated with baseline pNGAL. CONCLUSIONS: Baseline pNGAL gives no additional value into prediction of hospital and 90-day mortality compared with RIFLE or SAPS II, and has only moderate predictive power regarding RRT in critically ill adult patients with acute respiratory failure.

Influence of the injection site (L2/3 or L3/4) and the posture of the vertebral column on selective spinal anesthesia for ambulatory knee arthroscopy.

BACKGROUND: We tested the hypothesis that selective spinal anesthesia for ambulatory knee arthroscopy can be accomplished with a small dose of bupivacaine at the L3/4 interspace with or without a head-down tilt of 5 degrees when the patients were in the lateral decubitus position. METHODS: In this double-blind study, 123 patients were randomly allocated to receive spinal anesthesia with 4 mg of hyperbaric bupivacaine inserted at either the L2/3 interspace, while the vertebral column was kept horizontal (L2/3 group), or the L3/4 level, with the vertebral column horizontal (L3/4H) or tilted 5 degrees head-down (L3/4T). At 7 min, an additional head down tilt was used in all groups if the sensory block was inadequate. RESULTS: In the L3/4T group the sensory block (Th8) reached a significantly higher level 30 min after spinal injection, compared with both the L2/3 (Th10) and L3/4H (Th11) groups. In the L3/4H group, 39% of the patients needed an additional tilt for 3 min at 7 min, compared with 10% (P=0.004) in the L3/4T group. Sacral block developed later and recovered faster (P<0.05) in the L3/4T group compared to the L3/4H group. Home-readiness was achieved equally fast in all groups. CONCLUSION: When producing selective spinal anesthesia, the posture of the vertebral column is a major determinant of both sensory and motor segments to be blocked. A 4-mg dose of hyperbaric bupivacaine at the L3/4 interspace with a 5 degrees head-down tilt of the vertebral column for 6 min is recommended for knee arthroscopy.

Ondansetron does not prevent pruritus induced by low-dose intrathecal fentanyl.

BACKGROUND: Addition of an opioid to low-dose spinal anesthesia with bupivacaine improves the quality and success of anesthesia. However, the intrathecal fentanyl-induced pruritus is as high as 75%. We hypothesized that after administration of 4 or 8 mg of prophylactic IV ondansetron, the incidence of pruritus induced by low-dose intrathecal fentanyl would be significantly lower than after placebo. METHODS: In this double-blind study, 90 outpatients undergoing knee arthroscopy received 3 mg of bupivacaine + 10 micro g fentanyl intrathecally. Before spinal puncture, the patients received randomly either saline (P) or ondansetron 4 mg (O4) or 8 mg (O8) IV. They were asked about pruritus frequently, and they estimated its severity on a scale of 0-10. RESULTS: There was no difference in the incidence of pruritus between the three groups: pruritus occurred in 17 (57%), in 21 (75%) and in 19 patients (70%) in P, O4 and O8 groups, respectively. The pruritus was mostly mild. Four patients in the placebo group, three in the O4 and four patients in the O8 groups considered it severe. One patient in each group requested treatment for pruritus; after IV naloxone their pruritus was relieved. Neither time to pruritus nor duration of pruritus differed between the groups. One patient in each group developed a long-lasting (>10 h) pruritus. CONCLUSIONS: After prophylactic administration of 4 or 8 mg of ondansetron IV, the incidence, duration and severity of pruritus were similar to placebo. Ondansetron does not prevent pruritus induced by low-dose intrathecal fentanyl.

Intrathecal hyperbaric bupivacaine 3 mg + fentanyl 10 microg for outpatient knee arthroscopy with tourniquet.

BACKGROUND: Combination of local anesthetic and opioid enables the use of less spinal anesthetic and increases the success of anesthesia. Intrathecal opioid does not prolong motor recovery and thus should not delay discharge home. We hypothesized that 3 mg of hyperbaric bupivacaine with 10 microg of fentanyl permits fast-tracking or shorter stay in post anesthesia care unit (PACU), and earlier discharge home, compared with 4 mg of hyperbaric bupivacaine. METHODS: In this double-blind study, 100 outpatients undergoing knee arthroscopy received randomly either 4 mg of bupivacaine (B4) or 3 mg of bupivacaine + 10 microg fentanyl (B3F) intrathecally. The volume of 0.8 ml was injected at the L2/3 interspace over a 2-min period. A lateral decubitus position was maintained for 10 min. The sensory block was recorded by using thermal stimuli, and motor block was assessed according to a modified Bromage scale. Fast-tracking criteria were complete recovery of motor block, sensory block Th12 or lower and stable vital signs. RESULTS: One block (1%) failed. Motor recovery was faster in the B3F group: 60% of the patients recovered in 80 min or less compared with 28% in group B4 (P = 0.002). The PACU-time was shorter: 36 (10-103) vs. 55 (10-140) min, respectively (P = 0.005). Seventeen (B3F) vs. nine patients (B4) could bypass PACU (NS). Time to discharge home was similar in both groups. In the B3F group, 75% of the patients developed pruritus. CONCLUSION: Both solutions produced reliable spinal anesthesia for outpatient knee arthroscopy. The PACU-time was shorter in the bupivacaine-fentanyl group, but both groups reached home-readiness equally.

Selective spinal anesthesia: a comparison of hyperbaric bupivacaine 4 mg versus 6 mg for outpatient knee arthroscopy.

IMPLICATIONS: A low-dose (4 mg), low-volume (0.8 mL), low-flow (2 min) technique with hyperbaric bupivacaine toward the dependent side oriented injection and maintenance of the lateral decubitus position for 10 min produced selective spinal anesthesia with rapid recession of motor block and early discharge home.

Summer spores of birch rust fungus in Papanicolaou smears from healthy mass screening participants.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the origin and identification of mysterious particles in Papanicolaou smears from healthy, asymptomatic women participating in a local mass screening program. STUDY DESIGN: The material consisted of 16,000 cerricovaginal smears studied at the cytology laboratory of Pathology Laboratory of South-Western Finland Ltd. Unidentified particles were found in four apparently independent smears. All the slides were rescreened, but no further positive cases were found. RESULTS: Several swab samples were collected from the investigation room, but all were negative. Attempts at identification included numerous consultations. A telepathology consultation with the Cellular Division, Armed Forces Institute of Pathology, Washington, D.C., U.S.A., was conducted. Another teleconsultation with the reference laboratoryfor intestinal parasites in Iceland was conducted. Finally, the Aerobiology Unit, University of Turku, was consulted. The aerobiologist suggested that the particles were most probably summer spores of birch rust fungus (Melampsoridium betulinum). To confirm this we obtained a reference specimen of the fungus from the herbarium at the University of Turku. The morphology of the spore particles was identical to that in the cervicovaginal smears, proving that the smears were contaminated with birch rust fungus spores. CONCLUSION: Birch rust is ubiqutitous in Finland. Outside the hospital window there is a wide lawn behind which, at a distance of 70 m, there is a forest of birch trees. It is most likely that the rust spores flew in through the open window, to settle down on the surface of material that was used in sample taking. Airborne dust may cause misleading and surprising artefacts. Protection of specimens and instruments against dust should minimize the problem.

Cortical sensory evoked potentials and communicative forebrain functions.

Cortical evoked potentials were measured to visual, auditory and somatosensory stimuli in 20 subjects with serious neurodevelopmental impairments due to various etiologies. The results were compared with behavioral observations to find out whether the absence/presence of the responses corresponded to the level of social functioning. No cortical evoked potentials were elicited in two subjects, responses to the stimulation of one modality were missing in three subjects (retinal b-waves and brainstem auditory and somatosensory evoked potentials were, however, preserved in them). No communicative behavior was observed in subjects with absent responses. Ten subjects had marked deviations in the evoked potentials, the behavioral observations in them, ranging from no communication to sentenced speech. Five subjects had normal response patterns and they showed a great variety of communicative skills, including speech. The results support the view that bilateral loss of cortical somatosensory, visual, and auditory evoked potentials is a sign of loss of neural substrates of communication.