Thrombin generation and procoagulant microparticle profiles after acute trauma: A prospective cohort study.

OBJECTIVE: The two sides of trauma-induced coagulopathy, the hypocoagulable and the hypercoagulable states, are poorly understood. To identify potential mechanisms for venous thromboembolism and bleeding after acute trauma, we estimated changes in circulating procoagulant microparticles (MPs) and thrombin activity during hospitalization for trauma. METHODS: Whole blood was collected by venipuncture into 3.2% trisodium citrate at 0, 6, 12, 24, and 72 hours after injury and discharge. Platelet-poor plasma was harvested and stored at -80°C until analysis. Thrombin generation was determined using the calibrated automated thrombogram (CAT), reported as lag time (minutes), peak height (nM thrombin), and time to reach peak height (ttPeak, minutes). The concentration of total procoagulant MPs (number/µL) was measured by flow cytometry. Data are presented as median (interquartile range [IQR]). RESULTS: Among 443 trauma patients (1,734 samples; Injury Severity Score [ISS], 13.0 [IQR, 6.0-22.0]; hospital length of stay, 4.0 days [IQR, 2.0-10.0]; age, 48 years [IQR, 28-65]; 70.7% male; 95% with blunt mechanism; mortality, 3.2%), no discernable patterns in thrombin generation or MP concentration were observed over time. The peak height and MPs were significantly different from healthy volunteers and were 337 nM (IQR, 285-395) and 400/µL plasma (IQR, 211-772), respectively. Extreme (defined as highest or lowest 5%) values reflecting a possible "hypercoagulable state" (lag time ≤ 1.98, peak height ≥ 486.2, ttPeak ≤ 3.61, and total procoagulant MP ≥ 2,278) were reached within 12 hours after acute trauma, while extreme values representing a possible "hypocoagulable state" (lag time ≥ 18.6, peak height ≤ 17.8, and ttPeak ≥ 29.45) were not reached until 1 day to 3 days. CONCLUSION: Although there was no predictable pattern of coagulopathy observed in each patient after trauma, those who reached extreme values did so relatively early after injury. These findings should be taken into account when designing risk model tools involving coagulation laboratory parameters. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Epidemiologic study, level III.

A prospective analysis of urinary tract infections among elderly trauma patients.

BACKGROUND: Catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs) have been deemed "reasonably preventable" by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid, thereby eliminating reimbursement. Elderly trauma patients, however, are at high risk for developing urinary tract infections (UTIs) given their extensive comorbidities, immobilization, and environmental changes in the urine, which provide the ideal environment for bacterial overgrowth. Whether these patients develop CAUTI as a complication of their hospitalization or have asymptomatic bacteriuria (ASB) or UTI at admission must be determined to justify the "reasonably preventable" classification. We hypothesize that a significant proportion of elderly patients will present with ASB or UTI at admission. METHODS: Institutional review board permission was obtained to perform a prospective, observational clinical trial of all elderly (≥65 years) patients admitted to our Level I trauma center as a result of injury. Urinalysis (UA) and culture (UCx) were obtained at admission, 72 hours, and, if diagnosed with UTI, at 2 weeks after injury. Mean cost of UTI was calculated based on Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates of $862 to $1,007 per UTI. RESULTS: Of 201 eligible patients, 129 agreed to participate (64%). Mean (SD) age was 81 (8.6) years. All patients had a blunt mechanism of injury (76% falls), with a mean Injury Severity Score (ISS) of 13.8 (7.6). Of the 18 patients (14%) diagnosed with CAUTI, 14 (78%) were present at admission. In addition, there were 18 patients (14%) with ASB at admission. The most common bacterial species present at admission urine culture were Escherichia coli (24%) and Enterococcus (16%). Clinical features associated with bacteriuria at admission included a history of UTI, positive Gram stain result, abnormal microscopy, and pyuria. The estimated loss of reimbursement for 18 UTIs at admission was $15,516 to $18,126; however, given an estimated cost of $1,981 to screen all patients with UA and UCx at admission, up to $16,144 savings was realized. CONCLUSION: Many elderly trauma patients present with UTI. Screening UA and UCx at admission for elderly trauma patients identifies these UTIs and is cost-effective. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Epidemiologic study, level II.

Similar Neutrophil-Driven Inflammatory and Antibacterial Responses in Elderly Patients with Symptomatic and Asymptomatic Bacteriuria.

Differential diagnosis of asymptomatic bacteriuria (ASB) and urinary tract infection (UTI) is based on the presence of diverse symptoms, including fever (≥38.5°C), rigors, malaise, lethargy, flank pain, hematuria, suprapubic discomfort, dysuria, and urgent or frequent urination. There is consensus in the medical community that ASB warrants antibiotic treatment only for patients undergoing urological procedures that lead to mucosal bleeding, catheterized individuals whose ASB persists for more than 48 h after catheter removal, and pregnant women. Pyuria is associated with UTI and implicates host immune responses via release of antibacterial effectors and phagocytosis of pathogens by neutrophils. Such responses are not sufficiently described for ASB. Metaproteomic methods were used here to identify the pathogens and evaluate molecular evidence of distinct immune responses in cases of ASB compared to UTI in elderly patients who were hospitalized upon injury. Neutrophil-driven inflammatory responses to invading bacteria were not discernible in most patients diagnosed with ASB compared to those with UTI. In contrast, proteomic urine analysis for trauma patients with no evidence of bacteriuria, including those who suffered mucosal injuries via urethral catheterization, rarely showed evidence of neutrophil infiltration. The same enzymes contributing to the synthesis of leukotrienes LTB4 and LTC4, mediators of inflammation and pain, were found in the UTI and ASB cohorts. These data support the notion that the pathways mediating inflammation and pain in most elderly patients with ASB are not quantitatively different from those seen in most elderly patients with UTI and warrant larger clinical studies to assess whether a common antibiotic treatment strategy for elderly ASB and UTI patients is justified.

The Mayo Dysphagia Questionnaire-30: documentation of reliability and validity of a tool for interventional trials in adults with esophageal disease.

The aim of this study was to develop the Mayo Dysphagia Questionnaire-30 Day (MDQ-30), a tool to measure esophageal dysphagia, by adapting items from validated instruments for use in clinical trials, and assess its feasibility, reproducibility, and concurrent validity. Outpatients referred to endoscopy for dysphagia or seen in a specialty clinic were recruited. Feasibility testing was done to identify problematic items. Reproducibility was measured by test-retest format. Concurrent validity reflects agreement between information gathered in a structured interview versus the patients' written responses. The MDQ-30, a 28-item instrument, took 10 min (range = 5-30 min) to complete. Four hundred thirty-one outpatients [210 (49%) men; mean age = 61 years] participated. Overall, most concurrent validity kappa values for dysphagia were very good to excellent with a median of 0.78 (min 0.28, max 0.95). The majority of reproducibility kappa values for dysphagia were moderate to excellent with a median kappa value of 0.66 (min 0.07, max 1.0). Overall, concurrent validity and reproducibility kappa values for gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) symptoms were 0.81 (95% CI = 0.72, 0.91) and 0.66 (95% CI = 0.55, 0.77), respectively. Individual item percent agreement was generally very good to excellent. Internal consistency was excellent. We conclude that the MDQ-30 is an easy-to-complete tool to evaluate reliably dysphagia symptoms over the last 30 days.