Validation of the new Sepsis-3 definitions: proposal for improvement in early risk identification.

OBJECTIVES: Sepsis-3 definitions generated controversies regarding their general applicability. The Sepsis-3 Task Force outlined the need for validation with emphasis on the quick Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (qSOFA) score. This was done in a prospective cohort from a different healthcare setting. METHODS: Patients with infections and at least two signs of systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) were analysed. Sepsis was defined as total SOFA ≥2 outside the intensive care unit (ICU) or as an increase of ICU admission SOFA ≥2. The primary endpoints were the sensitivity of qSOFA outside the ICU and sepsis definition both outside and within the ICU to predict mortality. RESULTS: In all, 3346 infections outside the ICU and 1058 infections in the ICU were analysed. Outside the ICU, respective mortality with ≥2 SIRS and qSOFA ≥2 was 25.3% and 41.2% (p <0.0001); the sensitivities of qSOFA and of sepsis definition to predict death were 60.8% and 87.2%, respectively. This was 95.9% for sepsis definition in the ICU. The sensitivity of qSOFA and of ≥3 SIRS criteria for organ dysfunction outside the ICU was 48.7% and 72.5%, respectively (p <0.0001). Misclassification outside the ICU with the 1991 and Sepsis-3 definitions into stages of lower severity was 21.4% and 3.7%, respectively (p <0.0001) and 14.9% and 3.7%, respectively, in the ICU (p <0.0001). Adding arterial pH ≤7.30 to qSOFA increased sensitivity for prediction of death to 67.5% (p 0.004). CONCLUSIONS: Our analysis positively validated the use of SOFA score to predict unfavourable outcome and to limit misclassification into lower severity. However, qSOFA score had inadequate sensitivity for early risk assessment.

Outcome of lung cancer patients admitted to the intensive care unit with acute respiratory failure.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies have shown that the outcome of lung cancer patients who were admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), especially those requiring mechanical ventilation, is extremely poor. The present study was conducted in order to assess the outcome of a recent cohort of lung cancer patients admitted to the ICU with acute respiratory failure. METHODS: A retrospective analysis of the medical records of 105 lung cancer patients who were admitted to the ICU between January 2008 and January 2011 was performed. Severity of illness on the first day of ICU admission was assessed using the acute physiology and chronic health evaluation (APACHE) II and the sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA) scoring systems. Associated organ failure was determined according to the Knaus criteria. RESULTS: Eighty four (80%) patients were diagnosed with non-small cell lung cancer, 14 (13.3%) with small cell lung cancer, one patient with mesothelioma, and in the remaining 6 patients, the type of lung cancer could not be determined. Significant factors on admission were APACHE II and SOFA scores, poor performance status and severe comorbidity. During ICU stay, the main risk factors for poor outcome were the long term mechanical ventilation duration, use of vasopressors, more than two organ system failures and septic condition. The overall ICU, hospital and 6-month mortality rates were 44.7% (47/105), 56.1% (59/105) and 77.1% (81/105) respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The present data show that the medical intensive care unit outcome of lung cancer patients is improving. Further studies of patients selected to ICU admission are needed to assess long-term mortality, quality of life, ability to continue chemotherapy and economic cost.

Five cases of pleural mesothelioma with endemic pleural calcifications in a rural area in Greece.

The authors describe 5 cases of pleural mesothelioma in a rural population of Macedonia, Greece. This population had been covered by an X-ray study over a 3-year period to detect pleural calcifications compatible with asbestos exposure. The study revealed a 24.2% prevalence of pleural plaques among the inhabitants aged over 40 years of 7 rural villages. High contents of asbestos (chrysotile and tremolite)--up to 90% by volume--were found in the material that was used for whitewashing the houses up to 1935. Even now, environmental concentrations of 0.01 fibres/ml were recorded in the houses. The prevalence of pleural mesothelioma in this rural population is high compared to the general population. A possible explanation of the phenomenon may be a cumulative environmental exposure to asbestos which, even though presumably within the acceptable limits for occupational exposure, lasted over a much longer time period, in terms of both daily exposure and total duration.