Outcome analysis of 189 consecutive cancer patients referred to the intensive care unit as emergencies during a 2-year period.

The referral of critically ill cancer patients to an intensive care unit (ICU) is a matter of controversial debate. This study was conducted by an interdisciplinary clinical group to evaluate the outcome of ICU treatment in cancer patients according to their characteristics at the time of referral. A retrospective analysis was used to identify relevant subgroups among 189 consecutive cancer patients referred as emergencies to one of four ICUs during a 2-year period. Reasons for ICU referral were pneumonia (29.6%), sepsis (27.0%), fungal infection (11.1%), another infection (9.5%), gastrointestinal emergency (16.9%), treatment-related organ toxicity (6.9%), or other, non-infectious complications (43.9%). Vasopressor support was required in 50.3%, mechanical ventilation in 49.7%, and haemodialysis/-filtration in 26.5% of the patients. Overall, 41.3% died during ICU treatment, 12.2% died after transfer from ICU to a non-ICU ward, and 35.4% were discharged alive. Sepsis, mechanical ventilation, vasopressor support, renal replacement therapy and neutropenia were independent risk factors for fatal outcome, but no single risk factor unequivocally predicted death. All patients with fungal infection who required vasopressor support and either had sepsis (n=13) or needed mechanical ventilation (n=14) died during ICU treatment, while all non-septic patients. who did not require mechanical ventilation, were younger than 74 years of age and had a non-infectious underlying complication (n=29), survived. This analysis may help to early identify relevant subgroups of cancer patients with different prognoses under ICU treatment. A prospective study to confirm the predictive usefulness of this approach is needed. Cancer patients should not be excluded from referral to the intensive care unit in an emergency solely due to their underlying malignant disease or a single unfavourable prognostic factor.

[Infertility after mumps orchitis (author's transl)]. / Infertilität nach Mumpsorchitis.

Mumps orchitis is the most frequent complication of mumps in young men. 11 of 23 patients were followed up, 9 answered a questionnaire. 11 spermiograms were available. 6 patients, 3 of them after bilateral mumps orchitis, had children. Although some severe fertility disturbances were seen, no case of real infertility was found. The rate of atrophy was 53%. 12 patients remained at least subfertile (60%), 5 of them after bilateral mumps orchitis, 3 patients were almost infertile after bilateral mumps orchitis. Patients with corticosteroid therapy showed better results at followup examinations than the others, although no significance was found (alpha greater than 0.05).