Using Digestive Fluid Biomarkers to Predict Acute Gastrointestinal Injury in Critically Ill Patients: A Pilot Study.

BACKGROUND: Acute gastrointestinal injury is associated with significantly increased mortality in critically ill patients. However, markers for measuring acute gastrointestinal injury are neither sensitive nor specific. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether enzymes in digestive fluid are predictive of the severity of acute gastrointestinal injury. METHODS: A prospective observational study was conducted between June 2015 and December 2015 in a surgical intensive care unit. Enrolled patients were classified by acute gastrointestinal injury grade according to the 2012 European Society of Intensive Care Medicine system. Digestive fluid was collected through nasointestinal tubes and analyzed 24 hours after the diagnosis of acute gastrointestinal injury. Intestinal markers of injury (pH, interleukin 6, interleukin 10, tumor necrosis factor α, and secretory immunoglobulin A) were measured in digestive fluid. RESULTS: Of the 76 patients included, acute gastrointestinal injury was grade I in 41, grade II in 20, grade III in 8, and grade IV in 7. Secretory immunoglobulin A was an independent predictor of grade III acute gastrointestinal injury. When data from patients with grades I and II injury and patients with grades III and IV injury were grouped together, analysis revealed that pH, interleukin 10, and secretory immunoglobulin A were independent predictors of acute gastrointestinal failure. CONCLUSIONS: Secretory immunoglobulin A was predictive of grade III acute gastrointestinal injury. Digestive fluid markers of injury (pH, interleukin 10, and secretory immunoglobulin A) were predictors of acute gastrointestinal failure. Further study is required to determine if other markers are specific or sensitive for acute gastrointestinal injury.

Different doses ofearly enteral nutrition for patients with ac ute gastrointestinal dysfunction / 医学研究生学报

Objective Acute gastrointestinal dysfunction (AGD) is a common problem in critically ill patients, for whomearly enteral nutrition ( EN) is widely used, but its application dosage remains controversial.This study aimed to observe the influence of dif-ferent doses of early EN on acute gastrointestinal tolerance, new infections and other complications, inflammation indexes, and prognosis in AGD patients. Methods We selected 120 critically ill patients that met thecriteria of class-ⅡAGD and needed EN support andequal-ly randomized them intoa standard-dose and a low-dose ENgroup.The former group received EN at 20 mL/h, with an addition of 10 mL/h every 12 hours according to the tolerance and supplemented byparenteral nutrition (PN) to achieve the target calories(60%) on the 3 rd day, while the latterat 20 mL/h for 7 days, supplemented by PN to achieve the target calories on the 3 rd day and from the 7 th day gradu-ally increased to the full volume.We recorded the patients′ICUdays, hospitaldays, mortality rate, organ function support days, incidence of feeding intolerance within 7 days, incidence of new infections within 7 and 28 days, and levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), procalci-tonin (PCT), tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) and compared these indexes between the two groups. Resulst There were no statistically significant differences between the low -and standardd-ose EN groups in the patients′ICU days, hospital days, mortality rate,organ function support days, or incidence of new infections within 7 and 28 days ( P>0.05) .The incidence of feeding intol-erance on the 7 th day was significantly lower in the low-dose than in the standard-dose EN group ( 13.3 vs 36.7%, P<0.05).On the 1st, 3rd, and 7 th day, the level of CRP was (5.90±0.72), (16.52± 3.09) , and ( 32.11 ±4.33 ) ng/L, respectively, in the low-dose groupversus(5.83±0.59), (15.83±1.19), and (33.16±4.51)ng/L in the standard-dose group, while that of PCTwas (4.71±1.25), (10.63± 2.21), and ( 16.89±3.39) ng/mL, respectively, in the former versus (4.55±0.67), (10.41±1.99), and (17.49±3.87)ng/mL in the latter, both increased in a time-dependent manner and with significant differ-ences among the three time points within the same group ( P<0.05) .The levels of TNF-αand IL-6 were elevated in the same manner and also with significant differences among the three time points within the same group ( P<0 .05) . Conc lusion Lowdose of early enteral nutrition can improve the feeding tolerance of AGDpatients, but does not influence the incidence of new infections and prognosis.

Clinical study on thromboelastography-indicated postoperative blood requirements after abdominal surgery / 中华急诊医学杂志

Objective To investigate the accuracy and promptness of thromboelastography (TEG) to assess the blood transfusion requirements after abdominal operation in comparison with conventional assessments including vital signs (MAP,heart rate,breathing rate),urine output,hemoglobin and hematocrit.Methods From June to December in 2010,there were 57 patients were suspected bleeding in abdominal cavity after operation in SICU.Recorded data including vital signs (MAP,heart rate,breathing rate,oxygen saturation),urine volume per hour,the coagulation tests (Fib,PT,aPTT,INR),TEG parameters (R,K,Angle,MA,CI),the results of blood routine (Hb,Hct,Ph) and whether bleeding or not,blood product requirements within 24 h.Results Vital signs (MAP,heart rate,breathing rate,oxygen saturation),urine output per hour and the coagulation tests (Fib,PT,INR) showed no significant correlations (P ＞ 0.05) with blood transfusion requirements,but aPTT (R =0.513,P =0.000) and MA (R =0.578,P =0.000) correlated with the blood transfusion requirement.Patients with reduced MA needed more blood transfusion requirements.Patients were divided into active bleeding group and insidious bleeding group.MA had significant difference between two groups (P =0.025),but aPTT had not.Conclusions Thrombelastography is a more accurate indicator of blood transfusion requirements,especially in active bleeding patients.

Effects of intravenous fluid restriction on complications after biliary surgery / 中华消化外科杂志

Objective To investigate the effects of intravenous fluid restriction on complications after biliary surgery.Methods The clinical data of 168 patients who received biliary surgery at the Nanjing General Hospital of Nanjing Military Command from October 2006 to March 2008 were prospectively analyzed.All patients were randomly divided into test group(85 patients received fluid restriction treatment)and control group(83 patients received conventional treatment)by the sealed envelope method.The difference in the fluid volume between the 2groups was observed.Differences in systemic complication rate,local complication rate,general complication rate,time to bowl movement,length of hospital stay and mortality between the 2 groups were compared.All data were analyzed using the chi-square test,t test,Fisher exact test,Results The median total volumes of fluid in test group and control group were 1450 ml and 2420 ml,respectively,with significant difference between the 2 groups (t=-5.067,P0.05).Conclusion Fluid restriction reduces the complication rate,shortens the length of hospital stay and accelerates recovery after biliary operation.

Restricted peri-operative fluid administration adjusted by serum lactate level improved outcome after major elective surgery for gastrointestinal malignancy.

BACKGROUND: Our objective was to compare the effect of a restricted intravenous fluid regimen adjusted by serum lactate level with a standard restricted regimen on complications after major elective surgery for gastrointestinal malignancy. METHODS: This is a randomized, observer-blinded, single-center trial conducted across a time span of 13 months. A total of 299 patients were allocated to either a restricted intravenous fluid regimen with supplementary intravenous fluids given based on serum lactate level (group A) or a standard restricted regimen (group R). In group A, the serum lactate level was monitored closely postoperatively to maintain a normal pre-operative serum lactate level. Group R involved patients treated with a restricted fluid regimen in whom additional fluid and electrolytes were administered when deemed necessary based on the usual clinical criteria. The primary outcome measure was complications; the secondary measures were death and adverse effects. RESULTS: Additional fluid supplementation was needed in some patients in both groups (group A [28%] vs group R [26%]). In group A, the time for additional fluid infusion occurred earlier in the postoperative period than group R. Patients in group A received their first supplementary fluid treatment within the first 12 h more commonly than those in group R (74% vs 37%, respectively; P < .004). The regimen adjusted by serum lactate decreased systemic postoperative complications in group A versus group R (10% vs 22%, respectively; P = .023) but not overall total complications (23% vs 33%, respectively; P = .090). In contrast, in patients who required additional fluid infusion, the difference in complications between the 2 groups was greater (overall complication, 45% vs 85%, respectively; P = .023; major complication, 16% vs 44%, respectively; P = .018; systemic complications, 19% vs 63%, respectively; P = .001). One patient died in group A and 4 died in group R (1% vs 4%, respectively; P = .206). CONCLUSION: A fluid-restricted regimen after elective gastrointestinal operations for malignancy may lead to fluid insufficiency and low tissue perfusion in up to 28% of patients. Close monitoring of serum lactate levels with adjustment of intravenous fluid administration intraoperatively and in the early postoperative period may improve the early detection and correction of inadequate tissue perfusion, thereby decreasing the rate of complications.