Quick Sequential Organ Failure Assessment Score, Lactate, and Neutrophil-Lymphocyte Ratio Help in Diagnosis and Mortality Prediction during Golden Hour of Sepsis in Emergency Department.

Introduction: Sepsis is a life-threatening condition with a very narrow golden period in which confirmatory diagnosis may change the outcome dramatically. No confirmatory biomarker is available till date for early diagnosis of sepsis. This study aimed to evaluate the combined and independent role of quick sequential organ failure assessment (qSOFA) score, lactate, and neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) in diagnosis and mortality prediction in early sepsis. Methods: This was a hospital-based, single-center, prospective cohort study conducted in a tertiary care institute, Karnataka, India. Three hundred adult sepsis patients were recruited during 10-month period, and demographic data, qSOFA score, lactate, NLR, and culture samples were collected in ED within 1 h of admission. Outcome groups (survivor and nonsurvivor) were statistically analyzed with relative frequencies (%), median, mean ± standard deviation with 95% confidence interval (CI), univariate, bivariate, and multivariate logistic regression analysis, and Receiver -operating characteristic curve (ROC) curve to test the predictive ability of initial levels of three biomarkers. Results: Sepsis was more prevalent among middle-aged male patients. Male gender (odds ratio [OR], 6.9; 95% CI: 1.61-30.1), qSOFA (OR, 154; 95% CI: 15-1565), and lactate (OR, 1.36; 95% CI: 22-833) show 97% (area under the curve) predictive accuracy of the model for sepsis on bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis. A significant rise in NLR was a poor outcome indicator on univariate analysis (P = 0.773). Conclusion: All three biomarkers are good outcome predictors whereas qSOFA and lactate have diagnostic significance in early sepsis. These markers can be used for patient triaging, minimizing culture report dependence for treatment and ultimately the outcome.

Clinical profile, outcomes and predictors of mortality in elderly patients admitted to the emergency medicine intensive care unit of a teaching hospital - A single-center registry.

AIM: Emergency intensive care of the elderly is often complicated and multifaceted. Understanding the clinical profile of elderly patients admitted in an emergency department-intensive care unit (ED-ICU) is crucial in planning health policies in geriatric emergency medicine. Thus, the aim of the study was to create a local registry of elderly people utilizing the ED-ICU services and to understand the rate and predictors of mortality. METHODS: A retrospective chart analysis was performed including all patients aged ≥60 years who had an ED-ICU admission during a 6-month period (August 2018-January 2019). A structured case record form was used to capture information such as basic demography, clinical profile, and outcomes. RESULTS: Total number of records considered for final analysis were 503. Mortality was seen in 21.07% (n = 106/503). The most common presenting complaint and cause of death was breathing difficulty (n = 48/503; 29.42%) and pneumonia (n = 41/106; 38.67%), repectively. The significant predictors of mortality [adjusted odds ratio; 95% confidence intervals; P value] were hypertension (2.195; 1.255, 3.840; 0.006), chronic liver disease (CLD) (4.324; 1.170, 15.979; 0.028), malignancy (2.854; 1.045, 7.796; 0.041), requiring noninvasive ventilation (NIV) (2.618; 1.449, 4.730; 0.001), requiring intubation (6.638; 3.705, 11.894; <0.001), and requiring vasopressors (3.583; 1.985, 6.465; <0.001). CONLUSION: Approximately one in every five elderly patients getting admitted in ED-ICU died, and respiratory illness was the common diagnosis leading to death. Those with comorbidities such as hypertension, CLD, or malignancy and those requiring NIV, intubation, or vasopressors had higher mortality.