The clinical significance of changes in red blood cell distribution width in patients with community-acquired pneumonia.

OBJECTIVE: Red cell distribution width (RDW) is associated with mortality in patients with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). However, little is known about the effect of changes in RDW during treatment on mortality. Thus, the objective of this study was to evaluate the association between RDW changes and mortality in hospitalized patients with CAP. METHODS: Retrospective analyses were performed using medical records of patients hospitalized for CAP from April 2008 to February 2014. The abstracted laboratory values included RDW (from days one to four), clinical variables, and pneumonia severity index (PSI) scores. The ΔRDWn-1 was defined as the change in RDW calculated as: (RDWday1-RDWday-n)/RDWday1×100 (%), where 'day n' refers to hospital day. RESULTS: During the study period, a total of 1,069 patients were hospitalized for CAP. The 30-day mortality was 100/1,069 (9.4%). The median RDW at baseline was 14.1% (range, 11.1 to 30.2) and differed significantly between survivors and non-survivors (P<0.05). There were 470 patients with available serial RDW data (30-day mortality 58/470 [12.3%]). Of those, age, PSI score, blood urea nitrogen level, total protein concentration, albumin level, RDW at day 1, and the ΔRDW4-1 differed significantly between survivors and non-survivors. Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that the significance of the relationship between ΔRDW4-1 and 30-day mortality risk remained after adjusting for age, PSI score, RDW at day 1, total protein concentration, and initial albumin level. CONCLUSION: RDW change from day 1 to day 4 was an independent predictor of mortality in patients with CAP.

Sodium bicarbonate administration during ongoing resuscitation is associated with increased return of spontaneous circulation.

PURPOSE: Sodium bicarbonate is frequently used for patients unresponsive to cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). Its use may be associated with longer resuscitation duration as well as more severe metabolic acidosis. We applied a new analytical method based on a matched case-control study design to control for the potential confounders. BASIC PROCEDURES: Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest patients resuscitated in an emergency department for at least 20 minutes, unless there was any return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) within the time frame, were analyzed. Patients without ROSC for 20 minutes of CPR were matched to those with ROSC based on initial bicarbonate level categorized using cutoff points of 10, 15, 20, 25, and 30 mEq/L, and their observation durations were trimmed to match their pairs. The association between sodium bicarbonate and ROSC was examined using conditional logistic regression analysis. MAIN FINDINGS: Two matched groups, one with ROSC and the other without (both n = 258), were generated. Sodium bicarbonate administration and its total cumulative dose were significantly associated with an increased ROSC, with odds ratios for ROSC of 1.86 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.09-3.16; P = .022) and 1.18 (per 20 mEq; 95% CI, 1.04-1.33; P = .008), respectively. The positive associations remained unchanged after multivariable adjustment, with odds ratios for ROSC of 2.49 (95% CI, 1.33-4.65; P = .004) and 1.27 (95% CI, 1.11-1.47; P = .001), respectively. PRINCIPAL CONCLUSION: Sodium bicarbonate administration during CPR in emergency department was associated with increased ROSC.

Ventricular pneumocephalus with meningitis after lumbar nerve root block.

Lumbar nerve root block is a common modality used in the management of radiculopathy. Its complications are rare and usually minor. Despite its low morbidity, significant acute events can occur. Pneumocephalus is an accumulation of air in the intracranial space. It indicates a violation of the dura or the presence of infection. The object of this report is to describe the case of a patient with intraventricular pneumocephalus and bacterial meningitis after lumbar nerve root block. A 70-year-old female was brought into emergency department with severe headache and vomiting which developed during her sleep. She had received lumbar nerve block for her radiculopathy one day before her presentation. Cranial computed tomography scan revealed a few hypodense lesions in her left lateral ventricle frontal horn and basal cistern indicating ventricular pneumocephalus. Five hours later, she developed sudden hearing loss. Cerebrospinal fluid analysis showed bacterial meningitis, and she was treated with high dose steroid and antibiotics. However, her impaired hearing as a sequela from meningitis was persistent, and she is still in follow-up. Intracranial complications of lumbar nerve root block including meningitis and pneumocephalus can occur and should be considered as high-risk conditions that require prompt intervention.