Simplified Acute Physiology Score II Research Articles

Vitamin E as a novel therapy in the treatment of acute aluminum phosphide poisoning.

Aluminum phosphide (AlP) is commonly used as a fumigant in developing countries. Induction of oxidative stress is one of the most important mechanisms of its toxicity. In this regard, and considering that there is no specific antidote for its treatment, the aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of vitamin E in the treatment of acute AlP poisoning. This was a clinical trial on acute AlP poisoned patients. All patients received supportive treatment. In addition, the treatment group received vitamin E (400 mg/BD/IM). Level of malondialdehyde (MDA) and total antioxidant capacity of plasma were measured. There was no significant difference between the treatment and control groups with regard to demographic, clinical, or paraclinical data or Simplified Acute Physiology Score II (SAPSII) on admission. Systolic blood pressure significantly increased during the first 24 h in the treatment group (P < 0.05). The plasma MDA level significantly decreased in the treatment group (P < 0.05). Vitamin E administration decreased the necessity (30% vs. 62%, P < 0.05) and duration of intubation and mechanical ventilation (P < 0.05). It significantly reduced the mortality rate in the treatment group compared to the control group (15% vs. 50%, respectively, P < 0.05). Vitamin E along with supportive treatment could have a therapeutic effect in acute AlP poisoning.

Is Serum Lactate Level a Prognostic Factor for the Incidence and Mortality of Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia Among Poisoned ICU-Admitted Patients?

Background: Lactate level is known to increase among the majority of patients with toxicity. This study aimed to determine whether lactate level upon admission is higher among patients with ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP). Objectives: We aimed to determine whether serum lactate level is associated with the increased risk of VAP in intensive care unit (ICU)-admitted patients with toxicity. Methods: This retrospective study was conducted in a training medical poisoning center in Iran, using convenience sampling. A total of 157 poisoned patients, aged ≥ 13 years, who were admitted to the ICU over the past seven months, were included in the study. Subjects were categorized into two groups, based on their VAP diagnosis (VAP-positive and non-VAP) and the outcomes (surviving or non-surviving). The VAP-positive patients were compared with others with regard to the mean level of serum lactate level upon admission. Additionally, non-surviving patients were compared with their surviving counterparts. Results: Overall, 71 (45.2 %) VAS-positive cases were reported, in addition to 36 cases of mortality. Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) was the most common toxic agent (36%), followed by methanol. Significant differences were noted between the groups in terms of Simplified Acute Physiology Score-II (SAPS-II), Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score, length of ICU stay, and percentage of ventilation process. The mean levels of lactate at admission were 3.71 ± 3.35 and 4.19 ± 4.09 among VAP-positive and non-VAP patients, respectively; the difference was not statistically significant. Also, non-surviving patients had a longer ICU stay (12.20 days), compared to surviving patients (5.39) (P = 0.008). Moreover, admission lactate level was 7.06 ± 5.29 mmol/L among non-surviving patients and 3.01 ± 2.53 among surviving cases (P < 0.001). Conclusions: Based on the findings, the mortality rate was 22.9% among poisoned patients with an elevated serum lactate level. We can conclude that mortality is associated with toxicants, but not the occurrence of VAP; in fact, VAP scenarios do not elevate serum lactate level.

Association of Microcirculation, Macrocirculation, and Severity of Illness in Septic Shock: A Prospective Observational Study to Identify Microcirculatory Targets Potentially Suitable for Guidance of Hemodynamic Therapy.

Clinically unapparent microcirculatory impairment is common and has a negative impact on septic shock, but specific therapy is not established so far. This prospective observational study aimed at identifying candidate parameters for microcirculatory-guided hemodynamic therapy. ClinicalTrials.gov : NCT01530932. Microcirculatory flow and postcapillary venous oxygen saturation were detected during vaso-occlusive testing (VOT) on days 1 (T0), 2 (T24), and 4 (T72) in 20 patients with septic shock at a surgical intensive care unit using a laser Doppler spectrophotometry system (O2C). Reperfusional maximal venous capillary oxygen saturation (SvcO2max) showed negative correlations with Simplified Acute Physiology Score II (SAPSII)/Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score, norepinephrine dosage, and lactate concentration and showed positive correlations with cardiac index (CI). At T24 and T72, SvcO2max was also inversely linked to fluid balance. With respect to any predictive value, SvcO2max and CI determined on day 1 (T0) were negatively correlated with SAPS II/SOFA on day 4 (T72). Moreover, SvcO2max measured on day 1 or day 2 was negatively correlated with cumulated fluid balance on day 4 ( r= -.472, P < .05 and r = -.829, P < .001). By contrast, CI neither on day 1 nor on day 2 was correlated with cumulated fluid balance on day 4 ( r = -.343, P = .17 and r = -.365, P = .15). In patients with septic shock, microcirculatory reserve as assessed by SvcO2max following VOT was impaired and negatively correlated with severity of illness and fluid balance. In contrast to CI, SvcO2max determined on day 1 or day 2 was significantly negatively correlated with cumulative fluid balance on day 4. Therefore, early microcirculatory measurement of SvcO2max might be superior to CI in guidance of sepsis therapy to avoid fluid overload. This has to be addressed in future clinical studies.

Prognostics factors for mortality and renal recovery in critically ill patients with acute kidney injury and renal replacement therapy.

ObjectiveIdentify prognostic factors related to mortality and non-recovery of renal function.MethodsA prospective single-center study was conducted at the intensive care medicine department of a university hospital between 2012 and 2015. Patients with acute kidney injury receiving continuous renal replacement therapy were included in the study. Clinical and analytical parameters were collected, and the reasons for initiation and discontinuation of renal replacement therapy were examined.ResultsA total of 41 patients were included in the study, of whom 43.9% had sepsis. The median Simplified Acute Physiology Score II (SAPSII) was 56 and the mortality was 53.7%, with a predicted mortality of 59.8%. The etiology of acute kidney injury was often multifactorial (56.1%). Survivors had lower cumulative fluid balance (median = 3,600mL, interquartile range [IQR] = 1,175 - 8,025) than non-survivors (median = 12,000mL, IQR = 6,625 - 17,875; p = 0.004). Patients who recovered renal function (median = 51.0, IQR = 45.8 - 56.2) had lower SAPS II than those who do not recover renal function (median = 73, IQR = 54 - 85; p = 0.005) as well as lower fluid balance (median = 3,850, IQR = 1,425 - 8,025 versus median = 11,500, IQR = 6,625 - 16,275; p = 0.004).ConclusionsSAPS II at admission and cumulative fluid balance during renal support therapy were risk factors for mortality and non-recovery of renal function among critically ill patients with acute kidney injury needing renal replacement therapy.

The simplified acute physiology score II to predict hospital mortality in aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage.

Early prediction of increased morbidity and mortality in aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH) remains crucial to improving patient management. Most prediction models lack external validation and focus on disease-specific items without considering physiological parameters and the past medical history. The aim was to assess the validity of the established Simplified Acute Physiology Score II (SAPS-II) in an aSAH cohort for the prediction of hospital mortality and to identify additional physiological and clinical predictors. The predictive value of SAPS-II for hospital mortality was assessed in a retrospective analysis of 263 consecutive patients with aSAH. Additional physiological and clinical parameters including the past medical history were analyzed by forward selection multivariate analysis to identify independent predictors of hospital mortality and to improve the prediction model. The SAPS-II predicted hospital mortality with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.834 with an odds ratio (OR) of 1.097 [95 % confidence interval 1.067-1.128) for each additional point. Forward selection multivariate analysis identified the Glasgow Coma Scale score (P < 0.001), history of chronic headache (P = 0.01) and medication with anticoagulants (P = 0.04) as independent predictors of hospital mortality. Adding these parameters to the SAPS-II, the AUC increased to 0.86. This study validates the predictive accuracy of SAPS-II for hospital mortality in aSAH patients. Additional parameters from the past medical history increase its predictive power. From a practical viewpoint, SAPS-II alone already represents a sufficient and powerful score to predict hospital mortality at an early time point and may help to improve patient management.

Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation in near-drowning patients with cardiac or pulmonary failure.

BackgroundThe aim of this study was to determine the early outcomes of using extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) in near-drowning patients with cardiac or pulmonary failure.MethodsThis study was based on data from 9 patients including 2 children (mean age 33; 8 males, 1 female) who received ECMO after near-drowning between 2008 and 2013. Veno-arterial or veno-arteriovenous ECMO was used in 2 patients with sustained cardiac arrest and veno-venous ECMO was used in 7 patients with severe acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). The means of the partial arterial oxygen pressure (PaO2), Murray score, sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA) score, and simplified acute physiology score II (SAPS-II) prior to ECMO were 59.7 ± 9.9 mmHg on 100% oxygen, 3.5 ± 0.6, 11.4 ± 1.9, and 73.0 ± 9.2, respectively.ResultsThe PaO2 mean improved to 182 ± 152 mmHg within 2 h post-ECMO. The mean of SOFA score and SAPS-II decreased significantly to 8.6 ± 3.2 (p = 0.013) and 46.4 ± 5.1 (p = 0.008), respectively, at 24 h post-ECMO with mean flow rate of 3.9 ± 0.8 l/min. ECMO was weaned at a mean duration of 188 (range, 43–672) h in all patients. Seven patients were discharged home without neurological sequelae, while 2 patients who had hypoxic brain damage died after further referral. The overall survival with favourable neurological outcomes at 3 months was 77.8%. There were no complications related to ECMO.ConclusionsECMO was safe and effective for patients with ongoing cardiac arrest or ARDS after a near-drowning incident and can be used as a resuscitative strategy in near-drowning patients with cardiac or pulmonary failure resistant to conventional ventilator therapy.

Early and dynamic changes in gene expression in septic shock patients: a genome-wide approach.

BackgroundAs early and appropriate care of severe septic patients is associated with better outcome, understanding of the very first events in the disease process is needed. Pan-genomic analyses offer an interesting opportunity to study global genomic response within the very first hours after sepsis.The objective of this study was to investigate the systemic genomic response in severe intensive care unit (ICU) patients and determine whether patterns of gene expression could be associated with clinical severity evaluated by the severity score.MethodsTwenty-eight ICU patients were enrolled at the onset of septic shock. Blood samples were collected within 30 min and 24 and 48 h after shock and genomic response was evaluated using microarrays. The genome-wide expression pattern of blood leukocytes was sequentially compared to healthy volunteers and after stratification based on Simplified Acute Physiology Score II (SAPSII) score to identify potential mechanisms of dysregulation.ResultsSeptic shock induces a global reprogramming of the whole leukocyte transcriptome affecting multiple functions and pathways (>71% of the whole genome was modified). Most altered pathways were not significantly different between SAPSII-high and SAPSII-low groups of patients. However, the magnitude and the duration of these alterations were different between these two groups. Importantly, we observed that the more severe patients did not exhibit the strongest modulation. This indicates that some regulation mechanisms leading to recovery seem to take place at the early stage.ConclusionsIn conclusion, both pro- and anti-inflammatory processes, measured at the transcriptomic level, are induced within the very first hours after septic shock. Interestingly, the more severe patients did not exhibit the strongest modulation. This highlights that not only the responses mechanisms by themselves but mainly their early and appropriate regulation are crucial for patient recovery. This reinforces the idea that an immediate and tailored aggressive care of patients, aimed at restoring an appropriately regulated immune response, may have a beneficial impact on the outcome.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s40635-014-0020-3) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

The ability of two scoring systems to predict in-hospital mortality of patients with moderate and severe traumatic brain injuries in a Moroccan intensive care unit.

Aim of Study:We aim to assess and to compare the predicting power for in-hospital mortality (IHM) of the Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation-II (APACHE-II) and the Simplified Acute Physiology Score-II (SAPS-II) for traumatic brain injury (TBI).Patients and Methods:This retrospective cohort study was conducted during a period of 2 years and 9 months in a Moroccan intensive care unit. Data were collected during the first 24 h of each admission. The clinical and laboratory parameters were analyzed and used as per each scoring system to calculate the scores. Univariate and multivariate analyses through regression logistic models were performed, to predict IHM after moderate and severe TBIs. Areas under the receiver operating characteristic curves (AUROC), specificities and sensitivities were determined and also compared.Results:A total of 225 patients were enrolled. The observed IHM was 51.5%. The univariate analysis showed that the initial Glasgow coma scale (GCS) was lower in nonsurviving patients (mean GCS = 6) than the survivors (mean GCS = 9) with a statistically significant difference (P = 0.0024). The APACHE-II and the SAPS-II of the nonsurviving patients were higher than those of the survivors (respectively 20.4 ± 6.8 and 31.2 ± 13.6 for nonsurvivors vs. 15.7 ± 5.4 and 22.7 ± 10.3 for survivors) with a statistically significant difference (P = 0.0032 for APACHE-II and P = 0.0045 for SAPS-II). Multivariate analysis: APACHE-II was superior for predicting IHM (AUROC = 0.92).Conclusion:The APACHE-II is an interesting tool to predict IHM of head injury patients. This is particularly relevant in Morocco, where TBI is a greater public health problem than in many other countries.

Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation in adult patients with severe acute respiratory failure

A group of patients with severe acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is resistant to advanced respiratory therapy. In these patients, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) can be used as a rescue therapy. This study presents 14 years of experience from a Scandinavian ECMO centre. The aim of the study is to present outcome results and to investigate whether or not simplified acute physiology score II (SAPS-II), sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA) and/or Murray scores can be used to predict patients' outcome. In a prospective observational study, we collected data from ECMO patients from January 1997 to March 2011. The treatment was based mainly on venous-venous ECMO and centrifugal pumps. Patients were retrieved from Denmark plus a number from Sweden and Norway. The inclusion criteria were the classical criteria until November 2009 (n = 100), after which the new Extracorporeal Life Support Organisation criteria (n = 24) were used. One hundred and twenty-four patients were enrolled with median age 45 (range 16-67) years. The median Murray score was 3.7 (2.5-4.0). One hundred and six (85%) of the patients were retrieved from referring hospitals on ECMO. The median duration of the ECMO runs was 215 (1-578) h. Ninety-seven (78%) of the patients could be weaned from ECMO. A total of 88 (71%) were discharged alive to the referring hospitals. High SAPS-II, SOFA and Murray scores were associated with a high mortality. Patients with severe ARDS have a favourable outcome when treated with ECMO and when an ECMO retrieval team establishes the ECMO treatment at the referring hospital. SAPS-II, SOFA and Murray scores predicted the outcome.

Comment on “An update on toxicology of aluminum phosphide”

Sir I read with interest the recent published article by Dr Moghadamnia titled “An update on toxicology of aluminum phosphide” [1]. Since aluminum phosphide (AlP) poisoning is an important medical concern in Iran, I have had the opportunities to work and publish many papers in this regard [2-11]. I would like to comment on paper as follows: The author stated that Leukopenia indicates severe AlP toxicity and also mentioned Increased serum glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase (SGOT) or serum glutamic pyruvic transaminase (SGPT) and induced metabolic acidosis indicate moderate to severe AlP overdose. Leukopenia and hepatotoxicity due to AlP poisoning is reported in the literature, but according to my knowledge there is no study supported they are good indicators of severity of AlP poisoning [2,3]. Even some studies indicated leukosytosis is known as a prognostic factor in AlP poisoning [3]. Shadnia et al. in a study found the prognostic factors in AlP poisoning are Simplified Acute Physiology Score II (SAPSII), low GCS, hypotension, hyperglycemia, acidosis, hemoconcentration, leukocytosis, hyperuremia and ECG abnormalities [3]. Moreover the author stated that The serum level of cortisol is usually decreased in severe AlP Very few studies have published about blood cortisol level changes in AlP poisoning. Generally in clinical situations such as stress, hypotension, shock or critically ill patients, there is evidence of increasing in plasma cortisol level. In addition, some surveys showed AlP poisoning has been postulated to stimulate cortisol, glucagon, and adrenaline secretion, or inhibit insulin synthesis [6,12]. Moreover Chugh, et al. (1989) reported findings in thirty cases showed a significant rise in plasma cortisol (greater than 1048 nmol/L) in 20 cases

Serum capacity to neutralize superantigens does not affect the outcome of Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia.

Staphylococcal superantigens (SAg) could play an important role in sepsis by activating numerous T cells. We investigated whether serum capacity to neutralize SAgs can be a prognostic factor in Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia (SAB). In a university hospital, 105 consecutive SAB patients were enrolled during a 12-month period. The earliest serum samples prior to SAB onset were stored for a later T cell proliferation assay. Multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for 19 SAg genes was performed for S. aureus blood isolates. To determine the serum capacity to neutralize SAgs, T cell proliferation by the culture supernatant of each S. aureus isolate was measured in the presence and absence of the corresponding patient's serum. Twenty-six (24.8%) patients died within 4weeks from SAB onset. Vascular catheter-related infection was associated with survival for ≥4weeks. Unknown primary focus, Simplified Acute Physiology Score-II (SAPS-II), and specific SAg genes (tst, sec, sel, or sep) were associated with the 4-week mortality. No variables related to T cell proliferation assay showed statistical significance. In the multivariate analysis, SAPS-II ≥33 and tst were independently associated with the 4-week mortality. Serum capacity to neutralize SAg does not significantly affect SAB outcome. SAPS-II ≥33 and tst are independent predictors of the 4-week mortality.

Effect of changes over time in the performance of a customized SAPS-II model on the quality of care assessment

PurposeThe aim of our study was to explore, using an innovative method, the effect of temporal changes in the mortality prediction performance of an existing model on the quality of care assessment. The prognostic model (rSAPS-II) was a recalibrated Simplified Acute Physiology Score-II model developed for very elderly Intensive Care Unit (ICU) patients.MethodsThe study population comprised all 12,143 consecutive patients aged 80 years and older admitted between January 2004 and July 2009 to one of the ICUs of 21 Dutch hospitals. The prospective dataset was split into 30 equally sized consecutive subsets. Per subset, we measured the model’s discrimination [area under the curve (AUC)], accuracy (Brier score), and standardized mortality ratio (SMR), both without and after repeated recalibration. All performance measures were considered to be stable if <2 consecutive points fell outside the green zone [mean ± 2 standard deviation (SD)] and none fell outside the yellow zone (mean ± 4SD) of pre-control charts. We compared proportions of hospitals with SMR>1 without and after repeated recalibration for the year 2009.ResultsFor all subsets, the AUCs were stable, but the Brier scores and SMRs were not. The SMR was downtrending, achieving levels significantly below 1. Repeated recalibration rendered it stable again. The proportions of hospitals with SMR>1 and SMR<1 changed from 15 versus 85% to 35 versus 65%.ConclusionsVariability over time may markedly vary among different performance measures, and infrequent model recalibration can result in improper assessment of the quality of care in many hospitals. We stress the importance of the timely recalibration and repeated validation of prognostic models over time.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s00134-011-2390-2) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Temporal trends of circulating nitric oxide and pro-inflammatory cytokine responses ex vivo in intra-abdominal sepsis: results from a cohort study

To evaluate the association of pro-inflammatory mediators with organ dysfunction and adverse outcome in intra-abdominal sepsis patients. Twenty-one patients admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) were prospectively included in the study. Only patients with surgical diagnosis of intra-abdominal sepsis were enrolled. Tumor necrosis factor-α (TNFα) and interleukin (IL)-6 produced ex vivo were significantly lower in non-survivors on admission (p = 0.021) and day 2 (p = 0.013), respectively. Nitric oxide (NO(x)) levels were significantly higher in non-survivors from the onset of sepsis and until day 4 after diagnosis (p < 0.05). Circulating lymphocyte counts were lower in non-survivors after admission over time, but there was no association with impaired cytokine production in this group of patients during the entire follow-up. All non-survivors developed nosocomial pneumonia concomitantly with multiple organ dysfunction and septic shock. There was a significant correlation between nitric oxide (NO(x)) concentrations and the sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA) score at day 2 (r = 0.598, p = 0.009), and ICU stay (r = 0.605, p = 0.006). Continuously high NO(x) levels correlated with organ failure. The pro-inflammatory mediators TNFα, IL-6 and NO(x), and also the Simplified Acute Physiology Score II (SAPS-II), discriminate survivors from non-survivors. According to logistic regression models, although these parameters are independently associated with the outcome, they do not improve the predictive power of the SAPS-II score for mortality risk. Disturbances in inflammatory responses and increase in NO(x) generation seem to characterize early intra-abdominal sepsis, in which immune suppression is associated with an increased susceptibility to nosocomial infections. Sequential NO(x) determinations could be a useful approach for improving the management of patients with intra-abdominal sepsis.

Critical illness myopathy is frequent: accompanying neuropathy protracts ICU discharge

ObjectivesNeuromuscular dysfunction in critically ill patients is attributed to either critical illness myopathy (CIM) or critical illness polyneuropathy (CIP) or a combination of both. However, it is unknown whether differential...

Specificity and reliability of prognostic indexes in intensive care evaluation: the spontaneous cerebral haemorrhage case

To determine the reliability of a generic index such as Simplified Acute Physiology Score II (SAPSII), compared with a specific one Intra Cerebral Haemorrhage score (ICH score), as an intensive care unit (ICU) outcome predictor when evaluating a general facility that frequently treats a specific type of patients - those with spontaneous cerebral haemorrhage. The study cohort consisted of a random sample of patients (81) admitted to Modena's Policlinico Teaching Hospital's ICU with spontaneous ICH over a 24-month period. Main outcome measure SAPSII, ICH score, overall mortality. The mean ICH score for the 32 surviving patients was 3.41 +/- 1.012 while for the 49 deceased patients was of 4.24 +/- 0.855 (P = 0.000). The mean SAPSII value for the 32 surviving patients was 49.09 +/- 16.58 while for the 49 deceased patients was 49.51 +/- 15.93. SAPSII, ICH scores were analysed for mortality, by receiver operating characteristic curves: the area under the curve was significant for ICH, not-significant for SAPSII. Regional quality controls use generic prognostic indexes (SAPSII) in relation to mortality and outcome to assess ICUs, which is appropriate when dealing with a general facility when there is not a predominant type of patient, but it may bias the evaluation if the population with specific pathologies (ICH), not included in the general index, is statistically considerable, leading to an incorrect criticality assessment, an inappropriate strategic plan and the subsequent inefficient resource allocation.

Effets sur la morbidité et les coûts des pneumopathies nosocomiales à Staphylococcus aureus résistant à la méthicilline en réanimation

Prevention of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) nosocomial infections in the intensive care units (ICU) has been recommended for several years. However, the workload and the costs of these programs are to be weighed against the benefit obtained in terms of reduction of morbidity and costs induced by the infection. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the cost and the current morbidity of the infection with MRSA in the ICU. In a retrospective case-control study carried out in 2004, all patients of the 6 intensive care units of a teaching hospital having developed a MRSA nosocomial infection were included. They were paired with controls on the following criteria: department, Simplified Acute Physiology Score II (SAPSII), age (+/- 5 years), type of surgery (for the surgical intensive care units). The duration of hospitalization of the paired control had to be at least equal to the time from admission to infection of the infected patient. The costs were evaluated using the following parameters: scores omega 1, 2 and 3, duration of artificial ventilation, hemodialysis, length of ICU stay, radiological procedures, surgical procedures, total antibiotic cost and other expensive drugs. Twenty-one patients with MRSA infection were included. All had nosocomial pneumonia. The 21 paired patients were similar with regard to both initial criteria and sex. Hospital mortality was not different between the 2 groups (cases=8; controls=6; p=0.41), as well as median duration of hospital stay (cases=41 days; controls=43 days; p=0.9). The duration of mechanical ventilation, number of hemodialysis or hemofiltration sessions, number of radiological procedures were similar in both groups. The total omega score was not significantly different between cases (median 435; IQR: 218-579) and controls (median 281, IQR: 231-419; p=0.55). The median duration of isolation was 12 days for cases and 0 day for controls (p=0.0007). The pharmaceutical expenditure was significantly higher in cases (median: 1414euro; IQR: 795-4349), by comparison with the controls (median: 877euro, IQR: 687-2496) (p=0.049). In the ICU having set up a policy intended to reduce the risk of MRSA nosocomial infections, MRSA pneumonia does not seem to involve major additional morbidity, as compared to a control population matched for similar severity of illness. It increases modestly the use of the medical resources.