Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome Criteria Research Articles

Cisternal Blood Clearance Attenuates Systemic Inflammatory Response After Subarachnoid Hemorrhage

Abstract Background Aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) frequently triggers systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS). SIRS has been associated with inferior outcomes and, specifically, delayed cerebral infarction after aneurysmal SAH. Here, we assess the impact of intracranial blood clearance through stereotactic catheter ventriculocisternostomy on SIRS in patients with aneurysmal SAH. Methods We assessed daily SIRS criteria (heart rate > 90 beats/min, respiratory rate > 20 breaths/min or abnormal respiratory coefficient, temperature > 38 °C or < 36 °C, white blood cell count < 4000 or > 12,000 cells/mm3) between admission and day 21 in 80 consecutive patients who underwent cisternal lavage through stereotactic catheter ventriculocisternostomy from 2015 to 2022. These patients were compared with 80 matched controls who received treatment at our institution between 2010 and 2015. We conducted a mixed effects model analysis using restricted maximum likelihood estimation to assess the effects of treatment groups on the SIRS rate while accounting for repeated measures. Additionally, Bonferroni’s correction was employed to examine specific differences between groups at different time points. Results The mean percentages of patients meeting SIRS criteria during the first 21 days after aneurysmal SAH were 23% in the matched cohort group and 14% in patients who underwent cisternal lavage (p < 0.001). Additionally, significant differences were observed in the mean leukocyte count (p = 0.047), mean heart rate (p = 0.019), and mean respiratory rate (p = 0.0018) between the two groups. However, there was no significant difference in mean body temperature (p = 0.36). Conclusions Intracranial blood clearance and cisternal lavage after aneurysmal SAH is associated with a decline in SIRS prevalence and severity.

Development and Validation of a Machine Learning Model for Early Detection of Untreated Infection.

Early diagnostic uncertainty for infection causes delays in antibiotic administration in infected patients and unnecessary antibiotic administration in noninfected patients. To develop a machine learning model for the early detection of untreated infection (eDENTIFI), with the presence of infection determined by clinician chart review. Three thousand three hundred fifty-seven adult patients hospitalized between 2006 and 2018 at two health systems in Illinois, United States. We validated in 1632 patients in a third Illinois health system using area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC). Using a longitudinal discrete-time format, we trained a gradient boosted machine model to predict untreated infection in the next 6 hours using routinely available patient demographics, vital signs, and laboratory results. eDENTIFI had an AUC of 0.80 (95% CI, 0.79-0.81) in the validation cohort and outperformed the systemic inflammatory response syndrome criteria with an AUC of 0.64 (95% CI, 0.64-0.65; p < 0.001). The most important features were body mass index, age, temperature, and heart rate. Using a threshold with a 47.6% sensitivity, eDENTIFI detected infection a median 2.0 hours (interquartile range, 0.9-5.2 hr) before antimicrobial administration, with a negative predictive value of 93.6%. Antibiotic administration guided by eDENTIFI could have decreased unnecessary IV antibiotic administration in noninfected patients by 10.8% absolute or 46.4% relative percentage points compared with clinicians. eDENTIFI could both decrease the time to antimicrobial administration in infected patients and unnecessary antibiotic administration in noninfected patients. Further prospective validation is needed.

Development of an Electronic Clinical Surveillance Measure for Unnecessary Rapid Antibiotic Administration in Suspected Sepsis.

Substantial efforts focus on monitoring and reducing delays in antibiotic treatment for sepsis, but little has been done to characterize the balancing measure of sepsis overtreatment. We aimed to establish preliminary validity and usefulness of electronic health record (EHR) data-derived criteria for sepsis overtreatment surveillance (SEP-OS). We evaluated adults with potential sepsis (≥2 Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome criteria within 6 hours of arrival) presenting to the emergency department of 12 hospitals, excluding patients with shock. We defined SEP-OS as the proportion of patients receiving rapid IV antibiotics (≤3 hours) who did not ultimately meet the Centers for Disease Control Adult Sepsis Event "true sepsis" definition. We evaluated the frequency and characteristics of patients meeting overtreatment criteria and outcomes associated with sepsis overtreatment. Of 113 764 eligible patients, the prevalence of sepsis overtreatment was 22.5%. The measure met prespecified criteria for reliability, content, construct, and criterion validity. Patients classified by the SEP-OS overtreatment criteria had higher median antibiotic days (4 days [IQR, 2-5] vs 1 day [1-2]; P < .01), longer median length of stay (4 days [2-6] vs 3 days [2-5]; P < .01), higher hospital mortality (2.4% vs 2.1%; P = .01), and higher frequency of Clostridium difficile infection within 6 months of hospital discharge (P < .01) compared with "true negative" cases. We developed a novel, valid EHR metric for clinical surveillance of sepsis overtreatment. Applying this metric to a large cohort of potential sepsis patients revealed a high rate of overtreatment and provides a useful tool to inform sepsis quality-improvement targets.

A clinical prediction model for safe early discharge of patients with an infection at the emergency department

BackgroundEvery hospital admission is associated with healthcare costs and a risk of adverse events. The need to identify patients who do not require hospitalization has emerged with the profound increase in hospitalization rates due to infectious diseases during the last decades, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aimed to identify predictors of safe early discharge (SED) in patients presenting to the emergency department (ED) with a suspected infection meeting the Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (SIRS) criteria. MethodsWe conducted a prospective cohort study on adult non-trauma patients with a suspected infection and at least two SIRS criteria. We defined SED as hospital discharge within 24 h (e.g. direct ED discharge or rapid ward discharge) without disease-related readmission to our hospital or death during the first seven days. A prediction model for SED was developed using multivariate logistic regression analysis and tested with k-fold cross-validation. ResultsWe included 1381 patients, of whom 1027 (74.4 %) were hospitalized for longer than 24 h or re-admitted within seven days and 354 (25.6 %) met SED criteria. Parameters associated with SED were relatively young age, absence of comorbidities, living independently, yellow or green triage urgency, lack of ambulance transport or general practitioner referral, normal clinical impression scores, and risk scores (i.e., qSOFA, PIRO, MEDS, NEWS, and SIRS), normal vital sign measurements and absence of kidney and respiratory failure. The model performance metrics showed an area under the curve of 0.824. The validation showed a minimal drop in performance and indicated a good fit. ConclusionWe developed and validated a model to identify patients with an infection at the ED who can be safely discharged early.

Bacterial profile of wound site infections and evaluation of risk factors for sepsis among road traffic accident patients from Apex Trauma Centre, Northern India.

Background. Among the most significant yet often ignored health issues worldwide are trauma and accidental injuries. India accounts for 11% of global deaths in road accidents, the highest in the world, according to the World Bank report. There are limited data about the bacterial contamination of road traffic accident (RTA) wounds and their antibiotic susceptibility patterns. Materials and Methods. This prospective study was conducted in a tertiary care centre in northern India from January 2023 to January 2024. Wound deep swabs or aspirates were collected from RTA patients with traumatic injuries at different time intervals. Gram stain and culture were performed, and positive aerobic culture was subjected to antibiotic susceptibility testing. Organism identification was done using MALDI-TOF MS and routine biochemical tests. Blood samples were also collected to rule out bloodstream infections during follow-up if the patient became febrile or showed symptoms of systemic infection. Sepsis was defined in those patients who had two or more scores in the systemic inflammatory response syndrome criteria with a positive microbiological culture. Risk factors were evaluated for sepsis on the basis of the patient's vitals, injury characteristics, procalcitonin, Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score, need for mechanical ventilation and complete blood count, which were obtained from the patient's admission file. Results. A total of 189 wound samples were collected, of which 99 (52.38%) samples showed the growth of microorganisms. The aerobic isolates included 69 (69.69%) Gram-negative bacilli, of which the majority were Klebsiella pneumoniae, 28 (28.28%) Gram-positive cocci, of which the majority were Staphylococcus aureus and 2 (2.02%) anaerobic isolates. Among the Gram-negative isolates, none of the isolates were resistant to colistin. All S. aureus isolates were susceptible to vancomycin, teicoplanin and levonadifloxacin. Sepsis developed in 50 (26.45 %) patients. Significant risk factors evaluated for sepsis were a raised procalcitonin level, a low GCS score, a higher injury severity score, the need for mechanical ventilation and a raised quick sequential organ failure assessment score. Conclusion. It is essential to ascertain the profile of microorganisms isolated from RTA wounds in order to reduce antibiotic resistance and deliver efficient treatment.

KC-like chemokine as a biomarker of sepsis in dogs with pyometra

BackgroundSepsis, defined as a dysregulated inflammatory response to infection inducing organ dysfunction, is a common cause of mortality in both humans and animals. Early detection and treatment is essential for survival, but accurate diagnosis is challenging due to the lack of specific biomarkers for sepsis. This study explored the potential of the keratinocyte-derived chemokine (KC)-like protein in dogs as a biomarker of sepsis in dogs with bacterial uterine infection (pyometra). The aim was to compare KC-like concentrations in dogs with pyometra with or without sepsis and to assess associations between KC-like and clinical variables, including days of hospitalization as an outcome.ResultsA mouse KC ELISA was validated and used to determine the concentrations of KC-like in serum from 34 dogs with pyometra and 18 healthy controls. Dogs with pyometra were classified as having sepsis based on two different criteria for systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS), resulting in 74% and 30% sepsis-positive, respectively. The concentration of KC-like protein was higher in pyometra dogs with sepsis than in pyometra dogs without sepsis (p < 0.05) and in healthy controls (p < 0.0001) when using either of the two SIRS criteria. Moreover, KC-like was slightly increased in dogs with pyometra without sepsis compared with healthy controls when using the more stringent SIRS criteria (p < 0.05). Analyses of all dogs showed that KC-like concentrations correlated positively with hospitalization days, C-reactive protein (CRP) concentrations, white blood cells, and percentage of band neutrophils; however, KC-like correlated negatively with hemoglobin and did not correlate with circulating creatinine.ConclusionsOur results suggest that circulating KC-like protein increases in dogs with sepsis in pyometra and that KC-like is associated with more severe clinical illness. These findings support a potential role of KC-like as a biomarker of sepsis; however, the true identity of KC-like in dogs has yet to be uncovered.

Extracted Plasma Cell-Free DNA Concentrations Are Elevated in Colic Patients with Systemic Inflammation.

Colic is a common and potentially life-threatening condition in horses; in many cases, it remains challenging for clinicians to determine the cause, appropriate treatment, and prognosis. One approach that could improve patient care and outcomes is identification of novel diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers. Plasma cell-free DNA (cfDNA) is a biomarker that shows promise for characterizing disease severity and predicting survival in humans with acute abdominal pain or requiring emergency abdominal surgery. In horses, we recently determined that extracted plasma cfDNA concentrations are elevated in colic patients compared to healthy controls. For this current study, we hypothesized that extracted plasma cfDNA concentrations would be significantly higher in horses with strangulating or inflammatory colic lesions, in colic patients with systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS), and in non-survivors. Cell-free DNA concentrations were measured in extracted plasma samples using a compact, portable Qubit fluorometer. Colic patients that met published criteria for equine SIRS had significantly higher median extracted plasma cfDNA compared to non-SIRS colic patients. There were no significant differences in extracted plasma cfDNA concentrations between other groups of interest. Our data offer early evidence that extracted plasma cfDNA concentration may provide information about systemic inflammation in colic patients, and additional research is warranted to expand on these findings.

Validation and comparison of triage-based screening strategies for sepsis

ObjectiveThis study sought to externally validate and compare proposed methods for stratifying sepsis risk at emergency department (ED) triage. MethodsThis nested case/control study enrolled ED patients from four hospitals in Utah and evaluated the performance of previously-published sepsis risk scores amenable to use at ED triage based on their area under the precision-recall curve (AUPRC, which balances positive predictive value and sensitivity) and area under the receiver operator characteristic curve (AUROC, which balances sensitivity and specificity). Score performance for predicting whether patients met Sepsis-3 criteria in the ED was compared to patients' assigned ED triage score (Canadian Triage Acuity Score [CTAS]) with adjustment for multiple comparisons. ResultsAmong 2000 case/control patients, 981 met Sepsis-3 criteria on final adjudication. The best performing sepsis risk scores were the Predict Sepsis version #3 (AUPRC 0.183, 95 % CI 0.148–0.256; AUROC 0.859, 95 % CI 0.843–0.875) and Borelli scores (AUPRC 0.127, 95 % CI 0.107–0.160, AUROC 0.845, 95 % CI 0.829–0.862), which significantly outperformed CTAS (AUPRC 0.038, 95 % CI 0.035–0.042, AUROC 0.650, 95 % CI 0.628–0.671, p < 0.001 for all AUPRC and AUROC comparisons). The Predict Sepsis and Borelli scores exhibited sensitivity of 0.670 and 0.678 and specificity of 0.902 and 0.834, respectively, at their recommended cutoff values and outperformed Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (SIRS) criteria (AUPRC 0.083, 95 % CI 0.070–0.102, p = 0.052 and p = 0.078, respectively; AUROC 0.775, 95 % CI 0.756–0.795, p < 0.001 for both scores). ConclusionsThe Predict Sepsis and Borelli scores exhibited improved performance including increased specificity and positive predictive values for sepsis identification at ED triage compared to CTAS and SIRS criteria.

Investigation of Predictors of Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome After Endourological Procedure of Upper Urinary Tract Stones.

Background: In order to prevent infectious complications following endourological procedure of upper urinary tract stones, it is essential to determine which patients are at high risk of developing this complication. We aimed to identify predictors that may cause systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) after the endourological procedure of upper urinary tract stones. Materials and Methods: Patients who underwent percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PNL), flexible ureteroscopy (F-URS), or semirigid ureteroscopy (SR-URS) in our center between January 2011 and June 2020 were evaluated retrospectively. After surgery, patients were pursued for SIRS criteria. Logistic regression analyses were applied to identify predictors of SIRS. Results: A total of 1471 patients were included in the study. The rates of SIRS after PNL, F-URS, and SR-URS were 12.9%, 6.3%, and 1.7%, respectively. In multivariate analysis, predictors for SIRS were determined to be stone volume, operative time, and history of recurrent urinary tract infection (UTI) in the PNL group; ipsilateral stone surgery history, stone volume, and operative time in the F-URS group; and stone volume, operative time, and history of recurrent UTI in the SR-URS group. Conclusion: Stone volume and operative time were determined to be independent predictors of SIRS in endourological surgery of upper urinary tract stones.

Assessment of Novel Haematological Inflammatory Markers (NLR, SII, and SIRI) as Predictors of SIRS in Dogs with Canine Monocytic Ehrlichiosis

Canine monocytic ehrlichiosis (CME) is a tick-borne and fatal disease that induces a systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS), which underscores the importance of assessing the level of inflammation. In this study, we aimed to evaluate changes in the SII and SIRI indexes in dogs with CME based on the presence of SIRS criteria. A total of 53 dogs affected with CME and 13 healthy dogs were included in the study. Haematological data, including neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR), systemic inflammatory index (SII), and systemic inflammatory response index (SIRI), were collected and statistically compared between groups based on SIRS status. The NLR and SIRI indexes were significantly higher in dogs with CME that meet the criteria for SIRS compared to dogs without SIRS and healthy controls. In summary, monitoring the SIRI index can aid in evaluating SIRS criteria in dogs with CME, which can help improve their treatment and overall prognosis.

Comparing the Predictive Value of SOFA and SIRS for Mortality in the Early Hours of Hospitalization of Sepsis Patients: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Sepsis, a deadly infection causing organ failure and Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (SIRS), is detected early in hospitalization using the SIRS criteria, while sequential organ failure (SOFA) assesses organ failure severity. A systematic review and meta-analysis was evaluated to investigate the predictive value of the SIRS criteria and the SOFA system for mortality in early hospitalization of sepsis patients. Inclusion criteria were full reports in peer-reviewed journals with data on sepsis assessment using SOFA and SIRS, and their relationship with outcomes. For quality assessment, we considered study population, sepsis diagnosis criteria, and outcomes. The area under the curve (AUC) of these criteria was extracted for separate meta-analysis and forest plots. Twelve studies met the inclusion criteria. The studies included an average of 56.1% males and a mean age of 61.9 (±6.1) among 32,979 patients. The pooled AUC was 0.67 (95% CI: 0.60-0.73) for SIRS and 0.79 (95% CI: 0.73-0.84) for SOFA. Significant heterogeneity between studies was indicated by an I2 above 50%, leading to a meta-regression analysis. This analysis, with age and patient number as moderators, revealed age as the major cause of heterogeneity in comparing the predictive value of the SOFA score with SIRS regarding the in-hospital mortality of sepsis patients (P<0.05). The SOFA score outperformed the SIRS criteria in predicting mortality, emphasizing the need for a holistic approach that combines clinical judgment and other diagnostic tools for better patient management and outcomes.

Pediatric septic shock estimation using deep learning and electronic medical records.

Diagnosing pediatric septic shock is difficult due to the complex and often impractical traditional criteria, such as systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS), which result in delays and higher risks. This study aims to develop a deep learning-based model using SIRS data for early diagnosis in pediatric septic shock cases. The study analyzed data from pediatric patients (<18 years old) admitted to a tertiary hospital from January 2010 to July 2023. Vital signs, lab tests, and clinical information were collected. Septic shock cases were identified using SIRS criteria and inotrope use. A deep learning model was trained and evaluated using the area under the receiver operating characteristics curve (AUROC) and area under the precision-recall curve (AUPRC). Variable contributions were analyzed using the Shapley additive explanation value. The analysis, involving 9,616,115 measurements, identified 34,696 septic shock cases (0.4%). Oxygen supply was crucial for 41.5% of the control group and 20.8% of the septic shock group. The final model showed strong performance, with an AUROC of 0.927 and AUPRC of 0.879. Key influencers were age, oxygen supply, sex, and partial pressure of carbon dioxide, while body temperature had minimal impact on estimation. The proposed deep learning model simplifies early septic shock diagnosis in pediatric patients, reducing the diagnostic workload. Its high accuracy allows timely treatment, but external validation through prospective studies is needed.

Surgical Management for Patients with Toxic Megacolon due to Ulcerative Colitis.

The present study reviewed cases of Toxic megacolon (TM) treated in our department, summarized the timing and technique of surgery, and considered key points for surgical management. This single-center retrospective study included the medical records of patients clinically diagnosed with TM who underwent surgery between 1985 and 2020. The diagnostic criteria and screening scores for sepsis, such as the systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) criteria, quick Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (qSOFA) score, and Modified Early Warning Score (MEWS), were validated. The preoperative clinical features and perioperative findings were also investigated. There were eight male and six female patients. Nine patients (64.3%) satisfied the criteria for toxemia proposed by Narabayashi, and 10 patients (71.4%) fulfilled the SIRS criteria. A positive qSOFA score was confirmed in 1 patient (7.1%). The MEWS was high in 2 patients (14.3%). Intestinal perforation occurred in 2 patients (14.3%), and 1 of them died from disseminated intravascular coagulation. The mortality rate of TM with perforation was 50%. Eleven patients (78.6%) underwent total colectomy with end ileostomy. TM does not have well-defined diagnostic criteria, in addition to developing sometimes as borderline or fulminant cases, and must be recognized at an early stage, taking various findings into consideration. The criteria proposed by Narabayashi and the SIRS criteria, which met in a high percentage of our cases, are recommended as indicators for determining the toxicity of TM. It is also important to consider surgery in the early stages of TM, even if clinical findings do not meet all the criteria.

The Role of Platelets and Aneurysm Thrombus in the EVAR Post Implantation Syndrome

ObjectivePost implantation syndrome (PIS) is a well-defined entity with unclear etiology, complicating a number of patients with AAAs treated with EVAR. The aim of this study was to assess the platelets’ role and the influence of aneurysmal sac thrombus volumes in the development of PIS. DesignA retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data was performed and 76 patients that were treated by EVAR (2011-2013) were studied. Aneurysms with endoleak were not included in the study. Based on the criteria for SIRS (Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome), 17 patients (22%) developed PIS (which is considered a SIRS analogue), while 59 (78%) did not. MethodsThe two groups were compared in relation to the following parameters: baseline platelet count (PLT), decrease of platelet count (PLT drop), volume of the arterial flow before the procedure (V Flow), volume of thrombus of the aneurysm (V thromb), ratio of thrombus volume to aneurysm sac volume (V ratio) and the volume of new formed thrombus (V new). Volume flow measurements were calculated by Osirix ™ software preoperatively and in the 1st month postoperatively. Parametric and non-parametric techniques (unpaired t-test, Mann-Whitney U test) were used accordingly. ResultsBaseline platelets absolute count was greater in the PIS group (239000 ± 17000) vs. the non-PIS group (194000 ± 6900, p=0.004), and the PLT drop was larger in the PIS group (74000 ± 15600 vs. 45000 ± 5300, p=0.019). No difference was found regarding the aneurysm volumes (Vflow, Vthromb, Vratio, Vnew) between the two groups. ConclusionPlatelets, in terms of their absolute baseline count and their decrease after the procedure, seem to be an important factor in developing PIS after EVAR. Further, more tailored studies are needed to elucidate the role of platelets and flow/thrombus volumes in the development of PIS.

Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte Ratio Predicts Sepsis in Adult Patients Meeting Two or More Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome Criteria.

Determining which patients who meet systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) criteria have bacterial sepsis is a difficult challenge for emergency physicians. We sought to determine whether the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) could be used to exclude bacterial sepsis in adult patients who meet ≥2 SIRS criteria and are being evaluated for sepsis. Consenting adult patients meeting ≥2 SIRS criteria and undergoing evaluation for sepsis were enrolled. We recorded patient age, gender, vital signs, and laboratory results. We then later reviewed health records for culture results, end organ dysfunction, survival to discharge, and final diagnoses. Patients were classified as having sepsis if they met ≥2 SIRS criteria and were ultimately diagnosed with a bacterial source. We analyzed data using descriptive statistics and sensitivity and specificity analyses. A receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) was created to determine test characteristics. A total of 231 patients had complete datasets. Patients' median age was 69 (interquartile range [IQR] 54-81), and 49.6% were male. There were 154 patients (66.7%) ultimately diagnosed with sepsis with an identified bacterial source, while 77 patients with ≥2 SIRS criteria had non-infectious reasons for their presentations (33.3%). Septic patients had a median NLR 12.36 (IQR [interquartile range] 7.29-21.69), compared to those without sepsis (median NLR 5.62, IQR 3.89-9.11, P < 0.001). The NLR value of 3 applied as a cutoff for sepsis had a sensitivity of 96.8 (95% confidence interval [CI] 92.2-98.8), and a specificity of 18.2 (95% CI 10.6-29.0). The ROC for NLR had an area under the curve of 0.74. The neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio is a sensitive tool to help determine which patients with abnormal SIRS screens have bacterial sepsis.

Evaluation of an Intensive Care Unit Sepsis Alert in Critically Ill Medical Patients.

Sepsis alerts commonly used for intensive care unit (ICU) patients can lead to alert fatigue because these patients generally meet 1 or more of the criteria for systemic inflammatory response syndrome. To identify ICU patients at greatest risk for sepsis-related consequences, an ICU-specific sepsis alert was implemented. To evaluate an ICU sepsis alert based on modified criteria for systemic inflammatory response syndrome among critically ill medical patients. This retrospective evaluation was conducted at a comprehensive tertiary referral center. Patients included were at least 18 years old, were admitted to the critical care medicine service, and had at least 1 sepsis alert between January 1 and February 29, 2020. The sepsis alert identified patients meeting at least 2 modified systemic inflammatory response syndrome criteria (white blood cell count, <4000/μL or >12 000/μL; body temperature, <36 °C or >38.3 °C; heart rate, >110/min; and respiratory rate, >21/min), with at least 1 of the 2 criteria being white blood cell count or body temperature. For 128 alerts evaluated, the positive predictive value was 72%. Of 713 patients who were admitted to the critical care medicine service and did not have a sepsis alert, 7 received a sepsis diagnosis. The ICU sepsis alert had a negative predictive value of 99%, sensitivity of 92.9%, and specificity of 95.1%. An ICU sepsis alert using modified systemic inflammatory response syndrome criteria was effective for identifying sepsis in critically ill medical patients.

Timing of antibiotic treatment identifies distinct clinical presentations among patients presenting with suspected septic shock.

Recent clinical guidelines for sepsis management emphasize immediate antibiotic initiation for suspected septic shock. Though hypotension is a high-risk marker of sepsis severity, prior studies have not considered the precise timing of hypotension in relation to antibiotic initiation and how clinical characteristics and outcomes may differ. Our objective was to evaluate antibiotic initiation in relation to hypotension to characterize differences in sepsis presentation and outcomes in patients with suspected septic shock. Adults presenting to the emergency department (ED) June 2012-December 2018 diagnosed with sepsis (Sepsis-III electronic health record [EHR] criteria) and hypotension (non-resolving for ≥30 min, systolic blood pressure<90mmHg) within 24h. We categorized patients who received antibiotics before hypotension ("early"), 0-60 min after ("immediate"), and>60 min after ("late") treatment. Among 2219 patients, 55% received early treatment, 13% immediate, and 32% late. The late subgroup often presented to the ED with hypotension (median 0 min) but received antibiotics a median of 191 min post-ED presentation. Clinical characteristics notable for this subgroup included higher prevalence of heart failure and liver disease (p<0.05) and later onset of systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) criteria compared to early/immediate treatment subgroups (median 87 vs. 35 vs. 20 min, p<0.0001). After adjustment, there was no difference in clinical outcomes among treatment subgroups. There was significant heterogeneity in presentation and timing of antibiotic initiation for suspected septic shock. Patients with later treatment commonly had hypotension on presentation, had more hypotension-associated comorbidities, and developed overt markers of infection (eg, SIRS) later. While these factors likely contribute to delays in clinician recognition of suspected septic shock, it may not impact sepsis outcomes.

Evaluation of Intestinal Barrier Dysfunction with Serum Iohexol Concentration in Dogs with Acute Hemorrhagic Diarrhea Syndrome.

Histopathologic examination of intestinal biopsies from dogs with acute hemorrhagic diarrhea syndrome (AHDS) reveals necrotizing enteritis and epithelial integrity loss. Serum iohexol measurement has been utilized to assess intestinal permeability. Our hypothesis is that dogs with AHDS have increased intestinal permeability, which is associated with the severity of clinical signs. In this prospective case-control study, 53 client-owned dogs (28 AHDS, 25 healthy controls) were evaluated. Clinical severity was assessed using the AHDS index and systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) criteria. Simultaneously, dogs received oral iohexol, and serum iohexol concentrations (SICs) were measured two hours later. Results indicated significantly higher (p = 0.002) SIC in AHDS dogs (median: 51 µg/mL; min-max: 9-246) than in healthy controls (30 µg/mL; 11-57). There was a significant positive correlation between AHDS index and SIC (rS = 0.4; p = 0.03) and a significant negative between SIC and serum albumin concentrations (Pearson r = -0.55; p = 0.01). Dogs with severe AHDS (mean 106 µg/mL; range: 17-246) demonstrated significantly higher (p = 0.002) SIC than those with mild to moderate disease (29 µg/mL; 9-54). These findings underscore the association between intestinal permeability and clinical severity in dogs with AHDS assessed by iohexol.

The Effect of Cardiovascular Medication on Heart Rate Variability in Patients Presenting with Early Sepsis at the Emergency Department: A Prospective Cohort Study

Our SepsiVit study showed that long-term, automatically analyzed ECG recordings can be used to determine heart rate variability (HRV) features associated with the clinical deterioration of early septic patients at the ED. This study focus on the influence of cardiovascular medication on HRV in patients with early sepsis at the ED. This study is an exploratory post-hoc analysis of our SepsiVit study. Eligible patients were connected to a mobile bedside monitor for continuously ECG measurements. The first 3 hours were analyzed for this study. Between January 2017 and December 2018, 171 patients were included with early sepsis, defined as infection and two or more systemic inflammatory response syndrome criteria. We excluded sixteen patients because of insufficient measurements. Therefore, we included 155 patients in the final analysis: 72.9% with sepsis, 2.6% with septic shock, and 24.5% classified as infection. In 9.0% of the patients, medication directly impacting cardiac contractility was administered, while 22.6% received medication with an indirect effect. A combination of both types of medication was prescribed to 17.4% of the patients. The majority of patients (51.0%) did not utilize any cardiovascular medication. Patients using both medication with direct and indirect effect were on average 10 years older than patients using no cardiovascular medication (p 0.037). No differences in vital signs or HRV parameters were found in patients using cardiovascular medication. Our results showed that HRV is not influenced by cardiovascular medication. Consequently, the correction of HRV features for the use of cardiovascular medication is unnecessary when analyzing, modelling, and interpreting these signals.

Early warning scores for sepsis identification and prediction of in-hospital mortality in adults with sepsis: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

The early warning scores (EWS), quick Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (qSOFA) and systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) criteria have been proposed as sepsis screening tools. This review aims to summarise and compare the performance of EWS with the qSOFA and SIRS criteria for predicting sepsis diagnosis and in-hospital mortality in patients with sepsis. A systematic review with meta-analysis. Seven databases were searched from January 1, 2016 until March 10, 2022. Study quality was assessed using the Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies 2 tool. Sensitivity, specificity, likelihood ratios and diagnostic odd ratios were pooled by using the bivariate random effects model. Overall performance was summarised by using the hierarchical summary receiver-operating characteristics curve. This paper adhered to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses of Diagnostic Test Accuracy Studies (PRISMA-DTA) guidelines. Ten studies involving 52,474 subjects were included in the review. For predicting sepsis diagnosis, the pooled sensitivity of EWS (65%, 95% CI: 55, 75) was similar to SIRS ≥2 (70%, 95% CI: 49, 85) and higher than qSOFA ≥2 (37%, 95% CI: 20, 59). The pooled specificity of EWS (77%, 95% CI: 64, 86) was higher than SIRS ≥2 (62%, 95% CI: 41, 80) but lower than qSOFA ≥2 (94%, 95% CI: 86, 98). Results were similar for the secondary outcome of in-hospital mortality. Although no one scoring system had both high sensitivity and specificity, the EWS had at least equivalent values in most measures of diagnostic accuracy compared with SIRS or qSOFA. Healthcare systems in which EWS is already in place should consider whether there is any clinical benefit in adopting qSOFA or SIRS. This systematic review did not directly involve patient or public contribution to the manuscript.