The epidemiology of sepsis in Colombia: a prospective multicenter cohort study in ten university hospitals

A latent class approach for sepsis diagnosis supports use of procalcitonin in the emergency room for diagnosis of severe sepsis

Background

Given the acknowledged problems in sepsis diagnosis, we use a novel way with the application of the latent class analysis (LCA) to determine the operative characteristics of C-reactive protein (CRP), D-dimer (DD) and Procalcitonin (PCT) as diagnostic tests for sepsis in patients admitted to hospital care with a presumptive infection.

Methods

Cross-sectional study to determine the diagnostic accuracy of three biological markers against the gold standard of clinical definition of sepsis provided by an expert committee, and also against the likelihood of sepsis according to LCA. Patients were recruited in the emergency room within 24 hours of hospitalization and were follow-up daily until discharge.

Results

Among 765 patients, the expert committee classified 505 patients (66%) with sepsis, 112 (15%) with infection but without sepsis and 148 (19%) without infection. The best cut-offs points for CRP, DD, and PCT were 7.8 mg/dl, 1616 ng/ml and 0.3 ng/ml, respectively; but, neither sensitivity nor specificity reach 70% for any biomarker. The LCA analysis with the same three tests identified a “cluster” of 187 patients with several characteristics suggesting a more severe condition as well as better microbiological confirmation. Assuming this subset of patients as the new prevalence of sepsis, the ROC curve analysis identified new cut-off points for the tests and suggesting a better discriminatory ability for PCT with a value of 2 ng/ml.

Conclusions

Under a “classical” definition of sepsis three typical biomarkers (CRP, PCT and DD) are not capable enough to differentiate septic from non-septic patients in the ER. However, a higher level of PCT discriminates a selected group of patients with severe sepsis.

Clinical course of sepsis, severe sepsis, and septic shock in a cohort of infected patients from ten Colombian hospitals

Background

Sepsis has several clinical stages, and mortality rates are different for each stage. Our goal was to establish the evolution and the determinants of the progression of clinical stages, from infection to septic shock, over the first week, as well as their relationship to 7-day and 28-day mortality.

Methods

This is a secondary analysis of a multicenter cohort of inpatients hospitalized in general wards or intensive care units (ICUs). The general estimating equations (GEE) model was used to estimate the risk of progression and the determinants of stages of infection over the first week. Cox regression with time-dependent covariates and fixed covariates was used to determine the factors related with 7-day and 28-day mortality, respectively.

Results

In 2681 patients we show that progression to severe sepsis and septic shock increases with intraabdominal and respiratory sources of infection [OR = 1,32; 95%IC = 1,20-1,46 and OR = 1.21, 95%CI = 1,11-1,33 respectively], as well as according to Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II (APACHE II) [OR = 1,03; 95%CI = 1,02-1,03] and Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) [OR = 1,16; 95%CI = 1,14-1,17] scores. The variables related with first-week mortality were progression to severe sepsis [HR = 2,13; 95%CI = 1,13-4,03] and septic shock [HR = 3,00; 95%CI = 1,50-5.98], respiratory source of infection [HR = 1,76; 95%IC = 1,12-2,77], APACHE II [HR = 1,07; 95% CI = 1,04-1,10] and SOFA [HR = 1,09; 95%IC = 1,04-1,15] scores.

Conclusions

Intraabdominal and respiratory sources of infection, independently of SOFA and APACHE II scores, increase the risk of clinical progression to more severe stages of sepsis; and these factors, together with progression of the infection itself, are the main determinants of 7-day and 28-day mortality.

Prediction of outcome from community-acquired severe sepsis and septic shock in tertiary-care university hospital in a developing country

Our aim was to determine the risk factors on mortality in adult patients with community-acquired severe sepsis and septic shock. The main outcome measure was hospital mortality. This prospective single centre study was conducted from January 1, 2008 to December 31, 2010, and included 184 patients, of whom 135 (73.4%) were with severe sepsis and 49 (26.6%) had septic shock. Overall, ninety-five (51.6%) patients have died, 60 (44.4%) in severe sepsis and 35 (71.4%) patients with septic shock. The lung was the most common site of infection 121 (65.8%), and chronic heart failure was the most frequent comorbidity 65 (35.3%). Logistic multivariate analysis identified three independent risk factors for mortality in patients with severe sepsis: positive blood culture (odds ratio, 2.39; 95% confidence interval, 1.13-5.06; P = 0.02), three or more organ dysfunctions (odds ratio, 3.93; 95% confidence interval, 1.62-9.53; P = 0.002), and Simplified Acute Physiology Score (SAPS) II (odds ratio, 1.02; 95% confidence interval, 1.00-1.04; P = 0.01). In addition to SAPS II, positive blood culture, and three or more organ dysfunctions are important independent risk factors for mortality in patients with severe sepsis and septic shock.

Emerging drugs for the treatment of sepsis

INTRODUCTION

Despite improvement in medical care, severe sepsis and septic shock remain an unmet medical need. Their incidence is steadily increasing and the worldwide mortality ranges between 30% and 50%. This generates the need for agents that modulate the immune function of the host.

AREAS COVERED

Available agents can be divided into three categories according to their mechanism of action: i) agents that block bacterial products and inflammatory mediators. Hemoperfusion with polymyxin B embedded fiber device that blocks bacterial lipopolysaccharides (LPS) has given promising clinical results. Blockade of TNF-α with afelimomab and CytoFab appears promising; ii) modulators of immune function. Hydrocortisone stress replacement, intravenous infusion of clarithromycin and immunonutrition with omega-3 (ω-3) polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) have all yielded positive clinical results. Recombinant thrombomodulin for patients with disseminated intravascular coagulation appears a promising alternative; and iii) immunostimulation. Meta-analysis of conducted trials disclosed the decrease of mortality in septic shock after administration of immunoglobulin preparations enriched with IgM.

EXPERT OPINION

The underlying pathophysiologic mechanisms in septic patients are highly individualized. As such, specific tools should be developed in the near future to define these differences and tailor therapeutic strategies accordingly.