Fluid management concepts for severe neurological illness: an overview

Association between fluid overload and mortality in children with sepsis: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Sepsis is one of the main causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Fluid resuscitation is among the most common interventions and is associated with fluid overload (FO) in some patients. The objective of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to summarise the available evidence on the association between FO and morbimortality in children with sepsis.

METHODS

A systematic search was carried out in PubMed/Medline, Embase, Cochrane and Google Scholar up to December 2022 (PROSPERO 408148), including studies in children with sepsis which reported more than 10% FO 24 hours after admission to intensive care. The risk of bias was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa scale. Heterogeneity was assessed using I2, considering it absent if <25% and high if >75%. A sensitivity analysis was run to explore the impact of the methodological quality on the size of the effect. Mantel-Haenszel's model of random effects was used for the analysis. The primary outcome was to determine the risk of mortality associated with FO and the secondary outcomes were the need for mechanical ventilation (MV), multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS) and length of hospital stay associated with FO.

RESULTS

A total of 9 studies (2312 patients) were included, all of which were observational. Children with FO had a higher mortality than patients without overload (46% vs 26%; OR 5.06; 95% CI 1.77 to 14.48; p<0.01). We found no association between %FO and the risk of MODS (OR: 0.97; 95% CI 0.13 to 7.12; p=0.98). Children with FO required MV more often (83% vs 47%; OR: 4.78; 95% CI 2.51 to 9.11; p<0.01) and had a longer hospital stay (8 days (RIQ 6.5-13.2) vs 7 days (RIQ 6.1-11.5); p<0.01).

CONCLUSION

In children with sepsis, more than 10% FO 24 hours after intensive care admission is associated with higher mortality, the need for MV and length of hospital stay.

[Clinical efficacy of restrictive fluid management in patients with severe traumatic brain injury]

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the effects of restrictive fluid management in patients with severe traumatic brain injury (sTBI).

METHODS

Between January, 2019 and June, 2020, we randomly assigned 51 postoperative patients (stay in the ICU of no less than 7 days) with sTBI into treatment group (n=25) with restrictive fluid management and the control group (n=26) with conventional fluid management. The data of optic nerve sheath diameter (ONSD), middle cerebral artery pulsatility index (MAC- PI), neuron-specific enolase (NSE) level, inferior vena cava (IVC) diameter, Glascow Coma Scale (GCS) score, mean arterial blood pressure, heart rate, and fluid balance of the patients were collected at ICU admission and at 1, 3 and 7 days after ICU admission, and the duration of mechanical ventilation, ICU stay, and 28-day mortality were recorded.

RESULTS

The cumulative fluid balance of the two groups were positive on day 1 and negative on days 3 and 7 after ICU admission; at the same time points, the patients in the treatment group had significantly greater negative fluid balance than those in the control group (P < 0.05). In both of the groups, the ONSD and MCA-PI values were significantly higher on day 1 than the baseline (P < 0.05), reached the peak levels on day 3, and decreased on day 7; at the same time point, these values were significantly lower in the treatment group than in the control group (P < 0.05). No significant difference was found in NSE level on day 1 between the two groups (P>0.05); on day 3, NSE level reached the peak level and was significantly higher in the control group (P < 0.05); on day 7, NSE level was lowered the level of day 1 in the treatment group but remained higher than day 1 level in the control group. The 28-day mortality rate did not differ significantly between the two groups (16.00% vs 23.08%, P>0.05); the duration of mechanical ventilation, length of ICU stay, and the number of tracheotomy were all significantly shorter or lower in the treatment group than in the control group (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

Restrictive fluid management can reduce cerebral edema and improve the prognosis but does not affect the 28-day mortality of patients with sTBI.