Effect of diabetes mellitus on short-term prognosis of 227 pyogenic liver abscess patients after hospitalization

Hepatic abscessation in dogs: A multicenter study of 56 cases (2010-2019)

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the clinical findings, treatment strategies, and outcomes in dogs with confirmed hepatic abscessation.

DESIGN

Retrospective cohort study from 2010 to 2019.

SETTING

Multicenter study.

ANIMALS

Fifty-six client-owned dogs with hepatic abscessation confirmed by culture, cytology, or histopathology.

MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS

Dogs were presented for lethargy (39/56), hyporexia (31/56), and vomiting (26/56). Abnormal physical examination findings included increased temperature (41/56) and abdominal pain (22/54). CBCs revealed neutrophilia (31/49), toxic changes (25/49), anemia (28/49), and thrombocytopenia (23/49). Biochemical analyses revealed increased alkaline phosphatase (45/50), increased alanine aminotransferase (40/50), hypoalbuminemia (25/48), and hyperbilirubinemia (19/49). Hypoglycemia was found in 13 of 49 dogs. Hepatic abscesses ranging from 0.5 to 15 cm in diameter were identified ultrasonographically in 37 of 48 dogs; 19 of 37 had solitary abscesses, and 18 of 37 had multifocal abscessation. Escherichia coli was the most commonly cultured organism, isolated in 18 of 42 cases. Histopathology revealed underlying hepatic neoplasia in 10 of 47 dogs. Surgical management was performed in 41 of 49 dogs, and 35 of 41 survived to discharge. Medical management was performed in 8 of 49 dogs, and 5 of 8 survived to discharge. With univariate analysis, hypoglycemia and multifocal abscessation were associated with decreased odds of survival (odds ratio [OR]: 0.2, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.03-0.9, P = 0.04; OR: 0.07, 95% CI: 0.01-0.6, P = 0.02, respectively). With multivariate analysis, only multifocal abscessation was associated with decreased odds of survival (OR: 0.09, 95% CI: 0.01-0.87, P = 0.04).

CONCLUSIONS

Hepatic abscessation, although rare, should remain a differential diagnosis for dogs presenting with nonspecific clinical signs and increase liver enzyme activities, especially with concurrent increased temperature and neutrophilia. Rate of survival to discharge for dogs in this study was consistent with previously reported survival rates, with 40 of 56 (71%) of the total population surviving to discharge. No variables assessed were able to predict survival to discharge; however, hypoglycemia and multifocal abscessation should be assessed in larger populations to determine prognostic significance.

Development and validation of a nomogram for predicting sepsis in patients with pyogenic liver abscess

Pyogenic liver abscess (PLA) is a severe condition that significantly increases the risk of sepsis. However, there is a notable dearth of research regarding the prediction of sepsis in PLA patients. The objective of this study was to develop and validate a prognostic nomogram for predicting sepsis in PLA patients. A total of 206 PLA patients were enrolled in our study, out of which 60 individuals (29.1%) met the Sepsis-3 criteria. Independent risk factors for sepsis were identified through univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses. Subsequently, a nomogram was developed based on age, positive blood culture, procalcitonin, alanine aminotransferase, blood urea nitrogen, and D-dimer. The nomogram demonstrated excellent calibration and discrimination, as evidenced by the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) values of 0.946 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.912-0.979) and 0.980 (95%CI 0.951-1.000) in the derivation and validation cohorts, respectively. Furthermore, decision-curve analysis confirmed the clinical utility of the nomogram. This study provides valuable insights for the prevention of sepsis in PLA patients and underscores the potential application of the prognostic nomogram in clinical practice.

Risk factors indicating the need for surgical therapy in patients with pyogenic liver abscesses

BACKGROUND

Percutaneous drainage (PD) and antibiotics are the therapy of choice (non-surgical therapy [non-ST]) for pyogenic liver abscesses (PLA), reserving surgical therapy (ST) for PD failure. The aim of this retrospective study was to identify risk factors that indicate the need for ST.

METHODS

We reviewed the medical charts of all of our institution's adult patients with a diagnosis of PLA between January 2000 and November 2020. A series of 296 patients with PLA was divided into two groups according to the therapy used: ST (n = 41 patients) and non-ST (n = 255). A comparison between groups was performed.

RESULTS

The overall median age was 68 years. Demographics, clinical history, underlying pathology, and laboratory variables were similar in both groups, except for the duration of PLA symptoms < 10 days and leukocyte count which were significantly higher in the ST group. The in-hospital mortality rate in the ST group was 12.2% vs. 10.2% in the non-ST group (p = 0.783), with biliary sepsis and tumor-related abscesses as the most frequent causes of death. Hospital stay and PLA recurrence were statistically insignificant between groups. One-year actuarial patient survival was 80.2% in the ST group vs. 84.6% in the non-ST (p = 0.625) group. The presence of underlying biliary disease, intra-abdominal tumor, and duration of symptoms for less than 10 days on presentation comprised the risk factors that indicated the need to perform ST.

CONCLUSIONS

There is little evidence regarding the decision to perform ST, but according to this study, the presence of underlying biliary disease or an intra-abdominal tumor and the duration of PLA symptoms < 10 days upon presentation are risk factors that should sway the surgeons to perform ST instead of PD.

Double pigtail tube drainage for large multiloculated pyogenic liver abscesses

Background

This study aims to investigate the efficacy and safety of double pigtail tube drainage compared with single pigtail tube drainage for the treatment of multiloculated pyogenic liver abscesses greater than 5 cm.

Patients and Methods

This study retrospectively analyzed patients with pyogenic liver abscess admitted in the Affiliated Hospital of Chengde Medical College between May 2013 and May 2021. Patients with pyogenic liver abscess more than 5 cm in size, who underwent drainage of the abscess with either double pigtail or single pigtail tube, were included.

Results

A total of 97 patients with pyogenic liver abscesses larger than 5 cm were studied. These included 34 patients with double pigtail tube drainage and 63 patients with single pigtail tube drainage. The postoperative hospital stay (13.39 ± 4.21 days vs. 15.67 ± 7.50 days; P = 0.045), and time for removal of the catheter (17.23 ± 3.70 days vs. 24.11 ± 5.83 days; P = 0.038) were lower in the double pigtail tube group compared with the single pigtail tube group. The rate of reduction, in three days, of c-reactive protein levels was 26.61 ± 14.11 mg/L/day in the double pigtail tube group vs. 20.06 ± 11.74 mg/L/day in the single pigtail tube group (P = 0.025). The diameter of the abscess cavity at discharge was 3.1 ± 0.07 cm in the double pigtail tube group as compared with 3.7 ± 0.6 cm in the single pigtail tube group (P = 0.047). There was no bleeding in any of the patients despite abnormal coagulation profiles. There was no recurrence of abscess within six months of discharge and no death in the double pigtail tube group. Conclusion: Double pigtail tube drainage treatment in multiloculated pyogenic liver abscesses greater than 5 cm in size, is safe and effective.

Evaluation of the Diagnostic Performance of mNGS in Detecting Intra-Abdominal Infections of the Emergency Department Patients

Purpose

Intra-abdominal infections (IAI) are gradually becoming common in the emergency department, though the incidence is low and the prognosis is fair, as the symptoms are similar to other intra-abdominal diseases, rapid and accurate diagnosis of the causative agents is essential for clinical management. This study aimed to evaluate the diagnostic performance of metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) in detecting IAI in the emergency department.

Patients and Methods

This was a retrospective, single-centered study including patients admitted to the emergency department from January 1st, 2021 to August 31st, 2022 with diagnosis of IAI. The comparison between mNGS and microbial culture using paracentesis fluid samples was performed to evaluate the diagnostic performance of mNGS for IAI. Meanwhile, paracentesis fluid and peripheral blood mNGS were compared to explore the sample specificity. Further, the microbial community structure of the patients with pyogenic liver abscesses (PLA) was analyzed.

Results

Thirty-four IAI patients including 23 with pyogenic liver abscesses (PLA), 3 with parapancreatic abscesses, and 8 with other IAI were included in this study. Compared with the conventional microbial culture of paracentesis fluid, mNGS using paracentesis fluid detected more positive cases of IAI (93.75% vs 81.25%), and identified more species of pathogens, especially in obligate anaerobes and viral pathogens. Peripheral blood mNGS presented a relatively high consistency with the paracentesis fluid mNGS (91% mutual positive). The microbial community structure of PLA patients with diabetes is less diverse than that of those without diabetes. Patients with diabetes are at high risk of PLA caused by Klebsiella pneumonia.

Conclusion

mNGS has advantages in detecting IAI in the emergency department, and peripheral blood mNGS can be a non-invasive choice for early diagnosis.

Changes in clinical and CT manifestations related to liver abscesses in patients with vs. without basic diabetes mellitus before and after CT-guided interventional therapy: An observational study

PURPOSE

To explore differences in the changes of clinical and CT manifestations related to liver abscess before and after CT-guided interventional therapy between patients with and without Diabetes Mellitus (DM).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Fifty-eight consecutive patients with liver abscesses were retrospectively enrolled in this study. All patients underwent upper abdominal contrast-enhanced CT scans before and after CT-guided interventional therapy. They were divided into two groups including the DM group (n=30) and the Non-DM group (n=28) if the liver abscess occurred in patients with and without DM, respectively. The changes in the clinical and CT manifestations related to liver abscess after CT-guided interventional therapy in both groups were statistically analyzed.

RESULTS

After CT-guided interventional therapy, the length of hospital stay, white blood cell recovery time and drainage tube removal time in the DM group were longer than in the Non-DM group (all p-values < 0.05). The incidence of postoperative complications in the DM group was higher than in the Non-DM group (p < 0.05). As shown on CT, the postoperative reduced percentage of maximum diameter of abscess cavity and the reduction rate of edema band surrounding the liver abscess in the DM group were smaller than in the Non-DM group (both p-values < 0.05). The time intervals of the previous characteristic changes on CT before and after interventional therapy in the DM group were longer than in the Non-DM group (all p-values < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

The liver abscesses patients with DM could not have a faster recovery and better therapeutic effect than those without DM after the CT-guided interventional therapy.

Early percutaneous catheter drainage in protecting against prolonged fever among patients with pyogenic liver abscess: a retrospective cohort study

BACKGROUND

Percutaneous catheter drainage (PCD) has been viewed as first-line treatment for pyogenic liver abscess (PLA), yet detailed guidance is lacking for best practice of PCD. This study investigated characteristics of patients with PLA who had received PCD, identified factors associated with prolonged fever, and aimed to evaluate the relationship between timing of PCD and clinical improvement.

METHODS

This was a retrospective study of patients with PLA who had undergone PCD over a 7-year period. PCD performed when the liquefaction degree of abscesses was less than 30% and/or within 1 week after fever onset was defined as early PCD. Patients were grouped and analysed based on the timing of PCD (early vs. delayed). Factors associated with prolonged fever were also analysed using univariate and multivariate logistic regression.

RESULTS

Among 231 patients with PLA, 81 treated with PCD were included in the study after exclusion. The size of abscesses ranged from 3.4 to 16 cm in diameter. Interestingly, the abscesses were predominantly multiloculated in this cohort (82.7%). The most common pathogen isolated from pus was Klebsiella pneumoniae (60.5%), followed by Escherichia coli (8.6%). The duration of fever was significantly shortened with early PCD as compared to delayed PCD intervention (p = .042). No statistical differences were found between the two groups with regard to catheter adjustment and salvage drainage. Maximum body temperature and diameter of abscess > 7.5 cm were found to be associated with prolonged fever while early PCD was inversely related to prolonged fever. Multivariate analysis suggested that early PCD treatment was an independent protective factor of prolonged fever (p = .030).

CONCLUSIONS

Large abscesses with loculation could be successfully treated with PCD, and early PCD protected patients with PLA from prolonged fever. Our findings suggest that early intervention should be provided if PCD is indicated in clinical practice.KEY MESSAGESLarge abscesses and multiloculated abscesses can be treated with percutaneous catheter drainage.Early percutaneous catheter drainage is identified as a protective factor of prolonged fever among patients with pyogenic liver abscesses.Early intervention should be provided if percutaneous catheter drainage is indicated for pyogenic liver abscesses.

Clinical Significance of Serum Albumin/Globulin Ratio in Patients With Pyogenic Liver Abscess

Pyogenic liver abscess (PLA) remains a significant challenge for modern clinicians. Serum albumin/globulin ratio (AGR) can reflect the progress of many diseases. However, the clinical significance of AGR in PLA has not been evaluated. The aim of this study was to explore the effect of AGR on the clinical characteristic and prognosis in PLA patients. This retrospective study included 392 PLA patients who admitted to the First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University from January, 2007 to December, 2016. The medical records on admission were collected. Compared with the healthy controls and the patients with extraperitoneal infection or non-infectious liver disease, PLA patients had lower levels of AGR. The mean level of AGR in PLA patients was 1.02 ± 0.25. There were 179 (45.4%) patients with AGR > 1.02 and 213 (54.6%) patients with AGR ≤ 1.02. The baseline data and treatment plans of PLA patients with high or low AGR were comparative. However, PLA patients with a low AGR had higher body temperature, leukocytes and neutrophils, lower hemoglobin, poorer liver and coagulation function, larger abscess diameter, higher positive rate of pus culture and proportion of Escherichia coli, and were more susceptible to multiple bacteria. Moreover, PLA patients with a low AGR had more complications, including systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS), peritoneal effusion and pleural effusion. And it also needs longer time for temperature normalization and hospital stay. In conclusion, PLA patients have lower AGR and lower AGR is associated with worse clinical manifestations, more complications and poorer prognosis. Thus, monitoring of AGR is of great clinical significance for evaluating the progress of PLA patients.

A population-based study of pyogenic liver abscess in Korea: Incidence, mortality and temporal trends during 2007-2017

BACKGROUND/AIMS

Although the epidemiology of pyogenic liver abscess (PLA) continues to change, only a few population-based studies have been conducted in Korea. This study investigated the epidemiology and clinical outcomes of PLA patients during a period of 10 years.

METHODS

We analysed the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service data between 2007 and 2017. The data included annual incidence rates, demographic data, underlying diseases, complications and mortality of PLA patients.

RESULTS

The annual incidence of PLA for all age groups was 10.9 per 100 000 population. The incidence was gradually increased from 5.7 per 100 000 in 2007 to 14.4 per 100 000 in 2017. In patients with liver abscess, the prevalence of diabetes and malignancy were 37.24% and 26.5% respectively. Metastatic infection was reported in 1.74% of the patients, and endophthalmitis was most common. The mean in-hospital mortality was 9.6%, and there was no significant difference in mortality by year during the observation period. Mortality increased with age and was greatly affected by the underlying diseases, especially cancer. Based on the multivariate analysis results, the mortality of PLA patients was associated with older age, female sex, diabetes, malignancy and chronic kidney disease.

CONCLUSION

The PLA incidence is rapidly increasing in Korea, especially in people with comorbidities. In addition, the causes and risk factors of PLA infections are changing and thus further research on epidemiology, different diagnosis and management approaches is required.

Multidisciplinary out-patient treatment with monitoring by telemedicine for a large-volume multifocal pyogenic liver abscess in times of the pandemic

Pyogenic liver abscesses represent one of the rarer, but potentially life-threatening diseases of the liver. The treatment for large-volume liver abscesses is usually multimodal with percutaneous drainage combined with several days of treatment in hospital. We are presenting a report on a male patient with type-2 diabetes mellitus who suffered from a multifocal liver abscess (>10 cm). Due to the exceptional situation caused by the corona pandemic, the patient was treated conservatively with non-standard treatment which involved a multidisciplinary team and out-patient visits. Follow-up to ensure the treatment would be successful was carried through dialogue with the GP responsible for the patient's care, as well as daily telemedicine visits. The daily telemedicine visits were supplemented by episodic follow-up testing of laboratory values and contrast-enhanced ultrasound scans (CEUS) of the liver. We show that purely conservative therapy can be successful in a case with a high risk of mortality by using a combination of close telemedical monitoring and proactive interdisciplinary collaboration with the GP.

Hepatic Clostridium Perfringens Abscess Formation after Radiofrequency Ablation Therapy for Hepatocellular Carcinoma: Report of a Rare Case

Liver abscess formation is one of the major complications following radiofrequency ablation (RFA) in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Clostridium perfringens is a rare but fatal (mortality rate: 70–100%) organism that could lead to severe sepsis. We presented a case where a 63-year-old woman with diabetes mellitus, hypertension, chronic hepatitis B-related cirrhosis in Child-Pugh class A and HCC with initial TNM stage II who had undergone 2 sessions of transarterial chemoembolization. RFA was performed for 4 small HCC due to poor effect of previous transarterial chemoembolization. However, all 4 treated tumors developed liver abscesses presenting with septic shock within 1 day. Aspirated abscesses and blood culture both yielded C. perfringens infection. After intensive care, optimal intravenous antibiotic, and abscesses aspiration, the patient recovered successfully. All tumors achieved complete response during the follow-up period without local recurrence. The clinical presentations and risk factors of C. perfringens−related liver abscess after RFA will be discussed in this manuscript.

Stenotrophomonas maltophilia: An uncommon cause of liver abscess

We report an uncommon case of pyogenic liver abscess due to Stenotrophomonas maltophilia in an apparently immune-competent individual, the timely recognition of which could avoid a potentially fatal course of infection in the patient. A 45-year-old man, with history of moderate alcohol intake since the last 10 years, was admitted with intense right-sided upper abdominal pain and right-sided chest pain of 10-days duration. Culture of the ultrasound-guided liver aspirate sample yielded a pure growth of S. maltophilia identified by the VITEK-2™ automated microbial identification system. Treatment with parenteral levofloxacin and oral trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole along with pigtail catheter drainage and other appropriate supportive management led to resolution of the abscess with no recurrence of infection at two months follow-up. Physicians need to be aware that S. maltophilia infections may not be restricted to hospitalized patients as a low-virulence opportunistic pathogen, but may occur as an important emerging pathogen in community-acquired infections as well.

Risk Factors for 28-Day Mortality in a Surgical ICU: A Retrospective Analysis of 347 Cases

Purpose

Advances in surgical techniques and intensive care over the past decades have significantly reduced the mortality rates of critically ill surgical patients. However, evaluations of risk factors associated with mortality in surgical intensive care units (ICUs) are limited. The aim of this study was to analyze the independent risk factors for 28-day mortality of surgical ICU patients.

Patients and Methods

The clinical data of adult patients who were admitted to the surgical ICU in the First Affiliated Hospital of Xi’an Jiaotong University from June 2013 to June 2017 were collected. Univariate and multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed to examine risk factors associated with 28-day mortality.

Results

A total of 347 patients were included in this analysis. The overall 28-day mortality rate was 32.6%. The major causes of surgical ICU admission were gastrointestinal diseases (46.7%), infection (20.5%), trauma (8.9%), respiratory diseases (8.9%) and cardiovascular diseases (6.6%). The univariate analysis showed age, total bilirubin, prothrombin time, international normalized ratio, arterial lactate level, APACHE II and SOFA score at ICU admission were significantly associated with 28-day mortality. In the multivariate analysis, however, age [Odds Ratio (OR): 2.899, 95% CI: 1.427–5.890, P=0.003], hypertension [OR: 3.630, 95% CI: 1.545–8.531, P=0.003], platelet count [OR: 1.004, 95% CI: 1.001–1.007, P=0.015], arterial lactate level [OR: 1.186, 95% CI: 1.088–1.293, P<0.001] and SOFA score [OR: 1.289, 95% CI: 1.131–1.469, P<0.001] were identified as the independent risk factors for 28-day mortality of patients in the surgical ICU.

Conclusion

In patients admitted to the surgical ICU, age 65 and older, a high arterial lactate level and SOFA score at ICU admission were associated with increased 28-day mortality.

Maximal diameter of liver abscess independently predicts prolonged hospitalization and poor prognosis in patients with pyogenic liver abscess

Background/aims

This study aimed to investigate the factors associated with prolonged hospital stay and in-hospital mortality in patients with pyogenic liver abscess.

Methods

We retrospectively reviewed data from patients with pyogenic liver abscess who were admitted between 2005 and 2018 at three tertiary hospitals in Jeonbuk province, South Korea. Prolonged hospital stay was defined as a duration of hospital admission of more than 21 days.

Results

A total of 648 patients (406 men and 242 women) diagnosed with pyogenic liver abscess were enrolled in the study. The mean maximal diameter of the liver abscess was 5.4 ± 2.6 cm, and 74.9% of the lesions were single. The three groups were divided according to the maximal diameter of the abscess. Laboratory parameters indicated a more severe inflammatory state and higher incidence of complications and extrahepatic manifestations with increasing abscess size. Rates of percutaneous catheter drainage (PCD) insertion, multiple PCD drainage, and salvage procedures as well as duration of drainage were also higher in the large liver abscess group. Of note, the duration of hospitalization and in-hospital mortality were significantly higher in the large hepatic abscess group. A multivariate analysis revealed that underlying diabetes mellitus, hypoalbuminemia, high baseline high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) and procalcitonin levels, and large maximal abscess diameter were independent factors associated with prolonged hospital stay. Regarding in-hospital mortality, acute kidney injury at admission and maximal diameter of the abscess were independent factors associated with in-hospital mortality.

Conclusions

A large maximal diameter of the liver abscess at admission indicated prolonged hospitalization and poor prognosis. More aggressive treatment strategies with careful monitoring are warranted in patients with large liver abscesses.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12879-021-05873-7.