Early Coagulation Disorder Is Associated With an Increased Risk of Atrial Fibrillation in Septic Patients

Association of coagulation function with the risk of in-hospital mortality in patients with severe acute respiratory distress syndrome

BACKGROUND

To evaluate the association of coagulation disorder score with the risk of in-hospital mortality in acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) patients.

METHODS

In this cohort study, 7,001 adult patients with ARDS were identified from the Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care Database-IV (MIMIC-IV). Univariate and multivariate Logistic stepwise regression models were used to explore the associations of coagulation-associated biomarkers with the risk of in-hospital mortality in patients with ADRS. Restricted cubic spline (RCS) was plotted to explore the association between coagulation disorder score and in-hospital mortality of ARDS patients.

RESULTS

The follow-up time for in-hospital death was 7.15 (4.62, 13.88) days. There were 1,187 patients died and 5,814 people survived in hospital. After adjusting for confounding factors, increased risk of in-hospital mortality in ARDS patients was observed in those with median coagulation disorder score [odds ratio (OR) = 1.22, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.01-1.47) and high coagulation disorder score (OR = 1.38, 95% CI: 1.06-1.80). The results of RCS indicated that when the coagulation disorder score >2, the trend of in-hospital mortality rose gradually, and OR was >1.

CONCLUSIONS

Poor coagulation function was associated with increased risk of in-hospital mortality in ARDS patients. The findings implied that clinicians should regularly detect the levels of coagulation-associated biomarkers for the management of ARDS patients.

Sepsis-induced coagulopathy is associated with new episodes of atrial fibrillation in patients admitted to critical care in sinus rhythm

Background

Sepsis is a life-threatening disease commonly complicated by activation of coagulation and immune pathways. Sepsis-induced coagulopathy (SIC) is associated with micro- and macrothrombosis, but its relation to other cardiovascular complications remains less clear. In this study we explored associations between SIC and the occurrence of atrial fibrillation (AF) in patients admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) in sinus rhythm. We also aimed to identify predictive factors for the development of AF in patients with and without SIC.

Methods

Data were extracted from the publicly available AmsterdamUMCdb database. Patients with sepsis and documented sinus rhythm on admission to ICU were included. Patients were stratified into those who fulfilled the criteria for SIC and those who did not. Following univariate analysis, logistic regression models were developed to describe the association between routinely documented demographics and blood results and the development of at least one episode of AF. Machine learning methods (gradient boosting machines and random forest) were applied to define the predictive importance of factors contributing to the development of AF.

Results

Age was the strongest predictor for the development of AF in patients with and without SIC. Routine coagulation tests activated Partial Thromboplastin Time (aPTT) and International Normalized Ratio (INR) and C-reactive protein (CRP) as a marker of inflammation were also associated with AF occurrence in SIC-positive and SIC-negative patients. Cardiorespiratory parameters (oxygen requirements and heart rate) showed predictive potential.

Conclusion

Higher INR, elevated CRP, increased heart rate and more severe respiratory failure are risk factors for occurrence of AF in critical illness, suggesting an association between cardiac, respiratory and immune and coagulation pathways. However, age was the most dominant factor to predict the first episodes of AF in patients admitted in sinus rhythm with and without SIC.

Association between coagulation disorder scores and in-hospital mortality in ARF patients: a retrospective analysis from the MIMIC-IV database

Introduction

Acute respiratory failure (ARF) has a high mortality rate, and currently, there is no convenient risk predictor. The coagulation disorder score was proven to be a promising metric for predicting in-hospital mortality, but its role in ARF patients remains unknown.

Methods

In this retrospective study, data were extracted from the Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care IV (MIMIC-IV) database. Patients diagnosed with ARF and hospitalized for more than 2 days at their first admission were included. The coagulation disorder score was defined based on the sepsis-induced coagulopathy score and was calculated by parameters, namely, additive platelet count (PLT), international normalized ratio (INR), and activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT), based on which the participants were divided into six groups.

Results

Overall, 5,284 ARF patients were enrolled. The in-hospital mortality rate was 27.9%. High levels of additive platelet score, INR score, and APTT score were significantly associated with increased mortality in ARF patients (P < 0.001). Binary logistic regression analysis showed that a higher coagulation disorder score was significantly related to the increased risk of in-hospital mortality in ARF patients (Model 2: coagulation disorder score = 6 vs. coagulation disorder score = 0: OR, 95% CI: 7.09, 4.07-12.34, P < 0.001). The AUC of the coagulation disorder score was 0.611 (P < 0.001), which was smaller than that of sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA) (De-long test P = 0.014) and simplified acute physiology score II (SAPS II) (De-long test P < 0.001) but larger than that of additive platelet count (De-long test P < 0.001), INR (De-long test P < 0.001), and APTT (De-long test P < 0.001), respectively. In subgroup analysis, we found that in-hospital mortality was markedly elevated with an increased coagulation disorder score in ARF patients. No significant interactions were observed in most subgroups. Of note, patients who did not administrate oral anticoagulant had a higher risk of in-hospital mortality than those who administrated oral anticoagulant (P for interaction = 0.024).

Conclusion

This study found a significant positive association between coagulation disorder scores and in-hospital mortality. The coagulation disorder score was superior to the single indicators (additive platelet count, INR, or APTT) and inferior to SAPS II and SOFA for predicting in-hospital mortality in ARF patients.

Inflammatory signalling in atrial cardiomyocytes: a novel unifying principle in atrial fibrillation pathophysiology

Inflammation has been implicated in atrial fibrillation (AF), a very common and clinically significant cardiac rhythm disturbance, but its precise role remains poorly understood. Work performed over the past 5 years suggests that atrial cardiomyocytes have inflammatory signalling machinery - in particular, components of the NLRP3 (NACHT-, LRR- and pyrin domain-containing 3) inflammasome - that is activated in animal models and patients with AF. Furthermore, work in animal models suggests that NLRP3 inflammasome activation in atrial cardiomyocytes might be a sufficient and necessary condition for AF occurrence. In this Review, we evaluate the evidence for the role and pathophysiological significance of cardiomyocyte NLRP3 signalling in AF. We first summarize the evidence for a role of inflammation in AF and review the biochemical properties of the NLRP3 inflammasome, as defined primarily in studies of classic inflammation. We then briefly consider the broader evidence for a role of inflammatory signalling in heart disease, particularly conditions that predispose individuals to develop AF. We provide a detailed discussion of the available information about atrial cardiomyocyte NLRP3 inflammasome signalling in AF and related conditions and evaluate the possibility that similar signalling might be important in non-myocyte cardiac cells. We then review the evidence on the role of active resolution of inflammation and its potential importance in suppressing AF-related inflammatory signalling. Finally, we consider the therapeutic potential and broader implications of this new knowledge and highlight crucial questions to be addressed in future research.

NT-proBNP Levels and Collateral Circulation Status in Patients with Acute Ischemic Stroke

Methods

In this study, 326 hospitalized patients with acute anterior circulation ischemic stroke (AACIS) were included. A comparison of the clinical characteristics of those with and without AF was conducted. The Spearman rank correlation was used for the correlation analysis of plasma NT-proBNP level, regional leptomeningeal collateral (rLMC) score, and computed tomography perfusion (CTP) status in the AF and non-AF groups. An analysis of multivariate linear regression was used to determine how plasma NT-proBNP level, rLMC score, and CTP status influenced the score on the NIHSS.

Results

There was a greater plasma NT-proBNP level in the AF group compared with the non-AF group, an increased CTP volume (including CTP ischemic volume, CTP infarct core volume, and CTP ischemic penumbra volume (P = 0.002)), higher NIHSS score on admission, and lower rLMC score (P < 0.001 for the remaining parameters). A negative correlation exists between plasma NT-proBNP level and rLMC score (r = -0.156, P = 0.022), but a positive correlation exists between plasma NT-proBNP level and both CTP ischemic volume and CTP infarct core volume (r = 0.148, P = 0.003) in the AF group, but not in the non-AF group. Multivariate linear regression analysis demonstrated that NT-proBNP, CTP ischemic penumbra volume, and rLMC score were associated with NIHSS score, and NT-proBNP was positively associated with NIHSS scores (95% confidence interval (CI), 0.000-0.002; P = 0.004) in the AF group, whatever in the unadjusted model or adjusted models, but not in the nonlarge artery atherosclerosis (LAA) group.

Conclusion

In AACIS patients with AF, NT-proBNP level negatively correlated with collateral status, positively with CTP ischemic volume, and positively with NIHSS score.

A retrospective cohort study on the association between early coagulation disorder and short-term all-cause mortality of critically ill patients with congestive heart failure

Purpose

Coagulation disorder in congestive heart failure (CHF) has been well-documented. The prognostic value of a composite coagulation disorder score, which combines the absolute platelet count, international normalized ratio (INR), and activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT), has not been assessed in CHF. The present study endeavored to explore the association between the coagulation disorder score and adverse outcomes of critically ill patients with CHF.

Methods

Patients diagnosed with CHF in the Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care III (MIMIC-III) database were included in the present retrospective cohort study. The coagulation disorder score was calculated according to the abnormalities of the absolute platelet count, INR, and APTT within 24 h after intensive care unit admission. The primary outcomes were the short-term all-cause mortality, including 30-, 90-day and in-hospital mortalities. The Kaplan-Meier (K-M) survival curve and the Cox proportional hazard model were performed to assess the correlation between coagulation disorder score and outcome events.

Results

A total of 6,895 patients were enrolled in this study and divided into four groups according to the coagulation disorder score. K-M survival curve preliminarily indicated that subjects with higher coagulation disorder score presented lower survival rate and shorter survival time. After adjustment for potential confounders, the multivariate Cox analysis further illustrated that elevated coagulation disorder score as a quartile variable was significantly associated with increased all-cause mortality (quartile 4 vs. quartile 1, 30-day: HR [95% CI], 1.98 [1.50, 2.62], 90-day: HR [95% CI], 1.88 [1.49, 2.37], in-hospital: HR [95%CI], 1.93 [1.42, 2.61]).

Conclusion

In critically ill patients with CHF, ones with high coagulation disorder score tend to be worse clinical prognosis, which would be a promising biomarker and helpful for the management of CHF patients.

Development and validation of a predictive model for new-onset atrial fibrillation in sepsis based on clinical risk factors

Objective

New-onset atrial fibrillation (NOAF) is a common complication and one of the primary causes of increased mortality in critically ill adults. Since early assessment of the risk of developing NOAF is difficult, it is critical to establish predictive tools to identify the risk of NOAF.

Methods

We retrospectively enrolled 1,568 septic patients treated at Wuhan Union Hospital (Wuhan, China) as a training cohort. For external validation of the model, 924 patients with sepsis were recruited as a validation cohort at the First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University (Urumqi, China). Least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to screen predictors. The area under the ROC curve (AUC), calibration curve, and decision curve were used to assess the value of the predictive model in NOAF.

Results

A total of 2,492 patients with sepsis (1,592 (63.88%) male; mean [SD] age, 59.47 [16.42] years) were enrolled in this study. Age (OR: 1.022, 1.009–1.035), international normalized ratio (OR: 1.837, 1.270–2.656), fibrinogen (OR: 1.535, 1.232–1.914), C-reaction protein (OR: 1.011, 1.008–1.014), sequential organ failure assessment score (OR: 1.306, 1.247–1.368), congestive heart failure (OR: 1.714, 1.126–2.608), and dopamine use (OR: 1.876, 1.227–2.874) were used as risk variables to develop the nomogram model. The AUCs of the nomogram model were 0.861 (95% CI, 0.830–0.892) and 0.845 (95% CI, 0.804–0.886) in the internal and external validation, respectively. The clinical prediction model showed excellent calibration and higher net clinical benefit. Moreover, the predictive performance of the model correlated with the severity of sepsis, with higher predictive performance for patients in septic shock than for other patients.

Conclusion

The nomogram model can be used as a reliable and simple predictive tool for the early identification of NOAF in patients with sepsis, which will provide practical information for individualized treatment decisions.