Patients with cirrhosis and esophageal varices bleed at a yearly rate of 5%-15%, and, when variceal hemorrhage develops, mortality reaches 20%. Patients are deemed at high risk of bleeding when they ...present with medium or large-sized varices, when they have red signs on varices of any size and when they are classified as Child-Pugh C and have varices of any size. In order to avoid variceal bleeding and death, individuals with cirrhosis at high risk of bleeding must undergo primary prophylaxis, for which currently recommended strategies are the use of traditional non-selective beta-blockers (NSBBs) (
, propranolol or nadolol), carvedilol (a NSBB with additional alpha-adrenergic blocking effect) or endoscopic variceal ligation (EVL). The superiority of one of these alternatives over the others is controversial. While EVL might be superior to pharmacological therapy regarding the prevention of the first bleeding episode, either traditional NSBBs or carvedilol seem to play a more prominent role in mortality reduction, probably due to their capacity of preventing other complications of cirrhosis through the decrease in portal hypertension. A sequential strategy, in which patients unresponsive to pharmacological therapy would be submitted to endoscopic treatment, or the combination of pharmacological and endoscopic strategies might be beneficial and deserve further investigation.
Leukocyte biomarkers, including the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte (NLR), monocyte-to-lymphocyte-(MLR), platelet-to-lymphocyte (PLR) ratios and systemic immune-inflammation index (SII) have been associated ...with severity and mortality of patients with COVID-19. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the association of baseline leukocyte biomarkers calculated in the emergency department (ED) with the disease severity and mortality. This was a retrospective cohort study that evaluated 1,535 (mean age 57+18 years) patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection in the ED of a single reference center. Outcomes were severity, defined as intensive care unit (ICU) admission requirement, and in-hospital mortality. All leukocyte biomarkers were calculated in the ED before the hospital admission. Their ability to predict the severity and mortality was measured using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. Severity and mortality were observed in 30.9% and 12.6% of the patients, respectively, and were significantly correlated with NLR, MLR, PLR and SII, but only NLR was independently associated with both outcomes on multivariate analysis. Analysis of ROC curves revealed that NLR (0.78 for severity and 0.80 for mortality) and SII (0.77 for severity and 0.75 for mortality) had the best ability to predict mortality, when compared to other ratios. The highest AUC was observed for NLR, employing cut-off points of 5.4 for severity and 5.5 for mortality. Leukocyte biomarkers, particularly NLR, are capable of predicting the severity and mortality of patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection and could be important adjunct tools to identify patients in the ED that are more prone to develop adverse outcomes.
Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) is one of the important causes of chronic kidney disease (CKD) and end-stage renal failure (ESRF). Even with the best available treatment options, management of T1DM ...poses significant challenges for clinicians across the world, especially when associated with CKD and ESRF. Substantial increases in morbidity and mortality along with marked rise in treatment costs and marked reduction of quality of life are the usual consequences of onset of CKD and progression to ESRF in patients with T1DM. Simultaneous pancreas-kidney transplant (SPK) is an attractive and promising treatment option for patients with advanced CKD/ESRF and T1DM for potential cure of these diseases and possibly several complications. However, limited availability of the organs for transplantation, the need for long-term immunosuppression to prevent rejection, peri- and post-operative complications of SPK, lack of resources and the expertise for the procedure in many centers, and the cost implications related to the surgery and postoperative care of these patients are major issues faced by clinicians across the globe. This clinical update review compiles the latest evidence and current recommendations of SPK for patients with T1DM and advanced CKD/ESRF to enable clinicians to care for these diseases.
In Brazil, data show an important decrease in morbi-mortality of high-risk surgical patients over a 10-year high. The objective of this post-hoc study was to evaluate the mechanism explaining this ...trend in high-risk surgical patients admitted to Brazilian ICUs in two large Brazilian multicenter cohort studies performed 10 years apart. The patients included in the 2 cohorts studies published in 2008 and 2018 were compared after a (1:1) propensity score matching. Patients included were adults who underwent surgeries and admitted to the ICU afterwards. After matching, 704 patients were analyzed. Compared to the 2018 cohort, 2008 cohort had more postoperative infections (OR 13.4; 95%CI 6.1-29.3) and cardiovascular complications (OR 1.5; 95%CI 1.0-2.2), as well as a lower survival ICU stay (HR = 2.39, 95% CI: 1.36-4.20) and hospital stay (HR = 1.64, 95% CI: 1.03-2.62). In addition, by verifying factors strongly associated with hospital mortality, it was found that the risk of death correlated with higher intraoperative fluid balance (OR = 1.03, 95% CI 1.01-1.06), higher creatinine (OR = 1.31, 95% CI 1.1-1.56), and intraoperative blood transfusion (OR = 2.32, 95% CI 1.35-4.0). By increasing the mean arterial pressure, according to the limits of sample values from 43 mmHg to 118 mmHg, the risk of death decreased (OR = 0.97, 95% CI 0.95-0.98). The 2008 cohort had higher fluid balance, postoperative creatinine, and volume of intraoperative blood transfused and lower mean blood pressure at ICU admission and temperature at the end of surgery. In this sample of ICUs in Brazil, high-risk surgical patients still have a high rate of complications, but with improvement over a period of 10 years. There were changes in the management of these patients over time.
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DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
ABSTRACT Background: Pre-eclampsia (PE) and eclampsia (E) are among the leading causes of maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality. Both are associated with an evolving spectrum of liver disorders. ...Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the frequency and severity of liver involvement in pregnant women admitted to an intensive care unit with PE/E and to assess its influence on adverse maternal and fetal outcomes. Methods: All subjects, hospitalized between January 2012 and March 2019, were retrospectively evaluated for clinical and biochemical liver-related abnormalities and their frequencies were subsequently correlated with maternal-fetal outcomes. Results: A total of 210 women (mean age 31±6.4 years, mean gestational age 33.8±4.1 weeks) with PE/E were included in the study. Most of them had severe hypertension (n=184) and symptoms of abdominal pain (48%) and headache (40%). Liver enzymes abnormalities were seen in 49% of the subjects, usually less than five times the upper limit of normal. Subcapsular hemorrhage and spontaneous hepatic rupture were identified in one woman who died. No patient had definitive diagnosis for acute fatty liver of pregnancy, neither acute liver failure. A total of 62% of deliveries occurred before 37 weeks. Fetal mortality was observed in 6 (3%) cases. There was no correlation between mean levels of liver enzymes and maternal and fetal outcomes. Conclusion: Biochemical abnormalities of liver enzymes are frequently seen in women with PE/E, but outside the spectrum of HELLP syndrome, they are not associated with adverse maternal and fetal outcomes. Liver-related complications are rare but can be life-threatening.
RESUMO Contexto Pré-eclâmpsia (PE) e eclâmpsia (E) estão entre as principais causas de morbimortalidade materna e fetal. Ambas estão associadas a comprometimento hepático com diferentes formas de evolução. Objetivo O objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar a frequência e a gravidade do envolvimento hepático em gestantes internadas em uma unidade de terapia intensiva (UTI) com PE/E e avaliar sua influência em desfechos maternos e fetais adversos. Métodos: Pacientes hospitalizados entre janeiro 2012 e março 2019 com PE/E foram avaliados retrospectivamente quanto às anormalidades clínicas e bioquímicas relacionadas ao fígado e suas frequências foram posteriormente correlacionadas com os resultados materno-fetais. Resultados: Um total de 210 mulheres (idade média 31±6,4 anos, idade gestacional média 33,8±4,1 semanas) com PE/E foram incluídas no estudo. A maioria delas apresentava hipertensão grave (n=184), sintomas de dor abdominal (48%) e cefaleia (40%). Anormalidades das enzimas hepáticas foram observadas em 49% dos indivíduos, geralmente menos de cinco vezes o limite superior do normal. Hemorragia subcapsular e ruptura hepática espontânea foram identificadas em uma mulher que faleceu. Nenhuma paciente teve diagnóstico definitivo de esteatose hepática aguda da gravidez, nem insuficiência hepática aguda grave. Um total de 62% dos partos ocorreu antes de 37 semanas. A mortalidade fetal foi observada em 6 (3%) casos. Não houve correlação entre os níveis médios de enzimas hepáticas e os resultados maternos e fetais. Conclusão Anormalidades bioquímicas hepáticas são frequentemente vistas em mulheres com PE/E, mas fora do contexto da síndrome HELLP, não estão associadas a resultados maternos e fetais adversos. As complicações relacionadas ao fígado são raras, mas podem ser fatais.
Ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) is the standard treatment for primary biliary cholangitis (PBC), but a significant proportion of patients do not respond adequately, leading to increased risk of adverse ...outcomes. This study aims to develop a new and straightforward predictive score to identify PBC patients likely to achieve a complete response to UDCA.
A logistic regression analysis was conducted using a derivation cohort of PBC patients to identify pre-treatment variables associated with response to UDCA. This analysis led to the development of the ALP-A score, calculated as: Age at diagnosis divided by (alkaline phosphatase at diagnosis/upper limit of normal). ALP-A score accuracy was evaluated using the area under the ROC curve, validated with a large external cohort from Brazil. Additionally, the correlation between the ALP-A score and the previously validated UDCA response score (URS) was assessed.
ALP-A score had good predictive power for adequate (AUC 0.794; 95% CI, 0.737-0.852) and deep (0.76; 95% CI, 0.69-0.83) UDCA response at 1 year of treatment. A cutoff score of 17 and 23 points was determined to be the optimal threshold for distinguishing adequate and deep responders, respectively, from non-responders. ALP-A score demonstrated a sensitivity of 73%, specificity of 71%, positive predictive value of 65%, negative predictive value of 78%, and overall accuracy of 72% for biochemical response. The URS displayed similar discriminative ability (AUC 0.798; 95% CI, 0.741-0.855).
ALP-A score performs comparably to URS but offers the great advantage of simplicity for routine clinical use. It serves as a valuable tool to identify PBC patients less likely to respond to UDCA treatment, facilitating early consideration of alternative therapeutic approaches.
Background
Response to ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) in primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) has been traditionally assessed 1 to 2 years after treatment initiation. With the development of new drugs, ...some patients may benefit from an earlier introduction of second-line therapies.
Aims
This study aims to identify whether well-validated response criteria could correctly identify individuals likely to benefit from add-on second-line therapy at 6 months.
Methods
Analysis of a multicenter retrospective cohort which included only patients with clear-cut PBC.
Results
206 patients with PBC (96.6% women; mean age 54 ± 12 years) were included. Kappa concordance was substantial for Toronto (0.67), Rotterdam (0.65), Paris 1 (0.63) and 2 (0.63) criteria at 6 and 12 months, whereas Barcelona (0.47) and POISE trial (0.59) criteria exhibited moderate agreement. Non-response rates to UDCA was not statistically different when assessed either at 6 or 12 months using Toronto, Rotterdam or Paris 2 criteria. Those differences were even smaller or absent in those subjects with advanced PBC. Mean baseline alkaline phosphatase was 2.73 ± 1.95 times the upper limit of normal (× ULN) among responders versus 5.05 ± 3.08 × ULN in non-responders (
p
< 0.001).
Conclusions
After 6 months of treatment with UDCA, the absence of response by different criteria could properly identify patients who could benefit from early addition of second-line therapies, especially in patients with advanced disease or high baseline liver enzymes levels.
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EMUNI, FIS, FZAB, GEOZS, GIS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, MFDPS, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, SBMB, SBNM, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK, VKSCE, ZAGLJ
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