Dae-Sang Lee

Transanal endoscopic microsurgery and radical surgery for T1 and T2 rectal cancer

Background: Transanal endoscopic microsurgery (TEM) has gained increasing acceptance as a local treatment of early rectal cancer. The purpose of this study was to compare the results of TEM and radical surgery in patients with T1 and T2 rectal cancer. Methods: From October 1994 to December 2000, 74 patients with T1 and T2 rectal adenocarcinoma treated with TEM were compared with 100 patients with T1N0M0 and T2N0M0 rectal adenocarcinoma treated with radical surgery. Retrospective analysis was performed regarding to recurrence and survival rate. Neither group received adjuvant chemoradiation. There was no significant difference in age, gender, tumor location, or follow-up period between the two groups. The only difference was in tumor size. Results: Of the 74 patients in TEM group, 52 were T1 (70.3%) and 22 were T2 (29.7%). Of the 100 patients in radical surgery group, 17 were T1 (17%) and 83 patients were T2 (83%). The 5-year local recurrence rates were 4.1% for T1, 19.5% for T2 after TEM, 0% for T1, and 9.4% for T2 after radical surgery. There was no statistical difference between the TEM and radical surgery groups for T1 rectal cancer (p = 0.95), but for T2 rectal cancer, the 5-year local recurrence rate was higher after TEM than after radical surgery (p = 0.04). There were no significant statistical difference between the two groups in terms of the 5-year disease-free survival rate and the survival rate. Conclusions: For T1 rectal cancer, there was no difference in recurrence or 5-year survival rate between the TEM and the radical surgery groups. For T2 rectal cancer, there was no statistical difference in the 5-year survival rate between the two groups, but TEM carried higher risk of local recurrence. Therefore, careful selection of the patients is required for TEM, and when proper muscle invasion is proven, the TEM procedure should be supplemented by further treatment, or radical surgery should be performed.

Clinical Usefulness of Procalcitonin and C-Reactive Protein as Outcome Predictors in Critically Ill Patients with Severe Sepsis and Septic Shock

Sepsis is a major cause of mortality and morbidity in critically ill patients. Procalcitonin (PCT) and C-reactive protein (CRP) are the most frequently used biomarkers in sepsis. We investigated changes in PCT and CRP concentrations in critically ill patients with sepsis to determine which biochemical marker better predicts outcome. We retrospectively analyzed 171 episodes in 157 patients with severe sepsis and septic shock who were admitted to the Samsung Medical Center intensive care unit from March 2013 to February 2014. The primary endpoint was patient outcome within 7 days from ICU admission (treatment failure). The secondary endpoint was 28-day mortality. Severe sepsis was observed in 42 (25%) episodes from 41 patients, and septic shock was observed in 129 (75%) episodes from 120 patients. Fifty-five (32%) episodes from 42 patients had clinically-documented infection, and 116 (68%) episodes from 99 patients had microbiologically-documented infection. Initial peak PCT and CRP levels were not associated with treatment failure and 28-day mortality. However, PCT clearance (PCTc) and CRP (CRPc) clearance were significantly associated with treatment failure (p = 0.027 and p = 0.030, respectively) and marginally significant with 28-day mortality (p = 0.064 and p = 0.062, respectively). The AUC for prediction of treatment success was 0.71 (95% CI, 0.61–0.82) for PCTc and 0.71 (95% CI, 0.61–0.81) for CRPc. The AUC for survival prediction was 0.77 (95% CI, 0.66–0.88) for PCTc and 0.77 (95% CI, 0.67–0.88) for CRPc. Changes in PCT and CRP concentrations were associated with outcomes of critically ill septic patients. CRP may not be inferior to PCT in predicting outcome in these patients.

Effect of Early Intervention on Long-Term Outcomes of Critically Ill Cancer Patients Admitted to ICUs.

Objectives:The objective of this observational study was to evaluate whether early intervention was associated with improved long-term outcomes in critically ill patients with cancer. Design:Retrospective analysis with prospectively collected data. Setting:A university-affiliated, tertiary referral hospital. Patients:Consecutive critically ill cancer patients who were managed by a medical emergency team before ICU admission between January 2010 and December 2012. Interventions:None. Measurements and Main Results:During the study period, 525 critically ill cancer patients were admitted to the ICU with respiratory failure (41.7%) and severe sepsis or septic shock (40.6%) following medical intervention by a medical emergency team. Of 356 ICU survivors, 161 (45.2%) received additional treatment for cancer after ICU discharge. Mortality was 66.1% at 6 months and 72.8% at 1 year. Median time from physiological derangement to intervention before ICU admission was significantly shorter in 1-year survivors (1.3 hr; interquartile range, 0.5–4.8 hr) than it was in nonsurvivors (2.9 hr; interquartile range, 0.8–9.6 hr) (p< 0.001). Additionally, the early intervention (⩽ 1.5 hr) group had a lower 30-day mortality rate than the late intervention (> 1.5 hr) group (29.0% vs 55.3%; p < 0.001) and a similar difference in mortality rate was observed up to 1 year. Other factors associated with 1-year mortality were illness severity, performance status, malignancy status, presence of more than three abnormal physiological variables, time from derangement to ICU admission, and the need for mechanical ventilation. Even after adjusting for potential confounding factors, early intervention was significantly associated with 1-year mortality (adjusted hazard ratio, 0.456; 95% CI, 0.348–0.597; p < 0.001). Conclusion:Early intervention for clinical derangement on general wards was significantly associated with long-term outcomes in critically ill cancer patients.

Association of body mass index with clinical outcomes for in-hospital cardiac arrest adult patients following extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation

Background Obesity might be associated with disturbance of cannulation in situation of extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (ECPR). However, limited data are available on obesity in the setting of ECPR. Therefore, we investigated the association between body mass index (BMI) and clinical outcome in patients underwent ECPR. Methods From January 2004 to December 2013, in-hospital cardiac arrest patients who had ECPR were enrolled from a single-center registry. We divided patients into four group according to BMI defined with the WHO classification (underweight, BMI < 18.5, n = 14; normal weight, BMI = 18.5–24.9, n = 118; overweight, BMI = 25.0–29.9, n = 53; obese, BMI ≥ 30, n = 15). The primary outcome was survival to hospital discharge. Results Analysis was carried out for a total of 200 adult patients (39.5% females). Their median BMI was 23.20 (interquartile range, 20.93–25.80). The rate of survival to hospital discharge was 31.0%. There was no significant difference in survival to hospital discharge among the four groups (underweight, 35.7%; normal, 31.4%; overweight, 30.2%; obese, 26.7%, p = 0.958). Neurologic outcomes (p = 0.85) and procedural complications (p = 0.40) were not significantly different among the four groups either. SOFA score, initial arrest rhythm, and CPR to extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) pump on time were significant predictors for survival to discharge, but not BMI. Conclusion BMI was not associated with in-hospital mortality who underwent ECPR. Neurologic outcomes at discharge or procedural complications following ECPR were not related with BMI either.

Survival After Extracorporeal Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation on Weekends in Comparison With Weekdays

BACKGROUND Extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (ECPR) requires urgent decision-making and high-quality skills, which may not be uniformly available throughout the week. Few data exist on the outcomes of patients with cardiac arrest who receive in-hospital ECPR on the weekday versus weekend. Therefore, we investigated whether the outcome differed when patients with in-hospital cardiac arrest received ECPR during the weekend compared with a weekday. METHODS Two hundred patients underwent extracorporeal membrane oxygenation after in-hospital cardiac arrest between January 2004 and December 2013. Patients treated between 0800 on Monday to 1759 on Friday were considered to receive weekday care and patients treated between 1800 on Friday through 0759 on Monday were considered to receive weekend care. RESULTS A total of 135 cases of ECPR for in-hospital cardiac arrest occurred during the weekday (64 during daytime hours and 71 during nighttime hours), and 65 cases occurred during the weekend (39 during daytime/evening hours and 26 during nighttime hours). Rates of survival to discharge were higher with weekday care than with weekend care (35.8% versus 21.5%, p = 0.041). Cannulation failure was more frequent in the weekend group (1.5% versus 7.7%, p = 0.038). Complication rates were higher on the weekend than on the weekday, including cannulation site bleeding (3.0% versus 10.8%, p = 0.041), limb ischemia (5.9% versus 15.6%, p = 0.026), and procedure-related infections (0.7% versus 9.2%, p = 0.005). CONCLUSIONS ECPR on the weekend was associated with a lower survival rate and lower resuscitation quality, including higher cannulation failure and higher complication rate.

Impact of a surgical intensivist on the clinical outcomes of patients admitted to a surgical intensive care unit

Purpose An intensivist is a key factor in the mortality of patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU). The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of an intensivist on clinical outcomes of patients admitted to a surgical ICU. Methods During the study period, the surgical ICU was converted from an open ICU to an intensivist-directed ICU managed by an intensivist who was board certified in both general surgery and critical care medicine. We compared consecutive patients admitted to the surgical ICU before and after implementing the intensivist-directed care. The primary outcome was ICU mortality, and secondary outcomes were hospital mortality, 90-day mortality, length of hospital stay, ICU-free days, ventilator-free days, and ICU readmission rate. Results A total of 441 patients were included in this study: 188 before implementation of the intensivist and 253 after implementation. Clinical characteristics were not different between the two groups. ICU mortality decreased from 11.7% to 6.3% (P = 0.047) after implementation, and 90-day mortality also decreased significantly (P = 0.008). The adjusted hazard ratio of the intensivist for ICU mortality was 0.43 (95% confidence interval, 0.22-0.87; P = 0.020). ICU-free days (P = 0.013) and the hospital length of stay (P = 0.032) were significantly improved after implementing the intensivist-directed care. Before implementation period, 16.0% of patients were readmitted, compared with only 9.9% after implementation (P = 0.05). Conclusion Implementing intensivist-directed care in the surgical ICU was associated with significant improvements in ICU mortality and significant clinical outcomes.

Ischemic Stroke in Critically Ill Patients with Malignancy

Background Cerebrovascular diseases are a frequent cause of neurological symptoms in patients with cancer. The clinical characteristics of ischemic stroke (IS) in patients with cancer have been reported in several studies; however, limited data are available regarding critically ill patients with cancer who develop IS during their stay in the intensive care unit (ICU). Methods All consecutive patients who underwent brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for suspicion of IS with acute abnormal neurologic symptoms or who developed signs of IS while in the ICU were retrospectively evaluated. We compared the clinical characteristics and diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) lesion patterns between patients finally diagnosed as having or not having IS. Results Over the study period, a total of 88 patients underwent brain MRI for suspicion of IS, with altered mental status in 55 (63%), hemiparesis in 28 (32%), and seizure in 20 (23%). A total of 43 (49%) patients were ultimately diagnosed with IS. Multiple DWI lesions (41%) were more common than single lesions (8%). The etiologies of IS were not determined in the majority of patients (n = 27, 63%). In the remaining 16 (37%) patients, the most common aetiology of IS was cardioembolism (n = 8), followed by large-vessel atherosclerosis (n = 3) and small-vessel occlusion (n = 2). However, brain metastases were newly diagnosed in only 7 (8%) patients. Univariate comparison of the baseline characteristics between patients with or without IS did not reveal any significant differences in sex, malignancy type, recent chemotherapy, vascular risk factors, or serum D-dimer levels at the time of suspicion of IS. Thrombotic events were more common in the IS group than in the non-IS group (P = 0.028). However, patients who were ultimately diagnosed with IS had more hemiparesis symptoms at the time of suspicion of IS (P = 0.001). This association was significant even after adjusting for potentially confounding factors (adjusted odds ratio 5.339; 95% confidence interval, 1.521–19.163). Conclusions IS developed during ICU stays in critically ill patients with cancer have particular features that may be associated with cancer-related mechanism.

Clinical usefulness of capnographic monitoring when inserting a feeding tube in critically ill patients: retrospective cohort study

BackgroundIt is not rare for a small-bore feeding tube to be inserted incorrectly into the respiratory system in critically ill patients. Thus, monitoring is necessary to prevent respiratory malplacement of the tube. We investigated the utility of capnographic monitoring to prevent respiratory complications due to feeding tube mispositioning in critically ill patients.MethodsThis study was a pre and post-interventional study, including 445 feeding tube placements events studied retrospectively in the medical and surgical intensive care units of the Samsung Medical Center. We compared outcomes between time periods before and after capnographic monitoring and documented any respiratory complications.ResultsFeeding tubes were inserted in 275 cases without capnographic monitoring. Capnographic monitoring was performed in 170 cases. Sixteen patients (4%) had respiratory complications of all tube placements. Feeding tube was inserted into the trachea in 11 (2%) patients and for a pneumothorax in five (1%) patients. Fourteen cases of respiratory complications were detected in the control group (14/275, 5%, 10 tracheal insertions and four pneumothoraxes). Two respiratory complications were detected in the capnographic monitoring group (2/170, 1%, one tracheal insertion and one pneumothorax). Respiratory complications were detected less frequently in the capnographic monitoring group than that in the control group (P = 0.035).ConclusionsCapnographic monitoring is simple, easy to learn, and may be useful to prevent respiratory complications when placing a feeding tube in a critically ill patient.