Jessica A. Palakshappa

Which Patients With ARDS Benefit From Lung Biopsy

A central tenet of caring for patients with ARDS is to treat the underlying cause, be it sepsis, pneumonia, or removal of an offending toxin. Identifying the risk factor for ARDS has even been proposed as essential to diagnosing ARDS. Not infrequently, however, the precipitant for acute hypoxemic respiratory failure is unclear, and this raises the question of whether a histologic lung diagnosis would benefit the patient. In this review, we consider the historic role of pathology in establishing a diagnosis of ARDS and the published experience of surgical and transbronchial lung biopsy in patients with ARDS. We reflect on which pathologic diagnoses influence treatment and suggest a patient-centric approach to weigh the risks and benefits of a lung biopsy for critically ill patients who may have ARDS.

Mortality Benefit of Recombinant Human Interleukin-1 Receptor Antagonist for Sepsis Varies by Initial Interleukin-1 Receptor Antagonist Plasma Concentration*

Objective: Plasma interleukin-1 beta may influence sepsis mortality, yet recombinant human interleukin-1 receptor antagonist did not reduce mortality in randomized trials. We tested for heterogeneity in the treatment effect of recombinant human interleukin-1 receptor antagonist by baseline plasma interleukin-1 beta or interleukin-1 receptor antagonist concentration. Design: Retrospective subgroup analysis of randomized controlled trial. Setting: Multicenter North American and European clinical trial. Patients: Five hundred twenty-nine subjects with sepsis and hypotension or hypoperfusion, representing 59% of the original trial population. Interventions: Random assignment of placebo or recombinant human interleukin-1 receptor antagonist × 72 hours. Measurements and Main Results: We measured prerandomization plasma interleukin-1 beta and interleukin-1 receptor antagonist and tested for statistical interaction between recombinant human interleukin-1 receptor antagonist treatment and baseline plasma interleukin-1 receptor antagonist or interleukin-1 beta concentration on 28-day mortality. There was significant heterogeneity in the effect of recombinant human interleukin-1 receptor antagonist treatment by plasma interleukin-1 receptor antagonist concentration whether plasma interleukin-1 receptor antagonist was divided into deciles (interaction p = 0.046) or dichotomized (interaction p = 0.028). Interaction remained present across different predicted mortality levels. Among subjects with baseline plasma interleukin-1 receptor antagonist above 2,071 pg/mL (n = 283), recombinant human interleukin-1 receptor antagonist therapy reduced adjusted mortality from 45.4% to 34.3% (adjusted risk difference, –0.12; 95% CI, –0.23 to –0.01), p = 0.044. Mortality in subjects with plasma interleukin-1 receptor antagonist below 2,071 pg/mL was not reduced by recombinant human interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (adjusted risk difference, +0.07; 95% CI, –0.04 to +0.17), p = 0.230. Interaction between plasma interleukin-1 beta concentration and recombinant human interleukin-1 receptor antagonist treatment was not statistically significant. Conclusions: We report a heterogeneous effect of recombinant human interleukin-1 receptor antagonist on 28-day sepsis mortality that is potentially predictable by plasma interleukin-1 receptor antagonist in one trial. A precision clinical trial of recombinant human interleukin-1 receptor antagonist targeted to septic patients with high plasma interleukin-1 receptor antagonist may be worthy of consideration.

Admission plasma levels of the neuronal injury marker neuron-specific enolase are associated with mortality and delirium in sepsis

PURPOSE Neuron-specific enolase (NSE) concentrations are prognostic following traumatic and anoxic brain injury and may provide a method to quantify neuronal injury in other populations. We determined the association of admission plasma NSE concentrations with mortality and delirium in critically ill septic patients. METHODS We performed a retrospective analysis of 124 patients from a larger sepsis cohort. Plasma NSE was measured in the earliest blood draw at intensive care unit admission. Primary outcomes were 30-day mortality and intensive care unit delirium determined by chart review. RESULTS Sixty-one patients (49.2%) died within 30 days, and delirium developed in 34 (31.5%) of the 108 patients who survived at least 24 hours and were not persistently comatose. Each doubling of the NSE concentration was associated with a 7.3% (95% confidence interval [CI] 2.5-12.0, P= .003) increased risk of 30-day mortality and a 5.2% (95% CI 3.2-7.2, P< .001) increased risk of delirium. An NSE concentration >12.5 μg/L was independently associated with a 23.3% (95% CI 6.7-39.9, P= .006) increased risk of 30-day mortality and a 29.3% (95% CI 8.8-49.8, P= .005) increased risk of delirium. CONCLUSIONS Higher plasma NSE concentrations were associated with mortality and delirium in critically ill septic patients, suggesting that NSE may have utility as a marker of neuronal injury in sepsis.

Quantitative peripheral muscle ultrasound in sepsis: Muscle area superior to thickness

Purpose: The objective of this study is to describe the relationship between two quantitative muscle ultrasound measures, the rectus femoris cross‐sectional area (RF‐CSA) and quadriceps muscle thickness, with volitional measures of strength and function in critically ill patients with sepsis. Materials and methods: We performed a prospective study of patients admitted to a medical ICU with sepsis and shock or respiratory failure. We examined the association of two ultrasound measurements – the RF‐CSA and quadriceps muscle thickness – with strength and function at day 7. Strength was determined using the Medical Research Council Score and function using Physical Function in the ICU Test, scored. Results: Twenty‐nine patients were enrolled; 19 patients had outcome testing performed. Over 7 days, RF‐CSA and thickness decreased by an average of 23.2% and 17.9%, respectively. The rate of change per day of RF‐CSA displayed a moderate correlation with strength (&rgr; 0.51, p‐value 0.03) on day 7. Baseline and day 7 RF‐CSA did not show a significant correlation with either outcome. Quadriceps muscle thickness did not significantly correlate with either outcome. Conclusions: Muscle atrophy as detected by the rate of change in RF‐CSA moderately correlated with strength one week after sepsis admission. HighlightsMuscle atrophy occurs early in sepsis and can be detected by peripheral muscle ultrasound.Change in rectus femoris cross‐sectional area detected by ultrasound over the first week of sepsis moderately correlates with strength.Quantitative muscle ultrasound complements volitional measures of strength and function in describing skeletal muscle dysfunction in sepsis.

Plasma angiopoietin-2 as a potential causal marker in sepsis-associated ARDS development: evidence from Mendelian randomization and mediation analysis

PurposeA causal biomarker for acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) could fuel precision therapy options. Plasma angiopoietin-2 (ANG2), a vascular permeability marker, is a strong candidate on the basis of experimental and observational evidence. We used genetic causal inference methods—Mendelian randomization and mediation—to infer potential effects of plasma ANG2.MethodsWe genotyped 703 septic subjects, measured ICU admission plasma ANG2, and performed a quantitative trait loci (QTL) analysis to determine variants in the ANGPT2 gene associated with plasma ANG2 (p < 0.005). We then used linear regression and post-estimation analysis to genetically predict plasma ANG2 and tested genetically predicted ANG2 for ARDS association using logistic regression. We estimated the proportion of the genetic effect explained by plasma ANG2 using mediation analysis.ResultsPlasma ANG2 was strongly associated with ARDS (OR 1.59 (95% CI 1.35, 1.88) per log). Five ANGPT2 variants were associated with ANG2 in European ancestry subjects (n = 404). Rs2442608C, the most extreme cis QTL (coefficient 0.22, 95% CI 0.09–0.36, p = 0.001), was associated with higher ARDS risk: adjusted OR 1.38 (95% CI 1.01, 1.87), p = 0.042. No significant QTL were identified in African ancestry subjects. Genetically predicted plasma ANG2 was associated with ARDS risk: adjusted OR 2.25 (95% CI 1.06–4.78), p = 0.035. Plasma ANG2 mediated 34% of the rs2442608C-related ARDS risk.ConclusionsIn septic European ancestry subjects, the strongest ANG2-determining ANGPT2 genetic variant is associated with higher ARDS risk. Plasma ANG2 may be a causal factor in ARDS development. Strategies to reduce plasma ANG2 warrant testing to prevent or treat sepsis-associated ARDS.

The importance of multidisciplinary healthcare for paraneoplastic pemphigus

Paraneoplastic pemphigus (PNP) is a mucocutaneous disease that occurs in association with an underlying neoplasm. Oral mucosal lesions may be the only manifestation of this condition, or they may be observed in association with cutaneous lesions. The prognosis of PNP is generally poor, and the disease is often fatal. This article highlights an aggressive case of PNP that initially presented with oral mucosal lesions and emphasizes the importance of a multidisciplinary approach for evaluation and management of this condition.