M. Mouhieddine

Minimal Changes of Serum Creatinine Predict Prognosis in Patients after Cardiothoracic Surgery: A Prospective Cohort Study

Acute renal failure increases risk of death after cardiac surgery. However, it is not known whether more subtle changes in renal function might have an impact on outcome. Thus, the association between small serum creatinine changes after surgery and mortality, independent of other established perioperative risk indicators, was analyzed. In a prospective cohort study in 4118 patients who underwent cardiac and thoracic aortic surgery, the effect of changes in serum creatinine within 48 h postoperatively on 30-d mortality was analyzed. Cox regression was used to correct for various established demographic preoperative risk indicators, intraoperative parameters, and postoperative complications. In the 2441 patients in whom serum creatinine decreased, early mortality was 2.6% in contrast to 8.9% in patients with increased postoperative serum creatinine values. Patients with large decreases (DeltaCrea <-0.3 mg/dl) showed a progressively increasing 30-d mortality (16 of 199 [8%]). Mortality was lowest (47 of 2195 [2.1%]) in patients in whom serum creatinine decreased to a maximum of -0.3 mg/dl; mortality increased to 6% in patients in whom serum creatinine remained unchanged or increased up to 0.5 mg/dl. Mortality (65 of 200 [32.5%]) was highest in patients in whom creatinine increased > or =0.5 mg/dl. For all groups, increases in mortality remained significant in multivariate analyses, including postoperative renal replacement therapy. After cardiac and thoracic aortic surgery, 30-d mortality was lowest in patients with a slight postoperative decrease in serum creatinine. Any even minimal increase or profound decrease of serum creatinine was associated with a substantial decrease in survival.

Decreased food intake is a risk factor for mortality in hospitalised patients: The NutritionDay survey 2006

BACKGROUND & AIMS Malnutrition is a known risk factor for the development of complications in hospitalised patients. We determined whether eating only fractions of the meals served is an independent risk factor for mortality. METHODS The NutritionDay is a multinational one-day cross-sectional survey of nutritional factors and food intake in 16,290 adult hospitalised patients on January 19th 2006. The effect of food intake and nutritional factors on death in hospital within 30 days was assessed in a competing risk analysis. RESULTS More than half of the patients did not eat their full meal provided by the hospital. Decreased food intake on NutritionDay or during the previous week was associated with an increased risk of dying, even after adjustment for various patient and disease related factors. Adjusted hazard ratio for dying when eating about a quarter of the meal on NutritionDay was 2.10 (1.53-2.89); when eating nothing 3.02 (2.11-4.32). More than half of the patients who ate less than a quarter of their meal did not receive artificial nutrition support. Only 25% patients eating nothing at lunch receive artificial nutrition support. CONCLUSION Many hospitalised patients in European hospitals eat less food than provided as regular meal. This decreased food intake represents an independent risk factor for hospital mortality.

The first nutritionDay in nursing homes: Participation may improve malnutrition awareness ☆

BACKGROUND & AIMS A modified version of the nutritionDay project was developed for nursing homes (NHs) to increase malnutrition awareness in this area. This report aims to describe the first results from the NH setting. METHODS On February 22, 2007, 8 Austrian and 30 German NHs with a total of 79 units and 2137 residents (84+/-9 years of age, 79% female) participated in the NH-adapted pilot test. The NHs participated voluntarily using standardized questionnaires. The actual nutritional intake at lunch time was documented for each resident. Six-month follow-up data were received from 1483 residents (69%). RESULTS Overall, 9.2% and 16.7% of residents were classified as malnourished subjectively by NH staff and by BMI criteria (<20 kg/m(2)), respectively. Independent risk factors for malnutrition included age>90 years, immobility, dementia, and dysphagia (all p<0.001). In total, 89% of residents ate at least half of the lunch meal, and 46% of residents received eating assistance for an average of 15 min. Six-month mortality was higher in residents with low nutritionDay BMI (<20 kg/m(2): 22%, 20-21.9 kg/m(2): 17%) compared to residents with BMI >or= 22 kg/m(2) (10%, p<0.001). Six-month weight loss >or= 6 kg was less common in residents with nutritionDay BMI<22 kg/m(2) compared to residents with higher nutritionDay BMI (3.4% vs 12.4%, p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS The first nutritionDay in NH provided valuable data on the nutritional status of NH residents and called attention to the remarkable time investment required by NH staff to adequately provide eating assistance to residents. Participation in the nutritionDay project appears to increase malnutrition awareness as reflected in the outcome weight results.

The Patient- And Nutrition-Derived Outcome Risk Assessment Score (PANDORA): Development of a Simple Predictive Risk Score for 30-Day In-Hospital Mortality Based on Demographics, Clinical Observation, and Nutrition.

Objective To develop a simple scoring system to predict 30 day in-hospital mortality of in-patients excluding those from intensive care units based on easily obtainable demographic, disease and nutrition related patient data. Methods Score development with general estimation equation methodology and model selection by P-value thresholding based on a cross-sectional sample of 52 risk indicators with 123 item classes collected with questionnaires and stored in an multilingual online database. Setting Worldwide prospective cross-sectional cohort with 30 day in-hospital mortality from the nutritionDay 2006-2009 and an external validation sample from 2012. Results We included 43894 patients from 2480 units in 32 countries. 1631(3.72%) patients died within 30 days in hospital. The Patient- And Nutrition-Derived Outcome Risk Assessment (PANDORA) score predicts 30-day hospital mortality based on 7 indicators with 31 item classes on a scale from 0 to 75 points. The indicators are age (0 to 17 points), nutrient intake on nutritionDay (0 to 12 points), mobility (0 to 11 points), fluid status (0 to 10 points), BMI (0 to 9 points), cancer (9 points) and main patient group (0 to 7 points). An appropriate model fit has been achieved. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve for mortality prediction was 0.82 in the development sample and 0.79 in the external validation sample. Conclusions The PANDORA score is a simple, robust scoring system for a general population of hospitalised patients to be used for risk stratification and benchmarking.

Muscle mass, strength and functional outcomes in critically ill patients after cardiothoracic surgery: does neuromuscular electrical stimulation help? The Catastim 2 randomized controlled trial.

BackgroundThe effects of neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) in critically ill patients after cardiothoracic surgery are unknown. The objectives were to investigate whether NMES prevents loss of muscle layer thickness (MLT) and strength and to observe the time variation of MLT and strength from preoperative day to hospital discharge.MethodsIn this randomized controlled trial, 54 critically ill patients were randomized into four strata based on the SAPS II score. Patients were blinded to the intervention. In the intervention group, quadriceps muscles were electrically stimulated bilaterally from the first postoperative day until ICU discharge for a maximum of 14 days. In the control group, the electrodes were applied, but no electricity was delivered. The primary outcomes were MLT measured by ultrasonography and muscle strength evaluated with the Medical Research Council (MRC) scale. The secondary functional outcomes were average mobility level, FIM score, Timed Up and Go Test and SF-12 health survey. Additional variables of interest were grip strength and the relation between fluid balance and MLT. Linear mixed models were used to assess the effect of NMES on MLT, MRC score and grip strength.ResultsNMES had no significant effect on MLT. Patients in the NMES group regained muscle strength 4.5 times faster than patients in the control group. During the first three postoperative days, there was a positive correlation between change in MLT and cumulative fluid balance (r = 0.43, P = 0.01). At hospital discharge, all patients regained preoperative levels of muscle strength, but not of MLT. Patients did not regain their preoperative levels of average mobility (P = 0.04) and FIM score (P = 0.02) at hospital discharge, independent of group allocation.ConclusionsNMES had no effect on MLT, but was associated with a higher rate in regaining muscle strength during the ICU stay. Regression of intramuscular edema during the ICU stay interfered with measurement of changes in MLT. At hospital discharge patients had regained preoperative levels of muscle strength, but still showed residual functional disability and decreased MLT compared to pre-ICU levels in both groups.Trial registrationClinicaltrials.gov identifier NCT02391103. Registered on 7 March 2015.

Long-term absolute and relative survival after aortic valve replacement: a prospective cohort study

BACKGROUND Aortic valve replacement is one of the most common cardiac surgical procedures, especially in elderly patients. Whether or not there is a net life gain over a long period of time is a matter for debate. OBJECTIVE To compare survival of patients with that of the age, sex, and follow-up year-matched normal population (relative survival). DESIGN Single-centre, prospectively collected data. SETTING Tertiary care centre, Vienna, Austria. PATIENTS We enrolled 1848 patients undergoing elective aortic valve replacement between 1997 and the end of 2008. INTERVENTIONS None. MAIN OUTCOME MEASUREMENT Relative survival at the end of 2011 as determined by relative Cox regression analysis. RESULTS Sixty-nine patients (3.7%) died within the first 30 days. Another 70 patients (3.8%) died within the first year and 429 (23.2%) died during the remaining follow-up period. The longest follow-up period was 14 years (median, 5.8; interquartile range, 3.2 to 8.9). Medical risk indicators for relative survival were diabetes mellitus [hazard ratio 1.69, 95% confidence interval, CI 1.37 to 2.07, P <0.001], pulmonary disease (hazard ratio 1.45, 95% CI 1.16 to 1.81, P = 0.001), history of atrial fibrillation (hazard ratio 1.35, 95% CI 1.10 to 1.66, P = .005) and angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor medication (hazard ratio 1.21, 95% CI 1.02 to 1.44, P = 0.031). Perioperative risk indicators were urgent surgery (hazard ratio 1.40, 95% CI 1.00 to 1.94, P = 0.047), resternotomy at 48 h or less (hazard ratio 1.87, 95% CI 1.29 to 2.70, P = 0.001), resternotomy at more than 48 h (hazard ratio 1.80, 95% CI 1.32 to 2.45, P <0.001), blood transfusion (hazard ratio 1.06, 95% CI 1.01 to 1.12, P = 0.018) and renal replacement therapy (hazard ratio 2.02, 95% CI 1.41 to 2.90, P <0.001). Relative survival was highest in the oldest age quartile (76 to 94 years) and lowest in the youngest (19 to 58 years) (hazard ratio 0.27, 95% CI 0.21 to 0.36; P <0.001). CONCLUSION Patients who survived the first year after aortic valve replacement had a similar chance of survival as the matched normal population. Relative survival benefit was higher in the oldest age quartile.

Prognostic Impact of Persistent Thrombocytopenia During Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation: A Retrospective Analysis of Prospectively Collected Data From a Cohort of Patients With Left Ventricular Dysfunction After Cardiac Surgery.

Objective:The prognostic impact of thrombocytopenia in patients supported by extracorporeal membrane oxygenation after cardiac surgery is uncertain. We investigated whether thrombocytopenia is independently predictive of poor outcome and describe the incidence and time course of thrombocytopenia in extracorporeal membrane oxygenation patients. Design:Retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data. Setting:Cardiosurgical ICU at a tertiary referral center. Patients:Three hundred adult patients supported with venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation for more than 24 hours because of refractory cardiogenic shock after heart surgery between January 2001 and December 2014. Interventions:None. Measurements and Main Results:Two-way analysis of variance was used to compare the time course of platelet count changes between survivors and nonsurvivors. Using multiple Cox regression with time-dependent covariates, we investigated the impact of platelet count on 90-day mortality. In nonsurvivors, the daily incidence of moderate (< 100 – 50 × 109/L), severe (49 – 20 × 109/L), and very severe (< 20 × 109/L) thrombocytopenia was 50%, 54%, and 7%, respectively. Platelet count had a biphasic temporal pattern with an initial decrease until day 4–5 after the initiation of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. Although a significant recovery of the platelet count was observed in survivors, a recovery did not occur in nonsurvivors (p = 0.0001). After adjusting for suspected confounders, moderate, severe, and very severe thrombocytopenia were independently associated with 90-day mortality. The highest risk was associated with severe (hazard ratio, 5.9 [2.7–12.6]; p < 0.0001) and very severe thrombocytopenia (hazard ratio, 25.9 [10.7–62.9], p < 0.0001). Conclusion:Thrombocytopenia is an independent risk factor for poor outcome in extracorporeal membrane oxygenation patients after cardiac surgery, with persistent severe thrombocytopenia likely reflecting a high degree of physiologic imbalance.

Body salt and water balances in cardiothoracic surgery patients with intensive care unit-acquired hyponatremia

PURPOSE Hyponatremia is frequently observed in intensive care unit (ICU) patients, but there is still lack information on the physiological mechanisms of development. MATERIALS AND METHODS In this retrospective analysis we performed tonicity balances in 54 patients with ICU acquired hyponatremia. We calculated fluid and solute in and outputs during 24 hours in 106 patient days with decreasing serum-sodium levels. RESULTS We could observe a positive fluid balance as a single reason for hyponatremia in 25% of patients and a negative solute balance in 57%. In 18% both factors contributed to the decrease in serum-sodium. Hyponatremic patients had renal water retention, measured by electrolyte free water clearance calculation in 79% and positive input of free water in 67% as reasons for decline of serum-sodium. The theoretical change of serum sodium during 24 hours according to the calculations of measured balances correlated well with the real change of serum sodium (r = 0.78, P < .01). CONCLUSIONS Balance studies showed that renal water retention together with renal sodium loss and high electrolyte free water input are the major contributors to the development of hyponatremia. Control of renal water and sodium handling by urine analysis may contribute to a better fluid management in the ICU population.

Minimal changes of serum creatinine in the early postoperative period predict prognosis in patients after cardiac surgery

Preoperative renal insufficiency is an important predictor of mortality after cardiac surgery and the association between small serum creatinine (SCr) changes within 48 hours after cardiac surgery and mortality has been demonstrated. ([1]) Further it has been shown recently that a preoperative elevated SCr is a predictor for worse outcome after cardiac surgery too. ([2])

EFFECTS OF NEUROMUSCULAR ELECTRICAL STIMULATION ON MUSCLE MASS AND STRENGTH IN CRITICALLY ILL PATIENTS AFTER CARDIOTHORACIC SURGERY (CATASTIM 2)

Intensive care unit acquired weakness (ICUAW) affects 24-77% of patients with an ICU stay longer than one week. Neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) is a feasible therapy for neuromuscular activation in sedated patients. The effect of NMES on muscle mass and strength is unclear: Randomized controlled trials (RCT) either showed no effect or beneficial effects [1]. To date, no RCT assessed the effects of NMES in a homogenous cardiothoracic surgery patient population.