Lymphopenia is associated with poor outcomes of patients with community-acquired pneumonia and sepsis

Abstract Background Lymphopenia is a marker of poor prognosis in patients with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP), yet its impact on outcomes in patients with CAP and sepsis remains unknown. We aim to investigate the impact of lymphopenia on outcomes, risk of ICU admission and mortality in CAP patients with sepsis. Methods This was a retrospective, observational study of prospectively collected data from an 800-bed tertiary teaching hospital (2005-2019). Results Of the 2,203 patients with CAP and sepsis, 1,347 (61%) did not have lymphopenia, while 856 (39%) did. When compared to the non-lymphopenic group, patients with sepsis and lymphopenia more frequently required intensive care unit (ICU) admission (p=0.001), had a longer hospital length of stay (p˂0.001), and presented with a higher rate of in-hospital (p˂0.001) and 30-day mortality (p=0.001). Multivariable analysis showed that C-reactive protein ≥15 mg/dL, lymphopenia, pleural effusion and acute respiratory distress syndrome within 24h of admission were risk factors for ICU admission; age ≥80 years was independently associated with decreased ICU admission. In addition, age (≥80 years), chronic renal disease, chronic neurologic disease, nursing home resident, lymphopenia and pleural effusion were independently associated with increased 30-day mortality, whereas pneumococcal vaccination, diabetes mellitus and fever were independently associated with reduced 30-day mortality. Conclusions Lymphopenia was independently associated with the risk of ICU admission and higher in-hospital and 30-day mortality in patients with CAP and sepsis. Early identification of lymphopenia could help identify septic patients with CAP who require or will shortly require critical care.

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MP38: The impact of physician handoffs on the outcomes of emergency department patients: a medical administrative database retrospective cohort study

CJEM ◽

10.1017/cem.2020.186 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 22 (S1) ◽

pp. S56-S56

Author(s):

A. Mokhtari ◽

D. Simonyan ◽

A. Pineault ◽

M. Mallet ◽

S. Blais ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Emergency Department ◽

Length Of Stay ◽

Emergency Physician ◽

Retrospective Cohort ◽

Independent Predictor ◽

Hospital Length ◽

Hospital Length Of Stay ◽

Emergency Physicians ◽

Icu Admission ◽

The Impact

Introduction: A physician handoff is the process through which physicians transfer the primary responsibility of a care unit. The emergency department (ED) is a fast-paced and crowded environment where the risk of information loss between shifts is significant. Yet, the impact of handoffs between emergency physicians on patient outcomes remains understudied. We performed a retrospective cohort study in the ED to determine if handed-off patients, when compared to non-handed-off patients, were at higher risk of negative outcomes. Methods: We included every adult patient first assessed by an emergency physician and subsequently admitted to hospital in one of the five sites of the CHU de Québec-Université Laval during fiscal year 2016-17. Data were extracted from the local hospital discharge database and the ED information system. Primary outcome was mortality. Secondary outcomes were incidence of ICU admission and surgery and hospital length of stay. We conducted multilevel multivariate regression analyses, accounting for patient and hospital clusters and adjusting for demographics, CTAS score, comorbidities, admitting department delay before evaluation by an emergency physician and by another specialty, emergency department crowding, initial ED orientation and handoff timing. We conducted sensitivity analyses excluding patients that had an ED length of stay > 24 hours or events that happened after 72 hours of hospitalization. Results: 21,136 ED visits and 17,150 unique individuals were included in the study. Median[Q1-Q3] age, Charlson index score, door-to-emergency-physician time and ED length of stay were 71[55-83] years old, 3[1-4], 48 [24,90] minutes, 20.8[9.9,32.7] hours, respectively. In multilevel multivariate analysis (OR handoff/no handoff [CI95%] or GMR[SE]), handoff status was not associated with mortality 0.89[0.77,1.02], surgery 0.95[0.85,1.07] or hospital length of stay (-0.02[0.03]). Non-handed-off patients had an increased risk of ICU admission (0.75[0.64,0.87]). ED occupancy rate was an independent predictor of mortality and ICU admission rate irrespectively of handoff status. Sensitivity and sub-group based analyses yielded no further information. Conclusion: Emergency physicians’ handoffs do not seem to increase the risk of severe in-hospital adverse events. ED occupancy rate is an independent predictor of mortality. Further studies are needed to explore the impact of ED handoffs on adverse events of low and moderate severity.

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The Impact of Drug Interactions in Patients with Community-Acquired Pneumonia on Hospital Length of Stay

Geriatrics ◽

10.3390/geriatrics7010011 ◽

2022 ◽

Vol 7 (1) ◽

pp. 11

Author(s):

Johannes Peter Schmitt ◽

Andrea Kirfel ◽

Marie-Therese Schmitz ◽

Hendrik Kohlhof ◽

Tobias Weisbarth ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Length Of Stay ◽

Drug Interactions ◽

Negative Binomial ◽

Negative Binomial Regression ◽

Hospital Length ◽

Community Acquired Pneumonia ◽

Assessment Tools ◽

Hospital Length Of Stay ◽

Increased Risk ◽

The Impact

(1) Background: An aging society is frequently affected by multimorbidity and polypharmacy, which, in turn, leads to an increased risk for drug interaction. The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of drug interactions on the length of stay (LOS) in hospitals. (2) Methods: This retrospective, single-centre study is based on patients treated for community-acquired pneumonia in the hospital. Negative binomial regression was used to analyse the association between drug interactions and the LOS in the hospital. (3) Results: The total cohort contained 503 patients, yet 46 inpatients (9%) that died were not included in the analyses. The mean age was 74 (±15.3) years, 35% of patients older than 65 years were found to have more than two drug interactions, and 55% had a moderate, severe, or contraindicated adverse drug reaction. The regression model revealed a significant association between the number of drug interactions (rate ratio (RR) 1.02; 95%-CI 1.01–1.04) and the severity of drug interactions (RR 1.22; 95%-CI 1.09–1.37) on the LOS for the overall cohort as well as for the subgroup of patients aged 80 years and older. (4) Conclusion: Drug interactions are an independent risk factor for prolonged hospitalisation. Standardised assessment tools to avoid drug interactions should be implemented in clinical routines.

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Asthma in COVID-19: An extra chain fitting around the neck?

10.1101/2020.07.13.20153130 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Mohammad Hosny Hussein ◽

Eman Ali Toraih ◽

Abdallah S Attia ◽

Mohanad Youssef ◽

Mahmoud Omar ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Wide Spectrum ◽

Univariate Analysis ◽

Multivariable Analysis ◽

Length Of Hospital Stay ◽

Hospital Length ◽

Hospital Length Of Stay ◽

Icu Admission ◽

Asthmatic Patients ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Novel Coronavirus

Introduction The novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has rapidly spread across the globe, overwhelming healthcare systems and depleting resources. The infection has a wide spectrum of presentations, and pre-existing comorbidities have been found to have a dramatic effect on the disease course and prognosis. We sought to analyze the effect of asthma on the disease progression and outcomes of COVID-19 patients. Methods We conducted a multi-center retrospective study of positively confirmed COVID-19 patients from multiple hospitals in Louisiana. Demographics, medical history, comorbidities, clinical presentation, daily laboratory values, complications, and outcomes data were collected and analyzed. The primary outcome of interest was in-hospital mortality. Secondary outcomes were Intensive Care Unit (ICU) admission, risk of intubation, duration of mechanical ventilation, and length of hospital stay. Results A total of 502 COVID-19 patients (72 asthma and 430 non-asthma cohorts) were included in the study. The frequency of asthma in hospitalized cohorts was 14.3%, higher than the national prevalence of asthma (7.7%). Univariate analysis revealed that asthma patients were more likely to be obese (75% vs 54.2%, p=0.001), with higher frequency of intubation (40.3% vs 27.8%, p = 0.036), and required longer duration of hospitalization (15.1±12.5 vs 11.5±10.6, p=0.015). After adjustment, multivariable analysis showed that asthmatic patients were not associated with higher risk of ICU admission (OR=1.81, 95%CI=0.98-3.09, p=0.06), endotracheal intubation (OR=1.77, 95%CI=0.99-3.04, p=0.06) or complications (OR=1.37, 95%CI=0.82-2.31, p=0.23). Asthmatic patients were not associated with higher odds of prolonged hospital length of stay (OR=1.48, 95%CI=0.82-2.66, p=0.20) or with the duration of ICU stay (OR=0.76, 95%CI=0.28-2.02, p=0.58). Kaplan-Meier curve showed no significant difference in overall survival of the two groups (p=0.65). Conclusion Despite the increased prevalence of hospitalization in asthmatic COVID-19 patients compared to the general population, after adjustment for other variables, it was neither associated with increased severity nor worse outcomes.

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Association of Emergency Department Waiting Times With Patient Experience in Admitted and Discharged Patients

Journal of Patient Experience ◽

10.1177/23743735211011404 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 8 ◽

pp. 237437352110114

Author(s):

Andrew Nyce ◽

Snehal Gandhi ◽

Brian Freeze ◽

Joshua Bosire ◽

Terry Ricca ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Emergency Department ◽

Length Of Stay ◽

Patient Experience ◽

Waiting Times ◽

Hospital Length ◽

Short Length ◽

Hospital Length Of Stay ◽

Patient’S Experience ◽

Discharged Patients ◽

The Impact

Prolonged waiting times are associated with worse patient experience in patients discharged from the emergency department (ED). However, it is unclear which component of the waiting times is most impactful to the patient experience and the impact on hospitalized patients. We performed a retrospective analysis of ED patients between July 2018 and March 30, 2020. In all, 3278 patients were included: 1477 patients were discharged from the ED, and 1680 were admitted. Discharged patients had a longer door-to-first provider and door-to-doctor time, but a shorter doctor-to-disposition, disposition-to-departure, and total ED time when compared to admitted patients. Some, but not all, components of waiting times were significantly higher in patients with suboptimal experience (<100th percentile). Prolonged door-to-doctor time was significantly associated with worse patient experience in discharged patients and in patients with hospital length of stay ≤4 days. Prolonged ED waiting times were significantly associated with worse patient experience in patients who were discharged from the ED and in inpatients with short length of stay. Door-to-doctor time seems to have the highest impact on the patient’s experience of these 2 groups.

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Ethnicity and outcomes in patients hospitalised with COVID-19 infection in East London: an observational cohort study

BMJ Open ◽

10.1136/bmjopen-2020-042140 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

pp. e042140

Author(s):

Vanessa J Apea ◽

Yize I Wan ◽

Rageshri Dhairyawan ◽

Zudin A Puthucheary ◽

Rupert M Pearse ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Premature Death ◽

Hospital Length ◽

Hospital Length Of Stay ◽

Organ Support ◽

Invasive Ventilation ◽

Black Patients ◽

Hospitalised Patients ◽

Observational Cohort ◽

The Impact ◽

To Receive

ObjectiveTo describe outcomes within different ethnic groups of a cohort of hospitalised patients with confirmed COVID-19 infection. To quantify and describe the impact of a number of prognostic factors, including frailty and inflammatory markers.SettingFive acute National Health Service Hospitals in east London.DesignProspectively defined observational study using registry data.Participants1737 patients aged 16 years or over admitted to hospital with confirmed COVID-19 infection between 1 January and 13 May 2020.Main outcome measuresThe primary outcome was 30-day mortality from time of first hospital admission with COVID-19 diagnosis during or prior to admission. Secondary outcomes were 90-day mortality, intensive care unit (ICU) admission, ICU and hospital length of stay and type and duration of organ support. Multivariable survival analyses were adjusted for potential confounders.Results1737 were included in our analysis of whom 511 had died by day 30 (29%). 538 (31%) were from Asian, 340 (20%) black and 707 (40%) white backgrounds. Compared with white patients, those from minority ethnic backgrounds were younger, with differing comorbidity profiles and less frailty. Asian and black patients were more likely to be admitted to ICU and to receive invasive ventilation (OR 1.54, (95% CI 1.06 to 2.23); p=0.023 and OR 1.80 (95% CI 1.20 to 2.71); p=0.005, respectively). After adjustment for age and sex, patients from Asian (HR 1.49 (95% CI 1.19 to 1.86); p<0.001) and black (HR 1.30 (95% CI 1.02 to 1.65); p=0.036) backgrounds were more likely to die. These findings persisted across a range of risk factor-adjusted analyses accounting for major comorbidities, obesity, smoking, frailty and ABO blood group.ConclusionsPatients from Asian and black backgrounds had higher mortality from COVID-19 infection despite controlling for all previously identified confounders and frailty. Higher rates of invasive ventilation indicate greater acute disease severity. Our analyses suggest that patients of Asian and black backgrounds suffered disproportionate rates of premature death from COVID-19.

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910. A Comprehensive, One Year, Hospital-Wide Snapshot of All Serious Infectious Complications in People Who Inject Drugs

Open Forum Infectious Diseases ◽

10.1093/ofid/ofaa439.1098 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 7 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. S489-S490

Author(s):

John T Henderson ◽

Evelyn Villacorta Cari ◽

Nicole Leedy ◽

Alice Thornton ◽

Donna R Burgess ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Multivariable Analysis ◽

Vertebral Osteomyelitis ◽

The United States ◽

Infectious Complications ◽

Data Set ◽

Cumulative Impact ◽

Mortality And Morbidity ◽

Icu Admission ◽

Risk Of Death ◽

The Impact

Abstract Background There has been a dramatic rise in IV drug use (IVDU) and its associated mortality and morbidity, however, the scope of this effect has not been described. Kentucky is at the epicenter of this epidemic and is an ideal place to better understand the health complications of IVDU in order to improve outcomes. Methods All adult in-patient admissions to University of Kentucky hospitals in 2018 with an Infectious Diseases (ID) consult and an ICD 9/10 code associated with IVDU underwent thorough retrospective chart review. Demographic, descriptive, and outcome data were collected and analyzed by standard statistical analysis. Results 390 patients (467 visits) met study criteria. The top illicit substances used were methamphetamine (37.2%), heroin (38.2%), and cocaine (10.3%). While only 4.1% of tested patients were HIV+, 74.2% were HCV antibody positive. Endocarditis (41.1%), vertebral osteomyelitis (20.8%), bacteremia without endocarditis (14.1%), abscess (12.4%), and septic arthritis (10.4%) were the most common infectious complications. The in-patient death rate was 3.0%, and 32.2% of patients were readmitted within the study period. The average length of stay was 26 days. In multivariable analysis, infectious endocarditis was associated with a statistically significant increase in risk of death, ICU admission, and hospital readmission. Although not statistically significant, trends toward mortality and ICU admission were identified for patients with prior endocarditis and methadone was correlated with decreased risk of readmission and ICU stay. FIGURE 1: Reported Substances Used FIGURE 2: Comorbidities FIGURE 3: Types of Severe Infectious Complications Conclusion We report on a novel, comprehensive perspective on the serious infectious complications of IVDU in an attempt to measure its cumulative impact in an unbiased way. This preliminary analysis of a much larger dataset (2008-2019) reveals some sobering statistics about the impact of IVDU in the United States. While it confirms the well accepted mortality and morbidity associated with infective endocarditis and bacteremia, there is a significant unrecognized impact of other infectious etiologies. Additional analysis of this data set will be aimed at identifying key predictive factors in poor outcomes in hopes of mitigating them. Disclosures All Authors: No reported disclosures

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Older trauma patients are at high risk of delirium, especially those with underlying dementia or baseline frailty

Trauma Surgery & Acute Care Open ◽

10.1136/tsaco-2020-000639 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 6 (1) ◽

pp. e000639

Author(s):

Danielle Ní Chróinín ◽

Nevenka Francis ◽

Pearl Wong ◽

Yewon David Kim ◽

Susan Nham ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Older Patients ◽

Multivariable Analysis ◽

Primary Outcome Measure ◽

Hospital Length ◽

Assessment Tools ◽

Hospital Length Of Stay ◽

Trauma Patients ◽

Level Of Evidence ◽

Increased Risk ◽

History Of

BackgroundGiven the increasing numbers of older patients presenting with trauma, and the potential influence of delirium on outcomes, we sought to investigate the proportion of such patients who were diagnosed with delirium during their stay—and patient factors associated therewith—and the potential associations between delirium and hospital length of stay (LOS). We hypothesized that delirium would be common, associated with certain patient characteristics, and associated with long hospital LOS (highest quartile).MethodsWe conducted a retrospective observational cohort study of all trauma patients aged ≥65 years presenting in September to October 2019, interrogating medical records and the institutional trauma database. The primary outcome measure was occurrence of delirium.ResultsAmong 99 eligible patients, delirium was common, documented in 23% (23 of 99). On multivariable analysis, adjusting for age, frailty and history of dementia, frailty (OR 4.09, 95% CI 1.08 to 15.53, p=0.04) and dementia (OR 5.23, 95% CI 1.38 to 19.90, p=0.02) were independently associated with likelihood of delirium. Standardized assessment tools were underused, with only 34% (34 of 99) screened within 4 hours of arrival. On univariate logistic regression analysis, having an episode of delirium was associated with long LOS (highest quartile), OR of 5.29 (95% CI 1.92 to 14.56, p<0.001). In the final multivariable model, adjusting for any (non-delirium) in-hospital complication, delirium was independently associated with long LOS (≥16 days; OR 4.81, p=0.005).DiscussionIn this study, delirium was common. History of dementia and baseline frailty were associated with increased risk. Delirium was independently associated with long LOS. However, many patients did not undergo standardized screening at admission. Early identification and targeted management of older patients at risk of delirium may reduce incidence and improve care of this vulnerable cohort. These data are hypothesis generating, but support the need for initiatives which improve delirium care, acknowledging the complex interplay between frailty and other geriatric syndromes in the older trauma patients.Level of evidenceIII.

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The risk of clinical complications and death among pregnant women with COVID-19 in the Cerner COVID-19 cohort: a retrospective analysis

BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth ◽

10.1186/s12884-021-03772-y ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Fares Qeadan ◽

Nana A. Mensah ◽

Benjamin Tingey ◽

Joseph B. Stanford

Keyword(s):

Pregnant Women ◽

Disease Outbreaks ◽

Hospital Length ◽

Morbidity And Mortality ◽

Hospital Length Of Stay ◽

High Risk Population ◽

Invasive Ventilation ◽

Female Patients ◽

Race Ethnicity ◽

The Impact

Abstract Background Pregnant women are potentially a high-risk population during infectious disease outbreaks such as COVID-19, because of physiologic immune suppression in pregnancy. However, data on the morbidity and mortality of COVID-19 among pregnant women, compared to nonpregnant women, are sparse and inconclusive. We sought to assess the impact of pregnancy on COVID-19 associated morbidity and mortality, with particular attention to the impact of pre-existing comorbidity. Methods We used retrospective data from January through June 2020 on female patients aged 18–44 years old utilizing the Cerner COVID-19 de-identified cohort. We used mixed-effects logistic and exponential regression models to evaluate the risk of hospitalization, maximum hospital length of stay (LOS), moderate ventilation, invasive ventilation, and death for pregnant women while adjusting for age, race/ethnicity, insurance, Elixhauser AHRQ weighted Comorbidity Index, diabetes history, medication, and accounting for clustering of results in similar zip-code regions. Results Out of 22,493 female patients with associated COVID-19, 7.2% (n = 1609) were pregnant. Crude results indicate that pregnant women, compared to non-pregnant women, had higher rates of hospitalization (60.5% vs. 17.0%, P < 0.001), higher mean maximum LOS (0.15 day vs. 0.08 day, P < 0.001) among those who stayed < 1 day, lower mean maximum LOS (2.55 days vs. 3.32 days, P < 0.001) among those who stayed ≥1 day, and higher moderate ventilation use (1.7% vs. 0.7%, P < 0.001) but showed no significant differences in rates of invasive ventilation or death. After adjusting for potentially confounding variables, pregnant women, compared to non-pregnant women, saw higher odds in hospitalization (aOR: 12.26; 95% CI (10.69, 14.06)), moderate ventilation (aOR: 2.35; 95% CI (1.48, 3.74)), higher maximum LOS among those who stayed < 1 day, and lower maximum LOS among those who stayed ≥1 day. No significant associations were found with invasive ventilation or death. For moderate ventilation, differences were seen among age and race/ethnicity groups. Conclusions Among women with COVID-19 disease, pregnancy confers substantial additional risk of morbidity, but no difference in mortality. Knowing these variabilities in the risk is essential to inform decision-makers and guide clinical recommendations for the management of COVID-19 in pregnant women.

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Effects of statins on clinical outcomes in hospitalized patients with community-acquired pneumonia

Journal of International Medical Research ◽

10.1177/0300060520938586 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 48 (8) ◽

pp. 030006052093858

Author(s):

Rony M. Zeenny ◽

Hanine Mansour ◽

Wissam K Kabbara ◽

Nibal Chamoun ◽

Myriam Audi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Retrospective Study ◽

Length Of Stay ◽

Hospital Length ◽

Community Acquired Pneumonia ◽

Hospital Length Of Stay ◽

Comorbid Conditions ◽

C Reactive Protein ◽

Reactive Protein ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Chronic Use

Objective We evaluated the effect of chronic use of statins based on C-reactive protein (CRP) levels and hospital length of stay (LOS) in patients admitted with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). Methods We conducted a retrospective study over 12 months at a teaching hospital in Lebanon comparing patients with CAP taking chronic statins with patients not taking statins. Included patients with CAP were older than age 18 years and had two CRP level measures during hospitalization. CURB-65 criteria were used to assess the severity of pneumonia. A decrease in CRP levels on days 1 and 3, LOS, and normalization of fever were used to assess the response to antibiotics. Results Sixty-one patients were taking statins and 90 patients were not taking statins. Patients on statins had significantly more comorbid conditions; both groups had comparable CURB-65 scores. In both groups, no statistically significant difference was seen for the decrease in CRP level on days 1 and 3 and LOS. No difference in days to normalization of fever was detected in either group. Conclusion No association was found between the chronic use of statins and CRP levels, LOS, or days to fever normalization in patients with CAP.

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The Impact of Selenium Supplementation on Trauma Patients—Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Nutrients ◽

10.3390/nu14020342 ◽

2022 ◽

Vol 14 (2) ◽

pp. 342

Author(s):

Jen-Fu Huang ◽

Chih-Po Hsu ◽

Chun-Hsiang Ouyang ◽

Chi-Tung Cheng ◽

Chia-Cheng Wang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Length Of Stay ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Infectious Complications ◽

Hospital Length ◽

Hospital Length Of Stay ◽

Current Evidence ◽

Trauma Patients ◽

Positive Effects ◽

Standard Difference ◽

The Impact

This study aimed to assess current evidence regarding the effect of selenium (Se) supplementation on the prognosis in patients sustaining trauma. MEDLINE, Embase, and Web of Science databases were searched with the following terms: “trace element”, “selenium”, “copper”, “zinc”, “injury”, and “trauma”. Seven studies were included in the meta-analysis. The pooled results showed that Se supplementation was associated with a lower mortality rate (OR 0.733, 95% CI: 0.586, 0.918, p = 0.007; heterogeneity, I2 = 0%). Regarding the incidence of infectious complications, there was no statistically significant benefit after analyzing the four studies (OR 0.942, 95% CI: 0.695, 1.277, p = 0.702; heterogeneity, I2 = 14.343%). The patients with Se supplementation had a reduced ICU length of stay (standard difference in means (SMD): −0.324, 95% CI: −0.382, −0.265, p < 0.001; heterogeneity, I2 = 0%) and lesser hospital length of stay (SMD: −0.243, 95% CI: −0.474, −0.012, p < 0.001; heterogeneity, I2 = 45.496%). Se supplementation after trauma confers positive effects in decreasing the mortality and length of ICU and hospital stay.

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