scholarly journals Adrenal Insufficiency In Critically Ill Patients

2015 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 27-30
Author(s):  
SM Ashrafuzzaman

Adrenal insufficiency means hypo function of the adrenal cortex, usually resulting in low glucocorticoid level and it may be associated with low mineralocorticoid, rarely low adrenal androgen level. It can be categorized into two types: primary and secondary. Primary adrenal insufficiency or Addison's disease is associated with low cortisol and high ACTH level. Secondary/tertiary adrenal insufficiency is due to pituitary or hypothalamic disorders and is associated with both low cortisol and ACTH level. Among critically ill patients (CIP) adrenal insufficiency is not uncommon. The reported incidence of adrenal insufficiency varies greatly depending on the population of critically ill patients studied, the type of test, cut off levels used, and the severity of illness. Several studies have shown increased mortality in patients with very low or very high baseline cortisol levels. Manifestations of adrenal insufficiency in the critically ill patient are numerous and nonspecific, so clinicians are urged to have a high index of suspicion while taking history and doing physical examination and be alert to important diagnostic clues, such as hyponatremia, hyperkalemia, and hypotension, that are refractory to fluids and vasopressor without any clear causation. In current literature there is no consensus level of cortisol (basal/random/stimulated) in critically ill subjects. But it is shown that both high and low cortisol level is associated with increased mortality. In one study Basal Serum Cortisol <414 nmol/L and > 696 nmol/L is shown as indicative of higher risk among critically ill patients. Even with Septicemia or ARDS all subjects don’t suffer from adrenal insufficiency often termed relative adrenal insufficiency or critical illness associated adrenal insufficiency. It has been observed that short term low dose IV hydrocortisone may be beneficial in selective group of patients in intensive care unit (ICU) with critical illness. Diagnosis of adrenal insufficiency associated with critical illness is still challenging for physicians working in ICU. Treatment should be started without delay in emergency situation with Injection Hydrocortisone intravenously or even intramuscularly. Since the condition appears to be common in patients with septic shock, clinicians should have a high index of suspicion for its occurrence in critically ill patients with persistent hypotension despite adequate fluid resuscitation and/or poor hemodynamic response to vasopressor. Adrenal insufficiency associated with other illnesses in ICU are attributed to previous primary or secondary adrenal insufficiency. Treatment with physiologic doses of corticosteroids should be started as soon as possible since short-term treatment carries very few risks and has been shown to decrease both morbidity and mortality. Only suspected cases should be evaluated and could be treated with 100-200 mg Hydrocortisone in divided doses for 5-7 days. Glucocorticoid cannot be recommended as a routine adjuvant therapy in all cases of septic shock or ARDS. But glucocorticoid earned its position among other rescue strategies in subgroups of ICU patients with the highest mortality risk. Steroid use is an art and needs to be used by experienced physician. Otherwise it may do more harm than benefit.Bangladesh Crit Care J March 2015; 3 (1): 27-30

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shan Lin ◽  
Shanhui Ge ◽  
Wanmei He ◽  
Mian Zeng

Abstract Background: The effects of combined diabetes and glycemic control strategies on the short-term prognosis in patients with a critical illness are currently ambiguous. The objectives of our study were to determine whether comorbid diabetes affects short-term prognosis and the optimal range of glycemic control in critically ill patients.Methods: We performed this study with the critical care database. The primary outcomes were 28-day mortality in critically ill patients with comorbid diabetes and the optimal range of glycemic control. Association of comorbid diabetes with 28-day mortality was assessed by multivariable Cox regression model with inverse probability weighting. Smooth curves were applied to fit the association for glucose and 28-day mortality.Results: Of the 33,680 patients enrolled in the study, 8,701 (25.83%) had diabetic comorbidity. Cox model with inverse probability weighting showed that the 28-day mortality rate was reduced by 29% (HR=0.71, 95% CI 0.67-0.76) in the group with diabetes in comparison to the group without diabetes. The E value of 2.17 indicated robustness to unmeasured confounders. The effect of the association between comorbid diabetes and 28-day mortality was generally in line for all subgroup variables, significant interactions were observed for glucose on first day, admission type, and use of insulin or not (Interaction P <0.05). A V-shaped relationship was observed between glucose concentrations and 28-day mortality in patients without diabetes, with the lowest 28-day mortality corresponding to the glucose level was 101.75 mg/dl (95% CI 94.64-105.80 mg/dl); whereas in patients with comorbid diabetes, the effect of glucose concentration on 28-day mortality was structurally softer than in those with uncomorbid diabetes. Lastly, of all patients, hyperglycemia had the greatest deleterious effect on patients admitted to CSRU.Conclusions: Our study further confirmed the protective effect of comorbid diabetes on the short-term prognosis of critically ill patients, resulting in an approximately 29% reduction in 28-day mortality. Besides, we also demonstrated the personalized glycemic control strategy for critically ill patients. Lastly, clinicians should be aware of the occurrence and the prompt management of hyperglycemia in critically ill patients admitted to the CSRU.


2005 ◽  
Vol 39 (4) ◽  
pp. 691-698 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth F Kozyra ◽  
Randy S Wax ◽  
Lisa D Burry

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the utility of cosyntropin 1 μg in assessing adrenal function in critically ill patients. DATA SOURCES: A computerized literature search using MEDLINE, EMBASE, International Pharmaceutical Abstracts, and the Cochrane Database (1966–August 2004) was undertaken for trials evaluating cosyntropin 1 μg using the following search terms: adrenocorticotropin-releasing hormone (ACTH), cosyntropin, adrenal insufficiency, cortisol, corticosteroids, glucocorticoids, sepsis, septic shock, diagnosis, critically ill, intensive care, and critical care. STUDY SELECTION AND DATA SYNTHESIS: Identifying patients with sepsis with relative adrenal insufficiency (AI) using cosyntropin testing may identify those likely to benefit from corticosteroids. The results of 5 heterogeneous studies in non—intensive care unit (ICU) patients suggest that both 1 μg and 250 μg of cosyntropin stimulate similar cortisol responses and that testing using both doses correlates well with results from insulin tolerance testing. Some data from non-ICU patients suggest that the 1-μg test may be more sensitive to detect AI; 3 heterogeneous studies in ICU patients confirmed the improved sensitivity of the 1-μg test. CONCLUSIONS: Use of cosyntropin 1 μg should detect AI in all patients who would have been diagnosed using 250 μg. Unfortunately, all of the clinical trials evaluating the role of corticosteroids in septic shock that used the cosyntropin stimulation test administered 250 μg. Extrapolation of the existing guidelines to treat patients with septic shock testing positive for relative AI using the 1-μg test may provide effective therapy to appropriate patients not diagnosed by the 250-μg testing or may introduce additional adverse effects in patients who should not receive corticosteroids. Large-scale, head-to-head comparison data of steroid effectiveness after 1- and 250-μg ACTH stimulation tests are needed to expand upon these promising results.


Critical Care ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 12 (Suppl 5) ◽  
pp. P9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eleni Mouloudi ◽  
Constantine Katsanoulas ◽  
Dionysios Vrochides ◽  
Tatiana Giasnetsova ◽  
Chryssoula Papageorghiou ◽  
...  

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuting Li ◽  
Hongxiang Li ◽  
Jianxing Guo ◽  
Dong Zhang

Abstract Background Thrombocytopenia is a common feature of sepsis or septic shock, but few meta-analyses have specifically evaluated prognostic importance of thrombocytopenia in patients with sepsis or septic shock. The objective of this meta-analysis was to evaluate the prognosis of thrombocytopenia in critically ill patients with sepsis or septic shock.Methods We searched the PubMed, Cochrane, and Embase databases for studies from inception to the 30th of November 2019. Prospective or retrospective cohort studies comparing thrombocytopenia to no thrombocytopenia in critically ill patients with sepsis or septic shock were included. All authors reported our primary outcome of short-term mortality(defined as ICU or 48-hour mortality) with clinically relevant secondary outcomes(ICU length of stay, rate of AKI, rate of mechanical ventilation). Results were expressed as odds ratio (OR) and mean difference (MD) with accompanying 95% confidence interval (CI).Results Seven studies including 4243 patients were included. The results of this meta-analysis showed that the short-term mortality of thrombocytopenia group was higher than that of the no thrombocytopenia group (odds ratio [OR]=2.01;95% CI, 1.73-2.33; P<0.00001; I2=78%).In addition, compared with no thrombocytopenia group, thrombocytopenia group showed higher rate of AKI(odds ratio [OR]=1.31;95% CI, 1.03-1.66; P=0.03 I2=65%) and longer ICU length of stay(Mean difference=1.31;95% CI, 0.66-1.96; P<0.0001; I2=50%). There was no statistically significant difference in the rate of mechanical ventilation between 2 groups (odds ratio [OR]=1.24;95% CI, 0.82-1.88; P=0.30; I2=0%).Conclusions Thrombocytopenia was associated with increased short-term mortality, ICU length of stay and rate of AKI in critically ill patients with sepsis or septic shock. The analysis of secondary outcomes showed no significant difference in the rate of mechanical ventilation between the two groups. Further randomized controlled studies of thrombocytopenia are still required.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shaun Thompson ◽  
Erin Etoll

Adrenal disease in the critically ill patient can present many challenges for the intensivist. Besides primary, secondary, and tertiary adrenal insufficiency, a state known as critical care–related corticosteroid insufficiency (CIRCI) has been described. Adrenal insufficiency can pose many issues to the critically ill patient as it can decrease the patient’s ability to respond to the stress that critical illness presents to the human body. Proper recognition and diagnosis of adrenal insufficiency in the critically ill patient can be extremely important in the treatment of these patients and could be a lifesaving intervention if CIRCI is discovered. A less commonly encountered issue of adrenal disease lies in the area of adrenal hormone excess caused by a pheochromocytoma or extra-adrenal paragangliomas. These tumors can release large amounts of endogenous catecholamines that cause significant patient morbidity and mortality if not recognized early and treated appropriately. Although adrenal insufficiency and adrenal excess are less commonly encountered problems in critically ill patients, the recognition and treatment of these disease states can prevent the morbidity and mortality of critically ill patients that suffer from these disease states. This review contains 5 figures, 5 tables, and 89 references. Key words: adrenal insufficiency, hypothalamic-pituitary axis, critical illness–related corticosteroid insufficiency, pheochromocytoma, steroid replacement therapy


Antibiotics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 76
Author(s):  
Matthaios Papadimitriou-Olivgeris ◽  
Christina Bartzavali ◽  
Alexandra Georgakopoulou ◽  
Fevronia Kolonitsiou ◽  
Chrisavgi Papamichail ◽  
...  

Background: The increased frequency of bacteraemias caused by pandrug-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (PDR-Kp) has significant implications. The aim of the present study was to identify predictors associated with mortality of PDR-Kp bacteraemias. Methods: Patients with monomicrobial bacteraemia due to PDR-Kp were included. K. pneumoniae was considered PDR if it showed resistance to all available groups of antibiotics. Primary outcome was 30-day mortality. Minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of meropenem, tigecycline, fosfomycin, and ceftazidime/avibactam were determined by Etest, whereas for colistin, the broth microdilution method was applied. blaKPC, blaVIM, blaNDM, and blaOXA genes were detected by PCR. Results: Among 115 PDR-Kp bacteraemias, the majority of infections were primary bacteraemias (53; 46.1%), followed by catheter-related (35; 30.4%). All isolates were resistant to tested antimicrobials. blaKPC was the most prevalent carbapenemase gene (98 isolates; 85.2%). Thirty-day mortality was 39.1%; among 51 patients with septic shock, 30-day mortality was 54.9%. Multivariate analysis identified the development of septic shock, Charlson comorbidity index, and bacteraemia other than primary or catheter-related as independent predictors of mortality, while a combination of at least three antimicrobials was identified as an independent predictor of survival. Conclusions: Mortality of PDR-Kp bloodstream infections was high. Administration of at least three antimicrobials might be beneficial for infections in critically ill patients caused by such pathogens.


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