Comparison of Intracoronary Epinephrine and Adenosine for No-Reflow in Normotensive Patients With Acute Coronary Syndrome (COAR Trial)

Background: Intracoronary epinephrine has been effectively used in treating refractory no-reflow, but there is a dearth of data on its use as a first-line drug in normotensive patients in comparison to the widely used adenosine. Methods: In this open-labeled randomized clinical trial, 201 patients with no-reflow were randomized 1:1 into intracoronary epinephrine as the treatment group and intracoronary adenosine as the control group and followed for 1 month. The primary end points were improvement in coronary flow, as assessed by TIMI (Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction) flow, frame counts, and myocardial blush. Secondary end points were in-hospital and short-term mortality and major adverse cardiac events. Results: In all, 101 patients received intracoronary epinephrine and 100 patients received adenosine. Epinephrine was generally well tolerated with no immediate table death or ventricular fibrillation. No-reflow was more effectively improved with epinephrine with final TIMI III flow (90.1% versus 78%, P =0.019) and final corrected TIMI frame count (24±8.43 versus 26.63±9.22, P =0.036). However, no significant difference was observed in final grade III myocardial blush (55.4% versus 45%, P =0.139), mean reduction of corrected TIMI frame count (−25.71±11.79 versus −26.08±11.71, P =0.825), in-hospital and short-term mortality, and major adverse cardiac events. Conclusions: Epinephrine is relatively safe to use in no-reflow in normotensive patients. A significantly higher frequency of post-treatment TIMI III flow grade and lower final corrected TIMI frame count with relatively better achievement of myocardial blush grade III translate into it displaying relatively better efficacy than adenosine. REGISTRATION: URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov ; Unique identifier: NCT04699110.

Increased Long-Term Mortality in Patients Admitted to the Intensive Care Unit with Health-Care Associated Pneumonia

The American Thoracic Society (ATS) and the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) developed and periodically update guidelines for the diagnosis and management of community-acquired and nosocomial pneumonia based on the patient-care setting in which pneumonia evolved. ATS/IDSA provides guidelines for empiric antibiotic choices based on the category of pneumonia that is diagnosed. Pneumonia is a significant cause of mortality in the United States and when combined with influenza ranks as the eighth leading cause of death nationwide yet little is known about the mortality of critically ill patients with pneumonia that require admission to a medical intensive care unit (ICU). Our findings suggest that older age, higher severity of illness at ICU admission, and chronic comorbid illnesses are the main contributors to long-term mortality from pneumonia requiring ICU admission. In this cohort, we found an independent association between increased mortality and admission from the general hospital ward rather than directly from the emergency department. Our study did not demonstrate that initial guideline-based antibiotic therapy was associated with a reduction in short-term mortality; however, it did demonstrate a high prevalence of resistant pathogens in HCAP/HAP patients, which reflects ATS/IDSA guideline expectations

TROPONIN IS INDEPENDENTLY ASSOCIATED WITH DEATH IN PATIENTS WITH COVID: A RETROSPECTIVE STUDY

Objective: We performed a single-centre retrospective observational study investigating the association between troponin positivity in patients hospitalised with COVID-19 and increased mortality in the short term. Methods: All adults admitted with swab-proven RT-PCR COVID-19 to Homerton University Hospital (HUH) from 04.02.20 to 30.04.20 were eligible for inclusion. We retrospectively analysed demographic and biochemical data collected from the physical and electronic patient records according to the primary outcome of death at 28 days during hospital admission. Troponin positivity was defined above the upper limit of normal according to our local laboratory assay (>15.5ng/l for females, >34 ng/l for males). Univariate and multivariate logistical regression analyses were performed to evaluate the link between troponin positivity and death. Results: Mean length of stay for all 402 hospitalised COVID-19 patients at HUH was 9.1 days (SD 12.0). Mean age was 65.3 years for men compared to 63.8 years for women. A chi-squared test showed that survival of COVID-19 patients was significantly higher in those with a negative troponin (p = 3.23 x10-10) compared to those with a positive troponin. In the multivariate logistical regression, lung disease, age, troponin positivity and CPAP were all significantly associated with death, with an AUC of 0.8872, sensitivity of 0.9004 and specificity of 0.6292 for the model. Within this model, troponin positivity was independently associated with short term mortality (OR 3.23, 95% CI 1.53-7.16, p=0.00278). Conclusions: We demonstrated an independent association between troponin positivity and increased short-term mortality in COVID-19 in a London district general hospital.

Assessment of Metabolic Dysfunction in Sepsis in a Retrospective Single-Centre Cohort

Objective. Our primary aim was to assess selected metabolic dysfunction parameters, both independently and as a complement to the SOFA score, as predictors of short-term mortality in patients with infection admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU). Methods. We retrospectively enrolled all consecutive adult patients admitted to the eight ICUs of Lille University Hospital, between January 2015 and September 2016, with suspected or confirmed infection. We selected seven routinely measured biological and clinical parameters of metabolic dysfunction (maximal arterial lactatemia, minimal and maximal temperature, minimal and maximal glycaemia, cholesterolemia, and triglyceridemia), in addition to age and the Charlson’s comorbidity score. All parameters and SOFA scores were recorded within 24 h of admission. Results. We included 956 patients with infection, among which 295 (30.9%) died within 90 days. Among the seven metabolic parameters investigated, only maximal lactatemia was associated with higher risk of 90-day hospital mortality in SOFA-adjusted analyses (SOFA-adjusted OR, 1.17; 95%CI, 1.10 to 1.25; p < 0.001 ). Age and the Charlson’s comorbidity score were also statistically associated with a poor prognosis in SOFA-adjusted analyses. We were thus able to develop a metabolic failure, age, and comorbidity assessment (MACA) score based on scales of lactatemia, age, and the Charlson’s score, intended for use in combination with the SOFA score. Conclusions. The maximal lactatemia level within 24 h of ICU admission is the best predictor of short-term mortality among seven measures of metabolic dysfunction. Our combined “SOFA + MACA” score could facilitate early detection of patients likely to develop severe infections. Its accuracy requires further evaluation.

Admission Dehydration Status Portends Adverse Short-Term Mortality in Patients with Spontaneous Intracerebral Hemorrhage

The impact of dehydration at admission of patients with spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) on short-term mortality remains ambiguous due to scarce data. All of the consecutive patients with spontaneous ICH, who were referred to our neurovascular center in 2018/19, were assessed for hydration status on admission. Dehydration was defined by a blood urea-to-creatinine ratio > 80. In a cohort of 249 patients, 76 patients (31%) were dehydrated at the time of admission. The following factors were significantly and independently associated with increased 30-day mortality in multivariate analysis: “signs of cerebral herniation” (p = 0.008), “initial midline shift > 5 mm” (p < 0.001), “ICH score > 3” (p = 0.007), and “admission dehydration status” (p = 0.007). The results of the present study suggest that an admission dehydration status might constitute a significant and independent predictor of short-term mortality in patients with spontaneous ICH.

Electrocardiographic Predictors of Primary Ventricular Fibrillation and 30-Day Mortality in Patients Presenting with ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction

Primary ventricular fibrillation (PVF) may occur in the early phase of ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) prior to primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Multiple electrocardiographic STEMI patterns are associated with PVF and short-term mortality including the tombstone, Lambda, and triangular QRS-ST-T waveform (TW). We aimed to compare the predictive value of different electrocardiographic STEMI patterns for PVF and 30-day mortality. We included a consecutive cohort of 407 STEMI patients (75% males, median age 66 years) presenting within 12 h of symptoms onset. At first medical contact, 14 (3%) showed the TW or Lambda ECG patterns, which were combined in a single group (TW-Lambda pattern) characterized by giant R-wave and downsloping ST-segment. PVF prior to primary PCI occurred in 39 (10%) patients, significantly more often in patients with the TW-Lambda pattern than those without (50% vs. 8%, p < 0.001). For the multivariable analysis, Killip class ≥3 (OR 6.19, 95% CI 2.37–16.1, p < 0.001) and TW-Lambda pattern (OR 9.64, 95% CI 2.99–31.0, p < 0.001) remained as independent predictors of PVF. Thirty-day mortality was also higher in patients with the TW-Lambda pattern than in those without (43% vs. 6%, p < 0.001). However, only LVEF (OR 0.86, 95% CI 0.82–0.90, p < 0.001) and PVF (OR 4.61, 95% CI 1.49–14.3, p = 0.042) remained independent predictors of mortality. A mediation analysis showed that the effect of TW-Lambda pattern on mortality was mediated mainly via the reduced LVEF. In conclusion, among patients presenting with STEMI, the electrocardiographic TW-Lambda pattern was associated with both PVF before PCI and 30-day mortality. Therefore, this ECG pattern may be useful for early risk stratification of STEMI.