Objective We evaluated the performance of diastolic shock index (DSI) and lactate in predicting vasopressor requirement among hypotensive patients with suspected infection in an emergency department.Methods This was a single-center, retrospective observational study for adult patients with suspected infection and hypotension in the emergency department from 2018 to 2019. The study population was split into derivation and validation cohorts (70/30). We derived a simple risk score to predict vasopressor requirement using DSI and lactate cutoff values determined by Youden index. We tested the score by the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC). We performed a multivariable regression analysis to evaluate the association between the timing of vasopressor treatment and 28-day mortality.Results A total of 1,917 patients were included. We developed a score, assigning 1 point each for the high DSI (≥2.0) and high lactate (≥2.5 mmol/L) criteria. The AUCs of the score were 0.741 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.715–0.768) at hypotension and 0.736 (95% CI, 0.708–0.763) after initial fluid challenge in the derivation cohort and 0.676 (95% CI, 0.631–0.719) at hypotension and 0.688 (95% CI, 0.642–0.733) after initial fluid challenge in the validation cohort, respectively. In patients with scores of 2 points, early vasopressor therapy initiation was significantly associated with decreased 28-day mortality (adjusted odds ratio, 0.37; 95% CI, 0.14–0.94).Conclusion A prediction model with DSI and lactate levels might be useful to identify patients who are more likely to need vasopressor administration among hypotensive patients with suspected infection.

We investigated the prognostic performance of scoring systems by the intensive care unit (ICU) type. This was a retrospective observational study using data from the Marketplace for Medical Information in the Intensive Care IV database. The primary outcome was in-hospital mortality. We obtained Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA), Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) III, and Simplified Acute Physiology Score (SAPS) II scores in each ICU type. Prognostic performance was evaluated with the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) and was compared among ICU types. A total of 29,618 patients were analyzed, and the in-hospital mortality was 12.4%. The overall prognostic performance of APACHE III was significantly higher than those of SOFA and SAPS II (0.807, [95% confidence interval, 0.799–0.814], 0.785 [0.773–0.797], and 0.795 [0.787–0.811], respectively). The prognostic performance of SOFA, APACHE III, and SAPS II scores was significantly different between ICU types. The AUROC ranges of SOFA, APACHE III, and SAPS II were 0.723–0.826, 0.728–0.860, and 0.759–0.819, respectively. The neurosurgical and surgical ICUs had lower prognostic performance than other ICU types. The prognostic performance of scoring systems in patients with suspected infection is significantly different according to ICU type. APACHE III systems have the highest prediction performance. ICU type may be a significant factor in the prognostication.

The optimal duration of on-scene cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) patients remains uncertain. Determining this critical time period requires outweighing the potential risks associated with intra-arrest transport while minimizing delays in accessing definitive hospital-based treatments. This study evaluated the association between on-scene CPR duration and 30-day neurologically favorable survival based on the transport time interval (TTI) in patients with OHCA. We retrospectively analyzed data from the Korean Cardiac Arrest Research Consortium registry of OHCA, comprising 65 participating hospitals in South Korea, between October 2015 and December 2021. We categorized the patients into Short-TTI (TTI < 10 min) and Long-TTI (TTI ≥ 10 min) groups. Differences in clinical features were adjusted for using propensity score matching (PSM) for TTI. The primary outcome was a 30-day neurologically favorable outcome, defined as cerebral performance category 1 or 2. Multivariable logistic regression was used to determine the variables associated with clinical outcomes. A generalized additive model based on a restricted cubic spline smooth function was utilized to infer the optimal cutoff point for on-scene CPR duration. Of the 6,345 patients, 5,844 PSM pairings were created (Short-TTI: 2,922; Long-TTI: 2,922). The primary outcome was achieved in 7.4% and 9.8% of the patients in Short-TTI and Long-TTI groups, respectively (p = 0.001). Increased on-scene CPR duration was associated with decreased neurologically favorable survival (adjusted odds ratio, 0.94; 95% confidence interval, 0.92–0.96). The optimal on-scene CPR durations in the overall PSM, Short-TTI, and Long-TTI groups were 5.1, 0, and 5.0 min, respectively. An adjusted on-scene CPR duration based on expected transport duration may be beneficial for favorable clinical outcomes in patients with OHCA.

The prognostic value of low vitamin C levels has not been well investigated in patients with septic shock. We aimed to evaluate the association of vitamin C deficiency with mortality in patients with septic shock. We conducted a retrospective analysis of 165 patients with septic shock from a prospective multicenter trial and institutional sepsis registry between April 2018 and January 2020. The primary outcome was 28-day mortality. The patients were categorized into vitamin C deficiency and normal groups based on a vitamin C cutoff level of 11.4 mmol/L. Multivariable Cox regression analysis was performed to examine the association between vitamin C levels and 28-day mortality. A total of 165 patients was included for analysis and 77 (46.7%) had vitamin C deficiency. There was no significant difference in the 28-day mortality rate between the vitamin C deficiency group and the normal group (23.4% (n = 18/77) vs. 13.6% (n = 12/88), p = 0.083). Multivariable Cox proportional hazard analysis showed vitamin C deficiency to be associated with increased risk of 28-day mortality (adjusted hazard ratio, 2.65, 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.08–6.45; p = 0.032). Initial vitamin C deficiency was associated with a higher risk of 28-day mortality in patients with septic shock after adjusting for intravenous administration of vitamin C and thiamine, baseline characteristics, laboratory findings, and severity of illness.

This study sought to determine whether the C-MAC video laryngoscope (VL) performed better than a direct laryngoscope (DL) when attempting endotracheal intubation (ETI) in the emergency department (ED) while wearing personal protective equipment (PPE). This was a retrospective single-center observational study conducted in an academic ED between February 2020 and March 2022. All emergency medical personnel who participated in any ETI procedure were required to wear PPE. The patients were divided into the C-MAC VL group and the DL group based on the device used during the first ETI attempt. The primary outcome measure was the first-pass success (FPS) rate. A multiple logistic regression was used to determine the factors associated with FPS. Of the 756 eligible patients, 650 were assigned to the C-MAC group and 106 to the DL group. The overall FPS rate was 83.5% (n = 631/756). The C-MAC group had a significantly higher FPS rate than the DL group (85.7% vs. 69.8%, p < 0.001). In the multivariable logistic regression analysis, C-MAC use was significantly associated with an increased FPS rate (adjusted odds ratio, 2.86; 95% confidence interval, 1.69–4.08; p < 0.001). In this study, we found that the FPS rate of ETI was significantly higher when the C-MAC VL was used than when a DL was used by emergency physicians constrained by cumbersome PPE.

We sought to determine whether blade size influences the first-pass success (FPS) rate when performing endotracheal intubation (ETI) with a C-MAC video laryngoscope (VL) in emergency department (ED) patients. This single-center, retrospective, observational study was conducted between August 2016 and July 2022. A total of 1467 patients was divided into two categories based on the blade size used during the first ETI attempt: blade-3 (n = 365) and blade-4 groups (n = 1102). The primary outcome was the FPS rate. The secondary outcomes included the glottic view, multiple attempt rate, and ETI-related complications. We used propensity score matching to reduce the potential confounders between the two groups. Among these, 363 pairs of matched propensity scores were generated. The FPS rate did not differ between the blade-3 (84.8%) and blade-4 groups (87.3%) in the matched cohort (p = 0.335). The multiple attempt rate did not differ significantly between groups (p = 0.289) and was 3.9% and 2.5% in the blade-3 and blade-4 groups, respectively. The difficult glottic view (11.3 vs. 6.9%, p = 0.039) and complication rates (15.4% vs. 10.5%, p = 0.047) were significantly higher in the blade-3 group than in the blade-4 group. The FPS rates of ETI with the blade-3 and blade-4 groups in adult patients in the ED did not differ significantly.