Sepsis

Serious infections are responsible for 1 in 10 gout hospitalizations, with sepsis being the most common diagnosis among serious-infection hospitalizations for patients with gout, according to data published in Arthritis Care & Research.

Among individuals living with HIV, those with insomnia had greater risk for type 2 MI, but not type 1 MI, than those without it.

Opioid use disorder increased the risk for death from sepsis, especially among young and healthy patients, according to findings presented at the Society of Critical Care Medicine’s Critical Care Congress.

Children and adolescents who were admitted to a NICU at birth have a greater risk for developing psychiatric disorders, psychiatric comorbidity and oppositional defiant disorder, according to results of a cross-sectional observational study published in Archives of Disease in Childhood.

Healio has compiled a list of recent articles highlighting news, research and issues in critical care medicine.

A 16-month-old female is admitted to the PICU with fever and concerns for sepsis. A few weeks earlier, she had the onset of a generalized maculopapular rash. The rash seemed to wax and wane, and then 4 days prior to admission, she was seen and treated with oral amoxicillin for fever and acute otitis media. The rash had since transitioned into several dark skin lesions with some surrounding erythema. Several lesions had become significantly larger, especially a presacral lesion (Figure 1), as well as lesions on both upper and lower lips (Figure 2) and her right ankle. A swab of the surface of the presacral lesion was sent for routine bacterial culture, growing three organisms: methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA), Enterobacter and Klebsiella.

When compared with hydrocortisone alone, treatment with a combination of IV vitamin C, thiamine and hydrocortisone did not prolong time alive and free of vasopressor administration for patients with septic shock, according to data from the VITAMINS trial.

WHO released a list of 10 global health challenges for the new decade that it says leaders are failing to invest in appropriately. It was the week’s top story in infectious disease.

Treatment with high-dose erythropoietin, or EPO, is not associated with a lower risk for death or severe neurodevelopmental impairment at 2 years of age in extremely preterm infants, according to phase 3 trial results published in The New England Journal of Medicine.

Researchers identified a protein, oncostatin-M, as a potential prognostic biomarker and therapeutic target for sepsis, according to a study published in The Journal of Infectious Diseases.