Objectives: Hospital-acquired bloodstream infections (HA-BSI) in the intensive care unit (ICU) are common life-threatening events. We aimed to investigate the association between early adequate antibiotic therapy and 28-day mortality in ICU patients who survived at least 1 day after the onset of HA- BSI. Methods: We used individual data from a prospective, observational, multicentre, and intercontinental cohort study (Eurobact2). We included patients who were followed for >1 day and for whom time-to- appropriate treatment was available. We used an adjusted frailty Cox proportional-hazard model to assess the effect of time-to-treatment-adequacy on 28-day mortality. Infection- and patient-related variables identified as confounders by the Directed Acyclic Graph were used for adjustment. Adequate therapy within 24 hours was used for the primary analysis. Secondary analyses were performed for adequate therapy within 48 and 72 hours and for identified patient subgroups. Results: Among the 2418 patients included in 330 centres worldwide, 28-day mortality was 32.8% (n = 402/1226) in patients who were adequately treated within 24 hours after HA-BSI onset and 40% (n = 477/1192) in inadequately treated patients (p < 0.01). Adequacy within 24 hours was more common in young, immunosuppressed patients, and with HA-BSI due to Gram-negative pathogens. Antimicrobial adequacy was significantly associated with 28-day survival (adjusted Hazard Ratio (aHR), 0.83; 95% CI, 0.72-0.96; p 0.01). The estimated population attributable fraction of 28-day mortality of inadequate therapy was 9.15% (95% CI, 1.9-16.2%). Discussion: In patients with HA-BSI admitted to the ICU, the population attributable fraction of 28-day mortality of inadequate therapy within 24 hours was 9.15%. This estimate should be used when hypothesizing the possible benefit of any intervention aiming at reducing the time-to-appropriate antimicrobial therapy in HA-BSI.

BackgroundThe purpose of this study was to prospectively investigate the incidence of influenza-associated pulmonary aspergillosis (IAPA) in influenza patients admitted to intensive care units in Sweden.MethodsThe study included consecutive adult patients with PCR-verified influenza A or B in 12 Swedish intensive care units (ICUs) over four influenza seasons (2019-2023). Patients were screened using serum galactomannan and beta-d-glucan tests and fungal culture of a respiratory sample at inclusion and weekly during the ICU stay. Bronchoalveolar lavage was performed if clinically feasible. IAPA was classified according to recently proposed case definitions.ResultsThe cohort included 55 patients; 42% were female, and the median age was 59 (IQR 48-71) years. All patients had at least one galactomannan test, beta-d-glucan test and respiratory culture performed. Bronchoalveolar lavage was performed in 24 (44%) of the patients. Five (9%, 95% CI 3.8% - 20.4%) patients were classified as probable IAPA, of which four lacked classical risk factors. The overall ICU mortality was significantly higher among IAPA patients than non-IAPA patients (60% vs 8%, p = 0.01).ConclusionsThe study represents the first prospective investigation of IAPA incidence. The 9% incidence of IAPA confirms the increased risk of invasive pulmonary aspergillosis among influenza patients admitted to the ICU. Therefore, it appears reasonable to implement a screening protocol for the early diagnosis and treatment of IAPA in influenza patients receiving intensive care.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov NCT04172610, registered November 21, 2019

The term frailty denotes a multi-dimensional syndrome characterised by reduced physiological reserves and increased vulnerability. Frailty may be used as a marker of biological age, distinct from chronological age. There are several instruments for frailty assessment. The Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS) is probably the most commonly used in the acute care context. It is a 9-level scale, derived from the accumulated deficit model of frailty, which combines comorbidity, disability, and cognitive impairment. The CFS assessment is fast and easy to implement in daily clinical practice. The CFS is relevant for risk stratification, and may also be used as a screening instrument to identify frail patients suitable for further geriatric evaluation, i.e. a comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA). By providing information on long-term prognosis, it may improve informed decision-making on an individual basis.

Skörhet (frailty) är ett kliniskt syndrom med sviktandefysiologiska reserver och ökad sårbarhet för påfrestningar.b Clinical frailty scale (CFS) är ett av de vanligaste skattningsinstrumentenför skörhet.b CFS är en markör för biologisk ålder, och skalanbygger på klinisk bedömning av samsjuklighet, ADL ochkognitiv förmåga.b CFS kan användas som stöd för riskstratifiering ochför att göra ett första urval av vilka personer som kangagnas av övergripande geriatrisk handläggning (comprehensivegeriatric assessment, CGA).b CFS kan användas på klinisk nivå som ett av flera stödför individualiserad behandling.b CFS kan bidra till att individer med hög kronologiskålder inte slentrianmässigt ges låg prioritet beträffandeolika interventioner.

Background Patients with sepsis may have an increased risk of late mortality, but the causes of late death are unclear. This retrospective matched cohort study aimed to determine the causes of late death (&gt;= 1 year) among patients with sepsis compared to patients without sepsis. Methods 8760 patients with severe sepsis or septic shock (2001 consensus criteria) registered in the Swedish Intensive Care Registry (2008-2013) were compared with a 1:1 matched (gender, age, SAPS3 probability for death, ICU length of stay) control group consisting of non-septic ICU patients. Causes of death (International Classification of Diseases codes) were obtained from the Swedish Cause of Death Register (2008-2014). Results During 2008-2014, 903 patients with sepsis died at &gt;= 365 days after their initial septic event, compared to 884 patients in the control group. Median time of follow-up was 313 days (sepsis group, interquartile range 11-838 days) vs 288 days (control group, 9-836 days). The most common causes of death were heart diseases (sepsis: 50.2%, non-septic: 48.6%) and cancer (sepsis: 33.7%, non-septic: 31.7%). Infectious diseases were significantly more common cause of death in the sepsis group (24.3% vs 19.6%, respectively; P &lt; .05). Pneumonia was a common infectious cause of death in both groups, whereas sepsis was more common in the sepsis group. Conclusions The most common causes of late death after ICU admission among patients with and without sepsis were heart diseases and cancer. However, patients with sepsis more frequently had infectious diseases as a cause of late death, compared to non-septic patients.

BACKGROUND Early appropriate antibiotic therapy is an important component of the Surviving Sepsis Guidelines bundles that are associated with decreased in-hospital mortality. National antibiotic guidelines for the treatment of sepsis in Sweden have been available since 2008. Compliance with these guidelines is largely unknown, and whether it translates to improved patient outcome has not been studied. OBJECTIVE To assess mortality and its relationship to compliance with Swedish antibiotic guidelines. A secondary aim was to assess the effect of timing of antibiotic administration and mortality. DESIGN A registry-based, retrospective cohort study. Registry data were supplemented by manual extraction of data on antibiotic treatment from patient charts. The association between guideline compliance and mortality was evaluated using multivariable analysis. Three levels of compliance were predefined: full compliance - correct antibiotics and dose; partial compliance - correct antibiotic but wrong dose and/or wrong initial antibiotic but corrected within 24 h and/or wrong combination in a combined regime that is at least one antibiotic not in line with the national antibiotic guideline; no compliance - incorrect antibiotic. SETTING Two general ICUs in Sweden between 1 January 2011 and 31 December 2015. PATIENTS Seven hundred and thirteen patients over the age of 18 with severe sepsis or septic shock identified through the Swedish ICU Registry. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES The primary outcome was 30-day mortality. RESULTS Full compliance was observed in 47.0% of patients, partial compliance in 36.0%, and no compliance in 17.0%. Lack of compliance was independently associated with increased risk of 30-day mortality: the adjusted hazard ratio was 1.86 (95% CI 1.34 to 2.58 P amp;lt; 0.001) for partial compliance and 2.18 (95% CI 1.34 to 3.40 P amp;lt; 0.001) for no compliance. The time to first antibiotic administration was not associated with mortality. CONCLUSION Less than half of the patients with severe sepsis and septic shock received antibiotics according to Swedish national guidelines. Full compliance with the guidelines was associated with decreased mortality. The results of this study show that a strict approach to guideline compliance seems to be beneficial: half measures and inadequate doses should be avoided.

[No abstract available]

BACKGROUND: Cardiac dysfunction is a well-known complication of sepsis, but its long-term consequences and implications for patients remain unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate cardiac outcome in sepsis by assessing causes of death up to 2 years after treatment in an Intensive Care Unit (ICU) in a nationwide register-based cohort collected from the Swedish Intensive Care Registry.

METHODS: A cohort of 13 669 sepsis and septic shock ICU patients from 2008 to 2014 was collected together with a non-septic control group, matched regarding age, sex and severity of illness (n = 6582), and all without preceding severe cardiac disease. For a large proportion of the severe sepsis and septic shock patients (n = 7087), no matches were found. Information on causes of death up to 2 years after ICU admission was sought in the Swedish National Board of Health and Welfare's Cause of Death Registry.

RESULTS: Intensive Care Unit mortality was nearly identical in a matched comparison of sepsis patients to controls (24% in both groups) but higher in more severely ill sepsis patients for whom no matches were found (33% vs 24%, P < 0.001). There was no association of sepsis to cardiac deaths in the first month (OR 1.03, 95%CI 0.87 to 1.20, P = 0.76) nor up to 2 years after ICU admission (OR 1.01, 95%CI 0.82 to 1.25, P = 0.94) in an adjusted between-group comparison.

CONCLUSIONS: There was no association with an increased risk of death related to cardiac disease in patients with severe sepsis or septic shock when compared to other ICU patients with similar severity of illness.

Background: Cardiac dysfunction is a well-known complication of sepsis, but its characteristics and consequences, especially on a longer term, remain unclear. The aim of this thesis was to study the characteristics and the implications of cardiac dysfunction for outcome in intensive care unit (ICU) patients with septic shock.

Purpose: First, to assess the ability of a cardiac biomarker to predict outcome in ICU patients. Second, to characterise cardiac dysfunction in septic shock using speckle tracking echocardiography. Third, to investigate the reliability of echocardiographic methods used to describe cardiac dysfunction in septic shock. Fourth, to study long-term cardiac outcome in severe sepsis and septic shock patients.

Materials and methods: The cardiac biomarker amino-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NTproBNP) was collected in 481 patients on ICU admission and its ability to predict death was assessed. In 50 patients with septic shock, echocardiography was performed on ICU admission and was repeated during and after ICU stay. Measurements of cardiac strain using speckle tracking echocardiography were assessed in relation to other echocardiographic function parameters, NT-proBNP and severity of illness scores, and their change over time was analysed. Echocardiograms from patients with septic shock were independently evaluated by two physicians and the results analysed regarding measurement variability. A nationwide-registry-based open cohort of 9,520 severe sepsis and septic shock ICU patients discharged alive from the ICU was analysed together with a non-septic control group matched for age, sex and severity of illness. In patients who died after ICU discharge, information on causes of death was collected.

Results: A discriminatory level of significance of NT-proBNP on ICU admission was identified at ≥1,380 ng/L, above which NT-proBNP was an independent predictor of death. With increasing levels of NT-proBNP, patients were more severely ill, had a longer ICU stay and were more often admitted with septic shock. Cardiac strain was frequently impaired in septic shock patients but was not superior to other echocardiographic measurements in detecting cardiac dysfunction. Cardiac strain correlated with other echocardiographic function parameters and with NT-proBNP, and was the least user-dependent echocardiographic parameter in septic shock patients. Cardiac strain remained unchanged over time, did not differ between survivors and non-survivors and could not predict an increased risk of death. During a follow-up of up to nearly 6 years after ICU discharge, 3,954 (42%) of sepsis patients died, 654 (17%) with cardiac failure as the cause of death. With increasing severity of illness on admission, the risk of death with cardiac failure as the cause of death after ICU discharge increased. In comparison to other ICU patients with similar severity of illness, however, the risk of death due to cardiac was not increased in patients with severe sepsis or septic shock.

Conclusions: Laboratory or echocardiographic signs of cardiac dysfunction are commonly seen in ICU patients in general and in septic shock patients in particular. The assessment of cardiac dysfunction in patients with septic shock is, however, complicated by pre-existing comorbidities, by treatment given in the ICU and by critical illness in itself. Signs of cardiac dysfunction, and the increasing risk of death related to cardiac failure seen after remission of sepsis, may therefore be reflections of critical illness per se, rather than of sepsis.

Introduction: Cardiac dysfunction is a well-known complication of sepsis, but its long-term consequences remain unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate cardiac outcome after sepsis by assessing causes of death in a nationwide register-based cohort.

Methods: A cohort of 9,520 severe sepsis and septic shock intensive care (ICU) patients without preceding severe cardiac failure and discharged alive from the ICU was collected from the Swedish Intensive Care Registry (SIR) from 2008 to 2013, together with a nonseptic control group (n = 4,577). Patients were matched according to age, sex and severity of illness. Information on cause of death after ICU discharge was sought in the Swedish National Board of Health and Welfare’s Cause of Death Registry.

Results: After ICU discharge, 3,954 (42%) of severe sepsis or septic shock patients died. In 654 (16%) of these, cardiac failure was registered as the cause of death. The follow-up time was 17,693 person-years (median 583 days/person; maximum 5.7 years) and the median (IQR) time from ICU discharge to cardiac failure-related death 81 (17 - 379) days. With increasing severity of illness (quartiles of SAPS3), the hazard rate for cardiac failure-related death increased (hazard ratio (HR) 1.58 (95% CI 1.19 - 2.09, p <0.001) in the highest quartile compared to the lowest). In a matched comparison between severe sepsis or septic shock patients and controls, survival was similar, and the hazard rate for cardiac failurerelated death did not differ between groups (HR 0.97, 95% CI 0.88 – 1.10, p = 0.62).

Conclusions: The risk of death with cardiac failure as the cause of death after severe sepsis or septic shock increases with severity of illness on admission. Patients with severe sepsis or septic shock are not, however, at an increased risk of death with cardiac failure as the cause of death when compared to other ICU patients with similar severity of illness.

Quantification of lung ultrasound (LUS) artifacts (B-lines) is used to assess pulmonary congestion in emergency medicine and cardiology [1,2]. We investigated B-lines in relation to extravascular lung-water index (EVLWI) from invasive transpulmonary thermodilution in septic shock patients. Our aim was to evaluate the role of LUS in an intensive care setting.