BackgroundThere is a lack of validated tools to assess potential disease progression and hospitalisation decisions in patients presenting to the emergency department (ED) with a suspected infection. This study aimed to identify suitable blood biomarkers (MR-proADM, PCT, lactate and CRP) or clinical scores (SIRS, SOFA, qSOFA, NEWS and CRB-65) to fulfil this unmet clinical need.MethodsAn observational derivation patient cohort validated by an independent secondary analysis across nine EDs. Logistic and Cox regression, area under the receiver operating characteristic (AUROC) and Kaplan-Meier curves were used to assess performance. Disease progression was identified using a composite endpoint of 28-day mortality, ICU admission and hospitalisation > 10 days.ResultsOne thousand one hundred seventy-five derivation and 896 validation patients were analysed with respective 28-day mortality rates of 7.1% and 5.0%, and hospitalisation rates of 77.9% and 76.2%. MR-proADM showed greatest accuracy in predicting 28-day mortality and hospitalisation requirement across both cohorts. Patient subgroups with high MR-proADM concentrations (≥ 1.54 nmol/L) and low biomarker (PCT < 0.25 ng/mL, lactate < 2.0 mmol/L or CRP < 67 mg/L) or clinical score (SOFA < 2 points, qSOFA < 2 points, NEWS < 4 points or CRB-65 < 2 points) values were characterised by a significantly longer length of hospitalisation (p < 0.001), rate of ICU admission (p < 0.001), elevated mortality risk (e.g. SOFA, qSOFA and NEWS HR [95%CI], 45.5 [10.0–207.6], 23.4 [11.1–49.3] and 32.6 [9.4–113.6], respectively) and a greater number of disease progression events (p < 0.001), compared to similar subgroups with low MR-proADM concentrations (< 1.54 nmol/L). Increased out-patient treatment across both cohorts could be facilitated using a derivation-derived MR-proADM cut-off of < 0.87 nmol/L (15.0% and 16.6%), with decreased readmission rates and no mortalities.ConclusionsIn patients presenting to the ED with a suspected infection, the blood biomarker MR-proADM could most accurately identify the likelihood of further disease progression. Incorporation into an early sepsis management protocol may therefore aid rapid decision-making in order to either initiate, escalate or intensify early treatment strategies, or identify patients suitable for safe out-patient treatment.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1186/s13054-019-2329-5) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Bedside sonographic measurement of optic nerve sheath diameter can aid in the diagnosis of elevated intracranial pressure in the emergency department. This case report describes a 21-year-old female presenting with 4 months of mild headache and 2 weeks of recurrent, transient binocular vision loss. Though limited by patient discomfort, fundoscopic examination suggested the presence of blurred optic disc margins. Bedside ocular ultrasound (BOUS) revealed wide optic nerve sheath diameters and bulging optic discs bilaterally. Lumbar puncture demonstrated a cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) opening pressure of 54 cm H2O supporting the suspected diagnosis of idiopathic intracranial hypertension. Accurate fundoscopy can be vital to the appropriate diagnosis and treatment of patients with suspected elevated intracranial pressure, but it is often technically difficult or poorly tolerated by the photophobic patient. BOUS is a quick and easily learned tool to supplement the emergency physician's fundoscopic examination and help identify patients with elevated intracranial pressure.

This prospective study including medical patients upon emergency room admission found hyponatremia as well as an activation of the vasopressin system to be independently associated with mortality. This suggests that stress- and vasopressin-independent mechanisms are responsible for the association of low sodium levels with mortality.

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In this large medical emergency department patient cohort, admission hyperglycaemia was strongly associated with adverse clinical course in people without diabetes. (Clinical Trial Registry No: NCT01768494).