IntroductionSepsis, severe sepsis and septic shock are common conditions with high mortality. Their early diagnosis in the Emergency Department (ED) is one of the keys to improving survival. Procalcitonin (PCT) has been used as a biomarker in septic patients but has limited specificity and can be elevated in other scenarios of systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS). Soluble CD14 (sCD14) or presepsin is the free fragment of a glycoprotein expressed on monocytes and macrophages. Preliminary reports suggest that levels of presepsin are significantly higher in septic patients than in healthy individuals. The aim of this study is to investigate the diagnostic and prognostic value of presepsin compared to PCT in people presenting at the ED with SIRS and suspected sepsis or septic shock.MethodsThis study was conducted in two major hospitals in Turin, Italy. One hundred six patients presenting to the EDs with suspected sepsis or septic shock were included, and another eighty-three patients affected by SIRS, but with no clinical evidence of infection, were recruited as controls. Blood samples were collected at first medical evaluation and for some patients after 24 and 72 h. The samples were analyzed using the PATHFAST Presepsin assay for sCD14, and commercial kits were used for other determinations (for example, PCT). Definitive diagnosis and survival rates were obtained afterward by analysis of digital medical records.ResultsElevated concentrations of presepsin at presentation were observed in septic patients compared to control patients. The same trend was observed for mean values of PCT. Higher values of presepsin were observed in septic patients at presentation (time 0). The diagnostic accuracy of PCT was generally higher, and areas under the curve (AUCs) were 0.875 for PCT and 0.701 for presepsin. Mean presepsin values were significantly higher in nonsurvivor septic patients (60-day mortality) than in survivors. No significant correlation was noted between PCT and survival.ConclusionsIn our experience, presepsin was useful in the early diagnosis of infection in a complex population of patients with SIRS, sepsis, severe sepsis and septic shock who presented to the ED. Presepsin showed a significant prognostic value, and initial values were significantly correlated with in-hospital mortality of patients affected by sepsis, severe sepsis or septic shock.

BackgroundThe aims of this prospective study were to analyze the predictors of postoperative sleep disturbance after esophagectomy for cancer and to identify patients at risk for postoperative hypnotic administration.MethodsSixty two consecutive patients who underwent cancer-related esophagectomy were enrolled in this study from May 2011 to February 2012. Data about perioperative management, postoperative complications, ICU stay, and vasopressor, hypnotic, and painkiller administration were retrieved. The EORTC QLQ-C30 was used and global quality of life (QL2 item) and sleep disturbance (SL item) were the primary endpoints. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed.ResultsPostoperative request of hypnotics independently predicted bad quality of life outcome. Sleep disturbance after esophagectomy was independently predicted by the duration of dopamine infusion in the ICU and the daily request of benzodiazepines. Even in this case, only sleep disturbance at diagnosis revealed to be an independent predictor of hypnotic administration need. ROC curve analysis showed that sleep disturbance at diagnosis was a good predictor of benzodiazepine request (AUC = 73%, P = 0.02).ConclusionsThe use of vasopressors in the ICU affects sleep in the following postoperative period and the use of hypnotics is neither completely successful nor lacking in possible consequences. Sleep disturbance at diagnosis can successfully predict patients who can develop sleep disturbance during the postoperative period.

The purpose of this case-control study was to evaluate the impact of hybrid minimally invasive esophagectomy for cancer on surgical stress response and nutritional status. All 34 consecutive patients undergoing hybrid minimally invasive esophagectomy for cancer at our surgical unit between 2008 and 2013 were retrospectively compared with 34 patients undergoing esophagectomy with open gastric tubulization (open), matched for neoadjuvant therapy, pathological stage, gender and age. Demographic data, tumor features and postoperative course (including quality of life and systemic inflammatory and nutritional status) were compared. Postoperative course was similar in terms of complication rate. Length of stay in intensive care unit was shorter in patients undergoing hybrid minimally invasive esophagectomy (P = 0.002). In the first postoperative day, patients undergoing hybrid minimally invasive esophagectomy had lower C-reactive protein levels (P = 0.001) and white cell blood count (P = 0.05), and higher albumin serum level (P = 0.001). In this group, albumin remained higher also at third (P = 0.06) and seventh (P = 0.008) postoperative day, and C-reactive protein resulted lower at third post day (P = 0.04). Hybrid minimally invasive esophagectomy significantly improved the systemic inflammatory and catabolic response to surgical trauma, contributing to a shorter length of stay in intensive care unit.

Sepsis, severe sepsis and septic shock are among the most common conditions handled in the emergency department (ED). According to new Sepsis Guidelines, early diagnosis and treatment are the keys to improve survival. Plasma C-reactive protein (CRP) and procalcitonin (PCT) levels, when associated with documented or suspected infection, are now part of the definitions of sepsis. Blood culture is the gold standard method for detecting microorganisms but it requires too much time for results to be known. Sensitive biomarkers are required for early diagnosis and as indexes of prognosis sepsis. CRP is one of the acute phase proteins synthesized by the liver: it has a great sensitivity but a very poor specificity for bacterial infections. Moreover, the evolution of sepsis does not correlate with CRP plasma changes. In recent years PCT has been widely used for sepsis differential diagnosis, because of its close correlation with infections, but it still retains some limitations and false positivity (such as in multiple trauma and burns). Soluble CD14 subtype (sCD14-ST), also known as presepsin, is a novel and promising biomarker that has been shown to increase significantly in patients with sepsis, in comparison to the healthy population. Studies pointed out the capability of this biomarker for diagnosing sepsis, assessing the severity of the disease and providing a prognostic evaluation of patient outcome. In this mini review we mainly focused on presepsin: we evaluate its diagnostic and prognostic roles in patients presenting to the ED with systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS), suspected sepsis or septic shock.

The diagnostic and prognostic usefulness of copeptin were evaluated in septic patients, as compared to procalcitonin assessment. In this single centre and observational study 105 patients were enrolled: 24 with sepsis, 25 with severe sepsis, 15 with septic shock, and 41 controls, divided in two subgroups (15 patients with gastrointestinal bleeding and 26 with suspected SIRS secondary to trauma, acute coronary syndrome, and pulmonary embolism). Biomarkers were determined at the first medical evaluation and thereafter 24, 48, and 72 hours after admission. Definitive diagnosis and in-hospital survival rates at 30 days were obtained through analysis of medical records. At entry, copeptin proved to be able to distinguish cases from controls and also sepsis group from septic shock group, while procalcitonin could distinguish also severe sepsis from septic shock group. Areas under the ROC curve for copeptin and procalcitonin were 0.845 and 0.861, respectively. Noteworthy, patients with copeptin concentrations higher than the threshold value (23.2 pmol/L), calculated from the ROC curve, at admission presented higher 30-day mortality. No significant differences were found in copeptin temporal profile among different subgroups. Copeptin showed promising diagnostic and prognostic role in the management of sepsis, together with its possible role in monitoring the response to treatment.

ObjectivesPoor pain management is relevant among individuals unable to communicate verbally (UCV). Analgesia may be due to three determinants: patients' status, physician's characteristics and pain etiology. Our aim is to investigate the association between prescription of ED pain treatment and these determinants.Materials and MethodsAn observational prospective study including UCV patients was conducted. Severity of pain was evaluated by ALGOPLUS Scale and a score P ≥ 2 out of 5 on the pain scale was retained as the threshold for the presence of acute pain in elderly UCV patients.ResultsOur data showed that only 31,9% of UCV patients received a pharmacological treatment. The presence of the caregiver would influence the rate of therapy administration [OR 6,19 (95% CI 2,6–14,75)]. The presence of leg pain [OR 0,32 (95% CI 0,12–0,86)] and head pain [OR 0,29 (95% CI 0,10–0,84)] were less likely associated to receive analgesia. Pain related to trauma [OR 4.82 (95% CI 1.17 to 19.78)] and youngest physicians [OR 1.08 (95% CI 1.001 to 1.18)] were variables associated with the administration of drugs opiates.DiscussionOlder UCV patients presenting to the ED with pain are at high risk of inadequate analgesia. Providers should always suspect presence of pain and an increasing need for behavioural pain evaluation is necessary for a complete assessment.ConclusionsPresence of a caregiver influences a more appropriate pain management in these patients. Staff training on pain management could result in better assessment, treatment, and interaction with caregivers.

The authors report a case of gallstone ileus of the sigmoid colon in an 80-year-old woman admitted to the hospital with symptoms and signs of large bowel obstruction and asymptomatic cholelithiasis. Radiological investigation (abdominal X-ray and CT scan) showed a large gallstone impacted in the sigmoid colon. At first, the patient was managed conservatively, but the recurrence of the intestinal obstruction required open cholecystectomy, suturing of the colonic fistula and sigmoidectomy.

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