CONTEXT AND OBJECTIVE: Sepsis and septic shock are very common conditions among critically ill patients that lead to multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS) and death. Our purpose was to investigate the effi cacy of early administration of dexamethasone for patients with septic shock, with the aim of halting the progression towards MODS and death. DESIGN AND SETTING:Prospective, randomized, double-blind, single-center study, developed in a surgical intensive care unit at Hospital das Clíni-cas, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo. METHODS:The study involved 29 patients with septic shock. All eligible patients were prospectively randomized to receive either a dose of 0.2 mg/kg of dexamethasone (group D) or placebo (group P), given three times at intervals of 36 hours. The patients were monitored over a seven-day period by means of the sequential organ failure assessment score. RESULTS:Patients treated with dexamethasone did not require vasopressor therapy for as much time over the seven-day period as did the placebo group (p = 0.043). Seven-day mortality was 67% in group P (10 out of 15) and 21% in group D (3 out of 14) (relative risk = 0.31, 95% confidence interval 0.11 to 0.88). Dexamethasone enhanced the effects of vasopressor drugs. CONCLUSIONS:Early treatment with dexamethasone reduced the seven-day mortality among septic shock patients and showed a trend towards reduction of 28-day mortality.

Septic shock is a severe inflammatory state caused by an infectious agent. Our purpose was to investigate serum amyloid A (SAA) protein and C-reactive protein (CRP) as inflammatory markers of septic shock patients. Here we evaluate 29 patients in postoperative period, with septic shock, in a prospective study developed in a surgical intensive care unit. All eligible patients were monitored over a 7-day period by sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA) score, daily CRP, SAA, and lactate measurements. CRP and SAA strongly correlated up to the fifth day of observation but were not good predictors of mortality in septic shock.

OBJECTIVE:Respiratory pressure-volume curves fitted to exponential equations have been used to assess disease severity and prognosis in spontaneously breathing patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Sigmoidal equations have been used to fit pressure-volume curves for mechanically ventilated patients but not for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis patients. We compared a sigmoidal model and an exponential model to fit pressure-volume curves from mechanically ventilated patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.METHODS:Six idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis patients and five controls underwent inflation pressure-volume curves using the constant-flow technique during general anesthesia prior to open lung biopsy or thymectomy. We identified the lower and upper inflection points and fit the curves with an exponential equation, V = A-B.e-k.P, and a sigmoid equation, V = a+b/(1+e-(P-c)/d).RESULTS:The mean lower inflection point for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis patients was significantly higher (10.5±5.7 cm H2O) than that of controls (3.6±2.4 cm H2O). The sigmoidal equation fit the pressure-volume curves of the fibrotic and control patients well, but the exponential equation fit the data well only when points below 50% of the inspiratory capacity were excluded.CONCLUSION:The elevated lower inflection point and the sigmoidal shape of the pressure-volume curves suggest that respiratory system compliance is decreased close to end-expiratory lung volume in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis patients under general anesthesia and mechanical ventilation. The sigmoidal fit was superior to the exponential fit for inflation pressure-volume curves of anesthetized patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and could be useful for guiding mechanical ventilation during general anesthesia in this condition.

Morbid obesity has a profound effect on respiratory mechanics and gas exchange. However, most studies were performed in morbidly obese patients before or after anesthesia. We tested the hypothesis that anesthesia and abdominal opening could modify the elastic and resistive properties of the respiratory system. Eleven morbidly obese and eight normal-weight patients scheduled for gastric binding and cancer treatment, respectively, under laparotomy were studied. Respiratory mechanics, partitioned into its lung and chest wall components, were investigated during surgery by means of the end-inspiratory inflation occlusion method and esophageal balloon at five time points. Static respiratory and lung compliance were markedly reduced in obese patients; on the contrary, static compliance of chest wall presented comparable values in both groups. Obese patients also presented higher resistances of the total respiratory system, lung and chest wall, as well as "additional" lung resistance. Mainly in obese patients, laparotomy provoked a significant increase in lung compliance and decrease in "additional" lung resistance 1 h after the peritoneum was opened, which returned to original values after the peritoneum had been closed (P < 0.005). In obese patients, low respiratory compliance and higher airway resistance were mainly determined by the lung component.

CONTEXT AND OBJECTIVE: Systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) is a very common condition among critically ill patients. SIRS, sepsis, septic shock and multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS) can lead to death. Our aim was to investigate the efficacy of a single dose of dexamethasone for blocking the progression of systemic inflammatory response syndrome. DESIGN AND SETTING: Prospective, randomized, double-blind, single-center study in a postoperative intensive care unit (Surgical Support Unit) at Hospital das Clínicas, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo. METHODS: The study involved 29 patients with SIRS. All eligible patients were prospectively randomized to receive either a single dose of 0.2 mg/kg of dexamethasone or placebo, after SIRS was diagnosed. The patients were monitored over a seven-day period using Sequential Organ Failure Assessment score (SOFA). RESULTS: The respiratory system showed an improvement on the first day after dexamethasone was administered, demonstrated by the improved PaO2/FiO2 ratio (p < 0.05). The cardiovascular system of patients requiring vasopressor therapy also improved over the first two days, with a better evolution in the dexamethasone group (p < 0.05). Non-surviving patients presented higher lactate assays than did survivors (p < 0.05) during this period. CONCLUSIONS: Dexamethasone enhanced the effects of vasopressor drugs and evaluation of the respiratory system showed improvements (better PaO2/FiO2 ratio), one day after its administration. Despite these improvements, the single dose of dexamethasone did not block the evolution of SIRS.

RESUMO CONCLUSÕES: Apesar do grande arsenal terapêutico d i s p o n í v e l n a p r á t i c a c l í n i c a , n o ta -s e u m g r a n d e desconhecimento das principais características dos fármacos

JUSTIFICATIVA E OBJETIVOS:A síndrome da resposta inflamatória sistêmica (SRIS) é comum em pacientes em estado crítico no pós-operatório. O objetivo deste estudo foi investigar a correlação entre dosagem de lactato, disfunção de múltiplos órgãos e mortalidade em pacientes com diagnóstico de SRIS. MÉTODO: BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES:The systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) is common in the postoperative period of critically ill patients. The objective of this study was to investigate the correlation between lactate level, multiple organ dysfunction, and mortality in patients with SIRS. ). Multiple organ failure was evaluated by the SOFA (Sequential Organ Failure Assessment) score daily, for 7 days. After the 7-day follow-up period patients were followed for up to 28 days, until discharge from the hospital or death. METHODS: RESULTS:Thirteen patients were included in the LE Group after the diagnosis of SIRS and 11 patients in the LN Group. The relative risk (RR) of death in 7 days for the LE Group was 4.23 (CI 95% 2.25-7.95) times greater than in the LN Group in the first day of the study. The RR of death in 28 days was 1.7 times greater for the LE Group (CI 95% 0.84-3.46). The SOFA score was similar in both groups. CONCLUSIONS:Patients with elevated lactate in the first 24 hours after the diagnosis of SIRS did not have more organic dysfunction than patients with normal lactate levels, but they had an increased risk of death in 7 days.

CONTEXT AND OBJECTIVE: C-reactive protein (CRP) is commonly used as a marker for inflammatory states and for early identification of infection. This study aimed to investigate CRP as a marker for infection in patients with postoperative septic shock. DESIGN AND SETTING:Prospective, single-center study, developed in a surgical intensive care unit at Hospital das Clínicas, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo. METHODS:This study evaluated 54 patients in the postoperative period, of whom 29 had septic shock (SS group) and 25 had systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS group). All of the patients were monitored over a seven-day period using the Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score and daily CRP and lactate measurements. RESULTS:The daily CRP measurements did not differ between the groups. There was no correlation between CRP and lactate levels and the SOFA score in the groups. We observed that the plasma CRP concentrations were high in almost all of the patients. The patients presented an inflammatory state postoperatively in response to surgical aggression. This could explain the elevated CRP measurements, regardless of whether the patient was infected or not. CONCLUSIONS:This study did not show any correlation between CRP and infection among patients with SIRS and septic shock during the early postoperative period. RESUMOCONTEXTO E OBJETIVO: A proteína C reativa (PCR) é muito usada como marcador de estados inflamatórios e na identificação precoce de infecção. Este estudo teve como proposta investigar a PCR como marcadora de infecção em pacientes em choque séptico no período pós-operatório. TIPO DE ESTUDO E LOCAL:Estudo prospectivo, monocêntrico, desenvolvido numa unidade de terapia intensiva pós-operatória do Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo. MÉTODOS:Foram avaliados 54 pacientes no pós-operatório, sendo 29 deles com choque séptico (grupo SS) e 25 com síndrome da resposta inflamatória sistêmica (grupo SI). Todos os pacientes foram acompanhados durante sete dias pelo escore SOFA (Sequential Organ Failure Assessment) e com dosagens diárias de PCR e lactato.RESULTADOS: As dosagens de PCR não diferiram entre os grupos. Não foi observada correlação entre dosagem de PCR e lactato ou escore SOFA nos grupos estudados. Observamos que as concentrações plasmáticas de PCR estavam elevadas em quase todos os pacientes avaliados. Os pacientes no pós-operatório apresentam estado inflamatório em resposta à agressão cirúrgica, sendo este fato capaz de explicar as dosagens de PCR elevadas, independentemente de o paciente estar ou não infectado.CONCLUSÕES: Este estudo não evidenciou correlação entre PCR e infecção nos pacientes com síndrome da resposta inflamatória sistêmica e choque séptico no período pós-operatório precoce.