Trace elements and septic shock in elderly patients

Abstract

Background: Sepsis is defined as an inflammatory body response to infection, with severe sepsis and septic shock being its more severe forms. 1 Despite advances in the management of septic patients, sepsis is still the second leading cause of death among patients in non-coronary intensive care units (ICU). 2 The number of elderly admitted to ICU is increasing in recent years due to increase survival. 3 Routinely, the macronutrient contribution is thoroughly studied when a patient is admitted to ICU. However, it must be kept in mind that along with macronutrients, micronutrients are also significant, and these must be taken into account. Previous studies tackled trace elements in relation to surgery complications 4 , and total parenteral nutrition. 5 Concerning sepsis, some studies were conducted to evaluate if trace elements are related to inflammation 6 , critical illness 7 and if supplementation would affect the outcome. 8 We aimed to evaluate baseline trace elements as s predictor of septic shock in Egyptian elderly patients within intensive care setting. Methods Prospective observational single central cohort study included all patients ≥ 60 years old, admitted to geriatric ICU during a 6 months period. Patients admitted for brief postoperative monitoring were excluded. The subjects were further subdivided into two groups. First group includes patients who developed septic shock. The second group included patients who did not develop septic shock.