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Background. We examined the association between sarcopenia and post-transplant mortality in acutely ill inpatients with cirrhosis who underwent urgent liver transplantation. Methods. Included were inpatients at 4 centers who were urgently listed as nonstatus 1 and transplanted from 2005 to 2017 with an abdominal computed tomography scan <90 days before transplantation. Skeletal muscle index (SMI) = total skeletal muscle cross-sectional area at the L3 vertebral level, normalized to height. Cox regression associated SMI with post-transplant mortality. Optimal search identified SMI cutoffs to detect survival. Results. Of 126 inpatients, 63% were male patients, model for end-stage liver disease (MELDNa) was 32, and follow up was 5.1 years. Among men, 23% died. Median SMI was lower in men who died versus survived (45 versus 51 cm2/m2). SMI was associated with post-transplant mortality (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.96 per cm2/m2, 95% CI 0.92-0.99). Patients with SMI ≤ 48 cm2/m2 versus >48 cm2/m2 experienced higher rates of death at 1 year (86% versus 95%) and 3 years (73% versus 95%) (Log-rank P = 0.01). In MELD-adjusted analysis, sarcopenia was strongly associated with post-transplant mortality (HR = 4.39, 95% CI 1.49-12.97). Among women, 35% died. Median SMI was similar in women who died versus survived (45 versus 44 cm2/m2). SMI was not associated with post-transplant mortality (HR = 1.02, 95% CI 0.96-1.09). Optimal search did not identify any SMI cutoff that predicted post-transplant mortality. Conclusions. Among patients who underwent urgent inpatient evaluation and liver transplantation, we identified an SMI cutoff value of 48 cm2/m2 to predict post-transplant mortality in men. Our data support the use of SMI as a tool to capture the impact of muscle depletion on post-transplant mortality in acutely ill men with cirrhosis undergoing urgent liver transplantation.

AbstractBackgroundThe military use of ketamine is well established. The benefits of prehospital civilian use have not been extensively reported.MethodsA retrospective review was performed of patients with prehospital ketamine use in Mayo One’s air and critical care ground transport.ResultsThe medical records were reviewed from 2014 to 2016 to assess the efficacy of Ketamine. During this time frame, 158 (167 instances) patients were treated with ketamine for analgesia (38%), sedation (44%), or procedural (18%) use. The patient population had a mean age of 49 (range: 1–100), with 105 (67%) male patients. Indications included trauma (69%), which was further broken down into blunt (57%), penetrating (4%), and miscellaneous (8%), and medical illness (31%). The mean ketamine dose was 52.6 mg (range: 5–200 mg) via intravenous route. Ketamine was utilized in 61% of patients after other medications were ineffective. Overall success rate was 98%. Mean pain scale before and after ketamine use was 9/10 and 3/10, respectively. Ketamine use increased yearly from 21 (13%) in 2014, 56 (36%) in 2015, and 81 (51%) in 2016.ConclusionPrehospital ketamine use is effective alone or in conjunction with other medications for analgesia, sedation, and procedural use in trauma and critically ill patients with minimal hemodynamic and respiratory consequences.

Background: Efforts to improve prescription of oral anticoagulation (OAC) drugs in patients with atrial fibrillation have had limited success in improving guideline adherence. Methods: We evaluated adherence to the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association performance measures for OAC in eligible patients with a CHA 2 DS 2 -VASc score ≥2 and trends in prescription over time in the American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines–AFIB (atrial fibrillation) registry. Adjusted associations with in-hospital outcomes were also determined. The cohort included 33 235 patients with a CHA 2 DS 2 -VASc score ≥2 who were admitted for atrial fibrillation and were enrolled at 115 sites between January 1, 2013, and September 31, 2017. Results: The median (25th, 75th percentile) age was 73 years (65, 81 years); 51% were female; and the median (25th, 75th percentile) CHA 2 DS 2 -VASc score was 4 (3, 5). At admission, 16 206 (59.5%) of 27 221 patients with a previous diagnosis of atrial fibrillation were taking OAC agents, and OAC drug use at admission was associated with a lower adjusted odds of in-hospital ischemic stroke (odds ratio, 0.38; 95% CI, 0.24–0.59; P <0.0001). At discharge, prescription of OAC in eligible patients (no contraindications) was 93.5% (n=25 499 of 27 270). In a sensitivity analysis, when excluding only strict contraindications (4.6%, n=1497 of 32 806), OAC prescription at discharge was 80.3%. OAC prescription at discharge was higher in those aged ≤75 years, men, those with heart failure, those with previous atrial fibrillation ablation, and those with rhythm control ( P <0.0001 for all). OAC use was lowest in Hispanic patients (90.2%, P <0.0001). Prescription of OAC at discharge in eligible patients improved over time from 79.9% to 96.6% ( P <0.0001). Conclusions: Among hospitals participating in the GWTG-AFIB quality improvement program, OAC prescription at discharge in eligible guideline-indicated patients increased significantly and improved consistently over time. These data confirm that high-level adherence to guideline-recommended stroke prevention is achievable.

AbstractBackgroundReliable and valid tools to screen for malnutrition in the intensive care unit (ICU) remain elusive. The sarcopenia index (SI) [(serum creatinine/serum cystatin C) × 100], could be an inexpensive, objective tool to predict malnutrition. We evaluated the SI as a screening tool for malnutrition in the ICU and compared it with the modified‐NUTRIC score.Materials and MethodsThis was a historical cohort study of ICU patients with stable kidney function admitted to Mayo Clinic ICUs between 2008 and 2015. Malnutrition was defined by the Subjective Global Assessment. Diagnostic performance was evaluated with the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) and multivariable logistic regression.ResultsOf the 398 included patients, 181 (45%) had malnutrition, with 34 (9%) scored as severely malnourished. The SI was significantly lower in malnourished patients than in well‐nourished patients (64 ± 27 vs 72 ± 25; P = 0.002), and reductions in SI corresponded to increased malnutrition severity (P = 0.001). As a screening tool, the SI was an indicator of malnutrition risk (AUC 0.61) and performed slightly better than the more complex modified‐NUTRIC score (AUC = 0.57). SI cutoffs of 101 and 43 had >90% sensitivity and >90% specificity, respectively, for the prediction of malnutrition. Patients with a low SI (≤43) had a significantly higher risk of mortality (HR = 2.61, 95% CI 1.06–6.48, P = 0.038).ConclusionThe frequency of malnutrition was high in this critically ill population, and it was associated with a poor prognosis. The SI could be used to assess nutrition risk in ICU patients.

The incidence and severity of Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) remain high across intensive care units in the United States despite national efforts to decrease this escalating health care burden. Most published literature and guidelines address treatment rather than prevention, yet this approach may be too downstream to limit morbidity and mortality from the disease and its complications. Mechanisms to prevent CDI successfully include reducing modifiable risk factors and minimizing horizontal transmission of C. difficile spores between patients and the health care environment. Because CDI prevention is characterized by a bundled approach, it is difficult to quantify the individual impact of any one element; however, a number of patient‐ and facility‐level strategies can be considered for CDI prevention. Robust hygiene strategies, diagnostic and antimicrobial stewardship, and particular prophylaxis maneuvers such as continuation of oral vancomycin or fidaxomicin in the setting of systemic antibiotics have all demonstrated benefit. The preventive roles of deprescribing acid suppressants, routine use of probiotics, or early fecal microbiota transplantation remain unclear. The focus of this review is to summarize the evidence related to primary and secondary CDI prevention in critically ill adults and provide a concise implementation pathway for clinicians and policymakers.