An immune dysfunction score for stratification of patients with acute infection based on whole-blood gene expression.

Dysregulated host responses to infection can lead to organ dysfunction and sepsis, causing millions of global deaths each year. To alleviate this burden, improved prognostication and biomarkers of response are urgently needed. We investigated the use of whole-blood transcriptomics for stratification of patients with severe infection by integrating data from 3149 samples from patients with sepsis due to community-acquired pneumonia or fecal peritonitis admitted to intensive care and healthy individuals into a gene expression reference map.

Thrombotic risk in COVID-19: a case series and case-control study.

Background: A possible association between COVID-19 infection and thrombosis, either as a direct consequence of the virus or as a complication of inflammation, is emerging in the literature. Data on the incidence of venous thromboembolism (VTE) are extremely limited.

Methods: We describe three cases of thromboembolism refractory to heparin treatment, the incidence of VTE in an inpatient cohort, and a case-control study to identify risk factors associated with VTE.

Circulating Plasma microRNAs can differentiate Human Sepsis and Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (SIRS).

Systemic inflammation in humans may be triggered by infection, termed sepsis, or non-infective processes, termed non-infective systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS). MicroRNAs regulate cellular processes including inflammation and may be detected in blood. We aimed to establish definitive proof-of-principle that circulating microRNAs are differentially affected during sepsis and non-infective SIRS.

Sepsis biomarkers in unselected patients on admission to intensive or high-dependency care.

Introduction: Although many sepsis biomarkers have shown promise in selected patient groups, only C-reactive protein and procalcitonin (PCT) have entered clinical practice. The aim of this study was to evaluate three promising novel sepsis biomarkers in unselected patients at admission to intensive care. We assessed the performance of pancreatic stone protein (PSP), soluble CD25 (sCD25) and heparin binding protein (HBP) in distinguishing patients with sepsis from those with a non-infective systemic inflammatory response and the ability of these markers to indicate severity of illness.

How I manage haematology patients with septic shock.

Patients with a variety of haematological conditions are at risk of infection and its most serious complication: septic shock. Mortality for septic shock remains high and especially so in patients with haematological malignancy and following bone marrow transplantation. However, advances in the treatment of severe sepsis have improved mortality rates even though evidence for the management of severe sepsis in haematology patients is limited.

Perioperative goal directed haemodynamic therapy--do it, bin it, or finally investigate it properly?

The literature concerning the use of goal directed haemodynamic therapy (GDHT) in high risk surgical patients has been importantly increased by the study of Lopes and colleagues. Using a minimally invasive assessment of fluid status and pulse pressure variation monitoring during mechanical ventilation, improvements were seen in post-operative complications, duration of mechanical ventilation, and length of hospital and intensive care unit (ICU) stay. Many small studies have shown improved outcome using various GDHT techniques but widespread implementation has not occurred.