Outcomes of Cancer Patients Discharged From ICU After a Decision to Forgo Life-Sustaining Therapies:

Outcome, demography and resource utilization in ICU Patients with delirium and malignancy

Delirium in the general intensive care unit (ICU) population is common, associated with adverse outcomes and well studied. However, knowledge on delirium in the increasing number of ICU patients with malignancy is scarce. The aim was to assess the frequency of delirium and its impact on resource utilizations and outcomes in ICU patients with malignancy. This retrospective, single-center longitudinal cohort study included all patients with malignancy admitted to ICUs of a University Hospital during one year. Delirium was diagnosed by an Intensive Care Delirium Screening Checklist (ICDSC) score ≥ 4. Of 488 ICU patients with malignancy, 176/488 (36%) developed delirium. Delirious patients were older (66 [55-72] vs. 61 [51-69] years, p = 0.001), had higher SAPS II (41 [27-68] vs. 24 [17-32], p < 0.001) and more frequently sepsis (26/176 [15%] vs. 6/312 [1.9%], p < 0.001) and/or shock (30/176 [6.1%] vs. 6/312 [1.9%], p < 0.001). In multivariate analysis, delirium was independently associated with lower discharge home (OR [95% CI] 0.37 [0.24-0.57], p < 0.001), longer ICU (HR [95% CI] 0.30 [0.23-0.37], p < 0.001) and hospital length of stay (HR [95% CI] 0.62 [0.50-0.77], p < 0.001), longer mechanical ventilation (HR [95% CI] 0.40 [0.28-0.57], p < 0.001), higher ICU nursing workload (B [95% CI] 1.92 [1.67-2.21], p < 0.001) and ICU (B [95% CI] 2.08 [1.81-2.38], p < 0.001) and total costs (B [95% CI] 1.44 [1.30-1.60], p < 0.001). However, delirium was not independently associated with in-hospital mortality (OR [95% CI] 2.26 [0.93-5.54], p = 0.074). In conclusion, delirium was a frequent complication in ICU patients with malignancy independently associated with high resource utilizations, however, it was not independently associated with in-hospital mortality.

Association of Acute Kidney Injury Receiving Kidney Replacement Therapy With Prognosis of Critically Ill Patients With and Without Cancer: A Retrospective Study

OBJECTIVES

To assess outcomes of cancer patients receiving kidney replacement therapy due to acute kidney injury in ICUs and compare these with other patient groups receiving kidney replacement therapy in ICUs.

DESIGN

Retrospective registry analysis.

SETTING

Prospectively collected database of 296,424 ICU patients.

PATIENTS

Patients with and without solid cancer with acute kidney injury necessitating kidney replacement therapy were identified and compared with those without acute kidney injury necessitating kidney replacement therapy.

INTERVENTIONS

Descriptive statistics were used to ascertain prevalence of acute kidney injury necessitating kidney replacement therapy and solid cancer in ICU patients. Association of acute kidney injury necessitating kidney replacement therapy and cancer with prognosis was assessed using logistic regression analysis. To compare the attributable mortality of acute kidney injury necessitating kidney replacement therapy, 20,154 noncancer patients and 2,411 cancer patients without acute kidney injury necessitating kidney replacement therapy were matched with 12,827 noncancer patients and 1,079 cancer patients with acute kidney injury necessitating kidney replacement therapy.

MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS

Thirty-five thousand three hundred fifty-six ICU patients (11.9%) had solid cancer. Acute kidney injury necessitating kidney replacement therapy was present in 1,408 (4.0%) cancer patients and 13,637 (5.2%) noncancer patients. Crude ICU and hospital mortality was higher in the cancer group (646 [45.9%] vs 4,674 [34.3%], p < 0.001, and 787 [55.9%] vs 5,935 [43.5%], p < 0.001). In multivariable logistic regression analyses, odds ratio (95% CI) for hospital mortality was 1.73 (1.62-1.85) for cancer compared with no cancer 3.57 (3.32-3.83) for acute kidney injury necessitating kidney replacement therapy and 1.07 (0.86-1.33) for their interaction. In the matched subcohort, attributable hospital mortality of acute kidney injury necessitating kidney replacement therapy was 56.7% in noncancer patients and 48.0% in cancer patients.

CONCLUSIONS

Occurrence rate of acute kidney injury necessitating kidney replacement therapy and prognosis in ICU patients with solid cancer are comparable with other ICU patient groups. In cancer, acute kidney injury necessitating kidney replacement therapy is associated with higher crude hospital mortality. However, the specific attributable mortality conveyed by acute kidney injury necessitating kidney replacement therapy is actually lower in cancer patients than in noncancer patients. Diagnosis of cancer per se does not justify withholding kidney replacement therapy.

Use of matching methods in observational studies with critical patients and renal outcomes. Scoping review

Introduction: The use of matching techniques in observational studies has been increasing and is not always used appropriately. Clinical experiments are not always feasible in critical patients with renal outcomes, and observational studies are an important alternative. Objective: Through a scoping review, determine the available evidence on the use of matching methods in studies involving critically ill patients and assessing renal outcomes. Methods: Medline, Embase, and Cochrane databases were used to identify articles published between 1992 and 2020 up to week 10, which studied different exposures in the critically ill patient with renal outcomes and used propensity matching methods. Results: Most publications are cohort studies 94 (94. 9 %), five studies (5. 1 %) were cross-sectional. The main pharmacological intervention was the use of antibiotics in seven studies (7. 1%) and the main risk factor studied was renal injury prior to ICU admission in 10 studies (10. 1%). The balance between the baseline characteristics assessed by standardized means, in only 28 studies (28. 2%). Most studies 95 (96 %) used logistic regression to calculate the propensity index. Conclusion: Major inconsistencies were observed in the use of methods and in the reporting of findings. A summary is made of the aspects to be considered in the use of the methods and reporting of the findings with the matching by propensity index.

Long-term mortality in very old patients with cancer admitted to intensive care unit: A retrospective cohort study

BACKGROUND

Long-term outcomes of older patients referred to intensive care unit (ICU) are of paramount importance for care planning and counseling of patients and relatives.

METHODS

We performed a retrospective study with patients aged ≥80 years admitted to ICU from 2011 to 2017 in a cancer center. We performed two Cox proportional hazard regressions. In the first, we tested whether type of cancer (solid locoregional, solid metastatic or hematologic), Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group Performance Status (ECOG PS), and comorbidities [Charlson Comorbidity Index - CCI]) were associated with one-year mortality in all patients. In the second, we assessed whether delirium, use of vasopressors, mechanical ventilation, renal replacement therapy, and forgoing life-sustaining therapies were associated with one-year mortality in survivors to hospital discharge.

RESULTS

Of 763 patients included, 482 (62.3%) patients died at one year. Metastatic cancer was significantly associated with one-year mortality (HR = 1.97; CI 95%, 1.16-3.36), but hematologic cancer, CCI and ECOG PS were not. Among patients who survived to hospital discharge, delirium, use of vasopressors, mechanical ventilation, renal replacement therapy and decisions to forgo life-sustaining therapies in ICU were not associated with one-year mortality.

CONCLUSIONS

Metastatic disease at ICU admission was associated with one-year mortality in patients aged ≥80 years. Delirium, use of vasopressors, mechanical ventilation and renal replacement therapy and decisions to forgo life-sustaining therapies in ICU were not associated with one-year mortality among the patients discharged from hospital.

One-year survival in patients with solid tumours discharged alive from the intensive care unit after unplanned admission: A retrospective study

PURPOSE

Outcomes in cancer patients after unplanned ICU admission was reassessed.

METHODS

retrospective cohort of patients with solid tumours admitted to ICU over a 10 years period.

RESULTS

622 patients (age 62 [53-70]) were analysed. The most common primary sites of cancer were lung (n = 133; 21.4%) and digestive tract (n = 126; 20.2%) The ICU mortality rate was 22.2% (n = 138). Among 470 ICU survivors, the 1-year mortality was 41.3% (95% CI, 36-45.9) (n = 167). Factors independently associated with 1-year mortality were ICU admission after 2010 (HR 0.53 (0.37-0.76), p < .001), disease status (respectively, HR = 1.88 (1.0.2-3.45), p = .002) for locally advanced cancer and HR = 2.23 (1.35-3.67), p = .003) for metastatic cancer), poor performance status (HR = 1.58 (1.08-2.31), p = .019), newly diagnosed cancer at ICU admission (HR = 2.02 (1.28-3.20), p = .003), inability to receive oncologic treatment after ICU discharge (HR = 5.34 (3.49-8.18), p < .001) and decision to withhold life-sustaining treatment during ICU stay (HR = 2.34 (1.50-3.65), p < .001).

CONCLUSIONS

Among the factors associated with one-year mortality after ICU discharge, the possibility of receiving oncologic treatment after ICU discharge seems crucial.