Failure Assessment (failure + assessment)

Distribution by Scientific Domains
Distribution within Medical Sciences

Kinds of Failure Assessment

  • organ failure assessment
  • sequential organ failure assessment


  • Selected Abstracts


    RIFLE classification as predictive factor of mortality in patients with cirrhosis admitted to intensive care unit

    JOURNAL OF GASTROENTEROLOGY AND HEPATOLOGY, Issue 10 2009
    Evangelos Cholongitas
    Abstract Background and Aim:, To evaluate the association of the Risk, Injury, Failure, Loss and End-stage renal failure (RIFLE) score on mortality in patients with decompensated cirrhosis admitted to intensive care unit (ICU). Methods:, A cohort of 412 patients with cirrhosis consecutively admitted to ICU was classified according to the RIFLE score. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate the factors associated with mortality. Liver-specific, Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) II, Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) and RIFLE scores on admission, were compared by receiver,operator characteristic curves. Results:, The overall mortality during ICU stay or within 6 weeks after discharge from ICU was 61.2%, but decreased over time (76% during first interval, 1989,1992 vs 50% during the last, 2005,2006, P < 0.001). Multivariate analysis showed that RIFLE score (odds ratio: 2.1, P < 0.001) was an independent factor significantly associated with mortality. Although SOFA had the best discrimination (area under receiver,operator characteristic curve = 0.84), and the APACHE II had the best calibration, the RIFLE score had the best sensitivity (90%) to predict death in patients during follow up. Conclusions:, RIFLE score was significantly associated with mortality, confirming the importance of renal failure in this large cohort of patients with cirrhosis admitted to ICU, but it is less useful than other scores. [source]


    Prognostic models in cirrhotics admitted to intensive care units better predict outcome when assessed at 48 h after admission

    JOURNAL OF GASTROENTEROLOGY AND HEPATOLOGY, Issue 8pt1 2008
    Evangelos Cholongitas
    Abstract Background and Aim:, The accuracy of prognostic models in critically ill cirrhotics at admission to intensive care units (ICU) may be unreliable. Predictive accuracy could be improved by evaluating changes over time, but this has not been published. The aim of the present study was to assess the performance of prognostic models in cirrhotics at admission (baseline) and at 48 h to predict mortality in the ICU or within 6 weeks after discharge from the ICU. Methods:, One hundred and twenty-eight cirrhotics (77 males, mean age 49 ± 11.3 years) were consecutively admitted and alive 48 h after admission with 89% on mechanical ventilation, 76% on inotrope support, and 42% with renal failure. Prognostic models used were Child-Turcotte-Pugh (CTP), Model for End-stage Liver Disease (MELD), Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) II, Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA), failing organ systems (FOS) at baseline and at 48 h, ,score (difference between baseline and at 48 h) and the mean score (MN , score admission + 48 h/2) which were compared by area under the receiver operating characteristic curves (AUC). Results:, Mortality was 54.7% (n = 70) due to multiple organ failure in 55%. CTP, MELD, APACHE II, SOFA and FOS performed better at 48 h (AUC: 0.78, 0.86, 0.78, 0.88 and 0.85, respectively) than at baseline (AUC: 0.75, 0.78, 0.75, 0.81 and 0.79, respectively). The mean score had better discrimination than the baseline score; the ,score had poor predictive ability (AUC < 0.70). SOFA score (48 h: 0.88, mean: 0.88) and FOS (mean: 0.88) had the best accuracy, with a SOFA and MN-SOFA , 10 predicting mortality in 93% and 91%, respectively, and MN-FOS , 1.5 in 98%. Conclusions:, In cirrhotics, prognostic scores in the ICU at 48 h had better discrimination than baseline scores for short-term mortality. SOFA and FOS models had the best performance. [source]


    Fluid therapy and the use of albumin in the treatment of severe traumatic brain injury

    ACTA ANAESTHESIOLOGICA SCANDINAVICA, Issue 1 2009
    M. RODLING WAHLSTRÖM
    Background: Evidence-based guidelines for severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) do not include strategies for fluid administration. The protocol used in this study includes albumin administration to maintain normal colloid osmotic pressure and advocates a neutral to slightly negative fluid balance. The aim of this study was to analyze the occurrence of organ failure and the mortality in patients with severe TBI treated by a protocol that includes defined strategies for fluid therapy. Methods: Ninety-three patients with severe TBI and Glasgow Coma Score,8 were included during 1998,2001. Medical records of the first 10 days were retrieved. Organ dysfunction was evaluated with the Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score. Mortality was assessed after 10 and 28 days, 6 and 18 months. Results: The total fluid balance was positive on days 1,3, and negative on days 4,10. The crystalloid balance was negative from day 2. The mean serum albumin was 38±6 g/l. Colloids constituted 40,60% of the total fluids given per day. Furosemide was administered to 94% of all patients. Severe organ failure defined as SOFA,3 was evident only for respiratory failure, which was observed in 29%. None developed renal failure. After 28 days, mortality was 11% and, after 18 months, it was 14%. Conclusions: A protocol including albumin administration in combination with a neutral to a slightly negative fluid balance was associated with low mortality in patients with severe TBI in spite of a relatively high frequency (29%) of respiratory failure, assessed with the SOFA score. [source]


    Accuracy of Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) scoring in clinical practice

    ACTA ANAESTHESIOLOGICA SCANDINAVICA, Issue 1 2009
    M. TALLGREN
    Background: The Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score is used to quantify the severity of illness daily during intensive care. Our aim was to evaluate how accurately SOFA is recorded in clinical practice, and whether this can be improved by a refresher course in scoring rules. Methods: The scores recorded by physicians in a university hospital intensive care unit (ICU) were compared with the gold standard determined by two expert assessors. Data concerning all consecutive patients during two 6-week-long observation periods (baseline and after the refresher course) were compared. Results: SOFA was accurate on 75/158 (48%) patient days at baseline. The cardiovascular, coagulation, liver, and renal component scores showed excellent accuracy (,82%, weighted ,,0.92), while the neurological score showed only moderate (70%, weighted , 0.51) and the respiration score showed good accuracy (75%, weighted , 0.79). After the refresher course, the number of ,2 point errors decreased (P<0.01). Sedation precluded neurological evaluation on 135/311 (43%) days. The accuracy of the assumed neurological scores was lower than those based on timely data: 89/135 (66%, weighted , 0.55) vs. 125/176 (71%, weighted , 0.81) (P<0.01). Conclusion: Only half of the SOFA scores were accurate. In most cases, they were accurate enough to allow the recognition of organ failure and detection of change. The component scores showed good to excellent accuracy, except the neurological score. After the refresher course, the results improved slightly. The moderate accuracy of the neurological score was not amended. A simpler neurological classification tool than the Glasgow Coma Scale is needed in the ICU. [source]


    Development of renal failure during the initial 24 h of intensive care unit stay correlates with hospital mortality in trauma patients

    ACTA ANAESTHESIOLOGICA SCANDINAVICA, Issue 7 2006
    T. Ala-Kokko
    Background:, Although multiple organ failure is the leading late cause of death, there is controversy about the impact of acute organ dysfunction and failure on trauma survival. Methods:, Consecutive adult trauma admissions between January 2000 and June 2003, excluding isolated head traumas and burns, were analysed for parameters of organ function during the first 24 h following intensive care unit (ICU) admission using the Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) scoring system. A national prospectively collected ICU data registry was used for analysis, including data from 22 ICUs in university and central hospitals in Finland. Results:, The study population consisted of 1044 eligible trauma admissions; 32% of the cases were treated at university hospital level, the rest being secondary referral central hospital admissions. The mean Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) II score was 15 (SD8), ICU mortality was 5.6% and a further 1.6% of patients died during their post-ICU hospital stay. Forty-five per cent of the patients were categorized as having multiple traumas. In univariate analysis, APACHE II , 25 [odds ratio (OR), 35; 95% confidence interval (CI), 18,66] and renal failure (OR, 29.5; 95% CI, 14,63) produced the highest ORs for ICU mortality. In the APACHE II-, sex- and age-adjusted logistic regression model, renal failure was a significant risk factor for both ICU and hospital mortality (OR, 11.8; 95% CI, 3.9,35.4; OR, 8.2; 95% CI, 2.9,23.2, respectively). Conclusion:, The development of renal failure during the initial 24 h of ICU stay remained an independent risk factor for mortality in trauma patients requiring intensive care treatment even after adjusting for the APACHE II score, age and sex. [source]


    An assessment of the validity of SOFA score based triage in H1N1 critically ill patients during an influenza pandemic

    ANAESTHESIA, Issue 12 2009
    Z. Khan
    Summary Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score based triage of influenza A H1N1 critically ill patients has been proposed for surge capacity management as a guide for clinical decision making. We conducted a retrospective records review and SOFA scoring of critically ill patients with influenza A H1N1 in a mixed medical-surgical intensive care unit in an urban hospital. Eight critically ill patients with influenza A H1N1 were admitted to the intensive care unit. Their mean (range) age was 39 (26,52) years with a length of stay of 11 (3,17) days. All patients met SOFA score based triage admission criteria with a modal SOFA score of five. Five patients required invasive ventilation for a mean (range) of 5 (4,11) days. Five patients would have been considered for withdrawal of treatment using SOFA scoring guidelines at 48 h. All patients survived. We conclude that SOFA score based triage could lead to withdrawal of life support in critically ill patients who could survive with an acceptably low length of stay in the intensive care unit. [source]


    Complement Activation in Emergency Department Patients With Severe Sepsis

    ACADEMIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE, Issue 4 2010
    John G. Younger
    Abstract Objectives:, This study assessed the extent and mechanism of complement activation in community-acquired sepsis at presentation to the emergency department (ED) and following 24 hours of quantitative resuscitation. Methods:, A prospective pilot study of patients with severe sepsis and healthy controls was conducted among individuals presenting to a tertiary care ED. Resuscitation, including antibiotics and therapies to normalize central venous and mean arterial pressure (MAP) and central venous oxygenation, was performed on all patients. Serum levels of Factor Bb (alternative pathway), C4d (classical and mannose-binding lectin [MBL] pathway), C3, C3a, and C5a were determined at presentation and 24 hours later among patients. Results:, Twenty patients and 10 healthy volunteer controls were enrolled. Compared to volunteers, all proteins measured were abnormally higher among septic patients (C4d 3.5-fold; Factor Bb 6.1-fold; C3 0.8-fold; C3a 11.6-fold; C5a 1.8-fold). Elevations in C5a were most strongly correlated with alternative pathway activation. Surprisingly, a slight but significant inverse relationship between illness severity (by sequential organ failure assessment [SOFA] score) and C5a levels at presentation was noted. Twenty-four hours of structured resuscitation did not, on average, affect any of the mediators studied. Conclusions:, Patients with community-acquired sepsis have extensive complement activation, particularly of the alternative pathway, at the time of presentation that was not significantly reversed by 24 hours of aggressive resuscitation. ACADEMIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE,2010; 17:353,359 © 2010 by the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine [source]


    Prospective cohort study comparing sequential organ failure assessment and acute physiology, age, chronic health evaluation III scoring systems for hospital mortality prediction in critically ill cirrhotic patients

    INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CLINICAL PRACTICE, Issue 2 2006
    Y-C Chen
    Summary The aim of the study was to evaluate the usefulness of sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA) and acute physiology, age, chronic health evaluation III (APACHE III) scoring systems obtained on the first day of intensive care unit (ICU) admission in predicting hospital mortality in critically ill cirrhotic patients. The study enrolled 102 cirrhotic patients consecutively admitted to ICU during a 1-year period. Twenty-five demographic, clinical and laboratory variables were analysed as predicators of survival. Information considered necessary to calculate the Child,Pugh, SOFA and APACHE III scores on the first day of ICU admission was also gathered. Overall hospital mortality was 68.6%. Multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that mean arterial pressure, SOFA and APACHE III scores were significantly related to prognosis. Goodness-of-fit was good for the SOFA and APACHE III models. Both predictive models displayed a similar degree of the best Youden index (0.68) and overall correctness (84%) of prediction. The SOFA and APACHE III models displayed good areas under the receiver,operating characteristic curve (0.917 ± 0.028 and 0.912 ± 0.029, respectively). Finally, a strong and significant positive correlation exists between SOFA and APACHE III scores for individual patients (r2 = 0.628, p < 0.001). This investigation confirms the grave prognosis for cirrhotic patients admitted to ICU. Both SOFA and APACHE III scores are excellent tools to predict the hospital mortality in critically ill cirrhotic patients. The overall predictive accuracy of SOFA and APACHE III is superior to that of Child,Pugh system. The role of these scoring systems in describing the dynamic aspects of clinical courses and allocating ICU resources needs to be clarified. [source]


    Improved outcome after trauma care in university-level intensive care units

    ACTA ANAESTHESIOLOGICA SCANDINAVICA, Issue 10 2009
    T. I. ALA-KOKKO
    Background: Centralized trauma care has been shown to be associated with improved patient outcome. We compared the outcomes of trauma patients in relation to the size of the intensive care unit (ICU) using a large Finnish database. Methods: A national prospectively collected ICU data registry was used for analysis. All adult trauma admissions excluding isolated head trauma and burns registered from July 1999 to December 2006 were analyzed. Data from 22 ICUs were available. The non-university-affiliated units were categorized according to the number of beds and referral population as small, mid size and large. Acute physiology and chronic health evaluation (APACHE II)- and sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA)-adjusted mortalities were compared between the units. Results: There were 2067 trauma admissions that fulfilled the inclusion criteria; 38% were treated in the university hospitals, 26% in large non-teaching ICUs, 20% in mid size ICUs and 15% in small ICUs. The crude hospital mortality was 5.6%, being 4.7% in university ICU and 6.6% in mid size ICU. In two subgroup analyses of severely ill trauma patients with APACHE II points >25 or SOFA score >8 points, respectively, hospital mortality was significantly lower in university ICUs. Conclusions: University-level hospitals were associated with better outcomes with critically ill trauma patients. These results can be used in planning future organization of trauma patient care in Finland. [source]


    Estimation of the High-Temperature R Curve for Ceramics from Strength Measurements Including Specimens with Focused Ion Beam Notches

    JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CERAMIC SOCIETY, Issue 9 2010
    Stefan Fünfschilling
    For failure assessment of natural cracks caused by surface treatment, the crack resistance for very small crack extensions is necessary. In ceramics with strongly rising R curves, the initial part of a few micrometer crack propagation is of special interest. For this purpose, the use of very small sharp starter notches introduced by a focused ion beam is recommended. As an example, the initial R curve for gas-pressure-sintered silicon nitride at high temperature will be estimated. Whereas for V-notched bending bars a fracture toughness of about 6,6.3 MPa·m1/2 was determined, the toughness for small strength-relevant cracks was found to be KIc,5.1 MPa·m1/2. [source]


    Serum osmolality and outcome in intensive care unit patients

    ACTA ANAESTHESIOLOGICA SCANDINAVICA, Issue 8 2006
    B. Holtfreter
    Background:, The aim of the present study was to compare 16 routine clinical and laboratory parameters, acute physiologic and chronic health evaluation (APACHE) and sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA) score for their value in predicting mortality during hospital stay in patients admitted to a general intensive care unit (ICU). Methods:, A retrospective observational clinical study was carried out in a 15-bed ICU in a university hospital. Nine hundred and thirty-three consecutive patients with ICU stay > 24 h (36.2% surgical, 29.1% medical and 34.7% trauma) were observed. Blood sampling, patient surveillance and data collection were performed. The primary outcome was mortality in the hospital. We used receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analyses and logistic regression to compare the 16 relevant parameters, APACHE II and SOFA scores. Results:, Two hundred and thirty-three out of the 933 patients died (mortality 25.0%). One laboratory parameter, serum osmolality [area under the curve (AUC) 0.732] had a predictive value for mortality which lay between that of APACHE II (AUC 0.784) and SOFA (AUC 0.720) scores. When outcome prediction was restricted to long-term patients (ICU stay > 5 days), serum osmolality (AUC 0.711) performed better than either of the standard scores (APACHE AUC 0.655, SOFA AUC 0.636). Using logistic regression analysis, the association of clinical parameters, age and diagnosis group with mortality was determined. Conclusion:, Elevated serum osmolality at ICU admission is associated with an increased mortality risk in critically ill patients. Serum osmolality is cheaper and more rapid to determine than the scoring systems. However, further studies are needed to evaluate the predictive value of serum osmolality in different patient populations. [source]


    Progression of Organ Failure in Patients Approaching Brain Stem Death

    AMERICAN JOURNAL OF TRANSPLANTATION, Issue 6 2009
    F. T. Lytle
    We performed a retrospective cohort study to document the progression of organ dysfunction in 182 critically ill adult patients who subsequently met criteria for brain stem death (BSD). Patients were admitted to intensive care units (ICUs) of Mayo Medical Center, Rochester, MN, between January 1996 and December 2006. Daily sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA) scores were used to assess the degree of organ dysfunction. Serial SOFA scores were analyzed using analysis of variance (ANOVA). Mean (standard deviation, SD) SOFA score on the first ICU day was 8.9 (3.2). SOFA scores did not significantly change over the course of ICU stay. 67.6% of patients donated one or more organs after BSD was declared. The median time from ICU admission to declaration of BSD was 18.8 h (interquartile range 10.3,45.0), and in those who donated organs, the time from declaration of BSD to organ retrieval was 11.8 h (9.5,17.6). The fact that mean SOFA scores did not change significantly over time, even after BSD occurred, has implications for the timing of retrieval of organs for transplantation. [source]


    Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation bridge to adult heart transplantation

    CLINICAL TRANSPLANTATION, Issue 3 2010
    Jennifer Chia-Ying Chung
    Chung JC, Tsai PR, Chou NK, Chi NH, Wang SS, Ko WJ. Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation bridge to adult heart transplantation. Clin Transplant 2010: 24: 375,380. © 2009 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Abstract:, Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) can rescue some critical patients with circulatory collapse when intra-aortic balloon pump (IABP) and ventricular assist devices (VAD) are not suitable. A subset of these patients can use ECMO for direct bridging, or indirect double bridging via VAD to heart transplantation (HTx). For these patients, we identified risk factors for unsuccessful ECMO bridging, with survival to receiving either HTx or VAD as the measure of success. The characteristics evaluated were age, sex, body mass index, pre-ECMO cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), IABP use, dialysis use, sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA) score, and the etiology of cardiomyopathy. From January 1995 to August 2007, there were 70 adult ECMO patients with the intent to bridge to HTx (male: 55, age: 46 ± 14 yr). Thirty-one patients (44%) were successful in bridging. A stepwise multivariate logistic regression analysis found that age > 50 yr (p = 0.003), pre-ECMO CPR (p = 0.001) and SOFA score > 10 at ECMO initiation (p = 0.018) were significant independent predictors of unsuccessful bridging. Direct VAD implantation, if possible, is preferable to double bridging in patients over 50 yr. Also, elective ECMO support before hemodynamic deterioration to cardiac arrest or multiple organ dysfunction would improve rates of successful ECMO bridging. [source]


    A multivariate analysis of the outcome of endodontic treatment

    EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF ORAL SCIENCES, Issue 3 2004
    Dag Ørstavik
    In the present study, multivariate analyses were performed on clinical and treatment variables that may influence the outcome of endodontic treatment. Data collected in a previous clinical-radiographic follow-up study were used. Of 810 treated, 675 roots in 498 teeth were followed for 6 months to 4 yr. Of these, 192 (the CAP group) had pre-existing, chronic apical periodontitis and 483 (the NAP group) had not. Root canal treatment followed a standard procedure with one of three sealers chosen at random. Demographic, clinical and radiographic variables were recorded at the start of, and during treatment. The periapical index (PAI) score was used to record the outcome of treatment, and applied in two different endpoint modes (END1 and END2) as the dependent variable for multivariate statistical analyses using logistic regression and the general model. The modes reflected increasing PAI scores (END1) and conventional success/failure assessment (END2). Dropouts were largely similar to the cases followed up. A total of 10 preoperative and peroperative variables were found to be significantly associated with treatment outcome by the multivariate analyses of either the total material or the NAP or CAP subgroups. Several of these were not significant in univariate analyses (e.g. the effect of sealer). Conventional success/failure analyses (END2) identified fewer of the influential variables and had low explanatory power, whereas PAI scores on an ordinal scale (END1) were most sensitive in identifying variables of influence on the treatment outcome. [source]