Plos One
-
Multicenter Study
Diabetes in cystic fibrosis: multicenter screening results based on current guidelines.
Published estimates on age-dependent frequency of diabetes in cystic fibrosis (CF) vary widely, and are based mostly on older data. However, CF treatment and prevention of comorbidities changed over recent years. In many studies, definition of cystic fibrosis-related diabetes (CFRD) is not in line with current guideline recommendations. Therefore, we evaluated age-dependent occurrence of glucose abnormalities and associated risk factors in CF patients who participated in a multicenter screening program using oral glucose tolerance tests (OGTT). ⋯ If confirmation of diabetes by a second test is required, as recommended in current guidelines, age at CFRD diagnosis was higher compared to most previous studies. However, known risk factors for glucose abnormalities in CF were confirmed. Confirmation of diabetic OGT by a repeat test is important for a consistent diagnosis of CFRD.
-
Multicenter Study
Severe septic patients with mitochondrial DNA haplogroup JT show higher survival rates: a prospective, multicenter, observational study.
In a previous cohort study (n=96), we found an association between mitochondrial (mt) DNA haplogroup JT and increased survival of severe septic patients, after controlling for age and serum lactic acid levels. The aim of this research was to increase the predictive accuracy and to control for more confounder variables in a larger cohort (n=196) of severe septic patients, to confirm whether mtDNA haplogroup JT influences short and medium-term survival in these patients. ⋯ The global cohort study (first and second cohorts combined), the largest to date reporting on mtDNA haplogroups in septic patients, confirmed that haplogroup JT patients showed increased 30-day and 6-month survival. This finding may be due to single nucleotide polymorphism defining the whole haplogroup JT and not separately for J or T sub-haplogroups.
-
Multicenter Study
Atropine for critical care intubation in a cohort of 264 children and reduced mortality unrelated to effects on bradycardia.
Atropine has is currently recommended to facilitate haemodynamic stability during critical care intubation. Our objective was to determine whether atropine use at induction influences ICU mortality. ⋯ Atropine use during induction was associated with a reduction in ICU mortality in children over one month. This effect is independent of atropine's capacity to attenuate bradycardia during intubation which occurred similarly in neonates and older children. This result needs to be confirmed in a study using randomised methodology.
-
Multicenter Study
Irreversible electroporation ablation (IRE) of unresectable soft tissue tumors: learning curve evaluation in the first 150 patients treated.
Irreversible electroporation (IRE) is a novel technology that uses peri-target discrete probes to deliver high-voltage localized electric current to induce cell death without thermal-induced coagulative necrosis. "Learnability" and consistently effective results by novice practitioners is essential for determining acceptance of novel techniques. This multi-center prospectively-collected database study evaluates the learning curve of IRE. ⋯ The review represents that single largest review of IRE soft tissue ablation demonstrating initial patient selection and safety. Over time, complex treatments of larger lesions and lesions with greater vascular involvement were performed without a significant increase in adverse effects or impact on local relapse free survival. This evolution demonstrates the safety profile of IRE and speed of graduation to more complex lesions, which was greater than 5 cases by institution. IRE is a safe and effective alternative to conventional ablation with a demonstrable learning curve of at least 5 cases to become proficient.
-
Multicenter Study
Differences in sepsis treatment and outcomes between public and private hospitals in Brazil: a multicenter observational study.
Previous studies showed higher sepsis mortality rates in Brazil compared to other developed or developing countries. Moreover, another trial demonstrated an increased mortality rate in public hospitals compared to private hospitals in Brazil. The reasons for these findings may include delayed recognition and inadequate treatment of sepsis in public facilities. We designed this study to evaluate the factors associated with mortality in septic patients admitted to intensive care units in a network of public and private institutions. ⋯ We confirmed a lower sepsis mortality rate in the private hospitals of this network. Being treated in a public hospital was an independent factor for mortality. Delayed recognition of sepsis was more frequent in public institutions and this might have been associated with a higher mortality. Improving sepsis recognition and early diagnosis may be important targets in public institutions.