BACKGROUND The aim of this study is to describe the clinical course and outcome of patients who were diagnosed with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) caused by scrub typhus and who received ventilator care in the intensive care units (ICU) of two university hospitals. METHODS We performed a retrospective analysis of all adult ventilated patients who were diagnosed with ARDS caused by scrub typhus. RESULTS Eleven (1.7%) of 632 scrub typhus patients were diagnosed with ARDS (median age 72; seven were male). Eight patients had underlying diseases, the most common of which was hypertension (four patients). Eight patients (72.7%) were admitted in November. The most common chief complaints of the patients were fever and rash (63.6%). All patients had skin eschar and rash; seven were treated for shock. On the day of diagnosis with ARDS, the median Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation score was 20 (range 11-28) and Sequential Organ Failure Assessment score was 7 (range 4-14). All patients had PaO2/FiO2 < 200 mmHg, high serum aspartate aminotransferase level (> 40 IU/L), and hypoalbuminemia (< 3.3 g/dl). Nine patients were treated with doxycycline on the day of admission. Their median lengths of stay in the ICU and hospital were 10 (range 4-65) and 14 (4-136) days, respectively. The mortality rate during treatment in the hospital was 36.4%. CONCLUSIONS In our study, the risk of ARDS among patients diagnosed with scrub typhus was at least 1.7%, with a hospital mortality rate of 36.4%.
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Rapid Recovery of Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome in Scrub Typhus, With Pulse Methylprednisolone and Therapeutic Plasma Exchange Thilina Rathnasekara, Lanka Wijekoon, Hemal Senanayake, Sisira Siribaddana Cureus.2022;[Epub] CrossRef
BACKGROUND This study was conducted to evaluate the clinical characteristics and outcomes of mechanically ventilated patients with carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (CRAB) isolates from tracheal secretions in a medical intensive care unit (ICU) of a university hospital. METHODS We conducted a retrospective study from January 2009 to June 2012. RESULTS Among the patients who had isolates cultured from tracheal secretions, 130 patients (34.8%) had CRAB isolates.
Their mean age was 65 +/- 14 yr and 74.6% were male. The ICU and hospital mortality was 51.5% and 60.0%, respectively.
According to physician's clinical decision, antibiotics were changed in order to cover CRAB in 75 (57.7%) patients. The total duration of antibiotics use was 12.2 +/- 8.1 days. Of patients with antibiotics change to cover CRAB, 70 patients (93.3%) had Clinical Pulmonary Infection Score of 6 and over. However, there was no significant difference in hospital mortality between patients with antibiotics change against CRAB and those without change. In multivariable analysis, only Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II score was related to hospital mortality of patients with CRAB. CONCLUSIONS In this study, changing antibiotics to cover CRAB by physician's clinical decision only did not influence hospital mortality; further studies would be necessary to investigate how to use antibiotics against CRAB isolates cultured from tracheal secretions.