Intensive care unit (ICU) admissions in the United States exceed 5.7 million annually, often leading to complications such as post-intensive care syndrome and high mortality rates. Among these challenges, critical illness-related corticosteroid insufficiency (CIRCI) requires emphasis due to its complex, multiple-cause pathophysiology and varied presentations. CIRCI, characterized by adrenal insufficiency during critical illness, presents in up to 30% of ICU patients and may manifest as an exaggerated inflammatory response. Factors such as dysregulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, altered cortisol metabolism, tissue corticosteroid resistance, and drug-induced suppression contribute to CIRCI. Diagnosis is a complex process, relying on a comprehensive assessment including clinical presentation, laboratory findings, and dynamic stimulatory testing. Treatment involves intensive medical care and exacting glucocorticoid therapy. Recent guidelines advocate for individualized approaches tailored to patient presentation and etiology. Understanding the pathophysiology and treatment of CIRCI is vital for clinicians managing critically ill patients and striving to improve outcomes. This research paper aims to explore the latest developments in the pathophysiology and management of CIRCI.
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Methods This single-center, retrospective cohort study was conducted between September and December 2021, which was when the Delta variant of the COVID-19 virus was predominant. We evaluated the mortality and oxygenation of severe to critical COVID-19 cases between groups that received dexamethasone 6 mg for 10 days (control group) and methylprednisolone 250 mg/day for 3 days (pulse group).
Results Among 44 patients, 14 and 30 patients were treated with control steroids and pulse steroids, respectively. There was no difference in disease severity, time from COVID-19 diagnosis to steroid administration, or use of remdesivir or antibacterial agents between the two groups. The pulse steroid group showed a significant improvement in oxygenation before and after steroid treatment (P<0.001) compared with the control steroid group (P=0.196). There was no difference in in-hospital mortality (P=0.186); however, the pulse steroid group had a lower mortality rate (23.3%) than the control steroid group (42.9%). There was a significant difference in the length of hospital stay between both two groups (P=0.039).
Conclusions Pulse steroids showed no mortality benefit but were associated with oxygenation improvement and shorter hospital stay than control steroids. Hyperglycemia should be carefully monitored with pulse steroids.
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Background Critical illness-related corticosteroid insufficiency (CIRCI) and adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH)-cortisol dissociation are hormonal conditions frequently observed in patients in the intensive care unit (ICU). The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between ACTH-cortisol dissociation and clinical outcomes of critically ill patients. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 94 ICU patients who underwent two rapid cosyntropin tests during hospital admission and compared the clinical aspects of patients with and without ACTH-cortisol dissociation. ACTH-cortisol dissociation was defined as plasma ACTH and serum cortisol concentrations of <22 pmol/L and >600 nmol/L, respectively. Results: Dissociation was present in 30 of the 94 patients (31.9%). Patients with ACTH-cortisol dissociation in the initial test had significantly higher hospital mortality rate than those in the control group (55% vs. 25.7%, P=0.013) There was no difference in hospital mortality between patients classified as having CIRCI and those who were not. In multivariate adjusted Cox regression analysis, the mortality risk was higher in the group with ACTH-cortisol dissociation (hazard ratio, 2.98; 95% confidence interval, 1.34 to 6.63; P=0.007). Patients with dissociation in two consecutive stimulation tests showed the highest hospital mortality rate among groups classified according to stimulation test results (100% vs. 31.3%). Conclusions: The hospital mortality was higher in ICU patients diagnosed with ACTH-cortisol dissociation. It is clinically feasible to evaluate the presence of ACTH-cortisol dissociation by analyzing rapid ACTH stimulation test results in critically ill patients.
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Background The aim of this study is to evaluate the influence of immunosuppressants on in-hospital mortality from sepsis.
Methods Using data of the Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service, we collected data from patients who were admitted to the hospital due to sepsis from 2009 to 2013. Based on drugs commonly used for immunosuppression caused by various diseases, patients were divided into three groups; immunosuppressant group, steroid-only group, and control group. Patients with no history of immunosuppressants or steroids were assigned to the control group. To identify risk factors of in-hospital mortality in sepsis, we compared differences in patient characteristics, comorbidities, intensive care unit (ICU) care requirements, and immunodeficiency profiles. Subgroup analysis according to age was also performed.
Results Of the 185,671 included patients, 13,935 (7.5%) were in the steroid-only group and 2,771 patients (1.5%) were in the immunosuppressant group. The overall in-hospital mortality was 38.9% and showed an increasing trend with age. The steroid-only group showed the lowest in-hospital mortality among the three groups except the patients younger than 30 years. The steroid-only group and immunosuppressant group received ICU treatment more frequently (p < 0.001), stayed longer in the hospital (p < 0.001), and showed higher medical expenditure (p < 0.001) compared to the normal group. Univariate and multivariate analyses revealed that age, male gender, comorbidities (especially malignancy), and ICU treatment had a significant effect on in-hospital mortality.
Conclusions Despite longer hospital length of stay and more frequent need for ICU care, the in-hospital mortality was lower in patients taking immunosuppressive drugs than in patients not taking immunosuppressive drugs.
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We describe here the first known case in Korea of pulmonary involvement with peripheral T cell lymphoma and the patient presented with severe hypoxic respiratory failure. A 57-yr-old man was admitted to our hospital with rapid progression of dyspnea and bilateral diffuse infiltration on a chest radiograph. He received mechanical ventilation and low dose corticosteroid treatment under the suspicion of critical illness-related corticosteroid insufficiency.
Transbronchial lung biopsy revealed large atypical lymphoid cells with positivity for CD3+. We diagnosed this patient as having a peripheral T cell lymphoma and we treated him with high dose corticosteroid. His clinical and radiologic findings rapidly improved and then he received a full dose of chemotherapy for the peripheral T cell lymphoma.