Hemoconcentration is a poor predictor of severity in acute pancreatitis

AIM: To determine whether the hematocrit (Hct) at admission or at 24 h after admission was associated with severe acute pancreatitis (AP), organ failure (OF), and pancreatic necrosis.METHODS: A total of 336 consecutive patients with a first AP episode were studied. Etiology, Hct values at admission and at 24 h, development of severe AP according to Atlanta's criteria, pancreatic necrosis, OF and mortality were recorded. Hemoconcentration was defined as Hct level ＞44% for males and ＞40% for females. The t-test and χ2 test were used to assess the association of hemoconcentration to the severity, necrosis and OF.Diagnostic accuracy was also determined.RESULTS: Biliary disease was the most frequent etiology(n = 148). Mean Hct levels at admission were 41±6%for females and 46±7% for males (P＜0.01). Seventyeight (23%) patients had severe AP, and OF developed in 45 (13%) patients. According to contrast-enhanced computed tomography scan, 36% (54/150) patients showed pancreatic necrosis. Hct levels were elevated in58% (55/96) and 61% (33/54) patients with interstitial and necrotizing pancreatitis, respectively. Neither Hct levels at admission nor hemoconcentration at 24 h were associated with the severity, necrosis or OF. Sensitivity,specificity and positive predictive values for both determinations were very low; and negative predictive values were between 61% and 86%, being the highest value for OF.CONCLUSION: Hct is not a useful marker to predict a worse outcome in acute pancreatitis. In spite of the high negative predictive value of hemoconcentration, the prognosis gain is limited due to an already high incidence of mild disease.

Digoxin:A systematic review in atrial fibrillation,congestive heart failure and post myocardial infarction

AIM: To review digoxin use in systolic congestive heart failure, atrial fibrillation, and after myocardial infarction. METHODS: A comprehensive Pub Med search was performed using the key words "digoxin and congestive heart failure", "digoxin and atrial fibrillation", "digoxin, atrial fibrillation and systolic congestive heart failure", and "digoxin and myocardial infarction". Only articles written in English were included in this study. We retained studies originating from randomized controlled trials, registries and included at least 500 patients. The studies included patients with atrial fibrillation or heart failure or myocardial infarction and had a significant proportion of patients(at least 5%) on digoxin. A table reviewing the different hazard ratios was developed based on the articles selected. Our primary endpoint was the overall mortality in the patients on digoxin vs those without digoxin, among patients with atrial fibrillation and also among patients with atrial fibrillation and systolic heart failure. We reviewed the most recent international guidelines to discuss current recommendations.RESULTS: A total of 18 studies were found that evaluated digoxin and overall mortality in different clinical settings including systolic congestive heart failure and normal sinus rhythm(n = 5), atrial fibrillation with and without systolic congestive heart failure(n = 9), and myocardial infarction(n = 4). Overall, patients with systolic congestive heart failure with normal sinus rhythm, digoxin appears to have a neutral effect on mortality especially if close digoxin level monitoring is employed. However, most of the observational studies evaluating digoxin use in atrial fibrillation without systolic congestive heart failure showed an increase in overall mortality when taking digoxin. In the studies evaluated in this systematic review, the data among patients with atrial fibrillation and systolic congestive heart failure, as well as post myocardial infarction were more controversial. The extent to which discrepancies among studies are based on statistical methods is currently unclear, as these studies' findings are generated by retrospective analyses that employed different techniques to address confounding. CONCLUSION: Based on the potential risks and benefits, as well as the presence of alternative drugs, there is a limited role for digoxin in the management of patients with normal sinus rhythm and congestive heart failure. Based on the retrospective studies reviewed there is a growing volume of data showing increased mortality in those with only atrial fibrillation. The pro-per role of digoxin is, however, less certain in other subgroups of patients, such as those with both atrial fibrillation and systolic congestive heart failure or after a myocardial infarction. Further studies may provide helpful information for such subgroups of patients.

QT prolongation is associated with increased mortality in end stage liver disease

AIM To determine the prevalence of QT prolongation in a large series of end stage liver disease(ESLD) patients and its association to clinical variables and mortality.METHODS The QT interval was measured and corrected for heart rate for each patient,with a prolonged QT cutoff defined as QT > 450 ms for males and QT > 470 ms for females.Multiple clinical variables were evaluated including sex,age,serum sodium,international normalized ratio,creatinine,total bilirubin,beta-blocker use,Model for EndStage Liver Disease(MELD),MELD-Na,and etiology of liver disease. RESULTS Among 406 ESLD patients analyzed,207(51.0%) had QT prolongation. The only clinical variable associated with QT prolongation was male gender(OR = 3.04,95%CI:2.01-4.60,P < 0.001). During the study period,187patients(46.1%) died. QT prolongation was a significant independent predictor of mortality(OR = 1.69,95%CI:1.03-2.77,P = 0.039). In addition,mortality was also associated with viral etiology of ESLD,elevated MELD score and its components(P < 0.05 for all). No significant reversibility in the QT interval was seen after liver transplantation. CONCLUSION QT prolongation was commonly encountered in an ESLD population,especially in males,and served as a strong independent marker for increased mortality in ESLD patients.