BACKGROUND: Cardiac troponin I (cTnI) is a specific marker of myocardial injury. It is known that a higher level of cTnI is associated with a poor clinical outcome in patients with acute coronary syndrome. An elevation in cTnI is also observed in various noncardiac critical illnesses. This study evaluated whether cTnI is useful for predicting the prognosis in noncardiac critically ill patients. METHODS: From June 2003 to July 2004 at Gyeongsang National University Hospital, we enrolled 215 patients (male:142, female:73, mean age:63+/-15 years ) who were admitted for critical illness other than acute coronary syndrome at the medical intensive care unit(ICU). The severity score of critical illness (SAPS II and SOFA) was determined and serum cTnI level was measured within 24 hours after admission to the ICU. The mortality rate was compared between the cTnI-positive (> or =0.1microgram/L) and cTnI-negative (cTnI<0.1microgram/L) patients at the 10th and 30th day after admission to the ICU. The mean cTnI value was compared between the survivors and non-survivors at the 10th and 30th day after admission to the ICU in the cTnI-positive patients. The correlation between cTnI and the severity of the critical illness score (SAPS II and SOFA) was also analyzed in cTnI-positive patients. RESULTS: 1) The number of cTnI-negative and positive patients were 95(44%) and 120(56%), respectively. 2) The mortality rate at the 10th and 30th day after admission to the ICU was significantly higher in the cTnI-positive patients (29%, 41%) than in the cTnI-negative patients (12%, 21%)(p<0.01). 3) In the cTnI-positive patients, the mean value of the cTnI at the 10th and 30th day after admission to the ICU was significantly higher in the non-survivors (4.5 +/- 9.2 microgram/L, 3.5 +/- 7.9 microgram/L) than in the survivors( 1.8 +/- 3.6 microgram/L, 2.0 +/- 3.9 microgram/L) (p < 0.05). 4) In the cTnI-positive patients, the cTnI level was significantly correlated with the SAPS II score (r=0.24, p<0.001) and SOFA score (r=0.30, p<0.001). CONCLUSION: The cTnI may be a useful prognostic marker in noncardiac critically ill patients.
Acute Coronary Syndrome ; Critical Illness* ; Humans ; Critical Care ; Mortality ; Prognosis ; Survivors ; Troponin I* ; Troponin*

BACKGROUND: Severe community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) can develop into respiratory failure that requires mechanical ventilation (MV), which is associated with a higher rate of mortality. It was recently reported that a hydrocortisone infusion in severe CAP patients was associated with a significant reduction in the length of the hospital stay and mortality. This study evaluated efficacy of a hydrocortisone infusion for patients with severe CAP requiring MV. METHODS: From February 2005 to July 2005, 13 patients (M : F = 10 : 3, mean age: 68.6+/-14.1 years), who were diagnosed with severe CAP and required MV, were enrolled in this study. Hydrocortisone was administered as an intravenous 200mg loading bolus, which was followed by an infusion at a rate of 10mg/hour for 7 days. The control group was comprised of patients with severe CAP requiring MV but in whom corticosteroid was not used before study period. The clinical and physiologic parameters on or by day 8 and the outcome in the hydrocortisone infusion group were compared with those in the control group. RESULTS: 1) There was no significant difference in age, gender ratio, SAPS II, SOFA score, temperature, leukocyte count, PaO2/FiO2 (P/F) ratio, the number of patients with P/F ratio < 200, chest radiograph score, lung injury score and catecholamine-dependent septic shock between the hydrocortisone infusion group and control group at day 1. 2) At day 8, the proportion of patients with an improvement in the P/F ratio > or = 100 and the chest radiograph score was significantly higher in the hydrocortisone infusion group than in the control group (61.5% vs. 15.4%, 76.9% vs. 23.1%, p<0.05). However, there was no significant difference in the other clinical and physiologic parameters. 3). There was no significant difference in the duration of the MV, ICU stay, hospital stay and 10th and 30th day mortality between the two groups. CONCLUSION: Hydrocortisone infusion for patients with severe CAP requiring invasive mechanical ventilation may be effective in improving the level of oxygenation and the chest radiograph score.
Humans ; Hydrocortisone* ; Length of Stay ; Leukocyte Count ; Lung Injury ; Mortality ; Oxygen ; Pneumonia* ; Radiography, Thoracic ; Respiration, Artificial* ; Respiratory Insufficiency ; Shock, Septic

BACKGROUND: The possibility of developing pulmonary tuberculosis usually increases with increasing age. Therefore, the incidence of endobronchial tuberculosis in older people may increase. We evaluated the clinical characteristics in patients with endobronchial tuberculosis above the age of 70 years. METHODS: We enrolled 74 patients (12 males and 62 females; mean age 64.6+/-16.2 years) that were diagnosed with endobronchial tuberculosis from March 2003 to July 2006 at Gyeongsang University Hospital. We retrospectively evaluated the clinical characteristics of endobronchial tuberculosis for patients 70 years or older (older group) and for patients below the age of 70 years (younger group). RESULTS: The number of patients in the older group was 41 (55%). Cough was the most common symptom in the two groups of patients and dyspnea on exertion was more common in the older group of patients than in the younger group of patients (31.7% vs. 12.1%). The actively caesating type of disease was more common in the younger group of patients than in the older group of patients (66.7% vs. 39%). The edematous type of disease was more common in the older group of patients than in the younger group of patients (53.7% vs. 27.2%) (p<0.05). Tracheal and main bronchial involvement of lesions were more common for the younger group of patients than for the older group of patients (30.3% vs. 9.7%) (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: Endobronchial tuberculosis was commonly observed in patients older than 70 years and this group of patients had some clinical characteristics that were different from the younger group of patients.
Cough ; Dyspnea ; Female ; Humans ; Incidence ; Male ; Retrospective Studies ; Tuberculosis* ; Tuberculosis, Pulmonary