Outcome of hematopoietic stem cell recipients who were mechanically ventilated and admitted to intensive care units.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the ICU mortality rate of mechanically ventilated hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) recipients and to identify the factors that were associated with ICU mortality. The impact of surgical lung biopsy (SLB) in patients with unexplained pulmonary infiltrates was also evaluated.


METHODS
Forty-one mechanically ventilated HSCT recipients admitted to the ICU during the study period were enrolled. The medical records were reviewed and data at ICU admission were analyzed. Data were compared between ICU survivors and nonsurvivors. The pathologic findings of SLB and the resulting impact on treatment were analyzed.


RESULTS
Eight patients (19.5%) survived the ICU stay, and seven (17%) lived to hospital discharge. The most common etiologies of ICU mortality included bacterial pneumonia, cytomegalovirus pneumonia, diffuse alveolar hemorrhage, sepsis, and aspergillosis. The factors associated with higher mortality were older age when performing HSCT, older age at ICU admission, higher acute physiology and chronic health evaluation (APACHE) II score, shock, higher respiratory rate, and higher heart rate at the time of ICU admission. Ten patients underwent SLB which resulted in treatment changes in five of them. Three patients had complications of SLB and one patient died of complications.


CONCLUSIONS
The ICU mortality rate of mechanically ventilated HSCT recipients was high. Factors associated with ICU mortality were older age, high APACHE II score, presence of shock, and higher respiratory or heart rate at the time of ICU admission. SLB might provide specific diagnosis in HSCT recipients with unexplained pulmonary infiltrates and aid modification of treatment.
Yang
Tsung-Ming
TM
Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Chiayi, Taiwan.
Wang
Po-Nan
PN
Kao
Kuo-Chin
KC
Huang
Chung-Chi
CC
Tsai
Ying-Huang
YH
Hsieh
Meng-Jer
MJ
D018806:APACHE; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology; D018380:Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation / Q000401:mortality*; D017052:Hospital Mortality; D006801:Humans; D007362:Intensive Care Units; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D012121:Respiration, Artificial / Q000009:adverse effects*; D012307:Risk Factors; D012769:Shock / Q000150:complications; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D015996:Survival Rate; D016896:Treatment Outcome