Table 3.
Documented demographic, clinical, and laboratory or pathology findings in 136 patients without or with (all, multifocal, or localized) HPE.
No HPE (n=118) | All HPE (n=18) | Multifocal HPE (n=6) | Local HPE (n=12) |
P valued |
|||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
All HPE | Multifocal HPE | Local HPE | |||||
Demographic Data | |||||||
Age (years, mean) | 56 ± 14 | 54 ± 17 | 62 | 50 | 0.66 | ||
Sex (% male) | 53 | 78 | 83 | 75 | 0.07 | ||
Hospital days (mean, current admission) | 26 | 46 | 56 | 42 | 0.008* | 0.05 | 0.09 |
ICU days (mean, current admission) | 13 | 25 | 39 | 19 | 0.01* | 0.02* | 0.40 |
Total admissions (mean, prior year) | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0.99 | ||
Vascular procedures (mean) | |||||||
Total vascular interventions | 4 ±3.5 | 7 ± 5.5 | 8 | 6 | 0.01* | 0.02* | 0.08 |
Left heart/arterial interventions | 2 ± 1.3 | 2 ± 1.8 | 2 | 2 | 0.16 | 0.17 | 0.40 |
Right heart/venous interventions | 3 ± 2.6 | 5 ± 3.6 | 6 | 4 | 0.008* | 0.02* | 0.07 |
Central catheters | 2 ± 1.7 | 3 ±1.7 | 3 | 3 | 0.03* | 0.07 | 0.14 |
Other right heart and venous | 2 ± 1.0 | 2 ± 1.9 | 3 | 2 | 0.05 | 0.06 | 0.02* |
Autopsy tissue blocks examined (mean) | |||||||
Total blocks | 34 ±14 | 41 ± 10 | 40 | 42 | 0.06 | ||
Lung blocks | 6 ± 3 | 7 ± 3 | 7 | 7 | 0.16 | ||
Heart blocks | 6 ± 5 | 7 ± 3 | 8 | 6 | 0.88 | ||
Central nervous system blocks | 10 ± 8 | 10 ± 7 | 9 | 11 | 0.74 | ||
Clinical Sign or Symptom Prior to Deatha | |||||||
Constitutional symptomsb | 46 (39%) | 14 (78%) | 6 (100%) | 8 (67%) | 0.002* | 0.003* | |
Multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS) | 20 (17%) | 14 (78%) | 5 (83%) | 9 (75%) | <0.001* | <0.0001* | <0.0001* |
SIRS/sepsis | 38 (32%) | 10 (56%) | 5 (83%) | 5 (42%) | 0.054 | 0.01* | |
Suspected pulmonary embolism | 14 (12%) | 8 (44%) | 3 (50%) | 5 (42%) | 0.006* | 0.008* | 0.005* |
Thrombo/embolic stroke | 19 (16%) | 3 (17%) | 2 (33%) | 1 (8%) | 0.95 | ||
Suspected vasculitis | 1 (1%) | 2 (11%) | 2 (33%) | 0 (0%) | 0.006* | <0.0001* | |
Lymphadenopathy | 20 (17%) | 2 (11%) | 2 (33%) | 0 (0%) | 0.53 | ||
Acute cardiac arrhythmia/PEA | 24 (20%) | 2 (11%) | 0 (0%) | 2 (17%) | 0.35 | ||
Laboratory or Pathology Findinga§§ | |||||||
Leukocytosis | 94 (80%) | 18 (100%) | 6 (100%) | 12 (100%) | 0.035* | ||
↑ D-dimer ↑ fibrin split products ↓ fibrinogen | 20 (17%) | 6 (33%) | 4 (67%) | 2 (17%) | 0.10 | 0.002* | |
Acute pulmonary infarct(s) | 5 (4%) | 5 (28%) | 3 (50%) | 2 (17%) | <0.001* | <0.0001* | |
Acute focal cerebral infarct(s) | 8 (7%) | 4 (22%) | 3 (50%) | 1 (8%) | 0.03* | 0.0002 | |
↑ Erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) | 2 (2%) | 2 (11%) | 2 (33%) | 0 (0%) | 0.03* | 0.0001* | |
↑ C-reactive protein (CRP) | 2 (2%) | 3 (17%) | 2 (33%) | 1 (8%) | 0.002* | 0.0001* | |
↑ p-ANCA | 1 (1%) | 1 (6%) | 1 (17%) | 0 (0%) | 0.12 | 0.003* | |
↑ c-ANCA | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) | N/A |
Plus-minus values are means ± SD; Abbreviations: DIC, disseminated intravascular coagulation; HPE, hydrophilic polymer emboli; ICU, intensive care unit; PEA, pulseless electrical activity; SIRS, Systemic inflammatory response syndrome
Indicates number of patients, and percent
Defined by fevers, chills, malaise, and sweats or weight loss
c Indicates patients with documented abnormality (not all patients were tested)
P values are based upon comparison of patients with no HPE
Indicates P<0.05