Skip to main content
. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2016 Jan 31.
Published in final edited form as: Hum Pathol. 2014 Oct 7;46(2):191–201. doi: 10.1016/j.humpath.2014.09.011

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

a

Indicates number of patients, and percent

b

Defined by fevers, chills, malaise, and sweats or weight loss

c Indicates patients with documented abnormality (not all patients were tested)

d

P values are based upon comparison of patients with no HPE

*

Indicates P<0.05