Table 1.
Basic clinical, laboratory, and neurological characteristics of all four patients.
| Patient 1 | Patient 2 | Patient 3 | Patient 4 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gender | Male | Male | Male | Male |
| Age [years] | 70 | 68 | 71 | 29 |
| BMI | 24.8 | 27.8 | 23 | 38.5 |
| SOFA score at ICU admission | 13 | 6 | 12 | 11 |
| APACHE II score at ICU admission | 29 | 11 | 33 | 35 |
| Respiratory | ||||
| - paO2/FiO2 (min) during ICU stay | 59.40 | 85.6 | 131.8 | 81.00 |
| - paO2/FiO2 (min) ICU admission | 59.40 | 151.64 | 172.75 | 81.00 |
| - paO2/FiO2 (min) day 1 | 198.18 | 150.17 | 147.25 | 112.66 |
| - paO2/FiO2 (min) day 3 | 83.33 | 99.67 | 180.00 | vvECMO |
| - paO2/FiO2 (min) day 7 | 238.00 | 205.00 | 131.80 | vvECMO |
| Invasive Ventilation [Y/N] | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| vvECMO [Y/N] | N | N | N | Y |
| Kidney | ||||
| Creatinine max during ICU stay [mg/dl] | 1.04 | 1.89 | 3.64 | 1.55 |
| RRT [Y/N] | N | Y | Y | N |
| Laboratory tests | ||||
| Bilirubin max during ICU stay [mg/dl] | 4.37 | 0.48 | 2.42 | 1.59 |
| Ferritin max during ICU stay [μg/l] | 1,263 | 1,647 | 2,668 | 3,215 |
| D-Dimers at ICU admission [mg/l] | 3.56 | 5.82 | 39.71 | 97.03 |
| D-Dimers max during ICU stay [mg/l] | 3.56 | 4.03 | 32.87 | 97.03 |
| LDH max during ICU stay [U/l] | 342 | 507 | 386 | 1,200 |
| Troponin max during ICU stay [ng/l] | 63 | 90 | 502 | 72 |
| IL-6 (max) [pg/ml] | 391.2 | 265.7 | 315.3 | 1,057 |
| PCT (max) [ng/ml] | 2.35 | 2.84 | 1.07 | 1.85 |
| CRP (max) [mg/dl] | 36.9 | 31.9 | 26.3 | 28.6 |
| WBC (max) [×1,000/μl] | 20.2 | 19.5 | 5.3 | 11.8 |
| Lymphocyte count (min) [×1,000/μl] | 0.86 | 0.93 | 0.33 | 0.94 |
| Neurological examination | ||||
| Cranial nerves | Normal | L: facial palsy, Bell sign + | Nystagmus | Normal |
| Motor | T2: tetraparesis | Tetraparesis |
T1: no movements
T2: tetraparesis |
T1: tetraparesis
T2: add. arm paresis left |
| Atrophy | T2: + | + | T1: – T2: + |
- |
| Tendon reflexes (L/R) | ↑↑/↑ | –/– | T1: ↑↑ / ↑ |
T1:
↓/↓
T2: ↑/↑ |
| Babinski sign (L/R) | T2: +/– | –/– | –/– | –/– |
| Cloni (L/R) |
T1:
+/+
T2: -/- |
–/– |
T1:
+/+
T2: –/– |
T1: –/– T2: +/+ |
| Outcome | ||||
| Length of ICU stay (days) | 23 | 21 | 37 | 17 |
| Length of hospital stay (days) | 77 | 48 | 37 | 23 |
| Hospital survival | Y | Y | Y | Y |
BMI, body mass index; SOFA, Sepsis-related organ failure assessment; APACHE, Acute Physiology And Chronic Health Evaluation; ICU, intensive care unit; Y, yes; N, no; vvECMO, veno-venous extracorporal membrane oxygenation; max, maximum; RRT, renal replacement therapy; LDH, lactate dehydrogenase; IL, Interleukin; PCT, procalcitonin; CRP, c-reactive protein; WBC, white blood cell; L/R, left/right; T1/T2, time of investigation. Pathological results of neurological examination are in boldface.