Purpose: To assess the prognostic role of Handheld Vital Microscopy (HVM) and evaluate levels of endothelial glycocalyx (eGC) breakdown in patients demonstrating Hemodynamic Incoherence (HI), to elucidate a mechanistic link between the eGC and HI in order to inform prognostic enrichment of future resuscitation trials. We will serially evaluate microhemodynamics (MiH) and macro hemodynamics (maH) and the perfused boundary region (PBR, an visual proxy for eGC thickness) using HVM, and a validated circulating biomarker of eGC integrity.
There are few reliable prognostic indicators in early sepsis to predict disease progression, in part because the pathophysiologic mechanism of vascular dysregulation remains incompletely understood. The global Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has increased the number of patients with sepsis, straining hospital systems and illustrating the need for research into prognostic and therapeutic strategies. An important area of research is the role of the eGC, a thin vascular lining composed of proteoglycans, glycosaminoglycan side-chains, and plasma proteins that play a central role in microvascular homeostasis, the function of which is compromised in sepsis. Another growing field of inquiry is the phenomenon of HI, a condition in which MiH remain dysfunctional despite normalization of conventionally targeted MaH measures such as mean arterial pressure (MAP), leading to poor end-organ perfusion. It has been hypothesized that HI due to persistently deranged MiH and reduced end-organ perfusion result in an ongoing state of "microvascular shock", leading to worsening end-organ damage despite apparent normalization of conventionally targeted parameters. Importantly, HI has been shown to predict poor patient outcomes, with abnormal MiH predicting patient mortality despite normalization of MAP after administration of vasoactive medications. MiH measures have also been shown to differ significantly between septic patients and healthy controls. In one study of a large sepsis cohort, MiH parameters were predictive of adverse outcomes, while MaH parameters were not, suggesting that MiH measurements, and HI in particular may be more sensitive than conventional measures for predicting outcomes in sepsis. One hypothesis is that HI in sepsis is mediated by degradation of the eGC, with subsequent loss of microvascular homeostasis, though the role of the eGC as a vascular barrier remains controversial. One question that remains is whether or not microvascular changes can predict patient outcomes in patients judged to be adequately fluid resuscitated, as measured by MAP or Starling Stroke Volume/Non-invasive cardiac monitor (NICOM) testing.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
NON_RANDOMIZED
Purpose
BASIC_SCIENCE
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
68
All septic patients will have a passive leg raise performed with the assistance of an Starling SV device to look at Stroke Volume change. This will be performed at admission and 4 hours after admission. This intervention will not be performed on healthy controls
All septic patients will have sublingual microscopic images performed at admission, 8-16 hours, 48 hours and 72 hours. Control patients will have a sublingual microscope imaging performed after intubation for the elective procedure. This is a process of a 2cm probe tip gently placed on patients' mouth and 3 different images of 5-8 seconds are recorded.
Denver Health Medical Center
Denver, Colorado, United States
Initiation and Duration Renal Replacement Therapy
Renal Replacement Therapy will be monitored while hospitalized for Sepsis/Septic Shock for initiation and days receiving Renal replacement will be counted.
Time frame: 90 day
Rate of Inpatient Mortality
Patient Death while hospitalized for the admission of Sepsis/Septic Shock
Time frame: 90 day
Rate of 90 day survival
Patient death within 90 days of admission to the hospital for Sepsis/Septic Shock
Time frame: 90 day
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All septic Patients will have this performed on all patients at admission, 8-16 hours, 48 hours and 72 hours. Ultrasound images and blood flow waves will be collected of the Inferior Vena Cava diameter, hepatic vein, portal vein, renal veins and scored using the Venous Excess Ultrasound (VExUS scale). Healthy controls will not have ultrasound performed
The urine assay is collected passively from the patient will be ran through a Dimethylmethylene blue (DMMB assay)- could provide future beneficial information to resuscitation efforts. This will be performed on all septic patients at admission, 8-16 hours, 48 hours and 72 hours. Urine will be collected on healthy controls at time of intubation for elective procedure.