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Introduction: Because of its rarity compared to dry and wet gangrene of the lower limb, the gaseous form has often been considered as the most severe form of gangrenous disease. We aimed to report clinical, paraclinical, and therapeutic features, and to identify mortality risk factors of gas gangrene of the lower limb., Patients and Methods: We conducted a one-center case series retrospective study over a period of 13 years from January 2006 to December 2018., Results: A total of 19 patients were included: 12 men, 7 women. Mean age was 59.3  ±  11.3 years. There were 17 diabetic patients and one patient was on radio-chemotherapy for lower rectal cancer. Septic shock was initially present in 4 cases. Hyperleukocytosis was noted in 17 patients. C-reactive protein was elevated in 11 patients. All patients were put on antibiotics then operated on. A total of 8 patients died postoperatively (42%) in an average time of 9.6 days after surgery. On univariate analysis, factors associated with mortality were: Septic shock on admission ( p  =  0.02 ); local signs limited to foot ( p  =  0.05 ) or extended above the knee ( p  =  0.02 ); leukocytosis ( p  =  0.005 ); glycemia level ( p  =  0.02 ); antibiotic therapy duration ( p  =  0.04 ); antibiotic association of Penicillin G, metronidazole, and gentamicin ( p  =  0.02 ); amputation procedure solely ( p  =  0.04 ) or debridement procedure without amputation ( p  =  0.05 ); intraoperative transfusion ( p  =  0.006 ); and hospital stay ( p  =  0.01 )., Conclusion: Identifying gas gangrene mortality factors is fundamental to standardize management. Our study was able to build on the small size of our series, but further prospective and large-scale studies are required., Competing Interests: Declaration of Conflicting InterestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Some skin conditions may require intensive care treatment. Early diagnosis can be challenging but is crucial to adequate patient management and decision making, since appropriate treatment influences prognosis. The following skin conditions will be reviewed: severe cutaneous drug reactions (drug reaction with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms [DRESS], Stevens-Johnson syndrome/toxic epidermal necrolysis [SJS/TEN]), acute cutaneous graft versus host disease (aGvHD) following allogeneic stem cell transplantation, infectious diseases (staphylococcal scalded skin syndrome [SSSS], toxic shock-syndrome [TSS], necrotizing fasciitis) and vascular disease (acute infectious purpura fulminans). We focus on the course of the diseases, describing clinical presentation and differential diagnosis as well as diagnostic and therapeutic strategies., Competing Interests: Einhaltung ethischer Richtlinien. Interessenkonflikt: Gemäß den Richtlinien des Springer Medizin Verlags werden Autoren und Wissenschaftliche Leitung im Rahmen der Manuskripterstellung und Manuskriptfreigabe aufgefordert, eine vollständige Erklärung zu ihren finanziellen und nichtfinanziellen Interessen abzugeben. Autoren: C. Marks: A. Finanzielle Interessen: C. Marks gibt an, dass kein finanzieller Interessenkonflikt besteht. – B. Nichtfinanzielle Interessen: angestellte Dermatologin, Universitätsklinikum Freiburg, Klinik für Innere Medizin I, Hugstetter Str. 53, 79106 Freiburg. E. Widmeier: A. Finanzielle Interessen: E. Widmeier gibt an, dass kein finanzieller Interessenkonflikt besteht. – B. Nichtfinanzielle Interessen: angestellter Internist/Intensivmediziner, Universitätsklinikum Freiburg, Interdisziplinäre Medizinische Intensivtherapie, Hugstetter Str. 55, 79106 Freiburg. R. Marks: A. Finanzielle Interessen: R. Marks gibt an, dass kein finanzieller Interessenkonflikt besteht. – B. Nichtfinanzielle Interessen: angestellter Internist, Universitätsklinikum Freiburg, Klinik für Innere Medizin I, Hugstetter Str. 53, 79106 Freiburg. S. Kardaun: A. Finanzielle Interessen: S. Kardaun gibt an, dass kein finanzieller Interessenkonflikt besteht. – B. Nichtfinanzielle Interessen: angestellte Dermatologin, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, NL, Isala-Klinik Meppel (jetzt im Ruhestand) | Mitgliedschaften: Niederländischer Verein für Dermatologie und Venerologie (NVDV), Internationales Register für schwere arzneimittelinduzierte Hautreaktionen (RegiSCAR; unbezahlt), Independent Researcher (unbezahlt). Wissenschaftliche Leitung: Die vollständige Erklärung zum Interessenkonflikt der Wissenschaftlichen Leitung finden Sie am Kurs der zertifizierten Fortbildung auf www.springermedizin.de/cme . Der Verlag: erklärt, dass für die Publikation dieser CME-Fortbildung keine Sponsorengelder an den Verlag fließen. Für diesen Beitrag wurden von den Autor/-innen keine Studien an Menschen oder Tieren durchgeführt. Für die aufgeführten Studien gelten die jeweils dort angegebenen ethischen Richtlinien., (© 2025. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Medizin Verlag GmbH, ein Teil von Springer Nature.)

A 16-year-old male patient who underwent a kidney transplant developed a septic shock. A full blood count (FBC) was performed and the presence of monocytosis in the automatic FBC, the overlap between neutrophils and monocytes in the WBC scatter plot, and a "MO blast" flag triggered by the analyzer, led to a peripheral blood film (PBF). PBF revealed the presence of macropolycytes that were erroneously count as monocytes by the analyzer. Macropolycytes can play an important role as a sepsis biomarker., Competing Interests: Disclosure of interest The author declares that he has no competing interest., (Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Masson SAS.. All rights reserved.)

Background: Early assessment and intervention are crucial for improving survival in septic shock. This study aimed to address the shortcomings of existing scoring systems in predicting the risk of early death, particularly in identifying patient populations that require more precise prognostic assessments., Methods: This retrospective study included 143 patients with septic shock admitted to the intensive care unit of a tertiary hospital between January 1, 2019, and June 30, 2024. Patients were stratified by 28-day survival status. Binary logistic regression analysis identified independent predictors of early mortality and developed a prognostic model, which was validated using receiver operating characteristic curves., Results: Among the patients, 106 survived, whereas 37 died. Multi-factor binary logistic regression analysis identified the sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA) score and the C-reactive protein-albumin-lymphocyte (CALLY) index as significant independent predictors of 28-day mortality (p < 0.05), culminating in the formulation of the "SOFAplusCALLY" model. This model showed superior predictive accuracy compared to other Scoring systems (area under the curve: 0.90, p < 0.01) and was validated for robustness in both training and validation cohorts., Conclusions: The CALLY index and SOFA score independently forecast 28-day mortality in adults with septic shock, offering substantial clinical utility for forecasting patient prognosis. The SOFAplusCALLY model, synthesized from both indices, comprehensively assesses the clinical status of patients with septic shock and enhances prognostic accuracy, which is crucial for clinical decision-making and resource allocation., Competing Interests: Declarations. Ethics approval and consent to participate: This study was conducted in accordance with the ethical standards of the Declaration of Helsinki and approved by the Ethics Committee of Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University (Xiamen Branch) (Approval number: B2023-024). Given the retrospective design of the study, informed consent from patients was waived. Consent for publication: Not applicable. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2025. The Author(s).)

In the puerperal phase, streptococcal toxic shock syndrome is a relatively uncommon occurrence. However, there has been a rise in the prevalence of more aggressive strains of Group A Streptococcus (GAS), leading to significant maternal morbidity and mortality. In this report, we present a case of a postpartum patient who developed streptococcal toxic shock syndrome with substantial inflammation shortly after delivery. The patient presented on the second postpartum day with hypotension, high fever, hypogastric tenderness and anaemia. After timely workup and appropriate antibiotic therapy, the patient fully recovered. Culture studies confirmed Gram-positive septicaemia with the presence of Streptococcus pyogenes in both the patient's blood and a previously inserted intrauterine device (IUD). This case underscores the importance of maintaining a high index of suspicion for GAS as the cause of puerperal infections despite its rarity. This results in prompt administration of antibiotics and source control, preventing consequences and avoiding mortality., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© BMJ Publishing Group Limited 2025. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ Group.)

Objective: To develop a scale to predict refractory septic shock (SS) based on clinical variables recorded during initial evaluations of patients., Methods: Multicenter retrospective study of data for patients with suspected infection registered in the Marketplace for Medical Information in Intensive Care (MIMIC-IV). These data were used for the development and internal validation of the refractory SS scale (RSSS). For external validation, we used retrospective data for 2 cohorts: 1) patients diagnosed with SS in an emergency department (ED cohort) whose data were registered in a Korean SS registry, and 2) patients diagnosed with SS in 6 hospital intensive care units (ICU cohort). A machine-learning automatic clinical scoring system (AutoScore) was used in the development phase. The performance of the RSSS in the validation cohorts was assessed with the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) for each. The primary outcome was the development of refractory SS within 24 hours of ICU admission. Refractory SS was defined by the need for a norepinephrine-equivalent dose greater than 0.5 µg/kg/min., Results: We collected data for 29 618 patients from the MIMIC-IV registry, 3113 patients for the ED cohort, and 1015 for the ICU cohort. The RSSS had 6 predictors: serum lactate level, systolic blood pressure, heart rate, temperature, arterial pH, and leukocyte count. The scale's AUROCs were as follows: 0.873 (95% CI, 0.846-0.900) in the internal validation, 0.705 (95% CI, 0.678-0.733) in the ED cohort on arrival, 0.781 (95% CI, 0.757-0.805) in the ED cohort at the moment of diagnosing hypoperfusion or hypotension, and 0.822 (95% CI, 0.787-0.857) in the ICU cohort. Calibration was acceptable in all the cohorts., Conclusions: The RSSS had adequate diagnostic accuracy in multiple cohorts of patients diagnosed in the ED and ICU.

Background: Septic shock (SS) is a highly fatal and heterogeneous syndrome. Identifying distinct clinical phenotypes provides valuable insights into the underlying pathophysiological mechanisms and may help to propose precise clinical management strategies., Methods: Latent profile analysis (LPA), a model-based unsupervised method, was used for phenotyping in the MIMIC cohort, and the model was externally independently validated in the eICU and AUMC cohorts., Results: Three phenotypes, labeled phenotype I, II, and III, were derived. These phenotypes varied in demographics, clinical features, comorbidities, patterns of organ dysfunction, organ support, and prognosis. Phenotype I, characterized by the most severe organ dysfunction (especially liver), the youngest age, and the highest BMI, had the highest mortality (p < 0.001). Phenotype II, with moderate mortality, was characterized by severe renal injury. In contrast, phenotype III, associated with the oldest age and the fewest comorbidities, exhibited significantly lower mortality. Phenotype I patients had the steepest survival curves and demonstrated an ultra-high risk of death, particularly within the first few days after SS onset., Conclusions: The individualized identification of phenotypes is well suited to clinical practice. The three SS phenotypes differed significantly in pathophysiological and clinical outcomes, which are crucial for informing management decisions and prognosis., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare no potential conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: To assess characteristics and outcomes of children with suspected or confirmed infection requiring emergency transport and PICU admission and to explore the association between the 2024 Phoenix Sepsis Score (PSS) criteria and mortality., Design: Retrospective analysis of curated data from a 2014-2016 multicenter cohort study., Setting: PICU admission following emergency transport in South East England, United Kingdom, from April 2014 to December 2016., Patients: Children 0-16 years old ( n = 663) of whom 444 (67%) had suspected or confirmed infection., Interventions: None., Measurements and Main Results: The PSS was calculated as a sum of four individual organ subscores (respiratory, cardiovascular, neurological, and coagulation) using the worst values during transport (i.e., from referral until the time of PICU admission). A score cutoff of greater than or equal to 2 points was used to define sepsis; and septic shock was defined as sepsis plus 1 or more cardiovascular subscore points. Sepsis occurred in 260 of 444 children (58.6%) with suspected or confirmed infection, with septic shock occurring in 177 of 260 (68.1%) of those with sepsis. A PSS score greater than or equal to 2 points occurred in 37 of 67 bronchiolitis cases, 19 of 35 meningoencephalitis cases, 30 of 47 pneumonia/empyema cases, 38 of 46 septic/toxic shock cases, nine of 15 severe sepsis cases, and 58 of 118 definite viral infections. Overall, 14 of 444 children died (3.2%). There were 12 deaths in the 260 children with PSS greater than or equal to 2, and two deaths in the 184 children with PSS less than 2 (4.6% vs. 1.1%; absolute difference, 3.5%; 95% CI, 0.1-6.9%; p = 0.04)., Conclusions: In 2014-2016, over half of the critically ill children undergoing emergency transport to PICU with presumed or confirmed infection, and meeting retrospectively applied PSS criteria for sepsis, had a range of clinical diagnoses including bronchiolitis, meningoencephalitis, and pneumonia/empyema. Furthermore, the PSS criteria for categorization of sepsis and septic shock were associated with outcome and may be of value in future risk-stratification in clinical trials., Competing Interests: Drs. Hageman, Herberg, and Ramnarayan received support for article research from the Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity. Dr. Peters’ institution received funding from the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), United Kingdom; he received support for article research from the NIHR, United Kingdom. The remaining authors have disclosed that they do not have any potential conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2025 by the Society of Critical Care Medicine and the World Federation of Pediatric Intensive and Critical Care Societies.)

Rationale: Sepsis is one of the most prevalent and deadly diseases today. Sepsis involving the heart can progress to septic cardiomyopathy; however, there is a lack of uniform diagnostic criteria. A review of the literature reveals a paucity of literature on sepsis combined with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and no reports on emergency surgical treatment., Patients Concerns: A 52-year-old patient with trauma-induced sepsis leading to acute heart failure with elevated ST-segment on electrocardiogram and postoperative coronary angiography suggestive of AMI., Diagnoses: Small bowel rupture, infectious shock, AMI, hypertensive disease, old cerebral infarction., Interventions: The patient was admitted to the hospital and immediately underwent emergency surgery to remove the infected focus, with treatment with meropenem for anti-infection, ambroxol for sputum, parenteral nutritional support, sedation and analgesia, esmolol to control the ventricular rate, uradil to control blood pressure, and transfusion of red blood cells and plasma for correction of anemia and coagulation functions. Coronary angiography was performed 6 months later., Outcomes: The patient was discharged after showing signs of improvement and was subsequently monitored in an outpatient clinic setting. At the time of writing, the patient is still alive and well., Lessons: In cases of acute heart failure resulting from trauma-induced sepsis, it is crucial to consider myocardial ischemia as a potential factor. Early surgical removal of infected foci may prove beneficial in improving the patient's prognosis. However, differentiating between septic cardiomyopathy and sepsis-combined myocardial infarction can be challenging, and the appropriateness of the diagnostic criteria for sepsis at this stage is debatable., Competing Interests: The authors have no funding and conflicts of interest to disclose., (Copyright © 2025 the Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.)

Background: This study aimed to explore the possible value of follicular helper T (Tfh) cells in hospital-acquired pneumonia (HAP)., Methods: Flow cytometry was used to measure circulating Tfh and helper T cell (Th) cells in 62 HAP patients and 16 healthy individuals. HAP patients were further categorized into uncontrolled and controlled groups, in accordance with relevant guidelines. Subgroup analyses were additionally conducted based on the pathogen and the presence of bloodstream infections (BSIs) and the incidence of septic shock. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis and ROC analysis were performed to estimate the prognostic value of the combination of Tfh/Th ratios and PCT levels., Results: The Tfh/Th ratio was notably higher in uncontrolled HAP patients than in controls (P<0.05). Specifically, either the Klebsiella pneumoniae (K.p) -positive HAP or BSIs subgroups or septic shock subgroups showed significantly increased Tfh/Th ratios (P<0.05). PCT level in BSIs and septic shock subgroups was significantly increased. However, there were no significant differences in PCT level between K.p-infected and non-K.p-infected patients. So, the Tfh/Th ratio is a good supplement to PCT for distinguishing between the K.p and non-K.p groups. The Tfh/Th ratio also demonstrated a strong correlation with procalcitonin (PCT) levels (P<0.05). Accordingly, the combination of Tfh/Th and PCT could serve as a more effective predictive marker for HAP deterioration and survival prediction. HAP patients with a high Tfh/Th ratio along with high PCT levels had a lower 28-day survival rate., Conclusion: The circulating Tfh/Th ratio, instrumental in gauging the severity of patients with HAP, could be employed as a prognostic biomarker for HAP., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2025 Peng, Tao, Yu, Xu and Chen.)

Background: Multidrug-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (MDR-KP) infections pose a significant global healthcare challenge, particularly due to the high mortality risk associated with septic shock. This study aimed to develop and validate a machine learning-based model to predict the risk of MDR-KP-associated septic shock, enabling early risk stratification and targeted interventions., Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 1,385 patients with MDR-KP infections admitted between January 2019 and June 2024. The cohort was randomly divided into a training set (n = 969) and a validation set (n = 416). Feature selection was performed using LASSO regression and the Boruta algorithm. Seven machine learning algorithms were evaluated, with logistic regression chosen for its optimal balance between performance and robustness against overfitting., Results: The overall incidence of MDR-KP-associated septic shock was 16.32% (226/1,385). The predictive model identified seven key risk factors: procalcitonin (PCT), sepsis, acute kidney injury, intra-abdominal infection, use of vasoactive medications, ventilator weaning failure, and mechanical ventilation. The logistic regression model demonstrated excellent predictive performance, with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) of 0.906 in the training set and 0.865 in the validation set. Calibration was robust, with Hosmer-Lemeshow test results of P = 0.065 (training) and P = 0.069 (validation). Decision curve analysis indicated substantial clinical net benefit., Conclusion: This study presents a validated, high-performing predictive model for MDR-KP-associated septic shock, offering a valuable tool for early clinical decision-making. Prospective, multi-center studies are recommended to further evaluate its clinical applicability and effectiveness in diverse settings., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2025 Pan, Shi, Ji, Wang, Jiang, Yu and Li.)

Objective: To observe the characteristics of changes in non-invasive hemodynamic parameters in neonates with septic shock so as to provide clinical reference for diagnosis and treatment., Methods: A observational study was conducted. The neonates with sepsis complicated with septic shock or not admitted to neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) of the First Affiliated Hospital of Shantou University Medical College were enrolled as the study subjects, who were divided into preterm infant (< 37 weeks) and full-term infant (≥ 37 weeks) according to the gestational age. Healthy full-term infants and hemodynamically stable preterm infants transferring to NICU after birth were enrolled as controls. Electronic cardiometry (EC) was used to measure hemodynamic parameters, including heart rate (HR), mean arterial pressure (MAP), stroke volume (SV), stroke volume index (SVI), cardiac output (CO), cardiac index (CI), systemic vascular resistance (SVR) and systemic vascular resistance index (SVRI), before treatment in the septic shock group, at the time of diagnosis of sepsis in the sepsis without shock group, and before the discharge from the obstetric department or on the day of transferring to NICU in the control group., Results: Finally, 113 neonates with complete data and parental consent for non-invasive hemodynamic monitoring were enrolled, including 32 cases in the septic shock group, 25 cases in the sepsis without shock group and 56 cases in the control group. In the septic shock group, there were 17 cases at the compensated stage and 15 cases at the decompensated stage. There were 21 full-term infants (20 cured or improved and 1 died) and 11 premature infants (7 cured or improved and 4 died), with the mortality of 15.62% (5/32). There were 18 full-term infants and 7 premature infants in the sepsis without shock group and all cured or improved without death. The control group included 28 full-term infants and 28 premature infants transferring to NICU after birth. Non-invasive hemodynamic parameter analysis showed that SV, SVI, CO and CI of full-term infants in the septic shock group were significantly lower than those in the sepsis without shock group and control group [SV (mL): 3.52±0.99 vs. 5.79±1.32, 5.22±1.02, SVI (mL/m 2 ): 16.80 (15.05, 19.65) vs. 27.00 (22.00, 32.00), 27.00 (23.00, 29.75), CO (L/min): 0.52±0.17 vs. 0.80±0.14, 0.72±0.12, CI (mL×s -1 ×m -2 ): 40.00 (36.67, 49.18) vs. 62.51 (56.34, 70.85), 60.01 (53.34, 69.68), all P < 0.05], while SVR and SVRI were significantly higher than those in the sepsis without shock group and control group [SVR (kPa×s×L -1 ): 773.46±291.96 vs. 524.17±84.76, 549.38±72.36, SVRI (kPa×s×L -1 ×m -2 ): 149.27±51.76 vs. 108.12±12.66, 107.81±11.87, all P < 0.05]. MAP, SV, SVI, CO and CI of preterm infants in the septic shock group were significantly lower than those in the control group [MAP (mmHg, 1 mmHg ≈ 0.133 kPa): 38.55±10.48 vs. 47.46±2.85, SV (mL): 2.45 (1.36, 3.58) vs. 3.96 (3.56, 4.49), SVI (mL/m 2 ): 17.60 (14.20, 25.00) vs. 25.50 (24.00, 29.00), CO (L/min): 0.32 (0.24, 0.63) vs. 0.56 (0.49, 0.63), CI (mL×s -1 ×m -2 ): 40.01 (33.34, 53.34) vs. 61.68 (56.68, 63.35), all P < 0.05], while SVR and SVRI were similar to the control group [SVR (kPa×s×L -1 ): 1 082.88±689.39 vs. 656.63±118.83, SVRI (kPa×s×L -1 ×m -2 ): 126.00±61.50 vs. 102.37±11.68, both P > 0.05]. Further analysis showed that SV, SVI and CI of neonates at the compensation stage in the septic shock group were significantly lower than those in the control group [SV (mL): 3.60±1.29 vs. 4.73±1.15, SVI (mL/m 2 ): 19.20±8.33 vs. 26.34±3.91, CI (mL×s -1 ×m -2 ): 46.51±20.34 vs. 61.01±7.67, all P < 0.05], while MAP, SVR and SVRI were significantly higher than those in the control group [MAP (mmHg): 52.06±8.61 vs. 48.54±3.21, SVR (kPa×s×L -1 ): 874.95±318.70 vs. 603.01±111.49, SVRI (kPa×s×L -1 ×m -2 ): 165.07±54.90 vs. 105.09±11.99, all P < 0.05]; MAP, SV, SVI, CO and CI of neonates at the decompensated stage in the septic shock group were significantly lower than those in the control group [MAP (mmHg): 35.13±6.08 vs. 48.54±3.21, SV (mL): 2.89±1.17 vs. 4.73±1.15, SVI (mL/m 2 ): 18.50±4.99 vs. 26.34±3.91, CO (L/min): 0.41±0.19 vs. 0.65±0.15, CI (mL×s -1 ×m -2 ): 43.34±14.17 vs. 61.01±7.67, all P < 0.05], while SVR and SVRI were similar to the control group [SVR (kPa×s×L -1 ): 885.49±628.04 vs. 603.01±111.49, SVRI (kPa×s×L -1 ×m -2 ): 114.29±43.54 vs. 105.09±11.99, both P > 0.05]., Conclusions: Full-term infant with septic shock exhibit a low cardiac output, high vascular resistance hemodynamic pattern, while preterm infant with septic shock show low cardiac output and normal vascular resistance. At the compensated stage the hemodynamic change is low output and high resistance type, while at the decompensated stage it is low output and normal resistance type. Non-invasive hemodynamic monitoring can assist in the identification of neonatal septic shock and provide basis for clinical diagnosis and treatment.

Objectives: This study aimed to develop machine learning (ML) prediction models for identifying bloodstream infection (BSI) and septic shock (SS) in pediatric patients with cancer who presenting febrile neutropenia (FN) at emergency department (ED) visit., Materials and Methods: A retrospective study was conducted on patients, younger than 18 years of age, who visited a tertiary university-affiliated hospital ED due to FN between January 2004 and August 2022. ML models, based on XGBoost, were developed for BSI and SS prediction., Results: After applying the exclusion criteria, we identified 4423 FN events during the study period. We identified 195 (4.4%) BSI and 107 (2.4%) SS events. The BSI and SS models demonstrated promising performance, with area under the receiver operating characteristic curve values of 0.87 and 0.88, respectively, which were superior to those of the logistic regression models. Clinical features, including body temperature, some laboratory results, vital signs, and diagnosis of acute myeloblastic leukemia were identified as significant predictors., Conclusions: The ML-based prediction models, which use data obtainable at ED visits may be valuable tools for ED physicians to predict BSI or SS., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.)

Anamnesis and Clinical Examination: A 59-year-old female patient with an unremarkable medical history presented with watery diarrhea, severe lower abdominal pain, and fever for approximately 7 days. Physical examination revealed a distended abdomen, bowel sounds were absent, and there was an acute abdomen with generalized guarding and significantly elevated inflammatory markers., Diagnosis: Abdominal computed tomography showed significant ascites and signs of peritonitis. Exploratory diagnostics were indicated. A laparoscopy was performed, which revealed diffuse purulent peritonitis. Organ perforation or other reasons for a peritonitis were excluded., Therapy and Clinical Course: Bacteriological examination and blood cultures showed β-hemolytic group A streptococci, leading to the diagnosis of spontaneous bacterial peritonitis caused by streptococci. The patient was treated with antibiotics, progressively recovered, and was discharged symptom-free and without sequelae., Conclusion: Primary spontaneous bacterial peritonitis caused by Streptococcus pyogenes is a rare cause of acute abdomen. An early diagnosis and immediate antibiotic therapy are crucial for prognosis., Competing Interests: Die Autorinnen/Autoren geben an, dass kein Interessenkonflikt besteht., (Thieme. All rights reserved.)

This study aimed to identify important clotting associated genes (CRGs) associated with septic shock in children and explore possible important mechanisms of the disease. Five hub genes with diagnostic performance were identified using GEO database and data from literature. These hub genes have strong correlation with immune cells. ceRNA network was constructed to explore potential pathogenic mechanisms. Ten candidate small molecule compounds were identified. In summary, the hub genes may play an important role in the immunity and disease development of septic shock, providing new ideas and strategies for future diagnosis and mechanism evaluation of children with septic shock.

Study Objective: Existing screening tools for sepsis in children are limited by suboptimal sensitivity. Our objective was to develop a new, more sensitive screening tool for pediatric septic shock by enhancing 2 aspects of the 4-point Liverpool quick Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (LqSOFA) tool., Methods: We performed a secondary analysis of a cohort of children (1 month to 18 years) who presented to a pediatric emergency department (ED) with suspected infection over a 10-year period. Septic shock was defined as intravenous vasoactive infusion within 24-hours of arrival for children with suspected infection and intravenous antibiotics administered. We developed the 4-point quick Pediatric Septic Shock Screening Score (qPS4) by making 2 changes to the 4-point LqSOFA: (1) the pulse rate parameter was replaced with the recently derived Temperature and Age-adjusted Mean Shock Index and (2) standard respiratory rate cutoffs for tachypnea were replaced by cutoffs derived empirically from the study cohort. The other 2 LqSOFA criteria were unchanged (abnormal mentation and capillary refill ≥3 seconds). We defined a positive qPS4 as ≥2 criteria (consistent with LqSOFA). We used the training cohort from the parent study to derive cutoffs for respiratory rate and the validation cohort to compare the qPS4 with LqSOFA and qSOFA., Results: Among the 47,231 encounters in the validation cohort from the parent study, with median age of 4.5 years, qPS4 had an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve for septic shock of 0.94 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.92 to 0.96). qPS4 ≥2 had a sensitivity of 89.7% (95% CI 84.9% to 94.5%), and a specificity of 92.2% (95% CI 92.0% to 92.5%) for septic shock. In comparison, the LqSOFA achieved an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.86 (95% CI 0.82 to 0.89), a sensitivity of 56.1% (95% CI 48.3% to 63.9%), and a specificity of 96.8% (95% CI 96.6% to 96.9%). The median time from first positive qPS4 to initiation of an intravenous vasoactive infusion was 2.5 hours (IQR 0.9 to 6.1) compared to 0.7 hours (IQR 0.0 to 4.5) for LqSOFA., Conclusion: The qPS4, with 2 enhancements to the LqSOFA, demonstrated overall improved sensitivity and specificity for pediatric septic shock., (Copyright © 2024 American College of Emergency Physicians. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Necrotizing fasciitis is a rare but always life-threatening disease, which necessitates a rapid diagnosis and immediate treatment. It can occur on the extremities as well as on the trunk and the perineum. It spreads rapidly along the fascia leading to septic shock. The mortality rate under intensive care treatment is approximately 20%. The pathogen spectrum ranges from mixed bacterial infections to group A streptococci, clostridia and fungi. Clinically, the discrepancy between skin affection and systemic disease symptoms is remarkable. The diagnosis is primarily clinical and the key to successful treatment is rapid and radical surgical debridement combined with broad-spectrum antibiotic therapy under intensive patient monitoring., Competing Interests: Einhaltung ethischer Richtlinien. Interessenkonflikt: Gemäß den Richtlinien des Springer Medizin Verlags werden Autoren und Wissenschaftliche Leitung im Rahmen der Manuskripterstellung und Manuskriptfreigabe aufgefordert, eine vollständige Erklärung zu ihren finanziellen und nichtfinanziellen Interessen abzugeben. Autoren: Boris Jansen-Winkeln: A. Finanzielle Interessen: Vortragstätigkeit (Reisekosten, Honorar) – Firma Johnson&Johnson als Berater – B. Nichtfinanzielle Interessen: Oberarzt Universitätsklinikum Leipzig. Stefan Langer: A. Finanzielle Interessen: S. Langer gibt an, dass kein finanzieller Interessenkonflikt besteht. – B. Nichtfinanzielle Interessen: Bereichsleiter Plastische, ästhetische und spezielle Handchirurgie, Klinik für Orthopädie, Unfallchirurgie und Plastische Chirurgie des Universitätsklinikum Leipzig. Minh Hoang Do: A. Finanzielle Interessen: M. H. Do gibt an, dass kein finanzieller Interessenkonflikt besteht. – B. Nichtfinanzielle Interessen: Stellvertretender Klinikdirektor, Klinik und Poliklinik für Urologie, Universitätsklinikum Leipzig, AöR. Ines Gockel: A. Finanzielle Interessen: I. Gockel gibt an, dass kein finanzieller Interessenkonflikt besteht. – B. Nichtfinanzielle Interessen: Angestellte Chirurgin, Klinik und Poliklinik für Viszeral-, Transplantations-, Thorax- und Gefäßchirurgie, Universitätsklinikum Leipzig AoR. Wissenschaftliche Leitung: Die vollständige Erklärung zum Interessenkonflikt der Wissenschaftlichen Leitung finden Sie am Kurs der zertifizierten Fortbildung auf www.springermedizin.de/cme . Der Verlag: erklärt, dass für die Publikation dieser CME-Fortbildung keine Sponsorengelder an den Verlag fließen. Für diesen Beitrag wurden von den Autoren keine Studien an Menschen oder Tieren durchgeführt. Für die aufgeführten Studien gelten die jeweils dort angegebenen ethischen Richtlinien., (© 2020. Springer Medizin Verlag GmbH, ein Teil von Springer Nature.)

Background: Sepsis is a threat to global health, and domestically is the major cause of in-hospital mortality. Due to increases in inpatient morbidity and mortality resulting from sepsis, healthcare providers (HCPs) would accrue significant benefits from identifying the syndrome early and treating it promptly and effectively. Prompt and effective detection, diagnosis, and treatment of sepsis requires frequent monitoring and assessment of patient vital signs and other relevant data present in the electronic health record., Methods: This study explored the development of machine learning-based models to generate a novel sepsis risk index (SRI) which is an intuitive 0-100 marker that reflects the risk of a patient acquiring sepsis or septic shock and assists in timely diagnosis. Machine learning models were developed and validated using openly accessible critical care databases. The model was developed using a single database (from one institution) and validated on a separate database consisting of patient data collected across multiple ICUs., Results: The developed model achieved an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.82 and 0.84 for the diagnosis of sepsis and septic shock, respectively, with a sensitivity and specificity of 79.1% [75.1, 82.7] and 73.3% [72.8, 73.8] for a sepsis diagnosis and 83.8% [80.8, 86.5] and 73.3% [72.8, 73.8] for a septic shock diagnosis., Conclusion: The SRI provides critical care HCPs with an intuitive quantitative measure related to the risk of a patient having or acquiring a life-threatening infection. Evaluation of the SRI over time may provide HCPs the ability to initiate protective interventions (e.g., targeted antibiotic therapy)., (Copyright © 2024 Société française d'anesthésie et de réanimation (Sfar). All rights reserved.)

Background: Sepsis is a life-threatening condition that causes millions of deaths globally each year. The need for biomarkers to predict the progression of sepsis to septic shock remains critical, with rapid, reliable methods still lacking. Transcriptomics data has recently emerged as a valuable resource for disease phenotyping and endotyping, making it a promising tool for predicting disease stages. Therefore, we aimed to establish an advanced machine learning framework to predict sepsis and septic shock using transcriptomics datasets with rapid turnaround methods., Methods: We retrieved four NCBI GEO transcriptomics datasets previously generated from peripheral blood samples of healthy individuals and patients with sepsis and septic shock. The datasets were processed for bioinformatic analysis and supplemented with a series of bench experiments, leading to the identification of a hub gene panel relevant to sepsis and septic shock. The hub gene panel was used to establish a novel prediction model to distinguish sepsis from septic shock through a multistage machine learning pipeline, incorporating linear discriminant analysis, risk score analysis, and ensemble method combined with Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator analysis. Finally, we validated the prediction model with the hub gene dataset generated by RT-qPCR using peripheral blood samples from newly recruited patients., Results: Our analysis led to identify six hub genes ( GZMB, PRF1, KLRD1, SH2D1A, LCK , and CD247 ) which are related to NK cell cytotoxicity and septic shock, collectively termed 6-HubG ss . Using this panel, we created SepxFindeR, a machine learning model that demonstrated high accuracy in predicting sepsis and septic shock and distinguishing septic shock from sepsis in a cross-database context. Remarkably, the SepxFindeR model proved compatible with RT-qPCR datasets based on the 6-HubG ss panel, facilitating the identification of newly recruited patients with sepsis and septic shock., Conclusions: Our bioinformatic approach led to the discovery of the 6-HubGss biomarker panel and the development of the SepxFindeR machine learning model, enabling accurate prediction of septic shock and distinction from sepsis with rapid processing capabilities., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Du, Tan, Bu, Subramanian, Geng, Wang, Xie, Wu, Zhou, Liu, Xu, Liu and Tan.)

Septic shock (SS) is a potential life-threatening condition in which an early identification and immediate therapy stand out as the main cornerstones to improve survival chance; in this context, emergency medical services (EMS) become key to reduce the time between diagnosis and management in the ICU or emergency department. However, guidelines for the prehospital management of SS patients remains unclear, and literature around this topic is scant. Our scoping review was conducted following the PICO framework and a search strategy related to septic shock management and diagnosis in prehospital settings was executed in PubMed, Scopus and Virtual Health Library; articles in English and Spanish from 2015, onwards, were screened by the authors and selected by mutual consensus. Our aim is to analyze the prehospital management strategies of SS reported in the literature, and to showcase and summarize the screening tools, demographic factors, clinical manifestations and prognostic factors of SS in the prehospital setting., Competing Interests: Declarations Ethics approval and consent to participate Not applicable. Consent for publication Not applicable. Competing interests The authors declare that they have no competing interests., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Guideline Title: International Consensus Criteria for Pediatric Sepsis and Septic Shock RELEASE DATE: January 21, 2024 PRIOR VERSION(S): International Pediatric Sepsis Consensus Conference: Definitions for Sepsis and Organ Dysfunction in Pediatrics (2005) DEVELOPER: Society of Critical Care Medicine FUNDING SOURCE: Society of Critical Care Medicine (grant R01HD105939 from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development) TARGET POPULATION: Children with sepsis and septic shock., (© 2024 The Author(s). Journal of Hospital Medicine published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of Society of Hospital Medicine.)

Background: Lactate is a commonly used biomarker for sepsis, although it has limitations in certain cases, suggesting the need for novel biomarkers. We evaluated the diagnostic accuracy of plasma renin concentration and renin activity for mortality and kidney outcomes in patients with sepsis with hypoperfusion or hypotension., Methods: This was a multicenter, prospective, observational study of 117 patients with septic shock treated at three tertiary emergency departments between September 2021 and October 2022. The accuracy of renin activity, renin, and lactate concentrations in predicting 28-day mortality, acute kidney injury (AKI), and renal replacement requirement was assessed using the area under the ROC curve (AUC) analysis., Results: The AUCs of initial renin activity, renin, and lactate concentrations for predicting 28-day mortality were 0.66 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.55-0.77), 0.63 (95% CI, 0.52-0.75), and 0.65 (95% CI, 0.53-0.77), respectively, and those at 24 hrs were 0.74 (95% CI, 0.62-0.86), 0.70 (95% CI, 0.56-0.83), and 0.67 (95% CI, 0.54-0.79). Renin concentrations and renin activity outperformed initial lactate concentrations in predicting AKI within 14 days. The AUCs of renin and lactate concentrations were 0.71 (95% CI, 0.61-0.80) and 0.57 (95% CI, 0.46-0.67), respectively ( P =0.030). The AUC of renin activity (0.70; 95% CI, 0.60-0.80) was also higher than that of lactate concentration ( P =0.044)., Conclusions: Renin concentration and renin activity show comparable performance to lactate concentration in predicting 28-day mortality in patients with septic shock but superior performance in predicting AKI.

Objectives: We previously derived the updated Pediatric Sepsis Biomarker Risk for Acute Kidney Injury (PERSEVERE-II AKI) prediction model, which had robust diagnostic test characteristics for severe AKI on day 3 (D3 severe AKI) of septic shock. We now sought to validate this model in an independent cohort of children to the one in which the model was developed., Design: A secondary analysis of a multicenter, prospective, observational study carried out from January 2019 to December 2022., Setting: Ten PICUs in the United States., Patients: Children with septic shock 1 week to 18 years old admitted to the PICU., Interventions: None., Measurements and Main Results: Seventy-nine of 363 patients (22%) had D3 severe AKI, defined as Kidney Disease Improving Global Outcomes stage 2 or higher. Patients were assigned a probability of D3 severe AKI using the PERSEVERE-II AKI model. The model predicted D3 severe AKI with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.89 (95% CI, 0.85-0.93), sensitivity of 77% (95% CI, 66-86%), specificity of 88% (95% CI, 84-92%), positive predictive value of 65% (95% CI, 54-74%), and negative predictive value of 93% (95% CI, 89-96%). These data represent an increase in post-test probability of D3 severe AKI with a positive test from 22% to 65%, and a prevalence threshold of 28%. On multivariable regression, the PERSEVERE-II AKI prediction model demonstrated greater adjusted odds ratio (aOR) for D3 severe AKI (aOR, 11.2; 95% CI, 4.9-25.3) and lesser aOR for failure of D3 renal recovery from early AKI (aOR, 0.31; 95% CI, 0.13-0.69)., Conclusions: The PERSEVERE-II AKI model demonstrates consistently robust performance for prediction of new or persistent D3 severe AKI in children with septic shock. A major limitation is that actual D3 severe AKI prevalence is below the prevalence threshold for the test, and thus future work should focus on evaluating use in enriched populations., Competing Interests: Dr. Stanski’s institution received funding from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS); she disclosed that they hold a provisional patent for the Pediatric Sepsis Biomarker Risk for Acute Kidney Injury (AKI) Prediction Model. Drs. Stanski, Cvijanovich, Fitzgerald, Thomas, Weiss, Atreya, Lautz, and Kaplan received support for article research from the National Institutes of Health. Dr. Cvijanovich’s institution received funding from the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, the Nationwide Children’s Hospital, the Boston Children’s Hospital, and the Collaborative Pediatric Critical Care Research Network. Dr. Fitzgerald received funding from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (K23DK119463, P50DK114786) and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Department of Health Cure Grant. Dr. Jain received funding from AltaThera Pharmaceuticals. Dr. Lautz received funding from the NIGMS (K08GM148957-01, R21GM150093-01, and L40GM134527-03). Dr. Atreya’s institution received funding from the Cincinnati Children’s Research Foundation; he disclosed that they hold a provisional patent for the integrated PERSEVERE and endothelial biomarker risk model to predict sepsis-associted acute kidney injury (PERSEVEREnce SA-AKI model); and he received funding through the Procter K to R Scholar program awarded by the Cincinnati Children’s Research Foundation and the NIGMS (R21GM151703 and R21GM15009). Dr. Weiss received funding from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (R01HD102396, R01HD101528) and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (75D30123C17693). Dr. Zingarelli’s institution received funding from the NIGMS (R01 GM115973, R21 GM151734, 1R21GM150093, and R01GM145698); she received funding from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (R01 HL141229); and she disclosed that they are editor of the Shock journal. The remaining authors have disclosed that they do not have any potential conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2024 by the Society of Critical Care Medicine and the World Federation of Pediatric Intensive and Critical Care Societies.)

Objective: To explore the value of coagulation indicators and related critical scores in evaluating the severity and prognosis of elderly sepsis patients., Methods: Patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) of General Hospital of Ningxia Medical University aged ≥60 years with a definite diagnosis of sepsis from May 2020 to May 2022 were retrospectively included. General epidemiological data, coagulation indices such as prothrombin time (PT), international normalized ratio (INR), prothrombin activity (PTA), activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT), prothrombin time (TT), fibrinogen (FIB), D-dimer, platelet count (PLT), and other laboratory indices within 24 hours of admission to the ICU, acute physiology and chronic health evaluation (APACHE), sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA), sepsis-related complications, and 28-day prognosis were collected. Patients were divided into shock and non-shock groups according to whether septic shock occurred or not, and into death and survival groups according to 28 days outcomes, and the differences of each index between the groups were compared. Independent risk factors for septic shock and 28-day death were analyzed by using univariate and multivariate Logistic regression, and the receiver operator characteristic curve (ROC curve) were further plotted to assess the value of independent risk factors in predicting the occurrence of septic shock and 28-day death in elderly patients with sepsis., Results: A total of 295 elderly patients with sepsis were included, 192 (65.08%) developed septic shock, and 126 (42.71%) died at 28 days. Multivariate binary Logistic regression analysis showed that SOFA score and PT-INR were independent risk factors for septic shock and 28-day death in elderly patients with sepsis [septic shock: odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (95%CI) were 1.340 (1.186-1.513) and 1.720 (1.235-2.396), respectively; 28-day death: OR and 95%CI were 1.188 (1.044-1.351) and 4.546 (2.613-7.910), respectively, all P < 0.01]. ROC curve analysis showed that SOFA score and PT-INR had certain predictive values for septic shock occurrence and 28-day death in elderly patients with sepsis, and the area under the curve (AUC) for septic shock occurrence were 0.743 and 0.564, respectively. The AUC of 28-day death was 0.711 and 0.651, respectively. The combined predicted AUC was 0.761 and 0.817, the sensitivity was 78.1% and 65.1%, and the specificity was 63.1% and 85.8%, respectively., Conclusions: PT-INR and SOFA score have potential predictive value in the assessment of the severity and prognosis of elderly patients with sepsis, and their combined prediction accuracy is higher.

Objective: To construct a nomogram prediction model for 28-day mortality in septic shock patients based on routine laboratory data mining and verify its predictive value., Methods: The clinical data of patients with septic shock admitted to Anhui Medical University Affiliated Fuyang Hospital from January 2018 to November 2023 were retrospectively analyzed. The patients were randomly divided into training set and validation set according to the ratio of 8 : 2. The patient's gender, age, body mass index, underlying disease, smoking history, alcohol history, infection site, acute physiology and chronic health evaluation II (APACHE II), sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA), respiratory rate, heart rate, mean arterial pressure, blood lactate, procalcitonin, C-reactive protein, white blood cell count, platelet count, serum alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, urea nitrogen, serum creatinine, fibrinogen, D-dimer, albumin on the first day of admission to the intensive care unit (ICU), duration of mechanical ventilation, and length of ICU stay were collected. The patients were divided into survival and death groups based on their 28-day prognosis. The factors influencing 28-day mortality were analyzed, and routine laboratory data were used to develop a nomogram model for predicting the risk of 28-day mortality in septic shock patients. The model was validated and assessed using the Bootstrap method, calibration curve, and receiver operator characteristic curve (ROC curve)., Results: Finally, 128 patients with septic shock were enrolled, and 32 (31.07%) death within 28-day of 103 patients in the training set, 8 (32.00%) death within 28-day of 25 patients in the validation set. Logistic regression analysis showed that APACHE II score [odds ratio (OR) = 5.254, 95% confidence interval (95%CI) was 2.161-12.769], SOFA score (OR = 4.909, 95%CI was 2.020-11.930), blood lactate (OR = 4.419, 95%CI was 1.818-10.741), procalcitonin (OR = 4.358, 95%CI was 1.793-10.591) were significant factors influencing 28-day mortality in septic shock patients (all P < 0.01). Taking the above influencing factors as predictors, a nomogram model was established, with a total score of 89-374, corresponding to a mortality risk of 0.07-0.89. The results of nomogram model validation showed that the C-index was 0.801 (95%CI was 0.759-0.832), and the correction curve for predicting 28-day mortality in patients with septic shock was close to the ideal curve, Hosmer-Lemeshow test showed that χ 2 = 0.263, P = 0.512. The results of the ROC curve of the training set showed that the nomogram model had a sensitivity of 78.13% (95%CI was 59.57%-90.06%), a specificity of 80.28% (95%CI was 68.80%-88.43%) and area under the curve (AUC) of 0.854 (95%CI was 0.776-0.937) in predicting 28-day mortality in patients with septic shock. The results of the validation set ROC curve showed that the nomogram model had a sensitivity of 75.00% (95%CI was 35.58%-95.55%), a specificity of 88.23% (95%CI was 62.25%-97.94%) and AUC of 0.871 (95%CI was 0.793-0.946) in predicting 28-day mortality in patients with septic shock., Conclusions: A nomogram prediction model constructed based on routine laboratory data mining can effectively predict 28-day mortality in septic shock patients, and its prediction performance is good.

Background: Neonatal septic shock represents a critical and life-threatening condition that necessitates immediate and personalized interventions. Prior research endeavors have been undertaken to inform the optimization of neonatal septic shock management, yet substantial heterogeneity prevails in the selection, measurement, and reporting of outcomes across relevant studies. The heterogeneity in outcome selections and measures impedes the comparability of results and the synthesis of evidence, thus contributing to suboptimal utilization of research findings. This protocol presents the methodology for identifying and developing a Core Outcome Set for Neonatal Septic Shock Management (COS-NSS), intended for use in both research and routine clinical practice. A rigorous four-stage approach will be employed to develop the COS-NSS. In Stage 1, a scoping review will be conducted to compile a list of currently reported outcomes for neonatal septic shock management. Stage 2 will involve an expert stakeholder meeting using a semi-structured discussion approach to elucidate all identified outcomes and outcome domains, as well as to gather any additional outcomes. Moving to Stage 3, a two-round e-Delphi survey involving a wide variety of stakeholders will be undertaken to elicit diverse perspectives on the level of importance assigned to each proposed outcome. Finally, in Stage 4, the results of the Delphi study will be discussed in a consensus meeting to determine and agree on the final list of outcomes that will constitute the COS-NSS., Discussion: The stagewise approach integrates research evidence with multi-stakeholder perspectives to establish standardized outcomes that would improve consistency across neonatal septic shock trials. The development and uptake of the COS-NSS will facilitate effective comparison of studies, allowing for study synthesis and generation of high-quality evidence, thus ultimately fostering enhanced medical care for neonates suffering from septic shock., Trial Registration: Core Outcome Measures in Effectiveness Trials (COMET) Initiative database registration: 2766 . Registered on July 19th, 2023., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Streptococcal toxic shock syndrome (TSS) is a fulminant disease characterised by rapid progression to multiorgan failure. However, streptococcal TSS manifesting as uterine necrosis (UN) is unusual. Here, we present a case of a woman in her 30s with a constellation of symptoms, including abdominal pain, fatigue and fever. Despite an initially unclear clinical picture, she rapidly developed shock with radiographical evidence of intrabdominal arterial narrowing with spurious multiorgan infarctions and ischaemic colitis. Exploratory laparotomy uncovered unexpected UN requiring hysterectomy. Multiple complications ensued, marked by shock liver, acute renal failure, cutaneous desquamation and distal gangrene. This case highlights a unique presentation of streptococcal TSS as UN and emphasises the rapidly deteriorating nature of the disease., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© BMJ Publishing Group Limited 2024. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

Septic shock (SS), the most severe complication of sepsis, has always been a major challenge and research focus in the field of critical care treatment. SS is categorized as a distributive shock, where fluid resuscitation and the use of vasoactive drugs are the two standard measures for the clinical management of SS. However, it remains unclear how to accurately monitor macro-circulation, micro-circulation, and cellular metabolism indicators during the process of resuscitation, optimization, stabilization, and evacuation based on the dynamic pathophysiological processes of SS. This monitoring is essential to guide the comprehensive, individualized, and dynamic application of these two measures. Based on recent international management guidelines and literature review, the authors will propose relevant recommendations regarding the use of fluid therapy and vasoactive drugs.

Sepsis is a clinical syndrome, the core of which is the disorder of the host's response to infection. Sepsis progresses to septic shock, which can lead to increased mortality, so early identification and standardized management are particularly important. Over the past 30 years, the definition of septic shock has gradually changed, with efforts to improve the identification and screening of early septic shock, and to emphasize the importance of organ dysfunction in patients with septic shock. The birth of the rescue systemic infection movement has played an important role in the management of septic shock patients. Although the cluster management of septic shock patients has reduced the overall mortality of septic shock patients, the management still faces many challenges. How to provide personalized treatment to patients, especially some controversial treatments, is still a major area for us to consider and explore.

Abstract: Early recognition of septic shock and its treatment are key factors for limiting progression to multiple organ dysfunction and death. Lactate, a byproduct of metabolic pathways, is usually elevated in tissue hypoperfusion and shock and is associated with poor prognosis in sepsis. As a biomarker, it may help the clinician in risk stratification, and the identification and treatment of sepsis. In this article, we provide an update on lactate's pathophysiology and role in diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis in children with sepsis and septic shock., (Copyright © 2024 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: To investigate characteristics and outcomes of critically ill cancer patients with marked hyperferritinemia., Methods: A single-center retrospective analysis comprising cancer patients with a ferritin level >10.000 μg/L treated in the intensive care unit (ICU) between 2012 and 2022 was conducted., Results: A total of 117 patients were included in the analysis. The median age was 59 years (range: 15-86 years). Females accounted for 48% of cases. 90% of patients had a hematologic malignancy. The median maximum ferritin level was 27.349 μg/L (range: 10.300-426.073 μg/L). The diagnostic criteria of septic shock were fulfilled in 51% of cases; 31% of patients had hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) according to the HLH-2004 criteria. Mechanical ventilation, renal replacement therapy and the use of vasopressors were necessary in 59%, 35% and 70% of cases, respectively. The ICU, hospital, 90-day and 1-year survival rates were 33.3%, 23.1%, 23.7% and 11.7%. Patients with septic shock had a worse survival than those without septic shock (p = .001); the survival of patients who fulfilled the HLH-2004 criteria did not differ from those who did not (p = .88)., Conclusion: Critically ill cancer patients with marked hyperferritinemia have poor outcomes. The present data may help to make informed decisions for this patient group., (© 2024 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Purpose: Specialized pressure transducers for arterial pulse waveform analysis (S-APWA) devices are dedicated kits connected to an arterial pressure catheter that monitors hemodynamic parameters, such as cardiac output, pulse pressure variation, and stroke volume variation, less invasively. While the association between the use of S-APWA devices and clinical outcomes in perioperative patients has been previously evaluated, its assessment in patients with septic shock remains inadequate. Materials and Methods: This retrospective cohort study utilized a nationwide Diagnosis Procedure Combination database in Japan. Adult patients with septic shock admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) with arterial pressure catheter placement on the admission day from August 2012 to February 2021 were included. Hospitalizations meeting the eligibility criteria were categorized into groups based on S-APWA device usage. The primary outcome, evaluated using Cox regression analysis, was 30-day all-cause mortality in the propensity score overlap-weighted population. Secondary outcomes included in-hospital mortality, ICU duration, and overall hospital stay. Results: Among 5130 eligible hospitalizations, 643 were in the S-APWA group and 4487 were in the conventional pressure transducer group. Cox regression analysis within the propensity score overlap-weighted population showed no significant difference in 30-day mortality (adjusted hazard ratio: 0.94; 95% confidence interval: 0.9-1.38; P  = .58). Logistic regression analysis indicated no significant differences in the in-hospital mortality. While the S-APWA group had prolonged ICU stays, no significant difference in the overall hospital stay was observed according to linear regression analyses. Conclusions: Our study found no significant association between S-APWA use and 30-day mortality in patients with septic shock. These findings offer insights into optimizing monitoring systems in ICUs.

Septic shock is a frequent critical clinical condition and a leading cause of death in critically ill individuals. However, it is challenging to identify affected patients early. In this article, we discuss new perspectives on the methods and uses of peripheral perfusion monitoring, considering the concept of a dysregulated response. Physical examination, and visual and ultrasonographic techniques are used to measure peripheral microcirculatory blood flow to reflect tissue perfusion. Compared with other monitoring techniques, peripheral perfusion monitoring has the benefits of low invasiveness and good repeatability, and allows for quick therapeutic judgments, which have significant practical relevance. Peripheral perfusion monitoring is an effective tool to detect early signs of septic shock, autonomic dysfunction, and organ damage. This method can also be used to evaluate treatment effectiveness, direct fluid resuscitation and the use of vasoactive medications, and monitor vascular reactivity, microcirculatory disorders, and endothelial cell damage. Recent introductions of novel peripheral perfusion monitoring methods, new knowledge of peripheral perfusion kinetics, and multimodal peripheral perfusion evaluation methods have occurred. To investigate new knowledge and therapeutic implications, we examined the methodological attributes and mechanisms of peripheral perfusion monitoring, in this study., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Introduction: The present systematic review analyses the role of soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase-1 (sFLT-1) as an indirect biomarker of endothelial dysfunction in sepsis or septic shock from articles published in PubMed between 2010 and March 2022., Materials and Methods: A systematic review of studies studying sFLT-1 monitoring in intensive care units in adults with sepsis or septic shock vs. controls for sepsis diagnosis and prognosis has been carried out (PROSPERO CRD42023412929 Registry)., Results: The endothelial dysfunction of sepsis is one of the keys to the development of the disease. VEGF binds to sFLT-1 acting as a competitive inhibitor of VEGF signalling in endothelial cells and thus neutralizes its pro-inflammatory effects. Endothelial dysfunction is reflected in increased sFLT-1 levels. High values of sFLT-1 were used for the differential diagnosis of sepsis versus other inflammatory pathologies, septic shock versus other types of shock, were elevated over time, estimation of disease prognosis, correlation with sepsis severity, organ dysfunction, and mortality prediction., Conclusions: It is evident that sepsis is based on endothelial dysfunction. sFLT-1 is one of the main biomarkers of microvascular alteration and is a predictive diagnostic and prognostic biomarker., (Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: Sepsis is a severe medical condition that can be life-threatening. If sepsis progresses to septic shock, the mortality rate increases to around 40%, much higher than the 10% mortality observed in sepsis. Diabetes increases infection and sepsis risk, making management complex. Various scores of screening tools, such as Modified Early Warning Score (MEWS), Simplified Acute Physiology Score (SAPS II), Sequential Organ Failure Assessment Score (SOFA), and Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE II), are used to predict the severity or mortality rate of disease. Our study aimed to compare the effectiveness and optimal cutoff points of these scores. We focused on the early prediction of septic shock in patients with diabetes in the Emergency Department (ED)., Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study to collect data on patients with diabetes. We collected prediction factors and MEWS, SOFA, SAPS II and APACHE II scores to predict septic shock in these patients. We determined the optimal cutoff points for each score. Subsequently, we compared the identified scores with the gold standard for diagnosing septic shock by applying the Sepsis-3 criteria., Results: Systolic blood pressure (SBP), peripheral oxygen saturation (SpO2), Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS), pH, and lactate concentrations were significant predictors of septic shock (p < 0.001). The SOFA score performed well in predicting septic shock in patients with diabetes. The area under the receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve for the SOFA score was 0.866 for detection within 48 h and 0.840 for detection after 2 h of admission to the ED, with the optimal cutoff score of ≥ 6., Conclusion: SBP, SpO2, GCS, pH, and lactate concentrations are crucial for the early prediction of septic shock in patients with diabetes. The SOFA score is a superior predictor for the onset of septic shock in patients with diabetes compared with MEWS, SAPS II, and APACHE II scores. Specifically, a cutoff of ≥ 6 in the SOFA score demonstrates high accuracy in predicting shock within 48 h post-ED visit and as early as 2 h after ED admission., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Sepsis is a major cause of mortality worldwide and is the third-leading cause of death in the United States. Sepsis is resource-intensive and requires prompt recognition and treatment to reduce mortality. The impact of sepsis is not only on in-hospital survival but extends into post-discharge quality of life and risk of re-admission. As the understanding of sepsis physiology evolved, so have the recommended screening tools and treatment protocol which challenge prior standards of care. There have been noteworthy efforts by the Surviving Sepsis Campaign, the Third International Consensus Definitions for Sepsis and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to establish core measure bundles. This review highlights both the 2021 SSC International Guidelines and the 2015 CMS Severe Sepsis/Septic Shock Core Measure Bundle, or SEP-1. Notably, the SEP-1 bundle was implemented as a value-based purchasing program, linking care of sepsis patients to financial incentives. The objective is to explore the most current evidence-based data to inform clinical practice while utilizing the available guidelines as a roadmap.

Rhabdomyolysis is a clinical condition characterized by the release of intracellular content into the bloodstream, resulting in the breakdown of skeletal muscle. The released intracellular content includes electrolytes, enzymes, and myoglobin, leading to systemic complications. The clinical presentation may vary, ranging from an asymptomatic increase in serum levels of enzymes released from damaged muscles to worrisome conditions such as volume depletion, metabolic and electrolyte abnormalities, and acute kidney injury. The diagnosis is confirmed when the serum creatine kinase (CK) level is > 1000 U/L or at least 5x the upper limit of normal. In this study, we aimed to evaluate a 21-year-old female patient presenting with nontraumatic exercise-unrelated rhabdomyolysis, accompanied by acute renal failure and septic shock.

Background: Midregional-proAdrenomedullin (MR-proADM) has been recently proposed as a tool in patients with sepsis and septic shock. Our aim was to evaluate the prognostic role of MR-proADM in hospitalized patients with sepsis and septic shock., Methods: PRISMA guideline was followed. MEDLINE and EMBASE were searched up to June 2023. Primary outcome was mean difference in MR-proADM among survivors and nonsurvivors, secondary outcome mean difference in MR-proADM according to infection severity and type. Risk of bias was evaluated using Newcastle-Ottawa scale for observational studies and Cochrane tool for randomized trials. Pooled mean differences (MD) with corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated in a random-effects model., Results: Twenty-four studies included 6730 adult patients (1208 nonsurvivors and 5522 survivors) and three studies included 195 paediatric patients (30 nonsurvivors and 165 survivors). A total of 10, 4 and 13 studies included, respectively, patients with sepsis (3602 patients), septic shock (386 patients) and a mixed population (2937 patients). Twenty-one studies included patients with different source of infection, three with pneumonia and one with a catheter-related infection. Most studies (n = 12) had a follow-up of 28 days. In adult cohort, pooled mean difference between nonsurvivors and survivors of MR-proADM was 2.55 mmol/L (95% CI: 1.95-3.15) with higher values in patients with septic shock (4.25 mmol/L; 95% CI, 2.23-6.26 mmol/L) than in patients with sepsis (1.77 mmol/L; 95% CI: 1.11-2.44 mmol/L). In paediatric cohort, pooled mean difference was 3.11 mmol/L (95% CI: -0.02-6.24 mmol/L)., Conclusions: Higher values of MR-proADM are detectable in nonsurvivors adult and paediatric-hospitalized patients with sepsis or septic shock., (© 2024 The Authors. European Journal of Clinical Investigation published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Stichting European Society for Clinical Investigation Journal Foundation.)

Background: Group A Streptococcus causes a variety of human infections, including the life-threatening necrotizing fasciitis, which may be ignored by the patient. From hours to days, the infection may progress from an apparently benign skin lesion, usually mistaken for a spider or insect bite, to a highly lethal disease. We present a case of 57-year-old male with skin lesions on swelling left upper limb., Methods and Results: The culture of secretion from epidermis and blood were positive for Group A Streptococcus (GAS), type β hemolytic streptococcus. Intensive anti-infection therapy was applied. However, the necrosis of the limb deteriorated rapidly. He died from multiple organ failure, streptococcal toxic shock syndrome (STSS) and disseminated intravascular coagulation 13 days later., Conclusions: Necrotizing fasciitis is a rapidly progressive, destructive bacterial infection. Early recognition is the most important factor for survival.

Medical History:  A 25-year-old female outpatient presenting with fever and micro-hematuria was treated for urinary tract infection. Her condition worsened over 3 days at home. After experiencing multiple falls caused by leg weakness and mental confusion, she was admitted to a hospital with high fever., Diagnostics:  Initial laboratory findings showed hemolytic anemia, pancytopenia, and acute kidney injury, suggesting hemolytic uremic syndrome. However, a detailed fever evaluation revealed her recent return from Afrika. This prompted a malaria test, which confirmed Plasmodium falciparum infection with 80 % parasitemia., Therapy and Progress:  Despite the quick reduction of parasitemia following treatment with intravenous administered artesunate and oral Artemether-Lumefantrine, her condition worsened, leading to a septic shock. This required renal replacement and kinetic ventilation therapy, as well as blood transfusions due to persistent hemolysis until the laboratory values normalized after 48 days post-admission., Conclusion:  The evaluation of fever is often challenging, but most often a detailed patient history is key to early diagnosis and treatment preventing deathly outcomes in severe cases., Competing Interests: Die Autorinnen/Autoren geben an, dass kein Interessenkonflikt besteht., (Thieme. All rights reserved.)

Rationale: Kawasaki disease (KD) is a vasculitis syndrome of small to medium-sized arteries that has typical clinical characteristics such as fever, rash, cervical lymphadenopathy, conjunctivitis, and mucosal changes. Cardiac manifestations, including coronary artery aneurysms, myocarditis, myocardial infarction, and sudden cardiac death, are the most serious complications observed in KD. On rare occasions, it may accompanied with reduced organ perfusion due to systolic hypotension, a condition known as Kawasaki disease shock syndrome (KDSS). KDSS is a serious complication that can be presented to the emergency department as an initial feature when typical clinical symptoms of KD have not be detected., Patient Concerns: We report the case of a 12-year-old boy admitted with prolonged fever, bilateral non-purulent conjunctivitis, and signs of shock such as hypotension and tachycardia. Laboratory findings showed elevated inflammatory markers, hypoalbuminemia, and sterile pyuria. He was initially treated with intravenous cefotaxime and vancomycin considering the possible diagnosis of toxic shock syndrome, while the treatment was not effective. Subsequent chest computerized tomography and ultrasound identified pulmonary consolidation and polyserous effusion. Echocardiography revealed mild biatrial dilatation and mild valvular regurgitation with preserved left ventricular function., Diagnosis: After a multidisciplinary consultation, a diagnosis of KDSS was made., Interventions: To prevent coronary artery lesions and other severe complications, the patient immediately received immunoglobulin, corticoid, and acetylsalicylic acid., Outcomes: Soon afterwards, he showed significant improvement, with the temperature dropped to normal and hypotension corrected about 24 hours post-intravenous immunoglobulin therapy. Polyserous effusions also disappeared before discharge. Follow-up echocardiography revealed normal results., Lessons: Clinicians should maintain a high index of suspicion for KD and consider pulmonary involvement and polyserous effusions as potential complications. For children with KD, any symptoms pointing to infection should be carefully considered. When there is no etiologic evidence, antibiotics should be used with caution. Our case also highlights the importance of considering KDSS as a differential diagnosis in children presenting with prolonged fever and shock. Early recognition, timely treatment, and close monitoring are key to preventing severe complications and ensuring favorable outcomes in patients with KDSS., Competing Interests: The authors have no funding and conflicts of interest to disclose., (Copyright © 2024 the Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.)

Abstract: Purpose: This study aimed to develop and validate a model for prediction of septic shock in neonates with sepsis. Materials and methods: This retrospective study included early-onset septic neonates in the Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University between January 2017 and June 2021. The neonates were divided into the training set and the validation set in a ratio of 7:3 and further categorized into septic shock group and none-shock group according to presence or absence of shock symptoms. Results: A total of 406 septic neonates were enrolled, including 217 in septic shock group. Sex (odds ratio [OR] = 0.092, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.012 to 0.683, P = 0.020), C-reactive protein at 6 h (OR = 8.475, 95% CI: 3.154 to 22.774, P < 0.001), serum amyloid A at 6 h (OR = 1.179, 95% CI: 1.094 to 1.269, P < 0.01), white blood cells at 6 h (OR = 0.173, 95% CI: 0.092 to 0.326, P < 0.001), platelets at 6 h (OR = 0.985, 95% CI: 0.975 to 0.995, P < 0.001), and Ca 2+ at 6 h (OR = 1.44 × 10 11 , 95% CI: 2.70 × 10 6 to 7.70 × 10 15 , P < 0.001) were identified as independent risk factors for septic shock and were further included in the nomogram. The areas under the receiver operator characteristic curve were 0.873 and 0.920 in training and validation sets, respectively. Conclusions: A predictive model for early diagnosis of septic shock in neonates was developed and initially validated in this study, allowing for timely intervention., Competing Interests: The authors report no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2024 by the Shock Society.)

Objectives: Acute brain dysfunction (ABD) in pediatric sepsis has a prevalence of 20%, but can be difficult to identify. Our previously validated ABD computational phenotype (CP ABD ) used variables obtained from the electronic health record indicative of clinician concern for acute neurologic or behavioral change. We tested whether the CP ABD has better diagnostic performance to identify confirmed ABD than other definitions using the Glasgow Coma Scale or delirium scores., Design: Diagnostic testing in a curated cohort of pediatric sepsis/septic shock patients., Setting: Quaternary freestanding children's hospital., Subjects: The test dataset comprised 527 children with sepsis/septic shock managed between 2011 and 2021 with a prevalence (pretest probability) of confirmed ABD of 30% (159/527)., Measurements and Main Results: CP ABD was based on use of neuroimaging, electroencephalogram, and/or administration of new antipsychotic medication. We compared the performance of the CP ABD with three GCS/delirium-based definitions of ABD-Proulx et al, International Pediatric Sepsis Consensus Conference, and Pediatric Organ Dysfunction Information Update Mandate. The posttest probability of identifying ABD was highest in CP ABD (0.84) compared with other definitions. CP ABD also had the highest sensitivity (83%; 95% CI, 76-89%) and specificity (93%; 95% CI, 90-96%). The false discovery rate was lowest in CP ABD (1-in-6) as was the false omission rate (1-in-14). Finally, the prevalence threshold for the definitions varied, with the CP ABD being the definition closest to 20%., Conclusions: In our curated dataset of pediatric sepsis/septic shock, CP ABD had favorable characteristics to identify confirmed ABD compared with GCS/delirium-based definitions. The CP ABD can be used to further study the impact of ABD in studies using large electronic health datasets., Competing Interests: This project was supported by the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Research Institute, the National Center for Research Resources, and the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, National Institutes of Health, through grant UL1TR001878 (Dr. Alcamo). Dr. Fitzgerald was supported by the National Institute of Health (NIH) K23KD119463. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the NIH. Drs. Alcamo and Pennington received support for article research from the NIH. Dr. Pennington’s institution received funding from the NIH. Dr. Topjian received funding as an expert witness. The remaining authors have disclosed that they do not have any potential conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2024 by the Society of Critical Care Medicine and the World Federation of Pediatric Intensive and Critical Care Societies.)

Erythroderma is characterized by diffuse erythema and scale covering over 90% body surface area that can affect individuals with inflammatory dermatoses such as psoriasis. Complications of erythrodermic psoriasis include infection and cardiovascular compromise. Here we present a case of a 68 year-old man who was hospitalized for erythrodermic psoriasis refractory to multiple immunosuppressive and immunomodulatory therapies, ultimately developing sepsis due to bacteremia and fungemia complicated by infective endocarditis and a mycotic aneurysm. Although the widespread loss of epidermal function in erythroderma increases the risk of infection by opportunistic pathogens, water loss, and electrolyte imbalances, there are very few reported cases of psoriatic erythroderma complicated by fungemia and mycotic aneurysm. Given the high mortality associated with widespread epidermal dysfunction, there is a great need for evidence-based treatment guidelines for psoriatic erythroderma. J Drugs Dermatol. 2024;23(8): doi:10.36849/JDD.7751.

Background: HBP, a novel biomarker released from neutrophils, may induce inflammatory responses and exacerbate vascular permeability, representing the pathophysiological characteristics of sepsis and septic shock. However, it remains uncertain whether the combination of HBP with other biomarkers yields enhanced diagnostic capacity for sepsis. We hypothesized that measurements included IL-6·IL-8·HBP, IL-6·IL-8·HBP/ALB and HBP/ALB which based on HBP will improve its diagnostic efficacy and even better than the traditional infection biomarkers., Methods: Between July 2021 and June 2022, we carried out a comprehensive, multi-center, observational cohort study spanning six leading tertiary hospitals located in Heilongjiang Province, China. Patients were stratified into three categories based on the severity of infection: non-sepsis, sepsis, and septic shock. We collected clinical and laboratory data, along with infection and inflammation biomarkers, for analysis., Results: A total of 195 patients were enrolled. Among the three groups, patients with septic shock (n = 75, 38.5%) had significantly higher baseline levels of HBP, WBC, Lac, CRP, PCT, IL-6, IL-8, and IL-10 compared to non-sepsis patients (n = 43, 22.0%) and sepsis patients (n = 77, 39.5%), with statistically significant differences (p < 0.05) observed for all parameters. When compared to SOFA score and traditional markers of CRP, PCT, IL-6 and IL-8, the combined indexes of IL-6·IL-8·HBP and IL-6·IL-8·HBP/ALB demonstrated significantly improved diagnostic performance for sepsis and septic shock (AUC 0.911 and 0.902 respectively, p < 0.001)., Conclusions: The combined measurements of IL-6·IL-8·HBP and IL-6·IL-8·HBP/ALB can augment the diagnostic capacity of HBP for sepsis, and offer reliable early supplementary indicators to traditional biomarkers for assessing disease severity in patients with infection., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

A 53-year-old man with adult-onset Still's disease developed severe streptococcal toxic shock syndrome (STSS) due to Streptococcus dysgalactiae subsp. equisimilis (SDSE), following retroperitoneal panniculitis. He was receiving tocilizumab (TCZ), an interleukin-6 receptor inhibitor. The modifying effect of TCZ on the immune response and the pathophysiology of SDSE infection may have led to retroperitoneal panniculitis and atypical STSS with delayed shock and flare of soft tissue inflammation., (© Japan College of Rheumatology 2024. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Background: Cetobacterium somerae rarely causes infection in humans. Most studies on C. somerae have analyzed its role in the intestinal system of freshwater fish., Methods: Herein, we report a case of septic shock caused by C. somerae in an elderly patient., Results: Blood culture revealed growth of a gram-negative, rod-shaped anaerobic bacterium, which was identified as C. somerae through MALDI-TOF analyses. Although C. somerae is a resident species in the gut, it can cause systemic infection, which can be fatal., Conclusions: When C. somerae is identified, consideration should be given to the possibility of the infection originating from the intestinal tract.