OUTCOMES OF ICU PATIENTS TREATED WITH IVIG FOR SEPSIS ANDOR AUTOIMMUNITY DISEASES
- Milena Tocut, Israel
Abstract
Background and Aims
Background: Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) is a biologic agents with a good safety and beneficial profile for a variety of diseases. IVIG, as an off-label agent, has consistently been advantageous for many different organ- specific or systemic autoimmune diseases. IVIG therapy may play a role as an add-on therapy for critically ill patients with autoimmune diseases requiring hospitalization in an intensive care unit (ICU)
Aims: To evaluate the outcomes of patients with SLE and other autoimmune diseases treated with IVIG in a single center ICU.
Methods
Methods: We conducted a retrospective study involving adult patients with autoimmune diseases who received IVIg in the ICU at Sheba Medical Center (2007-2019). We investigated many parameters: demographics, comorbidities, chronic medication use including steroids and immunosuppressive therapy, laboratory blood tests, need for vasopressors and/or mechanical ventilation upon admission to the ICU; indication for IVIG administration; IVIG protocol (including dose and duration); disease severity scores (Charlson Comorbidity Index; Sequential Organ Failure Assessment-SOFA score, SLEDAI, and outcomes including duration of hospitalization and mortality rates. We received approval from the research ethics committee of the participating medical center. Simple descriptive statistics, including means, medians, standard deviations and interquartile ranges, were used. P<0·05 was considered significant.
Results
Results: Seventy patients treated with IVIG were identified. Parameters were evaluated by digital informatics (Metavision) and processed in an EXCEL chart.
Conclusions
Conclusions: IVIG may be a beneficial therapy for patients with autoimmune diseases who are severely ill requiring hospitalization in the ICU.