Evidence map›Paper›PMID 36763198›Full record

ArticleAnnals of intensive care2023

ICU patients with infectious complications after abdominopelvic surgery: Is thoracic CT in addition to abdominal CT helpful?

Heiner Nebelung, Natalie Wotschel, Hanns-Christoph Held, Johanna Kirchberg, Jürgen Weitz, Christoph Georg Radosa, Michael Laniado, Ralf-Thorsten Hoffmann, Verena Plodeck

Registry-linked trialAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Annals of intensive care, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT07672496 (A Single-Center Randomized Controlled Pilot Study on the Effect of Ulinastatin on Systemic Immune and Inflammatory Response in Patients With Complicated Intra-Abdominal Infection), which is not on this map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

NCT07672496 nanot yet recruitingnot on this mapstarted 2026, after this paper: background citation

A Single-Center Randomized Controlled Pilot Study on the Effect of Ulinastatin on Systemic Immune and Inflammatory Response in Patients With Complicated Intra-Abdominal Infection

TypeinterventionalSponsorFujian Medical University Union HospitalRan2026 to 2028Enrolled165ConditionsComplicated Intra-abdominal Infection (cIAI), Systemic Inflammatory Response, Sepsis, Immune DysfunctionArmsulinastatin, Normal Saline (0.9% NaCl)
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Heiner NebelungInstitute and Polyclinic for Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus Dresden at the Technical University Dresden, Fetscherstr. 74, 01307, Dresden, Germany. heiner.nebelung@uniklinikum-dresden.de.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7303-6691
Natalie WotschelInstitute and Polyclinic for Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus Dresden at the Technical University Dresden, Fetscherstr. 74, 01307, Dresden, Germany.
Hanns-Christoph HeldDepartment of Visceral, Thoracic and Vascular Surgery, University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus Dresden at the Technical University Dresden, Fetscherstr. 74, 01307, Dresden, Germany.
Johanna KirchbergDepartment of Visceral, Thoracic and Vascular Surgery, University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus Dresden at the Technical University Dresden, Fetscherstr. 74, 01307, Dresden, Germany.
Jürgen WeitzDepartment of Visceral, Thoracic and Vascular Surgery, University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus Dresden at the Technical University Dresden, Fetscherstr. 74, 01307, Dresden, Germany.
Christoph Georg RadosaInstitute and Polyclinic for Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus Dresden at the Technical University Dresden, Fetscherstr. 74, 01307, Dresden, Germany.
Michael LaniadoInstitute and Polyclinic for Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus Dresden at the Technical University Dresden, Fetscherstr. 74, 01307, Dresden, Germany.
Ralf-Thorsten HoffmannInstitute and Polyclinic for Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus Dresden at the Technical University Dresden, Fetscherstr. 74, 01307, Dresden, Germany.
Verena PlodeckInstitute and Polyclinic for Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus Dresden at the Technical University Dresden, Fetscherstr. 74, 01307, Dresden, Germany.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe aim of this study was to assess the usefulness of adding thoracic CT to abdominal CT in intensive care unit (ICU) patients with signs of infection after abdominopelvic surgery.

methods143 thoracoabdominal CTs of ICU patients with signs of infection after abdominopelvic surgery were retrospectively reviewed for thoracic pathologies. It was determined if pathologic findings were visible only on thoracic CT above the diaphragmatic dome or also on abdominal CT up to the diaphragmatic dome. All thoracic pathologies visible only above the diaphragmatic dome were retrospectively analyzed by an ICU physician in terms of clinical relevance. Diagnostic and therapeutic efficacy of thoracic CT were assessed with regard to an infectious focus and to other pathologic findings.

results297 pathologic thoracic findings were recorded. 26 of the 297 findings could only be detected on images obtained above the diaphragmatic dome (in 23 of 143 CTs). A change in patient management was initiated due to only one of the 26 supradiaphragmatic findings. Diagnostic efficacy of thoracic CT in addition to abdominal CT to identify an infectious focus was 3.5% (95%-CI: 0.5-6.5%) and therapeutic efficacy was 0.7% (95%-CI: 0-2.1%). With regard to all pathologic thoracic findings, diagnostic efficacy was 16.1% (95%-CI: 10.1-22.1%) and therapeutic efficacy remained at 0.7%.

conclusionsAdditional thoracic CT to detect an infectious focus in ICU patients after abdominopelvic surgery leads to identification of the focus in only 3.5% and to changes in patient management in only 0.7%. Other relevant findings are more common (16.1%), but very rarely affect patient management.

Indexed as

Diagnostic imagingInfectionsIntensive care unitsMultidetector computed tomographySurgery

Identifiers

PMID36763198
PMCPMC9918641

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Registered trials

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.