The impact of delayed source control and antimicrobial therapy in 196 patients with cholecystitis-associated septic...

Cholecystitis-associated septic shock carries a significant mortality. Our aim was to determine whether timing of source control affects survival in cholecystitis patients with septic shock.

We conducted a nested cohort study of all patients with cholecystitis-associated septic shock from an international, multicentre database (1996–2015). Multivariable logistic regression was performed to determine associations between clinical factors and in-hospital mortality. The results were used to inform a classification and regression tree (CART) analysis that modelled the association between disease severity (APACHE II), time to source control and survival.

Among 196 patients with cholecystitis-associated septic shock, overall mortality was 37%. Compared with nonsurvivors (n = 72), survivors (n = 124) had lower mean admission APACHE II scores (21 v. 27, p < 0.001) and lower median admission serum lactate (2.4 v. 6.8 μmol/L, p < 0.001). Survivors were more likely to receive appropriate antimicrobial therapy earlier (median 2.8 v. 6.1 h from shock, p = 0.012). Survivors were also more likely to undergo successful source control earlier (median 9.8 v. 24.7 h from shock, p < 0.001). Adjusting for covariates, APACHE II (odds ratio [OR] 1.13, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.06–1.21 per increment) and delayed source control > 16 h (OR 4.45, 95% CI 1.88–10.70) were independently associated with increased mortality (all p < 0.001). The CART analysis showed that patients with APACHE II scores of 15–26 benefitted most from source control within 16 h (p < 0.0001).

In patients with cholecystitis-associated septic shock, admission APACHE II score and delay in source control (cholecystectomy or percutaneous cholecystostomy drainage) significantly affected hospital outcomes.