Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41788477›Full record

ArticleAnnals of intensive care2026

Severe hypotension but not systemic inflammation or endothelial activation predicts encephalopathy in circulatory shock.

Duc Nam Nguyen, Luc Huyghens, Truc Mai Nguyen, Johan Schiettecatte, Marc Diltoer, Wilfried Cools, Helene De Cuyper, David Rhapsorski, Johan Smitz, Haibo Zhang

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Annals of intensive care, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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0citing papers in PubMed
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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

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Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

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

10 authors.

Duc Nam NguyenDepartment of Critical Care Medicine, Universitair Ziekenhuis Brussel, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium.
Luc HuyghensBrain Resuscitation in Neurosciences Research Group, Faculty of Medicine, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium.
Truc Mai NguyenDepartment of Cardiology, University Hospital Vaudois, Lausanne, Switzerland.
Johan SchiettecatteDepartment of Immunochemistry, Universitair Ziekenhuis Brussel, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium.
Marc DiltoerDepartment of Critical Care Medicine, Universitair Ziekenhuis Brussel, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium.
Wilfried CoolsDepartment of Biostatistics, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium.
Helene De CuyperDepartment of Critical Care Medicine, Universitair Ziekenhuis Brussel, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium.
David RhapsorskiDepartment of Critical Care Medicine, Universitair Ziekenhuis Brussel, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium.
Johan SmitzDepartment of Immunochemistry, Universitair Ziekenhuis Brussel, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium.
Haibo ZhangKeenan Research Centre for Biomedical Science of St. Michael's Hospital, Unity Health Toronto, Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, Department of Physiology, and Interdepartmental Division of Critical Care Medicine, University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: Encephalopathy is a frequent complication of circulatory shock and is associated with adverse outcomes. Whether encephalopathy is driven primarily by systemic inflammation, endothelial activation or cerebral hypoperfusion remains uncertain. Methods: We retrospectively studied 198 intensive care unit (ICU) patients with circulatory shock (95 septic shock, 103 non-septic shock). Encephalopathy (coma and delirium) was assessed using the Glasgow Coma Scale, Richmond Agitation-Sedation Scale, and Confusion Assessment Method for the ICU. Neuroinflammation or blood-brain barrier (BBB) dysfunction was evaluated using serum S100B protein. Systemic inflammation and endothelial activation were assessed using serum C-reactive protein (CRP), Matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9), Intercellular Adhesion Molecule -1 (ICAM-1) and Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF). Severe hypotension was defined a priori as mean arterial pressure (MAP) <50 mmHg sustained ≥1 min; we also quantified the number of episodes and cumulative duration of MAP <60 and <50 mmHg across the first 72 h. Multivariable logistic regression and mixed-effect models examined associations with encephalopathy and ICU outcomes. Results: Encephalopathy developed in 140 patients (71%): 31 (23%) with coma and 99 (71%) with delirium. Severe hypotension (OR: 2.56 (1.18, 4.75), p = 0.022), longer sedation duration (OR: 1.09 (1.02, 1.18), p = 0.017), ICU-acquired infections (OR: 1.61(0.73, 3.54), p = 0.021), and elevated S100B (OR: 1.72 (0.66, 3.65), p = 0.03) were associated with encephalopathy. In contrast, systemic inflammation (CRP, MMP-9) and endothelial activation (ICAM-1, VEGF) were not associated with encephalopathy. Despite higher systemic inflammation in septic shock, the prevalence of encephalopathy and structural brain injury was similar to non-septic shock. Conclusions: In circulatory shock, encephalopathy is most strongly associated with recurrent/severe hypotension (MAP <50 mmHg) and markers of neuroinflammation, not systemic inflammation or endothelial activation.

Indexed as

Circulatory shockEncephalopathyEndothelial activationHypotensionInflammationS100B protein

Identifiers

PMID41788477
PMCPMC12934433

What Socratic holds

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Registered trials

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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 Socratic graph.