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. 2016 Mar 15:20:64.
doi: 10.1186/s13054-016-1241-5.

The impairment of small nerve fibers in severe sepsis and septic shock

Hubertus Axer  1 , Alexander Grimm  2   3 , Christine Pausch  4   5 , Ulrike Teschner  2 , Jan Zinke  2 , Sven Eisenach  2 , Sindy Beck  2 , Orlando Guntinas-Lichius  6 , Frank M Brunkhorst  7 , Otto W Witte  2
Affiliations

The impairment of small nerve fibers in severe sepsis and septic shock

Hubertus Axer et al. Crit Care. .

Abstract

Background: A decrease of small nerve fibers in skin biopsies during the course of critical illness has been demonstrated recently. However, the diagnostic use of skin biopsies in sepsis and its time course is not known.

Methods: Patients (n=32) with severe sepsis or septic shock were examined using skin biopsies, neurological examination, nerve conduction studies, and sympathetic skin response in the first week after onset of sepsis, 2 weeks and 4 months later and compared to gender- and age-matched healthy controls.

Results: Skin biopsies at the ankle and thigh revealed a significant decrease of intraepidermal nerve fiber density (IENFD) during the first week of sepsis and 2 weeks later. All patients developed critical illness polyneuropathy (CIP) according to electrophysiological criteria and 11 showed IENFD values lower than the 0.05 quantile. Four patients were biopsied after 4 months and still showed decreased IENFD. Results of nerve conduction studies and IENFD did considerably change over time. No differences for survival time between patients with IEFND lower and larger than 3.5 fibers/mm were found.

Conclusions: Skin biopsy is able to detect an impairment of small sensory nerve fibers early in the course of sepsis. However, it may not be suited as a prognostic parameter for survival.

Trial registration: German Clinical Trials Register, DRKS-ID: DRKS00000642, 12/17/2010.

Keywords: Critical illness polyneuropathy; Sepsis; Skin biopsy; Small nerve fiber neuropathy.

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Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Study flow
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Example of histology of skin biopsies in septic patients (a and c) and normal controls (b and d). Intraepidermal nerve fiber density is considerably decreased in septic patients. Arrows show examples of nerve fibers
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Intraepidermal nerve fiber density (IENFD) in patients (sepsis) and controls over time. IENFD in patients with sepsis are significantly decreased in comparison to age- and gender-matched controls
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Intraepidermal nerve fiber density (IENFD) over time in patients grouped according to number of confounding comorbidities for neuropathy. In patients without any confounding comorbidities (n = 17) there was significant loss of IENFD at ankle and thigh in comparison to the healthy controls
Fig. 5
Fig. 5
Kaplan–Meier curves for survival time in the patients grouped according to intraepidermal nerve fiber density. Log-rank test 0.927. Nr number
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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