Intensive Care Medicine

Phase angle as measured by bioelectrical impedance analysis reflects fat-free mass. Fat-free mass loss relates to worse prognosis in chronic diseases. Primary aim of this study was: to determine the association between fat-free mass at intensive care unit admission and 28-day mortality. Ten centres in nine countries participated in this multicentre prospective observational study. The inclusion criteria were age >18 years; expected length of stay >48 h; absence of pacemaker, heart defibrillator implant, pregnancy and lactation. Fat-free mass was assessed by measurement of the 50-kHz phase angle at admission. The primary endpoint was 28-day mortality. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) was used to assess prediction of 28-day mortality by fat-free mass at ICU admission. The variables associated with 28-day mortality were analysed by means of multivariable logistic regression. Of the 3605 patients screened, 931 were analysed: age 61 ± 16 years, male ...

Objective To examine the effects of positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) on extravascular lung water (EVLW), lung tissue, and lung volume. Design and setting Experimental animal study at a university research facility. Subjects Fifteen adult sheep. Interventions All animals were studied before and after saline washout-induced lung injury while ventilated with sequentially increasing PEEP (0, 7, 14, or 21 cmH2O). Measurements and results Lung volume was determined by computed tomography and EVLW by the thermal dye dilution technique. Saline washout significantly increased lung tissue volume (21±3 to 37±5 ml/kg) and EVLW (9±2 to 36±9 ml/kg). While increasing levels of PEEP reduced EVLW (30±7, 24±8, and 18±4 ml/kg), lung tissue volume remained constant. Total lung volume significantly increased (50±8 ml/kg at PEEP 0 to 77±12 ml/kg at PEEP 21). Nonaerated lung volume significantly decreased and was closely correlated with the changes in EVLW (r=0.67). In addition, a highly significant correlation was found between PEEP-induced decrease in nonaerated lung volume and decrease in transpulmonary shunt (r=0.83). Conclusions The main findings are as follows: (a) PEEP effectively decreases EVLW. (b) The decrease in EVLW is closely correlated with the PEEP-induced decrease in nonaerated lung volume, making EVLW a valuable bedside parameter indicating alveolar recruitment, similar to measurements of transpulmonary shunt. (c) As excess tissue volume remained constant, however, EVLW may not be suitable to reflect overall severity of lung disease

Background For decades, vitamin K antagonists and specifically warfarin, have been the sole agents used orally to manage thromboembolic conditions, including stroke and venous thromboembolism (VTE). Several factors lead to warfarin dose variability, including genetic and non-genetic factors which made warfarin management challenging especially at the initiation phase. To overcome the challenges with warfarin dosing at initiation, strategies other than conventional or fixed dosing were introduced and explored. Aim In this narrative review, we aim to discuss and critique the different dosing strategies for warfarin at initiation with more focus on genotype-guided warfarin dosing and the most recent supporting evidence for and against its use. Method Medline database was searched from 1965 to July 2021. Articles addressing different warfarin dosing methods were screened for inclusion. Results A number of methods exist for warfarin initiation. Studies comparing different dosing methods ...

Objective The evaluation of oxygen consumption (VO2) and oxygen delivery (DO2) has gained increasing importance in the monitoring of critically ill patients. They can be obtained from either direct measurements or by indirect calculations based on the Fick principle. However the choice between these two approaches remains controversial. The aim of the study was to investigate whether these 2 methods provide similar results, and if not, to define the best one in terms of reproducibility. Design Oxygen delivery and oxygen consumption were prospectively analyzed in 171 consecutive critically ill patients. Metabolic data were obtained simultaneously. Setting The study was completed in the intensive care unit as part of the management of the patients studied. Patients A first “group” of 279 evaluations was carried out in 73 consecutive critically ill patients. The results were subsequently validated by 423 observations performed in the 98 following patients. Interventions Before and during each evaluation, the patients were kept in stable hemodynamic and metabolic conditions. All were mechanically ventilated. Measurements and results VO2 was evaluated by calculation (Fick principle) and direct measurement using indirect calorimetry. Cardiac output was both measured by the thermodilution technique and calculated (Fick principle) and the data were used for the evaluation of the directly measured and indirectly calculated DO2. For both VO2 and DO2 the agreement between direct and indirect evaluations was not satisfactory. Differences as great as 55 ml/min·m2 and 267 ml/min·m2 between simultaneously measured and calculated VO2 and DO2 respectively may be expected. Finally, the indirect calculated methods were less reproducible than the measured ones. These observations resulted mainly from the cumulative effects of the random errors in the metabolic data entering into the calculation of VO2 and DO2. Conclusions Our data suggested that the indirect calculation (Fick equation) and the direct measurement (indirect calorimetry, thermodilution) of both VO2 and DO2 did not provide similar results. Direct measurements are more reproducible methods and must be preferred.

Critical illness polyneuromypathy has not previously been reported as a complication of diabetic coma. We describe a patient with hyperosmolar non-ketotic coma (HONK) complicating gram-negative sepsis in whom persistent coma and profound tetraplegia caused considerable concern. Although, initially, it was feared that the patient had suffered a central neurological complication such as stroke or cerebral oedema, a diagnosis of critical illness motor syndrome (CIMS) was subsequently confirmed neurophysiologically. Profound limb weakness associated with HONK is not necessarily due to a catastrophic cerebral event, rather it may be a result of CIMS, which has an excellent prognosis for full neurological recovery.

Septic thrombophlebitis (STP) is a complex, cross-disciplinary clinical condition that combines a localized infection with a neighboring venous thrombosis. STP can occur at several possible anatomic sites, such as dural sinuses, jugular vein (Lemierre syndrome), portal vein (pylephlebitis), and pelvic veins. Its high mortality in the preantibiotic era improved considerably with the introduction of modern antibiotics. However, little evidence exists to date to guide its clinical management. The incidence of STP or its risk factors may be increasing, and its mortality may still be considerable. These trends would have far-reaching implications, especially in the setting of increasing resistance to antimicrobial agents. No clinical assessment tools exist to support patient screening or guide treatment in STP. Few interventional studies exist on the efficacy and safety of anticoagulation. Recommendations on its indications, duration, and the agents of choice are mostly based on evidence derived from small observational studies. While all forms of STP pose similar challenges, future research may benefit from the distinction between bacteria-associated, virus-associated, and mycosis-associated thrombophlebitis. Addressing these gaps in evidence would enhance our ability to diagnose this condition and treat patients effectively.

Objectives To analyse 1-year mortality and functional disability outcomes and resource use in critical stroke patients admitted to ICU. Design and setting Multi-centre, prospective, observational study in 28 Spanish hospitals. Patients Patients admitted for acute stroke from March–August 1999. Intervention Collection of data on: severity by Apache III and Glasgow Coma Score; neurological lesion, hospital and 1-year mortality; functional disability at 1 year by Barthel Index and Glasgow Outcome Scale; ICU length of stay, life support techniques, and neurosurgical interventions. Measurement and results We studied 132 patients: 21% with subarachnoid haemorrhage (SAH), 58% intracerebral haemorrhage (ICH), 20% ischaemic stroke (ISC); Apache III 63±29 ICU stay 13±12 days; 74% required mechanical ventilation. Hospital and 1-year mortality was 33% (22%:ISC, 32%:SAH, 37%:ICH) and 53.8% (66%:ISC, 39%:SAH, 54%:ICH), respectively. Age, APACHE III, and diagnosis defined hospital mortality. Age, APACHE III, and Glasgow Coma Score defined 1-year mortality. Barthel Index score improved (PBarthel Index scores were related to functional outcome at 1 year. Conclusions Critical stroke patients are characterized by high severity of illness, elevated resource consumption, and poor outcomes that are mainly influenced by severity and age. Glasgow Coma Score-measured neurological severity is the main determinant of future functional capacity, which is greater at 1 year.

Objective External validation of the paediatric logistic organ dysfunction (PELOD) score in two paediatric intensive care units (PICU) in South America. Methods Prospective observational cohort study including all PICU admissions from July 2003 to December 2004 in Porto Alegre, Brazil, and from January 2004 to December 2004 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The data collected included demographic variables, diagnosis, need for mechanical ventilation, length of PICU stay and mortality, and the 12 variables in the PELOD score. For each PELOD score variable, the worst daily value and the worst value of the whole PICU stay were used for the daily PELOD (dPELOD) and PELOD scores, respectively. Results A total of 1,476 admissions (51.3% from Argentina and 48.7% from Brazil) were analysed. Observed and predicted mortality were, respectively, 4.7% and 6.6%, with a standardized mortality ratio of 0.72. The score showed excellent discrimination capacity, with an area under the receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curve of 0.93 (0.88–0.98). The dPELOD score on days 1–5 also showed good discrimination capacities, with areas under the ROC curve >0.85. However, PELOD and dPELOD scores showed poor calibration with the Hosmer–Lemeshow test (chi-square 72.3, p  Conclusions The PELOD score is reproducible, has excellent discrimination, but over-predicts mortality and has poor calibration. Although the lack of calibration may not invalidate the score, the PELOD score is a discontinuous variable and we advise careful consideration when using it as a surrogate endpoint in clinical trials.

Inhaled nitric oxide (NO) is used as a therapy of pulmonary hypertension in children after cardiac surgery. Hemoglobin binds to NO with great affinity and forms methemoglobin by oxidation in the erythrocyte. Once produced, methemoglobin is unable to transport and unload oxygen in the tissues. The amount of available hemoglobin in the body for oxygen transport is thereby reduced. Anemia, acidosis, respiratory compromise and cardiac disease may render patients more susceptible than expected for a given methemoglobin level. The goal of the present study was to review the cumulative effect of inhaled NO on methemoglobin formation in critically ill children. We therefore looked for methemoglobin levels in children with congenital heart disease after cardiac surgery who were treated with inhaled NO in a range of 5-40 ppm. We retrospectively reviewed the medical charts of 38 children with congenital heart disease after cardiac surgery. We extracted demographic data and physiological measur...

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is associated with significantly increased morbidity and mortality. To provide a uniformly accepted definition, the RIFLE classification was introduced by the Acute Dialysis Quality Initiative, recently modified by the Acute Kidney Injury Network (AKIN), suggesting staging of AKI based on dynamic changes within 48 h. This study compares these two classification systems with regard to outcome. Cohort analysis of SAPS 3 database. Sixteen thousand seven hundred and eighty-four ICU patients from 303 ICUs were analysed. Classification was performed according to RIFLE (Risk, Injury, Failure) or according to AKIN (stage 1, 2, 3) without including a requirement of renal replacement therapy in the analysis. Changes of serum creatinine as well as urinary output were assessed for both AKIN and RIFLE during the first 48 h of ICU admission. Primary endpoint was hospital mortality. Incidence of AKI in our population of critically ill patients was found to range between 28.5 and 35.5% when applying AKIN and RIFLE criteria, respectively, associated with increased hospital mortality averaging 36.4%. Observed-to-expected mortality ratios revealed excess mortality conferred by any degree of AKI increasing from 0.81 for patients classified as non-AKI up to 1.31 and 1.23 with AKIN stage 3 or RIFLE Failure, respectively. AKIN misclassified 1,504 patients as non-AKI compared to RIFLE which misclassified 504 patients. Acute kidney injury classified by either RIFLE or AKIN is associated with increased hospital mortality. Despite presumed increased sensitivity by the AKIN classification, RIFLE shows better robustness and a higher detection rate of AKI during the first 48 h of ICU admission.