Annals of intensive care
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Annals of intensive care · Aug 2020
The impact of critical illness on the expiratory muscles and the diaphragm assessed by ultrasound in mechanical ventilated children.
Critical illness has detrimental effects on the diaphragm, but the impact of critical illness on other major muscles of the respiratory pump has been largely neglected. This study aimed to determine the impact of critical illness on the most important muscles of the respiratory muscle pump, especially on the expiratory muscles in children during mechanical ventilation. In addition, the correlation between changes in thickness of the expiratory muscles and the diaphragm was assessed. ⋯ Changes in diaphragm and expiratory muscles thickness develop rapidly after the initiation of mechanical ventilation. Changes in thickness of the diaphragm and expiratory muscles were not significantly correlated. These data provide a unique insight in the effects of critical illness on the respiratory muscle pump in children.
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Annals of intensive care · Aug 2020
A lactate-targeted resuscitation strategy may be associated with higher mortality in patients with septic shock and normal capillary refill time: a post hoc analysis of the ANDROMEDA-SHOCK study.
Capillary refill time (CRT) may improve more rapidly than lactate in response to increments in systemic flow. Therefore, it can be assessed more frequently during septic shock (SS) resuscitation. Hyperlactatemia, in contrast, exhibits a slower recovery in SS survivors, probably explained by the delayed resolution of non-hypoperfusion-related sources. Thus, targeting lactate normalization may be associated with impaired outcomes. The ANDROMEDA-SHOCK trial compared CRT- versus lactate-targeted resuscitation in early SS. CRT-targeted resuscitation associated with lower mortality and organ dysfunction; mechanisms were not investigated. CRT was assessed every 30 min and lactate every 2 h during the 8-h intervention period, allowing a first comparison between groups at 2 h (T2). Our primary aim was to determine if SS patients evolving with normal CRT at T2 after randomization (T0) exhibited a higher mortality and organ dysfunction when allocated to the LT arm than when randomized to the CRT arm. Our secondary aim was to determine if those patients with normal CRT at T2 had received more therapeutic interventions when randomized to the LT arm. To address these issues, we performed a post hoc analysis of the ANDROMEDA-SHOCK dataset. ⋯ Septic shock patients with normal CRT at baseline received more therapeutic interventions and presented more organ dysfunction when allocated to the lactate group. This could associate with worse outcomes.
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Annals of intensive care · Aug 2020
Gasping during refractory out-of-hospital cardiac arrest is a prognostic marker for favourable neurological outcome following extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation: a retrospective study.
Gasping during cardiac arrest is associated with favourable neurological outcomes for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. Moreover, while extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (ECPR) performed for refractory cardiac arrest can improve outcomes, factors for favourable neurological outcomes remain unknown. This study aimed to examine whether gasping during cardiac arrest resuscitation during transport by emergency medical services (EMS) was independently associated with a favourable neurological outcome for patients who underwent ECPR. This retrospective study was based on medical records of all adult patients who underwent ECPR due to refractory cardiac arrest. The primary endpoint was neurologically intact survival at discharge. The study was undertaken at Sapporo Medical University Hospital, a tertiary care centre approved by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, located in the city of Sapporo, Japan, between January 2012 and December 2018. ⋯ The presence of gasping during transportation by EMS was independently associated with a favourable neurological outcome in patients who underwent ECPR. The association of gasping with a favourable neurological outcome in patients with refractory cardiac arrest suggests that ECPR may be considered in such patients.
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Annals of intensive care · Aug 2020
Mortality and morbidity of low-grade red blood cell transfusions in septic patients: a propensity score-matched observational study of a liberal transfusion strategy.
Red blood cell (RBC) transfusions are associated with risks including immunological reactions and volume overload. Current guidelines suggest a restrictive transfusion strategy in most patients with sepsis but based on previous randomized controlled trials and observational studies, there are still uncertainties about the safety in giving low-grade RBC transfusions to patients with sepsis. ⋯ Low-grade RBC transfusion during the first 5 days of admission was associated with increased mortality and morbidity in a liberal transfusion setting. The results support the current practice of a restrictive transfusion strategy in septic critically ill patients.
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Annals of intensive care · Aug 2020
Symptoms of burnout in intensive care unit specialists facing the COVID-19 outbreak.
The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in an unprecedented healthcare crisis with a high prevalence of psychological distress in healthcare providers. We sought to document the prevalence of burnout syndrome amongst intensivists facing the COVID-19 outbreak. ⋯ The COVID-19 pandemic has had an overwhelming psychological impact on intensivists. Follow-up, and management are warranted to assess long-term psychological outcomes and alleviate the psychological burden of the pandemic on frontline personnel.