Implementation of an Enoxaparin Protocol for Venous Thromboembolism Prophylaxis in Obese Surgical Intensive Care Unit Patients

2011 ◽  
Vol 45 (11) ◽  
pp. 1356-1362 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kyle P Ludwig ◽  
Heidi J Simons ◽  
Mary Mone ◽  
Richard G Barton ◽  
Edward J Kimball
Keyword(s):  
Intensive Care Unit ◽  
Intensive Care ◽  
Venous Thromboembolism ◽  
Factor Xa ◽  
Major Surgery ◽  
Surgical Intensive Care Unit ◽  
Morbidly Obese ◽  
Obese Patients ◽  
Surgical Intensive Care ◽  
Vte Prophylaxis

Background:: Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a serious health care issue that affects a large number of people. Few standards exist for delineating the optimal dosing strategy for VTE prevention in obese patients, especially in the setting of major surgery or trauma. Objective: To document the efficacy of a surgical intensive care unit (SICU)–specific, weight-based dosing protocol of enoxaparin 0.5 mg/kg given subcutaneously every 12 hours for VTE prophylaxis in morbidly obese (defined as body mass index [BMI] ≥35 kg/m2 or weight ≥150 kg) SICU patients, using peak anti-factor Xa levels to determine therapeutic endpoints. Methods: Data were collected retrospectively in an academic, university-based SICU on 23 morbidly obese patients who received weight-based enoxaparin for VTE prophylaxis from December 1, 2008, through June 30, 2010. Results: A weight-based dosage range of enoxaparin 50-120 mg twice daily (median 60) was given to 23 patients. The mean BMI was 46.4 kg/m2. The initial mean anti-factor Xa level (measured after the third dose) was 0.34 IU/mL (range 0.20-0.59). Patients received an average of 18 doses. Two cases required an increase or decrease in dosage based on anti-factor Xa levels. Morbidity related to this dosing included a single event of minor endotracheal bleeding and a single deep vein thrombosis that was likely present prior to treatment. Conclusions: Weight-based dosing with enoxaparin in morbidly obese SICU patients was effective in achieving anti-factor Xa levels within the appropriate prophylactic range. This regimen reduced the rate of VTE below expected levels and no additional adverse effects were reported.

Surgical intensive care unit (ICU) delirium: A “psychosomatic” problem?

2010 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 221-225 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michel Reich ◽  
Regis Rohn ◽  
Daniele Lefevre
Keyword(s):  
Intensive Care Unit ◽  
Intensive Care ◽  
Psychological Factors ◽  
Death Anxiety ◽  
Defense Mechanism ◽  
Cognitive Disorders ◽  
Major Surgery ◽  
Surgical Intensive Care Unit ◽  
Surgical Intensive Care ◽  
Icu Delirium

AbstractObjective:Intensive Care Unit (ICU) delirium is a common complication after major surgery and related among other potential medical precipitants to either pre-existing cognitive impairment or the intensity and length of anesthesiology or the type of surgery. Nevertheless, in some rare situations, an organic etiology is not always found, which can be frustrating for the medical team. Some clinicians working in an intensive care unit have a reluctance to seek another hypothesis in the psychological field.Method:To illustrate this, we report the case of a 59-year-old woman who developed a massive delirium during her intensive care unit stay after being operated on for a left retroperitoneal sarcoma. Interestingly, she had had no previous cognitive disorders and a somatic explanation for her psychiatric disorder could not been found. Just before the surgery, she was grieving the recent loss of a colleague of the same age, and also a close friend, and therefore had a death anxiety.Results:With this case report, we would like to point out the importance of psychological factors that might precipitate delirium in a predominately somatic environment such as an intensive care unit.Significance of results:ICU delirium can sometimes be considered as a “psychosomatic” problem with either a stress response syndrome after surgery or a defense mechanism against death anxiety. Clinicians should be aware of the possibility of such psychological factors even if they always must first rule out potential somatic causes for delirium and encourage thorough investigation and treatment of these medical causes. A collaboration with the psycho-oncologist is recommended to better manage this “psychosomatic” problem.

scholarly journals Intensive Care Unit Acquired Hypernatremia after Major Surgery is Associated with Urine Concentrating Defect: An Observational Study

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philipp Deetjen ◽  
Ulrich Jaschinski ◽  
Axel Heller
Keyword(s):  
Intensive Care Unit ◽  
Intensive Care ◽  
Water Balance ◽  
Water Conservation ◽  
Sodium Excretion ◽  
Free Water ◽  
Major Surgery ◽  
Surgical Intensive Care Unit ◽  
Surgical Intensive Care ◽  
Water Excretion

Abstract Background: Although intensive care acquired hypernatremia is a common event, limited knowledge exists about the pathogenesis of this disorder. The present study attempts to show that patients undergoing major surgery develop hypernatremia in the presence of both high salt and volume load and concentration disorder of the kidney with insufficient sodium excretion.Methods: In a retrospective study, all patients who were admitted to a 40-bed tertiary surgical intensive care unit of a university hospital from July 2019 to December 2019 with major surgery were examined. Hypernatremia was defined as a sodium value exceeding 145 mmol/l. In addition to the analysis of all patients, complete water and salt balances were performed in a smaller subgroup with 142 patients.Results: 23.9% of patients undergoing major surgery developed hypernatremia, whereby hypernatremia was associated with increased mortality. Patients with hypernatremia showed a renal concentration defect with decreased urine sodium concentration (65 (IQR: 44.8-90) mmol/l vs 78 (IQR: 46-107) mmol/l, p = 0.007) and decreased urine osmolality (514 (IQR: 465-605) mmol/l vs 602 (IQR: 467-740) mmol/l, p < 0.001). In the subgroup of patients with complete sodium and water balance, a positive salt and water balance was observed. After propensity score matching, we found a significantly increased electrolyte free water clearance (1020 ±1740 ml vs -560 ±1620 ml, p <0.001) in the hypernatremia group, together with an inadequately lower total sodium urine excretion (401 ±303 mmol vs 593 ±400 mmol, p = 0.02). Conclusion: The present study shows that postoperative hypernatremia is associated with an imbalance between perioperative salt and water load and renal sodium and water handling with inadequately low renal sodium excretion and inadequately high renal water excretion. The underlying renal concentration disorder may be explained by a defect in a natriuretic-ureotelic response a recently described renal urea-mediated water conservation mechanism after salt exposure.

Quality Improvement in the Surgical Intensive Care Unit

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark R. Hemmila ◽  
Wendy L Wahl
Keyword(s):  
Intensive Care Unit ◽  
Intensive Care ◽  
Quality Improvement ◽  
Propensity Score Analysis ◽  
Scoring Systems ◽  
Quality Improvement Program ◽  
Surgical Intensive Care Unit ◽  
Surgical Intensive Care ◽  
Improvement Program ◽  
Vte Prophylaxis

Programs to support clinical benchmarking of surgical outcomes have grown dramatically over the past decade. Selection of an appropriate project and preplanning with regard to strategy are often more important than management skill alone when undertaking and performing successful quality improvement in the intensive care unit (ICU) setting. This review covers an overview of a medical and surgical quality system, development of an ICU quality improvement program, scoring systems: risk assessment, evidence-based medicine and protocols, and a quality improvement framework. Figures show structure of the ICU quality improvement team, the C-index statistic reflecting the ability of a model to predict which patients will have the outcome of interest, a Shewhart statistical process control chart, venous thromboembolism (VTE) events by report number, and changes in the type of VTE prophylaxis agent administered over time.  Tables list Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan/Blue Care Network-sponsored, registry-based collaborative quality initiatives, critical care societies’ collaborative-based quality improvement task force priorities for performance measurement, possible ICU quality measures, predictive scoring systems, and multivariate and propensity score analysis of the Michigan Trauma Quality Improvement Program pilot data for VTE events and type of VTE prophylaxis.   This review contains 5 highly rendered figures, 5 tables, and 59 references

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