scholarly journals The repurposed use of anesthesia machines to ventilate critically ill patients with Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)

Author(s):  
Maurizio Bottiroli ◽  
Angelo Calini ◽  
Riccardo Pinciroli ◽  
Ariel Mueller ◽  
Antonio Siragusa ◽  
...  

Abstract BackgroundThe surge of critically ill patients due to the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) overwhelmed critical care capacity in areas of northern Italy. Anesthesia machines have been used as alternatives to traditional ICU mechanical ventilators. However, the outcomes for patients with COVID-19 respiratory failure cared for with Anesthesia Machines is currently unknow. We hypothesized that COVID-19 patients receiving care with Anesthesia Machines would have worse outcomes compared to standard practice.MethodsWe designed a retrospective study of patients admitted with a confirmed COVID-19 diagnosis at a large tertiary urban hospital in northern Italy. Two care units were included: a 27-bed standard ICU and a 15-bed temporary unit emergently opened in an operating room setting. Intubated patients assigned to Anesthesia Machines (AM group) were compared to a control cohort treated with standard mechanical ventilators (ICU-VENT group). Outcomes were assessed at 60-day follow-up. A multivariable Cox regression analysis of risk factors between survivors and non-survivors was conducted to determine the adjusted risk of death for patients assigned to AM group.ResultsComplete daily data from 89 mechanically ventilated patients consecutively admitted to the two units were analyzed. Seventeen patients were included in the AM group, whereas 72 were in the ICU-VENT group. Disease severity and intensity of treatment were comparable between the two groups. The 60-day mortality was significantly higher in the AM group compared to the ICU-vent group (12/17 vs. 27/72, 70.6% vs. 37.5%, respectively, p = 0.016). Allocation to AM group was associated with a significantly increased risk of death after adjusting for covariates (HR 4.05, 95% CI: 1.75–9.33, p = 0.001). Several incidents and complications were reported with Anesthesia Machine care, raising safety concerns.ConclusionsOur results support the hypothesis that care associated with the use of Anesthesia Machines is inadequate to provide long-term critical care to patients with COVID-19. Added safety risks must be considered if no other option is available to treat severely ill patients during the ongoing pandemic.Clinical Trial NumberNot applicable

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Maurizio Bottiroli ◽  
Angelo Calini ◽  
Riccardo Pinciroli ◽  
Ariel Mueller ◽  
Antonio Siragusa ◽  
...  

Abstract Background The surge of critically ill patients due to the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) overwhelmed critical care capacity in areas of northern Italy. Anesthesia machines have been used as alternatives to traditional ICU mechanical ventilators. However, the outcomes for patients with COVID-19 respiratory failure cared for with Anesthesia Machines is currently unknow. We hypothesized that COVID-19 patients receiving care with Anesthesia Machines would have worse outcomes compared to standard practice. Methods We designed a retrospective study of patients admitted with a confirmed COVID-19 diagnosis at a large tertiary urban hospital in northern Italy. Two care units were included: a 27-bed standard ICU and a 15-bed temporary unit emergently opened in an operating room setting. Intubated patients assigned to Anesthesia Machines (AM group) were compared to a control cohort treated with standard mechanical ventilators (ICU-VENT group). Outcomes were assessed at 60-day follow-up. A multivariable Cox regression analysis of risk factors between survivors and non-survivors was conducted to determine the adjusted risk of death for patients assigned to AM group. Results Complete daily data from 89 mechanically ventilated patients consecutively admitted to the two units were analyzed. Seventeen patients were included in the AM group, whereas 72 were in the ICU-VENT group. Disease severity and intensity of treatment were comparable between the two groups. The 60-day mortality was significantly higher in the AM group compared to the ICU-vent group (12/17 vs. 27/72, 70.6% vs. 37.5%, respectively, p = 0.016). Allocation to AM group was associated with a significantly increased risk of death after adjusting for covariates (HR 4.05, 95% CI: 1.75–9.33, p = 0.001). Several incidents and complications were reported with Anesthesia Machine care, raising safety concerns. Conclusions Our results support the hypothesis that care associated with the use of Anesthesia Machines is inadequate to provide long-term critical care to patients with COVID-19. Added safety risks must be considered if no other option is available to treat severely ill patients during the ongoing pandemic. Clinical trial number Not applicable.


2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-5
Author(s):  
Bin Liu ◽  
Kun Xiao ◽  
Peng Yan ◽  
Tianyu Sun ◽  
Jiang Wang ◽  
...  

Background. Critical illness in the intensive care unit (ICU) has been a global health priority. Systemic nutritional status has turned out to be related to the prognosis of critically ill patients. The albumin-globulin ratio (AGR) has been reported to be a novel prognostic factor of many diseases. This study is aimed at investigating whether the AGR could predict the mortality risk in critically ill patients. Methods. We enrolled 582 adult patients admitted to the respiratory intensive care unit (RICU). We collected the clinical and laboratory data. X-tile software was used to determine the optimal cut-off values for the AGR. Patients were divided into three groups according to the AGR (low AGR group with AGR < 0.8 , medium AGR group with AGR ranging from 0.8 to 1.1, and high AGR group with AGR > 1.1 ). Kaplan-Meier analysis was used for survival analysis. A Cox proportional hazard model was applied to the univariate and multivariate analyses for the potential predictors associated with survival. Results. Our present study showed that the AGR was related to the 28-day survival of critically ill patients in the RICU. The rate of pneumonia in the low AGR group was significantly higher than that in the other groups. Patients with a lower AGR present an increased risk of 28-day mortality compared to patients with a higher AGR. Cox regression analysis showed that the AGR might be an independent predictor of prognosis to 28-day survival in critically ill patients in the RICU. Medium and high AGR values remained independently associated with better 28-day survival than low AGR values (HR: 0.484 (0.263-0.892) ( p = 0.02 ); HR: 0.332 (0.166-0.665) ( p = 0.002 )). Conclusion. The AGR might be an independent predictor of prognosis in critically ill patients.


2021 ◽  
Vol 14 ◽  
pp. 175628482110234
Author(s):  
Mario Romero-Cristóbal ◽  
Ana Clemente-Sánchez ◽  
Patricia Piñeiro ◽  
Jamil Cedeño ◽  
Laura Rayón ◽  
...  

Background: Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) with acute respiratory distress syndrome is a life-threatening condition. A previous diagnosis of chronic liver disease is associated with poorer outcomes. Nevertheless, the impact of silent liver injury has not been investigated. We aimed to explore the association of pre-admission liver fibrosis indices with the prognosis of critically ill COVID-19 patients. Methods: The work presented was an observational study in 214 patients with COVID-19 consecutively admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU). Pre-admission liver fibrosis indices were calculated. In-hospital mortality and predictive factors were explored with Kaplan–Meier and Cox regression analysis. Results: The mean age was 59.58 (13.79) years; 16 patients (7.48%) had previously recognised chronic liver disease. Up to 78.84% of patients according to Forns, and 45.76% according to FIB-4, had more than minimal fibrosis. Fibrosis indices were higher in non-survivors [Forns: 6.04 (1.42) versus 4.99 (1.58), p < 0.001; FIB-4: 1.77 (1.17) versus 1.41 (0.91), p = 0.020)], but no differences were found in liver biochemistry parameters. Patients with any degree of fibrosis either by Forns or FIB-4 had a higher mortality, which increased according to the severity of fibrosis ( p < 0.05 for both indexes). Both Forns [HR 1.41 (1.11–1.81); p = 0.006] and FIB-4 [HR 1.31 (0.99–1.72); p = 0.051] were independently related to survival after adjusting for the Charlson comorbidity index, APACHE II, and ferritin. Conclusion: Unrecognised liver fibrosis, assessed by serological tests prior to admission, is independently associated with a higher risk of death in patients with severe COVID-19 admitted to the ICU.


2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (8) ◽  
pp. 1680
Author(s):  
Urban Berg ◽  
Annette W-Dahl ◽  
Anna Nilsdotter ◽  
Emma Nauclér ◽  
Martin Sundberg ◽  
...  

Purpose: We aimed to study the influence of fast-track care programs in total hip and total knee replacements (THR and TKR) at Swedish hospitals on the risk of revision and mortality within 2 years after the operation. Methods: Data were collected from the Swedish Hip and Knee Arthroplasty Registers (SHAR and SKAR), including 67,913 THR and 59,268 TKR operations from 2011 to 2015 on patients with osteoarthritis. Operations from 2011 to 2015 Revision and mortality in the fast-track group were compared with non-fast-track using Kaplan–Meier survival analysis and Cox regression analysis with adjustments. Results: The hazard ratio (HR) for revision within 2 years after THR with fast-track was 1.19 (CI: 1.03–1.39), indicating increased risk, whereas no increased risk was found in TKR (HR 0.91; CI: 0.79–1.06). The risk of death within 2 years was estimated with a HR of 0.85 (CI: 0.74–0.97) for TKR and 0.96 (CI: 0.85–1.09) for THR in fast-track hospitals compared to non-fast-track. Conclusions: Fast-track programs at Swedish hospitals were associated with an increased risk of revision in THR but not in TKR, while we found the mortality to be lower (TKR) or similar (THR) as compared to non-fast track.


2015 ◽  
Vol 37 (5) ◽  
pp. 1967-1972 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bo Li ◽  
Xin Zhao ◽  
Shumei Li

Background/Aims: The prognostic role of serum procalcitonin level in critically ill patients with ventilator-associated pneumonia was unclear. The aim of our study was to investigate the relationship between serum procalcitonin level and mortality risk in critically ill patients with ventilator-associated pneumonia. Methods: Data of critically ill patients with ventilator-associated pneumonia were retrospectively collected. Demographics, comorbidities, and serum procalcitonin level were extracted from electronic medical records. The primary outcome was mortality within two months after diagnosis. Multivariable Cox regression analyses were performed to assess the prognostic role of serum procalcitonin level in those patients. Results: A total of 115 critically ill patients with ventilator-associated pneumonia were enrolled in our study. Serum procalcitonin level was not associated with age, gender, or other comorbidities. Univariate Cox regression model showed that high serum procalcitonin level was associated increased risk of morality within 2 months after diagnosis (OR = 2.32, 95% CI 1.25-4.31, P = 0.008). Multivariable Cox regression model showed that high serum procalcitonin level was independently associated increased risk of morality within 2 months after diagnosis (OR = 2.38, 95% CI 1.26-4.50, P = 0.008). Conclusion: High serum procalcitonin level is an independent prognostic biomarker of mortality risk in critically ill patients with ventilator-associated pneumonia, and it's a promising biomarker of prognosis in critically ill patients.


2019 ◽  
Vol 57 (9) ◽  
pp. 1422-1431 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jens-Ulrik Stæhr Jensen ◽  
Lars Peters ◽  
Theis S. Itenov ◽  
Morten Bestle ◽  
Katrin M. Thormar ◽  
...  

Abstract Background The prognostic impact of mild/moderate liver impairment among critically ill patients is not known. We aimed to determine whether acute liver impairment, as measured by several biomarkers, (i) is frequent, (ii) influences prognosis and (iii) to determine whether such an effect is specific for infected critically ill patients. Methods A biomarker and clinical cohort study based on a randomized controlled trial. All-cause mortality was the primary endpoint. Biomarkers hyaluronic acid (HA), bilirubin, albumin, alkaline phosphatase and the international normalized ratio (INR) were determined. Multivariable statistics were applied to estimate risk increase according to liver biomarker increase at baseline and the model was adjusted for age, APACHE II, severe sepsis/septic shock vs. milder infection, chronic alcohol abuse Charlson’s co-morbidity index, cancer disease, surgical or medical patient, body mass index, sex, estimated glomerular filtration rate, mechanical ventilation and the other biomarkers. Time-to-event graphs were used. The patients were critically ill patients (n = 1096) from nine mixed medical/surgical intensive care units without known hepatobiliary disease. Results HA levels differed between infected patients (median 210.8 ng/mL [IQR: 93.2–556.6]) vs. the non-infected (median 56.8 ng/mL [IQR: 31.9–116.8], p < 0.001). Serum HA quartiles 2, 3 and 4 were independent predictors of 90-day all-cause mortality for the entire population (infected and non-infected). However, the signal was driven by the infected patients (positive interaction test, no signal in non-infected patients). Among infected patients, HA quartiles corresponded directly to the 90-day risk of dying: 1st quartile: 57/192 = 29.7%, 2nd quartile: 84/194 = 43.3%, 3rd quartile: 90/193 = 46.6%, 4th quartile: 101/192 = 52.3 %, p for trend: <0.0001. This finding was confirmed in adjusted analyses: hazard ratio vs. 1st quartile: 2nd quartile: 1.3 [0.9–1.8], p = 0.14, 3rd quartile: 1.5 [1.1–2.2], p = 0.02, 4th quartile: 1.9 [1.3–2.6], p < 0.0001). High bilirubin was also an independent predictor of mortality. Conclusions Among infected critically ill patients, subtle liver impairment, (elevated HA and bilirubin), was associated with a progressive and highly increased risk of death for the patient; this was robust to adjustment for other predictors of mortality. HA can identify patients at high risk.


Diagnostics ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (8) ◽  
pp. 574
Author(s):  
Theresa H. Wirtz ◽  
Sven H. Loosen ◽  
Lukas Buendgens ◽  
Berkan Kurt ◽  
Samira Abu Jhaisha ◽  
...  

Background: Growth differentiation factor 8, GDF-8 (Myostatin), is a protein released by myocytes inhibiting muscle growth and differentiation. Serum concentrations of Myostatin can predict poor survival in different chronic diseases, but its role in critical illness and sepsis is obscure. Our aim was to investigate Myostatin levels as a potential prognostic biomarker in critically ill patients with sepsis. Methods: We therefore measured Myostatin serum concentrations in 165 critically ill patients (106 with sepsis, 59 without sepsis) upon admission to the medical intensive care unit (ICU), in comparison to 14 healthy controls. Results: Myostatin levels were significantly decreased in ICU patients compared to controls but did not differ in patients with or without sepsis. However, Myostatin concentrations were significantly lower in patients requiring mechanical ventilation and indicated a trend towards dependency of intravenous vasopressors. Interestingly, we observed a negative correlation between Myostatin levels and markers of systemic inflammation. Strikingly, overall survival (OS) was significantly impaired in patients with low Myostatin levels in all critically ill patients. Low Myostatin levels at baseline turned out as an independent prognostic marker for OS in multivariate Cox-regression analysis (HR: 0.433, 95% CI: 0.211–0.889, p = 0.023). Conclusions: In summary, serum Myostatin concentrations are significantly decreased in critically ill patients and associated with disease severity. Low Myostatin levels also identify a subgroup of ICU patients that are more likely to face an unfavorable clinical outcome in terms of OS.


2018 ◽  
Vol 44 (7) ◽  
pp. 1090-1096 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vanessa Chaves Barreto Ferreira de Lima ◽  
Ana Luiza Bierrenbach ◽  
Gizelton Pereira Alencar ◽  
Ana Lucia Andrade ◽  
Luciano Cesar Pontes Azevedo

2011 ◽  
Vol 29 (4_suppl) ◽  
pp. 210-210
Author(s):  
T. J. Huang ◽  
D. Li ◽  
Y. Li ◽  
S. P. Kar ◽  
S. Krishnan ◽  
...  

210 Background: The plasma membrane xCT cystine-specific subunit of the cystine/glutamate transporter contributes to chemotherapy resistance in pancreatic cancer by regulating intracellular glutathione levels and protecting cancer cells against oxidative stress. We previously noted that the rs7674870 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) of xCT correlated with overall survival in pancreatic cancer and may be predictive of platinum resistance. There are no data regarding xCT protein expression in pancreatic cancer or the functional significance of this SNP. Methods: Paraffin-embedded core and surgical biopsy tumor specimens from 49 patients with metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma were analyzed by immunohistochemistry (IHC) using an xCT specific antibody (Novus Biologicals). xCT protein IHC expression scores (product of intensity and percentage of staining cells) were analyzed in relation to overall survival and genotype of the patients using the one factor ANOVA test, Kaplan-Meier plot, log-rank test, and Cox regression analysis. Overall survival was measured from the date of diagnosis to the date of death or last follow-up. Results: Positive xCT expression was detected in 38 (78%) of the 49 samples, and 9 (18%) patients had high levels of expression. High xCT expression was associated with lower overall survival as compared with low expression (5.1 months versus 8.8 months; p = 0.119). In a multivariate Cox regression model with adjustment for prognostic parameters of age, sex, performance status and CA19-9 level, high xCT expression was associated with a 2.1-fold increased risk of death (p = 0.096). Performance status also correlated with overall survival (p = 0.027). Preliminary analysis on the genotype-phenotype association (n = 12) indicated that xCT expression was higher with the TT genotype than the TC/CC genotype (p = 0.115), which is consistent with the previous observation that the TT genotype was associated with reduced survival. Conclusions: These data provide supporting evidence for a possible role of cystine/glutamate transporter xCT subunit in pancreatic cancer progression and survival. Further pharmacogenomic and clinicopathologic studies are ongoing. No significant financial relationships to disclose.


2011 ◽  
Vol 2011 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Annlia Paganini-Hill ◽  
Stuart C. White ◽  
Kathryn A. Atchison

In the last decade the effect of oral health on the general health and mortality of elderly people has attracted attention. We explored the association of dental health behaviors and dentition on all-cause mortality in 5611 older adults followed from 1992 to 2009 (median=9years) and calculated risk estimates using Cox regression analysis in men and women separately. Toothbrushing at night before bed, using dental floss everyday, and visiting the dentist were significant risk factors for longevity. Never brushing at night increased risk 20–35% compared with brushing everyday. Never flossing increased risk 30% compared with flossing everyday. Not seeing a dentist within the last 12 months increased risk 30–50% compared with seeing a dentist two or more times. Mortality also increased with increasing number of missing teeth. Edentulous individuals (even with dentures) had a 30% higher risk of death compared with those with 20+ teeth. Oral health behaviors help maintain natural, healthy and functional teeth but also appear to promote survival in older adults.


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