scholarly journals Management of Critically Ill Patients with COVID-19: What We Learned and What We Do

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ata Mahmoodpoor ◽  
Kamran Shadvar ◽  
Ali Akbar Ghamari ◽  
Mojtaba Mohammadzadeh Lameh ◽  
Roghayeh Asghari Ardebili ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Intensive Care Unit ◽  
Intensive Care ◽  
Early Diagnosis ◽  
Critically Ill ◽  
Critically Ill Patients ◽  
Standard Care ◽  
Clinical Course ◽  
Diagnosis And Treatment ◽  
To Receive

: There are many unknown questions and puzzle pieces that should describe the clinical course of COVID-19 and its complications, especially ARDS. We provide the initial immediate surge response to allow every patient in need of an ICU bed to receive one. Till our knowledge is improved, the most important intervention in the treatment of critically ill patients with COVID-19 seems to be the level of standard care and appropriate and early diagnosis and treatment. It seems that each center should have its protocol on the management of critically ill COVID-19 patients regarding prevention, diagnosis, and treatment. This treatment should now be performed regardless of the reason which lies behind the pathophysiology of this disease, which is yet unknown. In this report, we share our experience in the management of critically ill COVID-19 patients during the 2 months in our intensive care unit.

scholarly journals Treatment of a Critically Ill COVID-19 Patient with the Seraph 100 Microbind Affinity Filter

TH Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 05 (02) ◽  
pp. e134-e138
Author(s):  
Anke Pape ◽  
Jan T. Kielstein ◽  
Tillman Krüger ◽  
Thomas Fühner ◽  
Reinhard Brunkhorst
Keyword(s):  
Intensive Care Unit ◽  
Intensive Care ◽  
Critically Ill ◽  
Critically Ill Patients ◽  
Randomized Trials ◽  
Clinical Course ◽  
Pharmacological Therapy ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Special Patient

AbstractThe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has a serious impact on health and economics worldwide. Even though the majority of patients present with moderate and mild symptoms, yet a considerable portion of patients need to be treated in the intensive care unit. Aside from dexamethasone, there is no established pharmacological therapy. Moreover, some of the currently tested drugs are contraindicated for special patient populations like remdesivir for patients with severely impaired renal function. On this background, several extracorporeal treatments are currently explored concerning their potential to improve the clinical course and outcome of critically ill patients with COVID-19. Here, we report the use of the Seraph 100 Microbind Affinity filter, which is licensed in the European Union for the removal of pathogens. Authorization for emergency use in patients with COVID-19 admitted to the intensive care unit with confirmed or imminent respiratory failure was granted by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on April 17, 2020.A 53-year-old Caucasian male with a severe COVID-19 infection was treated with a Seraph Microbind Affinity filter hemoperfusion after clinical deterioration and commencement of mechanical ventilation. The 70-minute treatment at a blood flow of 200 mL/minute was well tolerated, and the patient was hemodynamically stable. The hemoperfusion reduced D-dimers dramatically.This case report suggests that the use of Seraph 100 Microbind Affinity filter hemoperfusion might have positive effects on the clinical course of critically ill patients with COVID-19. However, future prospective collection of data ideally in randomized trials will have to confirm whether the use of Seraph 100 Microbind Affinity filter hemoperfusion is an option of the treatment for COVID-19.

scholarly journals Clinical course and outcomes of critically ill COVID-19 patients in two successive pandemic waves

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Athanasios Chalkias ◽  
Ioannis Pantazopoulos ◽  
Nikolaos Papagiannakis ◽  
Anargyros Skoulakis ◽  
Eleni Laou ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Intensive Care Unit ◽  
Intensive Care ◽  
Length Of Stay ◽  
Critically Ill ◽  
Critically Ill Patients ◽  
Clinical Course ◽  
Sinus Bradycardia ◽  
Hospital Length Of Stay ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Second Wave

AbstractRationaleThe progress of COVID-19 from moderate to severe may be precipitous, while the heterogenous characteristics of the disease pose challenges to the management of these patients.ObjectivesTo characterize the clinical course and outcomes of critically ill patients with COVID-19 during two successive waves.MethodsWe leveraged the multi-center SuPAR in Adult Patients With COVID-19 (SPARCOL) study and collected data from consecutive patients requiring admission to the intensive care unit from April 1st to December 31st, 2020.Measurements and Main ResultsOf 252 patients, 81 (32%) required intubation and mechanical ventilation. Of them, 17 (20.9%) were intubated during the first wave, while 64 (79%) during the second wave. The most prominent difference between the two waves was the overall survival (first wave 58.9% vs. second wave 15.6%, adjusted p-value=0.006). This difference is reflected in the prolonged hospitalization during the first wave. The mean ICU length of stay (19.1 vs. 11.7 days, p=0.022), hospital length of stay (28.5 vs. 17.1 days, p=0.012), and days on ventilator (16.7 vs. 11.5, p=0.13) were higher during the first wave. A significant difference between the two waves was the development of bradycardia. In the first wave, 2 (11.7%) patients developed sinus bradycardia only after admission to the intensive care unit, while in the second wave, 63 (98.4%) patients developed sinus bradycardia during hospitalization.ConclusionsSurvival of critically ill patients with COVID-19 was significantly lower during the second wave. The majority of these patients developed sinus bradycardia during hospitalization.

Diagnostic and Interventional Bronchoscopy in the Intensive Care Unit

2019 ◽  
pp. 855-862
Author(s):  
Cesar A. Keller
Keyword(s):  
Intensive Care Unit ◽  
Intensive Care ◽  
Respiratory Failure ◽  
Intracranial Pressure ◽  
Critically Ill ◽  
Critically Ill Patients ◽  
Fiberoptic Bronchoscopy ◽  
Diagnosis And Treatment ◽  
Increased Intracranial Pressure ◽  
Interventional Bronchoscopy

Shigeto Ikeda in Japan developed fiberoptic bronchoscopy (FOB), beginning a revolution in the diagnosis and treatment of diverse pulmonary conditions. FOB evolved with additional diagnostic and interventional tools. FOB has become an essential bedside tool for diagnosis and management in critically ill patients. FOB is safe, even in patients with respiratory failure and, if done cautiously, in patients with increased intracranial pressure.

Moisture chamber versus lubrication for the prevention of corneal epithelial breakdown

1995 ◽  
Vol 4 (6) ◽  
pp. 425-428 ◽  
Author(s):  
D Cortese ◽  
L Capp ◽  
S McKinley
Keyword(s):  
Clinical Trial ◽  
Intensive Care Unit ◽  
Intensive Care ◽  
Randomized Clinical Trial ◽  
Critically Ill ◽  
Teaching Hospital ◽  
Critically Ill Patients ◽  
Blink Reflex ◽  
Corneal Epithelial ◽  
To Receive

BACKGROUND: Patients who are comatose or semicomatose are at risk of corneal dryness and ulceration. OBJECTIVE: To compare and evaluate the effectiveness of two treatments used for the prevention of corneal epithelial breakdown in critically ill patients. METHODS: A randomized clinical trial was used. The sample consisted of critically ill patients (age, 15-84 years) with a limited or absent blink reflex in a 14-bed general intensive care unit in a large metropolitan teaching hospital. Ninety-six eligible patients were studied; of these, 36 were excluded and data from the remaining 60 patients were analyzed. Patients were randomized to receive methylcellulose lubricating drops every 2 hours (n = 30) or to have their eyes covered with a polyethylene film to create a moisture chamber (n = 30). The patients' corneas were tested daily for epithelial breakdown using fluorescein drops. Patients were studied for a minimum of 48 hours and a maximum of 1 week. RESULTS: Eight of the 30 patients in the lubricating drop group had positive fluorescein staining, compared with one in the moisture chamber group. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that a moisture chamber is more effective than lubricating drops in preventing corneal epithelial breakdown in critically ill patients with limited or absent blink reflex.

scholarly journals Bereavement interventions to support informal caregivers in the intensive care unit: a systematic review

2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephana J. Moss ◽  
Krista Wollny ◽  
Therese G. Poulin ◽  
Deborah J. Cook ◽  
Henry T. Stelfox ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Intensive Care Unit ◽  
Intensive Care ◽  
Critically Ill ◽  
Traumatic Stress ◽  
Critically Ill Patients ◽  
Informal Caregivers ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Bereavement Support ◽  
Complex Needs ◽  
Post Traumatic

Abstract Background Informal caregivers of critically ill patients in intensive care unit (ICUs) experience negative psychological sequelae that worsen after death. We synthesized outcomes reported from ICU bereavement interventions intended to improve informal caregivers’ ability to cope with grief. Data sources MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL and PsycINFO from inception to October 2020. Study selection Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of bereavement interventions to support informal caregivers of adult patients who died in ICU. Data extraction Two reviewers independently extracted data in duplicate. Narrative synthesis was conducted. Data synthesis Bereavement interventions were categorized according to the UK National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence three-tiered model of bereavement support according to the level of need: (1) Universal information provided to all those bereaved; (2) Selected or targeted non-specialist support provided to those who are at-risk of developing complex needs; and/or (3) Professional specialist interventions provided to those with a high level of complex needs. Outcome measures were synthesized according to core outcomes established for evaluating bereavement support for adults who have lost other adults to illness. Results Three studies of ICU bereavement interventions from 31 ICUs across 26 hospitals were included. One trial examining the effect of family presence at brain death assessment integrated all three categories of support but did not report significant improvement in emotional or psychological distress. Two other trials assessed a condolence letter intervention, which did not decrease grief symptoms and may have increased symptoms of depression and post-traumatic stress disorder, and a storytelling intervention that found no significant improvements in anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress, or complicated grief. Four of nine core bereavement outcomes were not assessed anytime in follow-up. Conclusions Currently available trial evidence is sparse and does not support the use of bereavement interventions for informal caregivers of critically ill patients who die in the ICU.

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