An investigation of the efficacy of invasive-noninvasive sequential mechanical ventilation in senile patients with severe community-acquired pneumonia

Abstract

To investigate the efficacy of invasive-noninvasive sequential mechanical ventilation (MV) in senile patients with severe community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). A prospective study was conducted. The patients with severe CAP aged ≥75 years admitted to Department of Respiratory Intensive Care Unit (RICU) of the First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University from November 2012 to July 2014, with refusal to have tracheostomy, were enrolled. All patients meeting the diagnostic criteria of CAP and severe CAP were first admitted into the Department of Emergency, and they were found to need MV without absolute contraindication for noninvasive ventilation (NIV) in RICU. The patients were mechanically ventilated via endotracheal intubation (ETI), and they were randomly divided into invasive-noninvasive sequential MV group (sequential MV group) and conventional MV group. NIV was initiated immediately when patients matched the conditions for early extubation in the sequential MV group. Oxygen therapy (5 L/min) via a Venturi mask was provided when the indications of conventional extubation were met. The baseline data and clinical characteristics were recorded, the risk factors of death were analyzed by logistic regression analysis, and 60-day survival rate was analyzed by Kaplan-Meier curve. Ninety-one senile patients with severe CAP were enrolled, among them 28 patients died within 60 days, with a mortality rate of 30.77%. No significant difference in 60-day mortality was found between sequential MV group (n=44) and conventional MV group [n=47, 25.0% (11/44) vs. 36.2% (17/47), χ2=1.331, P=0.249]. In the sequential MV group, the incidence of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) was significantly decreased [27.3% (12/44) vs. 55.3% (26/47), χ2=7.350, P=0.007], and the rate of ETI≥2 times was increased [59.1% (26/44) vs. 29.8% (14/47), χ2=5.095, P=0.024] as compared with conventional MV group. Compared with survival group, the patients in non-survival group showed a higher incidence of cerebrovascular disease (60.7% vs. 25.4%, P=0.002), higher acute physiology and chronic health evaluation II (APACHEII) score (26.46±2.59 vs. 24.41±2.47, P=0.001), British Thoracic Society confusion, uremia, respiratory rate, blood pressure, ≥75 years (CURB-75 score, 4.00±0.47 vs. 3.68±0.53, P=0.013), a longer total duration of MV (days: 21.18±10.02 vs. 14.56±7.62, P=0.002), and a higher ratio of ETI≥2 times (53.6% vs. 33.3%, P<0.001). It was revealed by multivariate logistic regression analysis that ETI≥2 times and comorbidity of cerebrovascular infarction were independent predictors of a worse outcome in the senile patients [odds ratio (OR)=9.677, 95% confidence interval (95%CI)=3.075-30.457, P<0.001; OR=5.386, 95%CI=1.781-6.284, P=0.003]. It was showed by Kaplan-Meir survival analysis that ETI times and concurrent cerebrovascular infarction imparted significant effects on the 60-day survival rate (χ2=40.805, P=0.000; χ2=4.425, P=0.035). Invasive-noninvasive sequential MV may not improve the outcome of senile patients with severe CAP, and ETI≥2 times and concurrent cerebrovascular disorders drastically lowered the survival rate.