Adult Medical Intensive Care Unit Research Articles

Feasibility and Safety of Physical Therapy during Continuous Renal Replacement Therapy in the Intensive Care Unit.

Early rehabilitation in an intensive care unit is associated with improved physical functioning and patient outcomes. However, relatively few data have been reported on physical therapy interventions during continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) for patients in intensive care units. To evaluate the feasibility and safety of physical therapy interventions, delivered as part of routine clinical care, for patients undergoing CRRT in an intensive care unit. Consecutive patients in the adult medical intensive care unit of one large tertiary care hospital who received physical therapy sessions while on CRRT were prospectively evaluated over 13 months. Physical therapy sessions were individualized on the basis of patients' physical impairments and activity tolerance, with patients' highest level of mobility recorded. Data on 15 different physiological abnormalities and potential safety events, including bleeding, dislodgement, or dysfunction of the CRRT catheter or circuit, were prospectively collected. Eleven physical therapists delivered 268 rehabilitation sessions to 57 patients while they were receiving CRRT, with the following highest levels of mobility achieved during individual sessions: 78 (29%) bed exercises, 72 (27%) supine cycle ergometry, 80 (30%) sitting at edge of bed, 13 (5%) transfer to chair, and 25 (9%) standing or marching in place. No CRRT-specific safety events occurred (0%; 95% upper confidence interval, 6.3%). There were six non-CRRT-related potential safety events (2.2% of all physical therapy sessions; 95% confidence interval, 0.6-8.2%), all of which were transient changes in blood pressure. In this prospective observational study at one adult medical intensive care unit, we found that provision of bedside physical therapy while patients underwent CRRT is feasible, and appears safe.

Treatment of Alcohol Withdrawal Syndrome with and without Dexmedetomidine.

Studies suggest that dexmedetomidine-an intravenous central-acting α2-adrenergic agonist that effectively reduces anxiety among critically ill patients-is being used in patients with severe alcohol withdrawal. However, evidence supporting its use is limited, and it is not approved for this indication. To assess the effect of dexmedetomidine on severe alcohol withdrawal symptoms and to compare its use with benzodiazepines alone. A retrospective, cohort study of 77 patients admitted to the adult medical intensive care unit with severe alcohol withdrawal between January 1, 2009, and October 31, 2013. The difference in lorazepam equivalents and Clinical Institute Withdrawal Assessment for Alcohol scores in the 24 hours before and after initiation of dexmedetomidine therapy. The frequency of dexmedetomidine use increased dramatically between 2009 and 2013 (16.7% vs 82.4%; p = 0.01). Initiation of dexmedetomidine therapy was associated with significant improvements in Clinical Institute Withdrawal Assessment for Alcohol scores over corresponding 24-hour intervals (14.5 vs 8.5; p < 0.01). Benzodiazepine use also decreased, but the difference was not statistically significant at 24 hours (p = 0.10). Dexmedetomidine was well tolerated, requiring discontinuation of therapy in only 4 patients (10.5%). Dexmedetomidine use was also associated with significantly longer hospitalizations (p < 0.01). Dexmedetomidine initiation was associated with a reduction in short-term alcohol withdrawal symptoms in patients in the intensive care unit, with only a few patients experiencing adverse events. However, its use was also associated with longer hospitalizations. Further research is necessary to evaluate whether dexmedetomidine is efficacious or cost-effective in severe alcohol withdrawal.

Cefepime Use and Acute Brain Injury in Critically Ill Patients

• Adjusting for APACHE, cefepime use remained significantly associated with increased risk of ABI, with odds ratio of 8.0,95% confidence interval 6.8-9.6 Results • All adult medical, surgical, cardiac, cardiovascular and trauma ICU admissions between 2006 and 2013 were screened • Neurologic ICU excluded to reduce confounding • Using an ICU data mart, data pertinent to ABI were extracted using a previously described algorithm3

Clinical effectiveness of a sedation protocol minimizing benzodiazepine infusions and favoring early dexmedetomidine: a before-after study.

IntroductionRandomized controlled trials suggest clinical outcomes may be improved with dexmedetomidine as compared with benzodiazepines; however, further study and validation are needed. The objective of this study was to determine the clinical effectiveness of a sedation protocol minimizing benzodiazepine use in favor of early dexmedetomidine.MethodsWe conducted a before-after study including adult surgical and medical intensive care unit (ICU) patients requiring mechanical ventilation and continuous sedation for at least 24 hours. The before phase included consecutive patients admitted between 1 April 2011 and 31 August 31 2011. Subsequently, the protocol was modified to minimize use of benzodiazepines in favor of early dexmedetomidine through a multidisciplinary approach, and staff education was provided. The after phase included consecutive eligible patients between 1 May 2012 and 31 October 2012.ResultsA total of 199 patients were included, with 97 patients in the before phase and 102 in the after phase. Baseline characteristics were well balanced between groups. Use of midazolam as initial sedation (58% versus 27%, P <0.0001) or at any point during the ICU stay (76% versus 48%, P <0.0001) was significantly reduced in the after phase. Dexmedetomidine use as initial sedation (2% versus 39%, P <0.0001) or at any point during the ICU stay (39% versus 82%, P <0.0001) significantly increased. Both the prevalence (81% versus 93%, P =0.013) and median percentage of days with delirium (55% (interquartile range (IQR), 18 to 83) versus 71% (IQR, 45 to 100), P =0.001) were increased in the after phase. The median duration of mechanical ventilation was significantly reduced in the after phase (110 (IQR, 59 to 192) hours versus 74.5 (IQR, 42 to 148) hours, P =0.029), and significantly fewer patients required tracheostomy (20% versus 9%, P =0.040). The median ICU length of stay was 8 (IQR, 4 to 12) days in the before phase and 6 (IQR, 3 to 11) days in the after phase (P =0.252).ConclusionsImplementing a sedation protocol that targeted light sedation and reduced benzodiazepine use led to significant improvements in the duration of mechanical ventilation and the requirement for tracheostomy, despite increases in the prevalence and duration of ICU delirium.

Copper surfaces are associated with significantly lower concentrations of bacteria on selected surfaces within a pediatric intensive care unit

Health care-associated infections result in significant patient morbidity and mortality. Although cleaning can remove pathogens present on hospital surfaces, those surfaces may be inadequately cleaned or recontaminated within minutes. Because of copper's inherent and continuous antimicrobial properties, copper surfaces offer a solution to complement cleaning. The objective of this study was to quantitatively assess the bacterial microbial burden coincident with an assessment of the ability of antimicrobial copper to limit the microbial burden associated with 3 surfaces in a pediatric intensive care unit. A pragmatic trial was conducted enrolling 1,012 patients from 2 high acuity care units within a249-bed tertiary care pediatric hospital over 12 months. The microbial burden was determined from 3frequently encountered surfaces, regardless of room occupancy, twice monthly, from 16 rooms, 8outfitted normally and 8 outfitted with antimicrobial copper. Copper surfaces were found to be equivalently antimicrobial in pediatric settings to activities reported for adult medical intensive care units. The log10 reduction to the microbial burden from antimicrobial copper surfaced bed rails was 1.996 (99%). Surprisingly, introduction of copper objects to 8study rooms was found to suppress the microbial burden recovered from objects assessed in control rooms by log10 of 1.863 (73%). Copper surfaces warrant serious consideration when contemplating the introduction of no-touch disinfection technologies for reducing burden to limit acquisition of HAIs.

Severity of delirium in the ICU is associated with short term cognitive impairment. A prospective cohort study

To examine the hypothesis that severity of delirium in the intensive care unit (ICU) is positively associated with cognitive impairment at the time of hospital discharge. A prospective cohort study. Adult medical and surgical ICU of a tertiary-care teaching hospital in Japan in ICU patients who were enrolled and admitted for more than 48hours. Severity of delirium was represented as a score of the Intensive Care Delirium Screening Checklist (ICDSC) during the patients' stay in the ICU under the assumption that higher ICDSC score indicated severe delirium. After discharge from the ICU, the patients were followed up for cognitive impairment using the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE). Of the 79 patients enrolled, 50 (63.3%) developed delirium during their stay in the ICU. Patients who developed delirium had higher rates of cognitive impairment (28.0% vs. 3.4%, p=0.03). After adjusting for covariates, the averaged ICDSC score during the ICU stay indicated a positive association between severity of delirium and cognitive impairment at the time of hospital discharge (adjusted odds ratio (OR) 1.6; 95% confidential interval (CI), 1.02-2.54; p=0.041). Our findings indicate that severity of delirium during ICU stay may be associated with cognitive impairment at the time of discharge from the hospital in ICU survivors.

Difference Between Bladder and Esophageal Temperatures in Mild Induced Hypothermia

BackgroundMild induced hypothermia is an established treatment strategy for comatose survivors of cardiac arrest. The goal of the induction phase of mild induced hypothermia is to cool the patient's core body temperature to 32°–34°C. ObjectiveThe main goal of this study was to compare temperature changes measured in the esophagus and urinary bladder in survivors of cardiac arrest undergoing mild induced hypothermia using cold saline infusion. MethodsWe performed a prospective study in a 12-bed adult medical intensive care unit at a tertiary level hospital in comatose adult survivors of nontraumatic cardiac arrest admitted from January to April 2012. Paired temperature readings from bladder and esophageal probes were recorded every 5 min for 95 min (20 readings). Cold fluid infusion was terminated when the measured temperature from either of the probes reached 33.9°C. Factorial repeated-measures analysis of variance was used to determine the effect of time and site of measurement on temperature readings. ResultsMeasurements were performed in 8 patients. Target temperature was achieved in 33 ± 15 min in the esophagus and in 63 ± 15 min in the bladder (p = 0.006). We discovered a significant interaction effect (p < 0.001) between time and site of measurement, indicating that temperature changes differently depending on the site of measurement, with esophageal temperatures decreasing faster than temperatures measured in urinary bladder. ConclusionsOur results indicate that esophageal temperature measurements show a faster response rate compared to temperature measured in the bladder when cold saline infusion is used to induce mild hypothermia.

1289A randomized cross-over clinical trial to compare 3.15% chlorhexidine/70% isopropyl alcohol (CHG) vs 70% isopropyl alcohol alone (alcohol) and 5s vs 15s scrub for routine disinfection of needleless connectors (NCs) on central venous catheters (CVCs) in an adult medical intensive care unit (ICU)

1289A randomized cross-over clinical trial to compare 3.15% chlorhexidine/70% isopropyl alcohol (CHG) vs 70% isopropyl alcohol alone (alcohol) and 5s vs 15s scrub for routine disinfection of needleless connectors (NCs) on central venous catheters (CVCs) in an adult medical intensive care unit (ICU)

CO&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt; Distributions in an ICU with Modified Nightingale Type Layout

This 2-phase study was carried out in an adult medical ICU with modified Nightingale type layout at a medical center in central Taiwan. Among 17 wards, 8 were selected for sampling test. The averages of CO2 level in both phases met the legal requirement. A significant difference of CO2 concentration was found among different locations of the sampling wards. The top two occurred in the location of off the circulation (Ward E) and facing the entrance (Ward A), the lowest occurred in the middle of the circulation (Ward C and G). Significant associations were found between CO2 concentration and number of visitors in 5 sampling wards, except Ward C and G.

A survey of prescriber perceptions about the prevention of stress-related mucosal bleeding in the intensive care unit.

Practices vary between institutions and amongst prescribers regarding when to initiate stress ulcer prophylaxis (SUP), which agent to choose (including doses and frequencies) and rationale, and decisions about escalation or discontinuation of therapy. The purpose of this survey is to evaluate the perceptions of prescribers about risk assessment of stress-related mucosal bleeding (SRMB) and practice patterns of SUP. A cross-sectional survey of 800 US critical care prescribers using the membership of the Society of Critical Care Medicine. The levels of agreement with specific statements were rated on a nine-point Likert scale. Of 712 eligible recipients, 245 (34·4%) completed the questionnaire. Respondents were primarily attending physicians (81·2%) working in adult medical or surgical (59·2%) intensive care units. Mucosal ischaemia was identified as the pathophysiological cause of SRMB by 110 (44·9%) respondents. Respondents agreed that risk factors for SRMB were acute hepatic failure, anticoagulant use, burns >35%, coagulopathy, absence of enteral feeding, recent gastroduodenal ulcer, corticosteroid use, Helicobacter pylori infection, neurologic injury, trauma, NSAID use, mechanical ventilation, shock and sepsis. Histamine subtype 2 receptor antagonists (58·4%) and proton pump inhibitors (39·6%) were the most frequently chosen agents. No consensus was reached about whether either class is associated with clostridium difficile infection or nosocomial pneumonia. Reasons to discontinue therapy included clinically improved patient status (73·1%), extubation (68·2%), reversal of 'nil-by-mouth' (68·6%) and transfer to a non-ICU setting (67·8%). Considerable variability exists in the perceptions surrounding risk factors for SRMB and prescribing patterns for SUP therapy likely because limited or conflicting data are available addressing these issues. Opportunities exist to educate prescribers and conduct research about the pathologic cause and risk factors for SRMB, the preferred class of agents, and the appropriate discontinuation of therapy.

Use of a nutrition support protocol to increase enteral nutrition delivery in critically ill patients.

Early enteral nutrition is recommended for patients in intensive care units, but nutrition provision is often hindered by a variety of unit-specific problems. To evaluate the impact of a nutrition support protocol on nutrition prescription and delivery in the intensive care unit. Nutrition-related data from 73 patients receiving mechanical ventilation who were treated in an adult medical intensive care unit before introduction of an enteral nutrition support protocol were retrospectively compared with data for 87 patients admitted after implementation of the protocol. After implementation of the protocol, enteral nutrition was started significantly earlier (P = .007) and enteral feeding goals were reached significantly faster (6 vs 10 days, P < .001) than before. Prescription of enteral nutrition on the first day of invasive mechanical ventilation increased from 38% before to 54% after (P = .03) implementation of the protocol. Prescribed and delivered nutrition doses on the first 2 days of mechanical ventilation also increased significantly (P < .001) after the protocol was implemented. Nasojejunal feeding tubes were used in 52% of patients before and 56% of patients after protocol implementation P = .63). Jejunal tubes were placed earlier after the protocol was implemented than before (median 5 vs 6.5 days), and when a jejunal tube was in place, feeding goals were reached faster (median 2 vs 3 days, P = .002). Implementing an enteral nutrition support protocol shortened the time to reach feeding goals. Jejunal feeding tubes were necessary in more than half of the patients, and with a jejunal feeding tube in place, feeding goals were reached rapidly.

L’événement indésirable grave : un motif d’admission fréquent en réanimation

ObjectiveIdentification and analysis of iatrogenic events leading to admission in intensive care units. Study designProspective observational monocentric study. PatientsCritically ill patients hospitalized in adult medical intensive care unit of a general hospital over a twelve-month period. MethodsWe recorded for each patient the following characteristics: origin, demographic datas, cause of admission, medical background, severity, diagnosis, ICU length of stay and provided treatments. Two medical investigators identified the iatrogenic character of events and determined their potential preventability. Univariate statistical analysis was performed. ResultsDuring the study period, 603 patients were admitted and 71 (12%) due to iatrogenic events. In comparison to patients hospitalized for other causes, these patients were older (66 years vs. 60, P 0.009) and often previously treated in a hospital (82% vs. 54%, P<0.0001). They had increased need for transfusions (39% vs. 26%, P 0.02) but less frequent indications for mechanical ventilation (67% vs. 77%, P 0.07). They had similar ICU mortality (20% vs. 19%). Among them, 27 iatrogenic events were considered as preventable. ConclusionsIatrogenic event is a significant cause of ICU admission, involved in 12% of all the hospitalizations in our unit. It has an impact on the patient's profile (significantly older) and their ICU stay (increased need for transfusion). More than a third of events could be preventable and potentially accessible to corrective actions.

Cytomegalovirus Viral Load Kinetics in Patients with HIV/AIDS Admitted to a Medical Intensive Care Unit: A Case for Pre-Emptive Therapy

BackgroundCytomegalovirus (CMV) infection is associated with severe diseases in immunosuppressed patients; however, there is a lack of data for pre-emptive therapy in patients with HIV/AIDS.MethodThis was a retrospective study, which enrolled patients diagnosed with HIV/AIDS (CD4<200 cells/μl), who had detectable CMV viral load (VL) during their stay in an adult medical intensive care unit between 2009–2012.ResultsAfter screening 82 patients’ records, 41 patients met the enrolment criteria. Their median age was 37 (interquartile range [IQR]: 31–46), and median CD4 count was 29 cells/μl (IQR: 5–55). Sixteen patients (39%) had serial measurements of CMV VL before treatment with ganciclovir. Patients whose baseline CMV VL values were between 1,000–3,000 copies/ml had significantly higher values (median of 14,650 copies/ml) on follow-up testing done 4–12 days later. Those with undetectable VLs at baseline testing had detectable VLs (median of 1,590 copies/ml) mostly within 20 days of follow-up testing. Patients who had VLs >1,000 copies/ml at baseline testing had significantly higher mortality compared to those who had <1,000 copies/ml {hazard ratio of 3.46, p = 0.003 [95% confidence interval (CI): 1.55–7.71]}. Analysis of the highest CMV VL per patient showed that patients who had VLs of >5,100 copies/ml and did not receive ganciclovir had 100% mortality compared to 58% mortality in those who received ganciclovir at VLs of >5,100 copies/ml, 50% mortality in those who were not treated and had low VLs of <5,100 copies/ml, and 44% mortality in those who had ganciclovir treatment at VLs of <5,100 copies/ml (p = 0.084, 0.046, 0.037, respectively).ConclusionThis study showed a significantly increased mortality in patients with HIV/AIDS who had high CMV VLs, and suggests that a threshold value of 1,000 copies/ml may be appropriate for pre-emptive treatment in this group.

An Interprofessional Approach to Reducing the Overutilization of Stress Ulcer Prophylaxis in Adult Medical and Surgical Intensive Care Units

Overutilization of stress ulcer prophylaxis (SUP) in the intensive care unit (ICU) is common. Acid-suppressive therapies routinely used for SUP are best reserved for patients with greatest risk of clinically important bleeding as they have been associated with nosocomial pneumonia, Clostridium difficile infection and increased hospital cost. The primary objective was to reduce inappropriate utilization of SUP in 2 adult medical and surgical ICU settings at the University of California, San Francisco Medical Center. Secondary objectives included reduction of inappropriate continuation of SUP at ICU and hospital discharge. To attain the study objective, an interprofessional team developed a bundled quality improvement initiative, including an institution SUP guideline, pharmacist-led intervention, and an education and awareness campaign. To assess the impact of these interventions, we conducted a retrospective cohort study comparing data on prescribing practices at baseline before and after the intervention. Since computerized prescriber order entry (CPOE) was implemented during this time frame, preintervention data collection consisted of 2 periods, one before and one after CPOE implementation. The incidence of the inappropriate use of SUP was not significantly different between the pre-CPOE and post-CPOE groups (20 and 19 per 100 patient-days, respectively; P = .88), but the incidence of inappropriate use of SUP was significantly lower in the postintervention group versus the post-CPOE group (9 and 19 per 100 patient-days, respectively; P = .03). At ICU discharge, 4% of patients in the post-intervention group were discharged inappropriately on SUP compared with 8% in the post-CPOE group (P = .54). At hospital discharge, none of the patients in the postintervention group were discharged inappropriately on SUP compared with 7% in the post-CPOE group (P = .22). Implementation of an interprofessional bundled quality improvement initiative is effective in decreasing inappropriate use of SUP in adult medical and surgical ICUs at a university-affiliated, tertiary care academic medical center.

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Introduction: Studies of stress ulcer prophylaxis therapies provide conflicting results about their comparative effectiveness and adverse event profiles. This survey evaluated the perceptions of prescribers regarding risk assessment and practice patterns pertaining to stress-related mucosal bleeding (SRMB) and preventive therapies. Methods: A cross-sectional assessment using a pretested questionnaire electronically distributed to a random selection of 900 US critical care prescribers from the membership of the SCCM. Perceptions were rated on a nine-point scale so that median scores of 7-9 represented general agreement, 4-6 represented no consensus, and 1-3 represented disagreement with the statement. Results: Of 812 eligible recipients, 245 (30.2%) completed the questionnaire. Respondents were primarily attending physicians (81.2%) working in adult medical or surgical (59.2%) intensive care units. Gut mucosal ischemia was correctly identified as the pathophysiological cause of SRMB by 110 (44.9%) respondents. Respondents agreed that risk factors for SRMB were acute hepatic failure, anticoagulant use, burns >35%, coagulopathy, absence of enteral feeding, recent gastroduodenal ulcer, corticosteroid use, Helicobacter pylori infection, neurologic injury, trauma, NSAID use, mechanical ventilation, shock, and sepsis. The most frequently chosen agents to prevent SRMB were histamine-2 receptor (58.4%) and proton pump inhibitors (39.6%), both preferably administered enterally. The primary reasons for choosing the selected agent were cost-avoidance, institutional practice protocols, and a favorable effectiveness profile. No consensus was reached about whether either class of agents is associated with Clostridium difficile infection or nosocomial pneumonia. Sucralfate and enteral nutrition were rarely chosen. Appropriate reasons to discontinue therapy included clinically improved patient status (46.9%), extubation (42.9%), reversal of "nil by mouth" (46.9%), and transfer to a non-ICU setting (44.5%). Conclusions: Opportunities exist to promote evidence-based medicine as fewer than half of the prescribers realize the correct cause of SRMB, the preferred class of agents is inconsistent, and when to stop therapy is variable.

Antimicrobial stewardship program implementation in a medical intensive care unit at a tertiary care hospital in Saudi Arabia

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVESAntimicrobial stewardship programs (ASPs) have shown to prevent the emergence of antimicrobial resistance associated with an inappropriate antimicrobial use. The primary objective of this study was to compare the prescribing appropriateness rate of the empirical antibiotic therapy before and after the ASP implementation in a tertiary care hospital. Secondary objectives include the rate of Clostridium difficile–associated diarrhea (CDAD), physicians’ acceptance rate, patient’s intensive care unit (ICU) course, total utilization using defined daily dose, and total direct cost of antibiotics.DESIGN AND SETTINGSThis is a comparative, historically controlled study. Adult medical ICU patients were enrolled in a prospective fashion under the active ASP arm and compared with historical patients who were admitted to the same unit before the ASP implementation. This study was approved by the institutional review board, and the need for informed consent was waived because the interventions and recommendations were evidence based and considered the standard of care. The study was conducted at KFSHRC, Riyadh.METHODSAdult medical ICU patients were enrolled under the active ASP arm if they were on any of the 5 targeted antibiotics (piperacillin/tazobactam, imipenem/cilastatin, meropenem, vancomycin, tigecycline), and had no official infectious disease consultation. The interventions were conducted via prospective audit and feedback.RESULTSA total of 73 subjects were recruited, 49 in historical control and 24 in the active arm. The appropriateness of empirical antibiotics was improved from 30.6% (15/49) in the historical control arm to 100% (24/24) in the proactive ASP arm (P value <.05). For the ASP group, initially 79.1% (19/24) of the antibiotic uses were inappropriate and diminished by ASPs to 0% on the recommendations implementation. A total of 27 interventions were made with an acceptance rate of 96.3%. The rate of CDAD did not differ between the groups. A reduction in antibiotics utilization and direct cost were also noticed in the ASP arm.CONCLUSIONA proactive ASP is a vital approach in optimizing the appropriate empirical antibiotics utilization in an ICU setting in tertiary care hospitals. This study highlights the importance of such a program and may serve as a foundation for further ASP initiatives particularly in our region.

Optimal Timing of Transfer Out of the Intensive Care Unit

Little other than subjective judgment is available to help clinicians determine when a patient should be transferred out of the intensive care unit. To assess whether remaining in the intensive care unit longer than judged to be medically necessary is associated with increased 30-day mortality. This prospective, observational cohort study was performed in a 13-bed, closed-model, adult medical intensive care unit of a county-owned, university-affiliated hospital that often has difficulty transferring patients to general care areas because of a lack of available beds. Analysis included all 2401 survivors of intensive care from the study period. Delay in discharge from the intensive care unit was defined as time elapsed between the request for transfer and the actual transfer. Logistic regression was used to assess the association of discharge delay with 30-day mortality, adjusting for demographics, comorbid conditions, type and severity of acute illness, care limitations in the unit, and other potential confounding variables. Nonlinear relationships with continuous variables were modeled with restricted cubic splines. Overall, 30-day mortality was 10.1%. Mean discharge delay was 9.6 (SD, 11.7) hours; 9.9% had a discharge delay exceeding 24 hours. The relationship of 30-day mortality to discharge delay was statistically significant and U-shaped, with the nadir at 20 hours. These data indicate an optimal time window for patients to leave the intensive care unit, with increased mortality not only if they leave earlier but also if they leave later than this optimal timing.

Self-Reported Physical Symptoms in Intensive Care Unit (ICU) Survivors: Pilot Exploration Over Four Months Post-ICU Discharge

ContextSurvivors of critical illness must overcome persistent physical and psychological challenges. Few studies have longitudinally examined self-reported physical symptoms in intensive care unit (ICU) survivors. ObjectivesTo describe prevalence and severity of self-reported symptoms in 28 adult medical ICU survivors during the first four months post-ICU discharge and their associations with family caregiver responses. MethodsPatients completed the Modified Given Symptom Assessment Scale. Caregivers completed the Shortened 10-item Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale, Brief Zarit Burden Score, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, and the Caregiver Health Behavior form. Data at ICU discharge (two weeks or less), and two and four months post-ICU discharge were analyzed. ResultsAcross the time points, most patients reported one or more symptoms (88.5–97%), with sleep disturbance, fatigue, weakness, and pain the most prevalent. For these four symptoms with the highest prevalence, there were: 1) moderate correlations among symptom severity at two and four months post-ICU discharge; and 2) no difference in prevalence or severity by patients' disposition (home vs. institution), except worse fatigue in patients at home at two weeks or less post-ICU discharge. Patients' overall symptom burden showed significant correlation with caregivers' depressive symptoms two weeks or less post-ICU discharge. There were trends of moderate correlations between patients' overall symptom burden and caregivers' health risk behaviors and sleep quality at two and four months post-ICU discharge. ConclusionIn our sample, sleep disturbance, fatigue, weakness, and pain were the four key symptoms during first four months post-ICU discharge. Future studies focusing on these four symptoms are necessary to promote quality in post-ICU symptom management.

Epidemiology of hospital-acquired infections in an adult intensive care unit: results of a prospective cohort study

We aimed to describe the pattern of nosocomial infections in an adult medical-surgical intensive care unit (ICU). A 2-year prospective cohort study of nosocomial infection surveillance in a 12 - bed adult medical and surgical ICU of the Federico II University Hospital in Naples, was carried out. Data were collected between January 2009 and December 2010 using the standard surveillance protocols and nosocomial infection site definitions of the National Healthcare Safety Network's ICU surveillance component. Out of 768 patients hospitalized during this period, 434 with an ICU stay longer than 48 h were included in the study. Fifty-three patients acquired a total of 71 nosocomial infections; 55 (77,5%) ventilatorassociated pneumonia (VAP), 10 (14,1%), central-line-associated bloodstream infection (CLA-BSI) and 6 (8,4%) catheter-associated urinary tract infection (CA-UTI). The overall patient day rate was 12,9 patient days. The patient infection rate was 16,3 patients at risk. The mean VAP rate was 15,0/1.000 ventilator days, the CLA-BSI rate 2,9/1.000 central line days and the CA-UTI rate 1,2/1.000 catheter days. Of the nosocomial infections, 65 were Gram-negative, 6 Gram-positive and 5 fungal. The most frequent organism was Acinetobacter baumannii (61,9%), followed by Pseudomonas aeruginosa (22,5%), Enterococcus fecalis (4,2%) and Candida albicans (4,2%). The crude mortality was 35% among ICU-infected patients. VAP was the most common nosocomial infection in our ICU. Gram-negative organisms were more commonly reported as etiologic agents of ICU infections.

Disease-based Modeling to Predict Fluid Response in Intensive Care Units

To compare general and disease-based modeling for fluid resuscitation and vasopressor use in intensive care units. Retrospective cohort study involving 2944 adult medical and surgical intensive care unit (ICU) patients receiving fluid resuscitation. Within this cohort there were two disease-based groups, 802 patients with a diagnosis of pneumonia, and 143 patients with a diagnosis of pancreatitis. Fluid resuscitation either progressing to subsequent vasopressor administration or not was used as the primary outcome variable to compare general and disease-based modeling. Patients with pancreatitis, pneumonia and the general group all shared three common predictive features as core variables, arterial base excess, lactic acid and platelets. Patients with pneumonia also had non-invasive systolic blood pressure and white blood cells added to the core model, and pancreatitis patients additionally had temperature. Disease-based models had significantly higher values of AUC (p < 0.05) than the general group (0.82 ± 0.02 for pneumonia and 0.83 ± 0.03 for pancreatitis vs. 0.79 ± 0.02 for general patients). Disease-based predictive modeling reveals a different set of predictive variables compared to general modeling and improved performance. Our findings add support to the growing body of evidence advantaging disease specific predictive modeling.