Chronic Mechanical Ventilation Research Articles

Diaphragm Pacing Elicits Ventilatory Plasticity in a Rodent Model of Spinal Cord Injury

Cervical spinal cord injury (cSCI) often results in respiratory impairments requiring the use of chronic mechanical ventilation (MV). Diaphragm pacing (DP) is an emerging clinical intervention designed to combat the deleterious effects of chronic MV by electrically stimulating the diaphragm muscle to maintain ventilation. Anecdotal clinical evidence suggests a rehabilitative benefit of DP; however, current clinical practice is limited by a lack of controlled investigations. Thus, the purpose of this ongoing study was to determine if daily DP could be used as a rehabilitative tool following cSCI. We hypothesized that following cSCI, DP would 1) induce a long-lasting increase in tidal volume 60 minutes after stimulation, and 2) result in sustained improvements in tidal volume after four days of daily DP in awake, behaving rats. To test these hypotheses, we implanted custom electromyography electrodes in the mid-costal region of the left and right hemidiaphragms of male Sprague-Dawley rats. One week later, all animals received a left C2 hemisection (C2Hx; n=14) and a subset also received a left C4-6 dorsal rhizotomy (n=3). One week after injury, rats received stimulation on the paralyzed hemidiaphragm (biphasic 30Hz, 0.8mA, 80 μs pulse width) in phase with breathing (Pacing n=5, Rhizotomy n=3), or served as controls (n=6). We delivered DP to animals within plethysmography chambers in an intermittent pattern (5 minutes on/5 minutes off) for 1 hour/day over 4 consecutive days. Using whole body plethysmography, we recorded ventilation before, during, and for 60 minutes after to examine the acute effects of DP. Additionally, we measured ventilation during normoxia (21% FiO2) and respiratory challenge (10.5% FiO2, 7% FiCO2) before and after C2Hx, and 24 hours after four days of DP to assess the rehabilitative potential of pacing. DP increased tidal volume (% change from pre-pacing) compared to control animals during stimulation (P =0.021). Animals receiving DP displayed an elevated tidal volume compared to controls for at least 60 minutes after DP (P=0.015). When compared to control animals 24 hours after the completion of the pacing protocol, DP animals displayed an increased tidal volume (mL/breath/100g) during both normoxia (P =0.006) and respiratory challenge (P =0.019). In contrast, animals pre-treated with rhizotomy showed a similar tidal volume (mL/breath/100g) compared to controls (normoxia: P=0.597; respiratory challenge: P=0.191), suggesting that DP-induced ventilatory plasticity requires phrenic afferents. Taken together, our data suggest that diaphragm pacing has rehabilitative potential and elicits functional respiratory improvements in rodents following C2Hx. Acknowledgements: This work was supported by funding from the National Institute of Health, grant numbers: R00 HL143207-01 (KAS), UL1TR001436 (TCH) and the APTA Acute Care Physical Therapy Seed Grant (TCH). This is the full abstract presented at the American Physiology Summit 2024 meeting and is only available in HTML format. There are no additional versions or additional content available for this abstract. Physiology was not involved in the peer review process.

Traceability and Characteristic Investigation of Burkholderia Gladioli Bloodstream Infection in Patients with Hematologic Malignancies

*Drs. Mei Hong and Qiuling Wu are co-corresponding authors Background and aims: Bone marrow suppression and mucosal damage caused by high-dose chemotherapy, and the application of immunosuppressive agents after transplantation lead to immune deficiency of patients with hematologic malignancies, who are susceptibility to opportunistic pathogen infections . Burkholderia gladioli, widely known as B. cocovenenans in the public eye, is an extraordinary Burkholderia specie causing acute lethal food poisoning by producing toxoflavin (TF) and lethal bongkrekic acid (BA). It is also an opportunistic pathogen causing clinical infections in newborn infants and patients with cystic fibrosis, chronic granulomatous disease, mechanical ventilation and other immunocompromising conditions, but its source of infection and pathogenic mechanism are still not clear. This study investigated the source of B. gladioli bloodstream infection in patients with hematologic malignancies and demonstrated the antibiotic sensitivity, biological characteristics, and genetic characteristics of B. gladioli strains, providing guidance for clinical treatment and improving patient prognosis. Methods: Nanopore-targeted sequencing (NTS) was used to rapidly detect pathogens in the peripheral blood of patients, and MALDI-TOF MS was used to identify blood culture pathogens. Samples were taken from locations and things associated with patients including medical equipment, inpatient environment, food, and biological specimens. Multilocus sequence typing (MLST) analysis was used to detect the genotypes of B. gladioliDNA. The K-B assay was used to detect bacterial antibiotic sensitivity. The dilution-coated plate method was used in the in vitro phenotyping experiments. Whole-genome sequencing (WGS) was used for the identification and comparation of B. gladioli strains. Results: In this study, NTS and culture of peripheral blood were routinely carried out in patients with hematological malignancies when they gone through febrile neutropenia due to immune deficiency. When patients confirmed positive for B. gladioli bloodstream infection, traceability sampling and PCR verification were conducted from locations and things associated with patients including medical equipments, inpatient environments, food, and biological specimens. Results showed strong B. gladioli abundance in foods (rice, corn flour), but medical equipment and inpatient environment showed no B. gladioliexistence. Furthermore, MLST sequencing confirmed that B. gladiolibloodstream infections was originated from contaminated foods. More important, WGS analysis found that clinical B. gladioli strains isolated in this study were totally lacked of lethal bongkrekic acid (BA) gene clusters and partially lacked of the toxoflavin gene clusters. Antibiotic susceptibility tests revealed that the clinical strains were susceptible to cefazoxime, ciprofloxacin, levofloxacin, trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole, cefalexin, cefoperazone/sulbactam, meropenem, imipenem, piperacillin/tazobactam, amikacin, tobramycin, minocycline hydrochloride, tigecycline and resistant to polymyxinB, ampicillin, cefazolin, cefuroxime, aztreonam, and cefoxitin. Phenotyping experiments found that B. gladioli strains didn't induce hemolysis but exhibited stronger thermal stability and ultraviolet (UV) stability compared with the standard B gladioli strain and lethal B gladioli strain. Conclusions: Foodborne B. gladioli strains in this study exhibited low toxicity and high thermal stability and caused opportunistic bloodstream infections of hematologic malignant patients in immunodeficient states, which deserves our attention. Its special biological characteristic might be attributed to whole and partial loss of toxigenic gene clusters. Clinical B gladioli strains are resistant to polymyxinB, but the standard B gladioli strain and lethal B gladioli strain are susceptible to it, indicating acquired resistance during colonization and empirical antibiotic therapy. Clinicians should strengthen the dietary management of inpatients to avoid the occurrence of foodborne infections.

Comparison and Efficacy of Percutaneous Versus Open Tracheostomy in Critically Ill Patients

Tracheostomy is a surgical procedure most often performed on critically ill children and adults.1,2 It can be performed urgently or electively, the indications are divided by age group, one of the most common causes is the need for chronic mechanical ventilation. 3,4 The surgical technique that is preferred worldwide is the percutaneous dilatation technique with bronchoscopic control, since it has fewer complications, among these, higher rate of decannulation, fewer days of IMV, shorter stay in the ICU and low Charlson comorbidity index, compared to open tracheostomy. 5 Complications secondary to the procedure are divided into early and late, the most frequent being bleeding or hemorrhage, infection, obstruction of the tracheostomy tube, and injury to the posterior wall of the trachea.6,7,8

Preterm lung and brain responses to mechanical ventilation and corticosteroids.

Mechanical ventilation is necessary to maintain oxygenation and ventilation in many preterm infants. Unfortunately, even short periods of mechanical ventilation can cause lung and airway injury, and initiate the lung inflammation that contributes to the development of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD). The mechanical stretch leads to airway cell differentiation and simplification of the alveoli, and releases cytokines that cause systemic response in other organs. Mechanical ventilation also leads to brain injury (IVH, white and gray matter) and neuronal inflammation that can affect the neurodevelopment of preterm infants. In efforts to decrease BPD, corticosteroids have been used for both prevention and treatment of lung inflammation. Corticosteroids have also been demonstrated to cause neuronal injury, so the clinician must balance the negative effects of both mechanical ventilation and steroids on the brain and lungs. Predictive models for BPD can help assess the infants who will benefit most from corticosteroid exposure. This review describes the lung and brain injury from mechanical ventilation in the delivery room and chronic mechanical ventilation in animal models. It provides updates on the current guidelines for use of postnatal corticosteroids (dexamethasone, hydrocortisone, budesonide, budesonide with surfactant) for the prevention and treatment of BPD, and the effects the timing of each steroid regimen has on neurodevelopment.

Parental Perception and Barriers Regarding COVID-19 Vaccination in Technology Dependent Children

Children who use chronic home mechanical ventilation are at high risk for respiratory infections and mortality. They are also at increased risk for developing severe COVID-19 infection. The primary goal of this study was to evaluate the parental perception of the COVID-19 vaccine in pediatric patients with technology dependence. We conducted a cross-sectional survey at a children's hospitalbetween September 2021 and February 2022. A telephone or in-person interview was conducted to assesss parental attitudes toward the COVID-19 vaccine for their technology-dependent child. Technology-dependent groups included patients requiring (1) invasive mechanical ventilation via tracheostomy and (2) noninvasive mechanical ventilation via a facial interface. Fourteen of 44 participants (32%) of technology-dependent children were vaccinated for COVID-19 despite high parental vaccination and influenza vaccination rates. Twenty-eight patients (63% of total participants) were tracheostomy dependent. In the tracheostomy group, the COVID-19 vaccine rate was 28% versus 54% in the nontracheostomy group. Concern for vaccine side effects was the major reason for vaccine hesitancy(53%). More parents of vaccinated children than unvaccinated children were counseled by their primary care provider (85.7% vs. 46.7%; p = .02) or subspecialist (93% vs. 47%; p = .003). Our findings suggest counseling by primary care providers and subspecialistsis important in overcoming COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy. Social media was identified as a major source of information, particularly among parents of unvaccinated patients.

Survival outcomes in older patients with different stages of acute kidney injury defined by the addition of urine output criteria.

Survival outcomes in older patients with different stages of acute kidney injury defined by the addition of urine output criteria.

Respiratory Musculature Evaluated by Computed Tomography in the Setting of Prolonged Mechanical Ventilation.

Diaphragm atrophy has been observed in subjects who undergo invasive mechanical ventilation. We propose a new method to assess for respiratory muscle (RM) changes in subjects who undergo invasive mechanical ventilation by assessing for changes in respiratory muscles through computed tomography (CT). A retrospective case series study was conducted on subjects who underwent invasive mechanical ventilation and received at least 2 chest CT scans during admission. Exclusion criteria included history of chronic mechanical ventilation dependence and neuromuscular disease. Respiratory muscle cross-sectional area (CSA) was measured at the T6 vertebrae. Fourteen subjects were included: mean (± SD) age, BMI, and admission APACHE II scores were 54.0 y (± 14.9), 32.6 kg/m2 (± 10.9), and 23.5 (± 6.0), respectively. Ten (71%) subjects were male. Mean length of time between CT chest scans was 7.5 d (± 3.3). Mean duration of invasive mechanical ventilation was 4.5 d (± 3.4). The percentage change in TM CSA among those who underwent invasive mechanical ventilation was 10.5% (± 6.1). We demonstrated that serial analysis of respiratory muscle CSA through CT chest scans can be a method to assess for respiratory muscle atrophy in subjects undergoing mechanical ventilation. Future prospective studies involving larger populations are needed to better understand how this method can be used to predict outcomes in mechanically ventilated patients.

Decision-Making and Ethical Considerations of Tracheostomy and Chronic Mechanical Ventilation in Children With Acute Neurological Injury

The decisions around whether or not to provide tracheostomy and chronic mechanical ventilation to children with acute neurologic injury are difficult for medical providers and surrogate decision makers. Consideration of the 4 primary principles of medical ethics-autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence, and justice-can provide a framework from which constructive discussions can form. Determination of the goals of care is a good first step in navigating these complex decisions. A shared decision model should be used, including education of decision-makers by medical providers and appropriate recommendations based on the stated goals of care. In this paper, 2 illustrative cases are discussed highlighting the utility of this decision-making framework.

Hypomagnesemia Is Associated with the Acute Kidney Injury in Traumatic Brain Injury Patients: A Pilot Study

Acute kidney injury (AKI) commonly develops among traumatic brain injury (TBI) patients and causes poorer outcomes. We perform this study to explore the relationship between serum magnesium and the risk of AKI among TBI. TBI patients recorded in the Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care-III database were eligible for this research. The restricted cubic spline (RCS) was utilized to fit the correlation between serum magnesium level and the AKI. Univariate and subsequent multivariate logistic regression analysis were utilized to explore risk factors of AKI and confirmed the correlation between serum magnesium and AKI. The incidence of AKI in included TBI was 21.0%. The RCS showed that the correlation between magnesium level and risk of AKI was U-shaped. Compared with patients whose magnesium level was between 1.5 and 2.0 mg/dL, those with a magnesium level of <1.5 mg/dL or >2.0 mg/dL had a higher incidence of AKI. Multivariate logistic regression confirmed age, chronic renal disease, ISS, serum creatinine, vasopressor, mechanical ventilation, and serum magnesium <1.5 mg/dL were independently related with the AKI in TBI. Abnormal low serum magnesium level is correlated with AKI development in TBI patients. Physicians should pay attention on renal function of TBI patients especially those with hypomagnesemia.

Variability for age at successful extubation in infants with congenital diaphragmatic hernia.

The objective of this study was to characterize clinical factors associated with successful extubation in infants with congenital diaphragmatic hernia. Using the Children's Hospitals Neonatal Database, we identified infants with congenital diaphragmatic hernia from 2017 to 2020 at 32 centers. The main outcome was age in days at the time of successful extubation, defined as the patient remaining extubated for 7 consecutive days. Unadjusted Kaplan-Meier and multivariable Cox proportional hazards ratio equations were used to estimate associations between clinical factors and the main outcome. Observations occurred through 180days after birth. There were 840 eligible neonates with a median gestational age of 38weeks and birth weight of 3.0kg. Among survivors (n=693), the median age at successful extubation was 15days (interquartile range [IQR]: 8-29days, 95th percentile: 71days). For nonsurvivors (n=147), the median age at death was 21days (IQR: 11-39days, 95th percentile: 110days). Center (adjusted hazards ratio: 0.22-15, P<.01), low birth weight, intrathoracic liver position, congenital heart disease, lower 5-minute Apgar score, lower pH upon admission to Children's Hospitals Neonatal Database center, and use of extracorporeal support were independently associated with older age at successful extubation. Tracheostomy was associated with multiple failed extubations. Our findings suggest that infants who have not successfully extubated by about 3months of age may be candidates for tracheostomy with chronic mechanical ventilation or palliation. The variability of timing of successful extubation among our centers supports the development of practice guidelines after validating clinical criteria.

Microbiology and Clinical Outcome of Hospital-Acquired Respiratory Infections in an Italian Teaching Hospital: A Retrospective Study.

The burden, microbial etiology and clinical impact of hospital-acquired respiratory infections (HARIs) were determined at an Italian teaching hospital over a 12-month period. For this purpose, overall ordinary hospitalizations ≥ 2 days of subjects over 18 years old with discharge from 1 January 2018 to 31 December 2018 were examined by cross-referencing demographic and clinical data from hospital discharge forms with microbiological data from the computer system of the Microbiology Unit. We identified 329 individuals with HARIs (96 females and 233 males; median age 70 years, range 18-93), who represented ¼ of the total hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) in the period. The inpatient setting was medical and surgical in similar proportions (169 vs. 160, respectively) and the mean hospital stay was 38.9 ± 33.6 days. One hundred and forty patients (42.6% of the total sample) were suffering from one or more chronic diseases. A total of 581 microorganisms (82 antibiotic-resistant and 499 non-resistant) were detected in HARI patients. The most common isolated species were Staphylococcus aureus (16.7%), Klebsiella pneumoniae (13.3%), Pseudomonas spp. (12.6%) and Acinetobacter baumannii (10.5%), followed by Enterobacter spp. (5.3%), Escherichia coli (5.2%) and Enterococcus spp. (4.8%). One hundred and sixty-seven individuals (49.0% of the total) had polymicrobial infections. One hundred thirty-one patients (39.8% of the total) underwent endotracheal intubation and mechanical ventilation and 62.6% of them died, compared to 17.7% of the non-intubated patients. Multivariable analysis confirmed a positive correlation between death and increased age (p = 0.05), surgical MDC (p = 0.007), number of microorganisms over the sample mean (p = 0.001), the presence of chronic diseases (p = 0.046), and intubation and mechanical ventilation (p &lt; 0.0001). A positive correlation between intubation and antibiotic-resistant organisms (p = 0.003) was also found. HARIs are still a major public health problem and require constant surveillance due to their severe clinical outcome.

Toxic Megacolon Burdened with COVID-19 Coinfection-Worsening of an Unfavorable Diagnosis: A Single-Center Retrospective Study.

Introduction: This study primarily sought to evaluate the risk factors for toxic megacolon development and treatment outcomes in Clostridium difficile-positive COVID-19 patients, secondarily to determining predictors of survival. Methods: During the second COVID-19 wave (May 2020 to May 2021), we identified 645 patients with confirmed COVID-19 infection, including 160 patients with a severe course in the intensive care unit. We selected patients with Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) (31 patients) and patients with toxic megacolon (9 patients) and analyzed possible risk factors. Results: Patients who developed toxic megacolon had a higher incidence (without statistical significance, due to small sample size) of cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, a higher proportion of them required antibiotic treatment using cephalosporins or penicillins, and there was a higher rate of extracorporeal circulation usage. C-reactive protein (CRP) and interleukin-6 values showed significant differences between the groups (CRP [median 126 mg/L in the non-toxic megacolon cohort and 237 mg/L in the toxic megacolon cohort; p = 0.037] and interleukin-6 [median 252 ng/L in the group without toxic megacolon and 1127 ng/L in those with toxic megacolon; p = 0.016]). As possible predictors of survival, age, presence of chronic venous insufficiency, cardiac disease, mechanical ventilation, and infection with Candida species were significant for increasing the risk of death, while corticosteroid and cephalosporin treatment and current Klebsiella infection decreased this risk. Conclusions: More than ever, the COVID-19 pandemic required strong up-to-date treatment recommendations to decrease the rate of serious in-hospital complications. Further studies are required to evaluate the interplay between COVID-19 and CDI/toxic megacolon.

1-year mortality after myocardial injury in COVID-19 patients

Abstract Background Myocardial injury is a known complication of COVID-19 and is related to a worse prognosis on admission. However, its impact on 1-year mortality is unknown. Methods Retrospective cohort study with patients admitted to intensive care and confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19 by RT-PCR and with at least one measurement of troponin during hospitalization. The study period was from March/2020 to June/2021. Clinical characteristics and the occurrence of myocardial were assessed between deaths and survivors using the chi-square test and Student's t-test. Variables with p&amp;lt;0.01 in the univariate analysis were included in the Cox regression model to identify predictor variables of 1-year mortality. Results 1037 patients were included, with a mean follow-up of 1.06±0.58 years, mean age = 59.9±16.2 years, and 62.7% men. The prevalence of myocardial injury was 42.8% and occurred 204 deaths (19.7%). In the univariate analysis, the variables associated with 1-year mortality were: myocardial injury (OR 7.5; CI95% 5.2–10.9), age &amp;gt;60 years (OR 5.65; CI95% 3.9–8.2), arterial hypertension (OR 2.8; CI95% 2.0–3.9), diabetes (OR 2.3; CI95% 1.6–3.1), chronic kidney failure (OR 3.9; CI95% 2.2–6.8), dementia (OR 1.8; CI95% 1.2–2.6) and mechanical ventilation (OR 50.5; CI95% 33.9–77.3). In Cox regression, the predictor variables were: myocardial injury (HR 2.4; CI95% 1.7–3.5), age &amp;gt;60 years (HR 2.5; CI95% 1.8–3.6), chronic kidney disease (HR 1.9; CI95% 1.2–2.9), dementia (HR 3.2; CI95% 2.1–5.0) and mechanical ventilation (HR 17.5; CI95% 12.2–25.2). Conclusion In patients admitted to intensive care by COVID-19, the detection of myocardial injury more than doubled the risk of death in 1 year. Funding Acknowledgement Type of funding sources: None.

Improving Home Ventilator Alarm Use Among Children Requiring Chronic Mechanical Ventilation.

Children requiring long-term mechanical ventilation are at high risk of mortality. Setting ventilator alarms may improve safety, but best practices for setting ventilator alarms have not been established. Our objective was to increase the mean proportion of critical ventilator alarms set for those children requiring chronic mechanical ventilation followed in our pulmonary clinic from 63% to >90%. Using the Institute for Healthcare Improvement Model for Improvement, we developed, tested, and implemented a series of interventions using Plan-Do-Study-Act cycles. We followed our progress using statistical process control methods. Our primary interventions were: (1) standardization of the clinic workflow, (2) development of an algorithm to guide physicians in selecting and setting ventilator alarms, (3) updating that algorithm based on review of failures and inpatient testing, and (4) enhancing staff engagement to change the culture surrounding ventilator alarms. We collected baseline data from May 1 to July 13, 2017 on 130 consecutive patients seen in the pulmonary medicine clinic. We found that 63% of critical ventilator alarms were set. Observation of the process, standardization of workflow, and adaptation of an alarm algorithm led to an increase to 85.7% of critical alarms set. Through revising our algorithm to include an apnea alarm, and maximizing provider engagement, more than 95% of critical ventilator alarms were set, exceeding our goal. We sustained this improvement through January 2021. Our stepwise approach, including process standardization, staff engagement, and integration of an alarm algorithm, improved the use of ventilator alarms in chronically ventilated pediatric patients.

Exploring red cell distribution width as a biomarker for treatment efficacy in home mechanical ventilation

BackgroundWith the growing practice of home mechanical ventilation, there is a need to identify biological markers for adequate follow-up. Red cell distribution width (RDW) is a promising candidate because it is convenient, objective and may reflect treatment effect over a long period of time. The aim of this study was to explore the possible role of RDW as a marker for home mechanical ventilation in real-life, unselected chronic respiratory patient populations.MethodsFirst, we identified characteristic RDW values for mixed case, unselected chronic respiratory failure and home mechanical ventilated patients through retrospective review within our institutional database. Next, we conducted a prospective observational study to identify RDW changes during the first six months of optimized home mechanical ventilation treatment. Adult patients starting home mechanical ventilation were included. Factors affecting RDW change during the first 6 months of treatment were analysed.ResultsRDW was elevated in both chronic respiratory failure and home mechanical ventilation patients compared to healthy individuals in the retrospective review. In the prospective study of 70 patients, we found that 55.4% of patients starting home mechanical ventilation have abnormal RDW values which are reduced from 14.7 (IQR = 13.2–16.2)% to 13.5 (IQR = 13.1–14.6)% during the first 6 months of HMV treatment (p < 0.001). RDW improvement correlates with improvement in self-reported health-related quality of life and sleepiness scale scores, as well as physical functional status during the same time frame. RDW proved to be a comparable marker to other parameters traditionally used to evaluate treatment efficacy.ConclusionsRDW is elevated in chronic respiratory failure patients and is significantly reduced in the first six months of optimized home mechanical ventilation. Although further research is needed to verify if RDW change reflects outcome and how comorbidities influence RDW values, our results suggest that RDW is a promising marker of home mechanical ventilation efficacy.Trial registration This study was approved by and registered at the ethics committee of Semmelweis University (TUKEB 250/2017 and TUKEB 250-1/2017, 20th of December 2017 and 1st of October 2019).

Utility of polysomnography for management of chronic invasive mechanical ventilation in children.

With advances in technology, pediatric patients are sent home with chronic invasive mechanical ventilation (CIMV). Ventilation optimization and preparation for weaning are essential processes, however, there is no standard approach to weaning and titrating ventilator settings in children. There is little information in the literature on the utility of polysomnography (PSG) in weaning and titration of CIMV. Our objective is to review the role of PSG on titration and weaning of CIMV in children. A retrospective review of medical records and polysomnograms was performed on CIMV dependent patients at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center from January 2011 to October 2017. Patients underwent overnight ventilator weaning or titration PSG. Subjects with less than 3 h of total sleep time were excluded. About 163 PSGs were divided into 97 PSGs for ventilator titration and 66 PSGs for ventilator weaning. Of the 97 ventilator titration PSGs, 59 (60.8%) had inadequate ventilation, 10 (10.3%) had inadequate oxygenation, 22 (22.7%) had significant tracheostomy leak, 13 (13.4%) had autocycling, 3 (3.1%) had failure to trigger, 4 (4.1%) had central sleep apnea, and 24 (25.8%) had adequate ventilation on current ventilator settings. Of the 66 ventilator weaning PSGs, 48 (72.7%) weaned to lower ventilator settings or off ventilator support and 18 (27.3%) did not wean. Our results indicate that PSG is useful in titration and weaning of ventilator settings in children with CIMV. Larger studies are needed to evaluate the subgroup of this population who would benefit most from PSG for assessment of adequate ventilator support.

Trends in Hospital Costs and Levels of Services Provided for Children With Bronchiolitis Treated in Children’s Hospitals

Increasing hospital costs for bronchiolitis have been associated with increasing patient complexity and mechanical ventilation. However, the associations of illness severity and diagnostic coding practices with bronchiolitis hospitalization costs have not been examined. To investigate the association of patient complexity, illness severity, and diagnostic coding practices with bronchiolitis hospitalization costs. This retrospective cross-sectional study included 385 883 infants aged 24 months or younger who were hospitalized with bronchiolitis at 39 hospitals in the Pediatric Health Information System database from January 1, 2010, to December 31, 2019. Hospitalization for bronchiolitis. Inflation-adjusted standardized unit cost (expressed in dollar units) per hospitalization over time. A nested subgroup analysis was performed to further examine factors associated with changes in cost. A total of 385 883 bronchiolitis hospitalizations were studied; the patients had a mean (SD) age of 7.5 (6.4) months and included 227 309 of 385 883 boys (58.9%) and 253 870 of 385 883 publicly insured patients (65.8%). Among patients hospitalized with bronchiolitis, the median standardized unit cost per hospitalization increased significantly during the study period (from $5636 [95% CI, $5558-$5714] in 2010 to $6973 [95% CI, $6915-$7030] in 2019; P < .001 for trend). Similar increases in cost were observed among subgroups of patients without a complex chronic condition and without the need for mechanical ventilation. However, costs for patients without a complex chronic condition or mechanical ventilation, who received care outside the intensive care unit did not change in an economically significant manner (from $4803 [95% CI, $4752-$4853] in 2010 to $4853 [95% CI, $4811-$4895] in 2019; P < .001 for trend), suggesting that intensive care unit use was a primary factor associated with cost increases. Substantial changes in coding practices were observed. Among patients hospitalized with bronchiolitis, 1.2% (95% CI, 1.1%-1.3%) were assigned an APR-DRG (All Patient Refined Diagnosis Related Group) for respiratory failure in 2010, which increased to 21.6% (95% CI, 21.2%-21.9%) in 2019 (P < .001 for trend). Increased costs and coding intensity were not accompanied by objective evidence of worsening illness severity. This cross-sectional study suggests that hospitalized children with bronchiolitis are receiving costlier and more intensive care without objective evidence of increasing severity of illness. Changes in coding practices may complicate efforts to study trends in the use of health care resources using administrative data.

A CASE OF RETAINED ORAL CARE SPONGE IN THE BRONCHUS CAUSING PNEUMONIA IN CHRONICALLY VENTILATED PATIENT

TOPIC: Lung Pathology TYPE: Medical Student/Resident Case Reports INTRODUCTION: Aspiration of foreign bodies is not uncommon and mostly accidental with the highest prevalence in young children [1]. Occurrence in adults is rare and usually as a result of diminished consciousness, sedation, trauma, and neuromuscular disorders. We present a case of a 70 year old patient receiving chronic mechanical ventilation who had multiple episodes of hypoxia due to a dislodged oral care sponge. CASE PRESENTATION: A 70 year-old bedbound male with chronic mechanical ventilation (via tracheostomy?) after traumatic brain injury, and recurrent pneumonia was admitted for pneumonia. On admission, respiratory cultures grew Carbapenem resistant Acinetobacter Bumanii and Pseudomonas Aeruginosa with negative urinalysis and blood cultures. Chest radiograph showed bilateral lower lobe opacities. He was treated with vancomycin, polymyxin B, and meropenem. However, his FiO2 fluctuated between 40% and 60% and despite being on antibiotics he was persistently febrile. He continued to have copious secretions requiring frequent suctioning without any new infiltrates on repeat chest radiograph. A Computer tomography (CT) of the chest was performed which showed a tubular structure extending from the right main bronchus to the bronchus intermedius (Image 1). Bronchoscopy was done and the object was found to be the head of an oral care sponge. After foreign body removal his respiratory status improved and fevers resolved. DISCUSSION: Oral care in mechanically ventilated patients has been studied extensively and there are many guidelines recommend to minimize ventilator associated pneumonia. Extreme care must be taken by providers as defective products or aggressive technique can result in fragments being dislodged into the oral cavity and can result in aspiration especially in patients with chronic tracheostomy. In patients with tracheostomy, diminished airway protective mechanisms and a deflated balloon can result in an increased risk of foreign body aspiration. Aspiration of a foreign body is a significant cause of morbidity as it can cause asphyxiation or trauma to the airway resulting in pneumothorax, bleeding, and infections [2]. In patients with diminished consciousness the signs of foreign body aspirations can be subtle such a mild cough, fevers, frequent infections, or increasing oxygen and they may not be able to provide a proper history. CONCLUSIONS: This case highlights the need for vigilance regarding potential complications from providing oral care in the elderly who have diminished ability to protect their airway. REFERENCE #1: 1. Ding G et al., Tracheobronchial foreign body aspiration in children: A retrospective single-center cross-sectional study. Medicine (Baltimore). 2020 May 29;99(22):e20480. REFERENCE #2: 2. Aissaoui, N. H. Salem, and A. Chadly, "Unusual foreign body aspiration as a cause of asphyxia in adults: an autopsy case report," The American Journal of Forensic Medicine and Pathology, vol. 33, no. 3, pp. 284–285, 2012. DISCLOSURES: No relevant relationships by Kabu Chawla, source=Web Response No relevant relationships by Varun tej Gonuguntla, source=Web Response Speaker/Speaker's Bureau relationship with pfizer Please note: $1001 - $5000 by Yizhak Kupfer, source=Admin input, value=Consulting fee No relevant relationships by Sharad Oli, source=Web Response No relevant relationships by kiran para, source=Web Response No relevant relationships by Ankur Sinha, source=Web Response

Covid-19 and Gastrointestinal Manifestations in Indian Patients: A Meta-Analysis.

India has the second highest number of confirmed Coronavirus cases in the world after the USA with 29.3 million cases reported so far. We aimed to perform a systematic review and meta-analysis of the clinical characteristics, comorbidities, and outcomes of SARS-CoV-2 positive patients with special emphasis on Gastrointestinal (GI) manifestations. In this meta-analysis, we conducted a systematic review of high-quality articles on confirmed COVID-19 cases in India published in PubMed and Google Scholar between February 2020 and March 2021. Statistical descriptive analysis and correlation analyses of symptoms, comorbidities and outcomes were performed. The mean age of the patients was 46.16 years. Of these, 67.53% were males. Overall, 6.4% patients died. Cough (37.79%) was the most common presenting symptom followed by fever (35.5%), nasal congestion, and rhinorrhea (23.60%) but, these symptoms were unrelated to outcome. Patients with shortness of breath (r = 0.69, p = 0.03) and fatigue/weakness (r = 0.95, p = 0.04) had high mortality. Hypertension and Diabetes Mellitus were the most common comorbidities but were not associated with negative outcome. Preexisting chronic kidney disease (r = 0.80, p = 0.01), mechanical ventilation (r = 0.895, p = 0.003) and ICU admission (r = 0.845, p = 0.008) correlated with poor outcome. GI symptoms were reported in 12.05% of the patients. Nausea and vomiting were the most prevalent GI symptoms, but diarrhea (r = 0.95, p = 0.004) was associated with significant mortality. Overall, COVID-19 patients in India present with cough, fever, shortness of breath and fatigue as the main symptoms. Among GI symptoms, diarrhea was associated with fatal outcomes. However, more high-quality studies are needed for better understanding of the GI manifestations and their outcomes in the Indian population.

Impact of appropriate empirical antibiotics on clinical outcomes in Klebsiella pneumoniae bacteraemia.

Klebsiella pneumoniae infections can cause septic shock, multiorgan failure, and death. This retrospective cohort study included adults with K pneumoniae bacteraemia treated from 1 January 2009 to 30 June 2017. Demographics, microbiology, and outcomes were analysed. The primary outcome was 90-day all-cause mortality; secondary outcomes were intensive care unit (ICU) and hospital mortalities, ICU and hospital lengths of stay, and ICU ventilator duration. In total, 984 patients had K pneumoniae bacteraemia; of them, 686 received appropriate empirical antibiotics. Overall, 205 patients required intensive care. Older age (odds ratio [OR]=1.60; 95% confidence interval [CI]=1.120-2.295; P=0.010), chronic kidney disease (OR=1.81; 95% CI=1.181- 2.785; P=0.007), mechanical ventilation (OR=1.79; 95% CI=1.188-2.681; P=0.005), pneumonia (OR=1.50; 95% CI=1.030-2.187; P=0.034), and carbapenem-resistant or extended-spectrum betalactamase (ESBL)-producing isolates (OR=12.51; 95% CI=7.886-19.487; P<0.001) were associated with greater risk of inappropriate empirical treatment. Ninety-day mortality was significantly higher among patients with inappropriate empirical treatment; independent predictors included pneumonia (hazard ratio [HR]=2.94; 95% CI=2.271-3.808; P<0.001), gastrointestinal infection (HR=2.77; 95% CI=2.055-3.744; P<0.001), failed empirical antibiotics (HR=2.45; 95% CI=1.928-3.124; P<0.001), older age (HR=1.79; 95% CI=1.356-2.371; P<0.001), solid tumour (HR=1.77; 95% CI=1.401-2.231; P<0.001), carbapenem-resistant or ESBL-producing isolates (HR=1.64; 95% CI=1.170-2.297; P=0.004), patients admitted through the Department of Medicine (HR=1.39; 95% CI=1.076-1.800; P=0.012), and higher total Sequential Organ Failure Assessment score (HR=1.09; 95% CI=1.058-1.112; P=0.023). Among ICU patients, inappropriate empirical antibiotic treatment was significantly associated with increased ventilator duration and 90-day mortality. Klebsiella pneumoniae bacteraemia was associated with high 90-day and ICU mortalities; 90-day mortality increased with inappropriate empirical antibiotic treatment.