European Society Of Intensive Care Medicine Research Articles

European Society of Intensive Care Medicine clinical practice guideline on fluid therapy in adult critically ill patients. Part 1: the choice of resuscitation fluids.

This is the first of three parts of the clinical practice guideline from the European Society of Intensive Care Medicine (ESICM) on resuscitation fluids in adult critically ill patients. This part addresses fluid choice and the other two will separately address fluid amount and fluid removal. This guideline was formulated by an international panel of clinical experts and methodologists. The Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) methodology was applied to evaluate the certainty of evidence and to move from evidence to decision. For volume expansion, the guideline provides conditional recommendations for using crystalloids rather than albumin in critically ill patients in general (moderate certainty of evidence), in patients with sepsis (moderate certainty of evidence), in patients with acute respiratory failure (very low certainty of evidence) and in patients in the perioperative period and patients at risk for bleeding (very low certainty of evidence). There is a conditional recommendation for using isotonic saline rather than albumin in patients with traumatic brain injury (very low certainty of evidence). There is a conditional recommendation for using albumin rather than crystalloids in patients with cirrhosis (very low certainty of evidence). The guideline provides conditional recommendations for using balanced crystalloids rather than isotonic saline in critically ill patients in general (low certainty of evidence), in patients with sepsis (low certainty of evidence) and in patients with kidney injury (very low certainty of evidence). There is a conditional recommendation for using isotonic saline rather than balanced crystalloids in patients with traumatic brain injury (very low certainty of evidence). There is a conditional recommendation for using isotonic crystalloids rather than small-volume hypertonic crystalloidsin critically ill patients in general (very low certainty of evidence). This guideline provides eleven recommendations to inform clinicians on resuscitation fluid choice in critically ill patients.

Good outcome prediction after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest: A prospective multicenter observational study in Korea (the KORHN-PRO registry)

AimTo assess the ability of clinical examination, biomarkers, electrophysiology and brain imaging, individually or in combination to predict good neurological outcomes at 6 months after CA. MethodsThis was a retrospective analysis of the Korean Hypothermia Network Prospective Registry 1.0, which included adult out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) patients (≥18 years). Good outcome predictors were defined as both pupillary light reflex (PLR) and corneal reflex (CR) at admission, Glasgow Coma Scale Motor score (GCS-M) >3 at admission, neuron-specific enolase (NSE) <17 µg/L at 24–72 h, a median nerve somatosensory evoked potential (SSEP) N20/P25 amplitude >4 µV, continuous background without discharges on electroencephalogram (EEG), and absence of anoxic injury on brain CT and diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI). ResultsA total of 1327 subjects were included in the final analysis, and their median age was 59 years; among them, 412 subjects had a good neurological outcome at 6 months. GCS-M >3 at admission had the highest specificity of 96.7% (95% CI 95.3–97.8), and normal brain DWI had the highest sensitivity of 96.3% (95% CI 92.9–98.4). When the two predictors were combined, the sensitivities tended to decrease (ranging from 2.7–81.1%), and the specificities tended to increase, ranging from81.3–100%. Through the explorative variation of the 2021 European Resuscitation Council (ERC) and the European Society of Intensive Care Medicine (ESICM) prognostication strategy algorithms, good outcomes were predicted, with a specificity of 83.2% and a sensitivity of 83.5% in patients by the algorithm. ConclusionsClinical examination, biomarker, electrophysiology, and brain imaging predicted good outcomes at 6 months after CA. When the two predictors were combined, the specificity further improved. With the 2021 ERC/ESICM guidelines, the number of indeterminate patients and the uncertainty of prognostication can be reduced by using a good outcome prediction algorithm.

Consistency of data reporting in fluid responsiveness studies in the critically ill setting: the CODEFIRE consensus from the Cardiovascular Dynamic section of the European Society of Intensive Care Medicine.

To provide consensus recommendations regarding hemodynamic data reporting in studies investigating fluid responsiveness and fluid challenge (FC) use in the intensive care unit (ICU). The Executive Committee of the European Society of Intensive Care Medicine (ESICM) commissioned and supervised the project. A panel of 18 international experts and a methodologist identified main domains and items from a systematic literature, plus 2 ancillary domains. A three-step Delphi process based on an iterative approach was used to obtain the final consensus. In the Delphi 1 and 2, the items were selected with strong (≥ 80% of votes) or week agreement (70-80% of votes), while the Delphi 3 generated recommended (≥ 90% of votes) or suggested (80-90% of votes) items (RI and SI, respectively). We identified 5 main domains initially including 117 items and the consensus finally resulted in 52 recommendations or suggestions: 18 RIs and 2 SIs statements were obtained for the domain "ICU admission", 11 RIs and 1 SI for the domain "mechanical ventilation", 5 RIs for the domain "reason for giving a FC", 8 RIs for the domain pre- and post-FC "hemodynamic data", and 7 RIs for the domain "pre-FC infused drugs". We had no consensus on the use of echocardiography, strong agreement regarding the volume (4ml/kg) and the reference variable (cardiac output), while weak on administration rate (within 10min) of FC in this setting. This consensus found 5 main domains and provided 52 recommendations for data reporting in studies investigating fluid responsiveness in ICU patients.

“ESICM guidelines on acute respiratory distress syndrome 2023”- a short summary

New European Society of Intensive Care Medicine (ESICM) guidelines on acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) were published in June, 2023. This is the commentary and the comparison of changes to the previous guidelines that were published in 2017. These new guidelines are applicable to adult patients and cover only non-pharmacological respiratory support strategies that also cover ARDS due to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).&#x0D; Abbreviations: AHRF- Acute Hypoxemic Respiratory Failure; ARDS- Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome; ECMO- Extra Corporeal Membrane Oxygenation; ESICM- European Society of Intensive Care Medicine; CPAP- Continuous Positive Airway Pressure; HFNO- High Flow Nasal Oxygen; NIV- Non-invasive Ventilation; PEEP- Positive End Expiratory Pressure; RM- Recruitment Maneuvers&#x0D; Key words: Acute Hypoxemic Respiratory Failure; Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome’ Mechanical Ventilation; Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation; Prone Position; Non-Invasive Ventilation; Prognosis.&#x0D; Citation: Mansoor F. “ESICM guidelines on acute respiratory distress syndrome 2023”- a short summary. Anaesth. pain intensive care 2024;28(1):155−158; DOI: 10.35975/apic.v28i1.2392&#x0D; Received: October 05, 2023; Reviewed: January 07, 2024; Accepted: January 07, 2024

Current clinical practice in using adjunctive extracorporeal blood purification in sepsis and septic shock: results from the ESICM “EXPLORATION” survey

BackgroundDespite a lack of clear evidence extracorporeal blood purification (EBP) is increasingly used as an adjunctive treatment in septic shock based on its biological plausibility. However, current state of praxis and believes in both efficacy and level of evidence are very heterogeneous.MethodsThe “EXPLORATION” (Current Clinical Practice in using adjunctive extracorporeal blood purification in septic shock), a web-based survey endorsed by the European Society of Intensive Care Medicine (ESICM), questioned both the current local clinical practices as well as future perspectives of EBP in sepsis and septic shock.ResultsOne hundred and two people participated in the survey. The majority of three quarters of participants (74.5%) use adjunctive EBP in their clinical routine with a varying frequency of description. Unselective cytokine adsorption (CA) (37.5%) and therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE) (34.1%) were by far the most commonly used modalities. While the overall theoretical rational was found to be moderate to high by the majority of the participants (74%), the effectively existing clinical evidence was acknowledged to be rather low (66%). Although CA was used most frequently in clinical practice, both the best existing clinical evidence endorsing its current use (45%) as well the highest potential to be explored in future clinical trials (51.5%) was attributed to TPE.ConclusionsAlthough the majority of participants use EBP techniques in their clinical practice and acknowledge a subjective good theoretical rationale behind it, the clinical evidence is assessed to be limited. While both CA and TPE are by far the most common used technique, both clinical evidence as well as future potential for further exploration in clinical trials was assessed to be the highest for TPE.

The predictive value of highly malignant EEG patterns after cardiac arrest: evaluation of the ERC-ESICM recommendations

PurposeThe 2021 guidelines endorsed by the European Resuscitation Council (ERC) and the European Society of Intensive Care Medicine (ESICM) recommend using highly malignant electroencephalogram (EEG) patterns (HMEP; suppression or burst-suppression) at > 24 h after cardiac arrest (CA) in combination with at least one other concordant predictor to prognosticate poor neurological outcome. We evaluated the prognostic accuracy of HMEP in a large multicentre cohort and investigated the added value of absent EEG reactivity.MethodsThis is a pre-planned prognostic substudy of the Targeted Temperature Management trial 2. The presence of HMEP and background reactivity to external stimuli on EEG recorded > 24 h after CA was prospectively reported. Poor outcome was measured at 6 months and defined as a modified Rankin Scale score of 4–6. Prognostication was multimodal, and withdrawal of life-sustaining therapy (WLST) was not allowed before 96 h after CA.Results845 patients at 59 sites were included. Of these, 579 (69%) had poor outcome, including 304 (36%) with WLST due to poor neurological prognosis. EEG was recorded at a median of 71 h (interquartile range [IQR] 52–93) after CA. HMEP at > 24 h from CA had 50% [95% confidence interval [CI] 46–54] sensitivity and 93% [90–96] specificity to predict poor outcome. Specificity was similar (93%) in 541 patients without WLST. When HMEP were unreactive, specificity improved to 97% [94–99] (p = 0.008).ConclusionThe specificity of the ERC-ESICM-recommended EEG patterns for predicting poor outcome after CA exceeds 90% but is lower than in previous studies, suggesting that large-scale implementation may reduce their accuracy. Combining HMEP with an unreactive EEG background significantly improved specificity. As in other prognostication studies, a self-fulfilling prophecy bias may have contributed to observed results.

A multidisciplinary guideline-based approach to improving the sudden cardiac arrest care pathway: The Copenhagen framework

Although recommended in the European Resuscitation Council (ERC) and European Society of Intensive Care Medicine (ESICM) Guidelines, a framework for delivering post-cardiac arrest care in a systematic manner in dedicated high-volume cardiac arrest centers is lacking in the existing literature.To our knowledge, the Copenhagen Framework is the only established framework of its kind. The framework comprises management of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) survivors, and follow-up, and rehabilitation. The framework also incorporates research projects on cardiac arrest survivors and their close family members. The overall aim of this paper is to describe a framework made in order to bridge the gaps between international recommendations and delivering high-quality post-resuscitation clinical care, improving the continuity of care for OHCA survivors, access to post-CA rehabilitation, a seamless transition to everyday life, and ultimately patient outcomes in the future.

The impact of the new acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) criteria on Berlin criteria ARDS patients: a multicenter cohort study

ObjectiveThe European Society of Intensive Care Medicine (ESICM) recently recommended changes to the criteria of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), patients with high-flow oxygen were included, however, the effect of these changes remains unclear. Our objectives were to evaluate the performance of these new criteria and to compare the outcomes of patients meeting the new ARDS criteria with those meeting the Berlin ARDS criteria.MethodsThis was a retrospective cohort. The patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) were diagnosed with ARDS. Patients were classified as meeting Berlin criteria ARDS (n = 4279), high-flow nasal oxygen (HFNO) criteria ARDS (n = 559), or new criteria ARDS (n = 4838).ResultsIn comparison with HFNO criteria ARDS and new criteria ARDS, patients with Berlin criteria ARDS demonstrated lower blood oxygen levels assessed by PaO2/FiO2, SpO2/FiO2, and ROX (SpO2/FiO2/respiratory rate) (p < 0.001); and higher severity of illness assessed by the Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score, Acute Physiology And Chronic Health Evaluations (APACHE II), Simplified Acute Physiology Score (SAPS II) (p < 0.001), (p < 0.001), and longer ICU and hospital stays (p < 0.001). In comparison with the HFNO criteria, patients meeting Berlin criteria ARDS had higher hospital mortality (10.6% vs. 16.9%; p = 0.0082), 28-day mortality (10.6% vs. 16.5%; p = 0.0079), and 90-day mortality (10.7% vs. 17.1%; p = 0.0083). ARDS patients with HFNO did not have severe ARDS; Berlin criteria ARDS patients with severe ARDS had the highest mortality rate (approximately 33%). PaO2/FiO2, SpO2/FiO2, and ROX negatively correlated with the SOFA and APACHE II scores. The SOFA and APACHE II scores had high specificity and sensitivity for prognosis in patients with new criteria ARDS.ConclusionThe new criteria of ARDS reduced the severity of illness, length of stay in the ICU, length of hospital stays, and overall mortality. SOFA and APACHE II scores remain important in assessing the prognosis of patients with new criteria ARDS.Trial registrationRegistration number: ChiCTR2200067084.

Updated Guidelines for Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome

Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) accounts for 10% of patients admitted to the intensive care unit and 23% of patients using mechanical ventilation, with a mortality rate of 45% in severe cases. The perception that patients with ARDS are vulnerable to ventilator-induced lung injury has led to lung-protective ventilation strategies. Accordingly, the American Thoracic Society, the European Society of Intensive Care Medicine (ESICM), and the Society of Critical Care Medicine announced ARDS mechanical ventilation guidelines in 2017. Since then, based on the results of newly reported research and data accumulated throughout the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, the ESICM announced an amendment to the previous guidelines in 2023. The revised ARDS guidelines discuss extending the ARDS definition and its phenotypes that were not mentioned in the previous guidelines. The new guidelines encompass ventilation strategies, including positive end-expiratory pressure and recruitment maneuvers in patients receiving mechanical ventilation. In addition, various oxygenation devices, such as high-flow nasal cannulated oxygen and continuous positive airway pressure in nonmechanically ventilated patients, are introduced. This review discusses new changes in the diagnosis and treatment of ARDS based on the new ESICM guidelines, providing a supportive background and rationale.

Procedure after successful cardiopulmonary resuscitation-Cooling or no more cooling?

Approximately 84 out of 100,000 inhabitants in Europe suffer from an out of hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) each year. The mortality after cardiac arrest (CA) is high and is particularly determined by the predominant cardiogenic shock condition and hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy. For almost two decades hypothermic temperature control was the only neuroprotective intervention recommended in guidelines for postresuscitation care; however, recently published studies failed to demonstrate any improvement in the neurological outcome with hypothermia in comparison to strict normothermia in postresuscitation treatment. According to the European Resuscitation Council (ERC) and European Society of Intensive Care Medicine (ESICM) guidelines published in 2022, unconscious adults after CA should be treated with temperature management and avoidance of fever; however, many questions remain open regarding the optimal target temperature, the cooling methods and the optimal duration. Despite these currently unanswered questions, a structured and high-quality postresuscitation care that includes a targeted temperature management should continue to be provided for all patients in the postresuscitation phase, independent of the selected target temperature. Furthermore, fever avoidance remains an important component of postresuscitation care.

ESICM guidelines on acute respiratory distress syndrome: definition, phenotyping and respiratory support strategies.

The aim of these guidelines is to update the 2017 clinical practice guideline (CPG) of the European Society of Intensive Care Medicine (ESICM). The scope of this CPG is limited to adult patients and to non-pharmacological respiratory support strategies across different aspects of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), including ARDS due to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). These guidelines were formulated by an international panel of clinical experts, one methodologist and patients' representatives on behalf of the ESICM. The review was conducted in compliance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement recommendations. We followed the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) approach to assess the certainty of evidence and grade recommendations and the quality of reporting of each study based on the EQUATOR (Enhancing the QUAlity and Transparency Of health Research) network guidelines. The CPG addressed 21 questions and formulates 21 recommendations on the following domains: (1) definition; (2) phenotyping, and respiratory support strategies including (3) high-flow nasal cannula oxygen (HFNO); (4) non-invasive ventilation (NIV); (5) tidal volume setting; (6) positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) and recruitment maneuvers (RM); (7) prone positioning; (8) neuromuscular blockade, and (9) extracorporeal life support (ECLS). In addition, the CPG includes expert opinion on clinical practice and identifies the areas of future research.

ERS/ESICM/ESCMID/ALAT guidelines for the management of severe community-acquired pneumonia.

Severe community-acquired pneumonia (sCAP) is associated with high morbidity and mortality, and whilst European and non-European guidelines are available for community-acquired pneumonia, there are no specific guidelines for sCAP. The European Respiratory Society (ERS), European Society of Intensive Care Medicine (ESICM), European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ESCMID), and Latin American Thoracic Association (ALAT) launched a task force to develop the first international guidelines for sCAP. The panel comprised a total of 18 European and four non-European experts, as well as two methodologists. Eight clinical questions for sCAP diagnosis and treatment were chosen to be addressed. Systematic literature searches were performed in several databases. Meta-analyses were performed for evidence synthesis, whenever possible. The quality of evidence was assessed with GRADE (Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation). Evidence to Decision frameworks were used to decide on the direction and strength of recommendations. Recommendations issued were related to diagnosis, antibiotics, organ support, biomarkers and co-adjuvant therapy. After considering the confidence in effect estimates, the importance of outcomes studied, desirable and undesirable consequences of treatment, cost, feasibility, acceptability of the intervention and implications to health equity, recommendations were made for or against specific treatment interventions. In these international guidelines, ERS, ESICM, ESCMID, and ALAT provide evidence-based clinical practice recommendations for diagnosis, empirical treatment, and antibiotic therapy for sCAP, following the GRADE approach. Furthermore, current knowledge gaps have been highlighted and recommendations for future research have been made.

ERS/ESICM/ESCMID/ALAT guidelines for the management of severe community-acquired pneumonia

Severe community-acquired pneumonia (sCAP) is associated with high morbidity and mortality, and while European and non-European guidelines are available for community-acquired pneumonia, there are no specific guidelines for sCAP. The European Respiratory Society (ERS), European Society of Intensive Care Medicine (ESICM), European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ESCMID) and Latin American Thoracic Association (ALAT) launched a task force to develop the first international guidelines for sCAP. The panel comprised a total of 18 European and four non-European experts, as well as two methodologists. Eight clinical questions for sCAP diagnosis and treatment were chosen to be addressed. Systematic literature searches were performed in several databases. Meta-analyses were performed for evidence synthesis, whenever possible. The quality of evidence was assessed with GRADE (Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation). Evidence to Decision frameworks were used to decide on the direction and strength of recommendations. Recommendations issued were related to diagnosis, antibiotics, organ support, biomarkers and co-adjuvant therapy. After considering the confidence in effect estimates, the importance of outcomes studied, desirable and undesirable consequences of treatment, cost, feasibility, acceptability of the intervention and implications to health equity, recommendations were made for or against specific treatment interventions. In these international guidelines, ERS, ESICM, ESCMID and ALAT provide evidence-based clinical practice recommendations for diagnosis, empirical treatment and antibiotic therapy for sCAP, following the GRADE approach. Furthermore, current knowledge gaps have been highlighted and recommendations for future research have been made.

Surviving Sepsis Campaign.

Surviving Sepsis Campaign.

Invasive Mechanical Ventilation in Traumatic Brain Injured Patients with Acute Respiratory Failure.

Patients with severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) need to be admitted to intensive care (ICU) because they require invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV) due to reduced consciousness resulting in loss of protective airway reflexes, reduced ability to cough and altered breathing control. In addition, these patients can be complicated by pneumonia and acute distress syndrome (ARDS). IMV allows these patients to be sedated, decreasing intracranial pressure and ensuring an adequate oxygen delivery and tight control of arterial carbon dioxide tension. However, IMV can also cause dangerous effects on the brain due to its interaction with intrathoracic and intracranial compartments. Moreover, when TBI is complicated by ARDS, the setting of mechanical ventilation can be very difficult as ventilator goals are often different and in conflict with each other. Consequently, close brain and respiratory monitoring is essential to reduce morbidity and mortality in mechanically ventilated patients with severe TBI and ARDS. Recently, recommendations for the setting of mechanical ventilation in patients with acute brain injury (ABI) were issued by the European Society of Intensive Care Medicine (ESICM). However, there is insufficient evidence regarding ventilation strategies for patients with ARDS associated with ABI. The purpose of this paper is to analyze in detail respiratory strategies and targets in patients with TBI associated with ARDS.

Surviving Sepsis Campaign 2021 Updates for Management of Sepsis and Septic Shock

Article| January 2023 Surviving Sepsis Campaign 2021 Updates for Management of Sepsis and Septic Shock Ana Maria Crawford, MD, MSc, FASA Ana Maria Crawford, MD, MSc, FASA Search for other works by this author on: This Site PubMed Google Scholar ASA Monitor January 2023, Vol. 87, 30. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.ASM.0000911800.69781.4b Views Icon Views Article contents Figures & tables Video Audio Supplementary Data Peer Review Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Cite Icon Cite Get Permissions Search Site Citation Ana Maria Crawford; Surviving Sepsis Campaign 2021 Updates for Management of Sepsis and Septic Shock. ASA Monitor 2023; 87:30 doi: https://doi.org/10.1097/01.ASM.0000911800.69781.4b Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Reference Manager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentAll PublicationsASA Monitor Search Advanced Search Topics: sepsis, septic shock, surviving sepsis campaign Millions of people die each year from sepsis and septic shock. Sepsis is defined as life-threatening organ dysfunction caused by a dysregulated host response to infection (JAMA 2016;315:801-10). The Surviving Sepsis Campaign (SSC) formed in 2002 as a joint collaboration of the Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM) and the European Society of Intensive Care Medicine (ESICM). The campaign's mission is the reduction of morbidity and mortality from sepsis and septic shock worldwide. In October 2021, the SSC released their 5th edition of International Guidelines for Management of Sepsis and Septic Shock (Crit Care Med 2021;49:e1063-1143).Previous versions were released in 2004, 2008, 2012, and 2016 (Crit Care Med 2021;49:1974-82). Overall, there are 93 statements in the updated guidelines. Fifteen of the statements are strong recommendations, 54 are weak recommendations, 15 are best practice statements, and nine statements make no recommendation regarding a specific intervention... You do not currently have access to this content.

Key process and outcome indicators on quality and safety of care for critically ill pediatric patients according to international standard organization protocols: a four-year follow-up study

The European Society of Intensive Care Medicine (ESICM) suggests nine quality and safety indicators of care for critically ill patients. The aim of the present study was to examine the Key Process and Outcome Indicators (KPOIs) chosen according to International Standard Organization (ISO) protocols in a Greek Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU). Two structure, one process, and four outcome indicators were examined in a stepwise approach according to Observe-Plan-Do-Study-Act (OPDSA) cycles, in an observational four-year cohort study (2017–2020). Two structure indicators—that ICUs fulfil national requirements to provide intensive care and 24-h consultant availability were requirements for the creation of the PICU and considered standards of care. One process indicator—Standardized Handover Procedure was transformed from handwritten (2017–2018) into electronic form (2019–2020) and 100% compliance rates throughout the four years were recorded. 96, 85, 103 and 94 patients were admitted in 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020 with median (IQR) Pediatric Risk of Mortality III-24 h scores of 10 (6.25–17), 10 (6–13), 8 (5–13) and 8 (6.75–12), respectively. Mortality rates were 24%, 11.8%, 17.5%, 16%, and Standardized Mortality Ratio (SMR) were 1.42, 0.92, 1.56 and 1.33, correspondingly. No early (&lt;48 h after PICU discharge) readmissions were recorded for 2017 and 2018, only 1 in 2019 (0.8%) and none in 2020. Catheter Related Bloodstream Infection rates were 1.37:1000, 1.37:1000, 1.26:1000 and 1.39:1000 catheter days, respectively. Unplanned extubation rate was 10.30% in 2019 and 5.72% and 3.91:1000 ventilation days in 2020. In conclusion, ISO implementation of our unit was the trigger for internal PICU audit and external benchmarking. OPDSA cycles, following small steps at a time, in an iterate cycle of evolution, facilitated our actions. The majority of the KPOIs examined in our study was within international PICUs reference values.

Management of comatose survivors of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in Europe: current treatment practice and adherence to guidelines. A joint survey by the Association for Acute CardioVascular Care (ACVC) of the ESC, the European Resuscitation Council (ERC), the European Society for Emergency Medicine (EUSEM), and the European Society of Intensive Care Medicine (ESICM).

International guidelines give recommendations for the management of comatose out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) survivors. We aimed to investigate adherence to guidelines and disparities in the treatment of OHCA in hospitals in Europe. A web-based, multi-institutional, multinational survey in Europe was conducted using an electronic platform with a predefined questionnaire developed by experts in post-resuscitation care. The survey was disseminated to all members of the societies via email, social media, websites, and newsletters in June 2021. Of 252 answers received, 237 responses from different units were included and 166 (70%) were from cardiac arrest centres. First-line vasopressor used was noradrenaline in 195 (83%) and the first-line inotrope was dobutamine in 148 (64%) of the responses. Echocardiography is available 24/7 in 204 (87%) institutions. Targeted temperature management was used in 160 (75%) institutions for adult comatose survivors of OHCA with an initial shockable rhythm. Invasive or external cooling methods with feedback were used in 72 cardiac arrest centres (44%) and 17 (24%) non-cardiac arrest centres (P < 0.0003). A target temperature between 32 and 34°C was preferred by 46 centres (21%); a target between 34 and 36°C by 103 centres (52%); and <37.5°C by 35 (16%). Multimodal neuroprognostication was poorly implemented and a follow-up at 3 months after discharge was done in 71 (30%) institutions. Post-resuscitation care is not well established and varies among centres in European hospitals. Cardiac arrest centres have a higher coherence with guidelines compared with respondents from non-cardiac arrest centres. The overall inconsistency in approaches and deviation from recommendations could be a focus for improvement.

A Global Survey on Diagnostic, Therapeutic and Preventive Strategies in Intensive Care Unit-Acquired Weakness.

Background and Objectives: Intensive care unit-acquired weakness (ICU-AW) is one of the most frequent neuromuscular complications in critically ill patients. We conducted a global survey to evaluate the current practices of diagnostics, treatment and prevention in patients with ICU-AW. Materials and Methods: A pre-survey was created with international experts. After revision, the final survey was endorsed by the European Society of Intensive Care Medicine (ESICM) using the online platform SurveyMonkey®. In 27 items, we addressed strategies of diagnostics, therapy and prevention. An invitation link was sent by email to all ESICM members. Furthermore, the survey was available on the ESICM homepage. Results: A total of 154 healthcare professionals from 39 countries participated in the survey. An ICU-AW screening protocol was used by 20% (28/140) of participants. Forty-four percent (62/141) of all participants reported performing routine screening for ICU-AW, using clinical examination as the method of choice (124/141, 87.9%). Almost 63% (84/134) of the participants reported using current treatment strategies for patients with ICU-AW. The use of treatment and prevention strategies differed between intensivists and non-intensivists regarding the reduction in sedatives (80.0% vs. 52.6%, p = 0.002), neuromuscular blocking agents (76.4% vs. 50%, p = 0.004), corticosteroids (69.1% vs. 37.2%, p < 0.001) and glycemic control regimes (50.9% vs. 23.1%, p = 0.002). Mobilization and physical activity are the most frequently reported treatment strategies for ICU-AW (111/134, 82.9%). The availability of physiotherapists (92/134, 68.7%) and the lack of knowledge about ICU-AW within the medical team (83/134, 61.9%) were the main obstacles to the implementation of the strategies. The necessity to develop guidelines for the screening, diagnosing, treatment and prevention of ICU-AW was recognized by 95% (127/133) of participants. Conclusions: A great heterogeneity regarding diagnostics, treatment and prevention of ICU-AW was reported internationally. Comprehensive guidelines with evidence-based recommendations for ICU-AW management are needed.

Bayesian Outcome Prediction After Resuscitation From Cardiac Arrest.

Postarrest prognostication research does not typically account for the sequential nature of real-life data acquisition and interpretation and reports nonintuitive estimates of uncertainty. Bayesian approaches offer advantages well suited to prognostication. We used Bayesian regression to explore the usefulness of sequential prognostic indicators in the context of prior knowledge and compared this with a guideline-concordant algorithm. We included patients hospitalized at a single center after cardiac arrest. We extracted prospective data and assumed these data accrued over time as in routine practice. We considered predictors demographic and arrest characteristics, initial and daily neurologic examination, laboratory results, therapeutic interventions, brain imaging, and EEG. We fit Bayesian hierarchical generalized linear multivariate models predicting discharge Cerebral Performance Category (CPC) 4 or 5 (poor outcomes) vs 1-3 including sequential clinical and prognostic data. We explored outcome posterior probability distributions (PPDs) for individual patients and overall. As a comparator, we applied the 2021 European Resuscitation Council and European Society of Intensive Care Medicine (ERC/ESICM) guidelines. We included 2,692 patients of whom 864 (35%) were discharged with a CPC 1-3. Patients' outcome PPDs became narrow and shifted toward 0 or 1 as sequentially acquired information was added to models. These changes were largest after arrest characteristics and initial neurologic examination were included. Using information typically available at or before intensive care unit admission, sensitivity predicting poor outcome was 51% with a 0.6% false-positive rate. In our most comprehensive model, sensitivity for poor outcome prediction was 76% with 0.6% false-positive rate (FPR). The ERC/ESICM algorithm applied to 547 of 2,692 patients and yielded 36% sensitivity with 0% FPR. Bayesian models offer advantages well suited to prognostication research. On balance, our findings support the view that in expert hands, accurate neurologic prognostication is possible in many cases before 72 hours postarrest. Although we caution against early withdrawal of life-sustaining therapies, rapid outcome prediction can inform clinical decision making and future clinical trials.