Field Of Intensive Care Medicine Research Articles

Optimising Processes in a Severe Burn Intensive Care Unit through the Implementation of a Digital Management System

The treatment of severely burned patients is demanding and necessitates specialised centres capable of providing adequate therapy over several months. The establishment of digital management systems in intensive care units signifies a substantial advancement in modern healthcare. Introducing such a system in a specialised intensive care unit for severe burn patients presents opportunities for optimisation but also potential obstacles. This study aims to provide insights into the perception of change from the perspective of staff and discuss the implementation of digital systems in the field of intensive care medicine. After a selective sample was established, the impacts of the digital management system were examined across various categories. The data collected through a questionnaire and brief interviews were evaluated in terms of average values within each category, with interpretations taking into account characteristics such as professional group and work experience. Overall, the digital management system is considered suitable for use in the intensive care unit for severe burn patients by both medical and nursing staff. The continuous monitoring of vital parameters and the reduction of errors in medication administration are highlighted as positive aspects. However, negative points include the inferior documentation of burn wounds and specialised documentation for burn patients. In due consideration of various factors such as experience, team size, and patient clientele, which impact the usability of the program, some aspects in need of improvement were identified. In summary, however, it can be said that there was a positive and favourable consensus regarding the introduction of such a system in the intensive care unit. Additionally, it can be concluded that the system is described as significantly more effective for a general surgical intensive care unit than for a specialised intensive care unit, e. g. an intensive care unit for severe burn patients.

Recommendations for the specialist further training of nursing personnel on intensive care units in the treatment of abdominal aortic aneurysms: results of a modified Delphi procedure with experts

The medical development in the previous 15 years and the changes in treatment reality of the comprehensive elective treatment of abdominal aortic aneurysms necessitate a re-evaluation of the quality assurance guidelines of the Federal Joint Committee in Germany (QBAA-RL). In the current version this requires a specialist further training quota for nursing personnel in intensive care wards of 50%. The quota was determined in 2008 based on expert opinions, although a direct empirical evidence base for this does not exist. Representatives from the fields of patient representation, physicians, nursing personnel and other relevant interface areas were invited to participate in a modified Delphi procedure. Following a comprehensive narrative literature search, a survey and focus group discussions with national and international experts, a total of three anonymized online-based voting rounds were carried out for which previously determined key statements were assessed with a 4‑point Likert scale (totally disagree up to totally agree). In addition, the expert panel had also defined a recommendation for a minimum quota for the specialist training of nursing personnel on intensive care wards in the treatment of abdominal aortic aneurysms, whereby an a priori agreement of 80% of the participants was defined as the consensus limit. Overall, 37 experts participated in the discussions and three successive voting rounds (participation rate 89%). The panel confirmed the necessity of a re-evaluation of the guideline recommendations and recommended the introduction of a shift-related minimum quota of 30% of the full-time equivalent of nursing personnel on intensive care wards and the introduction of structured promotional programs for long-term elevation of the quota. In this national Delphi procedure with medical and nursing experts as well as representatives of patients, the fundamental benefits and needs of professional specialist qualifications in the field of intensive care medicine were confirmed. The corresponding minimum quota for specialist further training of intensive care nursing personnel should generally apply without limitations to specific groups. The expert panel stipulates a shift-related minimum quota for intensive care nursing personnel with specialist training of 30% of the nursing personnel on intensive care wards and the obligatory introduction of structured and transparent promotion programs for the long-term enhancement.

Frailty in Critically Ill Patients with COVID-19: The Lessons Learned.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has unquestionably transformed the field of intensive care medicine. Never have we witnessed millions of patients develop acute respiratory failure in such a short span of time. This led to extensive resource constraints and difficulty in treating patients. However, this also gave rise to several innovations that have spurred the development and progress of intensive care medicine as a specialty. In this chapter, we explore an overview of frailty, the impact of frailty in patients with severe COVID-19 respiratory failure, and the available supports, by summarising the current literature. This chapter also discusses the lessons learnt from each of the sections that can be applied to daily clinical practice. The chapter also proposes insights into future research.

Psychosocial care for relatives in the ICU: framework concept

Family-centered care is an important aspect of care in intensive care medicine. But currently there is no agreement about the implementation in intensive care units (ICUs). Specific concepts of palliative medicine and pediatrics offer agood basis, but contents have to be adapted for the field of intensive care medicine. ICUs should formulate and implement aminimum standard based on the goals of shared decision-making, support for relatives in accompanying the patient, and support for the potentially burdened relatives themselves. Related protocols, reportings, and evaluation should be developed. Staff training in family-centered care and liability of provision is of great relevance for the implementation.

Progranulin (PGRN) is serves as an inflammation-response biomarker and promotes lung damage in burn-induced Sepsis via the SIRT1 Pathways by ROS

Sepsis has become the focus of research in the field of intensive care medicine due to its high mortality and complicated pathogenesis. To evaluate the effects and mechanism of Progranulin (PGRN) affects inflammation in lung damage of burn-induced Sepsis. In mice of burn-induced Sepsis, PGRN gene expression was increased in lung tissue. So, PGRN promoted inflammation in vitro model through SIRT1/ROS/NLRP3 pathways. Down-regulation of PGRN reduced inflammation via SIRT1/ROS/NLRP3 Pathways. The activation of SIRT1 reduced the effects of PGRN on inflammation in lung cell by LPS via SIRT1/ROS/NLRP3 pathways. The inactivation of NLRP3 decreased the effects of PGRN on inflammation in vitro model. Our data suggest that PGRN is serves as inflammation-response biomarker and promoted lung damage in burn-induced Sepsis via the SIRT1 Pathways by ROS/NLRP3 pathways.

The Dutch Data Warehouse, a multicenter and full-admission electronic health records database for critically ill COVID-19 patients

BackgroundThe Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has underlined the urgent need for reliable, multicenter, and full-admission intensive care data to advance our understanding of the course of the disease and investigate potential treatment strategies. In this study, we present the Dutch Data Warehouse (DDW), the first multicenter electronic health record (EHR) database with full-admission data from critically ill COVID-19 patients.MethodsA nation-wide data sharing collaboration was launched at the beginning of the pandemic in March 2020. All hospitals in the Netherlands were asked to participate and share pseudonymized EHR data from adult critically ill COVID-19 patients. Data included patient demographics, clinical observations, administered medication, laboratory determinations, and data from vital sign monitors and life support devices. Data sharing agreements were signed with participating hospitals before any data transfers took place. Data were extracted from the local EHRs with prespecified queries and combined into a staging dataset through an extract–transform–load (ETL) pipeline. In the consecutive processing pipeline, data were mapped to a common concept vocabulary and enriched with derived concepts. Data validation was a continuous process throughout the project. All participating hospitals have access to the DDW. Within legal and ethical boundaries, data are available to clinicians and researchers.ResultsOut of the 81 intensive care units in the Netherlands, 66 participated in the collaboration, 47 have signed the data sharing agreement, and 35 have shared their data. Data from 25 hospitals have passed through the ETL and processing pipeline. Currently, 3464 patients are included in the DDW, both from wave 1 and wave 2 in the Netherlands. More than 200 million clinical data points are available. Overall ICU mortality was 24.4%. Respiratory and hemodynamic parameters were most frequently measured throughout a patient's stay. For each patient, all administered medication and their daily fluid balance were available. Missing data are reported for each descriptive.ConclusionsIn this study, we show that EHR data from critically ill COVID-19 patients may be lawfully collected and can be combined into a data warehouse. These initiatives are indispensable to advance medical data science in the field of intensive care medicine.

Good clinical practice for the use of vasopressor and inotropic drugs in critically ill patients: state-of-the-art and expert consensus.

Vasopressors and inotropic agents are widely used in critical care. However, strong evidence supporting their use in critically ill patients is lacking in many clinical scenarios. Thus, the Italian Society of Anesthesia and Intensive Care (SIAARTI) promoted a project aimed to provide indications for good clinical practice on the use of vasopressors and inotropes, and on the management of critically ill patients with shock. A panel of 16 experts in the field of intensive care medicine and hemodynamics has been established. Systematic review of the available literature was performed based on PICO questions. Basing on available evidence, the panel prepared a summary of evidence and then wrote the clinical questions. A modified semi-quantitative RAND/UCLA appropriateness method has been used to determine the appropriateness of specific clinical scenarios. The panel identified 29 clinical questions for the use of vasopressors and inotropes in patients with septic shock and cardiogenic shock. High level of agreement exists among the panel members about appropriateness of inotropes/vasopressors' use in patients with septic shock and cardiogenic shock.

Le cerveau : une nouvelle frontière pour la réanimation

Le séminaire annuel de la Commission de Recherche Translationnelle de la SRLF a eu lieu à Paris le 3 décembre 2019. Ce séminaire est un moment privilégié d’échange entre cliniciens et scientifiques autour des axes de recherche propres à la réanimation. La sixième édition a portée sur les défis et les promesses inhérents à la recherche translationnelle autour des agressions cérébrales aiguës. Illustrant les dernières avancées dans ce domaine, les chercheurs ont présenté et discuté leurs travaux basés sur des approches complémentaires, allant de l’étude des cellules nerveuses isolées à celui des réseaux cérébraux complexes, situés au carrefour des nombreuses modulations systémiques. Une part importante des présentations a été dédiée aux nouveautés dans le domaine de l’étude du coma et des troubles acquis de la conscience. Des pistes de recherche prometteuses concernant les pathologies neurologiques prises en charge en réanimation, comme le delirium, le traumatisme crânien, les encéphalopathies métaboliques ou auto-immunes ont été aussi discutées. Enfin, nombre d’orateurs ont pu souligner les promesses et les faiblesses des nouvelles technologies actuellement disponibles pour l’étude in vivo de du cerveau humain en état critique.

Lečenje kritično obolelih COVID-19 pacijenata - praktične smernice

The coronavirus disease pandemic (2019) has burdened health systems around the world with a large number of severe patients in a short period of time. According to the law of large numbers, a significant number of critically ill COVID-19 patients appear in such conditions which require treatment in the intensive care unit. That percentage of those patients is around 3 - 5% in different countries. It is similar in Serbia; however, every rule has its exceptions. KBC "Dr Dragiša Mišović-Dedinje" in Belgrade has been determined to take care of the most difficult COVID-19 patients since the beginning of the epidemic due to its space, organizational and personnel possibilities. Out of the total number of patients treated in KBC "Dr Dragiša Mišović-Dedinje", about 25% of patients were treated in the intensive care unit for the above mentioned reasons. Guided by valid treatment protocols, Anesthesiology and Intensive Care clinic of the KBC "Dr Dragiša Mišović-Dedinje" has developed its own work protocols for rapid diagnosis, isolation and clinical management of such difficult patients. These protocols are important not only for the treatment of the most severe COVID-19 patients, but also for the best utilization of hospital resources, as well as for the prevention of the spread of the infection to the medical staff. Extensive experience in the treatment of critically ill patients was gained from the entire engagement during the epidemic, experienced doctors, anesthesiologists-intensivists with great knowledge in the field of work in the intensive care unit, but also managers of clinics and institutions, who can share their experience with health care policy makers. It is clear that in the future, the capacities and organization of work in the field of intensive care medicine should be redefined, as well as health workers should be trained to work in the most demanding field of medicine. Expert experience in the form of practical guidelines, derived from over fourteen months of continuous work in the red zone of COVID-19, where they fought for every breath of the patient, in this review are translated into simplified guidelines for orientation of those who find themselves in a similar situation.

Temperature management and its role in cardiac arrest patients—a review

Thermoregulation constitutes one of the most important homeostatic systems of the human body. The human thermoregulatory system is highly complex and intertwined with other regulatory homeostatic systems. Different evolutionary adaptations have evolved to ensure a well-regulated body temperature, encompassing simple behavioural (e.g., seeking shelter, going underground) as well as physiological changes (e.g., vasodilatation, sweating). However, when the heat, cold or other stimuli cause a disruption in the thermoregulatory state and our adaptations can no longer cope with the additional stress, the body enters a pathological state. In such instances other measures must be undertaken. In medicine there are several pathological states associated with disruptions in temperature homeostasis. Consequently, these patients have to be, in broad terms, thermoregulated. Speaking specifically, the most common application of thermoregulation is therapeutic temperature management. A prominent example is the utilisation of this technique in post-cardiac arrest patients, who remain comatose after resuscitation. This technique has been in use for almost 20 years since the first major reports on its benefits in improving out-of-hospital cardiac arrest and in-hospital cardiac arrest survival as well as improving neurological outcome. Recently, the findings from one of the biggest targeted temperature international and multicentre trials to date have been published (TTM2 trial; https://ttm2trial.org/). The study surprisingly showed no difference in mortality between patients after out of hospital cardiac arrest, who underwent normo- or hypothermia. Consequently, we might need to re-evaluate certain guidelines, recommendations, and perspectives. The aim of the current review is to present an overview of targeted temperature management in the field of intensive care medicine and cardiac arrest.

Hemoadsorption for blood purification-incomparability of clinically available procedures

HintergrundIm Bereich der Intensivmedizin, aber auch verstärkt in der Herzchirurgie, gewinnt der Einsatz von adsorptiven Blutreinigungstechnologien zur Behandlung von hyperinflammatorischen Zuständen an Bedeutung. Neben dem CytoSorb-Verfahren, das zunehmend klinisch akzeptiert und auch aktuell am häufigsten eingesetzt wird, drängen seit Kurzem weitere Firmen – vor allem aus China – mit ähnlichen Konzepten auf den Markt.Ziel der ArbeitVor diesem Hintergrund soll es Ziel dieses Artikels sein, exemplarisch auf unterschiedliche Aspekte zwischen den am Markt angebotenen Hämoadsorptionsprodukten einzugehen und einen kritischen Blick auf die vorhandene Evidenz zu werfen.MethodenAnalysiert wurden technische Merkmale, applikationsspezifische Besonderheiten und vorhandene Evidenz der Adsorptionstechnologien CytoSorb® (CytoSorbentsTM Inc., Monmouth Junction, NJ, USA), Jafron® HA-Serie (Jafron Biomedical Co., Guangdong, China) sowie der Biosky® MG-Serie (Biosun® Medical Technology Co., Foshan City, Guangdong Province, China). Nicht einbezogen wurden rein substanzspezifische Verfahren zur Endotoxinelimination (Toraymyxin®, Alteco®).ErgebnisseBei umfassender Analyse dieser Kriterien zeigt sich, dass zwischen den verfügbaren Technologien erhebliche Unterschiede hinsichtlich verwendeter Materialien, Adsorptionscharakteristika, Anwendung und verfügbarer Daten zu Sicherheit und klinischer Erfahrungen bestehen. Darüber hinaus wird deutlich, dass bei Blutreinigungstechnologien nicht nur deren Wirksamkeit unter Berücksichtigung eines Effekt-Preis-Leistungs-Verhältnisses betrachtet werden sollte, sondern insbesondere auch die klinische Sicherheit der einzelnen Verfahren von entscheidender Bedeutung ist.DiskussionUnter den analysierten Technologien stellt unserer Ansicht nach derzeit CytoSorb das am besten untersuchte und klinisch am weitesten etablierte Verfahren dar. Darüber hinaus ist darauf hinzuweisen, dass klinische Ergebnisse, insbesondere jedoch auch sicherheitsrelevante Aspekte, aufgrund der technisch unterschiedlichen Verfahren nicht zwischen den Produkten übertragbar sind.

Prognostic Role of Soluble Urokinase Plasminogen Activator Receptor at the Emergency Department: A Position Paper by the Hellenic Sepsis Study Group

In light of the accumulating evidence on the negative predictive value of soluble urokinase plasminogen activator receptor (suPAR), a group of experts from the fields of intensive care medicine, emergency medicine, internal medicine and infectious diseases frame a position statement on the role of suPAR in the screening of patients admitted to the emergency department. The statement is framed taking into consideration existing publications and our own research experience. The main content of this statement is that sUPAR is a non-specific marker associated with a high negative predictive value for unfavourable outcomes; levels < 4 ng/ml indicate that it is safe to discharge the patient, whereas levels > 6 ng/ml are an alarming sign of risk for unfavourable outcomes. However, the suPAR levels should always be interpreted in light of the patient's history.

Our Four Years Experience of Hemoadsorption, Albumin and Heparin Treatment for Paediatric Sepsis: Let’s Give a Chance in Multifactorial Pathological Conditions

Extracorporeal blood purification therapies are increasingly applied in the field of intensive care medicine. These techniques are applied to a relevant number of clinical situations as Sepsis, Trauma, burns, Influenza, surgery, Pancreatitis, ARDS, Life support, Liver failure. Compared to filtration-based methods mainly used for renal replacement therapy, newest adsorptive approaches have shown to specifically target the inflammatory cascade by the effective removal of relevant mediators. In the neonatal and pediatric setting however, the application of these methods brings with it various challenges but also profound technical difficulties. Recently, a promising extracorporeal device for cytokine adsorption (Cytosorb) has been introduced, however data for its application in critically ill pediatric patients remains sparse¹. The lack of data and procedure protocols led us to take some aprioristic diagnostic and speculative decisions only from a scientific point of view: “<i>in primis</i>” when we decided for the first time in a pediatric patient to use this "Cytosorb Absorber", a device not registered and delivered for toddlers; second when it was clear that we could extend its use to not conventional disease therapeutic strategies; third when we decided to give to “Cytosorb” use the appellation and indication of “rescue treatment”. These results are interesting for the scientific community, but further research is needed.

Application of Hemoadsorption in Neonatal and Pediatric Hyperinflammatory States: A Case Series

<i>Objective:</i> Extracorporeal blood purification therapies are increasingly applied in the field of intensive care medicine. Compared to filtration-based methods mainly used for renal replacement therapy, newest adsorptive approaches have shown to specifically target the inflammatory cascade by the effective removal of relevant mediators. In the neonatal and pediatric setting however, the application of these methods brings with it various challenges but also profound technical difficulties. Recently, a promising extracorporeal device for cytokine adsorption (CytoSorb) was introduced. However, data for its application in critically ill pediatric patients remains sparse. <i>Design:</i> Single center retrospective case study; <i>Setting:</i> Tertiary neonatal and pediatric general intensive care unit; <i>Patients:</i> The study comprised 10 critically ill pediatric patients; <i>Interventions:</i> We describe the use of CytoSorb in combination with standard therapy, continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) and plasmapheresis in ten severely ill pediatric patients with multiple organ failures of various etiologies; <i>Measurements:</i> The aim was to assess the effects on the inflammatory status, hemodynamics, and clinically relevant outcome parameters as well as the feasibility and safety of CytoSorb application in pediatrics; <i>Main Results:</i> We observed a marked decrease in inflammatory mediators, a reduction in catecholamine dosages and an improvement in organ functions, which was particularly pronounced in patients who survived. An early onset of treatment (at best within 24-48 hours after diagnosis of sepsis) seemed to be beneficial for eventual survival. <i>Conclusions:</i> The present case series is the first documentation of a set of pediatric/neonatal patients in which a combined therapeutic approach of hemoadsorption and renal replacement therapy showed promising results with regard to hemodynamic stabilization, control of the inflammatory response, improvement in organ functions as well as safety and feasibility. Further prospective randomized controlled studies in the pediatric field are necessary to elucidate the full potential of hemoadsorption in this set of patients.

The Italian law on informed consent and advance directives: its impact on intensive care units and the European legal framework

The Italian Parliament has recently approved a law on informed consent, advance directives and advance care planning. The law also deals with health care proxy and health care decisions for minors and adults who are not able to give consent. The Italian law arrived quite late in comparison with other European countries. After several years of debate on the need to approve such a law, the focus has now shifted to the assessment of the legislative provisions and their impact on clinical practice. In this article, the authors firstly offer an overview of the findings from the empirical research regarding the use of the different legal tools in the field of intensive care medicine; secondly, they present the tools now provided by law no. 219/2017 particularly with regard to the decision-making processes in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU); thirdly, the authors offer a comparison between the new Italian law and other European legal orders, with special reference to France, Spain, Germany and England. The aim of the article is to assess the degree of innovation of the law vis-à-vis the previous framework.

Anaesthesiology trainees and their needs: a Romanian perspective. Results from a European survey.

Anaesthesiology training is going through continuous transformations worldwide. Recent data from a European Survey on anaesthesiology postgraduate trainees and their concerns have been published for the first time, following an initiative by the European Society of Anaesthesiology. Among the responders of this survey, 10.8% were represented by Romanian trainees. The main needs of the Romanian anaesthesiology trainees who completed the questionnaire were, in descending order educational contents/EDAIC, technical skills, exchange programmes, residency workload, residency costs and autonomy transition. Another observation coming from the analysed data is that Romanian anaesthesiologists in training are highly concerned and interested in the field of intensive care medicine. The results also pinpoint to the high costs associated with continuous medical education, leading to a high incentive for workforce migration.

Improving skills and education in intensive care medicine

In the last decade two main undertakings have transformed education across all medical specialities, namely: (I) the introduction of teaching and assessing “soft skills”; (II) the global use of digital education and digitalised health care delivery. This review will look at the impact of these two events in teaching competencies in the field of intensive care medicine (ICM). ICM is a relatively new discipline and training in ICM is variable across Europe. The framework of competency based training in ICM in Europe has been defined by the Competency Based Training programme in ICM for Europe and outside regions (CoBaTrICE, www.cobatrice.org) in some countries and by local National Training Programs in others. There are also some European countries that still use traditional training methods and do not undertake competency based training. Whilst traditional training methods have been criticized, the implementation of competency based training has never been followed by international research to prove its benefit. In the CoBaTrICE curriculum, there are several competences that relate to professionalism, leadership and soft skills. Communication, professionalism, negotiation and team working are all essential skills to the intensive care doctor. This review will suggest new methodologies and areas for development in teaching and assessing soft skills. The digital era represents the second challenge in education in ICM. Learning with the aid of technology seems beneficial and this might relate to the fact that adults learn (andragogy) best using spontaneous learning. Digital education mediated by several tools (blogs, webinars, social media) can facilitate spontaneous learning and thus adult education. Challenges of digitalised education are related to quality control issues, rapid adoption of literature into clinical practice without the presence of a systematic rigorous peer review process. Finally, research has highlighted the benefit of technologies that help clinicians to manage the exponential growth in medical information. Clinical decision support systems (CDSSs) can improve the quality of patient care and improve patient safety. This review will explore improvements and projects relating to use of CDSSs in the field of ICM.

Clinical research in critical care. Difficulties and perspectives

In the field of Intensive Care Medicine, better survival rates have been the result of improved patient care, early detection of clinical deterioration, and prevention of iatrogenic complications, while research on new treatments has been followed by an overwhelming amount of disappointments. The origins of these fiascos are rooted in combined methodological problems – common to other disciplines, and in the particularities of critically ill patients. This paper discusses both aspects and suggests some options for the future.

Investigación en el enfermo crítico. Dificultades y perspectivas

In the field of Intensive Care Medicine, improved survival has resulted from better patient care, the early detection of clinical deterioration, and the prevention of iatrogenic complications, while research on new treatments has been followed by an overwhelming number of disappointments. The origins of these fiascos must be sought in the conjunction of methodological problems - common to other disciplines - and the particularities of critically ill patients. The present article discusses both aspects and suggests some options for progress.

Responsive monitoring of mitochondrial redox states in heart muscle predicts impending cardiac arrest.

Assessing the adequacy of oxygen delivery to tissues is vital, particularly in the fields of intensive care medicine and surgery. As oxygen delivery to a cell becomes deficient, changes in mitochondrial redox state precede changes in cellular function. We describe a technique for the continuous monitoring of the mitochondrial redox state on the epicardial surface using resonance Raman spectroscopy. We quantify the reduced fraction of specific electron transport chain cytochromes, a metric we name the resonance Raman reduced mitochondrial ratio (3RMR). As oxygen deficiency worsens, heme moieties within the electron transport chain become progressively more reduced, leading to an increase in 3RMR. Myocardial 3RMR increased from baseline values of 18.1 ± 5.9 to 44.0 ± 16.9% (P = 0.0039) after inferior vena cava occlusion in rodents (n = 8). To demonstrate the diagnostic power of this measurement, 3RMR was continuously measured in rodents (n = 31) ventilated with 5 to 8% inspired oxygen for 30 min. A 3RMR value exceeding 40% at 10 min predicted subsequent cardiac arrest with 95% sensitivity and 100% specificity [area under the curve (AUC), 0.98], outperforming all current measures, including contractility (AUC, 0.51) and ejection fraction (AUC, 0.39). 3RMR correlated with indices of intracellular redox state and energy production. This technique may permit the real-time identification of critical defects in organ-specific oxygen delivery.