High Dependency Area Research Articles

Risk factors for acute chest syndrome among children with sickle cell anemia hospitalized for vaso-occlusive crises

Sickle cell anemia (SCA) is a globally prevalent inherited condition, with acute chest syndrome (ACS) being one of its most severe complications. ACS frequently leads to hospitalization, requires intensive care unit (ICU) admission, and can even result in death. This study aimed to discern the early indicators of impending ACS in children with SCA who were initially hospitalized due to painful vaso-occlusive crises (VOC). This was a retrospective, case‒control investigation of 120 patients aged 1–14 years seen at the King Saud Medical City in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia from January 2021 to December 2022. Patients were classified into cases and controls: those who developed and did not develop ACS during hospital stay, respectively. Demographic factors, laboratory results, vital and clinical signs, and treatment protocols were compared between these groups. The following were significant predictors of impending ACS: previous diagnosis of asthma, history of ACS, recent upper respiratory tract symptoms prior to admission, and need for a blood transfusion within the first 24 h of admission due to a drop in hemoglobin levels. Further regression analysis indicated that elevated steady-state mean corpuscular volume, leukocyte count, total bilirubin, and an increased absolute neutrophil count level 24 h after admission also foreshadowed impending ACS among patients admitted for VOC. The location of pain was also significant; the incidence of ACS was higher in patients with back pain, but lower in those with pain confined to the limbs. The ACS group had a longer average duration of hospital stay compared to those with VOC alone, (7.6 vs. 5.8 days). Among patients initially admitted for VOC, 15.7% were diagnosed with ACS. Most ACS cases were managed with transfusions and antibiotics, and nearly one-third of patients needed admission to an ICU or a high-dependency area.

Evaluation of the impact of redeployment during the COVID-19 pandemic: results from a multi-centre survey.

The COVID-19 pandemic brought unprecedented upheaval for healthcare systems globally. Rapid changes in the way nurses were asked to work brought about many challenges, especially with the requirement for nurses to move into intensive care and high dependency areas to deliver care for the increasing number of critically ill patients. The purpose of this evaluation was to assess the impact of these changes on nurses who were redeployed during the first acute phase of the pandemic and explore factors associated with burnout. A redeployment survey, containing 42 items in four domains (preparation for redeployment, safety and support, perceived competence, reflections and emotional impact) was administered online to nurses who had been redeployed in two hospitals in England, one urban and one rural. Bivariate correlations and a multiple linear regression model were conducted to explore associations between perceptions of leadership, training, communication and feeling valued with levels of emotional exhaustion. Valid responses were received from 240/618 (39%) nurses. The majority of respondents felt it was their duty to work where they were asked (79%), were prepared to work where needed (72%) and were consulted on changes to their working hours (55%). However, nurses were nervous about the new role (75%) and felt they had a lack of choice regarding redeployment (66%) and the way it was implemented (50%). Multiple regression analysis showed that lack of training (β = 0.18) and feeling undervalued (β = 0.48) was positively associated with emotional exhaustion, which accounted for 38% of the variance among redeployed nurses. To mitigate the risk of nurses developing burnout as a result of redeployment, there is a need for training to upskill them so they feel competent in doing the changed role. Additionally, nursing leadership needs to support nurses feeling valued as individuals in their role.

Editor's Choice Articles for December.

Editor's Choice Articles for December.

Efficacy of Sepsis 6 Care Bundle in High Dependency Area of OBS in Reducing Maternal Morbidity and Mortality

Background: Sepsis is a leading cause of maternal death in the developed countries as well as underdeveloped countries where resources are very limited to deal. Due to sepsis the complication increases up to organ dysfunction. Sepsis 6 care bundle is a bundle of 6 necessary steps through which one can take out of danger and save the life of a severe sepsis patient. Objective: To determine the efficacy of sepsis 6 care bundle in reducing maternal morbidity and mortality due to infectious cause in women admitted in High Dependency Area (HDA). Material and Methods: Setting: Descriptive, observational study in HDA, MCH, PIMS. Duration: All obstetric patients admitted in high dependency area during the study period of January 2019 to March 2019. Confirmed sepsis cases from all 265 patients were screened. A self-designed data collection Performa was used to collect the necessary information. Diagnosed sever sepsis patients and sepsis shock patients were transferred to medical and surgical intensive care units. Results: 60 diagnosed sepsis patients were separated after screening 265 patients admitted in HAD, MCH center PIMS. Out of 60 patients 15 with severe sepsis and 3 cases were diagnosed with sepsis shocks. The efficacy of sepsis 6 care bundles was not less than 46% with p value 0.039. Conclusion: Sepsis 6 care bundle is effective to reduce the maternal morbidity of high risk obstetric sepsis patients. Keywords: Six sepsis care bundle, maternal mortality, mortality in Obs. Patients, organ failure, Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (SIRS).

Nasogastric tube never events during the Covid-19 crisis in the UK; fewer than predicted.

Early in the Covid-19 pandemic, the NGSIG predicted the number of sick Covid-19 patients requiring nasogastric tube (NGT) feeding in critical care and high dependency areas would increase dramatically with consequent increased risk of unrecognised misplacement leading to Never Events (NE) and/or pneumothorax. Based on our Position Paper on NGT safety1 we produced an Aide Memoire2 with NHSE/I endorsed by NNNG (National Nutrition Nurse Group), The Faculty of Intensive Care Medicine, The Intensive Care Society, The Royal College of Anaesthetists and the Association of Anaesthetists before publication2.

Early derangement of INR predicts liver failure after liver resection for hepatocellular carcinoma

BackgroundSurgical resection, where appropriate, remains one of the best treatment options for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), however outcomes can be compromised by the development of liver failure. We reviewed our experience of liver resection for HCC patients to identify factors that may predict the development of post-hepatectomy liver failure (PHLF) and survival. MethodsA single centre retrospective cohort study. Data was collected between 1999 and 2017 from all patients undergoing HCC resection in a tertiary university hospital from electronic medical records. PHLF was defined as per the International Study Group for Liver Surgery criteria. Variables with p < 0.15 on univariate analysis were included in a multivariate binary logistic regression model. Kaplan–Meier analyses were used to determine correlations with overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS), and variables with p < 0.15 on univariate analysis selected for a step-down Cox proportional hazard regression model. ResultsOverall, 120 patients underwent liver resection within the study period, of which 22 (18%) developed PHLF. Patients with normal INR ≤1.20 at day 2 did not develop PHLF whereas patients with INR >1.60 were at significant risk. Resection of multiple tumours (odds ratio 21.63, p = 0.002) and deranged postoperative day 2 INR>1.6 (odds ratio 21.05, p < 0.0001) were identified as independent prognostic markers of PHLF. ConclusionThe use of INR measurement at day 2 predicts PHLF and may enable us to objectively identify and stratify patients who may be eligible for enhanced recovery programs from those who will merit close monitoring in high dependency areas.

Kemik İliği Transplantasyon Ünitesinde Bakım Verici Olmak: Kalitatif Çalışma

Objective: The bone marrow transplantation (BMT) units are high-dependency areas, with patients requiring care. Patients in BMT are in need of intensive care due to the treatment applied and complications related to the treatment. This study explores informal caregivers' experiences and perceptions in (BMT) unit. Material and Methods: Individual interviews were conducted in a semi-structured form. Theoretical thematic analysis was used to analyze the interview data. A qualitative design was used to describe the caregivers' experiences in the BMT unit, the caregiving process, and what they felt while giving care, and their expectations. Individual interviews were conducted in a semi-structured form. 24 informal caregivers hospitalized in the BMT of a university hospital who agreed to participate in the study were included in İstanbul, Türkiye. Results: Three major and nine themes emerged from the data analysis: (1) caregiver's perception, (1a) daily life, (1b) difficulties experienced, (1c) social support, (1d) health problems; (2) thoughts and experiences (2a) feelings, (2b) changes in relationships, (2c) what if I became ill; (3) expectations; (3a) expectations from the future, (3b) expectations from institutions. Conclusion: It was understood in this study that the informal caregivers had difficulties while maintaining their daily lives, felt alone in the process of providing care, experienced a set of psychological problems after the diagnosis, were optimistic about the future, and had expectations from institutions.

Continuous positive airway pressure for children in resource-limited settings, effect on mortality and adverse events: systematic review and meta-analysis

ObjectiveDetermine non-invasive ventilation with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) outcomes for paediatric respiratory distress in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs).DesignSystematic review and meta-analysis.SettingLMIC hospitals.PatientsOne month to 15 year olds with...

Determination of oxygen saturation compared to a prescribed target range using continuous pulse oximetry in acutely unwell medical patients

BackgroundBoth inadequate and excessive administration of oxygen to acutely unwell patients results in risk of harm. Guidelines recommend titration of oxygen to achieve a target oxygen saturation (SpO2) range. Information regarding whether this is being achieved is limited.MethodsIn this two-centre non-interventional study we used continuous pulse oximetry in acutely unwell medical patients over a 24-h period to determine the proportion of time spent with SpO2 within the prescribed target range and whether this is influenced by the target range, age, care in a high-dependency area and the number of oxygen adjustments.ResultsEighty participants were included in the analysis. The mean (SD) proportion of time spent in target range was 55.6% (23.6), this was lower in those with a reduced hypercapnic target range (88–92% or below) compared to those with a range of 92–96%; difference − 13.1% (95% CI − 3.0 to − 23.2), P = 0.012. The proportion of time spent above range was 16.2% (22.9); this was higher in those with a reduced hypercapnic range; difference 21.6% (31.4 to 12), P < 0.001. The proportion of time below range was 28.4% (25.2); there was no difference between target ranges. The proportion of time spent in range was higher for those in a high dependency area in the multivariate model; difference 15.5% (95% CI 2.3 to 28.7), P = 0.02.ConclusionsMedical patients receiving oxygen in a ward setting spend significant periods of time with SpO2 both above and below the prescribed target range while receiving oxygen therapy.

Experience of Orthopedic Surgeons Managing COVID Patients at the Peak of Second Wave in a COVID-dedicated Hospital

Introduction: The second wave of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 pandemic in April 2021 had a sudden deluge of moderate to severe patients getting admitted to the orthopedics block, due to scarcity of beds in the medical wards, high dependency and intensive care areas of the hospital. This study is an analysis of these patients managed in the orthopedics block by orthopedic surgeons, which may be useful to formulate guidelines for the management of patients in future waves of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Methods: The data of patients were collected by orthopedic residents from the Google sheet which was uploaded daily as part of the hospital data. The data from Google sheet were downloaded and compiled into an excel workbook and analyzed for patient progress, outcome, comorbidities, treatment given, oxygen management, and death analysis. Results: The data of 319 patients admitted from April 17, 2021 to May 20, 2021 in orthopedic block depicted successful recovery and discharge of 160 patients, worsening and transfer to higher wards for 126 patients and 33 deaths. The average age of these patients was 53.43 years with male preponderance (71% male). At the time of admission, 78.05% were reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction/rapid antigen test positive and 21.9% were COVID suspects. The patient's disease status on arrival was found to be mild in 21.3%, moderate in 43.8%, and severe in 34.7%. The most common comorbidity was hypertension in 39 patients followed by diabetes in 29 patients. The average number of days of hospital stay was 5.48 days. Conclusion: Medical professionals other than critical care medicine can be frontline care providers who can guide the ancillary departments at the peak of pandemic waves. Adherence to the standard operating protocols and interdepartmental coordination need to be effectively managed. This study can be used to formulate guidelines for further improvement in COVID patient care in case of future waves of this pandemic.

Nurses' perceptions about the dignity of intubated patients.

The intensive and critical care units are high-dependency areas, with patients requiring complex care. The intubated status of the intensive and critical care patients makes them dependent on healthcare providers not only for acute care, but also for intimate care, imposing a threat to their dignity. Nurses, being the central care providers, become the stakeholders for dignity promotion. The incorporation of dignity in patient care improves the quality of care, and promotes the health and well-being of intubated patients. The purpose of the study was to explore nurses' perceptions about the dignity of intubated patients in the intensive and critical care units. A qualitative descriptive exploratory study design was used to explore the nurses' perceptions about the dignity of intubated patients. The intensive and critical care nurses of a tertiary care hospital were recruited using the purposive sampling technique. The data were collected through in-depth individual interviews, using a semi-structured interview guide. The findings were manually analyzed into themes and categories through content analysis. The study was conducted after the approval from the Ethical Review Committee of the Aga Khan University. Four major themes emerged from the data analysis: (1) two sides of the contemporary nursing practice; (2) benefits of dignified nursing care; (3) challenges to the dignity of intubated patients; and (4) strategies for promoting the dignity of intubated patients. Dignity incorporates both the science and the art of nursing. The provision of dignified care is the core component of the quality nursing care and patient well-being in the high-dependency units. This is the first exploratory and descriptive study conducted in Pakistan that explored the nurses' perceptions about the dignity of intubated patients, and also generated contextual understanding about the phenomenon.

The Utility of Early Warning Score in Adults Presenting With Sepsis in the Emergency Department of a Low Resource Setting.

BackgroundSepsis is a condition with high mortality and morbidity. Delay in early recognition and prompt management results in higher mortality. There are many clinical scores to identify early sepsis; however, Early Warning Score (EWS) has clinical/physiological parameters that are easy to apply in the ED for timely diagnosis and management. In the present study, we collected information regarding the utilization of EWS in timely identifying the sick patients at triage of a tertiary care center.MethodsThis study was a descriptive cross-sectional investigation conducted in the ED of Aga Khan University Hospital in Karachi, the largest metropolitan city in Pakistan. A total of 240 participants were selected by non-probability convenient sampling after fulfilling the inclusion criteria. Data collected included EWS criteria, demography, length of hospital stay, patient disposition (ward, intensive care or high dependency area), and differentials like sepsis, severe sepsis or septic shock.ResultsA total of 240 patients were enrolled, out of which 139 (57.9%) patients were male, and 101 (42.1%) were female with a mean age of 52.7 ± 15.3 years (range: 18 to 80 years). In this study, the length of stay (LOS) was 2.2 ± 1.1 (range: one to six days), and there was an EWS of 8.2 ± 2.6 (4-15). There were 143 patients in the elderly age group > 50 years (59.6%); however, most elderly presented with sepsis among both age groups. The least affected age group was aged 16 to 30 years, with 23 (9.6%) cases. An EWS >7 is best to detect cases with sepsis or severe sepsis with a sensitivity of 98.5% (95% CI: 92.13 to 99.92) and specificity of 89.57% (95% CI: 82.64 to 93.93). Similarly, the EWS for severe sepsis or septic shock was >9 with a sensitivity of 86.76% (95% CI: 76.72 to 92.88) and specificity of 88.24% (95% CI: 78.47 to 93.92).ConclusionsThis study revealed that the sensitivity and specificity of EWS for the detection of sepsis, severe sepsis and septic shock was found to be high; hence, it could be a valuable and readily useable system for early diagnosis and proper management of sepsis, severe sepsis, and septic shock.

Serious sports-related injury in England and Wales from 2012-2017: a study protocol

BackgroundPhysical activity is an important component of healthy lifestyles, with a central role in morbidity prevention. However, sporting and physical activity also involve an inherent injury risk. Some sports and activities have a higher injury risk, and may involve more severe injuries. Furthermore, injuries of a severe nature have substantial individual and societal consequences, including the burden of assessment, treatment, and potential on-going care costs. There are limited data on severe sports injury risk in England and Wales, and no national data describing risk across sports. The aims of this study are to identify the cases and incidence of: i) paediatric and ii) adult severe sports injury from 2012 to 2017; and to describe injury incidence in individual sports.MethodsThis study is an analysis of prospectively collected sport-related injuries, treated from January 2012 to December 2017. Incidents involving a severe injury (in-patient trauma care) in England and Wales, will be identified from the Trauma Audit Research Network registry. Data for patients who were: transfers or direct hospital admissions, with inpatient stays of ≥3 days, admissions to High Dependency areas, or in-hospital mortality after admission; and whose injury mechanism was sport, or incident description included one of 62 sporting activities, will be extracted. Data will be categorised by sport, and sports participation data will be derived from Sport England participation surveys. Descriptive statistics will be estimated for all demographic, incident, treatment and sport fields, and crude serious annual injury incidence proportions estimated. Poisson confidence intervals will be estimated for each sport and used to describe injury risk (incidence) across sporting activities.DiscussionThis study will be the first to describe the number of, and trends in severe sport-related injuries in England and Wales. These data are useful to monitor the number and burden of severe sports injury, and inform injury prevention efforts. The monitoring and mitigation of sports injury risk is essential for individuals, health services and policy, and to encourage physically active lifestyles and safer participation for adults and children.

Injury profile and healthcare expenditure of cyclists admitted in intensive care units

Abstract Background The current paper is part of the EU-funded REHABILAID Project and aims to describe the profile of cyclists sustaining severe injuries in a road traffic incident as well as the healthcare costs associated with their injury, including hospitalization costs and out-of-pocket expenditure. Methods Seven public hospitals were involved; Greece=5, Italy=1 and Germany=1. Both the intensive care units (ICU) and sub-intensive care units (as high-dependency areas) were involved. Participants enrolled during a 12-month period starting from April 2013 and were followed for one year from admission date. The study used widely recommended classifications for injury severity (AIS-Update 2008, MAIS). Information on the injury was retrieved upon patients’ consent, from medical records while interviews were carried out at months 1,6,12 for personal and cost-related information. Health Care Expenditure was assessed through the MUARC’s framework. Diagnosis-related groups (DRGs) were used to estimate hospitalization costs. Results 120 subjects enrolled in the study in total and 14 were cyclists(Greece=1, Germany=3, Italy=10). Most of them were men(n = 9, 64.3%), with a mean age of 55.5 years (SD16.3;min 32-max 84). As for the current incidents, the majority occurred at city roads (n = 10;71.4%), straight roads (n = 9;64.3%) and intersections (n = 3;21.4%). Many were single-vehicle (n = 4;28.6%), lateral (n = 4;28.6%) and front-lateral (n = 3;21.4%). Half of the cyclists sustained an injury of MAIS3+ severity (n = 7;50.0%). A major injury was primarily sustained at the lower extremities (n = 10;71.4%), head (n = 7;50.0%), face (5=35.7%) and upper extremities (n = 5;35.7%). The mean total hospitalization cost was 5815,6(min 209,00-max 20.647,00) and the mean direct costs arising from injury was 4.047,5(min 0,0-max 24.670,00). Conclusions Individual differences need to be taken into account in future injury prevention efforts as well as in attempts to improve healthcare system’s response to road victims. Key messages Systematic collection of data relevant to health condition and economics of the victims is necessary at European level. Personalized rehabilitation plans are necessary to facilitate the recovery process of victims.

Cardio-respiratory signal extraction from video camera data for continuous non-contact vital sign monitoring using deep learning

Non-contact vital sign monitoring enables the estimation of vital signs, such as heart rate, respiratory rate and oxygen saturation (SpO2), by measuring subtle color changes on the skin surface using a video camera. For patients in a hospital ward, the main challenges in the development of continuous and robust non-contact monitoring techniques are the identification of time periods and the segmentation of skin regions of interest (ROIs) from which vital signs can be estimated. We propose a deep learning framework to tackle these challenges. Approach: This paper presents two convolutional neural network (CNN) models. The first network was designed for detecting the presence of a patient and segmenting the patient’s skin area. The second network combined the output from the first network with optical flow for identifying time periods of clinical intervention so that these periods can be excluded from the estimation of vital signs. Both networks were trained using video recordings from a clinical study involving 15 pre-term infants conducted in the high dependency area of the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) of the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford, UK. Main results: Our proposed methods achieved an accuracy of 98.8% for patient detection, a mean intersection-over-union (IOU) score of 88.6% for skin segmentation and an accuracy of 94.5% for clinical intervention detection using two-fold cross validation. Our deep learning models produced accurate results and were robust to different skin tones, changes in light conditions, pose variations and different clinical interventions by medical staff and family visitors. Significance: Our approach allows cardio-respiratory signals to be continuously derived from the patient’s skin during which the patient is present and no clinical intervention is undertaken.

Audit of defibrillators at an urban public sector hospital

IntroductionLife-threatening emergencies are not limited to the emergency department. Any delay in intervention during an emergency often culminates into a poor outcome. Early electrical defibrillation is one of the most...

Pediatric Critical Care in Resource-Limited Settings-Overview and Lessons Learned.

Pediatric critical care is an important component of reducing morbidity and mortality globally. Currently, pediatric critical care in low middle-income countries (LMICs) remains in its infancy in most hospitals. The majority of hospitals lack designated intensive care units, healthcare staff trained to care for critically ill children, adequate numbers of staff, and rapid access to necessary medications, supplies and equipment. In addition, most LMICs lack pediatric critical care training programs for healthcare providers or certification procedures to accredit healthcare providers working in their pediatric intensive care units (PICU) and high dependency areas. PICU can improve the quality of pediatric care in general and, if properly organized, can effectively treat the severe complications of high burden diseases, such as diarrhea, severe malaria, and respiratory distress using low-cost interventions. Setting up a PICU in a LMIC setting requires planning, specific resources, and most importantly investment in the nursing and permanent medical staff. A thoughtful approach to developing pediatric critical care services in LMICs starts with fundamental building blocks: training healthcare professionals in skills and knowledge, selecting resource appropriate effective equipment, and having supportive leadership to provide an enabling environment for appropriate care. If these fundamentals can be built on in a sustainable manner, an appropriate critical care service will be established with the potential to significantly decrease pediatric morbidity and mortality in the context of public health goals as we reach toward the sustainable development goals.

Traumatic brain injuries in older adults—6 years of data for one UK trauma centre: retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data

ObjectivesOur aim was to determine the incidence of traumatic brain injury (TBI) in older adults and investigate the relationship between injury characteristics and outcomes.MethodsRetrospective analysis of prospectively collected data submitted...

Is there a ‘weekend effect’ in major trauma?

BackgroundMany previous studies have shown that patients admitted to hospital at weekends have worse outcomes than those on other days. It has been proposed that parity of clinical services throughout...

A nurse-led intervention improves detection and management of AKI in Malawi.

Acute kidney injury is common and has significant impact on mortality and morbidity. There is a global drive to improve the lack of knowledge and understanding surrounding the recognition, diagnosis and management of patients with AKI in resource poor healthcare systems. We propose a nurse-led education programme to medical and nursing staff of the Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital (QECH) in Blantyre, Malawi, will improve the overall care and understanding of patients with AKI that will still be effective 3 months later. This was a three phase, prospective interventional pilot study which evaluated base line knowledge and clinical practice amongst healthcare workers, provided a comprehensive combination nurse-led class room and ward based teaching programme and evaluated the change in knowledge and clinical management of patients in the high dependency areas of the hospital immediately, and 3 months, after the teaching intervention. The nurse-led intervention significantly improved the healthcare workers attitudes towards detecting or managing patients with suspected AKI (p < 0.0001). There were also significant improvements in the completion of fluid charts and recording of urine output (p < 0.0001), corner stones of AKI management. Knowledge and clinical intervention was still present three months later. There was however little change in the understanding that AKI could be a significant clinical problem in QECH and that it may have a major impact on mortality and working practice and this needs to be addressed in future teaching programmes. A low cost, nurse-led AKI educational intervention improved the knowledge and management of AKI at QECH, which was still evident 3 months later.