Requiring Intensive Care Unit Admission Research Articles

Characterization and prognosis of autoimmune encephalitis in the neurological intensive care unit: a retrospective study.

Patients diagnosed with autoimmune encephalitis (AE) require admission to the neurological intensive care unit (ICU) when they exhibit clinical manifestations such as status epilepticus, central hypoventilation, and severe involuntary movements. In order to determine the predictors of ICU admission and prognosis for patients with AE admitted to the neurological ICU, we analyzed the clinical characteristics of this patient population. This retrospective study analyzed 123 patients admitted to the First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University between 2012 and 2021 who were diagnosed with AE based on serum and/or cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) AE-related antibody positivity. We divided these patients into two groups: those who received ICU treatment and those who did not. We evaluated patient's prognosis using the modified Rankin scales (mRS). Univariate analysis revealed that epileptic seizures, involuntary movements, central hypoventilation, symptoms of vegetative neurological disorders, increased neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), abnormal electroencephalogram (EEG) findings, and different treatments were associated with ICU admission for patients with AE. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that hypoventilation and NLR were independent risk factors for ICU admission in AE patients. Univariate analysis showed that age and sex were related to prognosis in ICU-treated AE patients, and logistic regression analysis indicated that age was the only independent risk factor for prognosis in ICU-treated AE patients. Increased NLR, except for hypoventilation, is an indicator of ICU admission in AE patients. Although a large number of patients with AE require ICU admission, the overall prognosis is good, particularly in younger patients.

Characteristics and clinical outcome in 312 patients with moderate to severe pneumonia due to SARS-COV-2 and hyperinflammation treated with anakinra and corticosteroids: A retrospective cohort study.

To assess the clinical outcome (death and/or Intensive Care Unit (ICU) admission) based on the time from hospital admission to the administration of anakinra and the possible usefulness of a "simplified" SCOPE score to stratify the risk of worse prognosis in our cohort of patients with moderate/severe SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia, both vaccinated and unvaccinated, that received anakinra and corticosteroids. In addition, the clinical, analytical, and imaging characteristics of patients at admission are described. Retrospective cohort study of 312 patients admitted to Hospital Clínico San Cecilio in Granada for moderate/severe pneumonia caused by SARS-CoV-2 that received anakinra and corticosteroids between March 2020 and January 2022. Clinical and analytical data were collected as well as the patient outcome at 30 and 60 days after admission. Three treatment groups were established according to the time from hospital admission to administration of anakinra: early (1st-2nd day), intermediate (3rd-5th day), and late (after the 5th day). The median age was 67.4 years (IQR 22-97 years) and 204 (65.4%) were male. The most common comorbidity was hypertension (58%). The median time from the start of symptoms to anakinra administration was 6 days (IQR 5-10) and the SaFi (SaO2/FiO2) was 228 (IQR 71-471). The cure rate was higher in the early-onset anakinra group versus the late-onset group (73% vs 56.6%). The latter had a higher percentage of deaths (27.4%) and a greater number of patients remained hospitalized for a month (16%). On admission, the patients had elevated C-reactive protein (CRP), ferritin, and D-dimer values and decreased total lymphocytes. Analytical improvement was observed at both 72 hours and one month after treatment. 42 (13.5%) required ICU admission, and 23 (7.3%) orotracheal intubation. At 60 days, 221 (70.8%) were discharged, 87 (27.8%) had died and 4 (1.4%) remained hospitalized. The mean dose of anakinra was 1000 mg (100-2600 mg) with differences found between the dose administered and the clinical outcome. There were no differences in the primary outcome based on vaccination. A simplified SCOPE score at the start of anakinra administration was lower in patients with better clinical evolution. Early treatment with anakinra and corticosteroids was associated with a better outcome regardless of vaccination status. A simplified SCOPE was found to be a good prognostic tool.

Steroid Pulse Therapy as a Treatment for Patients With COVID-19 Pneumonia at an Intensive Care Unit: A Single-Center Retrospective Observational Study.

Evidence supporting the use of steroid pulse therapy in severely ill patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pneumonia is lacking. Few studies have evaluated the efficacy of high-dose (1000 mg/day) methylprednisolone (mPSL), which is commonly used in Japan. This study aimed to compare the clinical outcomes with and without steroid pulse therapy (mPSL 1000 or 500 mg/day for three days) in patients with COVID-19 pneumonia, admitted to an intensive care unit (ICU). Study design was retrospective observational study. The inclusion criterion was severe to critically ill adult patients with COVID-19 pneumonia requiring ICU admission. The exclusion criteria were as follows: patients (1) with a "Do not attempt to resuscitate" order; (2) with a "Do not intubate" order; or (3) admitted to the ICU owing to other infectious diseases were excluded. Treatment strategy was as follows: Patients were divided into two groups: steroid pulse therapy (Group P) and steroids without pulse therapy (Group NP). Group P received mPSL 1000 or 500 mg/day on ICU days 1-3, and Group NP received dexamethasone 6.6 mg or mPSL 1 or 2 mg/kg/day. The primary outcome was 28-day mortality. We enrolled 82 patients. Out of 70 who met the inclusion criteria, 48 and 22 were included in Groups P and NP, respectively. No difference in 28-day survival was observed between the Groups P and NP (log-rank P=0.11). After adjusting for covariates (age, sex, interleukin-6 level, and acute physiology and chronic health evaluation II score on ICU admission) using a multivariate Cox proportional hazard model, treatment with steroid pulse therapy significantly improved 28-day mortality (hazard ratio, 0.14; 95% confidence interval, 0.02-0.86; P=0.03). Steroid pulse therapy may improve the 28-day mortality in patients with COVID-19 pneumonia in the ICU.

Clinical and biochemical predictors of intensive care unit admission among patients with diabetic ketoacidosis.

Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) contributes to 94% of diabetes-related hospital admissions, and its incidence is rising. Due to the complexity of its management and the need for rigorous monitoring, many DKA patients are managed in the intensive care unit (ICU). However, studies comparing DKA patients managed in ICU to non-ICU settings show an increase in healthcare costs without significantly affecting patient outcomes. It is, therefore, essential to identify suitable candidates for ICU care in DKA patients. To evaluate factors that predict the requirement for ICU care in DKA patients. This retrospective study included consecutive patients with index DKA episodes who presented to the emergency department of four general hospitals of Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha, Qatar, between January 2015 and March 2021. All adult patients (> 14 years) fulfilling the American Diabetes Association criteria for DKA diagnosis were included. We included 922 patients with DKA in the final analysis, of which 229 (25%) were managed in the ICU. Compared to non-ICU patients, patients admitted to ICU were older [mean (SD) age of 40.4 ± 13.7 years vs 34.5 ± 14.6 years; P < 0.001], had a higher body mass index [median (IQR) of 24.6 (21.5-28.4) kg/m2 vs 23.7 (20.3-27.9) kg/m2; P < 0.030], had T2DM (61.6%) and were predominantly males (69% vs 31%; P < 0.020). ICU patients had a higher white blood cell count [median (IQR) of 15.1 (10.2-21.2) × 103/uL vs 11.2 (7.9-15.7) × 103/uL, P < 0.001], urea [median (IQR) of 6.5 (4.6-10.3) mmol/L vs 5.6 (4.0-8.0) mmol/L; P < 0.001], creatinine [median (IQR) of 99 (75-144) mmol/L vs 82 (63-144) mmol/L; P < 0.001], C-reactive protein [median (IQR) of 27 (9-83) mg/L vs 14 (5-33) mg/L; P < 0.001] and anion gap [median (IQR) of 24.0 (19.2-29.0) mEq/L vs 22 (17-27) mEq/L; P < 0.001]; while a lower venous pH [mean (SD) of 7.10 ± 0.15 vs 7.20 ± 0.13; P < 0.001] and bicarbonate level [mean (SD) of 9.2 ± 4.1 mmol/L vs 11.6 ± 4.3 mmol/L; P < 0.001] at admission than those not requiring ICU management of DKA (P < 0.001). Patients in the ICU group had a longer LOS [median (IQR) of 4.2 (2.7-7.1) d vs 2.0 (1.0-3.9) d; P < 0.001] and DKA duration [median (IQR) of 24 (13-37) h vs 15 (19-24) h, P < 0.001] than those not requiring ICU admission. In the multivariate logistic regression analysis model, age, Asian ethnicity, concurrent coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection, DKA severity, DKA trigger, and NSTEMI were the main predicting factors for ICU admission. In the largest tertiary center in Qatar, 25% of all DKA patients required ICU admission. Older age, T2DM, newly onset DM, an infectious trigger of DKA, moderate-severe DKA, concurrent NSTEMI, and COVID-19 infection are some factors that predict ICU requirement in a DKA patient.

Prognosis of hospitalised adult patients with respiratory syncytial virus infection: a multicentre retrospective cohort study

ObjectivesRespiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a common agent of viral respiratory infections with significant morbidity and mortality in adults. The objective of this study was to determine risk factors for mortality and invasive mechanical ventilation and to describe the characteristics of patients who received ribavirin. MethodsA retrospective multicentre observational cohort study was conducted in Great Paris area hospitals, including patients hospitalised between 1 January 2015 and 31 December 2019 for documented RSV infection. Data were extracted from the Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris Health Data Warehouse. The primary endpoint was in-hospital mortality. ResultsOne thousand one hundred sixty-eight patients were hospitalised for RSV infection, including 288 (24.6%) patients who required intensive care unit (ICU) admission. The median (interquartile range) age of patients was 75 (63–85) years, and 54% (n = 631/1168) of them were women. In-hospital mortality was 6.6% (n = 77/1168) in the whole cohort and 12.8% (n = 37/288) in ICU patients. Factors associated with hospital mortality were age >85 years (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 6.29, 95% confidence interval [2.47–15.98]), acute respiratory failure (aOR = 2.83 [1.19–6.72]), non-invasive (aOR = 12.60 [1.41–112.36]), and invasive mechanical ventilation support (aOR = 30.13 [3.17–286.27]) and neutropenia (aOR = 13.19 [3.27–53.27]). Factors associated with invasive mechanical ventilation were chronic heart (aOR = 1.98 [1.20–3.26]) or respiratory failure (aOR = 2.83 [1.67–4.80]), and co-infection (aOR = 2.62 [1.60–4.30]). Patients who were treated with ribavirin were significantly younger than others (62 [55–69] vs. 75 [63–86] years; p < 0.001), more frequently males (n = 34/48 [70.8%] vs. n = 503/1120 [44.9%]; p 0.001), and almost exclusively immunocompromised (n = 46/48 [95.8%] vs. n = 299/1120 [26.7%]; p < 0.001). DiscussionThe mortality rate of patients hospitalised with RSV infections was 6.6%. Twenty-five per cent of the patients required ICU admission.

The Attributable Factors That Increase the Likelihood of Central Line Associated Blood Stream Infection Related In-Hospital 30-Day Mortality.

The objective is to investigate the attributable factors associated with an increase in hospital 30-daymortality of central line bloodstream infection (CLABSI). A retrospective cohort study was conducted at King Saud University Medical City (KSUMC). The sample included adult patients who developed CLABSI between March 2016 and February 2018 after having a central line inserted at KSUMCin Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. A total of 283 patients were involved in the study. The 30-day mortality rate was 18.8%. Patients were more likely to die if they were in the intensive care unit (ICU) or required ICU admission after infection (p<0.001). This was also observed in patients who required inotropes or intubation before or after culture (p<0.001). There was a statistically significant difference of 6.60±5.62 in the mean score on the Acute Physiologic Assessment and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) II between before and after culture (p<0.001). The likelihood of death was significantly higher among patients with higher APACHE II scores before and after culture (p<0.001). The presence of CLABSI-related sequelae was not associated with increased mortality (p<0.595). The clinical characteristics of CLABSI patients are variable and can increase the risk of mortality or complicate the treatment course. Physicians should be aware of the significance of these factors as potential causes of increased mortality.

Gut microbiota composition during hospitalization is associated with 60-day mortality after severe COVID-19

BackgroundGut microbiota alterations have been reported in hospitalized COVID-19 patients, with reduced alpha diversity and altered microbiota composition related to respiratory failure. However, data regarding gut microbiota and mortality are scarce.MethodsRectal swabs for gut microbiota analyses were collected within 48 h after hospital admission (baseline; n = 123) and three-month post-admission (n = 50) in a subset of patients included in the Norwegian SARS-CoV2 cohort study. Samples were analysed by sequencing the 16S rRNA gene. Gut microbiota diversity and composition at baseline were assessed in relation to need for intensive care unit (ICU) admission during hospitalization. The primary objective was to investigate whether the ICU-related gut microbiota was associated with 60-day mortality.ResultsGut microbiota diversity (Shannon index) at baseline was lower in COVID-19 patients requiring ICU admission during hospitalization than in those managed in general wards. A dysbiosis index representing a balance of enriched and reduced taxa in ICU compared with ward patients, including decreased abundance of butyrate-producing microbes and enrichment of a partly oral bacterial flora, was associated with need of ICU admission independent of antibiotic use, dexamethasone use, chronic pulmonary disease, PO2/FiO2 ratio, C-reactive protein, neutrophil counts or creatinine levels (adjusted p < 0.001). The ICU-related dysbiosis index at baseline correlated with systemic inflammation and was associated with 60-day mortality in univariate analyses (Hazard ratio 3.70 [2.00–8.6], p < 0.001), as well as after separate adjustment for covariates. At the three-month follow-up, the dysbiosis index remained elevated in ICU patients compared with ward patients (adjusted p = 0.007).ConclusionsAlthough our data should be regarded as exploratory due to low number of clinical end points, they suggest that gut microbiota alterations during hospitalization could be related to poor prognosis after severe COVID-19. Larger studies of gut involvement during COVID-19 in relation to long-term clinical outcome are warranted.Trial registrationNCT04381819. Retrospectively registered May 11, 2020.

Management and outcomes of critically ill adult patients with convulsive status epilepticus and preadmission functional impairments

ObjectiveFunctional status is among the criteria relevant to decisions about intensive care unit (ICU) admission and level of care. Our main objective was to describe the characteristics and outcomes of adult patients requiring ICU admission for Convulsive Status Epilepticus (CSE) according to whether their functional status was previously impaired. MethodsWe retrospectively analyzed data from consecutive adults who were admitted to two French ICUs for CSE between 2005 and 2018 and then included them retrospectively in the Ictal Registry. Pre-existing functional impairment was defined as a Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOS) score of 3 before admission. The primary outcome measure was a loss of ≥1 GOS score point at 1 year. Multivariate analysis was used to identify factors associated with this measure. ResultsThe 206 women and 293 men had a median age of 59 years [47–70 years]. The preadmission GOS score was 3 in 56 (11.2%) patients and 4 or 5 in 443 patients. Compared to the GOS-4/5 group, the GOS-3 group was characterized by a higher frequency of treatment-limitation decisions (35.7% vs. 12%, P < 0.0001), similar ICU mortality (19.6 vs. 13.1, P = 0.22), higher 1-year mortality (39.3% vs. 25.6%, P < 0.01), and a similar proportion of patients with no worsening of the GOS score at 1 year (42.9 vs. 44.1, P = 0.89). By multivariate analysis, not achieving a favorable 1-year outcome was associated with age above 59 years (OR, 2.36; 95%CI, 1.55–3.58, P < 0.0001), preexisting ultimately fatal comorbidity (OR, 2.92; 95%CI, 1.71–4.98, P = 0.0001), refractory CSE (OR, 2.19; 95%CI, 1.43–3.36, P = 0.0004), cerebral insult as the cause of CSE (OR, 2.75; 95%CI, 1.75–4.27, P < 0.0001), and Logistic Organ Dysfunction score ≥ 3 at ICU admission (OR, 2.08; 95%CI, 1.37–3.15, P = 0.0006). A preadmission GOS score of 3 was not associated with a functional decline during the first year (OR, 0.61; 95%CI, 0.31–1.22, P = 0.17). SignificancePreadmission functional status in adult patients with CSE is not independently associated with a functional decline during the first postadmission year. This finding may help physicians make ICU admission decisions and adult patients write advance directives.Study Registration: #NCT03457831.

Stratification of COVID-19 Severity Using SeptiCyte RAPID, a Novel Host Immune Response Test.

SeptiCyte® RAPID is a gene expression assay measuring the relative expression levels of host response genes PLA2G7 and PLAC8, indicative of a dysregulated immune response during sepsis. As severe forms of COVID-19 may be considered viral sepsis, we evaluated SeptiCyte RAPID in a series of 94 patients admitted to Foch Hospital (Suresnes, France) with proven SARS-CoV-2 infection. EDTA blood was collected in the emergency department (ED) in 67 cases, in the intensive care unit (ICU) in 23 cases and in conventional units in 4 cases. SeptiScore (0-15 scale) increased with COVID-19 severity. Patients in ICU had the highest SeptiScores, producing values comparable to 8 patients with culture-confirmed bacterial sepsis. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis had an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.81 for discriminating patients requiring ICU admission from patients who were immediately discharged or from patients requiring hospitalization in conventional units. SeptiScores increased with the extent of the lung injury. For 68 patients, a chest computed tomography (CT) scan was performed within 24 h of COVID-19 diagnosis. SeptiScore >7 suggested lung injury ≥50% (AUC = 0.86). SeptiCyte RAPID was compared to other biomarkers for discriminating Critical + Severe COVID-19 in ICU, versus Moderate + Mild COVID-19 not in ICU. The mean AUC for SeptiCyte RAPID was superior to that of any individual biomarker or combination thereof. In contrast to C-reactive protein (CRP), correlation of SeptiScore with lung injury was not impacted by treatment with anti-inflammatory agents. SeptiCyte RAPID can be a useful tool to identify patients with severe forms of COVID-19 in ED, as well as during follow-up.

Prevalence and Risk Factors for Intensive Care Unit Delirium After Traumatic Brain Injury: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

Delirium remains understudied after traumatic brain injury (TBI). We sought to identify independent predictors of delirium among intensive care unit (ICU) patients with TBI. This single-center retrospective cohort study evaluated adult patients with TBI requiring ICU admission. Outcomes included delirium days within the first 14days, as assessed by the Confusion Assessment Method-ICU (CAM-ICU). Models were adjusted for age, sex, insurance, Marshall head computed tomography classification, presence of subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH), Injury Severity Score (ISS), need for cardiopulmonary resuscitation, maximum admission Glasgow Coma motor score, glucose level, hemoglobin level, and pupil reactivity. Delirium prevalence was 60%, with a median duration of 4days (interquartile range: 2-8) among ICU patients with TBI (n = 2,664). Older age, higher ISS, maximum motor score < 6, Marshall class II-IV, and SAH were associated with risk of increased delirium duration (all p < 0.001). In this large cohort, ICU delirium after TBI affected three of five patients for a median duration of 4days. Age, general injury severity, motor score, and features of intracranial hemorrhage were predictive of more TBI-associated delirium days. Given the high prevalence of ICU delirium after TBIand itsimpact on hospitalization, further work is needed to understand the impact of delirium and TBI on outcomes and to determine whether delirium risk can be minimized.

The effect of duration of antimicrobial treatment for bacteremia in critically ill patients on in-hospital mortality – Retrospective double center analysis

PurposeExcessive duration of antibiotic treatment is a major factor for inappropriate antibiotic consumption. Although in some instances shorter antibiotic courses are as efficient as longer ones, no specific recommendations as to the duration of antimicrobial treatment for bloodstream infections currently exist. In the present study, we investigated the effect of antibiotic treatment duration on in-hospital mortality using retrospective data from two cohorts that included patients with bacteremia at two Swiss tertiary Intensive Care Units (ICUs). Materials and methodsOverall 8227 consecutive patients requiring ICU admission were screened for bacteremia between 01/2012–12/2013 in Lausanne and between 07/2016–05/2017 in Bern. Patients with an infection known to require prolonged treatment or having single positive blood culture with common contaminant pathogens were excluded. The primary outcome of interest was the time from start of antimicrobial treatment to in-hospital death or hospital discharge, whichever comes first. The predictor of interest was adequate antimicrobial treatment duration, further divided into shorter (≤10 days) and longer (>10 days) durations. A time-dependent Cox model and a cloning approach were used to address immortality bias. The secondary outcomes were the median duration of antimicrobial treatment for patients with bacteremia overall and stratified by underlying infectious syndrome and pathogens in the case of secondary bacteremia. ResultsOut of the 707 patients with positive blood cultures, 382 were included into the primary analysis. Median duration of antibiotic therapy was 14 days (IQR, 7–20). Most bacteremia (84%) were monomicrobial; 18% of all episodes were primary bacteremia. Respiratory (28%), intra-abdominal (23%) and catheter infections (17%) were the most common sources of secondary bacteremia. Using methods to mitigate the risk of confounding associated with antibiotic treatment durations, shorter versus longer treatment groups showed no differences in in-hospital survival (time-dependent Cox-model: HR 1.5, 95% CI (0.8, 2.7), p = 0.20; Cloning approach: HR 1.0, 95% CI (0.7,1.5) p = 0.83). Sensitivity analyses showed that the interpretation did not change when using a 7 days cut-off. ConclusionsIn this restrospective study, we found no evidence for a survival benefit of longer (>10 days) versus shorter treatment course in ICU patients with bacteremia. Trial registrationThe study was retrospectively registered on clinicatrials.gov (NCT05236283), 11 February 2022. The respective cantonal ethics commission (KEK Bern # 2021–02302) has approved the study.

Infection-Related Ventilator-Associated Complications in Critically Ill Patients with Trauma: A Retrospective Analysis.

Trauma is a leading cause of death and disability. Patients with trauma undergoing invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV) are at risk for ventilator-associated events (VAEs) potentially associated with a longer duration of IMV and increased stay in the intensive care unit (ICU). We conducted a retrospective cohort study aimed to evaluate the incidence of infection-related ventilator-associated complications (IVACs), possible ventilator-associated pneumonia (PVAP), and their characteristics among patients experiencing severe trauma that required ICU admission and IMV for at least four days. We also determined pathogens implicated in PVAP episodes and characterized the use of antimicrobial therapy. In total, 88 adult patients were included in the main analysis. In this study, we observed that 29.5% of patients developed a respiratory infection during ICU stay. Among them, five patients (19.2%) suffered from respiratory infections due to multi-drug resistant bacteria. Patients who developed IVAC/PVAP presented lower total GCS (median value, 7; (IQR, 9) vs. 12.5, (IQR, 8); p = 0.068) than those who did not develop IVAC/PVAP. We observed that less than one-third of trauma patients fulfilling criteria for ventilator associated events developed a respiratory infection during the ICU stay.

Characteristics and clinical outcomes of patients with lung cancer requiring ICU admission: a retrospective analysis based on the MIMIC-III database

BackgroundLung cancer (LC) is the most common solid tumor type in the intensive care unit (ICU). This study investigated the characteristics of LC patients admitted to the ICU, the major reasons for their admission, short-term mortality, and associated risk factors.MethodsPatients with LC were retrospectively identified in the publicly available, large-scale, single-center database Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care (MIMIC) III. Demographic and clinical characteristics, including age, sex, smoking history, comorbidities, type of admission to ICU, major diagnoses, illness severity score as assessed by the Simplified Acute Physiology Score (SAPS) II and the Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA), ICU length of stay (LOS), use of mechanic ventilation (MV) or vasopressors, the existence of do-not-resuscitate (DNR) orders, and metastatic status were collected. The major reasons for ICU admission were analyzed in subgroups. The multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to determine the factors associated with the 28-day and 6-month mortality.ResultsA total of 1242 ICU admissions were included. Diseases of respiratory (42.7%), nervous (14.3%), and cardiovascular (11.9%) systems accounted for the top reasons for admission. Pneumonia/pneumonitis, respiratory failure, and sepsis were the primary reasons for ICU admission. The median survival was 2.93 (95% CI: 2.42–3.43) months. The 28-day inhospital and the 6-month mortality were 30.6% and 68.2%, respectively. Sepsis (63.9%), respiratory failure (47.0%), and pleural effusion (40.9%) accounted for the top three highest 28-day ICU mortality in all causes. An age ≥ 65 years, a SAPS II ≥ 37, a SOFA ≥ 3, metastasis, and MV use were independent risk factors for an inferior 28-day survival rate, while only metastatic status and SOFA score were associated with the 6-month mortality. SAPS II was accepatable and better than SOFA in predicting 28-day ICU [area under the curve (AUC): 0.714 and 0.658, respectively] or 28-day inhospital mortality (AUC: 0.717 and 0.660, respectively).ConclusionThe 6-month prognosis for LC patients admitted to ICU was dismal. Multidisciplinary collaboration between intensivists and oncologists to identify high-risk patients and to determine a risk-benefit ratio of ICU treatment may improve survival prospects.

Post-Intensive Care Unit Multidisciplinary Approach in Patients with Severe Bilateral SARS-CoV-2 Pneumonia.

Background: Short and long-term sequelae after admission to the intensive care unit (ICU) for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) are to be expected, which makes multidisciplinary care key in the support of physical and cognitive recovery. Objective: To describe, from a multidisciplinary perspective, the sequelae one month after hospital discharge among patients who required ICU admission for severe COVID-19 pneumonia. Design: Prospective cohort study. Environment: Multidisciplinary outpatient clinic. Population: Patients with severe COVID-19 pneumonia, post- ICU admission. Methods: A total of 104 patients completed the study in the multidisciplinary outpatient clinic. The tests performed included spirometry, measurement of respiratory muscle pressure, loss of body cell mass (BCM) and BCM index (BCMI), general joint and muscular mobility, the short physical performance battery (SPPB or Guralnik test), grip strength with hand dynamometer, the six-minute walk test (6-MWT), the functional assessment of chronic illness therapy-fatigue scale (FACIT-F), the European quality of life-5 dimensions (EQ-5D), the Barthel index and the Montreal cognitive assessment test (MoCA). While rehabilitation was not necessary for 23 patients, 38 patients attended group rehabilitation sessions and other 43 patients received home rehabilitation. Endpoints: The main sequelae detected in patients were fatigue (75.96%), dyspnoea (64.42%) and oxygen therapy on discharge (37.5%). The MoCA showed a mean score compatible with mild cognitive decline. The main impairment of joint mobility was limited shoulder (11.54%) and shoulder girdle (2.88%) mobility; whereas for muscle mobility, lower limb limitations (16.35%) were the main dysfunction. Distal neuropathy was present in 23.08% of patients, most frequently located in lower limbs (15.38%). Finally, 50% of patients reported moderate limitation in the EQ-5D, with a mean score of 60.62 points (SD 20.15) in perceived quality of life. Conclusions: Our findings support the need for a multidisciplinary and comprehensive evaluation of patients after ICU admission for COVID-19 because of the wide range of sequelae, which also mean that these patients need a long-term follow-up. Impact on clinical rehabilitation: This study provides data supporting the key role of rehabilitation during the follow-up of severe patients, thus facilitating their reintegration in society and a suitable adaptation to daily living.

COVID-19 severe acute respiratory syndrome in Brazilian newborns in 2020-2021.

To describe the clinical characteristics of cases of COVID-19 severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in Brazilian newborns (NBs) in 2020 and 2021, recorded in the Influenza Epidemiological Surveillance Information System (Sistema de Informação da Vigilância Epidemiológica da Gripe - SIVEP-Gripe). The variables analyzed were gender, race/skin color, hospitalization, intensive care unit (ICU) admission, use of ventilatory support, signs and symptoms (fever, cough, O2 saturation<95%, dyspnea, respiratory distress, diarrhea, and vomiting), progress (death or cure), risk factors/comorbidities. Categorical variables were expressed as absolute and relative frequencies. We found 1,649 records of COVID-19 SARS in NBs, with a predominance of multiracial babies in both years. The most frequent symptoms in 2020 and 2021 were, respectively: respiratory distress (67.0 and 69.7%), fever (46.3 and 46.2%), and cough (37.0 and 46.3%). In 2020, 30.5% of patients received invasive ventilatory support; in 2021, this number was 41.6%. In addition, more than 55% of cases required ICU admission, and over 16% died. We emphasize the high proportion of cases that required intensive care and progressed to death.

Association between body-mass index, patient characteristics, and obesity-related comorbidities among COVID-19 patients: A prospective cohort study

ObjectiveObesity is a major risk factor for adverse outcomes after COVID-19 infection. However, it is unknown if the worse outcomes are due to the confounding effect of demographic and obesity-related comorbidities. The study objective is to analyze associations between body mass index, patient characteristics, obesity-related comorbidity, and clinical outcomes in COVID-19 patients. MethodsIn this prospective cohort study, we chose patient records between March 1st, 2020, and December 1st, 2022, in a large tertiary care center in southeast Wisconsin in the United States. Patients over the age of 18 who tested positive were included in the study. Clinical outcomes included hospitalization, intensive care unit (ICU) admission, mechanical ventilation, and mortality rates. We examined the characteristics of patients who had positive clinical outcomes. We created unadjusted logistic regression models, sequentially adjusting for demographic and comorbidity variables, to assess the independent associations between BMI, patient characteristics, obesity-related comorbidities, and clinical outcomes. ResultsFrom a record of 1.67 million inpatients and outpatients at Froedtert Health Center, 55,299 (BMI: 30.5 ± 7.4 kg/m2, 62.5 % female) tested COVID-19 positive during the study period. 17,580 (31.8 %) patients were admitted to hospitals, and of hospitalized patients required ICU admission. 1038 (36.3 %) required mechanical ventilation, and 462 (44.5 %) died after a positive test for COVID-19. We found female patients show a higher hospitalization rate, while male patients have a higher rate of ICU admission, mechanical ventilation, and mortality. Obesity-related comorbidities are associated with worse outcomes compared to simple obesity without comorbidities. In logistic regression models, we found four similar V-shaped associations between BMI and four clinical outcomes. Patients with a BMI of 25 kg/m2 are at the lowest risk for clinical outcomes. Patients with a BMI lower than 18 kg/m2 or higher than 30 kg/m2 are associated with a higher risk of hospitalization, ICU, mechanical ventilation, and death. After adjusting the model for demographic factors and hypertension and diabetes as two common comorbidities, we found that demographic factors do not significantly increase the risk. Obesity alone does not significantly increase the risk of severe clinical outcomes. Obesity-related comorbidities, on the other hand, resulted in a significantly higher risk of outcomes. ConclusionObesity alone does not increase the risk of worse clinical outcomes after COVID-19 infection. It may suggest that the worse clinical outcomes of patients with obesity are mediated via hypertension and type 2 diabetes. Patients with obesity and comorbidities have a higher risk of poor outcomes. Obesity-related comorbidities, including hypertension and diabetes, are independently associated with poorer clinical outcomes among COVID-19 patients. At a BMI of more than 30 kg/m2 or less than 18 kg/m2, we found an increase in the risk of severe COVID-19 outcomes leading to hospitalization, ICU, mechanical ventilation, and death. The increased risk of severe outcomes is not attributed to patient characteristics but can be attributed to hypertension and diabetes.

Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome (OHSS) requiring Intensive Care Unit (ICU) admission between 1996-2020 in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland.

Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome (OHSS) is a life-threatening iatrogenic complication of In vitro fertilisation (IVF). This study aimed to quantify rates of Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome (OHSS) requiring intensive care unit (ICU) admission and assess whether trends have changed between 1996-2020 commensurate with the introduction of safer IVF practices. Data regarding Intensive Care Unit (ICU) admission across England, Wales and Northern Ireland was gathered retrospectively from the Intensive Care National Audit and Research Centre (ICNARC) database. 38,957 female patients aged between 18-55 years were admitted to ICU for OHSS or related conditions between 1996-2020. The primary outcome was the rate of OHSS requiring ICU admission expressed as a proportion of the number of fresh IVF cycles conducted in that year according to Human Fertility and Embryology Authority (HFEA) records. Baseline characteristics (for example, age, ethnicity, BMI), biochemical parameters (such as renal function, serum electrolytes), length of ICU stay and duration and need for organ support, were also compared between ICU patients with 'confirmed OHSS' and those 'without OHSS'. There were 238 cases of 'confirmed OHSS' requiring ICU admission recorded between 1996-2020. Rates of OHSS requiring ICU admission declined over the study period (P=0.006); the annual rate of severe OHSS requiring intensive care admission halved when comparing those occurring between 1996-2007 and 2008-2020 (OR=0.37, 95% CI 0.37-0.45; P<0.0001). Patients spent a mean of 3.5 days in the ICU, with 86.3% of patients with 'confirmed OHSS' requiring at least 2 days of higher level (i.e., level 2 or 3) care. Patients with 'confirmed OHSS' required a shorter duration of renal, advanced cardiovascular, and advanced respiratory support than patients 'without OHSS' (P<0.0001 for all comparisons). There was no significant difference in BMI or ethnicity between those with 'confirmed OHSS' and those 'without OHSS', however women with 'confirmed OHSS' were younger (34 versus 41 years old, p<0.0001). Although absolute rates of OHSS requiring ICU admission recorded in this study are likely to represent a significant underestimate of all clinically significant OHSS, rates of OHSS requiring ICU admission have decreased since 1996 in concordance with the introduction of modern IVF practices.

Impact of pre-transplant individual comorbidities on risk of ICU admission and survival outcomes following allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

Patients undergoing allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-hsct) can require intensive care unit (ICU) admission in the post-transplant period. Whereas outcomes of ICU admission are poor, little is known about the pre-transplant risk factors leading to them. We conducted a retrospective analysis to investigate the impact of pre-transplant individual comorbidities on acute inpatient complications, focusing on ICU admission, ventilator support and multi-system organ failure, following allo-hsct. During the initial hospitalization, 33 (11%) patients required ICU admission, 29 (10%) required ventilator support and 33 (11%) developed multi-system organ failure. Risk factors for ICU admission and ventilator support included pre-transplant infection, pre-transplant diabetes, time to neutrophil engraftment, donor type and older transplant decade (2008-2010). Risk factors for multi-system organ failure included pre-transplant diabetes, time to neutrophil engraftment and older transplant decade (2008-2010). For ICU patients, the 60-day and 6-month mortality was 58% and 67%, respectively and the median overall survival was 1.4 months. Patients with diabetes and infection at the time of HSCT and longer time to neutrophil engraftment during transplant are at an increased risk for ICU admission, ventilator support and multi-system organ failure. Patients admitted to the ICU are also at a high risk for mortality leading to poor survival.

Early plasma interferon-β levels as a predictive marker of COVID-19 severe clinical events in adult patients.

We assessed relationships between early peripheral blood type I interferons (IFN)levels, clinical new early warning scores (NEWS), and clinical outcomes in hospitalized coronavirus disease-19(COVID-19) adult patients. Early IFN-β levels were lower among patients who further required intensive care unit (ICU) admission than those measured in patients who did not require an ICU admission duringsevere acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus type 2infection. IFN-β levels were inversely correlated with NEWS only in the subgroup of patients who further required ICU admission. To assess whether peripheral blood IFN-β levels could be a potential relevant biomarker to predict further need for ICU admission, we performed receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analyses that showed for all study patients an area under ROC curve of 0.77 growing to 0.86 (p = 0.003) when the analysis was restricted to a subset of patients with NEWS≥5 at the time of hospital admission. Overall, our findings indicated that early peripheral blood IFN-β levels might be a relevant predictive marker of further need for an ICUadmission in hospitalized COVID-19 adult patients, specifically when clinical score (NEWS) was graded as upper than 5 at the time of hospital admission.

Myopericarditis After COVID-19 mRNA Vaccination Among Adolescents and Young Adults

Published data on COVID-19 mRNA vaccine-associated myopericarditis in adolescents and young adults have been derived from small case series, national population-based studies, or passive reporting systems. Pooled evidence from a larger, international cohort is scarce. To investigate the clinical features and early outcomes associated with myopericarditis after COVID-19 mRNA vaccination in a heterogeneous population of adolescents and young adults. PubMed and EMBASE were searched through August 2022. Language restrictions were not applied. Observational studies and case series describing COVID-19 vaccine-associated myopericarditis in adolescents and young adults aged 12 to 20 years and reporting clinical characteristics and early outcomes were included. Two independent investigators extracted relevant data from each study. One-group meta-analysis in a random effects model was performed. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis and Meta-analysis of Observational Studies in Epidemiology reporting guidelines were followed. The primary outcomes were clinical features and early outcomes for COVID-19 mRNA vaccine-associated myopericarditis, including incident rate, cardiac findings, hospitalization, intensive care unit (ICU) admission, and in-hospital mortality. A total of 23 observational studies were identified, including 854 individuals (mean age, 15.9 [95% CI, 15.5-16.2] years) with COVID-19 vaccine-associated myopericarditis. Male sex was predominant, at 90.3% (95% CI, 87.3%-93.2%) of individuals. The incident rate was higher after the second dose than the first dose, with 74.4% (95% CI, 58.2%-90.5%) of events occurring after the second dose. Most patients (84.4% [95% CI, 80.5%-88.3%] of patients) had preserved left ventricular (LV) function. Of the 15.6% (95% CI, 11.7%-19.5%) of patients with LV systolic dysfunction (LV ejection fraction [LVEF] <55%), most (14.1% [95% CI, 10.2%-18.1%]) were mild (ie, LVEF 45%-54%), and only 1.3% (95% CI, 0%-2.6%) of patients had severe LV systolic dysfunction (ie, LVEF<35%). Interestingly, cardiac magnetic resonance imaging revealed late gadolinium enhancement in 87.2% (95% CI, 79.8%-94.7%) of patients. Although 92.6% (95% CI, 87.8%-97.3%) of patients were hospitalized and 23.2% (95% CI, 11.7%-34.7%) of patients required ICU admission, inotropes were used in only 1.3% (95% CI, 0%-2.7%) of patients, no patients died or required mechanical support, and the hospital length of stay was 2.8 (95% CI, 2.1-3.5) days. This systematic review and meta-analysis found low incidence rate and largely favorable early outcomes of COVID-19 mRNA vaccine-associated myopericarditis in adolescents and young adults from a wide range of populations. These findings are reassuring but continued follow-up is warranted.