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- Abdominal Hypoperfusion and Acute Kidney Injury in the Critically Ill Patient with Liver Cirrhosis: A Prospective Cohort Study.Publication . Pereira, Rui; Lopes, Diogo; Brandão Machado, Sara; Val-Flores, Luís; Caeiro, Fernando; Perdigoto, Rui; Marcelino, Paulo; Saliba, FaouziReduced abdominal perfusion pressure (APP) is an underdiagnosed potential pathophysiological mechanism for acute kidney injury (AKI) in the patient with liver cirrhosis and ascites. This study aimed to analyze the prevalence of abdominal hypoperfusion (AhP) (APP <60 mm Hg) and the impact of APP on AKI in critically ill patients with liver cirrhosis. This was a post hoc analysis from a prospective cohort study set in a general ICU at a tertiary university hospital. Patients were recruited between October 2016 and December 2021. Acute renal failure (ARF) was defined by stage 3 AKI according to the International Club of Ascites. Fifty-eight patients where included, with a mean age of 57 (±8.4) years, 79% were male, and 93% had acute-on-chronic liver failure at admission. The prevalence of AhP reached 75%, and 29% of cases had persisting AhP during the first week of ICU stay. Patients with baseline AhP had a higher 28-day mortality compared to those without AhP (respectively, 76% vs. 49%, = 0.03). Acute renal failure developed in 48% of patients. Higher serum urea (aOR: 1.01, 95% CI: 1.00-1.02, = 0.04) and white blood cell count (aOR: 1.1, 95% CI: 1.01-1.2, = 0.02) at ICU admission, as well as low persisting APP (aOR: 0.9, 95% CI: 0.86-0.98, = 0.02) were independent risk factors for ARF. Critically ill patients with liver cirrhosis presented a high prevalence of ARF, independently associated with higher baseline serum urea and WBC, and lower persisting APP. A structured clinical approach to optimize APP may reduce renal dysfunction in high-risk patients with cirrhosis.
- What Every Intensivist Should Know About ... Ammonia in Liver Failure.Publication . Duarte, Tiago; Fidalgo, Pedro; Karvellas, Constantine J; Cardoso, Filipe S; ElsevierPurpose: Acute liver failure (ALF) or acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF) patients have high short-term mortality and morbidity. In the context of liver failure, increased serum ammonia is associated with worse neurological outcomes, including high-grade hepatic encephalopathy (HE), cerebral edema, and intracranial hypertension. Besides its neurotoxicity, hyperammonemia may contribute to immune dysfunction and the risk of infection, a frequent trigger for multi-organ failure in these patients. Material and methods: We performed a literature-based narrative review. Publications available in PubMed® up to June 2023 were considered. Results: In the ICU management of liver failure patients, serum ammonia may play an important role. Accordingly, in this review, we focus on recent insights about ammonia metabolism, serum ammonia measurement strategies, hyperammonemia prognostic value, and ammonia-targeted therapeutic strategies. Conclusions: Serum ammonia may have prognostic value in liver failure. Effective ammonia targeted therapeutic strategies are available, such as laxatives, rifaximin, L-ornithine-l-aspartate, and continuous renal replacement therapy.
- Time of Day and its Association with Risk of Death and Chance of Discharge in Critically Ill Patients: a Retrospective StudyPublication . Zajic, P; Bauer, P; Rhodes, A; Moreno, R; Fellinger, T; Metnitz, B; Posch, M; Metnitz, POutcomes following admission to intensive care units (ICU) may vary with time and day. This study investigated associations between time of day and risk of ICU mortality and chance of ICU discharge in acute ICU admissions. Adult patients (age ≥ 18 years) who were admitted to ICUs participating in the Austrian intensive care database due to medical or surgical urgencies and emergencies between January 2012 and December 2016 were included in this retrospective study. Readmissions were excluded. Statistical analysis was conducted using the Fine-and-Gray proportional subdistribution hazards model concerning ICU mortality and ICU discharge within 30 days adjusted for SAPS 3 score. 110,628 admissions were analysed. ICU admission during late night and early morning was associated with increased hazards for ICU mortality; HR: 1.17; 95% CI: 1.08-1.28 for 00:00-03:59, HR: 1.16; 95% CI: 1.05-1.29 for 04:00-07:59. Risk of death in the ICU decreased over the day; lowest HR: 0.475, 95% CI: 0.432-0.522 for 00:00-03:59. Hazards for discharge from the ICU dropped sharply after 16:00; lowest HR: 0.024; 95% CI: 0.019-0.029 for 00:00-03:59. We conclude that there are "time effects" in ICUs. These findings may spark further quality improvement efforts.
- Why the Sequential Organ Failure Assessment Score Needs Updating?Publication . Moreno, R; Singer, M; Rhodes, A
- Pancreatic Stone Protein As a Biomarker of SepsisPublication . Lopes, D; Chumbinho, B; Bandovas, JP; Faria, P; Espírito Santo, C; Ferreira, B; Val-Flores, L; Pereira, R; Germano, N; Bento, L
- Abdominal Perfusion Pressure in Critically Ill Cirrhotic Patients: a Prospective Observational StudyPublication . Antunes Pereira, R; Esteves, A; Sousa Cardoso, F; Perdigoto, R; Marcelino, P; Saliba, FIn critical patients, abdominal perfusion pressure (APP) has been shown to correlate with outcome. However, data from cirrhotic patients is scarce. We aimed to characterize APP in critically ill cirrhotic patients, analyze the prevalence and risk factors of abdominal hypoperfusion (AhP) and outcomes. A prospective cohort study in a general ICU specialized in liver disease at a tertiary hospital center recruited consecutive cirrhotic patients between October 2016 and December 2021. The study included 101 patients, with a mean age of 57.2 (± 10.4) years and a female gender proportion of 23.5%. The most frequent etiology of cirrhosis was alcohol (51.0%), and the precipitant event was infection (37.3%). ACLF grade (1-3) distribution was 8.9%, 26.7% and 52.5%, respectively. A total of 1274 measurements presented a mean APP of 63 (± 15) mmHg. Baseline AhP prevalence was 47%, independently associated with paracentesis (aOR 4.81, CI 95% 1.46-15.8, p = 0.01) and ACLF grade (aOR 2.41, CI 95% 1.20-4.85, p = 0.01). Similarly, AhP during the first week (64%) had baseline ACLF grade (aOR 2.09, CI 95% 1.29-3.39, p = 0.003) as a risk factor. Independent risk factors for 28-day mortality were bilirubin (aOR 1.10, CI 95% 1.04-1.16, p < 0.001) and SAPS II score (aOR 1.07, CI 95% 1.03-1.11, p = 0.001). There was a high prevalence of AhP in critical cirrhotic patients. Abdominal hypoperfusion was independently associated with higher ACLF grade and baseline paracentesis. Risk factors for 28-day mortality included clinical severity and total bilirubin. The prevention and treatment of AhP in the high-risk cirrhotic patient is prudential.
- Prognosticating the Outcome of Intensive Care in Older Patients - a Narrative ReviewPublication . Beil, M; Moreno, R; Fronczek, J; Kogan, Y; Moreno, R; Flaatten, H; Guidet, B; de Lange, D; Leaver, S; Nachshon, A; van Heerden, P; Joskowicz, L; Sviri, S; Jung, C; Szczeklik, WPrognosis determines major decisions regarding treatment for critically ill patients. Statistical models have been developed to predict the probability of survival and other outcomes of intensive care. Although they were trained on the characteristics of large patient cohorts, they often do not represent very old patients (age ≥ 80 years) appropriately. Moreover, the heterogeneity within this particular group impairs the utility of statistical predictions for informing decision-making in very old individuals. In addition to these methodological problems, the diversity of cultural attitudes, available resources as well as variations of legal and professional norms limit the generalisability of prediction models, especially in patients with complex multi-morbidity and pre-existing functional impairments. Thus, current approaches to prognosticating outcomes in very old patients are imperfect and can generate substantial uncertainty about optimal trajectories of critical care in the individual. This article presents the state of the art and new approaches to predicting outcomes of intensive care for these patients. Special emphasis has been given to the integration of predictions into the decision-making for individual patients. This requires quantification of prognostic uncertainty and a careful alignment of decisions with the preferences of patients, who might prioritise functional outcomes over survival. Since the performance of outcome predictions for the individual patient may improve over time, time-limited trials in intensive care may be an appropriate way to increase the confidence in decisions about life-sustaining treatment.
- The Contribution of Frailty, Cognition, Activity of Daily Life and Comorbidities on Outcome in Acutely Admitted Patients Over 80 Years in European ICUs: the VIP2 StudyPublication . Guidet, B; de Lange, D; Boumendil, A; Leaver, S; Watson, X; Boulanger, C; Szczeklik, W; Artigas, A; Morandi, A; Andersen, F; Zafeiridis, T; Jung, C; Moreno, R; Walther, S; Oeyen, S; Schefold, J; Cecconi, M; Marsh, B; Joannidis, M; Nalapko, Y; Elhadi, M; Fjølner, J; Flaatten, HPurpose: Premorbid conditions affect prognosis of acutely-ill aged patients. Several lines of evidence suggest geriatric syndromes need to be assessed but little is known on their relative effect on the 30-day survival after ICU admission. The primary aim of this study was to describe the prevalence of frailty, cognition decline and activity of daily life in addition to the presence of comorbidity and polypharmacy and to assess their influence on 30-day survival. Methods: Prospective cohort study with 242 ICUs from 22 countries. Patients 80 years or above acutely admitted over a six months period to an ICU between May 2018 and May 2019 were included. In addition to common patients' characteristics and disease severity, we collected information on specific geriatric syndromes as potential predictive factors for 30-day survival, frailty (Clinical Frailty scale) with a CFS > 4 defining frail patients, cognitive impairment (informant questionnaire on cognitive decline in the elderly (IQCODE) with IQCODE ≥ 3.5 defining cognitive decline, and disability (measured the activity of daily life with the Katz index) with ADL ≤ 4 defining disability. A Principal Component Analysis to identify co-linearity between geriatric syndromes was performed and from this a multivariable model was built with all geriatric information or only one: CFS, IQCODE or ADL. Akaike's information criterion across imputations was used to evaluate the goodness of fit of our models. Results: We included 3920 patients with a median age of 84 years (IQR: 81-87), 53.3% males). 80% received at least one organ support. The median ICU length of stay was 3.88 days (IQR: 1.83-8). The ICU and 30-day survival were 72.5% and 61.2% respectively. The geriatric conditions were median (IQR): CFS: 4 (3-6); IQCODE: 3.19 (3-3.69); ADL: 6 (4-6); Comorbidity and Polypharmacy score (CPS): 10 (7-14). CFS, ADL and IQCODE were closely correlated. The multivariable analysis identified predictors of 1-month mortality (HR; 95% CI): Age (per 1 year increase): 1.02 (1.-1.03, p = 0.01), ICU admission diagnosis, sequential organ failure assessment score (SOFA) (per point): 1.15 (1.14-1.17, p < 0.0001) and CFS (per point): 1.1 (1.05-1.15, p < 0.001). CFS remained an independent factor after inclusion of life-sustaining treatment limitation in the model. Conclusion: We confirm that frailty assessment using the CFS is able to predict short-term mortality in elderly patients admitted to ICU. Other geriatric syndromes do not add improvement to the prediction model. Since CFS is easy to measure, it should be routinely collected for all elderly ICU patients in particular in connection to advance care plans, and should be used in decision making.
- Transcutaneous Electrical Diaphragmatic Stimulation Reduces the Duration of Invasive Mechanical Ventilation in Patients with Cervical Spinal Cord Injury: Retrospective Case SeriesPublication . Duarte, G; Bethiol, A; Ratti, L; Franco, G; Moreno, R; Tonella, R; Falcão, ALStudy design: Retrospective case series. Objectives: To compare individuals with cervical spinal cord injury (SCI) submitted to transcutaneous electrical diaphragmatic stimulation (TEDS) or a standard weaning protocol (SWP) according to the following variables: invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV) time, ventilator weaning time, intensive care unit (ICU) length of stay, and overall hospital length of stay. Settings: Tertiary university hospital. Clinical Hospital of Campinas State University-UNICAMP-Campinas (SP), Brazil. Methods: Retrospective case study investigating ICU patients submitted to tracheostomy due to cervical SCI at a tertiary university hospital (Clinical Hospital of Campinas State University, Brazil). Data were extracted from medical records of patients seen between January 2007 and December 2016. According to medical records, four patients were submitted to TEDS and six to a SWP. Provision of training to patients in the TEDS group was based on consensus medical decision, preference of the physical therapy team and availability of electrostimulation equipment in the ICU. Results: Total IMV time in the TEDS and the SWP group was 33 ± 15 and 60 ± 22 days, respectively. Length of stay in ICU in the TEDS and the SWP group was 31 ± 18 and 63 ± 45 days, respectively. Conclusion: TEDS appears to influence the duration of IMV as well as the length of stay in ICU. This physiotherapeutic intervention may be a potentially promising tool for treatment of patients with SCI. However, randomized clinical trials are warranted to support this assumption.
- Kawasaki-Like Syndrome as an Emerging Complication of SARS-CoV-2 Infection in Young AdultsPublication . Germano, N; Pelicano Paulos, J; Botelho Cardoso, F; Ferreira, AT; Burgi Vieira, CBackground: Kawasaki-like syndrome occurring in children during the COVID-19 pandemic has been labelled multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) by the CDC and paediatric inflammatory multisystem syndrome temporally associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection (PIMS-TS) by the ECDC. Case report: We report the case of an 18-year-old male patient presenting with a 72-hour history of abdominal pain, fever, erythematous skin rash, vomiting and diarrhoea. Examination showed he also had shock and he was first thought to have oedematous cholecystitis. SARS-CoV-2 infection was also diagnosed. He was admitted to the ICU, and echocardiography showed cardiac dysfunction, with a low ejection fraction and low cardiac index. High-sensitivity troponin serum levels were elevated. The patient received inotropic and vasopressor support. As he fulfilled several criteria for MIS-C/PIMS-TS, he was administered acetylsalicylic acid, corticosteroids and immunoglobulin, with a good clinical response. Conclusion: This case emphasizes how this severe presentation of COVID-19 can easily be misdiagnosed if the clinician is less aware of this syndrome in younger patients. Learning points: SARS-CoV-2 infection is a diagnostic challenge in some patients with atypical clinical presentations, who may have MIS-C/PIMS-TS.Physicians should be aware of this condition when evaluating teenagers and young adults with COVID-19.