Explore the vast range of titles available.

Objective Brain injury is well established as a cause of early mortality after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA), but postresuscitation shock also contributes to these deaths. This study aims to describe the respective incidence, risk factors, and relation to mortality of post-cardiac arrest (CA) shock and brain injury. Design Retrospective analysis of an observational cohort. Setting 24-bed medical intensive care unit (ICU) in a French university hospital. Patients All consecutive patients admitted following OHCA were considered for analysis. Post-CA shock was defined as a need for infusion of vasoactive drugs after resuscitation. Death related to brain injury included brain death and care withdrawal for poor neurological evolution. Intervention None. Measurements and main results Between 2000 and 2009, 1,152 patients were admitted after OHCA. Post-CA shock occurred in 789 (68 %) patients. Independent factors associated with its onset were high blood lactate and creatinine levels at ICU admission. During the ICU stay, 269 (34.8 %) patients died from post-CA shock and 499 (65.2 %) from neurological injury. Age, raised blood lactate and creatinine values, and time from collapse to restoration of spontaneous circulation increased the risk of ICU mortality from both shock and brain injury, whereas a shockable rhythm was associated with reduced risk of death from these causes. Finally, bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) decreased the risk of death from neurological injury. Conclusions Brain injury accounts for the majority of deaths, but post-CA shock affects more than two-thirds of OHCA patients. Mortality from post-CA shock and brain injury share similar risk factors, which are related to the quality of the rescue process.

Controlled donation after the circulatory determination of death (cDCDD) is currently one of the most promising ways to increase organ availability. In France, a national cDCDD protocol requiring abdominal normothermic regional perfusion (A-NRP) has been in place since 2015. The recent consideration of heart procurement from cDCDD donors has reignited clinical and ethical debates within the critical care community. This position paper, endorsed by the two French intensive care societies, provides a critical care perspective on this evolving practice. Two key challenges are identified. First, heart procurement may require the withdrawal of life-sustaining measures (WLSM) to occur in or near the operating room, in contrast with French current practice where WLSM mostly takes place in the ICU. Intensivists strongly advocate maintaining ICU-based WLSM whenever possible, and ensuring continuity of care and end-of-life support when relocation is unavoidable. Second, the use of NRP raises concerns about the permanence of death and compliance with the dead donor rule. These concerns can be addressed through targeted biomedical research and a robust ethical framework affirming that death is declared prior to NRP and that no return to life is possible thereafter. Transparent engagement with these challenges is essential to sustain trust in the cDCDD pathway.

Intensive care to facilitate organ donation (ICOD) is being discussed internationally without reaching a consensus. The aim of this paper is to share with the community the recently published French ICOD guidelines, focusing on two main ethical issues: the ethical acceptability of antemortem interventions during the ICOD process, and the ethical acceptability of considering controlled donation after circulatory death during the ICOD process. These issues raised by the tension between end-of-life care and the possibility of OD deserve to be addressed as they challenge the consideration of ICOD as a routine part of end-of-life care.

Managing patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) requires frequent changes in mechanical ventilator respiratory settings to optimize arterial oxygenation assessed by arterial oxygen partial pressure (PaO 2 ) and saturation (SaO 2 ). Pulse oxymetry (SpO 2 ) has been suggested as a non-invasive surrogate for arterial oxygenation however its accuracy in COVID-19 patients is unknown. In this study, we aimed to investigate the influence of COVID-19 status on the association between SpO 2 and arterial oxygenation. We prospectively included patients with ARDS and compared COVID-19 to non-COVID-19 patients, regarding SpO 2 and concomitant arterial oxygenation (SaO 2 and PaO 2 ) measurements, and their association. Bias was defined as mean difference between SpO 2 and SaO 2 measurements. Occult hypoxemia was defined as a SpO 2  ≥ 92% while concomitant SaO 2  < 88%. Multiple linear regression models were built to account for confounders. We also assessed concordance between positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) trial-induced changes in SpO 2 and in arterial oxygenation. We included 55 patients, among them 26 (47%) with COVID-19. Overall, SpO 2 and SaO 2 measurements were correlated (r = 0.70; p  < 0.0001), however less so in COVID-19 than in non-COVID-19 patients (r = 0.55, p  < 0.0001 vs. r = 0.84, p  < 0.0001, p  = 0.002 for intergroup comparison). Bias was + 1.1%, greater in COVID-19 than in non-COVID-19 patients (2.0 vs. 0.3%; p  = 0.02). In multivariate analysis, bias was associated with COVID-19 status (unstandardized β = 1.77, 95%CI = 0.38–3.15, p  = 0.01), ethnic group and ARDS severity. Occult hypoxemia occurred in 5.5% of measurements (7.7% in COVID-19 patients vs. 3.4% in non-COVID-19 patients, p  = 0.42). Concordance rate between PEEP trial-induced changes in SpO 2 and SaO 2 was 84%, however less so in COVID-19 than in non-COVID-19 patients (69% vs. 97%, respectively). Similar results were observed for PaO 2 regarding correlations, bias, and concordance with SpO 2 changes. In patients with ARDS, SpO 2 was associated with arterial oxygenation, but COVID-19 status significantly altered this association.

The success of any donation process requires that potential brain-dead donors (PBDD) are detected and referred early to professionals responsible for their evaluation and conversion to actual donors. The intensivist plays a crucial role in organ donation. However, identification and referral of PBDDs may be suboptimal in the critical care environment. Factors influencing lower rates of detection and referral include the lack of specific training and the need to provide concomitant urgent care to other critically ill patients. Excellent communication between the ICU staff and the procurement organization is necessary to ensure the optimization of both the number and quality of organs transplanted. The organ donation process has been improved over the last two decades with the involvement and commitment of many healthcare professionals. Clinical protocols have been developed and implemented to better organize the multidisciplinary approach to organ donation. In this manuscript, we aim to highlight the main steps of organ donation, taking into account the following: early identification and evaluation of the PBDD with the use of checklists; donor management, including clinical maintenance of the PBDD with high-quality intensive care to prevent graft failure in recipients and strategies for optimizing donated organs by simplified care standards, clinical guidelines and alert tools; the key role of the intensivist in the donation process with the interaction between ICU professionals and transplant coordinators, nurse protocol managers, and communication skills training; and a final remark on the importance of the development of research with further insight into brain death pathophysiology and reversible organ damage.

Background High-flow nasal oxygen therapy (HFNC) may be an attractive first-line ventilatory support in COVID-19 patients. However, HNFC use for the management of COVID-19 patients and risk factors for HFNC failure remain to be determined. Methods In this retrospective study, we included all consecutive COVID-19 patients admitted to our intensive care unit (ICU) in the first (Mars-May 2020) and second (August 2020- February 202) French pandemic waves. Patients with limitations for intubation were excluded. HFNC failure was defined as the need for intubation after ICU admission. The impact of HFNC use was analyzed in the whole cohort and after constructing a propensity score. Risk factors for HNFC failure were identified through a landmark time-dependent cause-specific Cox model. The ability of the 6-h ROX index to detect HFNC failure was assessed by generating receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. Results 200 patients were included: HFNC was used in 114(57%) patients, non-invasive ventilation in 25(12%) patients and 145(72%) patients were intubated with a median delay of 0 (0–2) days after ICU admission. Overall, 78(68%) patients had HFNC failure. Patients with HFNC failure had a higher ICU mortality rate (34 vs. 11%, p = 0.02) than those without. At landmark time of 48 and 72 h, SAPS-2 score, extent of CT-Scan abnormalities > 75% and HFNC duration (cause specific hazard ratio (CSH) = 0.11, 95% CI (0.04–0.28), per + 1 day, p < 0.001 at 48 h and CSH = 0.06, 95% CI (0.02–0.23), per + 1 day, p < 0.001 at 72 h) were associated with HFNC failure. The 6-h ROX index was lower in patients with HFNC failure but could not reliably predicted HFNC failure with an area under ROC curve of 0.65 (95% CI(0.52–0.78), p = 0.02). In the matched cohort, HFNC use was associated with a lower risk of intubation (CSH = 0.32, 95% CI (0.19–0.57), p < 0.001). Conclusions In critically-ill COVID-19 patients, while HFNC use as first-line ventilatory support was associated with a lower risk of intubation, more than half of patients had HFNC failure. Risk factors for HFNC failure were SAPS-2 score and extent of CT-Scan abnormalities > 75%. The risk of HFNC failure could not be predicted by the 6-h ROX index but decreased after a 48-h HFNC duration.

Purpose Characteristics of acute kidney injury (AKI) occurring after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) are incompletely described. We aimed to evaluate the prevalence of AKI, identifying risk factors and assessing the impact of AKI on outcome after OHCA. Methods Single-center study between 2007 and 2012 in a cardiac arrest center in Paris, France. All consecutive OHCA patients with at least one weight measurement and one serum creatinine level available and treated by therapeutic hypothermia were included, except those with chronic kidney disease and those dead on arrival. AKI was defined as stage 3 of the Acute Kidney Injury Network (AKIN) classification. Main outcome was day-30 mortality. Factors associated with AKI occurrence and day-30 mortality were evaluated by logistic regression. Results 580 patients (71.3 % male, median age 59.3 years, initial shockable rhythm in 56.9 % of cases) were included in the analysis. AKI stage 3 occurred in 280 (48.3 %) patients. Age, male gender, resuscitation duration, post-resuscitation shock, public setting, and initial rhythm were associated with AKI stage 3. AKI stage 3 was associated with a significantly higher day-30 mortality rate [OR 1.60; 95 % CI (1.05, 2.43); p  = 0.03]. No independent association between AKI and neurologic outcome was observed. At day 30, 67 patients had a normal kidney function (eGFR >75 mL/min/1.73 m 2 ), and five remained dialysis-dependent. Patients with eGFR higher than 75 mL/min/1.73 m 2 at day 30 were younger and more frequently male. Conclusion AKI stage 3 was frequent after OHCA and was associated with poorer outcome. Improvement strategies in post-resuscitation care should consider AKI as a potential target of treatment.

Background The 2011 4th European Conference on Infections in Leukemia (ECIL4) guidelines recommend antibiotics de-escalation/discontinuation in selected febrile neutropenia (FN) patients. We aimed to assess the impact of an antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) program based on these guidelines on antibiotics use and clinical outcomes in high-risk FN patients. Methods We conducted an observational study in the hematology department of Cochin University Hospital in Paris, France. An ECIL4-based antibiotics de-escalation and discontinuation strategy was implemented jointly by the hematologists and the AMS team. The pre-intervention (January–October 2018) and post-intervention (January-October 2019) periods were compared. We retrospectively collected clinical and microbiological data. We compiled antibiotics consumptions via hospital pharmacy data and standardized them by calculating defined daily doses per 1000 patient-days. We analyzed the two-monthly antibiotic consumption using an interrupted time series method and built a composite endpoint for clinical outcomes based on transfer to the intensive care unit (ICU) and/or hospital death. Results Overall, 273 hospital stays (164 patients) in the pre-intervention and 217 (148 patients) in the post-intervention periods were analyzed. Patients were mainly hospitalized for intensive chemotherapy for acute leukemia or autologous stem-cell transplant for myeloma. Patients were slightly younger in the pre-intervention compared to the post-intervention period (median age 60.4 vs 65.2 years, p = 0.049), but otherwise comparable. After implementation of the AMS program, glycopeptide and carbapenem use decreased by 85% (p = 0.03) and 72% (p = 0.04), respectively. After adjustment on confounders, the risk of transfer to the ICU/death decreased significantly after implementation of the AMS program (post-intervention period: odds-ratio = 0.29, 95% Confidence Interval: 0.15–0.53, p < 0.001). Conclusion Implementation of a multidisciplinary AMS program for high-risk neutropenic patients was associated with lower carbapenem and glycopeptide use and improved clinical outcomes.

Introduction The influence of blood glucose (BG) level during the post-resuscitation period after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) is still debated. To evaluate the relationship between blood glucose level and outcome, we included the median glycemia and its maximal amplitude over the first 48 h following ICU admission in an analysis of outcome predictors. Methods We conducted a database study in a cardiac arrest center in Paris, France. Between 2006 and 2010, we included 381 patients who were all resuscitated from an OHCA. A moderate glycemic control was applied in all patients. The median glycemia and the largest change over the first 48 h were included in a multivariate analysis that was performed to determine parameters associated with a favorable outcome. Results Of the 381 patients, 136 (36 %) had a favorable outcome (CPC 1–2). Median BG level was 7.6 mmol/L (6.3–9.8) in patients with a favorable outcome compared to 9.0 mmol/L (IQR 7.1–10.6) for patients with an unfavorable outcome ( p  < 0.01). Median BG level variation was 7.1 (4.2–11) and 9.6 (5.9–13.6) mmol/L in patients with and without a favorable outcome, respectively ( p  < 0.01). In multivariate analysis, an increased median BG level over the first 48 h was found to be an independent predictor of poor issue [OR = 0.43; 95 % CI (0.24–0.78), p  = 0.006]. Finally a progressive increase in median BG level was associated with a progressive increase in the proportion of patients with a poor outcome. Conclusion We observed a relationship between high blood glucose level and outcome after cardiac arrest. These results suggest the need to test a strategy combining both control of glycemia and minimization of glycemic variations for its ability to improve post-resuscitation care.

Abstract Rationale Studies show that the quality of end-of-life communication and care have a significant impact on the living long after the death of a relative and have been implicated in the burden of psychological symptoms after the ICU experience. In the case of organ donation, the patient’s relatives are centrally involved in the decision-making process; yet, few studies have examined the impact of the quality of communication on the burden of psychological symptoms after death. Objectives To assess the experience of the organ donation process and grief symptoms in relatives of brain-dead patients who discussed organ donation in the ICU. Methods We conducted a multicenter longitudinal study in 28 ICUs in France. Participants were the relatives of brain-dead patients who were approached to discuss organ donation. Relatives were followed-up by phone at three time points: at 1 month, to complete a questionnaire describing their experience of the organ donation process; at 3 months, to complete the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale and the Impact of Event Scale–Revised; and at 9 months, to complete the Impact of Event Scale–Revised and the Inventory of Complicated Grief. Measurements and Main Results In total, 202 relatives of 202 patients were included, of whom 158 consented to and 44 refused organ donation. Interviews were conducted at 1, 3, and 9 months with 78%, 68%, and 58% of relatives, respectively. The overall experience of the organ donation process was significantly more burdensome for relatives of nondonors. They were more dissatisfied with communication (27% vs. 10%; P = 0.021), more often shocked by the request (65% vs. 19%; P < 0.0001), and more often found the decision difficult (53% vs. 27%; P = 0.017). However, there were no significant differences in grief symptoms measured at 3 and 9 months between the two groups. Understanding of brain death was associated with grief symptoms; our results show a higher prevalence of complicated grief symptoms among relatives who did not understand the brain death process than among those who did (75% vs. 46.1%; P = 0.026). Conclusions Experience of the organ donation process varied between relatives of donor versus nondonor patients, with relatives of nondonors experiencing lower-quality communication, but the decision was not associated with subsequent grief symptoms. Importantly, understanding of brain death is a key element of the organ donation process for relatives.