Association between preoperative evaluation with lung ultrasound and outcome in frail elderly patients undergoing orthopedic surgery for hip fractures: study protocol for an Italian multicenter observational prospective study (LUSHIP)

Hip fracture is one of the most common orthopedic causes of hospital admission in frail elderly patients. Hip fracture fixation in this class of patients is considered a high-risk procedure. Preoperative physical examination, plasma natriuretic peptide levels (BNP, Pro-BNP), and cardiovascular scoring systems (ASA-PS, RCRI, NSQIP-MICA) have all been demonstrated to underestimate the risk of postoperative complications. We designed a prospective multicenter observational study to assess whether preoperative lung ultrasound examination can predict better postoperative events thanks to the additional information they provide in the form of "indirect" and "direct" cardiac and pulmonary lung ultrasound signs

Low-flow veno-venous extracorporeal CO2 removal: first clinical experience in lung transplant recipients

Low-flow extracorporeal CO2 removal devices are easy to setup and manage and may provide valuable ventilation support

Influence of left ventricular unloading on pediatric post-cardiotomy veno-arterial extracorporeal life support outcomes

BACKGROUND: The effectiveness of veno-arterial extracorporeal life support (V-A ECLS) in treating neonatal and pediatric patients with complex congenital heart disease (CHD) and requiring cardio-circulatory assistance is well-known. Nevertheless, the influence of left ventricle (LV) distension and its countermeasure, namely LV unloading, on survival and clinical outcomes in neonates and children treated with V-A ECLS needs still to be addressed. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine the effects of LV unloading on in-hospital survival and complications in neonates and children treated with V-A ECLS. METHODS: The clinical outcomes of 90 pediatric patients with CHD under 16 years of age supported with V-A ECLS for post-cardiotomy cardiogenic shock (CS) were retrospectively reviewed in relationship with the presence or absence of an active LV unloading strategy. RESULTS: The patient cohort included 90 patients (age 19.6 ± 31.54 months, 64.4% males), 42 of whom were vented with different techniques (38 with atrial septostomy (AS) or left atria cannula, two with cannula from LV apex, 1 with intra-aortic balloon pump (IABP), and one with pigtail across the aortic valve). The LV unloading strategy significantly increased the in-hospital survival (odds ratio [OR] = 2.74, 95% CI 1.06–7.08; p = 0.037). On the contrary, extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation decreased the related survival (OR = 0.32, 95% CI 1.09–0.96; p = 0.041). The most common complications were infections (28.8%), neurological injury (26%), and bleeding (25.6%). However, these did not differently occur in venting and no-venting groups. CONCLUSION: In pediatric patients with CHD supported with V-A ECLS for post-cardiotomy CS, the LV unloading strategy was associated with increased survival

Association between preoperative evaluation with lung ultrasound and outcome in frail elderly patients undergoing orthopedic surgery for hip fractures: study protocol for an Italian multicenter observational prospective study (LUSHIP)

Abstract Background Hip fracture is one of the most common orthopedic causes of hospital admission in frail elderly patients. Hip fracture fixation in this class of patients is considered a high-risk procedure. Preoperative physical examination, plasma natriuretic peptide levels (BNP, Pro-BNP), and cardiovascular scoring systems (ASA-PS, RCRI, NSQIP-MICA) have all been demonstrated to underestimate the risk of postoperative complications. We designed a prospective multicenter observational study to assess whether preoperative lung ultrasound examination can predict better postoperative events thanks to the additional information they provide in the form of “indirect” and “direct” cardiac and pulmonary lung ultrasound signs. Methods LUSHIP is an Italian multicenter prospective observational study. Patients will be recruited on a nation-wide scale in the 12 participating centers. Patients aged  >  65 years undergoing spinal anesthesia for hip fracture fixation will be enrolled. A lung ultrasound score (LUS) will be generated based on the examination of six areas of each lung and ascribing to each area one of the four recognized aeration patterns—each of which is assigned a subscore of 0, 1, 2, or 3. Thus, the total score will have the potential to range from a minimum of 0 to a maximum of 36. The association between 30-day postoperative complications of cardiac and/or pulmonary origin and the overall mortality will be studied. Considering the fact that cardiac complications in patients undergoing hip surgery occur in approx. 30% of cases, to achieve 80% statistical power, we will need a sample size of 877 patients considering a relative risk of 1.5. Conclusions Lung ultrasound (LU), as a tool within the anesthesiologist’s armamentarium, is becoming increasingly widespread, and its use in the preoperative setting is also starting to become more common. Should the study demonstrate the ability of LU to predict postoperative cardiac and pulmonary complications in hip fracture patients, a randomized clinical trial will be designed with the scope of improving patient outcome. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04074876. Registered on August 30, 2019