Should fresh blood be recommended for intensive care patients?

Fresh blood has many potential advantages over older blood, but there is no evidence that these properties translate into clinical benefit for intensive care patients. The observational multicenter study by Karam and colleagues provides some evidence suggesting that blood stored for less than 14 days is better than older blood in terms of new organ failure and reduction in length of stay in pediatric intensive care units. Though in favor of using young blood, this study suffers from several limitations. As a consequence, it is ethical and certainly pertinent to conduct a randomized clinical trial in order to test the hypothesis that fresh blood might reduce mortality. The rationale is strong and the potential benefit of fresh blood is substantial

Measurement of intracellular generation of hydrogen peroxide by rat glomeruli in vitro

Sequential reduction of oxygen along the univalent pathway leads to the generation of superoxide anion, hydrogen peroxide, hydroxyl radical, and water [1, 2]. These partially reduced oxygen intermediates have been implicated as important mediators in various models of ischemic, toxic and immune-mediated tissue injury including glomerular injury [3]. Reactive oxygen metabolites have been shown to affect several biological processes potentially important in glomerular diseases, and their role in both inflammatory as well as non-inflammatory glomerular diseases has recently been demonstrated [3]. Evidence for the importance of reactive oxygen metabolites in experimental models of glomerular disease is based largely on the protective effects of scavengers of reactive oxygen metabolites

Elderly Patients in the Intensive Care Unit

Very old intensive care unit (ICU) patients, aged ≥ 80 years, are by no mean newcomers, but during the last decades their impact on ICU admissions has grown in parallel with the increase in the number of elderly persons in the community. Hence, from being a “rarity,” they have now become common and constitute one of the largest subgroups within intensive care, and may easily be the largest group in 20 years and make up 30 to 40% of all ICU admissions. Obviously, they are not admitted because they are old but because they are with various diseases and problems like any other ICU patient. However, their age and the presence of common geriatric syndromes such as frailty, cognitive decline, reduced activity of daily life, and several comorbid conditions makes this group particularly challenging, with a high mortality rate. In this review, we will highlight aspects of current and future epidemiology and current knowledge on outcomes, and describe the effects of the aforementioned geriatric syndromes. The major challenge for the coming decades will be the question of whom to treat and the quest for better triage criteria not based on age alone. Challenges with the level of care during the ICU stay will also be discussed. A stronger relationship with geriatricians should be promoted to create a better and more holistic care and aftercare for survivors.acceptedVersio

An integrated approach for prescribing fewer chest x-rays in the ICU

Chest x-rays (CXRs) are the main imaging tool in intensive care units (ICUs). CXRs also are associated with concerns inherent to their use, considering both healthcare organization and patient perspectives. In recent years, several studies have focussed on the feasibility of lowering the number of bedside CXRs performed in the ICU. Such a decrease may result from two independent and complementary processes: a raw reduction of CXRs due to the elimination of unnecessary investigations, and replacement of the CXR by an alternative technique. The goal of this review is to outline emblematic examples corresponding to these two processes. The first part of the review concerns the accumulation of evidence-based data for abandoning daily routine CXRs in mechanically ventilated patients and adopting an on-demand prescription strategy. The second part of the review addresses the use of alternative techniques to CXRs. This part begins with the presentation of ultrasonography or capnography combined with epigastric auscultation for ensuring the correct position of enteral feeding tubes. Ultrasonography is then also presented as an alternative to CXR for diagnosing and monitoring pneumothoraces, as well as a valuable post-procedural technique after central venous catheter insertion. The combination of the emblematic examples presented in this review supports an integrated global approach for decreasing the number of CXRs ordered in the ICU

Errors in administration of parenteral drugs in intensive care units: multinational prospective study

Objective To assess on a multinational level the frequency, characteristics, contributing factors, and preventive measures of administration errors in parenteral medication in intensive care units

0130: Mortality related to cardiogenic shock in critically ill patients in France, 1997-2012

IntroductionMost of data reporting epidemiology of cardiogenic shock (CS) concern patients with acute myocardial infarction admitted in intensive care unit of cardiology. However, CS patients managed in critical care unit (CCU) have often multiorgan failure and seem to have different characteristics and outcome. To our best knowledge no study reported characteristics and clinical outcomes of CS patients admitted in CCU.AimTo report key features, Mortality and Trends in mortality in a large cohort of patients with CS admitting in 33 French CCUs from 1997 to 2012.Methods and resultsWe queried the 1997–2012 database of Parisian area ICUs-the CubRea (Intensive Care Database User Group) database to identify all hospital stays with a principal or an associated diagnosis of CS (National classification of disease R 570). Among 303 314 hospital stays, 17 494 (5.8%) were CS. The patients were managed in 60% of cases in universitary centers. Mean age was 64.3±17.0. Men accounted for 11047 (63.1%). Mean SAPS II was 62.0±24.3. Among CS, only 535 (3.06%) were AMI whereas 2685 (15.3%) were cardiac arrest and 858 (4.9%) were drug intoxications. Mechanical ventilation was required in 12967 (74.1%) of cases, inotropes in 14640 (83.7%) of cases and renal support in 3886 (22.2%) of cases. Mean duration of hospital was 19.1 days±24.7. Intrahospital Mortality was high (46.2%). Predictors of intrahospital death are reported in Table. Over the 15-year period, mortality decreased (49.8% in 1997-2000 and 42.7% in 2009-2012, p<0.001) whereas the patients were more critically ill (SAPS II 58.8±25.4 in 1997-2000 vs 64.2 8±23.6 in 2009-2012, p<0.001).Conclusionit is the first study reporting the prevalence, determinants and prognostic factors of CS patients managed in reanimation. The mortality of these very critically ill patients remains high. However over the 15-year period, even if these patients are more and more critically ill, early mortality decreased.Abstratct 0130 – TableVariablesOR95% CIDrug intoxication.307.236.401Age (<60 yo).436.383.496Mechanical circulatory support.681.3781.228Sepsis.715.637.8022009-2012.998.8851.125SAPS II1.0361.0331.038Acidosis1.4531.2641.670Mechanical ventilation1.7181.4831.990Acute respiratory distress syndrome1.7941.5582.0661997-20001.8141.4522.267Hemodialysis1.8201.6092.060Inotropic use1.9821.1133.530Disseminated intravascular coagulation2.1191.5912.822Cardiac arrest4.3333.8404.88

The Durban World Congress Ethics Round Table conference report: I. Differences between withholding and withdrawing life-sustaining treatments

Introduction: Withholding life-sustaining treatments (WHLST) and withdrawing life-sustaining treatments (WDLST) occur in most intensive care units (ICUs) around the world to varying degrees. Methods: Speakers from invited faculty of the World Federation of Societies of Intensive and Critical Care Medicine Congress in 2013 with an interest in ethics were approached to participate in an ethics round table. Participants were asked if they agreed with the statement "There is no moral difference between withholding and withdrawing a mechanical ventilator." Differences between WHLST and WDLST were discussed. Official statements relating to WHLST and WDLST from intensive care societies, professional bodies, and government statements were sourced, documented, and compared. Results: Sixteen respondents stated that there was no moral difference between withholding or withdrawing a mechanical ventilator, 2 were neutral, and 4 stated that there was a difference. Most ethicists and medical organizations state that there is no moral difference between WHLST and WDLST. A review of guidelines noted that all but 1 of 29 considered WHLST and WDLST as ethically or legally equivalent. Conclusions: Most respondents, practicing intensivists, stated that there is no difference between WHLST and WDLST, supporting most ethicists and professional organizations. A minority of physicians still do not accept their equivalency