A nationwide survey of intensive care unit discharge practices

Objective: To describe intensive care unit (ICU) discharge practices, examine factors associated with physicians' discharge decisions, and explore ICU and hospital characteristics and clinical determinants associated with the discharge process. Design: Survey in adult ICUs affiliated with the Swiss Society of Intensive Care Medicine. Interventions: Questionnaire inquiring about ICU structure and organization mailed to 73 medical directors. Level of monitoring, intravenous medications, and physiological variables were proposed as elements of discharge decision. Five clinical situations were presented with request to assign a discharge disposition. Measurements and results: Fifty-five ICUs participated, representing 75% of adult Swiss ICUs. Responsibility for patient management was assigned in 91% to the ICU team directing patient care. Only 22% of responding centers used written discharge guidelines. One-half of the respondents considered at least 10 of 15 proposed criteria to decide patient discharge. ICUs in central referral hospitals used fewer criteria than community and private hospitals. The availability of intermediate care units was significantly greater in university hospitals. The ICU director's level of experience was not associated with the number of criteria used. In the five clinical scenarios there was wide variation in discharge decision. Conclusions: Our data indicate that there is marked heterogeneity in ICUs discharge practices, and that discharge decisions may be influenced by institutional factors. University teaching hospitals had more intermediate care facilities available. Written discharge guidelines were not widely use

Is it now time to promote mixed enteral and parenteral nutrition for the critically ill patient?

Background: Intensive care outcome measured by morbidity and mortality is altered in the severely malnourished ICU patient, and nutritional support of the critically ill is accepted as astandard of care. Current recommendations suggest starting enteral feeding as soon as possible whenever the gastrointestinal tract is functioning. The disadvantage of enteral support is that inadequate energy and protein intake can occur. The present commentary focuses on some recent findings regarding the nutritional support of critically ill patients and proposes to promote mixed nutrition support by enteral nutrition (EN), and by parenteral nutrition (PN) whenever EN is insufficient. Recent findings: An increasing nutrition deficit during along ICU stay is associated with increased morbidity (increased infection rate or impaired wound healing). Evidence shows that EN can result in underfeeding and that nutrition goals are reached only after 5-7days. Contrary to former beliefs, recent meta-analyses of studies in the ICU showed that PN is not related to excess mortality but may even be associated with improved survival. Conclusions: Optimising the increased substrate requirement for the critically ill by initiating timely nutrition support and ensuring tight glycaemic control with insulin is now considered central for improvedintensive care outcomes. Supplemental PN combined with EN could be an effective alternative to achieve 100% of energy and protein targets at day4, when EN alone fails to achieve goals greater than 60% by day3. Whether such combined nutrition support provides additional benefit on overall outcome has to be ascertained in further studie

Randomized trial of the effect of antipyresis by metamizol, propacetamol or external cooling on metabolism, hemodynamics and inflammatory response

Objective: We investigated the metabolic, hemodynamic, and inflammatory responses of pharmacological and physical therapies aimed at reducing body temperature in febrile critically ill patients. Design and setting: Open-label, randomized trial in a surgical ICU in a tertiary university hospital. Patients: Thirty analgosedated, mechanically ventilated patients with a temperature of 38.5°C or higher were randomized to receive either intravenous metamizol, intravenous propacetamol, or external cooling. Measurements and results: Body temperature and metabolic and hemodynamic variables were recorded at baseline and during the following 4h. Cytokine concentrations were assessed before and 4 and 12h after the initiation of antipyresis. Body temperature decreased significantly in all treatment groups. For a 1°C temperature decrease, the energy expenditure index increased by 5% with external cooling and decreased by 7% and 8% in the metamizol and propacetamol groups, respectively. Metamizol induced a significant decrease in mean arterial pressure and urine output compared to baseline and to the other two groups. C-reactive protein increased over time, but compared to the other groups it was significantly lower in patients receiving metamizol after 4h. Cytokine concentrations were not different among the three groups or over time, although interleukin 6 tended to decrease over time in the metamizol group. Conclusions: Metamizol, propacetamol, and external cooling equally reduced temperature. Considering the undesirable hemodynamic effects, metamizol should not be considered the first antipyretic choice in unstable patients. Propacetamol or external cooling should be preferred, although the latter should be avoided in patients unlikely to tolerate the increased metabolic demand induced by external coolin

Arterial mycotic aneurysm rupture following kidney-pancreatic transplantation with exocrine pancreatic drainage into the bladder: an unusual observation

In this case report, we describe two patients who received a kidney-pancreatic transplant through technique of exocrine pancreatic drainage into the bladder, and who subsequently developed arterial mycotic aneurysms at the site of the arterial anastomosis of the homograft

Ecstasy ingestion and fulminant hepatic failure: liver transplantation to be considered as a last therapeutic option

Severe adverse effects due to 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, ecstasy) are reported with increasing frequency in the medical literature. The signs of acute toxicity most often seen are fulminant hyperthermia, hyperexcitatory states, acute renal failure and hyponatraemia. In 1992, hepatotoxicity was also described with unexplained jaundice and hepatomegaly after ingestion of MDMA. We report a case of severe toxic hepatitis following ingestion of MDMA with fulminant hepatic failure which required auxiliary liver transplantation. The diagnosis was necrotic toxic hepatitis following ecstasy ingestion. The outcome was successful, and the patient was discharged from ICU 20 d after surgery. Hepatotoxic effects of MDMA seem infrequent, but may be lethal; liver transplantation is the ultimate therapeutic option in some cases

Aspects physiopathologiques de la microcirculation aux soins intensifs

In critical care patients, microvascular alterations and perfusion heterogeneity play an important role in the persistence of cellular hypoxia despite a satisfactory functioning of the macrocirculation. Advance in the knowledge of microcirculatory pathophysiology, and its relation with the macrocirculation could be in the future a way to improve the outcome of critically ill patients. Moreover, the evolution of clinical practice towards microcirculation monitoring as a standard of care, with new therapeutic targets aimed to increase tissue perfusion, could be a revolution in critical care practice

Altérations de la microcirculation dans les états de choc: physiopathologie, surveillance et traitement

Microcirculation represents a complex system devoted to provide optimal tissue substrates and oxygen. Therefore, pathophysiological and technological knowledge developments tailored for capillary circulation analysis should generate major advances for critically ill patients' management. In the future, microcirculatory monitoring in several critical care situations will allow recognition of macro-microcirculatory decoupling, and, hopefully, it will promote the use of treatments aimed at preserving tissue oxygenation and substrate delivery