Incidence, treatment and outcome of critically ill patients with acute respiratory failure

Acute respiratory failure (ARF) is the most common organ failure in critically ill patients. Up to 74% of patients in intensive care units (ICUs) need some kind of ventilatory support. Additional organ failures are associated with higher mortality. High morbidity and mortality together with increased cost of mechanical ventilation, necessitates assessment of long-term outcome, and an analysis of cost-effectiveness. The aim of this study was to evaluate the incidence, treatment, and outcome of patients suffering from overall ARF, and a subset suffering from pandemic influenza A(H1N1) virus infection, in Finnish ICUs. The predictive value of serum zinc in organ failure and mortality was studied in ARF patients. One-year outcome for ARF was assessed. Health related quality of life (HRQOL), quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) for one-year survivors, and cost for one QALY, was estimated. A total of 958 patients from 25 Finnish ICUs needed ventilatory support for more than 6 hours during an 8-week period in 2007. Serum zinc level was assessd in 551 patients. A total of 132 H1N1 patients were assessed for incidence, treatment, and short-term outcome during an outbreak between 11 October and 31 December 2009. The incidence of ARF, and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) in the adult population were 149.5/100,000 and 5.0/100,000 per year, respectively. Median tidal volume per predicted body weight was 8.7 ml/kg and airway pressure was 19 cmH2O. The 90-day mortality of ARF was 31%, and one-year mortality was 35%. The incidence of H1N1 was 24.7 per million inhabitants. Corticosteroids were used frequently and their use was not associated with mortality in these patients. Rescue therapies, except prone positioning, were rarely used. Hospital mortality of H1N1 patients was 8%. The level of serum zinc decreased with increased severity of cardiovascular organ failure, but was not associated with 30-day mortality. HRQOL at one year after ARF was lower than population values of similar age and gender. The mean estimated cost for a hospital survivor was 20,739. The mean predicted lifetime QALYs were 11.3, and cost for one QALY for all ARF patients was 1,391. This study showed that the incidence of ARF was higher, while the incidence of ARDS was lower in Finland than reported from other countries. Tidal volumes were higher than recommended in the concept of lung protective ventilation. The short- and long term mortality was low. The incidence of H1N1 was similar to that previously reported. Corticosteroid treatment was frequently used. Hospital mortality of H1N1 was 8%. Serum zinc level was not useful in predicting 30-day mortality. Cost per hospital survivor, and lifetime cost-utility was reasonable.Äkillinen hengitysvajaus on yleisin teho-osastolla hoidettava elinhäiriö. Tehopotilaista jopa 74% tarvitsee jonkinlaista hengityslaitehoitoa. Hengitysvajauspotilaiden kuolleisuus kasvaa muiden elinhäiriöiden lisääntyessä. Pitkäaikaisseuranta ja kustannusvaikuttavuuden arviointi on suositeltavaa, koska hengitysvajauksen hoito on kallista ja sairastavuus sekä kuolleisuus korkeita. Tämän tutkimuksen tarkoituksena oli selvittää yleisesti äkillisen hengitysvajauksen esiintyvyys, hoito ja ennuste Suomen teho-osastoilla sekä arvioida tehohoitoon joutuneiden pandeemista influenssa A(H1N1) infektiota sairastavien potilaiden määrä, hoito ja ennuste. Seerumin sinkin yhteys elinhäiriöihin ja kuolleisuuteen tutkittiin hengitysvajauspotilailla. Hengitysvajauspotilaiden yhden vuoden kuolleisuus ja terveyteen liittyvä elämänlaatu selvitettiin, sekä arvioitiin saavutettujen laatupainotettujen elinvuosien määrä ja yhden vuoden hinta. Äkillisen hengitysvajauksen vuoksi yli 6 tuntia hengityslaitehoitoa tarvitsevia potilaita 8 viikon tutkimusjakson aikana vuonna 2007 oli 958. Näistä potilaista seerumin sinkki määritettiin 551 potilaalta. Influenssapandemian aikana 11.10-31.12.2009 hoidettiin teho-osastoilla 132 potilasta, joilla oli varmistettu H1N1 infektio. Äkillisen hengitysvajauksen esiintyvyys oli aiempia raportteja korkeampi, mutta äkillisen hengitysvaikeusoireyhtymän esiintyvyys oli matalampi. Hengityslaitehoidossa kertatilavuuksien osalta ei noudatettu keuhkoja suojaavan ventilaation suositusta. Kuolleisuus 90 päivän kohdalla oli 31% ja vuoden kohdalla 35%. Teho-osastoilla hoidettujen H1N1-potilaiden esiintyvyys vastasi aiemmin todettua. Monet potilaat saivat kortikosteroidilääkitystä, eikä sillä ollut vaikutusta kuolleisuuteen. Kehonulkoisen happeutuslaitteiston ja muiden erityishoitojen käyttö vatsamakuutusta lukuun ottamatta oli harvinaista. H1N1 potilaiden sairaalakuolleisuus oli 8%. Seerumin sinkillä ei ollut ennustearvoa hengitysvajauspotilailla. Hengitysvajauspotilaiden terveyteen liittyvä elämänlaatu vuoden jälkeen sairastumisesta oli huonompi kuin samaa ikää ja sukupuolta olevien viitearvot. Äkillisen hengitysvajauksen tehohoitoa voidaan pitää kustannustehokkaana, sillä sairaalasta selviytyneen potilaan arvioitu keskimääräinen kustannus oli 20,739 , laatupainotettujen elinvuosien määrä 11.3 ja kustannus yhtä laatupainotettua vuotta kohti 1,391

Effects or anaesthesia method and tourniquet use on recovery following total knee arthroplasty : a randomised controlled study

Background: We investigated the effects of spinal and general anaesthesia and surgical tourniquet on acute pain and early recovery after total knee arthroplasty (TKA). Methods: Patients (n=413) were randomised to four parallel groups: spinal anaesthesia with or without tourniquet, and general anaesthesia with or without tourniquet. The primary outcome was patient-controlled i.v. oxycodone consumption over 24 postoperative hours. Results: Results from 395 subjects were analysed. Median i.v. oxycodone consumption did not differ between the four groups (spinal anaesthesia without [36.6 mg] and with tourniquet [38.0 mg], general anaesthesia without [42.3 mg] and with tourniquet [42.5 mg], P=0.42), between spinal (37.7 mg) and general anaesthesia (42.5 mg) groups (median difference -3.1, 95% confidence interval [CI] -7.4 to 1.2, P=0.15) and between tourniquet and no-tourniquet groups (40.0 vs 40.0 mg, median difference -0.8, CI -5.1 to 3.5, P=0.72). Vomiting incidence was higher with spinal than with general anaesthesia (21% [42/200] vs 13% [25/194], CI 1.05 to 3.1, P=0.034). The mean haemoglobin decrease was greater without than with tourniquet (-3.0 vs -2.5 g dl(-1), mean difference -0.48, CI -0.65 to -0.32, P Conclusions: For TKA, spinal and general anaesthesia with or without tourniquet did not differ in 24-h postoperative opioid consumption, pain management, blood transfusions, in-hospital complications, and length of hospital stay. Vomiting incidence was higher in the spinal than in the general anaesthesia group. Tourniquet use caused smaller decreases in haemoglobin levels.Peer reviewe

The predictive value of NT-proBNP and hs-TnT for risk of death in cardiac surgical patients

Background: European System for Cardiac Operative Risk Evaluation II (EuroSCORE II) is used for risk stratification before cardiac surgery, but whether N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) and high-sensitivity troponin T (hs-TnT) may add prognostic information to EuroSCORE II is not known. Methods: Preoperative (n = 640) and postoperative (n = 629) blood samples were available from cardiac surgical patients with 961-day follow-up (FINNAKI Heart study; cohort #1). The accuracy of a parsimonious risk model with NT-proBNP measurements was also tested in 90 patients with respiratory failure after cardiac surgery (FINNALI study; cohort #2). Results: Sixty-one patients (9.5%) died during follow-up in cohort #1. Preoperative NT-proBNP and hs-TnT concentrations correlated (rho = 0.58; p <0.001) and were higher in non-survivors compared to survivors: median 2027 (Q1-3 478-5387) vs. 373 (134-1354) ng/L [NT-proBNP] and 39 (16-191) vs. 13 (8-32) ng/L [hs-TnT]; p <0.001 for both. Preoperative NT-proBNP concentrations were associated with time to death after adjustment for EuroSCORE II (HR [lnNT-proBNP] 1.33 [95% CI 1.08-1.64]), p = 0.008 and reclassified patients on top of EuroSCORE II (net reclassification index 0.39 [95% CI 0.14-0.64], p = 0.003). Pre-and postoperative NT-proBNP concentrations were closely correlated (rho = 0.80, p <0.001) and postoperative NT-proBNP concentrations were also associated with long-term mortality after adjustment for EuroSCORE II. A parsimonious risk model that included age, creatinine clearance, chronic pulmonary disease, and NT-proBNP measurements provided comparable prognostic accuracy as EuroSCORE II in cohort #1 and #2 for risk of long-term mortality. hs-TnT measurements did not add to NT-proBNP measurements Conclusion: NT-proBNP measurements could improve and simplify risk prediction in cardiac surgical patients.Peer reviewe

Serum activin A and B, and follistatin in critically ill patients with influenza A(H1N1) infection

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Serum activin A and B, and follistatin in critically ill patients with influenza A(H1N1) infection

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Prognostic Value of Secretoneurin in Critically Ill Patients With Infections.

OBJECTIVES Secretoneurin is produced in neuroendocrine cells, and the myocardium and circulating secretoneurin levels provide incremental prognostic information to established risk indices in cardiovascular disease. As myocardial dysfunction contributes to poor outcome in critically ill patients, we wanted to assess the prognostic value of secretoneurin in two cohorts of critically ill patients with infections. DESIGN Two prospective, observational studies. SETTING Twenty-four and twenty-five ICUs in Finland. PATIENTS A total of 232 patients with severe sepsis (cohort #1) and 94 patients with infections and respiratory failure (cohort #2). INTERVENTIONS None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS We measured secretoneurin levels by radioimmunoassay in samples obtained early after ICU admission and compared secretoneurin with other risk indices. In patients with severe sepsis, admission secretoneurin levels (logarithmically transformed) were associated with hospital mortality (odds ratio, 3.17 [95% CI, 1.12-9.00]; p = 0.030) and shock during the hospitalization (odds ratio, 2.17 [1.06-4.46]; p = 0.034) in analyses that adjusted for other risk factors available on ICU admission. Adding secretoneurin levels to age, which was also associated with hospital mortality in the multivariate model, improved the risk prediction as assessed by the category-free net reclassification index: 0.35 (95% CI, 0.06-0.64) (p = 0.02). In contrast, N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide levels were not associated with mortality in the multivariate model that included secretoneurin measurements, and N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide did not improve patient classification on top of age. Secretoneurin levels were also associated with hospital mortality after adjusting for other risk factors and improved patient classification in cohort #2. In both cohorts, the optimal cutoff for secretoneurin levels at ICU admission to predict hospital mortality was ≈ 175 pmol/L, and higher levels were associated with mortality also when adjusting for Simplified Acute Physiology Score II and Sequential Organ Failure Assessment scores. CONCLUSIONS Secretoneurin levels provide incremental information to established risk indices for the prediction of mortality and shock in critically ill patients with severe infections

Impact of neuraminidase inhibitors on influenza A(H1N1)pdm09‐related pneumonia: an individual participant data meta‐analysis

BACKGROUND: The impact of neuraminidase inhibitors (NAIs) on influenza‐related pneumonia (IRP) is not established. Our objective was to investigate the association between NAI treatment and IRP incidence and outcomes in patients hospitalised with A(H1N1)pdm09 virus infection. METHODS: A worldwide meta‐analysis of individual participant data from 20 634 hospitalised patients with laboratory‐confirmed A(H1N1)pdm09 (n = 20 021) or clinically diagnosed (n = 613) ‘pandemic influenza’. The primary outcome was radiologically confirmed IRP. Odds ratios (OR) were estimated using generalised linear mixed modelling, adjusting for NAI treatment propensity, antibiotics and corticosteroids. RESULTS: Of 20 634 included participants, 5978 (29·0%) had IRP; conversely, 3349 (16·2%) had confirmed the absence of radiographic pneumonia (the comparator). Early NAI treatment (within 2 days of symptom onset) versus no NAI was not significantly associated with IRP [adj. OR 0·83 (95% CI 0·64–1·06; P = 0·136)]. Among the 5978 patients with IRP, early NAI treatment versus none did not impact on mortality [adj. OR = 0·72 (0·44–1·17; P = 0·180)] or likelihood of requiring ventilatory support [adj. OR = 1·17 (0·71–1·92; P = 0·537)], but early treatment versus later significantly reduced mortality [adj. OR = 0·70 (0·55–0·88; P = 0·003)] and likelihood of requiring ventilatory support [adj. OR = 0·68 (0·54–0·85; P = 0·001)]. CONCLUSIONS: Early NAI treatment of patients hospitalised with A(H1N1)pdm09 virus infection versus no treatment did not reduce the likelihood of IRP. However, in patients who developed IRP, early NAI treatment versus later reduced the likelihood of mortality and needing ventilatory support

Neuraminidase Inhibitors and Hospital Length of Stay: A Meta-analysis of Individual Participant Data to Determine Treatment Effectiveness Among Patients Hospitalized With Nonfatal 2009 Pandemic Influenza A(H1N1) Virus Infection

© The Author(s) 2019. Published by Oxford University Press for the Infectious Diseases Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, e-mail: [email protected]. BACKGROUND: The effect of neuraminidase inhibitor (NAI) treatment on length of stay (LoS) in patients hospitalized with influenza is unclear. METHODS: We conducted a one-stage individual participant data (IPD) meta-analysis exploring the association between NAI treatment and LoS in patients hospitalized with 2009 influenza A(H1N1) virus (A[H1N1]pdm09) infection. Using mixed-effects negative binomial regression and adjusting for the propensity to receive NAI, antibiotic, and corticosteroid treatment, we calculated incidence rate ratios (IRRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Patients with a LoS o

Neuraminidase Inhibitors and Hospital Length of Stay : A Meta-analysis of Individual Participant Data to Determine Treatment Effectiveness Among Patients Hospitalized With Nonfatal 2009 Pandemic Influenza A(H1N1) Virus Infection

Background. The effect of neuraminidase inhibitor (NAI) treatment on length of stay (LoS) in patients hospitalized with influenza is unclear. Methods. We conducted a one-stage individual participant data (IPD) meta-analysis exploring the association between NAI treatment and LoS in patients hospitalized with 2009 influenza A(H1N1) virus (A[H1N1]pdm09) infection. Using mixed-effects negative binomial regression and adjusting for the propensity to receive NAI, antibiotic, and corticosteroid treatment, we calculated incidence rate ratios (I RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Patients with a LoS of Results. We analyzed data on 18 309 patients from 70 clinical centers. After adjustment, NAI treatment initiated at hospitalization was associated with a 19% reduction in the LoS among patients with clinically suspected or laboratory-confirmed influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 infection (IRR, 0.81; 95% CI, .78-.85), compared with later or no initiation of NAI treatment. Similar statistically significant associations were seen in all clinical subgroups. NAI treatment (at any time), compared with no NAI treatment, and NAI treatment initiated Conclusions. When patients hospitalized with influenza are treated with NAIs, treatment initiated on admission, regardless of time since symptom onset, is associated with a reduced LoS, compared with later or no initiation of treatment.Peer reviewe