Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation for Severe Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome associated with COVID-19: An Emulated Target Trial Analysis.

RATIONALE: Whether COVID patients may benefit from extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) compared with conventional invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV) remains unknown. OBJECTIVES: To estimate the effect of ECMO on 90-Day mortality vs IMV only Methods: Among 4,244 critically ill adult patients with COVID-19 included in a multicenter cohort study, we emulated a target trial comparing the treatment strategies of initiating ECMO vs. no ECMO within 7 days of IMV in patients with severe acute respiratory distress syndrome (PaO2/FiO2 <80 or PaCO2 ≥60 mmHg). We controlled for confounding using a multivariable Cox model based on predefined variables. MAIN RESULTS: 1,235 patients met the full eligibility criteria for the emulated trial, among whom 164 patients initiated ECMO. The ECMO strategy had a higher survival probability at Day-7 from the onset of eligibility criteria (87% vs 83%, risk difference: 4%, 95% CI 0;9%) which decreased during follow-up (survival at Day-90: 63% vs 65%, risk difference: -2%, 95% CI -10;5%). However, ECMO was associated with higher survival when performed in high-volume ECMO centers or in regions where a specific ECMO network organization was set up to handle high demand, and when initiated within the first 4 days of MV and in profoundly hypoxemic patients. CONCLUSIONS: In an emulated trial based on a nationwide COVID-19 cohort, we found differential survival over time of an ECMO compared with a no-ECMO strategy. However, ECMO was consistently associated with better outcomes when performed in high-volume centers and in regions with ECMO capacities specifically organized to handle high demand. This article is open access and distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial No Derivatives License 4.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)

Application of Organic Geochemistry Techniques to Environmental Problems

International audienceA major concern in environmental studies is the estimation of the impact of anthropogenic activities on natural systems. Organic compounds are among the more abundant and the more various pollutants. Because they can display significant adsorption capacities and thus transport other (non organic) pollutants, they should be carefully analyzed. The oil industry has developed advanced organic geochemical techniques in order to improve knowledge of the structure and evolution of natural organic matter. Most of the advanced techniques that are required for the characterization of organic compounds can be directly used in environmental studies. Three major problems regarding organic pollutant impacts on the environment must be addressed: (i) the characterization of the source of the organic pollutants, (ii) their migration and dispersion in water, soils and sediments and (iii) their stability during degradation processes such as biodegradation, oxidation, etc. Those problems require an approach similar to that frequently used in the petroleum field. In petroleum exploration, it is important to characterize the source rocks for oil, to study its migration and dispersion in the reservoir rock and to estimate the changes induced by different alterations. The aim of this paper is to present applications of oil exploration analytical techniques to environmental problems

Application of Organic Geochemistry Techniques to Environmental Problems

International audienceA major concern in environmental studies is the estimation of the impact of anthropogenic activities on natural systems. Organic compounds are among the more abundant and the more various pollutants. Because they can display significant adsorption capacities and thus transport other (non organic) pollutants, they should be carefully analyzed. The oil industry has developed advanced organic geochemical techniques in order to improve knowledge of the structure and evolution of natural organic matter. Most of the advanced techniques that are required for the characterization of organic compounds can be directly used in environmental studies. Three major problems regarding organic pollutant impacts on the environment must be addressed: (i) the characterization of the source of the organic pollutants, (ii) their migration and dispersion in water, soils and sediments and (iii) their stability during degradation processes such as biodegradation, oxidation, etc. Those problems require an approach similar to that frequently used in the petroleum field. In petroleum exploration, it is important to characterize the source rocks for oil, to study its migration and dispersion in the reservoir rock and to estimate the changes induced by different alterations. The aim of this paper is to present applications of oil exploration analytical techniques to environmental problems

Nasal high-flow preoxygenation for endotracheal intubation in the critically ill patient: a randomized clinical trial

International audienc

Continuous enteral nutrition compared with a maximal gastric vacuity strategy at the time of extubation in the intensive care unit: protocol for a non-inferiority cluster randomised trial (the Ambroisie Project)

International audienceIntroduction: Fasting is frequently imposed to patients before extubation in the intensive care unit based on scheduled surgery guidelines. This practice has never been evaluated among critically ill patients and may delay extubation, increase nursing workload and reduce caloric intake. We are hypothesising that continuous enteral nutrition until extubation represents a safe alternative compared with fasting prior to extubation in the intensive care unit.Methods and analysis: Adult patients ventilated more than 48 hours and receiving pre-pyloric enteral nutrition for more than 24 hours are included in this open-label cluster randomised parallel group non-inferiority trial. The participating centres are randomised allocated to continued enteral nutrition until extubation or 6-hour fasting (with concomitant gastric suctioning when feasible) prior to extubation. The primary outcome is extubation failure (ie, reintubation within 7 days following extubation).Ethics and dissemination: This study has been approved by the national ethics review board (comité de protection, des personnes Sud Mediterranée III No 2017.10.02 bis) and patients are included after informed consent. Results will be submitted for publication in peer-reviewed journals

Outcomes of mild-to-moderate postresuscitation shock after non-shockable cardiac arrest and association with temperature management: a post hoc analysis of HYPERION trial data

International audienceAbstract Background Outcomes of postresuscitation shock after cardiac arrest can be affected by targeted temperature management (TTM). A post hoc analysis of the “TTM1 trial” suggested higher mortality with hypothermia at 33 °C. We performed a post hoc analysis of HYPERION trial data to assess potential associations linking postresuscitation shock after non-shockable cardiac arrest to hypothermia at 33 °C on favourable functional outcome. Methods We divided the patients into groups with vs. without postresuscitation (defined as the need for vasoactive drugs) shock then assessed the proportion of patients with a favourable functional outcome (day-90 Cerebral Performance Category [CPC] 1 or 2) after hypothermia (33 °C) vs. controlled normothermia (37 °C) in each group. Patients with norepinephrine or epinephrine > 1 µg/kg/min were not included. Results Of the 581 patients included in 25 ICUs in France and who did not withdraw consent, 339 had a postresuscitation shock and 242 did not. In the postresuscitation-shock group, 159 received hypothermia, including 14 with a day-90 CPC of 1–2, and 180 normothermia, including 10 with a day-90 CPC of 1–2 (8.81% vs. 5.56%, respectively; P = 0.24). After adjustment, the proportion of patients with CPC 1–2 also did not differ significantly between the hypothermia and normothermia groups (adjusted hazards ratio, 1.99; 95% confidence interval, 0.72–5.50; P = 0.18). Day-90 mortality was comparable in these two groups (83% vs. 86%, respectively; P = 0.43). Conclusions After non-shockable cardiac arrest, mild-to-moderate postresuscitation shock at intensive-care-unit admission did not seem associated with day-90 functional outcome or survival. Therapeutic hypothermia at 33 °C was not associated with worse outcomes compared to controlled normothermia in patients with postresuscitation shock. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT0199477

Targeted Temperature Management for Cardiac Arrest with Nonshockable Rhythm

International audienceBACKGROUND: Moderate therapeutic hypothermia is currently recommended to improve neurologic outcomes in adults with persistent coma after resuscitated out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. However, the effectiveness of moderate therapeutic hypothermia in patients with nonshockable rhythms (asystole or pulseless electrical activity) is debated. METHODS: We performed an open-label, randomized, controlled trial comparing moderate therapeutic hypothermia (33° C during the first 24 hours) with targeted normothermia (37° C) in patients with coma who had been admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) after resuscitation from cardiac arrest with nonshockable rhythm. The primary outcome was survival with a favorable neurologic outcome, assessed on day 90 after randomization with the use of the Cerebral Performance Category (CPC) scale (which ranges from 1 to 5, with higher scores indicating greater disability). We defined a favorable neurologic outcome as a CPC score of 1 or 2. Outcome assessment was blinded. Mortality and safety were also assessed. RESULTS: From January 2014 through January 2018, a total of 584 patients from 25 ICUs underwent randomization, and 581 were included in the analysis (3 patients withdrew consent). On day 90, a total of 29 of 284 patients (10.2%) in the hypothermia group were alive with a CPC score of 1 or 2, as compared with 17 of 297 (5.7%) in the normothermia group (difference, 4.5 percentage points; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.1 to 8.9; P\,=\,0.04). Mortality at 90 days did not differ significantly between the hypothermia group and the normothermia group (81.3% and 83.2%, respectively; difference, -1.9 percentage points; 95% CI, -8.0 to 4.3). The incidence of prespecified adverse events did not differ significantly between groups. CONCLUSIONS: Among patients with coma who had been resuscitated from cardiac arrest with nonshockable rhythm, moderate therapeutic hypothermia at 33° C for 24 hours led to a higher percentage of patients who survived with a favorable neurologic outcome at day 90 than was observed with targeted normothermia. (Funded by the French Ministry of Health and others; HYPERION ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT01994772.)

The Clinical Picture of Severe Systemic Capillary-Leak Syndrome Episodes Requiring ICU Admission

International audienc

Clinical, imaging, and management features of symptomatic carotid web: Insight from CAROWEB registry

International audienceBackground: Although carotid web (CaW) is increasingly diagnosed as a cause of cryptogenic stroke, data are still limited to monocentric small sample cohort. To broaden knowledge on symptomatic CaW, CAROWEB registry has been recently implemented. Aims: In a large cohort of symptomatic CaW patients, we described epidemiologic characteristics, admission clinical and imaging features, and the current management including the secondary preventive strategy choice made in comprehensive French Stroke Units. Methods: CAROWEB is an ongoing French observational multicenter registry enrolling consecutive CaW patients diagnosed after an ipsilateral ischemic stroke (IS) or transient ischemic attack (TIA). Submitted cases were validated by two experienced neurologist and neuroradiologist. Clinical, imaging, and management features were collected for this study. Results: Between June 2019 and December 2021, 244 cases were submitted by 14 centers, 42 rejected, and 202 included (IS, 91.6%; TIA, 7.9%; retinal infarction, 0.5%; mean age, 50.8 ± 12.2 years; female, 62.9%; Caucasian, 47.5%; Afro-Caribbean, 20.3%). IS patients showed median (interquartile range (IQR)) admission National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score, 8 (2–15); intracranial artery occlusion, 71.8%; ipsilateral chronic cerebral infarction (CCI), 16.3%; and reperfusion treatment, 57.3%. CaW was not identified during the mechanical thrombectomy procedure in 30 of 85 (35.3%) patients. Secondary prevention was invasive in 55.6% (stenting, n = 80; surgery, n = 30). In multivariable analysis, the invasive therapeutic option was associated with ipsilateral CCI (odds ratio (OR): 4.24 (1.27–14.2), p = 0.019) and inversely associated with risk factors (OR: 0.47 (0.24–0.91), p = 0.025) and admission NIHSS score (OR: 0.93 (0.89–0.97), p = 0.001). Conclusion: CaW must be considered in all ethnic groups including Caucasians. Secondary prevention is heterogeneous in large French Stroke Centers. The absence of risk factors, milder severity strokes, and ipsilateral CCI were predictive variables of secondary invasive treatment. The high rate of invasive treatment suggests that medical treatment alone is deemed ineffective to avoid recurrence and emphasize the need of randomized trials.Background: Although carotid web (CaW) is increasingly diagnosed as a cause of cryptogenic stroke, data are still limited to monocentric small sample cohort. To broaden knowledge on symptomatic CaW, CAROWEB registry has been recently implemented.Aims: In a large cohort of symptomatic CaW patients, we described epidemiologic characteristics, admission clinical and imaging features, and the current management including the secondary preventive strategy choice made in comprehensive French Stroke Units.Methods: CAROWEB is an ongoing French observational multicenter registry enrolling consecutive CaW patients diagnosed after an ipsilateral ischemic stroke (IS) or transient ischemic attack (TIA). Submitted cases were validated by two experienced neurologist and neuroradiologist. Clinical, imaging, and management features were collected for this study.Results: Between June 2019 and December 2021, 244 cases were submitted by 14 centers, 42 rejected, and 202 included (IS, 91.6%; TIA, 7.9%; retinal infarction, 0.5%; mean age, 50.8 ± 12.2 years; female, 62.9%; Caucasian, 47.5%; Afro-Caribbean, 20.3%). IS patients showed median (interquartile range (IQR)) admission National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score, 8 (2-15); intracranial artery occlusion, 71.8%; ipsilateral chronic cerebral infarction (CCI), 16.3%; and reperfusion treatment, 57.3%. CaW was not identified during the mechanical thrombectomy procedure in 30 of 85 (35.3%) patients. Secondary prevention was invasive in 55.6% (stenting, n = 80; surgery, n = 30). In multivariable analysis, the invasive therapeutic option was associated with ipsilateral CCI (odds ratio (OR): 4.24 (1.27-14.2), p = 0.019) and inversely associated with risk factors (OR: 0.47 (0.24-0.91), p = 0.025) and admission NIHSS score (OR: 0.93 (0.89-0.97), p = 0.001).Conclusion: CaW must be considered in all ethnic groups including Caucasians. Secondary prevention is heterogeneous in large French Stroke Centers. The absence of risk factors, milder severity strokes, and ipsilateral CCI were predictive variables of secondary invasive treatment. The high rate of invasive treatment suggests that medical treatment alone is deemed ineffective to avoid recurrence and emphasize the need of randomized trials

Inhaled amikacin versus placebo to prevent ventilator-associated pneumonia: the AMIKINHAL double-blind multicentre randomised controlled trial protocol

International audienceIntroduction: Pre-emptive inhaled antibiotics may be effective to reduce the occurrence of ventilator-associated pneumonia among critically ill patients. Meta-analysis of small sample size trials showed a favourable signal. Inhaled antibiotics are associated with a reduced emergence of antibiotic resistant bacteria. The aim of this trial is to evaluate the benefit of a 3-day course of inhaled antibiotics among patients undergoing invasive mechanical ventilation for more than 3 days on the occurrence of ventilator-associated pneumonia.Methods and analysis: Academic, investigator-initiated, parallel two group arms, double-blind, multicentre superiority randomised controlled trial. Patients invasively ventilated more than 3 days will be randomised to receive 20 mg/kg inhaled amikacin daily for 3 days or inhaled placebo (0.9% Sodium Chloride). Occurrence of ventilator-associated pneumonia will be recorded based on a standardised diagnostic framework from randomisation to day 28 and adjudicated by a centralised blinded committee.Ethics and dissemination: The protocol and amendments have been approved by the regional ethics review board and French competent authorities (Comité de protection des personnes Ouest I, No.2016-R29). All patients will be included after informed consent according to French law. Results will be disseminated in international scientific journals.Trial registration numbers: EudraCT 2016-001054-17 and NCT03149640