Hyperviscosity syndrome

International audienceA 47-year-old man was admitted to the intensive care unit for stupor and dyspnea. He reported a 3-day history of blurry vision and nosebleeds. Laboratory tests revealed hyperproteinemia at 161 g/L (reference range 60–80 g/L). Funduscopic examination revealed bilateral retinal hemorrhages with venous dilation and tortuosity (Fig. 1) confirming the diagnosis of hyperviscosity syndrome. Serum protein immunofixation assay identified an IgG kappa monoclonal immunoglobulin and bone marrow aspiration revealed infiltration by dystrophic plasma cells, consistent with multiple myeloma. All the patient’s complaints disappeared after two rounds of plasmapheresis

Rate control in atrial fibrillation using Landiolol is safe in critically ill Covid-19 patients

International audienc

Alteration of skin perfusion in mottling area during septic shock.

International audienceBACKGROUND: Mottling score has been reported to be a strong predictive factor during septic shock. However, the pathophysiology of mottling remains unclear. METHODS: In patients admitted in ICU for septic shock, we measured on the same area the mean skin perfusion by laser Doppler, the mottling score, and variations of both indices between T1 (6 hours after vasopressors were started) and T2 (24 hours later). RESULTS: Fourteen patients were included, SAPS II was 56 [37--71] and SOFA score at T1 was 10 [7--12]. The mean skin surface area analyzed was 4108 +/- 740 mm2; 1184 +/- 141 measurements were performed over each defined skin surface area. Skin perfusion was significantly different according to mottling score and decreased from 37 [31--42] perfusion units (PUs) for a mottling score of [0--1] to 22 [20--32] PUs for a mottling score of [2--3] and 23 [16--28] for a score of [4--5] (Kruskal-Wallis test, P = 0.05). We analyzed skin perfusion changes during resuscitation in each patient and together with mottling score variations between T1 and T2 using a Wilcoxon signed-rank test. Among the 14 patients included, mottling score increased (worsened) in 5 patients, decreased (improved) in 5 patients, and remained stable in 4 patients. Baseline skin perfusion at T1 was arbitrarily scored 100%. Mean skin perfusion significantly decreased in all the patients whose mottling score worsened from 100% baseline to 63.2 +/- 10.7% (P = 0.001), mean skin perfusion significantly increased in all patients whose mottling score improved from 100% baseline to 172.6 +/- 46.8% (P = 0.001), and remained stable in patients whose mottling score did not change (100.5 +/- 6.8%, P = 0.95). CONCLUSIONS: We have shown that mottling score variations and skin perfusion changes during septic shock resuscitation were correlated, providing additional evidence that mottling reflects skin hypoperfusion

Open Access Alteration of skin perfusion in mottling area during septic shock

Background: Mottling score has been reported to be a strong predictive factor during septic shock. However, the pathophysiology of mottling remains unclear. Methods: In patients admitted in ICU for septic shock, we measured on the same area the mean skin perfusion by laser Doppler, the mottling score, and variations of both indices between T1 (6 hours after vasopressors were started) and T2 (24 hours later). Results: Fourteen patients were included, SAPS II was 56 [37–71] and SOFA score at T1 was 10 [7–12]. The mean skin surface area analyzed was 4108 ± 740 mm 2; 1184 ± 141 measurements were performed over each defined skin surface area. Skin perfusion was significantly different according to mottling score and decreased from 37 [31–42] perfusion units (PUs) for a mottling score of [0–1] to 22 [20–32] PUs for a mottling score of [2–3] and 23 [16–28] for a score of [4–5] (Kruskal-Wallis test, P = 0.05). We analyzed skin perfusion changes during resuscitation in each patient and together with mottling score variations between T1 and T2 using a Wilcoxon signed-rank test. Amon

Urgent Chemotherapy for Life-Threatening Complications Related to Solid Neoplasms.

OBJECTIVES: Solid neoplasms can be directly responsible for organ failures at the time of diagnosis or relapse. The management of such specific complications relies on urgent chemotherapy and eventual instrumental or surgical procedures, combined with advanced life support. We conducted a multicenter study to address the prognosis of this condition. DESIGN: A multicenter retrospective (2001-2015) chart review. SETTING: Medical and respiratory ICUs. PATIENTS: Adult patients who received urgent chemotherapy in the ICU for organ failure related to solid neoplasms were included. The modalities of chemotherapy, requirements of adjuvant instrumental or surgical procedures, and organ supports were collected. Endpoints were short- and long-term survival rates. INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: One hundred thirty-six patients were included. Lung cancer was the most common malignancy distributed into small cell lung cancer (n = 57) and non-small cell lung cancer (n = 33). The main reason for ICU admission was acute respiratory failure in 111 patients (81.6%), of whom 89 required invasive mechanical ventilation. Compression and tissue infiltration by tumor cells were the leading mechanisms resulting in organ involvement in 78 (57.4%) and 47 (34.6%) patients. The overall in-ICU, in-hospital, 6-month, and 1-year mortality rates were 37%, 58%, 74%, and 88%, respectively. Small cell lung cancer was identified as an independent predictor of hospital survival. However, this gain in survival was not sustained since the 1-year survival rates of small cell lung cancer, non-small cell lung cancer, and non-lung cancer patients all dropped below 20%. CONCLUSIONS: Urgent chemotherapy along with aggressive management of organ failures in the ICU can be lifesaving in very selected cancer patients, most especially with small cell lung cancer, although the long-term survival is hardly sustainable

Comparison of two strategies for initiating renal replacement therapy in the intensive care unit: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial (akiki)

International audienceBACKGROUND: There is currently no validated strategy for the timing of renal replacement therapy (RRT) for acute kidney injury (AKI) in the intensive care unit (ICU) when short-term life-threatening metabolic abnormalities are absent. No adequately powered prospective randomized study has addressed this issue to date. As a result, significant practice heterogeneity exists and may expose patients to either unnecessary hazardous procedures or undue delay in RRT.METHODS: This is a multicenter, prospective, randomized, open-label parallel-group clinical trial that compares the effect of two RRT initiation strategies on overall survival of critically ill patients receiving intravenous catecholamines or invasive mechanical ventilation and presenting with AKI classification stage 3 (KDIGO 2012). In the 'early' strategy, RRT is initiated immediately. In the 'delayed' strategy, clinical and metabolic conditions are closely monitored and RRT is initiated only when one or more events (severity criteria) occur, including: oliguria or anuria for more than 72 hours after randomization, serum urea concentration >40 mmol/l, serum potassium concentration >6 mmol/l, serum potassium concentration >5.5 mmol/l persisting despite medical treatment, arterial blood pH 5 l/min to maintain SpO2 > 95% or FiO2 > 50% under invasive or noninvasive mechanical ventilation. The primary outcome measure is overall survival, measured from randomization (D0) until death, regardless of the cause. The minimum follow-up duration for each patient will be 60 days. Two interim analyses are planned, blinded to group allocation. It is expected that there will be 620 subjects in all.CONCLUSIONS: The AKIKI study will be one of the very few large randomized controlled trials evaluating mortality according to the timing of RRT in critically ill patients with AKI classification stage 3 (KDIGO 2012). Results should help clinicians decide when to initiate RRT.BACKGROUND: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01932190

Performance of the ROX index to predict intubation in immunocompromised patients receiving high-flow nasal cannula for acute respiratory failure

Background: Delayed intubation is associated with high mortality. There is a lack of objective criteria to decide the time of intubation. We assessed a recently described combined oxygenation index (ROX index) to predict intubation in immunocompromised patients. The study is a secondary analysis of randomized trials in immunocompromised patients, including all patients who received high-flow nasal cannula (HFNC). The first objective was to evaluate the accuracy of the ROX index to predict intubation for patients with acute respiratory failure. Results: In the study, 302 patients received HFNC. Acute respiratory failure was mostly related to pneumonia (n = 150, 49.7%). Within 2 (1–3) days, 115 (38.1%) patients were intubated. The ICU mortality rate was 27.4% (n = 83). At 6 h, the ROX index was lower for patients who needed intubation compared with those who did not [4.79 (3.69–7.01) vs. 6.10 (4.48–8.68), p < 0.001]. The accuracy of the ROX index to predict intubation was poor [AUC = 0.623 (0.557–0.689)], with low performance using the threshold previously found (4.88). In multivariate analysis, a higher ROX index was still independently associated with a lower intubation rate (OR = 0.89 [0.82–0.96], p = 0.04). Conclusion: A ROX index greater than 4.88 appears to have a poor ability to predict intubation in immunocompromised patients with acute respiratory failure, although it remains highly associated with the risk of intubation and may be useful to stratify such risk in future studies.SCOPUS: ar.jinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe

Additional file 1: of The ICU-Diary study: prospective, multicenter comparative study of the impact of an ICU diary on the wellbeing of patients and families in French ICUs

SPIRIT 2013 Checklist: recommended items to address in a clinical trial protocol and related documents*. (DOC 121 kb

Additional file 2: of The ICU-Diary study: prospective, multicenter comparative study of the impact of an ICU diary on the wellbeing of patients and families in French ICUs

World Health Organization Trial Registration Data Set*. (XLSX 10 kb

Additional file 3: of The ICU-Diary study: prospective, multicenter comparative study of the impact of an ICU diary on the wellbeing of patients and families in French ICUs

Participants’ centers. (DOCX 13 kb