Cardiac Output Measurement by Bioimpedance and Noninvasive Pulse Contour Analysis Compared With the Continuous Pulmonary Artery Thermodilution Technique

Objective: The aim of the present study was to compare 2 noninvasive cardiac output measurement methods with the continuous cardiac output thermodilution (CCO-TD) method. Design: A single-center prospective design. Setting: A university hospital. Participants: Fifty-three consecutive patients scheduled for elective, non-emergent cardiac surgery. Interventions: With each participant the cardiac output was measured using 3 methods: CCO-TD, the Endotracheal Cardiac Output Monitor (ECOM), and the Nexfin monitor. Measurements and Main Results: Measurements were performed simultaneously at 7 time points: After induction, before cardiopulmonary bypass, after cardiopulmonary bypass, after protamine, after arrival in the intensive care unit, and before extubation on postoperative day 1. Statistical analysis was performed using Pearson's correlation, Bland-Altman, percent error, and polar plots. Compared to CCO-TD, ECOM showed significant correlation of R0.619 with a bias of -0.13 L/min (95% confidence interval -2.19-1.93 L/min), a percent error of 40%, and trending ability of 87% and 97% within 0.5 L/min and 1.0 L/min, respectively. The Nexfin monitor showed significant correlation of R0.535 with a bias of -0.35 L/min (95% confidence interval -3.36-2.66 L/min), a percent error of 58% and trending ability of 84% and 97% were within 0.5 L/min and 1.0 L/min limits of agreement. Conclusions: Neither the ECOM nor the Nexfin had the ability to replace the thermodilution-based continuous cardiac output monitor. The ECOM did not have acceptable accuracy or trending ability and only could be utilized for intubated patients. The Nexfin lacked reliability and trending ability. Also, the Nexfin did not provide consistent results. (C) 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved

ACCURACY OF END-TIDAL CO2 CAPNOMETERS IN POST-CARDIAC SURGERY PATIENTS DURING CONTROLLED MECHANICAL VENTILATION

Background: The determination of end-tidal carbon dioxide (etCO(2)) is very helpful in cardiac resuscitation for confirmation and monitoring of endotracheal tube placement and as an indicator of return of circulation and effectiveness of chest compressions. There is now also widespread use of capnometry on-site at emergency and trauma fields. Objective: We studied the accuracy and correlation of three capnometers (EMMA, Medtronic, and Evita) with partial pressure of arterial CO2 (PaCO2) measurements. Methods: The three capnometers were placed in-line in the ventilator tubing of the patient. Forty sedated and mechanically ventilated post-cardiac surgery patients were studied. Twenty consecutive etCO(2) values were collected simultaneously from all three monitors while drawing an arterial blood sample. Paired sample t-test and Pearson correlation were used to compare the capnometers and their correlation with PaCO2. Results: The correlation of etCO(2) measurements between all three capnometers was good (Emma vs. Evita: 0.874, Emma vs. Medtronic: 0.949, Evita vs. Medtronic: 0.878). The correlation of PaCO2 with the Evita is the lowest (0.671) as compared to the EMMA (0.693) and the Medtronic (0.727). The lowest dispersion of the difference between etCO(2) and PaCO2 was seen in EMMA (3.30), the highest in Evita (3.98). Conclusions: A good correlation between etCO(2) and PaCO2 was shown with the three capnometers in the present study. However, etCO(2) measurements were not valid to estimate PaCO2 in these patients. Therefore, capnometry cannot be used to replace serial blood gas analyses completely, but may be a good cardiopulmonary trend monitor and alerting system in catastrophic events

Ventilator-associated pneumonia rates after introducing selective digestive tract decontamination

The incidence of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) before and after the introduction of selective oral decontamination (SOD) only and selective digestive tract decontamination (SDD) in a general intensive care population was examined. SOD as standard of care was introduced in December 2010 and SDD, including SOD, in January 2012 for all patients with an expected length of intensive care unit (ICU) stay of at least 48 h. The diagnosis of VAP was based on clinical criteria and quantitative cultures of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid. A total of 4945 mechanically ventilated patients accounting for 37 554 ventilator days in the period from 2005 to 2013 were analyzed. The incidence of VAP per 1000 ventilator days declined significantly from 4.38 +/- 1.64 before to 1.64 +/- 0.43 after introduction of SOD/SDD (p = 0.007). Implementation of SOD/SDD as standard of care in ICUs may thus be effective in preventing VAP

QUIT EMR trial: a prospective, observational, multicentre study to evaluate quality and 24 hours post-transport morbidity of interhospital transportation of critically ill patients: study protocol

INTRODUCTION: It is widely accepted that transportation of critically ill patients is high risk. Unfortunately, however, there are currently no evidence-based criteria with which to determine the quality of various interhospital transport systems and their impact on the outcomes for patients. We aim to rectify this by assessing 2 scores which were developed in our hospital in a prospective, observational study. Primarily, we will be examining the Quality of interhospital critical care transportation in the Euregion Meuse-Rhine (QUIT EMR) score, which focuses on the quality of the transport system, and secondarily the SEMROS (Simplified EMR outcome score) which detects changes in the patient's clinical condition in the 24 hours following their transportation. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: A web-based application will be used to document around 150 pretransport, intratransport and post-transport items of each patient case.To be included, patients must be at least 18-years of age and should have been supervised by a physician during an interhospital transport which was started in the study region.The quality of the QUIT EMR score will be assessed by comparing 3 predefined levels of transport facilities: the high, medium and low standards. Subsequently, SEMROS will be used to determine the effect of transport quality on the morbidity 24 hours after transportation.It is estimated that there will be roughly 3000 appropriate cases suitable for inclusion in this study per year. Cases shall be collected from 1 April 2015 until 31 December 2017. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: This trial was approved by the Ethics committees of the university hospitals of Maastricht (Netherlands) and Aachen (Germany). The study results will be published in a peer reviewed journal. Results of this study will determine if a prospective randomised trial involving patients of various categories being randomly assigned to different levels of transportation system shall be conducted. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NTR4937

Stenotrophomonas maltophilia ventilator-associated pneumonia. A retrospective matched case-control study

BACKGROUND: Stenotrophomonas maltophilia is increasingly identified in critically ill patients, but it is considered a pathogen with limited pathogenicity and it is therefore infrequently targeted. This study explores whether S. maltophilia may cause ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) and whether it affects intensive care unit (ICU) mortality and 28-day mortality when compared to VAP caused by other Gram-negative bacilli. METHODS: Retrospective analysis of a 19-year prospectively collected database. Stenotrophomonas maltophilia as a cause was considered in VAP-suspected cases when S. maltophilia growth of ≥10(4) cfu/ml was detected in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid analysis. Cases were matched on hospital, gender, age and acute physiology and chronic health evaluation II score in a 1:3 ratio with controls from the same database suffering from VAP caused by other Gram-negative bacilli. RESULTS: Eight cases met the inclusion criteria, of which three were labelled as 'probable' SM-VAP and three as 'possible' SM-VAP. These six patients constitute 1.8% of all VAPs in the studied period. No significant differences in baseline characteristics and duration of mechanical ventilation (p = 0.68), length of stay in the ICU (p = 0.55) and hospital (p = 0.84) between cases and controls were identified between cases and controls. Intensive care unit mortality odds ratio was 1.7 (p = 0.55; 95% CI 0.3-10.5) and 28-day mortality odds ratio was 1.4 (p = 0.70; 95% CI 0.2-9.1). CONCLUSIONS: Stenotrophomonas maltophilia is a possible, yet infrequent cause of VAP. No outcome differences were found when compared to matched VAP caused by other Gram-negative bacilli

Variability of Microcirculatory Measurements in Critically Ill Patients

Introduction: Monitoring the microcirculation may be helpful in guiding resuscitation in patients with circulatory shock. Sublingual side-stream dark field imaging cameras allow for noninvasive, bedside evaluation of the microcirculation, although their use in clinical practice has not yet been validated. The GlycoCheck system automatically analyzes images to determine glycocalyx thickness, red blood cell filling percentage, and vessel density. Although GlycoCheck has been used to study microcirculation in critically ill patients, little is known about the reproducibility of measurements in this population. Materials and Methods: A total of 60 critically ill patients were studied. Three consecutive microcirculation measurements were performed with the GlycoCheck system in 40 of these patients by one of two experienced observers. Twenty patients were assessed by both observers. Intra- and interobserver variability were assessed using intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs). Results: ICCs of single measurements were poor for glycocalyx thickness and good for filling percentage and vessel density. Reproducibility could be substantially increased for all parameters when three consecutive measurements were performed and averaged. Discussion: GlycoCheck can be used to study microcirculation. However, to obtain reliable results three consecutive measurements should be performed and averaged. The variation of the measurements currently hampers the clinical application in individual patients.</p