Active fluid de-resuscitation in critically ill patients with septic shock: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

PURPOSE To evaluate the impact of active fluid de-resuscitation on mortality in critically ill patients with septic shock. METHODS A systematic search was performed on PubMed, EmBase, and the Cochrane Library databases. Trials investigating active fluid de-resuscitation and reporting data on mortality in patients with septic shock were eligible. The primary objective was the impact of active de-resuscitation in patients with septic shock on short-term mortality. Secondary outcomes were whether de-resuscitation lead to a fluid separation, and the impact of de-resuscitation on patient-centred outcomes. RESULTS Thirteen trials (8,030 patients) were included in the systematic review, whereof 5 randomised-controlled trials (RCTs) were included in the meta-analysis. None of the RCTs showed a reduction in mortality with active de-resuscitation measures (relative risk (RR) 1.12 [95%-CI 0.84 - 1.48]). Fluid separation was achieved by two RCTs. Evidence from non-randomised trials suggests a mortality benefit with de-resuscitation strategies and indicates a trend towards a more negative fluid balance. Patient-centred outcomes were not influenced in the RCTs, and only one non-randomised trial revealed an impact on the duration of mechanical ventilation and renal replacement requirement (RRT). CONCLUSION We found no evidence for superiority of active fluid de-resuscitation compared to usual care regarding mortality, fluid balance or patient-centred outcomes in patients with septic shock. Current evidence is limited by the lack of high-quality RCTs in patients with septic shock, the small sample sizes and the heterogeneity of the applied de-resuscitation techniques. In addition, validity of the majority of RCTs is compromised by their inability to achieve fluid separation

Acute health problems in African refugees: Ten years' experience in a Swiss emergency department

Summary: Background: Over the last two decades, the total number of applications from Africans for asylum in the countries of the European Union has increased from 578,000 to more than 2.9 million. About 20% (7,196/36,100) of the asylum seekers in Switzerland originate from Africa. The disease profile of African asylum seekers is remarkably different from that of the native population in the country of application. We have therefore conducted an analysis of African asylum seekers presenting themselves to our emergency department. Methods: In a retrospective analysis, the central patient registry database was searched for patients originating from Africa admitted from 1 January 2000 to 30 November 2011 and labelled as "Asylbewerber” (asylum seeker) or "Flüchtling” (refugee). Results: Three thousand six hundred and seventy-five African asylum seekers were admitted to our emergency department between 2000 and 2010. Thirty-four percent (n = 1,247) were female and 66% (n = 2,426) male. Eighty percent (n = 1,940) of the men and 70% (n = 823) of the women were younger than 40 years. Most of our patients originated from Algeria (n = 612). Forty-five percent (n = 1,628) of all patients presented with internal medical problems, 40% (n = 1,487) with injuries. 3.5% (n = 130) of all patients presented with psychiatric problems. Admission for psychiatric problems increased steadily from 2% (n = 4) in 2001 to 10% (n = 35) in 2011. Conclusion: The causes of presentation are manifold, including internal medical problems and injuries. Admissions for psychiatric problems are increasing. Establishing simple screening scores for somatization should be a key priority in providing more focused treatment in emergency department

Dysphagia Post-Extubation Affects Long-Term Mortality in Mixed Adult ICU Patients-Data From a Large Prospective Observational Study With Systematic Dysphagia Screening.

Data on long-term effects of post-extubation dysphagia is lacking. We investigate mid- and long-term clinical outcomes in a large sample of ICU patients with systematic dysphagia screening. DESIGN Outcome analysis with a follow-up of 6 years or death (whichever occurred earlier) of ICU patients from a prospective observational trial (Dysphagia in Mechanically Ventilated ICU Patients study) with systematic dysphagia screening. SETTING ICU of a tertiary care academic center. PATIENTS Nine-hundred thirty-three mixed medical-surgical ICU patients (median age, 66 yr; interquartile range [IQR], 54-74, Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II score 19 [IQR, 14-24], 71% male). INTERVENTIONS ICU patients were followed up for a mean follow-up period of 1,731 ± 772 days (4.7 ± 2.1 yr). Primary outcome measures were 180-day and 360-day all-cause mortality in ICU patients with versus without dysphagia. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS Two-hundred seventy-three patients died (29.3%) during the observational interval (n = 76 lost to follow-up). In dysphagia screening positive versus negative ICU patients, mortality at 180 days was 16% versus 5.8% (excess mortality 10.2%), whereas mortality at 360 days was 25% versus 9.1% (excess mortality 15.9%). Adjustment for confounders in a Cox model revealed a significant association of dysphagia with all-cause mortality in a time-dependent manner. The risk of death in ICU patients with versus without post-extubation dysphagia declined from about 2.5 times higher to about equal risk for both groups over the first year (i.e. 1.03 yr) post-ICU admission (at 360 d: hazard ratio [HR], 1.03; 95% CI, 0.42-3.70). The mean mortality HR for the first year post-ICU admission was HR 2.09 (95% CI, 1.34-3.24; p = 0.0009). CONCLUSIONS Long-term follow-up of a large cohort of medical-surgical adult ICU patients systematically screened for dysphagia showed that dysphagia is associated with increased hazards for death for up to 1 year after ICU admission. Our data underline effects of post-extubation dysphagia on long-term clinical outcomes in affected critically ill patients

Methods of Assessing Frailty in the Critically Ill: A Systematic Review of the Current Literature.

INTRODUCTION As new treatments have become established, more frail pre-ICU patients are being admitted to intensive care units (ICUs); this is creating new challenges to provide adequate care and to ensure that resources are allocated in an ethical and economical manner. This systematic review evaluates the current standard for assessing frailty on the ICU, including methods of assessment, time point of measurements, and cut-offs. METHODS A systematic search was conducted on MEDLINE, Clinical Trials, Cochrane Library, and Embase. Randomized and non-randomized controlled studies were included that evaluated diagnostic tools and ICU outcomes for frailty. Exclusion criteria were the following: studies without baseline assessment of frailty on ICU admission, studies in paediatric patients or pregnant women, and studies that targeted very narrow populations of ICU patients. Eligible articles were included until January 31, 2021. Methodological quality was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. No meta-analysis was performed, due to heterogeneity. RESULTS N = 57 articles (253,376 patients) were included using 19 different methods to assess frailty or a surrogate. Frailty on ICU admission was most frequently detected using the Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS) (n = 35, 60.3%), the Frailty Index (n = 5, 8.6%), and Fried's frailty phenotype (n = 6, 10.3%). N = 22 (37.9%) studies assessed functional status. Cut-offs, time points, and manner of baseline assessment of frailty on ICU admission varied widely. Frailty on ICU admission was associated with short- and long-term mortality, functional and cognitive impairment, increased health care dependency, and impaired quality of life post-ICU discharge. CONCLUSIONS Frailty assessment on the ICU is heterogeneous with respect to methods, cut-offs, and time points. The CFS may best reflect frailty in the ICU. Frailty assessments should be harmonized and performed routinely in the critically ill

Injuries, Sequelae, and Treatment of Lightning-Induced Injuries: 10 Years of Experience at a Swiss Trauma Center

Principals. Lightning is one of the most powerful and spectacular natural phenomena. Lightning strikes to humans are uncommon but can cause devastating injuries. We analyzed lightning-related admissions to our emergency department from January 2000 to December 2010 to review and highlight the main features of lightning-related injuries. Methods. All data were collected prospectively and entered in the emergency department' database (Qualicare Switzerland) and retrospectively analyzed. Results. Nine patients with lightning-related injuries presented to our emergency department. Four were female, and five were male. The most common site of injury was the nervous system (6 out of 9 patients) followed by the cardiovascular system (5 out of 9 patients). The third most common injuries occurred to the skin (3 out of 9 patients). Four of the patients had to be hospitalized for further observation. Conclusion. Reports of lightning strikes and related injuries are scarce. The establishment of an international register would therefore benefit the understanding of their injury patterns and facilitate specific treatment

Effects of sodium bicarbonate infusion on mortality in medical-surgical ICU patients with metabolic acidosis-A single-center propensity score matched analysis.

OBJECTIVE Metabolic acidosis is associated with high mortality. Despite theoretical benefits of sodium-bicarbonate (SB), current evidence remains controversial. We investigated SB-related effects on outcomes in ICU patients with metabolic acidosis. DESIGN Retrospective analysis. SETTING Academic medical center. PATIENTS OR PARTICIPANTS 971 ICU patients with metabolic acidosis defined as arterial pH<7.3 and CO2<45mmHg treated between 2012 and 2016. A propensity score (PS) was estimated using logistic regression. Patients were matched in pairs using the PS. INTERVENTIONS 441 patients were treated with SB 8.4% (SB-group) and n=530 patients were not (control group). MAIN VARIABLES OF INTEREST Primary outcome was all-cause mortality at ICU-discharge. Average Treatment Effect (ATE), Average Treatment effect in Treated (ATT), and estimated relative survival effects at 20 days were computed. RESULTS In the full cohort, we observed considerable differences in pH, base excess, additional acidosis-related indices, and ICU mortality (controls 31% vs. SB-group 56%, p<.001) at baseline between the two groups. After PS-matching (n=174 in each group), no significant difference in ICU mortality was observed (controls 32% vs. SB-group 41%; p=.07). Odds ratios (OR) for ATE and ATT showed no association with ICU mortality (OR ATE: 1.08, 95%-CI 0.99-1.17; p=.08; OR ATT 1.09; 95%-CI 0.99-1.2; p=.09). Hazard ratios at 20-days (multivariable HR, matched sample n=348: 1.16, 95%-CI 0.86-1.56, p=.33) showed similar survival in the two study groups. CONCLUSIONS We did not observe effects of SB infusion on all-cause mortality in critically ill patients with metabolic acidosis

Choice of creep or maintenance fluid type and their impact on total daily ICU sodium burden in critically ill patients: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Purpose Maintenance and hidden/creep fluids are a major source of fluid and sodium intake in intensive care unit (ICU) patients. Recent research indicates that low versus high sodium content maintenance fluids could decrease fluid and sodium burden. We conducted a systematic review (SR) with meta-analysis to summarize the impact of maintenance fluid choice on total daily sodium in ICU patients. Materials and methods Systematic literature search in Pubmed, Embase, the Cochrane Library and the Clinical Trials registry. Only controlled clinical trials were included. Exclusion criteria: trials on resuscitation fluids, performed in the emergency department only and in pediatric patients. Primary objective was the reduction in mean total sodium intake with low versus high sodium content maintenance/creep fluids. Results Five studies (1105 patients) were included. Heterogeneity was high.Risk of bias was moderate. Mean daily sodium reduction was 117 mmol (95%Confidence Interval [CI] -174; −59; p < 0.001) with low versus high sodium content maintenance/creep fluids. Incidence of hyperchloremia was lower (OR 0.26; 95%CI 0.1; 0.64) with low sodium. There were no differences in the incidences of hyper−/hyponatremia and fluid balances. Conclusion Using low sodium content maintenance/creep fluids substantially reduces daily sodium burden in adult ICU patients. Significant knowledge/research gaps exist regarding relevance and safety

Non-acute myocardial infarction-related causes of elevated high-sensitive troponin T in the emergency room: a cross-sectional analysis

To systematically investigate putative causes of non-coronary high-sensitive troponin elevations in patients presenting to a tertiary care emergency department. In this cross-sectional analysis, patients who received serial measurements of high-sensitive troponin T between 1 August 2010 and 31 October 2012 at the Department of Emergency Medicine were included. The following putative causes were considered to be associated with non-acute coronary syndrome-related increases in high-sensitive troponin T: acute pulmonary embolism, renal insufficiency, aortic dissection, heart failure, peri-/myocarditis, strenuous exercise, rhabdomyolysis, cardiotoxic chemotherapy, high-frequency ablation therapy, defibrillator shocks, cardiac infiltrative disorders (e.g., amyloidosis), chest trauma, sepsis, shock, exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and diabetic ketoacidosis. During the study period a total of 1,573 patients received serial measurements of high-sensitive troponin T. Of these, 175 patients were found to have acute coronary syndrome leaving 1,398 patients for inclusion in the study. In 222 (30%) of patients, no putative cause described in the literature could be attributed to the elevation in high-sensitive troponin T observed. The most commonly encountered mechanism underlying the troponin T elevation was renal insufficiency that was present in 286 patients (57%), followed by cerebral ischemia in 95 patients (19%), trauma in 75 patients (15%) and heart failure in 41 patients (8%). Non-acute coronary syndrome-associated elevation of high-sensitive troponin T levels is commonly observed in the emergency department. Renal insufficiency and acute cerebral events are the most common conditions associated with high-sensitive troponin T elevation

Correction: (TIMP2) x (IGFBP7) as early renal biomarker for the prediction of acute kidney injury in aortic surgery (TIGER). A single center observational study.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0244658.]