Interest of the Leicester Cough Questionnaire in predicting postoperatives complications after lung resection: LCQ-SURGE.

Background: Postoperative complications may occur after major lung surgery for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), with a high rate of morbidity and mortality. The main objective of this study was to assess the relevance of preoperative Leicester Cough Questionnaire (LCQ) to predict postoperative complications after major lung resection for any indication. Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study conducted in the Thoracic Surgery Department of Rouen University Hospital from November 21st, 2022, to June 2nd, 2023. Patients aged ≥18 years who underwent major lung resection for any indications and filled an LCQ self-questionnaire were included. Results: Seventy-one patients were eligible for our study. One patient was lost to follow-up upon hospital discharge. Nineteen (27.1%) postoperative complications of grade ≥2 according to the Clavien-Dindo classification were observed. The mean LCQ total score was 18.11±2.56. The area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve for the LCQ result to predict postoperative complications of grade ≥2 within 30 days following the surgical intervention was 0.60 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.45, 0.75]. Conclusions: This study failed to demonstrate the relevance of a preoperative LCQ to predict postoperative complications after major lung surgery. However, the statistical precision of this study was insufficient to show a moderate predictive performance. Further studies conducted in larger populations are needed.

Effect of opioid-free anesthesia on post-operative period in cytoreductive surgery with hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy: a propensity score matched study.

BACKGROUND: Postoperative pain after cytoreductive surgery with hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (CRS-HIPEC) is important. It appears essential to reduce postoperative pain and morphine consumption. METHODS: Retrospective study in a university hospital comparing patient benefiting from CRS-HIPEC under opioid-free anesthesia (OFA; dexmedetomidine) to those anesthetized with opioid anesthesia (OA; remifentanil) using a propensity score matching method. The main objective was the impact of OFA on postoperative morphine consumption in the first 24 h after surgery. RESULTS: 102 patients were included, matching on the propensity score allowed selecting 34 unique pairs analyzed. Morphine consumption was lower in the OFA group than in the OA group (3.0 [0.00-11.0] mg/24 h vs. 13.0 [2.5-25.0] mg/24 h; p = 0.02). In multivariable analysis, OFA was associated with a reduction of 7.2 [0.5-13.9] mg of postoperative morphine (p = 0.04). The rate of renal failure with a KDIGO-score > 1 was lower in the OFA group than in the OA group (12% vs. 38%; p = 0.01). There was no difference between groups concerning length of surgery/anesthesia, norepinephrine infusion, volume of fluid therapy, post-operative complications, rehospitalization or ICU readmission within 90 days, mortality, and postoperative rehabilitation. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that OFA for CRS-HIPEC patients appears safe and is associated with less postoperative morphine use and acute kidney injury.

Beyond the Frontline: A Triple-Line Approach of Thoracic Surgeons in Lung Cancer Management-State of the Art.

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is now described as an extremely heterogeneous disease in its clinical presentation, histology, molecular characteristics, and patient conditions. Over the past 20 years, the management of lung cancer has evolved with positive results. Immune checkpoint inhibitors have revolutionized the treatment landscape for NSCLC in both metastatic and locally advanced stages. The identification of molecular alterations in NSCLC has also allowed the development of targeted therapies, which provide better outcomes than chemotherapy in selected patients. However, patients usually develop acquired resistance to these treatments. On the other hand, thoracic surgery has progressed thanks to minimally invasive procedures, pre-habilitation and enhanced recovery after surgery. Moreover, within thoracic surgery, precision surgery considers the patient and his/her disease in their entirety to offer the best oncologic strategy. Surgeons support patients from pre-operative rehabilitation to surgery and beyond. They are involved in post-treatment follow-up and lung cancer recurrence. When conventional therapies are no longer effective, salvage surgery can be performed on selected patients.

Evaluation of Medical Confidentiality Breaches on Twitter Among Anesthesiology and Intensive Care Health Care Workers.

BACKGROUND: With the generalization of social network use by health care workers, we observe the emergence of breaches in medical confidentiality. Our objective was to determine, among anesthesiology and intensive care health care workers, the rate of medical confidentiality breaches among professional tweets. METHODS: We performed a retrospective analysis of public Twitter data available through the official Twitter application program interface. The profiles of anesthesiology and intensive care professionals were identified thanks to keywords in their biography. All the tweets with a photograph and all the text-only tweets containing at least one specific keyword related to anesthesiology or intensive care were extracted. We selected only the tweets with a health care-related character. Then, we analyzed 10% of the tweets with a photograph and 10% of the text-only tweets extracted and noted those presenting a breach of medical confidentiality. RESULTS: After a first screening of 12,705 accounts, we manually analyzed 431 tweets with photograph(s) and 9000 text-only tweets from 1831 accounts. We found 44 (10.2%) breaches of medical confidentiality among the photographs and 76 (0.8%) among text-only tweets. These 120 problematic tweets came from 96 profiles (96/1831; 5.2%); 3.7% of North American profiles breached medical confidentiality versus 6.3% of profiles from other areas; P = .03. When comparing the distribution of the number of followers and tweets, accounts with breach of medical confidentiality tweets had more tweets and followers than profiles without (both P < .0001). CONCLUSIONS: We found a significant proportion of tweets with breach of medical confidentiality among anesthesiology and intensive care professionals accounts.

Erector Spinae Plane Block versus Paravertebral Block after Thoracic Surgery for Lung Cancer: A Propensity Score Study.

INTRODUCTION: The prevention of respiratory complications is a major issue after thoracic surgery for lung cancer, and requires adequate post-operative pain management. The erector spinae plane block (ESPB) may decrease post-operative pain. The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of ESPB on pain after video or robot-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS or RATS). METHODS: The main outcome of this retrospective study with a propensity score analysis (PSA) was to compare the post-operative pain at 24 h at rest and at cough between a group that received ESPB and a group that received paravertebral block (PVB). Post-operative morphine consumption at 24 h and complications were also assessed. RESULTS: One hundred and seven patients were included: 54 in the ESPB group and 53 in the PVB group. The post-operative median pain score at rest and cough was lower in the ESPB group compared to the PVB group at 24 h (respectively, at rest 2 [1; 3.5] vs. 2 [0; 4], p = 0.0181, with PSA; ESPB -0.80 [-1.50; -0.10], p = 0.0255, and at cough (4 [3; 6] vs. 5 [4; 6], p = 0.0261, with PSA; ESPB -1.48 [-2.65; -0.31], p = 0.0135). There were no differences between groups concerning post-operative morphine consumption at 24 h and respiratory complications. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that ESPB is associated with less post-operative pain at 24 h than PVB after VATS or RATS for lung cancer. Furthermore, ESPB is an acceptable and safe alternative compared to PVB.

Paravertebral block combined with serratus anterior plane block after video-assisted thoracic surgery: a prospective randomized controlled trial.

OBJECTIVES: Adequate pain management after thoracoscopic surgery is a major issue in the prevention of respiratory complications. The combination of the paravertebral block (PVB) with the serratus anterior plane block (SAPB) may decrease postoperative pain. The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of the combination of PVB and SAPB on the consumption of morphine and pain after video- or robot-assisted thoracic surgery. METHODS: The main objective of this randomized controlled trial was to compare the cumulative postoperative morphine consumption at 24 h between a group having PVB (PVB group) and a group having PVB and SAPB (PV-SAPB group). Postoperative pain at 6 and 24 h and morphine-related complications were also assessed. RESULTS: A total of 112 patients were included with 56 in each group. There was no difference in median cumulative morphine consumption at 24 h between the 2 groups (P = 0.1640). At 6 h, the median postoperative pain was higher in the PVB group compared to the PV-SAPB group (3 [0; 4] vs 2 [0; 3], P = 0.0231). There were no differences between the 2 groups for pain at 24 h and morphine-related complications. CONCLUSIONS: We did not find any difference in morphine consumption between the 2 groups. Our results suggest that the combination of PVB and SAPB for video-assisted thoracic surgery or robot-assisted thoracic surgery is safe effective and reliable and could be an alternative to PVB alone in certain indications.

Outpatient management of facial fractures in France: Current state.

Maxillofacial trauma is still very common in France with possible involvement of all face bones. Outpatient surgery is an axis strongly put forward by the public authorities. The aim of this study is to establish a current state in the outpatient management of facial fractures in France in 2019 before COVID infection. A closed and semi-open-ended questionnaire was sent to French hospitals treating facial fractures in order to evaluate current and possible future practices in terms of outpatient and perioperative management. Data extracted from the Program for giving Medical significance to Information Systems (PMSI) thanks to the Agency for Information on Hospital Care (ATIH) were also studied to obtain proportions of outpatient care by department. About the questionnaire 43 replies were received. Nasal fractures were the only type of fracture having a minimum average length of stay below 24hours (12.00±16.65) as well as an actual average length of stay (14.22±24.24). Concerning data extracted from the PMSI, 14510 stays were found. Currently only nasal fractures and zygomatic arch fractures requiring simple reduction without osteosynthesis are performed on an outpatient basis. Mandibular fractures could be performed as an outpatient procedure. Access to the operating room and organizational problems specific to each center are factors that limit the development of outpatient management of these facial fractures. Some incompressible parameters such as the monitoring required following the management of these fractures as well as the patients' comorbidities must be taken into account.

Effect of mechanical ventilation during cardiopulmonary bypass on end-expiratory lung volume in the perioperative period of cardiac surgery: an observational study.

BACKGROUND: Many studies explored the impact of ventilation during cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) period with conflicting results. Functional residual capacity or End Expiratory Lung Volume (EELV) may be disturbed after cardiac surgery but the specific effects of CPB have not been studied. Our objective was to compare the effect of two ventilation strategies during CPB on EELV. METHODS: Observational single center study in a tertiary teaching hospital. Adult patients undergoing on-pump cardiac surgery by sternotomy were included. Maintenance of ventilation during CPB was left to the discretion of the medical team, with division between "ventilated" and "non-ventilated" groups afterwards. Iterative intra and postoperative measurements of EELV were carried out by nitrogen washin-washout technique. Main endpoint was EELV at the end of surgery. Secondary endpoints were EELV one hour after ICU admission, PaO2/FiO2 ratio, driving pressure, duration of mechanical ventilation and post-operative pulmonary complications. RESULTS: Forty consecutive patients were included, 20 in each group. EELV was not significantly different between the ventilated versus non-ventilated groups at the end of surgery (1796 ± 586 mL vs. 1844 ± 524 mL, p = 1) and one hour after ICU admission (2095 ± 562 vs. 2045 ± 476 mL, p = 1). No significant difference between the two groups was observed on PaO2/FiO2 ratio (end of surgery: 339 ± 149 vs. 304 ± 131, p = 0.8; one hour after ICU: 324 ± 115 vs. 329 ± 124, p = 1), driving pressure (end of surgery: 7 ± 1 vs. 8 ± 1 cmH2O, p = 0.3; one hour after ICU: 9 ± 3 vs. 9 ± 3 cmH2O), duration of mechanical ventilation (5.5 ± 4.8 vs 8.2 ± 10.0 h, p = 0.5), need postoperative respiratory support (2 vs. 1, p = 1), occurrence of pneumopathy (2 vs. 0, p = 0.5) and radiographic atelectasis (7 vs. 8, p = 1). CONCLUSION: No significant difference was observed in EELV after cardiac surgery between not ventilated and ventilated patients during CPB.

Incidence of Postoperative Pain at 7 Days After Day Surgery Reported Using a Text Messaging Platform: Retrospective Observational Study.

BACKGROUND: The most frequent complication observed after ambulatory surgery is acute postoperative pain. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the late incidence of postoperative pain at 7 days after day surgery. METHODS: We retrospectively included patients who underwent day surgery under general or regional anesthesia and those who underwent local anesthesia in Rouen University Hospital from January 2018 to February 2020. Data collected were moderate-to-severe pain reports defined as numeric rating scale (NRS)>3/10 at 1 day (secondary end point) and 7 days (primary end point) after surgery. These data were collected using a semi-intelligent SMS text messaging platform to follow up with the patient at home after ambulatory surgery. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to analyze the risk factors for pain. RESULTS: We analyzed 6099 patients. On the day after the surgery, 5.2% (318/6099) of the patients presented with moderate-to-severe pain: 5.9% (248/4187) in the general or regional anesthesia group and 3.7% (70/1912) in the local anesthesia group. At 7 days after the surgery, 18.6% (1135/6099) of the patients presented with moderate-to-severe pain, including 21.3% (892/4187) of the patients in the general or regional anesthesia group and 12.7% (243/1912) of the patients in the local anesthesia group. General surgery (odds ratio [OR] 1.54, 95% CI 1.23-1.92; P<.01) and orthopedic surgery (OR 1.66, 95% CI 1.42-1.94; P<.01) were associated with more late postoperative pain risk. Male gender (OR 0.66, 95% CI 0.57-0.76; P<.01), ophthalmology surgery (OR 0.51, 95% CI 0.42-0.62; P<.01), and gynecologic surgery (OR 0.67, 95% CI 0.50-0.88; P=.01) were associated with less late postoperative pain risk. The rate of emergency consultation or rehospitalization at 7 days after the surgery was 11.1% (679/6099). Late postoperative pain (OR 2.54, 95% CI 1.98-3.32; P<.001), general surgery (OR 2.15, 95% CI 1.65-2.81; P<.001), and urology surgery (OR 1.62, 95% CI 1.06-2.43; P=.02) increased the risk of emergency consultation or rehospitalization. Orthopedic surgery (OR 0.79, 95% CI 0.63-0.99; P=.04) and electroconvulsive therapy (OR 0.43, 95% CI 0.27-0.65; P<.001) were associated with less rates of emergency consultation or rehospitalization. CONCLUSIONS: Our study shows that postoperative pain at 7 days after ambulatory surgery was reported in more than 18% of the cases, which was also associated with an increase in the emergency consultation or rehospitalization rates.

Priming of Cardiopulmonary Bypass with Human Albumin Decreases Endothelial Dysfunction after Pulmonary Ischemia-Reperfusion in an Animal Model.

The routine use of mechanical circulatory support during lung transplantation (LTx) is still controversial. The use of prophylactic human albumin (HA) or hypertonic sodium lactate (HSL) prime in mechanical circulatory support during LTx could prevent ischemia−reperfusion (IR) injuries and pulmonary endothelial dysfunction and thus prevent the development of pulmonary graft dysfunction. The objective was to investigate the impact of cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) priming with HA and HSL compared to a CPB prime with Gelofusine (GF) on pulmonary endothelial dysfunction in a lung IR rat model. Rats were assigned to four groups: IR-CPB-GF group, IR-CPB-HA group, IR-CPB-HSL group and a sham group. The study of pulmonary vascular reactivity by wire myograph was the primary outcome. Glycocalyx degradation (syndecan-1 and heparan) was also assessed by ELISA and electron microscopy, systemic and pulmonary inflammation by ELISA (IL-1ß, IL-10, and TNF-α) and immunohistochemistry. Clinical parameters were evaluated. We employed a CPB model with three different primings, permitting femoral−femoral assistance with left pulmonary hilum ischemia for IR. Pulmonary endothelium-dependent relaxation to acetylcholine was significantly decreased in the IR-CPB-GF group (11.9 ± 6.2%) compared to the IR-CPB-HA group (52.8 ± 5.2%, p < 0.0001), the IR-CPB-HSL group (57.7 ± 6.3%, p < 0.0001) and the sham group (80.8 ± 6.5%, p < 0.0001). We did not observe any difference between the groups concerning glycocalyx degradation, and systemic or tissular inflammation. The IR-CPB-HSL group needed more vascular filling and developed significantly more pulmonary edema than the IR-CPB-GF group and the IR-CPB-HA group. Using HA as a prime in CPB during Ltx could decrease pulmonary endothelial dysfunction's IR-mediated effects. No effects of HA were found on inflammation.

Worldwide Presence of National Anesthesia Societies on Four Major Social Networks in 2021: Observational Case Study.

BACKGROUND: Although the presence of medical societies on social networks (SNs) could be interesting for disseminating professional information, there is no study investigating their presence on SNs. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this viewpoint is to describe the worldwide presence and activity of national anesthesia societies on SNs. METHODS: This observational study assessed the active presence (≥1 post in the year preceding the collection date) of the World Federation of Societies of Anesthesiologists member societies on the SNs Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. We collected data concerning each anesthesia society on the World Federation of Societies of Anesthesiologists website. RESULTS: Among the 136 societies, 66 (48.5%) had an active presence on at least one SN. The most used SN was Facebook (n=60, 44.1%), followed by Twitter (n=37, 27.2%), YouTube (n=26, 19.1%), and Instagram (n=16, 11.8%). The SN with the largest number of followers was Facebook for 52 (78.8%) societies and Twitter for 12 (18.2%) societies. The number of followers was 361 (IQR 75-1806) on Twitter, 2494 (IQR 1049-5369) on Facebook, 1400 (IQR 303-3058) on Instagram, and 214 (IQR 33-955) on YouTube. There was a strong correlation between the number of posts and the number of followers on Twitter (r=0.95, 95% CI 0.91-0.97; P<.001), Instagram (r=0.83, 95% CI 0.58-0.94; P<.001), and YouTube (r=0.69, 95% CI 0.42-0.85; P<.001). According to the density of anesthetists in the country, there was no difference between societies with and without active SN accounts. CONCLUSIONS: Less than half of national anesthesia societies have at least one active account on SNs. Twitter and Facebook are the most used SNs.

Long-Term Survival Following Minimally Invasive Lung Cancer Surgery: Comparing Robotic-Assisted and Video-Assisted Surgery.

BACKGROUND: Nowadays, video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) and robotic-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (RATS) are known to be safe and efficient surgical procedures to treat early-stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). We assessed whether RATS increased disease-free survival (DFS) compared with VATS for lobectomy and segmentectomy. METHODS: This retrospective cohort study included patients treated for resectable NSCLC performed by RATS or VATS, in our tertiary care center from 2012 to 2019. Patients' data were prospectively recorded and reviewed in the French EPITHOR database. Primary outcomes were 5-year DFS for lobectomy and 3-year DFS for segmentectomy, compared by propensity-score adjusted difference of Kaplan-Meier estimates. RESULTS: Among 844 lung resections, 436 VATS and 234 RATS lobectomies and 46 VATS and 128 RATS segmentectomies were performed. For lobectomy, the adjusted 5-year DFS was 60.9% (95% confidence interval (CI) 52.9-68.8%) for VATS and 52.7% (95%CI 41.7-63.7%) for RATS, with a difference estimated at -8.3% (-22.2-+4.9%, p = 0.24). For segmentectomy, the adjusted 3-year DFS was 84.6% (95%CI 69.8-99.0%) for VATS and 72.9% (95%CI 50.6-92.4%) for RATS, with a difference estimated at -11.7% (-38.7-+7.8%, p = 0.21). CONCLUSIONS: RATS failed to show its superiority over VATS for resectable NSCLC.

Reliability of the Minto model for target-controlled infusion of remifentanil during cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass.

BACKGROUND: The Minto pharmacokinetic model is used for target-controlled infusion of remifentanil. The reliability of this model has never been evaluated during normothermic cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). The aim of this study was to assess the predictive performance of the model during CPB to determine its reliability during cardiac surgery. METHODS: This was a single-centre observational study. Arterial blood samples were drawn at five time points: T1, after tracheal intubation; T2, immediately before CPB; T3, 10 min after starting CPB; T4, 45 min after starting CPB; T5, 10 min after weaning off CPB. Prediction error (PE) and absolute prediction error (APE) were calculated for each sample and used to determine median prediction error (MDPE) and median absolute prediction error (MDAPE) per patient. Risk factors for APE >30% were assessed using multivariable analysis. Results are presented as medians with inter-quartile ranges. RESULTS: Fifty-eight patients with 283 blood samples (110 during CPB) were included. In the pre-CPB period, MDPE and MDAPE were -17.3 [-32.9 to 2.3] and 24.6 [12-37.7]%, whereas during CPB, they were -1.8 [-15.6 to 11.1] and 14.0 [6.74-27.1]%, respectively. There was no statistically significant difference between measured and predicted remifentanil plasma concentrations during CPB. Age, preoperative albumin concentrations, temperature, and haemodilution were not independently associated with MDAPE >30%. CONCLUSIONS: The Minto model accurately predicts plasma remifentanil concentrations during cardiac surgery with CPB. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: 2017-A03153-50.

The Perception of the Anesthesiologist Among the Medical, Paramedical and Administrative Staff.

Introduction: Anesthesia remains a young medical discipline still relatively unknown by the general public and probably by some health professionals. The objective of the study was to evaluate the perception of anesthesiologist by health professionals working with this specialty. Methods: We distributed a computerized survey to physicians, residents, paramedical, midwives, and administrative staff in different hospitals between April and July 2018 in Normandy, France. The survey included 38 questions on 6 different topics: communicated image, skills and knowledge, communication, place in patient care, workload, and initial anesthesiologist formation. The survey was validated by a semi-directive interview methodology. A Likert scale from ×2 to +2 ("completely disagree" to "completely agree") was used for each item. Results: Six hundred and twenty five out of 2,000 surveys sent were analyzed. The anesthesiologist conveys an image of serenity (+0.94 ± 0.79), has a high degree of responsibility (+1.72 ± 0.59) with important decision-making power (+1.39 ± 0.82). He guarantees patient safety and comfort (+1.07 ± 0.88) with his/her dual competence in anesthesia and intensive care (+1.36 ± 0.82). Anesthesiology requires teamwork (+1.68 ± 0.58) and good communication skills (+1.48 ± 0.73). The anesthesiologist is not perceived as a service provider (-0.33 ± 1.15) but is the physician responsible for perioperative care (+1.69 ± 1.00). His/her workload is moderately perceived as high (+0.71 ± 1.17) but is confronted with potentially conflictual relationships with colleagues from other specialties (+1.40 ± 0.68) and stressful situations (+1.44 ± 0.80). Conclusion: The overall perception of the anesthesiologist in our study appears to be good.

The 6-minute stepper test and the sit-to-stand test predict complications after major pulmonary resection via minimally invasive surgery: a prospective inception cohort study.

QUESTIONS: How well do the 6-minute stepper test (6MST) and sit-to-stand test (STST) predict complications after minimally invasive lung cancer resection? Do the 6MST and STST provide supplementary information on the risk of postoperative complications in addition to the prognostic variables that are currently used, such as age and the American Society of Anesthesiology (ASA) score? DESIGN: Prospective inception cohort study with follow-up for 90 days. PARTICIPANTS: Consecutive sample of adults undergoing major lung resection with video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) or robot-assisted thoracic surgery (RATS). OUTCOME MEASURES: Patients had a preoperative functional evaluation with the 6MST and STST. The number of steps, heart rate change, saturation and dyspnoea during the 6MST and the number of lifts during the STST were recorded. Complications graded ≥ 2 on the Clavien-Dindo classification were recorded for 90 days after surgery. RESULTS: Between November 2018 and November 2019, 118 patients with a mean age of 65 years (SD 9) were included and analysed. Their surgeries were via VATS in 88 (75%) and via RATS in 30 (25%). For predicting a postoperative complication graded ≥ 2 on the Clavien-Dindo classification, the area under the Receiver Operating Characteristic curve was: 0.82 (95% CI 0.75 to 0.90) for the number of steps during the 6MST, with an optimum cut-off of 140 steps; and 0.85 (95% CI 0.77 to 0.93) for the number of lifts during the STST, with an optimum cut-off of 20 lifts. CONCLUSION: The 6MST and STST predicted morbidity and mortality after lung cancer resection via minimally invasive surgery. The preoperative use of these exercise tests in clinical practice may be useful for risk stratification. REGISTRATION: NCT03824977.

Combined Electron Microscopy Approaches for Arterial Glycocalyx Visualization.

Mainly constituted of glycosaminoglycans and proteoglycans, the glycocalyx is anchored in the plasma membrane, covering, in particular, the extracellular face of the arterial endothelium. Due to its complex three-dimensional (3D) architecture, the glycocalyx interacts with a wide variety of proteins, contributing to vascular permeability, the flow of mechanotransduction, and the modulation of local inflammatory processes. Alterations of glycocalyx structure mediate the endothelial dysfunction and contribute to the aggravation of peripheral vascular diseases. Therefore, the exploration of its ultrastructure becomes a priority to evaluate the degree of injury under physiopathological conditions and to assess the impact of therapeutic approaches. The objective of this study was to develop innovative approaches in electron microscopy to visualize the glycocalyx at the subcellular scale. Intravenous perfusion on rats with a fixing solution containing aldehyde fixatives enriched with lanthanum ions was performed to prepare arterial samples. The addition of lanthanum nitrate in the fixing solution allowed the enhancement of the staining of the glycocalyx for transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and to detect elastic and inelastic scattered electrons, providing complementary qualitative information. The strength of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used on resin-embedded serial sections, allowing rapid and efficient large field imaging and previous correlative TEM observations for ultrastructural fine details. To demonstrate the dynamic feature of the glycocalyx, 3D tomography was provided by dual-beam focus-ion-beam-SEM (FIB-SEM). These approaches allowed us to visualize and characterize the ultrastructure of the pulmonary artery glycocalyx under physiological conditions and in a rat pulmonary ischemia-reperfusion model, known to induce endothelial dysfunction. This study demonstrates the feasibility of combined SEM, TEM, and FIB-SEM tomography approaches on the same sample as the multiscale visualization and the identification of structural indicators of arterial endothelial glycocalyx integrity.

Routine and Advanced Laboratory Tests for Hemostasis Disorders in COVID-19 Patients: A Prospective Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND: Thrombosis is frequent during COVID-19 disease, and thus, identifying predictive factors of hemostasis associated with a poor prognosis is of interest. The objective was to explore coagulation disorders as early predictors of worsening critical conditions in the intensive care unit (ICU) using routine and more advanced explorations. MATERIALS: Blood samples within 24 h of ICU admission for viscoelastic point-of-care testing, (VET), advanced laboratory tests: absolute immature platelet count (A-IPC), von Willebrand-GPIb activity (vWF-GpIb), prothrombin fragments 1 + 2 (F1 + 2), and the thrombin generation assay (TGA) were used. An association with worse outcomes was explored using univariable and multivariable analyses. Worsening was defined as death or the need for organ support. RESULTS: An amount of 85 patients with 33 in critical condition were included. A-IPC were lower in worsening patients (9.6 [6.4-12.5] vs. 12.3 [8.3-20.7], p = 0.02) while fibrinogen (6.9 [6.1-7.7] vs. 6.2 [5.4-6.9], p = 0.03), vWF-GpIb (286 [265-389] vs. 268 [216-326], p = 0.03) and F1 + 2 (226 [151-578] vs. 155 [129-248], p = 0.01) were higher. There was no difference observed for D-dimer, TGA or VET. SAPS-II and A-IPC were independently associated with worsening (OR = 1.11 [1.06-1.17] and OR = 0.47 [0.25-0.76] respectively). The association of a SAPS-II ≥ 33 and an A-IPC ≤ 12.6 G/L predicted the worsening of patients (sensitivity 58%, specificity 89%). CONCLUSIONS: Immature platelets are early predictors of worsening in severe COVID-19 patients, suggesting a key role of thrombopoiesis in the adaption of an organism to SARS-CoV-2 infection.