Analysis of prognostic factors in critically ill patients with COVID-19.

The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) has caused a global health crisis. Mortality predictors in critically ill patients remain under investigation. A retrospective cohort study included 201 patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) due to COVID-19. Data on demographic characteristics, laboratory findings, and mortality were collected. Logistic regression analysis was conducted with various independent variables, including demographic characteristics, clinical factors, and treatment methods. The study aimed to identify key risk factors associated with mortality in an ICU. In an investigation of 201 patients comprising non-survivors (n = 80, 40%) and Survivors (n = 121, 60%), we identified several markers significantly associated with ICU mortality. Lower Interleukin 6 and White Blood Cells levels at both 24- and 48-hours post-ICU admission emerged as significant indicators of survival. The study employed logistic regression analysis to evaluate risk factors for in-ICU mortality. Analysis results revealed that demographic and clinical factors, including gender, age, and comorbidities, were not significant predictors of in-ICU mortality. Ventilator-associated pneumonia was significantly higher in Survivors, and the use of antibiotics showed a significant association with increased mortality risk in the multivariate model (OR: 11.2, p = 0.031). Our study underscores the significance of monitoring Il-6 and WBC levels within 48 hours of ICU admission, potentially influencing COVID-19 patient outcomes. These insights may reshape therapeutic strategies and ICU protocols for critically ill patients.

Stacked probability plots of the extended illness-death model using constant transition hazards - an easy to use shiny app.

BACKGROUND: Extended illness-death models (a specific class of multistate models) are a useful tool to analyse situations like hospital-acquired infections, ventilation-associated pneumonia, and transfers between hospitals. The main components of these models are hazard rates and transition probabilities. Calculation of different measures and their interpretation can be challenging due to their complexity. METHODS: By assuming time-constant hazards, the complexity of these models becomes manageable and closed mathematical forms for transition probabilities can be derived. Using these forms, we created a tool in R to visualize transition probabilities via stacked probability plots. RESULTS: In this article, we present this tool and give some insights into its theoretical background. Using published examples, we give guidelines on how this tool can be used. Our goal is to provide an instrument that helps obtain a deeper understanding of a complex multistate setting. CONCLUSION: While multistate models (in particular extended illness-death models), can be highly complex, this tool can be used in studies to both understand assumptions, which have been made during planning and as a first step in analysing complex data structures. An online version of this tool can be found at https://eidm.imbi.uni-freiburg.de/ .

Effect of Reintubation Within 48 Hours on Mortality in Critically Ill Patients After Planned Extubation.

BACKGROUND: Re-intubation is necessary in 2% to 30% of cases of patients receiving a planned extubation. This procedure is associated with prolonged mechanical ventilation, a greater need for tracheostomy, a higher incidence of ventilator-associated pneumonia, and higher mortality. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of re-intubation within 48 h on mortality after planned extubation by using a randomized controlled trial database. METHODS: Secondary analysis of a multi-center randomized trial, which evaluated the effect of reconnection to mechanical ventilation for 1 h after a successful spontaneous breathing trial, followed by extubation. The study included adult subjects who received invasive mechanical ventilation for > 12 h. The subjects were divided into an extubation failure group and an extubation success group. The outcome was in-hospital mortality. Two multivariate logistic regression models were constructed to identify independent factors associated with mortality. RESULTS: Among the 336 subjects studied, extubation failed in 52 (15.4%) and they were re-intubated within 48 h. Most re-intubations occurred between 12 and 24 h after planned extubation (median [interquartile range] 16 [6-36] h). Mortality of the extubation failure group was higher both in the ICU (32.6% vs 6.6%; odds ratio [OR] 6.77, 95% CI 3.22-14.24; P < .001) and in-hospital (42.3% vs 14.0%; OR 4.47, 95% CI 2.34-8.51; P < .001) versus the extubation success group. Multivariate logistic regression analyses showed that re-intubation within 48 h was independently associated with both ICU mortality (OR 6.10, 95% CI 2.84-13.07; P < .001) and in-hospital mortality (OR 3.36, 95% CI 1.67-6.73; P = .001). In-hospital mortality was also associated with rescue noninvasive ventilation after extubation (OR 2.44, 95% CI 1.25-4.75; P = .009). CONCLUSIONS: Re-intubation within 48 h after planned extubation was associated with mortality in subjects who were critically ill.

The impact and validity of the Berlin criteria on burn-induced ARDS: Examining mortality rates, and inhalation injury influences. A single center observational cohort study.

BACKGROUND: As several recent studies have shown low mortality rates in burn injury induced ARDS early (≤7 days) after the burn, the Berlin criteria for the ARDS diagnosis in this setting may be disputed. Related to this issue, the present study investigated the incidence, trajectory and risk factors of early Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) and outcome in burn patients, as per the Berlin criteria, along with the concurrent prevalence and influence of inhalation injury, and ventilator-acquired pneumonia (VAP). METHODS: Over a 2.5-year period, burn patients with Total Burn Surface Area (TBSA) exceeding 10% admitted to a national burn center were included. The subgroup of interest comprised patients with more than 48 h of ventilatory support. This group was assessed for ARDS, inhalation injury, and VAP. RESULTS: Out of 292 admissions, 62 sustained burns > 10% TBSA. Of these, 28 (45%) underwent ventilatory support for over 48 h, almost all, 24 out of 28, meeting the criteria for ARDS early, within 7 days post-injury and with a PaO2/FiO2 (PF) ratio nadir at day 5. The mortality rate for this early ARDS group was under 10%, regardless of PF ratios (mean TBSA% 34,8%). Patients with concurrent inhalation injury and early ARDS showed significantly lower PF ratios (p < 0.001), and higher SOFA scores (p = 0.004) but without impact on mortality. Organ failure, indicated by SOFA scores, peaked early (day 3) and declined in the first week, mirroring PF ratio trends (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The low mortality associated with early ARDS in burn patients in this study challenges the Berlin criteria's for the early ARDS diagnosis, which for its validity relies on that higher mortality is linked to worsening PF ratios. The finding suggests alternative mechanisms, leading to the early ARDS diagnosis, such as the significant impact of inhalation injury on early PF ratios and organ failure, as seen in this study. The concurrence of early organ failure with declining PF ratios, supports, as expected, the hypothesis of trauma-induced inflammation/multi-organ failure mechanisms contributing to early ARDS. The study highlights the complexity in differentiating between the contributions of inhalation injury to early ARDS and the related organ dysfunction early in the burn care trajectory. The Berlin criteria for the ARDS diagnosis may not be fully applicable in the burn care setting, where the low mortality significantly deviates from that described in the original Berlin ARDS criteria publication but is as expected when considering the actual not very extensive burn injury sizes/Baux scores as in the present study.

Intravenous fosfomycin for treatment of severe infections caused by carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii: A multi-centre clinical experience.

BACKGROUND: Severe infections caused by carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (CRAB) have been reported increasingly over the past few years. Many in-vivo and in-vitro studies have suggested a possible role of intravenous fosfomycin for the treatment of CRAB infections. METHODS: This multi-centre, retrospective study included patients treated with intravenous fosfomycin for severe infections caused by CRAB admitted consecutively to four hospitals in Italy from December 2017 to December 2022. The primary goal of the study was to evaluate the risk factors associated with 30-day mortality in the study population. A propensity score matched analysis was added to the model. RESULTS: One hundred and two patients with severe infections caused by CRAB treated with an intravenous fosfomycin-containing regimen were enrolled in this study. Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) was diagnosed in 59% of patients, primary bacteraemia in 22% of patients, and central-venous-catheter-related infection in 16% of patients. All patients were treated with a regimen containing intravenous fosfomycin, mainly in combination with cefiderocol (n=54), colistin (n=48) or ampicillin/sulbactam (n=18). Forty-eight (47%) patients died within 30 days. Fifty-eight (57%) patients experienced clinical therapeutic failure. Cox regression analysis showed that diabetes, primary bacteraemia and a colistin-containing regimen were independently associated with 30-day mortality, whereas adequate source control of infection, early 24-h active in-vitro therapy, and a cefiderocol-containing regimen were associated with survival. A colistin-based regimen, A. baumannii colonization and primary bacteraemia were independently associated with clinical failure. Conversely, adequate source control of infection, a cefiderocol-containing regimen, and early 24-h active in-vitro therapy were associated with clinical success. CONCLUSIONS: Different antibiotic regimens containing fosfomycin in combination can be used for treatment of severe infections caused by CRAB.

Clinical effectiveness of cefiderocol for the treatment of bloodstream infections due to carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii during the COVID-19 era: a single center, observational study.

BACKGROUND: We assessed the clinical effectiveness of cefiderocol (CFDC) in comparison with colistin (COL) for the treatment of carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (CRAB) bloodstream infections (BSI). MATERIALS/METHODS: Retrospective cohort study including adults with CRAB-BSI. Outcomes were mortality, clinical cure and adverse events during therapy. The average treatment effect of CFDC compared to COL was weighted with the inverse-probability treatment weight (IPTW). RESULTS: Overall, 104 patients were included (50 CFDC, 54 COL), median age 66.5 years, median Charlson Comorbidity Index 5, septic shock in 33.6% of patients. Primary BSI accounted for 43.3% of cases, followed by ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) (26%), catheter-related BSI (20.2%) and hospital-acquired pneumonia (HAP) (9.6%). Although not significantly, mortality at all time points was lower for CFDC than COL, while clinical cure was higher in CFDC than COL (66% vs. 44.4%, p = 0.027). Adverse events were more frequent in COL than CFDC-group (38.8% vs. 10%, p < 0.0001), primarily attributed to acute kidney injury (AKI) in the COL group. Patients with bacteremic HAP/VAP treated with CFDC had a significant lower 30-d mortality and higher clinical cure than COL (p = 0.008 and p = 0.0008, respectively). Increment of CCI (p = 0.005), ICU (p = 0.025), SARS-CoV2 (p = 0.006) and ECMO (p < 0.0001) were independently associated with 30-d mortality, while receiving CFDC was not associated with survival. CONCLUSIONS: CFDC could represent an effective and safe treatment option for CRAB BSI, especially in patients with bacteremic HAP/VAP and frail patients where the risk of acute renal failure during therapy should be avoided.

Ventilator associated pneumonia in COVID-19 patients: A retrospective cohort study.

Introduction: We aimed to evaluate ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) incidence rate, risk factors, and isolated microorganisms in COVID-19 patients as the primary endpoint. Evaluation of VAP-associated intensive care unit (ICU) and hospital mortalities was the secondary endpoint. Materials and Methods: Records of patients admitted between March 2020- June 2021 to our pandemic ICU were reviewed and COVID-19 patients with VAP and non-VAP were evaluated retrospectively. Comorbidities, management, length of ICU stay, and outcomes of VAP and non-VAP patients, as well as risk factors for VAP mortality, were identified. Result: During the study period, 254 patients were admitted to the ICU. After the exclusion, the data of 208 patients were reviewed. In total, 121 patients required invasive mechanical ventilation, with 78 (64.5%) developing VAP. Length of ICU and hospital stays were longer in VAP patients (p<0.01 and p<0.01 respectively). Steroid use was higher in VAP patients, although it was not statistically significant (p= 0.06). APACHE II score (p<0.01) was higher in non-VAP patients. ICU mortality was high in both groups (VAP 70%, non-VAP 77%). VAP mortality was higher in males (p= 0.03) and in patients who required renal replacement therapy (p= 0.01). Length of ICU stay (p= 0.04), and length of hospital stay (p<0.01) were both high in VAP survivors. The most common isolated microorganisms were Acinetobacter spp. and Klebsiella spp. in VAP patients and most of them were extensively drug-resistant. Conclusions: Critically ill COVID-19 patients who required invasive mechanical ventilation developed VAP frequently. The length of ICU stay was longer in patients who developed VAP and ICU mortality was high in both VAP and non-VAP patients. The length of hospital and ICU stays among VAP survivors were also considerably high which is probably related to the long recovery period of COVID-19. The most frequently isolated microorganisms were Acinetobacter spp. and Klebsiella spp. in VAP patients.

Association Between Selective Decontamination of the Digestive Tract and In-Hospital Mortality in Intensive Care Unit Patients Receiving Mechanical Ventilation: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Importance: The effectiveness of selective decontamination of the digestive tract (SDD) in critically ill adults receiving mechanical ventilation is uncertain. Objective: To determine whether SDD is associated with reduced risk of death in adults receiving mechanical ventilation in intensive care units (ICUs) compared with standard care. Data Sources: The primary search was conducted using MEDLINE, EMBASE, and CENTRAL databases until September 2022. Study Selection: Randomized clinical trials including adults receiving mechanical ventilation in the ICU comparing SDD vs standard care or placebo. Data Extraction and Synthesis: Data extraction and risk of bias assessments were performed in duplicate. The primary analysis was conducted using a bayesian framework. Main Outcomes and Measures: The primary outcome was hospital mortality. Subgroups included SDD with an intravenous agent compared with SDD without an intravenous agent. There were 8 secondary outcomes including the incidence of ventilator-associated pneumonia, ICU-acquired bacteremia, and the incidence of positive cultures of antimicrobial-resistant organisms. Results: There were 32 randomized clinical trials including 24 389 participants in the analysis. The median age of participants in the included studies was 54 years (IQR, 44-60), and the median proportion of female trial participants was 33% (IQR, 25%-38%). Data from 30 trials including 24 034 participants contributed to the primary outcome. The pooled estimated risk ratio (RR) for mortality for SDD compared with standard care was 0.91 (95% credible interval [CrI], 0.82-0.99; I2 = 33.9%; moderate certainty) with a 99.3% posterior probability that SDD reduced hospital mortality. The beneficial association of SDD was evident in trials with an intravenous agent (RR, 0.84 [95% CrI, 0.74-0.94]), but not in trials without an intravenous agent (RR, 1.01 [95% CrI, 0.91-1.11]) (P value for the interaction between subgroups = .02). SDD was associated with reduced risk of ventilator-associated pneumonia (RR, 0.44 [95% CrI, 0.36-0.54]) and ICU-acquired bacteremia (RR, 0.68 [95% CrI, 0.57-0.81]). Available data regarding the incidence of positive cultures of antimicrobial-resistant organisms were not amenable to pooling and were of very low certainty. Conclusions and Relevance: Among adults in the ICU treated with mechanical ventilation, the use of SDD compared with standard care or placebo was associated with lower hospital mortality. Evidence regarding the effect of SDD on antimicrobial resistance was of very low certainty.

Effect of Selective Decontamination of the Digestive Tract on Hospital Mortality in Critically Ill Patients Receiving Mechanical Ventilation: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: Whether selective decontamination of the digestive tract (SDD) reduces mortality in critically ill patients remains uncertain. Objective: To determine whether SDD reduces in-hospital mortality in critically ill adults. Design, Setting, and Participants: A cluster, crossover, randomized clinical trial that recruited 5982 mechanically ventilated adults from 19 intensive care units (ICUs) in Australia between April 2018 and May 2021 (final follow-up, August 2021). A contemporaneous ecological assessment recruited 8599 patients from participating ICUs between May 2017 and August 2021. Interventions: ICUs were randomly assigned to adopt or not adopt a SDD strategy for 2 alternating 12-month periods, separated by a 3-month interperiod gap. Patients in the SDD group (n = 2791) received a 6-hourly application of an oral paste and administration of a gastric suspension containing colistin, tobramycin, and nystatin for the duration of mechanical ventilation, plus a 4-day course of an intravenous antibiotic with a suitable antimicrobial spectrum. Patients in the control group (n = 3191) received standard care. Main Outcomes and Measures: The primary outcome was in-hospital mortality within 90 days. There were 8 secondary outcomes, including the proportion of patients with new positive blood cultures, antibiotic-resistant organisms (AROs), and Clostridioides difficile infections. For the ecological assessment, a noninferiority margin of 2% was prespecified for 3 outcomes including new cultures of AROs. Results: Of 5982 patients (mean age, 58.3 years; 36.8% women) enrolled from 19 ICUs, all patients completed the trial. There were 753/2791 (27.0%) and 928/3191 (29.1%) in-hospital deaths in the SDD and standard care groups, respectively (mean difference, -1.7% [95% CI, -4.8% to 1.3%]; odds ratio, 0.91 [95% CI, 0.82-1.02]; P = .12). Of 8 prespecified secondary outcomes, 6 showed no significant differences. In the SDD vs standard care groups, 23.1% vs 34.6% had new ARO cultures (absolute difference, -11.0%; 95% CI, -14.7% to -7.3%), 5.6% vs 8.1% had new positive blood cultures (absolute difference, -1.95%; 95% CI, -3.5% to -0.4%), and 0.5% vs 0.9% had new C difficile infections (absolute difference, -0.24%; 95% CI, -0.6% to 0.1%). In 8599 patients enrolled in the ecological assessment, use of SDD was not shown to be noninferior with regard to the change in the proportion of patients who developed new AROs (-3.3% vs -1.59%; mean difference, -1.71% [1-sided 97.5% CI, -∞ to 4.31%] and 0.88% vs 0.55%; mean difference, -0.32% [1-sided 97.5% CI, -∞ to 5.47%]) in the first and second periods, respectively. Conclusions and Relevance: Among critically ill patients receiving mechanical ventilation, SDD, compared with standard care without SDD, did not significantly reduce in-hospital mortality. However, the confidence interval around the effect estimate includes a clinically important benefit. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02389036.

Analysis of the Nursing Effect of Respiratory Critical Illness Based on Refined Nursing Management.

In order to improve the nursing effect of respiratory critical illness, this paper combines the refined nursing method to explore the nursing plan of respiratory critical illness. Moreover, this paper uses the variable control method to explore the effects of nursing management, combines the hospital patient samples to conduct a controlled trial analysis, and conducts sample grouping according to the random grouping method. The patients in the control group are managed by traditional nursing management methods, the patients in the test group are managed by refined nursing management methods, and other conditions are basically the same. In addition, the experiment process variable control is carried out according to the mathematical statistics method, and the reasonable statistics and data processing are carried out. Through the comparison method, we can see that the refined management method proposed in this paper has a good effect in the nursing of respiratory critical illness.

Influencia de un panel molecular de reacción de polimerasa en cadena múltiple en el diagnóstico o descarte de neumonía asociada a ventilación mecánica en una cohorte chilena de pacientes críticos con COVID-19 / Influence of a multiple polymerase chain reaction panel on the diagnosis or discard of ventilator-associated pneumonia in a Chilean COVID-19 critical patients cohort

INTRODUCCIÓN: La neumonía asociada a ventilación mecánica (NAVM) es frecuente en pacientes críticos con COVID-19. Su diagnóstico precoz es fundamental para su pronóstico. OBJETIVO: Demostrar la utilidad del panel FilmArray Pneumo (PFA-P) en la confirmación o descarte de NAVM en estos pacientes. MÉTODOS: Estudio retrospectivo de 71 pacientes críticos con COVID-19 con sospecha de NAVM en quienes se realizó cultivos y PFA-P para confirmación diagnóstica. Se describen las características clínicas, microbiología y mortalidad. Se define la validez y seguridad de PFA-P. RESULTADOS: El uso de FAP-P y cultivos descartó NAVM en 29 pacientes (40,8%). En 41 pacientes se confirmó NAVM y la mortalidad a 30 días fue 48,8%. Se estudiaron 48 muestras, los cultivos fueron positivos en 30 (62,5%) y se detectaron 33 bacterias, PFA-P detectó 32 de estas 33 bacterias; 37 bacterias fueron detectadas exclusivamente por PFA-P. Las bacterias prevalentes fueron Klebsiella pneumoniae (31,4%) Pseudomonas aeruginosa (21,4%) y Acinetobacter calcoaceticusbaumannii (14,2%). La sensibilidad, especificidad, valor predictor positivo y valor predictor negativo de PFA-P con respecto a cultivos fue 96,9%, 92,5%, 46,4% y 99,8, respectivamente. Un paciente tuvo NAVM por Burkholderia cepacia bacteria no detectada por FAP-P. CONCLUSIONES: La FAP-P es una técnica molecular eficaz para descartar y diagnosticar la NAVM permitiendo una suspensión rápida de los antimicrobianos o un tratamiento dirigido temprano.

BACKGROUND: Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) is frequent in critical COVID-19 patients. Its early diagnosis is essential for its prognosis. AIM: To demonstrate the usefulness of the FilmArray Pneumo panel (FAP-P) in confirming or ruling out VAP in these patients. METHODS: Retrospective study of 71 critical COVID-19 patients with suspected VAP in whom cultures and FAP-P were performed for diagnostic confirmation. Clinical characteristics, microbiology and mortality are described. The validity and safety of FAP-P is defined. RESULTS: The use of FAP-P and cultures ruled out VAP in 29 patients (40.8%). In 41 patients, VAP was confirmed and the 30-day mortality was 48.8%. Forty-eight samples were studied, the cultures were positive in 30 (62.5%) and 33 bacteria were detected, FAP-P detected 32 of these 33 bacteria; 37 bacteria were exclusively detected by PFA-P. The most prevalent bacteria were Klebsiella pneumoniae (31.4%), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (21.4%) and Acinetobacter calcoaceticus-baumannii (14.2%). The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value of FAP-P with respect to cultures were 96.9%, 92.5%, 46.4% and 99.8%, respectively. One patient had VAP due to Burkholderia cepacia bacteria not detected by FAP-P. CONCLUSIONS: FAP-P is an effective molecular technique to rule out and diagnose VAP, allowing rapid suspension of antibiotics or early targeted treatment.

Implementation of a ventilator-associated pneumonia prevention bundle in a teaching hospital / Implementação de um bundle de prevenção de pneumonia associada à ventilação mecânica em um hospital universitário / Implementación de un paquete de prevención de neumonía asociada a ventilador en un hospital escuela

Background and objectives: the implementation of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) prevention bundles in Intensive Care Units (ICU) has been recommended due to the considerable increase in hospital costs, length of stay, morbidity and mortality in affected hospitalized patients. However, the results of its effectiveness are still controversial. This study aimed to assess the impact of implementing a VAP prevention bundle in an Adult ICU of a university hospital. Methods: a quasi-experimental study, with implementation of a VAP prevention bundle in an Adult ICU and analysis of indicators. This study addressed secondary data from hospital records recommended in the routine of the Hospital Infection Control Commission team and from the medical records of patients undergoing mechanical ventilation, from June 2016 to July 2019, who developed VAP. Results: VAP incidence density before the intervention was 4.13 infections, and after the intervention, it was 7.15 infections per thousand patients on ventilation/day. When performing the linear regression test, we showed that VAP density decreased as sedation was reduced, extubation was increased, and when compliance with all bundle elements occurred. Conclusion: there was no reduction in VAP incidence after the adoption of preventive measures, perhaps due to an underreporting of cases in the period prior to the bundle and a low team compliance with the bundle components. However, we noticed a decrease in VAP notifications after the eighth month of implementation of bundle of measures.(AU)

Justificativa e objetivos: a implementação de bundles de prevenção de pneumonia associada à ventilação mecânica (PAV) em Unidades de Terapia Intensiva (UTI) tem sido recomendada devido ao aumento considerável dos custos hospitalares, tempo de internação, morbidade e mortalidade em pacientes hospitalizados acometidos. No entanto, os resultados de sua eficácia ainda são controversos. Este estudo teve como objetivo avaliar o impacto da implantação de um bundle de prevenção de PAV em uma UTI Adulto de um hospital universitário. Métodos: estudo quase experimental, com implantação de bundle de prevenção de PAV em UTI Adulto e análise de indicadores. Este estudo abordou dados secundários de prontuários hospitalares recomendados na rotina da equipe da Comissão de Controle de Infecção Hospitalar e dos prontuários de pacientes em ventilação mecânica, no período de junho de 2016 a julho de 2019, que desenvolveram PAV. Resultados: A densidade de incidência de PAV antes da intervenção foi de 4,13 infecções e após a intervenção foi de 7,15 infecções por mil pacientes em ventilação/dia. Ao realizar o teste de regressão linear, mostramos que a densidade da PAV diminuiu à medida que a sedação era reduzida, a extubação aumentava e quando ocorria complacência com todos os elementos do feixe. Conclusão: não houve redução da incidência de PAV após a adoção de medidas preventivas, talvez pela subnotificação de casos no período anterior ao bundle e baixa adesão da equipe aos componentes do bundle. No entanto, notamos diminuição das notificações de PAV após o oitavo mês de implantação do bundle de medidas.(AU)

Justificación y objetivos: la implementación de paquetes de prevención de neumonía asociada al ventilador (NAV) en las Unidades de Cuidados Intensivos (UCI) ha sido recomendada debido al aumento considerable de los costos hospitalarios, la estancia hospitalaria, la morbilidad y la mortalidad en los pacientes hospitalizados afectados. Sin embargo, los resultados de su eficacia aún son controvertidos. Este estudio tuvo como objetivo evaluar el impacto de la implementación de un paquete de prevención de NAVM en una UCI de adultos de un hospital universitario. Métodos: estudio cuasi-experimental, con implementación de un paquete de prevención de NAVM en una UCI de Adultos y análisis de indicadores. Este estudio abordó datos secundarios de registros hospitalarios recomendados en la rutina del equipo de la Comisión de Control de Infecciones Hospitalarias y de los registros médicos de pacientes en ventilación mecánica, de junio de 2016 a julio de 2019, que desarrollaron NAV. Resultados: La densidad de incidencia de NAVM antes de la intervención fue de 4,13 infecciones y después de la intervención fue de 7,15 infecciones por mil pacientes en ventilación/día. Al realizar la prueba de regresión lineal, mostramos que la densidad de VAP disminuyó a medida que se redujo la sedación, se incrementó la extubación y cuando se produjo el cumplimiento de todos los elementos del paquete. Conclusión: no hubo reducción en la incidencia de NAVM después de la adopción de las medidas preventivas, quizás debido a un subregistro de casos en el período anterior al paquete y al bajo cumplimiento del equipo con los componentes del paquete. Sin embargo, notamos una disminución en las notificaciones de VAP después del octavo mes de implementación del paquete de medidas.(Au)

The Distribution of Multidrug-resistant Microorganisms and Treatment Status of Hospital-acquired Pneumonia/Ventilator-associated Pneumonia in Adult Intensive Care Units: a Prospective Cohort Observational Study.

BACKGROUND: It is essential to determine the distribution of the causative microorganisms in the region and the status of local antibiotic resistance for the proper treatment of hospital-acquired pneumonia/ventilator-associated pneumonia (HAP/VAP). This study aimed to investigate the occurrence and causative strains of HAP/VAP, distribution of resistant bacteria, use of antibiotics, and the ensuing outcomes of patients in Korea. METHODS: A multicenter prospective observational cohort study was conducted among patients with HAP/VAP admitted to the medical intensive care unit of 5 tertiary referral centers between August 2012 and June 2015. Patients' demographic and clinical data were collected. RESULTS: A total of 381 patients were diagnosed with HAP/VAP. Their median age was 69 (59-76) years and 71% were males. A majority of the patients (88%) had late-onset (> 5 days) HAP/VAP. One-quarter of the patients (n = 99) had at least one risk factor for multidrug-resistant (MDR) pathogens, such as prior intravenous antibiotic use within the last 90 days. Microbiological specimens were mostly obtained noninvasively (87%) using sputum or endotracheal aspirates. Pathogens were identified in 235 (62%) of the 381 patients. The most common bacterial pathogen was Acinetobacter baumannii (n = 89), followed by Staphylococcus aureus (n = 52), Klebsiella pneumoniae (n = 25) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (n = 22). Most of isolated A. baumannii (97%) and S. aureus (88%) were multidrug resistant. The most commonly used empirical antibiotic regimens were carbapenem-based antibiotics (38%), followed by extended-spectrum penicillin/ß-lactamase inhibitor (34%). Glycopeptide or linezolid were also used in combination in 54% of patients. The 28-day mortality rate of the patients with HAP/VAP was 30% and the 60-day mortality was 46%. Patients who used empirical antibiotics appropriately had significantly lower mortality rates than those who did not (28-day mortality: 25% vs. 40%, P = 0.032; 60-day mortality: 41% vs. 55%, P = 0.032, respectively). Administration of appropriate empirical antibiotics (odds ratio [OR], 0.282; confidence interval [CI], 0.092-0.859; P = 0.026), Day 7 treatment failure (OR, 4.515; CI, 1.545-13.192; P = 0.006), and APACHE II score on day 1 (OR, 1.326; CI, 0.988-1.779; P = 0.012) were the factors that determined the 28-day mortality in patients with HAP who had identified bacteria as pathogens. CONCLUSION: In HAP/VAP patients, there was a large burden of MDR pathogens, and their associated mortality rate was high. Proper selection of empirical antibiotics was significantly associated with the patient's prognosis; however, there was a discrepancy between major pathogens and empirical antibiotic therapy.

Pan-drug resistant Providencia rettgeri contributing to a fatal case of COVID-19.

Following prolonged hospitalization that included broad-spectrum antibiotic exposure, a strain of Providencia rettgeri was cultured from the blood of a patient undergoing extracorporeal membrane oxygenation treatment for hypoxic respiratory failure due to COVID-19. The strain was resistant to all antimicrobials tested including the novel siderophore cephalosporin, cefiderocol. Whole genome sequencing detected ten antimicrobial resistance genes, including the metallo-ß-lactamase bla NDM-1, the extended-spectrum ß-lactamase bla PER-1, and the rare 16S methyltransferase rmtB2.

The effect of ventilator-associated pneumonia on the prognosis of intensive care unit patients within 90 days and 180 days.

BACKGROUND: Mechanical ventilation (MV) is often applied in critically ill patients in intensive care unit (ICU) to protect the airway from aspiration, and supplement more oxygen. MV may result in ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) in ICU patients. This study was to estimate the 90-day and 180-day mortalities of ICU patients with VAP, and to explore the influence of VAP on the outcomes of ICU patients. METHODS: Totally, 8182 patients who aged ≥18 years and received mechanical ventilation (MV) in ICU from Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care III (MIMIC III) database were involved in this study. All subjects were divided into the VAP group (n = 537) and the non-VAP group (n = 7626) based on the occurrence of VAP. Clinical data of all participants were collected. The effect of VAP on the prognosis of ICU patients was explored by binary logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: The results delineated that the 90-day mortality of VAP patients in ICU was 33.33% and 180-day mortality was 37.62%. The 90-day and 180-day mortality rates were higher in the VAP group than in the non-VAP group. After adjusting the confounders including age, ethnicity, heart failure, septicemia, simplified acute physiology score II (SAPSII) score, sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA) score, serum lactate, white blood cell (WBC), length of ICU stay, length of hospital stay, length of ventilation, antibiotic treatment, Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P.aeruginosa), methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), other pathogens, the risk of 90-day and 180-day mortalities in VAP patients were 1.465 times (OR = 1.465, 95%CI: 1.188-1.807, P < 0.001) and 1.635 times (OR = 1.635, 95%CI: 1.333-2.005, P < 0.001) higher than those in non-VAP patients, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Our study revealed that ICU patients with VAP had poorer prognosis than those without VAP. The results of this study might offer a deeper insight into preventing the occurrence of VAP.

Timing and causes of death in severe COVID-19 patients.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies reporting the causes of death in patients with severe COVID-19 have provided conflicting results. The objective of this study was to describe the causes and timing of death in patients with severe COVID-19 admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU). METHODS: We performed a retrospective study in eight ICUs across seven French hospitals. All consecutive adult patients (aged ≥ 18 years) admitted to the ICU with PCR-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection and acute respiratory failure were included in the analysis. The causes and timing of ICU deaths were reported based on medical records. RESULTS: From March 1, 2020, to April 28, 287 patients were admitted to the ICU for SARS-CoV-2 related acute respiratory failure. Among them, 93 patients died in the ICU (32%). COVID-19-related multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS) was the leading cause of death (37%). Secondary infection-related MODS accounted for 26% of ICU deaths, with a majority of ventilator-associated pneumonia. Refractory hypoxemia/pulmonary fibrosis was responsible for death in 19% of the cases. Fatal ischemic events (venous or arterial) occurred in 13% of the cases. The median time from ICU admission to death was 15 days (25th-75th IQR, 7-27 days). COVID-19-related MODS had a median time from ICU admission to death of 14 days (25th-75th IQR: 7-19 days), while only one death had occurred during the first 3 days since ICU admission. CONCLUSIONS: In our multicenter observational study, COVID-19-related MODS and secondary infections were the two leading causes of death, among severe COVID-19 patients admitted to the ICU.

Ventilator-associated pneumonia among ICU patients in WHO Southeast Asian region: A systematic review.

Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) is one of the most frequent ICU-acquired infections and a leading cause of death among patients in Intensive Care Unit (ICU). The South East Asian Region is a part of the world with limited health resources where infectious diseases are still underestimated. We aimed to review the literature in this part of the world to describe incidence, mortality and microbiological evidence of VAP and explore preventive and control strategies. We selected 24 peer-reviewed articles published from January 1, 2000 to September 1, 2020 from electronic databases and manual searching for observational studies among adult patients diagnosed with VAP expressed per thousand days admitted in ICU. The VAP rates ranged from 2.13 to 116 per thousand days, varying among different countries of this region. A significant rate of mortality was observed in 13 studies ranging from 16.2% to 74.1%. Gram negative organisms like Acinetobacter spp., Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Klebsiella pneumoniae and Gram-positive organisms like Staphylococcus aureus and Enterococcus species were frequently found. Our findings suggest an alarming situation of VAP among patients of most of the countries of this region with increasing incidence, mortality and antibiotic resistance. Thus, there is an urgent need for cost effective control and preventive measures like interventional studies and educational programs on staff training, hand hygiene, awareness on antibiotic resistance, implementation of antibiotic stewardship programs and appropriate use of ventilator bundle approach.

Amikacin nebulization for the adjunctive therapy of gram-negative pneumonia in mechanically ventilated patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Treatment of ventilated patients with gram-negative pneumonia (GNP) is often unsuccessful. We aimed to assess the efficacy and safety of nebulized amikacin (NA) as adjunctive therapy to systemic antibiotics in this patient population. PubMed, Embase, China national knowledge infrastructure, Wanfang, and the Cochrane database were searched for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) investigating the effect of NA as adjunctive therapy in ventilated adult patients with GNP. Heterogeneity was explored using subgroup analysis and sensitivity analysis. The Grading of recommendations assessment, development, and evaluation approach was used to assess the certainty of the evidence. Thirteen RCTs with 1733 adults were included. The pooled results showed NA had better microbiologic eradication (RR = 1.51, 95% CI 1.35 to 1.69, P < 0.0001) and improved clinical response (RR = 1.23; 95% CI 1.13 to 1.34; P < 0.0001) when compared with control. Meanwhile, overall mortality, pneumonia associated mortality, duration of mechanical ventilation, length of stay in ICU and change of clinical pneumonia infection scores were similar between NA and control groups. Additionally, NA did not add significant nephrotoxicity while could cause more bronchospasm. The use of NA adjunctive to systemic antibiotics therapy showed better benefits in ventilated patients with GNP. More well-designed RCTs are still needed to confirm our results.

Secondary infections in mechanically ventilated patients with COVID-19: An overlooked matter?

OBJECTIVE: The susceptibility to infection probably increases in COVID-19 patients due to a combination of virusand drug-induced immunosuppression. The reported rate of secondary infections was quite low in previous studies. The objectives of our study were to investigate the rate of secondary infections, risk factors for secondary infections and risk factors for mortality in COVID-19 critically ill patients. METHODS: We performed a single-center retrospective study in mechanically ventilated critically ill COVID-19 patients admitted to our Critical Care Unit (CCU). We recorded the patients' demographic data; clinical data; microbiology data and incidence of secondary infection during CCU stay, including ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) and nosocomial bacteremia (primary and secondary). RESULTS: A total of 107 patients with a mean age 62.2 ± 10.6 years were included. Incidence of secondary infection during CCU stay was 43.0% (46 patients), including nosocomial bacteremia (34 patients) and VAP (35 patients). Age was related to development of secondary infection (65.2 ± 7.3 vs. 59.9 ± 12.2 years, p=0.007). Age ≥ 65 years and secondary infection were independent predictors of mortality (OR=2.692, 95% CI 1.068-6.782, p<0.036; and OR=3.658, 95% CI 1.385- 9.660, p=0.009, respectively). The hazard ratio for death within 90 days in the ≥ 65 years group and in patients infected by antimicrobial resistant pathogens was 1.901 (95% CI 1.198- 3.018; p= 0.005 by log-rank test) and 1.787 (95% CI 1.023-3.122; p= 0.036 by log-rank test), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggest that the incidence of secondary infection and infection by antimicrobial resistant pathogens is very high in critically ill patients with COVID-19 with a significant impact on prognosis.