Impact of advance directives on the variability between intensivists in the decisions to forgo life-sustaining treatment.

BACKGROUND: There is wide variability between intensivists in the decisions to forgo life-sustaining treatment (DFLST). Advance directives (ADs) allow patients to communicate their end-of-life wishes to physicians. We assessed whether ADs reduced variability in DFLSTs between intensivists. METHODS: We conducted a multicenter, prospective, simulation study. Eight patients expressed their wishes in ADs after being informed about DFLSTs by an intensivist-investigator. The participating intensivists answered ten questions about the DFLSTs of each patient in two scenarios, referring to patients' characteristics without ADs (round 1) and then with (round 2). DFLST score ranged from 0 (no-DFLST) to 10 (DFLST for all questions). The main outcome was variability in DFLSTs between intensivists, expressed as relative standard deviation (RSD). RESULTS: A total of 19,680 decisions made by 123 intensivists from 27 ICUs were analyzed. The DFLST score was higher with ADs than without (6.02 95% CI [5.85; 6.19] vs 4.92 95% CI [4.75; 5.10], p < 0.001). High inter-intensivist variability did not change with ADs (RSD: 0.56 (round 1) vs 0.46 (round 2), p = 0.84). Inter-intensivist agreement on DFLSTs was weak with ADs (intra-class correlation coefficient: 0.28). No factor associated with DFLSTs was identified. A qualitative analysis of ADs showed focus on end-of-life wills, unwanted things and fear of pain. CONCLUSIONS: ADs increased the DFLST rate but did not reduce variability between the intensivists. In the decision-making process using ADs, the intensivist's decision took priority. Further research is needed to improve the matching of the physicians' decision with the patient's wishes. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03013530. Registered 6 January 2017; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03013530 .

Corporeal Compression at the Onset of Septic shock (COCOONs): a compression method to reduce fluid balance of septic shock patients.

Fluid overload in septic intensive care unit (ICU) patients is common and strongly associated with poor outcome. There is currently no treatment for capillary leak, which is mainly responsible for high positive fluid balance (FB) in sepsis. We hypothesized that increasing interstitial pressure with extensive corporeal compression would reduce FB. The objective of this study was to evaluate the feasibility, efficacy, and safety of a compression treatment during sepsis. This pilot, two-center, single-arm trial enrolled critically ill, non-surgical, septic patients receiving mechanical ventilation. The therapeutic intervention was the early application of compression bandages on more than 80% of the body surface. The primary outcome was negative net FB on day 7. The primary endpoint was reached in 29 of 45 patients (64%) with available data, for a planned objective of 26. By day 4, cumulative FB was 7280 ml [3300-9700]. SOFA- and aged-matched patients from a historical cohort had a significantly higher FB at 1, 2 and 7 days. Tolerance was good, although low-stage pressure ulcers were observed in 16 patients (26%). No effect on intra-abdominal pressure or respiratory plateau pressure was observed. In conclusion, corporeal compression demonstrated potential efficacy in limiting FB during septic shock, with acceptable feasibility and tolerance.

Hyperoxia and hypertonic saline in patients with septic shock (HYPERS2S): a two-by-two factorial, multicentre, randomised, clinical trial.

BACKGROUND: There is insufficient research into the use of mechanical ventilation with increased inspiratory oxygen concentration (FiO2) and fluid resuscitation with hypertonic saline solution in patients with septic shock. We tested whether these interventions are associated with reduced mortality. METHODS: This two-by-two factorial, multicentre, randomised, clinical trial (HYPERS2S) recruited patients aged 18 years and older with septic shock who were on mechanical ventilation from 22 centres in France. Patients were randomly assigned 1:1:1:1 to four groups by a computer generated randomisation list stratified by site and presence or absence of acute respiratory distress syndrome by use of permuted blocks of random sizes. Patients received, in an open-labelled manner, mechanical ventilation either with FiO2 at 1·0 (hyperoxia) or FiO2 set to target an arterial haemoglobin oxygen saturation of 88-95% (normoxia) during the first 24 h; patients also received, in a double-blind manner, either 280 mL boluses of 3·0% (hypertonic) saline or 0·9% (isotonic) saline for fluid resuscitation during the first 72 h. The primary endpoint was mortality at day 28 after randomisation in the intention-to-treat population. This study was registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT01722422. FINDINGS: Between Nov 3, 2012, and June 13, 2014, 442 patients were recruited and assigned to a treatment group (normoxia [n=223] or hyperoxia [n=219]; isotonic [n=224] or hypertonic [n=218]). The trial was stopped prematurely for safety reasons. 28 day mortality was recorded for 434 patients; 93 (43%) of 217 patients had died in the hyperoxia group versus 77 (35%) of 217 patients in the normoxia group (hazard ratio [HR] 1·27, 95% CI 0·94-1·72; p=0·12). 89 (42%) of 214 patients had died in the hypertonic group versus 81 (37%) of 220 patients in the isotonic group (HR 1·19, 0·88-1·61; p=0·25). We found a significant difference in the overall incidence of serious adverse events between the hyperoxia (185 [85%]) and normoxia groups (165 [76%]; p=0·02), with a clinically relevant doubling in the hyperoxia group of the number of patients with intensive care unit-acquired weakness (24 [11%] vs 13 [6%]; p=0·06) and atelectasis (26 [12%] vs 13 [6%]; p=0·04) compared with the normoxia group. We found no statistical difference for serious adverse events between the two saline groups (p=0·23). INTERPRETATION: In patients with septic shock, setting FiO2 to 1·0 to induce arterial hyperoxia might increase the risk of mortality. Hypertonic (3%) saline did not improve survival. FUNDING: The French Ministry of Health.

Mechanisms and etiologies of thrombocytopenia in the intensive care unit: impact of extensive investigations.

BACKGROUND: Thrombocytopenia is common in the intensive care unit. Potential mechanisms and etiologies behind this phenomenon are multiple and often entangled. We assessed the effect of a systematic approach, using routinely available tests, on the proportion of patients in whom the mechanism (primary objective) and etiology (secondary objective) of thrombocytopenia in a mixed intensive care unit (ICU) could be identified. METHODS: Before-and-after study of all patients with thrombocytopenia was used. 'Before' group had no intervention. New standard operating procedures for thrombocytopenia management were introduced. In the 'After' group, bone marrow aspiration; determination of fibrinogen dosage, prothrombin time, factor V, D-dimers; assay of fibrin monomers, ferritin, triglycerides, lactic acid dehydrogenase, aspartate transaminase, alanine aminotransferase, vitamin B12, folates, reticulocytes, haptoglobin, and bilirubin were performed. RESULTS: In the Before group (n = 20), the mechanism (central, peripheral, or mixed) was identified in 10 % versus 83% in After group (n = 23) (p < 0.001) (48% peripheral, 35% mixed). Before intervention, ≥1 etiology was identified in 15% versus 95.7% in the After group (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Systematic and extensive investigation using routine tests highlights the mechanisms and etiology of thrombocytopenia in most cases.

Serum procalcitonin for the early recognition of nosocomial infection in the critically ill patients: a preliminary report.

BACKGROUND: The usefulness of procalcitonin (PCT) measurement in critically ill medical patients with suspected nosocomial infection is unclear. The aim of the study was to assess PCT value for the early diagnosis of bacterial nosocomial infection in selected critically ill patients. METHODS: An observational cohort study in a 15-bed intensive care unit was performed. Seventy patients with either proven (n = 47) or clinically suspected but not confirmed (n = 23) nosocomial infection were included. Procalcitonin measurements were obtained the day when the infection was suspected (D0) and at least one time within the 3 previous days (D-3 to D0). Patients with proven infection were compared to those without. The diagnostic value of PCT on D0 was determined through the construction of the corresponding receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. In addition, the predictive value of PCT variations preceding the clinical suspicion of infection was assessed. RESULTS: PCT on D0 was the best predictor of proven infection in this population of ICU patients with a clinical suspicion of infection (AUROCC = 0.80; 95% CI, 0.68-0.91). Thus, a cut-off value of 0.44 ng/mL provides sensitivity and specificity of 65.2% and 83.0%, respectively. Procalcitonin variation between D-1 and D0 was calculated in 45 patients and was also found to be predictive of nosocomial infection (AUROCC = 0.89; 95% CI, 0.79-0.98) with a 100% positive predictive value if the +0.26 ng/mL threshold value was applied. Comparable results were obtained when PCT variation between D-2 and D0, or D-3 and D0 were considered. In contrast, CRP elevation, leukocyte count and fever had a poor predictive value in our population. CONCLUSION: PCT monitoring could be helpful in the early diagnosis of nosocomial infection in the ICU. Both absolute values and variations should be considered and evaluated in further studies.

Procalcitonin kinetics within the first days of sepsis: relationship with the appropriateness of antibiotic therapy and the outcome.

INTRODUCTION: Management of the early stage of sepsis is a critical issue. As part of it, infection control including appropriate antibiotic therapy administration should be prompt. However, microbiological findings, if any, are generally obtained late during the course of the disease. The potential interest of procalcitonin (PCT) as a way to assess the clinical efficacy of the empirical antibiotic therapy was addressed in the present study. METHODS: An observational cohort study including 180 patients with documented sepsis was conducted in our 15-bed medical intensive care unit (ICU). Procalcitonin measurement was obtained daily over a 4-day period following the onset of sepsis (day 1 (D1) to D4). The PCT time course was analyzed according to the appropriateness of the first-line empirical antibiotic therapy as well as according to the patient outcome. RESULTS: Appropriate first-line empirical antibiotic therapy (n = 135) was associated with a significantly greater decrease in PCT between D2 and D3 (DeltaPCT D2-D3) (-3.9 (35.9) vs. +5.0 (29.7), respectively; P < 0.01). In addition, DeltaPCT D2-D3 was found to be an independent predictor of first-line empirical antibiotic therapy appropriateness. In addition, a trend toward a greater rise in PCT between D1 and D2 was observed in patients with inappropriate antibiotics as compared with those with appropriate therapy (+5.2 (47.4) and +1.7 (35.0), respectively; P = 0.20). The D1 PCT level failed to predict outcome, but higher levels were measured in the nonsurvivors (n = 51) when compared with the survivors (n = 121) as early as D3 (40.8 (85.7) and 21.3 (41.0), respectively; P = 0.04). Moreover, PCT kinetics between D2 and D3 were also found to be significantly different, since a decrease >or= 30% was expected in the survivors (log-rank test, P = 0.04), and was found to be an independent predictor of survival (odds ratio = 2.94; 95% confidence interval 1.22 to 7.09; P = 0.02). CONCLUSIONS: In our study in an ICU, appropriateness of the empirical antibiotic therapy and the overall survival were associated with a greater decline in PCT between D2 and D3. Further studies are needed to assess the utility of the daily monitoring of PCT in addition to clinical evaluation during the early management of sepsis.

Impact of previous sepsis on the accuracy of procalcitonin for the early diagnosis of blood stream infection in critically ill patients.

BACKGROUND: Blood stream infections (BSI) are life-threatening infections in intensive care units (ICU), and prognosis is highly dependent on early detection. Procalcitonin levels have been shown to accurately and quickly distinguish between BSI and noninfectious inflammatory states in critically ill patients. It is, however, unknown to what extent a recent history of sepsis (namely, secondary sepsis) can affect diagnosis of BSI using PCT. METHODS: review of the medical records of every patient with BSI in whom PCT dosage at the onset of sepsis was available between 1st September, 2006 and 31st July, 2007. RESULTS: 179 episodes of either primary (n = 117) or secondary (n = 62) sepsis were included. Procalcitonin levels were found to be markedly lower in patients with secondary sepsis than in those without (6.4 [9.5] vs. 55.6 [99.0] ng/mL, respectively; p < 0.001), whereas the SOFA score was similar in the two groups. Although patients in the former group were more likely to have received steroids and effective antibiotic therapy prior to the BSI episode, and despite a higher proportion of candidemia in this group, a low PCT value was found to be independently associated with secondary sepsis (Odd Ratio = 0.33, 95% Confidence Interval: 0.16-0.70; p = 0.004). Additional patients with suspected but unconfirmed sepsis were used as controls (n = 23). Thus, diagnostic accuracy of PCT as assessed by the area under the receiver-operating characteristic curves (AUROCC) measurement was decreased in the patients with secondary sepsis compared to those without (AUROCC = 0.805, 95% CI: 0.699-0.879, vs. 0.934, 95% CI: 0.881-0.970, respectively; p < 0.050). CONCLUSION: In a critically ill patient with BSI, PCT elevation and diagnosis accuracy could be lower if sepsis is secondary than in those with a first episode of infection.

Performance of N-terminal-pro-B-type natriuretic peptide in critically ill patients: a prospective observational cohort study.

INTRODUCTION: The purpose of this study was to assess the accuracy of N-terminal-pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) as a diagnostic tool to recognize acute respiratory failure of cardiac origin in an unselected cohort of critically ill patients. METHODS: We conducted a prospective observational study of medical ICU patients. NT-proBNP was measured at ICU admission, and diagnosis of cardiac dysfunction relied on the patient's clinical presentation and echocardiography. RESULTS: Of the 198 patients included in this study, 102 (51.5%) had evidence of cardiac dysfunction. Median NT-proBNP concentrations were 5,720 ng/L (1,430 to 15,698) and 854 ng/L (190 to 3,560) in patients with and without cardiac dysfunction, respectively (P < 0.0001). In addition, NT-proBNP concentrations were correlated with age (rho = 0.43, P < 0.0001) and inversely correlated with creatinine clearance (rho = -0.58, P < 0.0001). When evaluating the performance of NT-proBNP concentrations to detect cardiac dysfunction, the area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was 0.76 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.69 to 0.83). In addition, a stepwise logistic regression model revealed that NT-proBNP (odds ratio (OR) = 1.01 per 100 ng/L, 95% CI 1.002 to 1.02), electrocardiogram modifications (OR = 11.03, 95% CI 5.19 to 23.41), and severity assessed by organ system failure score (OR = 1.63 per point, 95% CI 1.17 to 2.41) adequately predicted cardiac dysfunction. The area under the ROC curve of this model was 0.83 (95% CI 0.77 to 0.90). CONCLUSIONS: NT-proBNP measured at ICU admission might represent a useful marker to exclude cardiac dysfunction in critically ill patients.

Plasma antioxidant status in septic critically ill patients: a decrease over time.

Severe septic states in humans are responsible for intense intravascular oxidative stress, which induces numerous adaptive mechanisms. We determined time sequence changes in total plasma antioxidant capacity (TAC) and major plasma antioxidant concentrations, which have not been fully explained in septic conditions. A cohort of 56 consecutive septic patients (septic shock n = 37, severe sepsis n = 19) and six healthy volunteers. We compared TAC and antioxidant levels in patients with one of two degrees of septic states, at the onset of illness, to those of healthy volunteers. Thereafter, over a 10-day follow-up, we observed daily the time sequence changes of the two septic populations in terms of TAC and antioxidants. At the onset, there was no difference between the three groups in terms of TAC values (healthy subjects 2.18 +/- 0.04; severe sepsis 2.03 +/- 0.07; septic shock 2.09 +/- 0.09), then an equivalent time decline was observed in the two septic populations whatever the severity. TAC was statistically linked to uric acid, proteins in particular albumin and bilirubin (multivariate analysis), but no correlation was found with any vitamin (A, C and E). A sharp and persistent decrease in vitamin C concentrations was underlined. TAC, unaffected at first, deteriorated over time whatever the severity of the infection in these critically ill patients. TAC, unable to distinguish severe sepsis and septic shock, is unlikely to be a particularly useful outcome measure.

Serum procalcitonin elevation in critically ill patients at the onset of bacteremia caused by either Gram negative or Gram positive bacteria.

BACKGROUND: In the ICU, bacteremia is a life-threatening infection whose prognosis is highly dependent on early recognition and treatment with appropriate antibiotics. Procalcitonin levels have been shown to distinguish between bacteremia and noninfectious inflammatory states accurately and quickly in critically ill patients. However, we still do not know to what extent the magnitude of PCT elevation at the onset of bacteremia varies according to the Gram stain result. METHODS: Review of the medical records of every patient treated between May, 2004 and December, 2006 who had bacteremia caused by either Gram positive (GP) or Gram negative (GN) bacteria, and whose PCT dosage at the onset of infection was available. RESULTS: 97 episodes of either GN bacteremia (n = 52) or GP bacteremia (n = 45) were included. Procalcitonin levels were found to be markedly higher in patients with GN bacteremia than in those with GP bacteremia, whereas the SOFA score value in the two groups was similar. Moreover, in the study population, a high PCT value was found to be independently associated with GN bacteremia. A PCT level of 16.0 ng/mL yielded an 83.0% positive predictive value and a 74.0% negative predictive value for GN-related bacteremia in the study cohort (AUROCC = 0.79; 95% CI, 0.71-0.88). CONCLUSION: In a critically ill patient with clinical sepsis, GN bacteremia could be associated with higher PCT values than those found in GP bacteremia, regardless of the severity of the disease.

Is There a Correlation between Vitamin C Status and Catecholamines Concentrations in Hemodialysis Patients?

It is well established that there is a high incidence of cardiovascular diseases in hemodialysis patients, and involvement of oxidative stress has been hypothesised in these phenomena. Plasma norepinephrine is an independent predictor of many causes of mortality in general, and high norepinephrine levels predict cardiovascular complications in end stage renal disease. The aim of our study was to evaluate the potential link between vitamin C status, a marker of oxidative stress, and catecholamine concentrations before and after hemodialysis sessions. In a prospective study of 16 chronic hemodialysis patients, ascorbyl free radical levels were directly measured using electron spin resonance spectroscopy. These values were expressed with respect to vitamin C concentrations to obtain a direct index of oxidative stress. Vitamin C, epinephrine and norepinephrine were measured by high performance liquid chromatography. The data were examined for correlations between these compounds and clinical parameters including blood pressure and heart rates. In hemodialysis patients, ascorbyl free radical/vitamin C ratios increased significantly after dialysis. No differences were observed for catecholamine concentrations during hemodialysis sessions. In multivariate analysis, the ascorbyl free radical/vitamin C ratio did not correlate with epinephrine or norepinephrine levels. In our study, plasma norepinephrine and ascorbyl free radical/vitamin C ratios were not related among patients with end-stage renal disease. From these findings, we conclude that although these two factors are likely to be involved in the same causal pathway leading to cardiovascular events, it is likely that they seem to be independent.

Effect of a nurse-implemented sedation protocol on the incidence of ventilator-associated pneumonia.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether the use of a nurse-implemented sedation protocol could reduce the incidence of ventilator-associated pneumonia in critically ill patients. DESIGN: Two-phase (before-after), prospective, controlled study. SETTING: University-affiliated, 11-bed medical intensive care unit. PATIENTS: Patients requiring mechanical ventilation for >or=48 hrs and sedative infusion with midazolam or propofol alone. INTERVENTIONS: During the control phase, sedatives were adjusted according to the physician's decision. During the protocol phase, sedatives were adjusted according to a protocol developed by a multidisciplinary team including nurses and physicians. The protocol was based on the Cambridge scale, and sedation level was adjusted every 3 hrs by the nurses. Standard practices, including weaning from the ventilator and diagnosis of VAP, were the same during both study phases. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: A total of 423 patients were enrolled (control group, n = 226; protocol group, n = 197). The incidence of VAP was significantly lower in the protocol group compared with the control group (6% and 15%, respectively, p = .005). By univariate analysis (log-rank test), only use of a nurse-implemented protocol was significantly associated with a decrease of incidence of VAP (p < .01). A nurse-implemented protocol was found to be independently associated with a lower incidence of VAP after adjustment on Simplified Acute Physiology Score II in the multivariate Cox proportional hazards model (hazard rate, 0.81; 95% confidence interval, 0.62-0.95; p = .03). The median duration of mechanical ventilation was significantly shorter in the protocol group (4.2 days; interquartile range, 2.1-9.5) compared with the control group (8 days; interquartile range, 2.2-22.0; p = .001), representing a 52% relative reduction. Extubation failure was more frequently observed in the control group compared with the protocol group (13% and 6%, respectively, p = .01). There was no significant difference in in-hospital mortality (38% vs. 45% in the protocol vs. control group, respectively, p = .22). CONCLUSIONS: In patients receiving mechanical ventilation and requiring sedative infusions with midazolam or propofol, the use of a nurse-implemented sedation protocol decreases the rate of VAP and the duration of mechanical ventilation.

Serum procalcitonin measurement contribution to the early diagnosis of candidemia in critically ill patients.

BACKGROUND: Candidemia is a life-threatening infection in the ICU whose prognosis is highly dependent on the stage at which it is recognized. Procalcitonin (PCT) levels have been shown to accurately distinguish between bacteremia and noninfectious inflammatory states in critically ill patients with clinical signs of sepsis. Little is known about the accuracy of PCT for the diagnosis of candidemia in this setting. SETTING: A medical intensive care unit in a teaching hospital. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Review of the medical records of every non-neutropenic patient with either bacteremia or candidemia and clinical sepsis in whom PCT dosage at the onset of infection was available between May 2004 and December 2005. RESULTS: Fifty episodes of either bacteremia (n=35) or candidemia (n=15) were included. PCT levels were found to be markedly higher in patients with bacteremia than in those with candidemia. Moreover, a low PCT value was found to be an independent predictor of candidemia in the study population. According to the calculation of the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve, PCT was found to be accurate in distinguishing between candidemia and bacteremia (0.96 [0.03]). A PCT level of higher than 5.5 ng/ml yields a 100% negative predictive value and a 65.2% positive predictive value for candidemia-related sepsis. CONCLUSION: A high PCT value in a critically ill non-neutropenic patient with clinical sepsis is unlikely in the setting of candidemia.

Amiodarone-related acute respiratory distress syndrome following sudden withdrawal of steroids.

Acute lung toxicity is a rare but classical complication of amiodarone therapy. We report the case of a patient who developed an optic neuropathy after 15 years of amiodarone administration, and who was treated for 2 weeks with steroids. Following withdrawal of steroids, the patient rapidly developed an acute respiratory distress syndrome. Postmortem lung histologic examination was consistent with amiodarone-induced pneumonitis. Since this complication is thought to be of immunological origin, we speculate that the sudden withdrawal of steroids was implicated in the development of the acute lung injury.

Myocardial injury in critically ill patients: relation to increased cardiac troponin I and hospital mortality.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the relationship between myocardial injury, assessed by cardiac troponin I (cTnI) levels, and outcome in selected critically ill patients without acute coronary syndromes or cardiac dysfunction. DESIGN AND SETTING: Prospective, observational study in the emergency ICU of a university teaching hospital. POPULATION: Over a 6-month period, 217 consecutive patients admitted to the ICU were studied. METHODS AND RESULTS: cTnI assays were performed in all patients on admission to the ICU. The incidence of myocardial injury, defined by cTnI level > 0.1 ng/mL, was 32% (69 of 217 patients). Overall mortality was 27% (58 of 217 patients). Patients with myocardial injury had a mortality rate of 51%, compared with only 16% mortality for those without myocardial injury (p < 0.001). The hospital mortality rate was highest among older patients (71 +/- 14% vs 58.5 +/- 20%, p < 0.0001) and patients with higher simplified acute physiology scale (SAPS) II score (62 +/- 25% vs 37 +/- 17%, p < 0.0001). Mechanical ventilation was associated with higher in-hospital death (50% vs 31%, for patients who died in the hospital vs those who were discharged alive; p = 0.03). Elevated blood levels of cTnI were found to be independently associated with hospital mortality, regardless of the presence of SAPS II score and mechanical ventilation, in the logistic regression analysis (odds ratio, 2.09; 95% confidence interval, 1.06 to 4.11; p = 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates the high frequency of myocardial injury (32%) in critically ill patients without acute coronary syndromes or cardiac dysfunction on admission to ICU. Myocardial injury is an independent determinant of hospital mortality. Assessment of myocardial injury on admission to ICU would make it possible to identify patients at increased risk of death.

Candida spp. colonization significance in critically ill medical patients: a prospective study.

OBJECTIVE: Multiple-site colonization with Candida species is commonly recognized as a major risk factor for invasive fungal infection in critically ill patients. The fungal colonization density could be of predictive value for the diagnosis of systemic candidiasis in high-risk surgical patients. Little is known about it in the medical ICU setting. DESIGN AND SETTING: Prospective observational study in the eight-bed medical intensive care unit of a teaching hospital. SUBJECTS: 92 consecutive nonneutropenic patients hospitalized for more than 7 days. MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS: The colonization index (ratio of the number of culture-positive surveillance sites for Candida spp. to the number of sites cultured) was calculated weekly upon ICU admission until death or discharge. The 0.50 threshold was reached in 36 (39.1%) patients, almost exclusively in those with detectable fungal colonization upon ICU admission. The duration of broad-spectrum antibiotic therapy was found to be the main factor that independently promoted fungal growth as measured through the colonization index. CONCLUSIONS: Candida spp. multiple-site colonization is frequently met among the critically ill medical patients. Broad-spectrum antibiotic therapy was found to promote fungal growth in patients with prior colonization. Since most of the invasive candidiasis in the ICU setting are thought to be subsequent to colonization in high-risk patients, reducing antibiotic use could be useful in preventing fungal infections.

Candidemia in critically ill patients: difference of outcome between medical and surgical patients.

OBJECTIVE: Candidemia is increasingly encountered in critically ill patients with a high fatality rate. The available data in the critically ill suggest that patients with prior surgery are at a higher risk than others. However, little is known about candidemia in medical settings. The main goal of this study was to compare features of candidemia in critically ill medical and surgical patients. DESIGN: Ten-year retrospective cohort study (1990-2000). SETTING: Medical and surgical intensive care units (ICUs) of a teaching hospital. PATIENTS: Fifty-one patients with at least one positive blood culture for Candida species. MAIN RESULTS: Risk factors were retrieved in all of the patients: central venous catheter (92.1%), mechanical ventilation (72.5%), prior bacterial infection (70.6%), high fungal colonization index (45.6%). Candida albicans accounts for 55% of all candidemia. The overall mortality was 60.8% (85% and 45.2% in medical and surgical patients, respectively). Independent factors associated with survival were prior surgery (hazard ratio [HR] =0.25; 0.09-0.67 95% confidence interval [CI], p<0.05), antifungal treatment (HR =0.11; 0.04-0.30 95% CI, p<0.05) and absence of neutropenia (HR =0.10; 0.02-0.45 95% CI, p<0.05). Steroids, neutropenia and high density of fungal colonization were more frequently found among medical patients compared to surgical ones. CONCLUSIONS: Candidemia occurrence is associated with a high mortality rate among critically ill patients. Differences in underlying conditions could account for the poorer outcome of the medical patients. Screening for fungal colonization could allow identification of such high-risk patients and, in turn, improve outcome.

An unusual cause of acute respiratory distress in a patient with AIDS: primary infection with Toxoplasma gondii.

Hypoxemic pneumonia in AIDS patients is mainly caused by Pneumocystis carinii, Toxoplasma gondii and CMV, although the significance of CMV recovery in BALF is often unclear. Since lung involvement generally occurs during reactivation, T. gondii is not expected to be demonstrated in patients without evidence of past infection with this agent. We report a fatal case of pneumonia revealing a T. gondii primary infection diagnosed thanks to the PCR analysis of the BALF.