Plasma Nitric Oxide Consumption Is Elevated and Associated With Adverse Outcomes in Critically Ill Patients.

OBJECTIVES: Impaired nitric oxide (NO) bioavailability may contribute to microvascular dysfunction in sepsis. Excessive plasma NO consumption has been attributed to scavenging by circulating cell-free hemoglobin. This may be a mechanism for NO deficiency in sepsis and critical illness. We hypothesized that plasma NO consumption is high in critically ill patients, particularly those with sepsis, acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), shock, and in hospital nonsurvivors. We further hypothesized that plasma NO consumption is correlated with plasma cell-free hemoglobin concentration. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. SETTING: Adult ICUs of an academic medical center. PATIENTS AND SUBJECTS: Three hundred sixty-two critically ill patients and 46 healthy control subjects. INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Plasma NO consumption was measured using reductive chemiluminescence and cell-free hemoglobin was measured with a colorimetric assay. Mean (95% CI) plasma NO consumption (µM) was higher in critically ill patients versus healthy control subjects (3.9 [3.7-4.1] vs 2.1 [1.8-2.5]), septic versus nonseptic patients (4.1 [3.8-4.3] vs 3.6 [3.3-3.8]), ARDS versus non-ARDS patients (4.4 [4.0-4.9] vs 3.7 [3.6-3.9]), shock vs nonshock patients (4.4 [4.0-4.8] vs 3.6 [3.4-3.8]), and hospital nonsurvivors versus survivors (5.3 [4.4-6.4] vs 3.7 [3.6-3.9]). These relationships remained significant in multivariable analyses. Plasma cell-free hemoglobin was weakly correlated with plasma NO consumption. CONCLUSIONS: Plasma NO consumption is elevated in critically ill patients and independently associated with sepsis, ARDS, shock, and hospital death. These data suggest that excessive intravascular NO scavenging characterizes sepsis and adverse outcomes of critical illness.

Mediastinal pancreatic pseudocyst masquerading as diffuse alveolar haemorrhage.

Pancreatic pseudocyst formation with extension into the mediastinum is an uncommon complication of pancreatitis that can result in numerous pulmonary and cardiac complications. We present a case of a 56-year-old man with a history of recurrent pancreatitis who presented with haemoptysis. His initial workup was consistent with diffuse alveolar haemorrhage for which he was treated with glucocorticoids. After failure to improve, further imaging demonstrated a complex fluid collection in the mediastinum consistent with extension of his pre-existing pancreatic pseudocyst, leading to erosion into the right lower lobe of the lung. This case highlights a rare pulmonary complication of pancreatitis and underscores the importance of proper identification of this condition to guide successful management.

Racing Against the Clock: Internal Medicine Residents' Time Spent On Electronic Health Records.

BACKGROUND: Since the late 1980s, resident physicians have spent increasing amounts of time on electronic health record (EHR) data entry and retrieval. Objective longitudinal data measuring time spent on the EHR are lacking. OBJECTIVE: We sought to quantify the time actually spent using the EHR by all first-year internal medicine residents in a single program (N = 41). METHODS: Active EHR usage data were collected from the audit logs for May, July, and October 2014 and January 2015. Per recommendations from our EHR vendor (Cerner Corporation), active EHR usage time was defined as more than 15 keystrokes, or 3 mouse clicks, or 1700 "mouse miles" per minute. Active EHR usage time was tallied for each patient chart viewed each day and termed an electronic patient record encounter (EPRE). RESULTS: In 4 months, 41 interns accumulated 18,322 hours of active EHR usage in more than 33,733 EPREs. Each intern spent on average 112 hours per month on 206 EPREs. Interns spent more time in July compared to January (41 minutes versus 30 minutes per EPRE, P < .001). Time spent on the EHR in January echoed that of the previous May (30 minutes versus 29 minutes, P = .40). CONCLUSIONS: First-year residents spent a significant amount of time actively using the EHR, achieving maximal proficiency on or before January of the academic year. Decreased time spent on the EHR may reflect greater familiarity with the EHR, growing EHR efficiencies, or other factors.