Health concerns of intensive care survivors and research participation willingness: A multicentre survey.

Objective: To describe the relative importance of health concerns reported by survivors of critical illness treated in the intensive care unit (ICU), their estimate of time to achieve recovery, and their reported randomised clinical trial participation willingness. Design: A multicentre survey. Setting: Six Australian ICUs. Participants: Adult patients who had received mechanical ventilation, vasopressor support or renal replacement therapy for more than 24 h were likely to be discharged from ICU within 24 h. Interventions: Survey administration was verbal and occurred in the ICU. Main outcome measures: A numeric rating of eight ICU survivor-related health concerns developed with consumer input (disability requiring ongoing care, prolonged hospitalisation, repeated hospitalisation, impaired activity level, pain, low mood, inability to return home, and dying). Zero indicated no concern and ten extreme concern. Respondents were also asked to estimate their expected recovery time and their willingness to participate in a randomised clinical trial. Results: Of 584 eligible participants, 286 (49.0%) respondents had a mean age of 62.3 years (standard deviation (SD) 14.8) and 178 (62.2%) were male. The median ICU length of stay at the time of survey was 4 days (interquartile range (IQR) 3-7). Respondents reported high levels of concern for all health outcomes with the highest median scores being for survival with severe disability and requirement for ongoing care scoring 8 (IQR 3-10), and never being able to return home needing assisted living or a nursing home scoring 8 (IQR 1-10). The median expected recovery time was 23 days (IQR 10-33). Higher concerns were associated with an increased likelihood of trial participation willingness. Conclusion: Survivors reported high and varied health concerns of which severe disability requiring care and inability to return home were the highest. Respondents anticipated a relatively short recovery.

Early and sustained Lactobacillus plantarum probiotic therapy in critical illness: the randomised, placebo-controlled, restoration of gut microflora in critical illness trial (ROCIT).

PURPOSE: In adults requiring treatment in an intensive care unit, probiotic therapy using Lactobacillus plantarum 299v may reduce nosocomial infection. The aim of this study was to determine whether early and sustained L. plantarum 299v therapy administered to adult ICU patients increased days alive and at home. METHODS: A multicentre, parallel group, placebo-controlled, randomised clinical trial was conducted. Adult patients within 48 h of intensive care admission and expected to require intensive care beyond the day after recruitment were eligible to participate. L plantarum 299v or placebo were administered immediately after enrolment and continued for 60 days. The primary outcome was days alive and out of hospital to Day 60 (DAOH60). Secondary outcomes included nosocomial infections. RESULTS: The median [interquartile range (IQR)] number of DAOH60 in the probiotic (n = 110) and placebo group (n = 108) was 49.5 (IQR 37.0-53.0) and 49.0 (IQR 43.8-53.0) respectively, between-group difference of 0.0 [95% confidence interval (CI) - 6.10 to 7.1, P = 0.55]. Nosocomial infection occurred in 8 (7.3%) and 5 (4.6%) of the probiotic and placebo group participants, respectively, odds ratio 1.62 (95% CI 0.51-5.10), P = 0.57. There were no serious, or probiotic-associated adverse events. CONCLUSION: Early and sustained untargeted administration of probiotic therapy with Lactobacillus plantarum 299v to adult patients admitted to the ICU is safe, but not associated with improved patient outcomes.