Organ Involvement Related to Death in Critically Ill Patients With Leptospirosis: Unsupervised Analysis in a French West Indies ICU.

OBJECTIVES: To identify distinct phenotypes of critically ill leptospirosis patients upon ICU admission and their potential associations with outcome. DESIGN: Retrospective observational study including all patients with biologically confirmed leptospirosis admitted to the ICU between January 2014 and December 2022. Subgroups of patients with similar clinical profiles were identified by unsupervised clustering (factor analysis for mixed data and hierarchical clustering on principal components). SETTING: All patients admitted to the ICU of the University Hospital of Guadeloupe on the study period. PATIENTS: One hundred thirty critically ill patients with confirmed leptospirosis were included. INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: At ICU admission, 34% of the patients had acute respiratory failure, and 26% required invasive mechanical ventilation. Shock was observed in 52% of patients, myocarditis in 41%, and neurological involvement in 20%. Unsupervised clustering identified three clusters-"Weil's Disease" (48%), "neurological leptospirosis" (20%), and "multiple organ failure" (32%)-with different ICU courses and outcomes. Myocarditis and neurological involvement were key components for cluster identification and were significantly associated with death in ICU. Other factors associated with mortality included shock, acute respiratory failure, and requiring renal replacement therapy. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Unsupervised analysis of critically ill patients with leptospirosis revealed three patient clusters with distinct phenotypic characteristics and clinical outcomes. These patients should be carefully screened for neurological involvement and myocarditis at ICU admission.

Ventilator-associated pneumonia related to extended-spectrum beta-lactamase producing Enterobacterales during severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection: risk factors and prognosis.

BACKGROUND: Patients infected with the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-COV 2) and requiring mechanical ventilation suffer from a high incidence of ventilator associated pneumonia (VAP), mainly related to Enterobacterales. Data regarding extended-spectrum beta-lactamase producing Enterobacterales (ESBL-E) VAP are scarce. We aimed to investigate risk factors and outcomes of ESBL-E related VAP among critically ill coronavirus infectious disease-19 (COVID-19) patients who developed Enterobacterales related VAP. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We performed an ancillary analysis of a multicenter prospective international cohort study (COVID-ICU) that included 4929 COVID-19 critically ill patients. For the present analysis, only patients with complete data regarding resistance status of the first episode of Enterobacterales related VAP (ESBL-E and/or carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales, CRE) and outcome were included. RESULTS: We included 591 patients with Enterobacterales related VAP. The main causative species were Enterobacter sp (n = 224), E. coli (n = 111) and K. pneumoniae (n = 104). One hundred and fifteen patients (19%), developed a first ESBL-E related VAP, mostly related to Enterobacter sp (n = 40), K. pneumoniae (n = 36), and E. coli (n = 31). Eight patients (1%) developed CRE related VAP. In a multivariable analysis, African origin (North Africa or Sub-Saharan Africa) (OR 1.7 [1.07-2.71], p = 0.02), time between intubation and VAP (OR 1.06 [1.02-1.09], p = 0.002), PaO2/FiO2 ratio on the day of VAP (OR 0.997 [0.994-0.999], p = 0.04) and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole exposure (OR 3.77 [1.15-12.4], p = 0.03) were associated with ESBL-E related VAP. Weaning from mechanical ventilation and mortality did not significantly differ between ESBL-E and non ESBL-E VAP. CONCLUSION: ESBL-related VAP in COVID-19 critically-ill patients was not infrequent. Several risk factors were identified, among which some are modifiable and deserve further investigation. There was no impact of resistance of the first Enterobacterales related episode of VAP on outcome.

One-year survival of aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage after airplane transatlantic transfer - a monocenter retrospective study.

BACKGROUND: Aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH) is preferentially treated by prompt endovascular coiling, which is not available in Guadeloupe. Subsequently, patients are transferred to Paris, France mainland, by commercial airplane (6751 km flight) after being managed according to guidelines. This study describes the characteristics, management and outcomes related to these patients. METHODS: Retrospective observational cohort study of 148 patients admitted in intensive care unit for a suspected aSAH and transferred by airplane over a 10-year period (2010-2019). RESULTS: The median [interquartile range] age was 53 [45-64] years and 61% were female. On admission, Glasgow coma scale was 15 [13-15], World Federation of Neurological Surgeons (WFNS) grading scale was 1 [1-3] and Fisher scale was 4 [2-4]. External ventricular drainage and mechanical ventilation were performed prior to the flight respectively in 42% and 47% of patients. One-year mortality was 16% over the study period. By COX logistic regression analysis, acute hydrocephalus (hazard ratio [HR] 2.34, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.98-5.58) prior to airplane transfer, WFNS grading scale on admission (HR 1.53, 95% CI 1.16-2.02) and age (OR 1.03, 95% 1.00-1.07) were associated with one-year mortality. CONCLUSION: When necessary, transatlantic air transfer of patients with suspected aSAH after management according to local guidelines seems feasible and safe.

Cefoxitin versus carbapenems as definitive treatment for extended-spectrum ß-lactamase-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae bacteremia in intensive care unit: a propensity-matched retrospective analysis.

BACKGROUND: Despite cefoxitin's in vitro resistance to hydrolysis by extended-spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBL), treatment of ESBL-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae (KP) infections with cefoxitin remains controversial. The aim of our study was to compare the clinical efficacy of cefoxitin as definitive antibiotic therapy for patients with ESBL-KP bacteremia in intensive care unit, versus carbapenem therapy. METHODS: This retrospective study included all patients with monomicrobial bacteremia hospitalized in intensive care unit between January 2013 and January 2023 at the University Hospital of Guadeloupe. The primary outcome was the 30-day clinical success defined as a composite endpoint: 30-day survival, absence of relapse and no change of antibiotic therapy. Cox regression including a propensity score (PS) and PS-based matched analysis were performed for endpoint analysis. RESULTS: A total of 110 patients with bloodstream infections were enrolled. Sixty-three patients (57%) received definitive antibiotic therapy with cefoxitin, while forty-seven (43%) were treated with carbapenems. 30-day clinical success was not significantly different between patients treated with cefoxitin (57%) and carbapenems (53%, p = 0.823). PS-adjusted and PS-matched analysis confirmed these findings. Change of definitive antibiotic therapy was more frequent in the cefoxitin group (17% vs. 0%, p = 0.002). No significant differences were observed for the other secondary endpoints. The acquisition of carbapenem-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa was significantly higher in patients receiving carbapenem therapy (5% vs. 23%, p = 0.007). CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that cefoxitin as definitive antibiotic therapy could be a therapeutic option for some ESBL-KP bacteremia, sparing carbapenems and reducing the selection of carbapenem-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains.

Factors related to mortality in critically ill histoplasmosis: a multicenter retrospective study in Guadeloupe and French Guyana.

PURPOSE: To describe clinical and biological features and the outcomes of patients admitted for histoplasmosis in two intensive care units (ICU) in French Guyana and in the French West Indies (Guadeloupe). METHODS: All patients admitted to these two ICUs for culture-proven histoplasmosis between January 2014 to August 2022 were included in the study. Using univariate and multivariate analysis, we assessed risk factors at ICU admission that were associated with death. RESULTS: Forty patients were included (65% men). Median age was 56 years and simplified acute physiologic score (SAPS) II was 65. HIV was found in 58%, another immunodeficiency was identified in 28%, and no underlying immunodeficiency could be identified in 14% of patients. Within the first 24 h of ICU admission, 85% of patients had acute respiratory failure, 78% had shock, 30% had coma, and 48% had hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis. Mechanical ventilation was instituted in 78% of patients and renal replacement therapy in 55%. The 30-day mortality was 53%. By multivariate analysis, factors independently associated with 30-day mortality were SOFA score (odds ratio [OR] 1.5, 95% confidence interval [CI] [1.1-2.1]), time between symptom onset and treatment per day (OR 1.1, 95% CI 1.0-1.1), and hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (OR 6.4, 95% CI 1.1-47.5). CONCLUSION: Histoplasmosis requiring ICU admission is a protean disease with multiple and severe organ involvement. Immunodeficiency is found in most patients. The prognosis remains severe despite appropriate treatment and is worsened by late treatment initiation.

Epidemiology, risk factors and prognosis of ventilator-associated pneumonia during severe COVID-19: Multicenter observational study across 149 European Intensive Care Units.

BACKGROUND: COVID-19 patients requiring mechanical ventilation are particularly at risk of developing ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP). Risk factors and the prognostic impact of developing VAP during critical COVID-19 have not been fully documented. METHODS: Patients invasively ventilated for at least 48 h from the prospective multicentre COVID-ICU database were included in the analyses. Cause-specific Cox regression models were used to determine factors associated with the occurrence of VAP. Cox-regression multivariable models were used to determine VAP prognosis. Risk factors and the prognostic impact of early vs. late VAP, and Pseudomonas-related vs. non-Pseudomonas-related VAP were also determined. MAIN FINDINGS: 3388 patients were analysed (63 [55-70] years, 75.8% males). VAP occurred in 1523/3388 (45.5%) patients after 7 [5-9] days of ventilation. Identified bacteria were mainly Enterobacteriaceae followed by Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. VAP risk factors were male gender (Hazard Ratio (HR) 1.26, 95% Confidence Interval [1.09-1.46]), concomitant bacterial pneumonia at ICU admission (HR 1.36 [1.10-1.67]), PaO2/FiO2 ratio at intubation (HR 0.99 [0.98-0.99] per 10 mmHg increase), neuromuscular-blocking agents (HR 0.89 [0.76-0.998]), and corticosteroids (HR 1.27 [1.09-1.47]). VAP was associated with 90-mortality (HR 1.34 [1.16-1.55]), predominantly due to late VAP (HR 1.51 [1.26-1.81]). The impact of Pseudomonas-related and non-Pseudomonas-related VAP on mortality was similar. CONCLUSION: VAP affected almost half of mechanically ventilated COVID-19 patients. Several risk factors have been identified, among which modifiable risk factors deserve further investigation. VAP had a specific negative impact on 90-day mortality, particularly when it occurred between the end of the first week and the third week of ventilation.

Catastrophic COVID-19 Delta Variant Surge in French West Indies: Report of an ICU Triage Policy.

OBJECTIVES: Here, we report the management of a catastrophic COVID-19 Delta variant surge, which overloaded ICU capacity, using crisis standards of care (CSC) based on a multiapproach protocol. DESIGN: Retrospective observational study. SETTING: University Hospital of Guadeloupe. PATIENTS: This study retrospectively included all patients who were hospitalized for COVID-19 pneumonia between August 11, 2021, and September 10, 2021, and were eligible for ICU admission. INTERVENTION: Based on age, comorbidities, and disease severity, patients were assigned to three groups: Green (ICU admission as soon as possible), Orange (ICU admission after the admission of all patients in the Green group), and Red (no ICU admission). MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Among the 328 patients eligible for ICU admission, 100 (30%) were assigned to the Green group, 116 (35%) to the Orange group, and 112 (34%) to the Red group. No patient in the Green group died while waiting for an ICU bed, whereas 14 patients (12%) in the Orange group died while waiting for an ICU bed. The 90-day mortality rates were 24%, 37%, and 78% in the Green, Orange, and Red groups, respectively. A total of 130 patients were transferred to the ICU, including 79 from the Green group, 51 from the Orange group, and none from the Red group. Multivariate analysis revealed that among patients admitted to the ICU, death was independently associated with a longer time between ICU referral and ICU admission, the Sequential Organ Failure Assessment score, and the number of comorbidities, but not with triage group. CONCLUSIONS: CSC based on a multiapproach protocol allowed admission of all patients with a good prognosis. Higher mortality was associated with late admission, rather than triage group.

Very late intubation in COVID-19 patients: a forgotten prognosis factor?

Description of all consecutive critically ill COVID 19 patients hospitalized in ICU in University Hospital of Guadeloupe and outcome according to delay between steroid therapy initiation and mechanical ventilation onset. Very late mechanical ventilation defined as intubation after day 7 of dexamethasone therapy was associated with grim prognosis and a high mortality rate of 87%.

The passive leg raising test to guide fluid removal in critically ill patients.

BACKGROUND: To investigate whether haemodynamic intolerance to fluid removal during intermittent renal replacement therapy (RRT) in critically ill patients can be predicted by a passive leg raising (PLR) test performed before RRT. METHODS: We included 39 patients where intermittent RRT with weight loss was decided. Intradialytic hypotension was defined as hypotension requiring a therapeutic intervention, as decided by the physicians in charge. Before RRT, the maximal increase in cardiac index (CI, pulse contour analysis) induced by a PLR test was recorded. RRT was then started. RESULTS: Ultrafiltration rate was similar in patients with and without intradialytic hypotension. Thirteen patients presented intradialytic hypotension, while 26 did not. In patients with intradialytic hypotension, it occurred 120 min [interquartile range 60-180 min] after onset of RRT. In the 26 patients without intradialytic hypotension, the PLR test induced no significant change in CI. Conversely, in patients with intradialytic hypotension, PLR significantly increased CI by 15 % [interquartile range 11-36 %]. The PLR-induced increase in CI predicted intradialytic hypotension with an area under the ROC curve of 0.89 (95 % interval confidence 0.75-0.97) (p < 0.05 from 0.50). The best diagnostic threshold was 9 %. The sensitivity was 77 % (95 % confidence interval 46-95 %), the specificity was 96 % (80-100 %), the positive predictive value was 91 % (57-100 %), and the negative predictive value was 89 % (72-98 %). Compared to patients without intolerance to RRT, CI decreased significantly faster in patients with intradialytic hypotension, with a slope difference of -0.17 L/min/m(2)/h. CONCLUSION: The presence of preload dependence, as assessed by a positive PLR test before starting RRT with fluid removal, predicts that RRT will induce haemodynamic intolerance.

Etiologies, clinical features and outcome of cardiac arrest in HIV-infected patients.

BACKGROUND: Compared to many other cardiovascular diseases, there is a paucity of data on the characteristics of successfully resuscitated cardiac arrest (CA) patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. We investigated causes, clinical features and outcome of these patients, and assessed the specific burden of HIV on outcome. METHODS: Retrospective analysis of HIV-infected patients admitted to 20 French ICUs for successfully resuscitated CA (2000-2012). Characteristics and outcome of HIV-infected patients were compared to those of a large cohort of HIV-uninfected patients admitted after CA in the Cochin Hospital ICU during the same period. RESULTS: 99 patients were included (median CD4 lymphocyte count 233/mm(3), viral load 43 copies/ml). When compared with the control cohort of 1701 patients, HIV-infected patients were younger, with a predominance of male, a majority of in-hospital CA (52%), and non-shockable initial rhythm (80.8%). CA was mostly related to respiratory cause (n=36, including 23 pneumonia), cardiac cause (n=33, including 16 acute myocardial infarction), neurologic cause (n=8) and toxic cause (n=5). CA was deemed directly related to HIV infection in 18 cases. Seventy-one patients died in the ICU, mostly for care withdrawal after post-anoxic encephalopathy. After propensity score matching, ICU mortality was not significantly affected by HIV infection. Similarly, HIV disease characteristics had no impact on ICU outcome. CONCLUSIONS: Etiologies of CA in HIV-infected patients are miscellaneous and mostly not related to HIV infection. Outcome remains bleak but is similar to outcome of HIV-negative patients.

Macrovascular thrombosis in critically ill patients with thrombotic micro-angiopathies.

The purpose of this study is to assess the incidence and describe the clinical and pathological features of macrovascular thrombosis during the course of thrombotic micro-angiopathy (TMA) in a 6 year retrospective study of all adults with TMA, admitted to a teaching-hospital ICU. Of the 55 patients identified, all had anaemia and thrombocytopenia and 45 (82 %) had renal or neurological impairment. All patients received plasmapheresis, steroids, and strict blood pressure control. Macrovascular venous or arterial thromboses were diagnosed in 28 (51 %) patients; among them, 7 had cerebral artery thrombosis and 21 (including 13 with central venous catheters) had deep vein thrombosis. Median time from plasmapheresis initiation to thrombosis was 7 (4-10) days. Clinical findings were suggestive of deep venous thrombosis in 7 of the 21 patients (33 %) and only one of the 7 patients with stroke had corresponding clinical signs. By multivariate analysis, factors independently associated with macrovascular thrombosis were undetectable ADAMTS13 activity (odds ratio 7.33, 95 % confidence interval 1.3-41.3), cardiac involvement with TMA (odds ratio, 3.46; 95 % confidence interval, 1.1-13.9) and TMA flare (odds ratio 9.03; 95 % confidence interval 1.03-79.4). In conclusion, half of the patients with TMA experience macrovascular thrombosis. Patients with TTP-related ADAMTS13 deficiency and those with cardiac manifestations of TMA are at higher risk for arterial or deep venous thrombosis.

Tumour lysis syndrome and acute kidney injury in high-risk haematology patients in the rasburicase era. A prospective multicentre study from the Groupe de Recherche en Réanimation Respiratoire et Onco-Hématologique.

In tumour lysis syndrome (TLS), metabolic alterations caused by the destruction of malignant cells manifest as laboratory abnormalities with (clinical TLS) or without (laboratory TLS) organ dysfunction. This prospective multicentre cohort study included 153 consecutive patients with malignancies at high risk for TLS (median age 54 years (interquartile range, 38-66). Underlying malignancies were acute leukaemia (58%), aggressive non-Hodgkin lymphoma (29.5%), and Burkitt leukaemia/lymphoma (12.5%). Laboratory TLS developed in 17 (11.1%) patients and clinical TLS with acute kidney injury (AKI) in 30 (19.6%) patients. After adjustment for confounders, admission phosphates level (odds ratio [OR] per mmol/l, 5.3; 95% confidence interval [95% CI], 1.5-18.3), lactic dehydrogenase (OR per x normal, 1.1; 95%CI, 1.005-1.25), and disseminated intravascular coagulation (OR, 4.1; 95%CI, 1.4-12.3) were associated with clinical TLS; and TLS was associated with day-90 mortality (OR, 2.45; 95%CI, 1.09-5.50; P = 0.03). In this study, TLS occurred in 30.7% of high-risk patients. One third of all patients experienced AKI, for which TLS was an independent risk factor. TLS was associated with increased mortality, indicating a need for interventional studies aimed at decreasing early TLS-related deaths in this setting.

Renal perfusion assessment by renal Doppler during fluid challenge in sepsis.

OBJECTIVES: To assess renal resistive index variations in response to fluid challenge. DESIGN: Prospective cohort study. SETTING: Three ICUs in French teaching hospitals. PATIENTS: Consecutive patients receiving mechanical ventilation and requiring a fluid challenge. INTERVENTION: Resistive index measurement before and after fluid challenge. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Renal Doppler was used to measure resistive index and esophageal Doppler to monitor aortic blood flow. Of the 35 included patients, 17 (49%) met our definition for fluid challenge responsiveness, that is, had at least a 10% increase in aortic blood flow. After fluid challenge, mean arterial pressure increased from 73 mm Hg (interquartile range 68-79) to 80 mm Hg (75-86; p < 0.0001) and stroke volume from 50 mL (30-77) to 55 mL (39-84; p < 0.0001). Stroke volume changes after fluid challenge were +28.6% (+18.8% to +38.8%) in fluid challenge responders and +3.1% (-1.6% to 7.4%) in fluid challenge nonresponders. Renal resistive index was unchanged after fluid challenge in both nonresponders (0.72 [0.67-0.75] before and 0.71 [0.67-0.75] after fluid challenge; p = 0.62) and responders (0.70 [0.65-0.75] before and 0.72 [0.68-0.74] after fluid challenge; p = 0.11). Stroke volume showed no correlations with resistive index changes after fluid challenge in the overall population (r² = 0.04, p = 0.25), in fluid challenge responders (r² = -0.02, p = 0.61), or in fluid challenge nonresponders (r² = 0.08, p = 0.27). Stroke volume did not correlate with resistive index changes after fluid challenge in the subgroups without acute kidney injury (AKIN definition), with transient acute kidney injury, or with persistent acute kidney injury. CONCLUSION: Systemic hemodynamic changes induced by fluid challenge do not translate into resistive index variations in patients without acute kidney injury, with transient acute kidney injury, or with persistent acute kidney injury.

Noninvasive mechanical ventilation in patients having declined tracheal intubation.

PURPOSE: Noninvasive ventilation (NIV) is a treatment option in patients with acute respiratory failure who are good candidates for intensive care but have declined tracheal intubation. The aim of our study was to report outcomes after NIV in patients with a do-not-intubate (DNI) order. METHODS: Prospective observational cohort study in all patients who received NIV for acute respiratory failure in 54 ICUs in France and Belgium, in 2010/2011. RESULTS: Goals of care, comfort, and vital status were assessed daily. On day 90, a telephone interview with patients and relatives recorded health-related quality of life (HRQOL), posttraumatic stress disorder-related symptoms, and symptoms of anxiety and depression. Post-ICU burden was compared between DNI patients and patients receiving NIV with no treatment-limitation decisions (TLD). Of 780 NIV patients, 574 received NIV with no TLD, and 134 had DNI orders. Hospital mortality was 44 % in DNI patients and 12 % in the no-TLD group. Mortality in the DNI group was lowest in COPD patients compared to other patients in the DNI group (34 vs. 51 %, P = 0.01). In the DNI group, HRQOL showed no significant decline on day 90 compared to baseline; day-90 data of patients and relatives did not differ from those in the no-TLD group. CONCLUSIONS: Do-not-intubate status was present among one-fifth of ICU patients who received NIV. DNI patients who were alive on day 90 experienced no decrease in HRQOL compared to baseline. The prevalences of anxiety, depression, and PTSD-related symptoms in these patients and their relatives were similar to those seen after NIV was used as part of full-code management (clinicaltrial.govNCT01449331).

Transpulmonary thermodilution measurements are not affected by continuous veno-venous hemofiltration at high blood pump flow.

PURPOSE: To assess whether continuous veno-venous hemofiltration (CVVH) with high blood pump flow alters the measurements of cardiac index (CI), global end-diastolic volume indexed (GEDVI), and extravascular lung water indexed (EVLWI) performed by transpulmonary thermodilution. METHODS: Sixty-nine patients were included if they were monitored by a PiCCO2 device and received CVVH through a femoral (n = 62) or an internal jugular (n = 7) dialysis catheter. The blood pump flow was set at 250 mL/min (n = 31) or 350 mL/min (n = 38) and the filtration flow at 6,000 mL/h. A first set of data was collected with a first transpulmonary thermodilution (TD(on)). The blood pump was stopped and the continuous CI derived from pulse contour analysis was recorded (PC(off)). A second data set (TD(off)) was collected before and a last one (TD(on-last)) after restarting the blood pump. RESULTS: [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text] , and [Formula: see text] were not significantly different in patients with a femoral dialysis catheter (3.49 ± 0.96, 3.51 ± 0.96, 3.51 ± 0.99, and 3.44 ± 1.00 L min(-1) m(-2), respectively). This was observed with a blood pump flow at 350 mL/min and at 250 mL/min. In these patients with a femoral dialysis catheter, GEDVI did not significantly change when the blood pump was stopped. EVLWI significantly decreased when the blood pump was stopped but to a non-clinically relevant extent (-0.3 ± 0.8 mL/kg). No significant changes in CI, GEDVI, and EVLWI were observed in patients with an internal jugular dialysis catheter over the study period. CONCLUSIONS: CVVH with a high blood flow pump does not alter the transpulmonary thermodilution measurements of CI, GEDVI, and EVLWI.

Complement alternative pathway acts as a positive feedback amplification of neutrophil activation.

Complement alternative pathway plays an important, but not clearly understood, role in neutrophil-mediated diseases. We here show that neutrophils themselves activate complement when stimulated by cytokines or coagulation-derived factors. In whole blood, tumor necrosis factor/formyl-methionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine or phorbol myristate acetate resulted in C3 fragments binding on neutrophils and monocytes, but not on T cells. Neutrophils, stimulated by tumor necrosis factor, triggered the alternative pathway on their surface in normal and C2-depleted, but not in factor B-depleted serum and on incubation with purified C3, factors B and D. This occurred independently of neutrophil proteases, oxidants, or apoptosis. Neutrophil-secreted properdin was detected on the cell surface and could focus "in situ" the alternative pathway activation. Importantly, complement, in turn, led to further activation of neutrophils, with enhanced CD11b expression and oxidative burst. Complement-induced neutrophil activation involved mostly C5a and possibly C5b-9 complexes, detected on tumor necrosis factor- and serum-activated neutrophils. In conclusion, neutrophil stimulation by cytokines results in an unusual activation of autologous complement by healthy cells. This triggers a new amplification loop in physiologic innate immunity: Neutrophils activate the alternative complement pathway and release C5 fragments, which further amplify neutrophil proinflammatory responses. This mechanism, possibly required for effective host defense, may be relevant to complement involvement in neutrophil-mediated diseases.

Clinical features of H1N1 2009 infection in critically ill immunocompromised patients.

Seasonal influenza virus has been described as an emerging and severe pathogen in immunocompromised hosts. Since the beginning of the 2009 influenza A novel H1N1 pandemic, several series have described the clinical course of the disease in various populations. We report the clinical course of H1N1 2009 infection in 10 immunocompromised patients. Half of the patients received long-term steroid therapy. Disease was characterized by a clinical picture similar to that of non-immunocompromised patients but with prolonged course and higher mortality.

Kidney diseases in HIV/HCV-co-infected patients.

BACKGROUND: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) co-infection occurs in 25% of HIV-infected persons. The impact of HIV/HCV coinfection on renal and patient outcomes is unclear. METHODS: The main objective of the study is the comparison of outcomes (progression to advanced renal failure, initiation of dialysis, and death) in patients with HIV (n = 40), HCV (n = 30) or coinfection (n = 30) during the period between January 1999 and December 2007. RESULTS: Patients were predominantly white men with a mean creatinine clearance of 50.6 +/- 32.2 ml per min per 1.73 m. Membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis (MPGN) and HIV-associated nephropathy were found in 34 and 9%, respectively. Seventeen patients needed transitory or definitive hemodialysis after 2, 2.5, and 12 months in HIV/HCV (n = 5), HIV (n = 6) and HCV (n = 6) infections, respectively. In multivariate analysis, variables found to independently predict outcome in HIV/HCV coinfected patients were younger age, a longer delay to kidney biopsy, cryoglobulinemia and MPGN. Twenty-one patients died, mostly in the HCV (n = 8) and/or HIV/HCV coinfected (n = 12) groups. The relative risk of death for HIV/HCV co-infected patients was 2.1 times more than for HCV-infected patients and 7.5 times more than for HIV-infected patients. HIV/HCV co-infection [odds ratio (OR), = 4; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.3-12.9; P = 0.015] and MPGN (OR, 6; 95% CI, 2-18.8; P = 0.0018) were independently associated with death. CONCLUSION: Kidney disease is a relatively frequent complication in HIV or HCV monoinfected individuals. The impact of kidney disease on survival of HIV/HCV coinfected patients seems deleterious but remains largely unknown.