Oxygen Management During Collective Aeromedical Evacuation of 36 COVID-19 Patients With ARDS.

OBJECTIVE: The ongoing coronavirus disease-2019 pandemic leads to the saturation of critical care facilities worldwide. Collective aeromedical evacuations (MEDEVACS) might help rebalance the demand and supply of health care. If interhospital transport of patients suffering from ARDS is relatively common, little is known about the specific challenges of collective medevac. Oxygen management in such context is crucial. We describe our experience with a focus on this resource. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed the first six collective medevac performed during the coronavirus disease-2019 pandemic by the French Military Health Service from March 17 to April 3, 2020. Oxygen management was compliant with international guidelines as well as aeronautical constraints and monitored throughout the flights. Presumed high O2 consumers were scheduled to board the last and disembark the first. RESULTS: Thirty-six mechanically ventilated patients were successfully transported within Europe. The duration of onboard ventilation was 185 minutes (145-198.5 minutes), including the flight, the boarding and disembarking periods. Oxygen intake was 1,650 L per patient per flight (1,350-1,950 L patient per flight) and 564 L per patient per hour (482-675 L per patient-1 per hour) and surpassed our anticipation. As anticipated, presumed high O2 consumers had a reduced ventilation duration onboard. The estimations of oxygen consumptions were frequently overshot, and only two hypoxemia episodes occurred. CONCLUSION: Oxygen consumption was higher than expected, despite anticipation and predefined oxygen management measures, and encourages to a great caution in the processing of such collective medevac missions.

Collective aeromedical transport of COVID-19 critically ill patients in Europe: A retrospective study.

BACKGROUND: In early 2020, the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic outbreak has posed the risk of critical care resources overload in every affected country. Collective interhospital transport of critically ill COVID-19 patients as a way to mitigate the localised pressure from overloaded intensive care units at a national or international level has not been reported yet. The aim of this study was to provide descriptive data about the first six collective aeromedical evacuation (MEDEVAC) of COVID-19 patients performed within Europe. METHODS: This retrospective study included all adult patients transported by the first six collective MEDEVAC missions for COVID-19 patients performed within Europe on the 18th, 21st, 24th, 27th, 31st of March and the 3rd of April 2020. RESULTS: Thirty-six patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) were transported aboard six MEDEVAC missions. The median duration of mechanical ventilation in ICU before transportation was 4 days (3-5.25). The median PaO2/FiO2 ratio obtained before, during the flight and at day 1 after the transport was 180 mmHg (156-202,5), 143 mmHg (118,75-184,75) and 174 mmHg (129,5-205,5), respectively, with no significant difference. The median norepinephrine infusion rate observed before, during the flight and at day 1 after the transport was 0,08 µg/kg-1. min-1 (0,00-0,20), 0,08 (0,00-0,25), and 0,07 (0,03-0,18), respectively, with no significant difference. No life-threatening event was reported. CONCLUSION: Collective aero-MEDEVAC of COVID-19 critically ill patients could provide a reliable solution to help control the burden of the disease at a national or international level.

Perifascial plane versus perineural approaches for ultrasound-guided axillary block: go to the simplest?

BACKGROUND: Ultrasound-guided axillary block is widely used in daily practice for upper limb orthopedic surgery. A simple, safe, efficacious and time-saving technique is mandatory to optimize surgical turnover and costs. In this perspective, we compared, in a randomized, single-blinded study, a standardized perifascial technique and the selective perineural technique. METHODS: Forty-two patients scheduled for elective hand surgery were randomly assigned to receive 20 mL of 10 mg/mL mepivacaine, either selectively around each of the radial, median, ulnar and musculocutaneous nerves (perineural group) or along the latissimus dorsi and superficial axillary fascia (perifascial group). The primary outcome was the procedure performance time in both groups. Secondary goals were the number of needle passes, a per-procedure evaluation of the performance on a visual analogue scale ranging from 0 to 10, the success rate and the incidence of adverse events. RESULTS: Performance time was significantly reduced in the perifascial group (3.6 vs. 6.5 min, P<0.001), with fewer needle passes (3 vs. 6, P<0.001) and a simpler procedure performance (8.5 vs. 7.6, P=0.02). No vascular punctures or neurologic deficits were reported. Surgical anesthesia (95% in both groups) and complete anesthetic success (perifascial 81% vs. perineural 95%) were similar. CONCLUSIONS: We reported that the ultrasound-guided axillary perifascial block is easier to perform and saves procedural time compared to the classic perineural technique. Considering the same anesthetic success rate in both groups, the perifascial plane technique should be considered a daily practice technique and the first level of learning procedure for axillary block.