Case report: Cytokine hemoadsorption in a case of hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis secondary to extranodal NK/T-cell lymphoma.

We discuss a single case of Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) due to NK-type non-Hodgkin lymphoma and Epstein-Barr virus reactivation with multiorgan dysfunction and distributive shock in which we performed cytokine hemoadsorption with Cytosorb ®. A full microbiological panel was carried out, including screening for imported disease, standard serologies and cultures for bacterial and fungal infection. A liver biopsy and bone marrow aspirate were performed, confirming the diagnosis. The patients fulfilled the HLH-2004 diagnostic criteria, and according to the 2018 Consensus Statements by the HLH Steering Committee of the Histiocyte Society, dexamethasone and etoposide were started. There was an associated hypercytokinemia and, due to refractory distributive shock, rescue therapy with cytokine hemoadsorption was performed during 24 h (within day 2 and 3 from ICU admission). After starting this procedure, rapid hemodynamic control was achieved with a significant reduction in vasopressor support requirements. This case report highlights that cytokine hemoadsorption can be an effective since rapid decrease in IL-10 levels and a significant hemodynamic improvement was achieved.

Sequential Organ Failure Assessment Score and the Need for Organ Support Predict Mortality in Allogeneic Stem Cell Transplant Patients Admitted to the Intensive Care Unit.

Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) is an effective therapy resulting in increased definitive cure rates or extended disease-free survival in various malignant and nonmalignant hematologic diseases. However, because of the high risk of severe complications of this therapy, up to 50% of patients may require being admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) to manage life-threatening conditions. We aimed to evaluate the in-hospital mortality of allo-HSCT recipients admitted to the ICU and to identify those variables associated with in-hospital mortality. A 10-year (January 2010 to December 2019), single-center, retrospective study was conducted in Vall d´Hebron University Hospital, Barcelona. We included all consecutive allo-HSCT patients who required admission to the ICU. Baseline and disease-related characteristics were registered. Severity scores and the need for organ support were also assessed on days 1, 3, and 5 of ICU admission. In-hospital mortality-associated independent variables were identified using the Cox proportional hazards regression model. Three hundred twenty-three patients underwent allo-HSCT during the study period, of whom 82 (25%) were admitted to the ICU; 53 (65%) male, with a median age of 51 (38-59) years. Most patients received allo-HSCT for the treatment of lymphoma (20 patients [24%]) or acute leukemia (44 patients [54%]). The median Acute Physiology And Chronic Health Evaluation II score was 23 (17-28), and the median Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score on admission was 9 (7-11). Forty-nine (60%) patients died in the ICU, and 11 (13%) died in the hospital after being discharged from the ICU. Disease-related characteristics were not associated with mortality. Yet, SOFA score on day 1 (hazard ratio [HR]: 1.11 [95% confidence interval {CI}: 1.04-1.02]; P = .002), the need for vasopressors on day 3 (HR: 2.35 [95% CI: 1.27-4.36]; P = .007), and a nondecreasing SOFA score on day 5 (HR: 2.13 [95% CI: 1.03-4.39]; P = .04), were independently associated with in-hospital mortality. Mortality in allo-HSCT patients who require ICU admission remains high. In the present study, SOFA score, the need for vasopressors on day 3, and a nondecreasing SOFA score on day 5 predicted in-hospital mortality.

Cytokine release syndrome. Reviewing a new entity in the intensive care unit.

Immunotherapy seeks to harness the power of the immune system to eradicate malignant tissues. Despite impressive therapeutic success, however, it can be accompanied by severe adverse effects such as cytokine release syndrome (CRS). These therapies cause the release of a great amount of cytokines, with IL-6 playing a central role, that can potentially lead to multiple organ dysfunction. The diagnosis is based on the presence of compatible clinical symptoms, elevated biomarkers and recent treatment with a biological agent. Mild cases can be managed through symptomatic treatment and fluids, while more severe episodes may need supportive therapy and specific care with the anti-IL-6 receptor monoclonal antibody tocilizumab. Although corticosteroids are also effective, they suppress T-cell activity, and so should only be considered as second line therapy or in cases of severe neurological involvement, since tocilizumab does not cross the blood-brain barrier. Cytokine release syndrome generally has a good prognosis, often being reversible and with a good response to specific treatment. Despite possible concerns about the admission of such patients (mainly with advanced oncological disease), we consider that the Intensive Care Unit should remain an option, since these individuals present a potentially reversible drug-related adverse event and are being treated with a new drug that could change the prognosis of the disorder. Intensive care medicine will become a key component in the management of the complications of modern cancer therapies, dealing with patients presenting an overactive immune system producing organ dysfunction while also trying to maintain treatment efficacy. This is the new paradigm.

Innovative continuous non-invasive cuffless blood pressure monitoring based on photoplethysmography technology.

PURPOSE: To develop and validate a continuous non-invasive blood pressure (BP) monitoring system using photoplethysmography (PPG) technology through pulse oximetry (PO). METHODS: This prospective study was conducted at a critical care department and post-anesthesia care unit of a university teaching hospital. Inclusion criteria were critically ill adult patients undergoing invasive BP measurement with an arterial catheter and PO monitoring. Exclusion criteria were arrhythmia, imminent death condition, and disturbances in the arterial or the PPG curve morphology. Arterial BP and finger PO waves were recorded simultaneously for 30 min. Systolic arterial pressure (SAP), mean arterial pressure (MAP), and diastolic arterial pressure (DAP) were extracted from computer-assisted arterial pulse wave analysis. Inherent traits of both waves were used to construct a regression model with a Deep Belief Network-Restricted Boltzmann Machine (DBN-RBM) from a training cohort of patients and in order to infer BP values from the PO wave. Bland-Altman analysis was performed. RESULTS: A total of 707 patients were enrolled, of whom 135 were excluded. Of the 572 studied, 525 were assigned to the training cohort (TC) and 47 to the validation cohort (VC). After data processing, 53,708 frames were obtained from the TC and 7,715 frames from the VC. The mean prediction biases were -2.98 ± 19.35, -3.38 ± 10.35, and -3.65 ± 8.69 mmHg for SAP, MAP, and DAP respectively. CONCLUSIONS: BP can be inferred from PPG using DBN-RBM modeling techniques. The results obtained with this technology are promising, but its intrinsic variability and its wide limits of agreement do not allow clinical application at this time.