Evaluating the impact of severe sepsis 3-hour bundle compliance on 28-day in-hospital mortality: A propensity adjusted, nested case-control study.

OBJECTIVES: The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Severe Sepsis and Septic Shock Management Bundle (SEP-1) assesses antibiotic administration, lactate measurement, and blood culture collection within 3 h of severe sepsis onset. The impact of the SEP-1 3-hour bundle among patients with severe sepsis is not extensively described. This investigation aimed to describe the impact of 3-hour bundle compliance on 28-day in-hospital mortality in patients with severe sepsis. STUDY DESIGN: This was a retrospective, propensity adjusted, nested case-control study assessing the impact of compliance with a 3-hour sepsis bundle among patients with severe sepsis. SETTING: This study was conducted at a large, academic, tertiary care medical center in Detroit, Michigan from July 1, 2017 to December 31, 2019. PATIENTS: Cases were defined as those suffering 28-day in-hospital mortality. Controls were defined as those surviving at or discharged by 28 days. Patients were separated based on 3-hour bundle compliance or noncompliance. Nested and overall cohorts were assessed. Severe sepsis time zero was manually validated. Patients with shock, requiring vasopressors within 8 h of time zero, or those not meeting SEP-1 inclusion criteria were excluded. INTERVENTION: The primary outcome was the propensity adjusted odds of 28-day in-hospital mortality among 3-hour bundle compliant versus noncompliant patients. Secondary outcomes included mortality for individual bundle element compliance, progression to septic shock, and predictors of mortality according to logistic regression. RESULTS: A total of 325 compliant and 325 noncompliant patients were included. The median Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score was three in each group. There was no difference in propensity adjusted odds of mortality among those compliant versus noncompliant with the 3-hour bundle (odds-ratio [OR] 1.039; 95% CI: 0.721-1.497; p = 0.838) or with individual bundle elements. SOFA score and female sex were predictors of mortality. CONCLUSIONS: Three-hour bundle compliance did not impact 28-day in-hospital mortality in patients with severe sepsis. Further research is needed to understand the impact of 3-hour bundle compliance on mortality in severe sepsis.

COVID-19 in the hotspot of Metropolitan Detroit: A multi-faceted health system experience.

Health systems were abruptly plunged into a crisis as SARS-CoV-2 exploded into a pandemic in spring 2020. In March-April 2020, Metropolitan Detroit was a US "hotspot." As a large health system with five hospitals and two behavioural health inpatient facilities, a health insurance company, a medical group and physician network, and 41 ambulatory clinics normally hosting over 10,000 daily patient encounters, the Henry Ford Health System deployed numerous strategies in the management of this upheaval. As hospitals and Emergency Departments were inundated with COVID-19 patients, other services and activities needed to shut down as state-mandated policies were promulgated, new internal and external communication networks established, and management of employees and resources such as ventilators, ICU beds, personal protective equipment, and laboratory supplies became critical challenges. We describe herein the system-wide strategies implemented and lessons learned in the operation of a health system in the initial throes of a global pandemic.

Mechanical Ventilation and Coronavirus Disease 2019: A Case-Control Analysis of Clinical Characteristics, Lung Mechanics, and Mortality.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the differences in clinical course, ventilator mechanics, and outcomes of patients with coronavirus disease 2019 secondary to acute respiratory distress syndrome infection compared with a historical cohort of acute respiratory distress syndrome. DESIGN: Comparative case-control study. SETTING: Multicenter, comprehensive tertiary healthcare facility in Detroit, MI. PATIENTS/SUBJECTS: Adult patients hospitalized with coronavirus disease 2019 secondary to acute respiratory distress syndrome infection were compared with patients hospitalized with acute respiratory distress syndrome prior to the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic (control). INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: We included 384 patients in the analysis. Inpatient mortality was significantly higher in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 secondary to acute respiratory distress syndrome infection compared with controls (64% vs 49%; p = 0.007). Despite both groups demonstrating similar ventilatory function and Sequential Organ Failure Assessment score on day 1 of intubation, with similar lung compliance throughout the study period, patients with coronavirus disease 2019 secondary to acute respiratory distress syndrome infection demonstrated progressive hypoxia compared with controls across the study period. Similarly, higher positive end-expiratory pressure levels and increased use of paralytics were observed in the patients with coronavirus disease 2019 secondary to acute respiratory distress syndrome infection group. On univariate analysis of the entire cohort, significant risk factors for inpatient mortality included coronavirus disease 2019 infection (p = 0.007), older age (p < 0.001), high Sequential Organ Failure Assessment score (p = 0.003), vasopressor use (p = 0.039), paralytic use (p < 0.001), higher positive end-expiratory pressure levels on day 3 (p = 0.027) and day 7 (p < 0.001), in addition to acute respiratory distress syndrome severity on both days 3 (p = 0.008) and 7 (p < 0.001). Multivariate analysis identified coronavirus disease 2019 infection (odds ratio, 1.939; p = 0.021), older age (odds ratio, 1.042; p < 0.001), paralytic use (odds ratio, 3.366; p < 0.001), and higher Sequential Organ Failure Assessment score (odds ratio, 1.152; p = 0.027) as significant predictors of mortality across the entire cohort. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with coronavirus disease 2019 secondary to acute respiratory distress syndrome infection demonstrated higher mortality compared with control patients hospitalized with acute respiratory distress syndrome prior to the pandemic, with progressive hypoxia throughout the study period, despite similar lung mechanics and initial Sequential Organ Failure Assessment score. Coronavirus disease 2019 infection, older age, paralytic use, and higher Sequential Organ Failure Assessment scores were independent risk factors for 28-day mortality across the entire cohort.

Racial Differences in a Detroit, MI, ICU Population of Coronavirus Disease 2019 Patients.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the potential influence of racial differences in outcomes of patients infected by coronavirus disease 2019-positive patients who require intensive care in an urban hospital. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. SETTING: Henry Ford Health System Multidisciplinary ICU, a total of 156 beds spread throughout the hospital in Detroit, MI. PATIENTS: We obtained data from the electronic medical record of all adult severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2-positive patients managed in the ICU of Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, MI, between March 13, 2020, and July 31, 2020. Included patients were divided into two groups: people of color (including Black, Asian, Hispanic/Latino, and Arab) and White. INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: A total of 365 patients were evaluated: 219 were Black (60.0%), 129 were White (35.3%), two were Asian (0.6%), eight were Hispanic/Latino (2.2%), and seven were Arab (1.9%). People of color were younger (62.8 vs 67.1; p = 0.007), with equal distribution of sex. People of color had less coronary artery disease (34 [14.4%] vs 35 [27.1%]; p =0.003) and less self-reported use of regular alcohol consumption (50 [21.2%] vs 12 [9.3%]; p = 0.004) than Whites, with no differences in diabetes (125 [53.0%] vs 66 [51.2%]; p = 0.742), hypertension (188 [79.7%] vs 99 [76.8%]; p = 0.516), congestive heart failure (41 [17.4%] vs 32 [24.8%]; p = 0.090), or chronic kidney disease (123 [54.1%] vs 55 [42.6%]; p = 0.083).There was no difference in ICU length of stay between people of color (18 d [CI, 7-47 d]) and Whites (18 d [CI, 6-48 d]; p = 0. 0.979). Neither frequency (72.5% vs 71.3%; p = ns) nor median time to mechanical ventilation between people of color (9 d [CI, 6-15 d]) and Whites (10 d [CI, 5-16 d]; p = 0.733) was different. Overall, 188 patients (51.5 %) died in the hospital. The 28-day mortality was lower in people of color (107/236; 45.3%) versus Whites (73/129; 56.6%) (adjusted odds ratio 0.60; p = 0.034), and there was an increased median survival time in people of color (20 d) versus Whites (13.5 d; hazard ratio 0.62; p = 0.002). The inhospital mortality was lower in people of color versus White, but the difference was not statistically significant (113 [47.9%] vs 75 [58.1%], respectively; p = 0.061). Finally, there was no significant difference in days of symptoms prior to admission, frequency of presenting symptoms, or frequency or severity of acute respiratory distress syndrome between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: In critically ill patients infected with coronavirus disease 2019, people of color had a lower 28-day mortality than Whites with no difference in hospital mortality, ICU length of stay, or rates of intubation. These findings are contrary to previously held beliefs surrounding the pandemic.

Clinical characteristics and predictors of survival in adults with coronavirus disease 2019 receiving tocilizumab.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) can progress to cytokine storm that is associated with organ dysfunction and death. The purpose of the present study is to determine clinical characteristics associated with 28 day in-hospital survival in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) that received tocilizumab. This was a retrospective observational cohort study conducted at a five hospital health system in Michigan, United States. Adult patients with confirmed COVID-19 that were admitted to the hospital and received tocilizumab for cytokine storm from March 1, 2020 through April 3, 2020 were included. Patients were grouped into survivors and non-survivors based on 28 day in-hospital mortality. Study day 0 was defined as the day tocilizumab was administered. Factors independently associated with in-hospital survival at 28 days after tocilizumab administration were assessed. Epidemiologic, demographic, laboratory, prognostic scores, treatment, and outcome data were collected and analyzed. Clinical response was collected and defined as a decline of two levels on a six-point ordinal scale of clinical status or discharged alive from the hospital. Of the 81 patients included, the median age was 64 (58-71) years and 56 (69.1%) were male. The 28 day in-hospital mortality was 43.2%. There were 46 (56.8%) patients in the survivors and 35 (43.2%) in the non-survivors group. On study day 0 no differences were noted in demographics, clinical characteristics, severity of illness scores, or treatments received between survivors and non-survivors. C-reactive protein was significantly higher in the non-survivors compared to survivors. Compared to non-survivors, recipients of tocilizumab within 12 days of symptom onset was independently associated with survival (adjusted OR: 0.296, 95% CI: 0.098-0.889). SOFA score ≥8 on day 0 was independently associated with mortality (adjusted OR: 2.842, 95% CI: 1.042-7.753). Clinical response occurred more commonly in survivors than non-survivors (80.4% vs. 5.7%; p < 0.001). Improvements in the six-point ordinal scale and SOFA score were observed in survivors after tocilizumab. Early receipt of tocilizumab in patients with severe COVID-19 was an independent predictor for in-hospital survival at 28 days.

Improving care for critically ill patients with community-acquired pneumonia.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to improve antimicrobial management and outcomes of critically ill patients with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) through implementation of a pharmacist-driven bundle for ordering evidence-based diagnostic tests in a medical intensive care unit (MICU). METHODS: An inpatient collaborative practice agreement (CPA) was established for MICU pharmacists to order criteria-driven diagnostic testing for CAP from November 2017-March 2018. Adults admitted to the MICU and started on empiric antibiotics for CAP were included. The intervention arm was compared with a standard of care (SOC) group from November 2016-March 2017. RESULTS: Ninety-one patients were included in each group. There was no difference in the median antibiotic duration between SOC and CPA, at 7 days (interquartile range [IQR], 6-10) versus 7 days (IQR, 6-8), respectively. The overall use of evidence-based diagnostic tests increased in the CPA group. Patients in the CPA group had more frequent pathogen identification (SOC and CPA, respectively: 31 [34%] versus 46 [51%], p = 0.035) and antimicrobial deescalation (24 [26%] versus 53 [58%], p < 0.001). There was no significant difference in length of intensive care unit stay, at 4 days for SOC (IQR, 2-10) versus 6 days for CPA (IQR, 3-10), and no significant difference in inpatient all-cause mortality (13 [14%] versus 7 [8%]), retreatment 14 [15%] versus 11 [12%]), or 30-day readmission 16 ([18%] versus 13 [14%]) for SOC and CPA, respectively. The CPA was the only variable that was independently associated with antimicrobial deescalation (odds ratio, 4.030; 95% confidence interval, 2.101-7.731) in a multiple logistic regression. CONCLUSION: Implementation of a pharmacy-driven pneumonia diagnostic stewardship bundle improved the use of evidence-based diagnostics and increased the frequency of pathogen identification. This intervention was associated with increased antimicrobial deescalation without a negative impact on patient safety outcomes.

Vancomycin-induced acute generalized exanthematous pustulosis (AGEP) masquerading septic shock-an unusual presentation of a rare disease.

Acute generalized exanthematous pustulosis (AGEP) is a rare cutaneous adverse reaction characterized by acute sterile pustular eruptions, mostly induced by medications. Antibiotics are the most commonly implicated drugs; however, there have only been two previous reports of vancomycin-induced AGEP in the literature. In this case, we present the clinical course of a 56-year-old man who was admitted to the intensive care unit with an unusually severe form of AGEP mimicking septic shock, which developed after the recent use of vancomycin. Despite cessation of the offending agent, our patient continued to clinically decline with development of worsening skin eruptions and hemodynamic instability necessitating vasopressor support. The patient promptly responded to systemic steroid therapy with complete resolution of AGEP. In addition to highlighting the implication of vancomycin in AGEP, we herein discuss the clinical presentation, diagnosis, and management of AGEP, particularly in severe cases admitted to the intensive care unit.

Prospective study to determine the volume of pleural fluid required to diagnose malignancy.

BACKGROUND: The optimal volume of pleural fluid to diagnose a malignant effusion is unknown. Our study was designed to demonstrate if a minimum pleural fluid volume (10 mL) is equivalent to a large volume thoracentesis to make a cytopathologic diagnosis of malignancy. METHODS: A total of 121 thoracentesis samples were obtained from 102 patients with suspected or known malignant effusions. Pleural fluid was collected in three aliquots for cytologic examination (10 mL, 60 mL, > or = 150 mL). The pathologist was blinded to patient identifiers and aliquot volume. Sensitivity, specificity, negative predictive value (NPV), and positive predictive value (PPV) were calculated for each volume for the diagnosis of malignancy. RESULTS: Pleural malignancy was diagnosed in 90 patient encounters (74.4%). For direct smear/cytospin, there was increased sensitivity and NPV for 60 mL (P = .0058 and P = .045, respectively) and for > or = 150 mL (P < .001 and P = .009, respectively) compared with 10 mL. For combined direct smear/cytospin and cell block preparations, statistical significance for sensitivity and NPV existed only between the 10 mL and > or = 150 mL specimens (P = .0099 and P = .033, respectively). No statistical difference existed for specificity or PPV for any aliquot volume. CONCLUSIONS: The sensitivity for diagnosis of pleural malignancy is dependent on the pleural fluid volume extracted during thoracentesis. Volumes of 10 mL do not perform as well as larger volumes. When both direct smear/cytospin and cell block preparations are used, we recommend > or = 150 mL, whereas when only direct smear/cytospin is used, 60 mL is adequate for the diagnosis a malignant pleural effusion.