Assessing pain in paralyzed critically ill patients receiving neuromuscular blocking agents: A monocenter prospective cohort.

INTRODUCTION: Given the absence of established recommendations for pain assessment in pharmacologically paralyzed Intensive-Care-Units (ICU) patients under Neuro-Muscular-Blocking Agents (NMBA), this study assessed the validity of various parameters for evaluating pain in this specific population. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Four electrophysiological parameters (instant-Analgesia-Nociception-Index (ANI), Bispectral index (BIS), Heart Rate (HR) and Mean Arterial Blood Pressure (ABP)) and one clinical parameter (Behavioural-Pain-Scale (BPS)) were recorded during tracheal-suctioning in all consecutive ICU patients who required a continuous infusion of cisatracurium, before and just after paralysis recovery measured by Train-of-Four ratio. The validity of the five pain-related parameters was assessed by comparing the values recorded during different situations (before/during/after the nociceptive procedure) (discriminant-validity, primary outcome), and the effect of paralysis was assessed by comparing values obtained during and after paralysis (reliability, secondary outcome). RESULTS: Twenty patients were analyzed. ANI, BIS, and HR significantly changed during the nociceptive procedure in both paralysis and recovery, while BPS changed only post-recovery. ANI and HR were unaffected by paralysis, unlike BIS and BPS (mixed-effect model). ANI exhibited the highest discriminant-validity, with values (min 0/max 100) decreasing from 71 [48-89] at rest to 41 [25-72] during tracheal suctioning in paralyzed patients, and from 71 [53-85] at rest to 40 [31-52] in non-paralyzed patients. CONCLUSIONS: ANI proves the most discriminant parameter for pain detection in both paralyzed and non-paralyzed sedated ICU patients. Its significant and clinically relevant decrease during tracheal suctioning remains unaltered by NMBA use. Pending further studies on analgesia protocols based on ANI, it could be used to assess pain during nociceptive procedures in ICU patients receiving NMBA.

Determinants of information provided by anaesthesiologists to relatives of patients during surgical procedures.

Background: Data and interventions are lacking for family-centred perioperative care in adults. Perioperative information given to relatives by nurses or surgeons is associated with improved satisfaction and fewer symptoms of anxiety for relatives and the patient themselves. However, the frequency of the provision of information by anaesthesiologists to patients' relatives during surgery has never been reported. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was sent to French anaesthesiologists in October 2020 to inquire how often they provided information to patients' family members during surgery and what factors led to them providing information frequently (i.e. in more than half of cases). Results: Among 607 anaesthesiologists, 53% (319/607) were male, with median age 47 (36-60) yr and nearly half (43%, 260/607) reported more than 20 years of clinical experience; most responders (96%, 580/607) mainly treated adults. Forty-nine (8%) anaesthesiologists declared that they frequently provide information to relatives during surgery. After multivariate analysis, age >50 yr, female gender, and paediatric practice were associated with providing information more frequently. Reasons for not providing information included a lack of time and dedicated space to talk to relatives. Urgent surgery or surgery lasting >2 h were identified as factors associated with provision of information to relatives. Conclusions: Giving information to relatives during surgery is not a common practice among anaesthesiologists. It depends on individual anaesthesiologists' personal characteristics and practice. Information during surgery could be provided systematically in situations identified as being the most important by anaesthesiologists in our survey. By creating new pathways of information, we could reduce stress and anxiety of patients and relatives.

Which spontaneous breathing trial to predict effort to breathe after extubation according to five critical illnesses: the cross-over GLOBAL WEAN study protocol.

INTRODUCTION: Readiness to be freed from ventilatory support can be evaluated by spontaneous breathing trial (SBT) assessing the patient's ability to sustain respiratory effort after extubation. Current SBT practices are heterogenous and there are few physiological studies on the topic. The objective of this study is to assess which SBT best reproduces inspiratory effort to breathe after extubation depending on the patient's illness. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: This will be a multicentre randomised cross-over physiological study, in a large population, in the era of modern intensive care units using last generation modern ventilators. Each included patient will perform three 15-minute SBTs in a random order: pressure support ventilation (PSV) level of 7 cmH2O with positive end expiratory pressure (PEEP) level of 0 cmH2O, PSV 0 cmH2O with PEEP 0 cmH2O and T-piece trial. A rest period of baseline state ventilation will be observed between the SBTs (10 min) and before extubation (30 min). Primary outcome will be the inspiratory muscle effort, reflected by pressure time product per minute (PTPmin). This will be calculated from oesophageal pressure measurements at baseline state, before and after each SBT and 20 min after extubation. Secondary outcomes will be PTPmin at 24 hours and 48 hours after extubation, changes in physiological variables and respiratory parameters at each step, postextubation respiratory management and the rate of successful extubation. One hundred patients with at least 24 hours of invasive mechanical ventilation will be analysed, divided into five categories of critical illness: abdominal surgery, brain injury, chest trauma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and miscellaneous (pneumonia, sepsis, heart disease). ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: The study project was approved by the appropriate ethics committee (2019-A01063-54, Comité de Protection des Personnes TOURS - Région Centre - Ouest 1, France). Informed consent is required, for all patients or surrogate in case of inability to give consent. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT04222569.

Adverse events, short- and long-term outcomes of extra corporeal liver therapy in the intensive care unit: 16 years experience with MARS® in a single center.

BACKGROUND: Molecular Adsorbent Recirculating System (MARS®) is a non-biological artificial liver device. The benefit risk ratio between uncertain clinical effects and potential adverse events remains difficult to assess. We sought to describe adverse events related to MARS® therapy as well as biological and clinical effects. METHODS: All intensive care unit (ICU) admissions to whom MARS® therapy was prescribed from March 2005 to August 2021 were consecutively and prospectively included. The main endpoint was the incidence of adverse events related to MARS® therapy. Secondary endpoints were the biological and clinical effects of MARS® therapy. RESULTS: We reported 180 admissions treated with MARS® therapy. Among the 180 admissions, 56 (31.1%) were for acute-on-chronic liver failure, 32 (17.8%) for acute liver failure, 28 (15.5%) for post-surgery liver failure, 52 (28.9%) for pruritus and 12 (6.7%) for drug intoxication. At least one adverse event occurred in 95 (52.8%) admissions. Thrombocytopenia was the most frequent adverse event which was recorded in 55 admissions (30.6%). Overall, platelets count was 131 (± 95) × 109/L before and 106 (± 72) × 109/L after MARS® therapy (p < .001). After MARS® therapy, total bilirubin was significantly decreased in all groups (p < 0.05). Hepatic encephalopathy significantly improved in both the acute-on-chronic and in the acute liver failure group (p = 0.01). In the pruritus group, pruritus intensity score was significantly decreased after MARS® therapy (p < 0.01). CONCLUSION: In this large cohort of patients treated with MARS® therapy we report frequent adverse events. Thrombocytopenia was the most frequent adverse event. In all applications significant clinical and biological improvements were shown with MARS® therapy.

Discomfort improvement for critically ill patients using electronic relaxation devices: results of the cross-over randomized controlled trial E-CHOISIR (Electronic-CHOIce of a System for Intensive care Relaxation).

PURPOSE: To assess the impact of different electronic relaxation devices on common stressful patient symptoms experienced in intensive care unit (ICU). METHODS: Sixty critically ill patients were enrolled in four relaxation sessions using a randomized cross-over design: standard relaxation (TV/radio), music therapy (MUSIC-CARE©), and two virtual reality systems using either real motion pictures (DEEPSEN©) or synthetic motion pictures (HEALTHY-MIND©). The goal was to determine which device was the best to reduce overall patient discomfort intensity (0-10 Numeric Rating Scale (NRS); primary endpoint). Secondary endpoints were specific stressful symptoms (pain, anxiety, dyspnea, thirst, and lack of rest feeling) and stress response measured by Analgesia/Nociception Index (ANI). Multivariate mixed-effect analysis was used, taking into account patient characteristics and multiple measurements. RESULTS: Fifty patients followed the full research protocol, and ten patients did at least one research planned session of relaxation. HEALTHY-MIND© was associated with a significant decrease in overall discomfort, the primary endpoint (median NRS = 4[2-6] vs. 2[0-5]; p = 0.01, mixed-effect model), accompanied by a significant decrease in stress response (increase in ANI, secondary endpoint; p < 0.01). Regarding other secondary endpoints, each of the two virtual reality systems was associated with a decrease in anxiety (p < 0.01), while HEALTHY-MIND© was associated also with a decrease in pain (p = 0.001) and DEEPSEN© with a decrease in lack of rest (p = 0.01). Three incidents (claustrophobia/dyspnea/agitation) were reported among 109 virtual reality sessions. Cybersickness was rare (NRS = 0[0-0]). CONCLUSION: Electronic relaxation therapy is a promising, safe, and effective non-pharmacological solution that can be used to improve overall discomfort in alert and non-delirious ICU patients. Its effectiveness depends on technical characteristics (virtual reality using a synthetic imagined world versus a real world or music therapy alone without virtual reality), as well as the type of symptoms.

Hydroxyethyl Starch for Fluid Management in Patients Undergoing Major Abdominal Surgery: A Systematic Review With Meta-analysis and Trial Sequential Analysis.

BACKGROUND: In critically ill patients, warnings about a risk of death and acute kidney injury (AKI) with hydroxyethyl starch (HES) solutions have been raised. However, HES solutions may yet have a role to play in major abdominal surgery. This meta-analysis and trial sequential analysis (TSA) aimed to investigate the effect of HES intravascular volume replacement on the risk of AKI, intraoperative blood transfusion, and postoperative intra-abdominal complications compared to crystalloid intravascular volume replacement. METHODS: In this meta-analysis and TSA, we searched for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing intraoperative HES intravascular volume replacement to crystalloid intravascular volume replacement in adult patients undergoing major abdominal surgery. Primary outcome was 30-day AKI, defined as a binary outcome according to Kidney Disease Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) criteria, combining stages 1, 2, and 3 into an AKI category versus no AKI category (stage 0). Secondary outcomes included rates of intraoperative blood transfusion and postoperative intra-abdominal complications. We used random effects models to calculate summary estimates. We used relative risk (RR) as summary measure for dichotomous outcomes, with corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the primary outcome (P value <.05 was considered statistically significant) and 99% CI after Bonferroni correction for the secondary outcomes (P value <.01 was considered statistically significant). RESULTS: Seven RCTs including 2398 patients were included. HES intravascular volume replacement was not associated with an increased risk of 30-day AKI (RR = 1.22, 95% CI, 0.94-1.59; P = .13), when compared to crystalloid intravascular volume replacement. According to TSA, this analysis was underpowered. HES intravascular volume replacement was associated with higher rates of blood transfusion (RR = 1.57 99% CI, 1.10-2.25; P = .001), and similar rates of postoperative intra-abdominal complications (RR = 0.76 99% CI, 0.57-1.02; P = .02). CONCLUSIONS: In this meta-analysis to focus on HES intravascular volume replacement in major abdominal surgery, HES intravascular volume replacement was not associated with a higher risk of 30-day AKI when compared to crystalloid intravascular volume replacement. However, CI and TSA do not exclude harmful effects of HES intravascular volume replacement on the renal function.

Transcranial sonographic assessment of the third ventricle in neuro-ICU patients to detect hydrocephalus: a diagnostic reliability pilot study.

BACKGROUND: Transcranial sonography is a point-of-care tool recommended in intensive care units (ICU) to monitor brain injured patients. Objectives of the study was to assess feasibility and reliability of the third ventricle (V3) diameter measurement using transcranial sonography (TCS) compared to brain computed-tomography (CT), the gold standard measurement, and to measure the TCS learning curve. DESIGN: prospective study, in a 16-bed neurological ICU in an academic hospital. Every consecutive brain injured adult patient, who required a brain CT and TCS monitoring were included. The V3 diameter was blindly measured by TCS and CT. Intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and Bland-Altman plot were used to assess the reliability and agreement between TCS and CT V3 measurements. Diagnosis performance of the V3 diameter using TCS to detect hydrocephalus was measured. Absolute difference between V3 measurement by residents and experts was measured consecutively to assess the learning curve. RESULTS: Among the 100 patients included in the study, V3 diameter could be assessed in 87 patients (87%) from at least one side of the skull. Both temporal windows were available in 70 patients (70%). The ICC between V3 diameter measured by TCS and CT was 0.90 [95% CI 0.84-0.93] on the right side, and 0.92 [0.88-0.95] on the left side. In Bland-Altman analysis, mean difference, standard deviation, 95% limits of agreement were 0.36, 1.52, - 2.7 to 3.3 mm, respectively, on the right side; 0.25, 1.47, - 2.7 to 3.1 mm, respectively, on the left side. Among the 35 patients with hydrocephalus, V3 diameters could be measured by TCS in 31 patients (89%) from at least one side. Hydrocephalus was, respectively, excluded, confirmed, or inconclusive using TCS in 35 (40%), 25 (29%) and 27 (31%) of the 87 assessable patients. After 5 measurements, every resident reached a satisfactory measurement compared to the expert operator. CONCLUSION: TCS allows rapid, simple and reliable V3 diameter measurement compared with the gold standard in neuro-ICU patients. Aside from sparing irradiating procedures and transfers to the radiology department, it may especially increase close patient monitoring to detect clinically occult hydrocephalus earlier. Further studies are needed to measure the potential clinical benefit of this method. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov ID: NCT02830269.

One-Year Outcome of Critically Ill Patients With Systemic Rheumatic Disease: A Multicenter Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND: Critically ill patients with systemic rheumatic disease (SRD) have benefited from better provision of rheumatic and critical care in recent years. Recent comprehensive data regarding in-hospital mortality rates and, most importantly, long-term outcomes are scarce. RESEARCH QUESTION: The aim of this study was to assess short and long-term outcome of patients with SRD who were admitted to the ICU. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: All records of patients with SRD who were admitted to ICU between 2006 and 2016 were reviewed. In-hospital and one-year mortality rates were assessed, and predictive factors of death were identified. RESULTS: A total of 525 patients with SRD were included. Causes of admission were most frequently shock (40.8%) and acute respiratory failure (31.8%). Main diagnoses were infection (39%) and SRD flare-up (35%). In-hospital and one-year mortality rates were 30.5% and 37.7%, respectively. Predictive factors that were associated with in-hospital and one-year mortalities were, respectively, age, prior corticosteroid therapy, simplified acute physiology score II ≥50, need for invasive mechanical ventilation, or need for renal replacement therapy. Knaus scale C or D and prior conventional disease modifying antirheumatic drug therapy was associated independently with death one-year after ICU admission. INTERPRETATION: Critically ill patients with SRD had a fair outcome after an ICU stay. Increased age, prior corticosteroid therapy, and severity of critical illness were associated significantly with short- and long-term mortality rates. The one-year mortality rate was also associated with prior health status and conventional disease modifying antirheumatic drug therapy.

Effect of lung recruitment maneuver on oxygenation, physiological parameters and mortality in acute respiratory distress syndrome patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

PURPOSE: Among acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) patients in intensive care units, the efficacy of lung recruitment maneuver (LRM) use is uncertain taking into account the most recent randomized controlled trials (RCTs). We aimed to estimate the effect of LRMs on mortality from ARDS. METHODS: In this systematic review and meta-analysis, we searched for RCTs comparing mechanical ventilation with and without LRMs in adults with ARDS. We generated pooled relative risks (RR), mean difference, performed trial-sequential-analysis and cumulative meta-analysis. The primary outcome was 28-day mortality. The secondary outcomes were oxygenation evaluated by PaO2/FiO2 ratio, rate of rescue therapy and rate of hemodynamic compromise. RESULTS: In 14 RCTs including 3185 patients, LRMs were not associated with reduced 28-day mortality (RR = 0.92, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 0.82-1.04, P = 0.21), compared to no-LRM. Trial-sequential-analysis showed that the required information size has been accrued. PaO2/FiO2 ratio was significantly higher in the LRMs group in comparison to the no-LRM group (mean difference = 47.6 mmHg, 95% CI 33.4-61.8, P < 0.001). LRMs were associated with a decreased rate of rescue therapy (RR = 0.69 95% CI 0.56-0.84, P < 0.001), and an increased rate of hemodynamic compromise (RR = 1.19, 95% CI 1.06-1.33, P = 0.002), compared to no-LRM group. Using cumulative meta-analysis, a significant change for effect on mortality was observed after 2017. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that in ARDS patients, systematic use of LRMs does not significantly improve 28-day mortality. However, LRM use was associated with positive effects such as an oxygenation improvement and a less frequent use of rescue therapy. Nevertheless, LRM use was associated with negative effects such as hemodynamic impairment.

Impact of the driving pressure on mortality in obese and non-obese ARDS patients: a retrospective study of 362 cases.

PURPOSE: The relation between driving pressure (plateau pressure-positive end-expiratory pressure) and mortality has never been studied in obese ARDS patients. The main objective of this study was to evaluate the relationship between 90-day mortality and driving pressure in an ARDS population ventilated in the intensive care unit (ICU) according to obesity status. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective single-center study of prospectively collected data of all ARDS patients admitted consecutively to a mixed medical-surgical adult ICU from January 2009 to May 2017. Plateau pressure, compliance of the respiratory system (Crs) and driving pressure of the respiratory system within 24 h of ARDS diagnosis were compared between survivors and non-survivors at day 90 and between obese (body mass index ≥ 30 kg/m2) and non-obese patients. Cox proportional hazard modeling was used for mortality at day 90. RESULTS: Three hundred sixty-two ARDS patients were included, 262 (72%) non-obese and 100 (28%) obese patients. Mortality rate at day 90 was respectively 47% (95% CI, 40-53) in the non-obese and 46% (95% CI, 36-56) in the obese patients. Driving pressure at day 1 in the non-obese patients was significantly lower in survivors at day 90 (11.9 ± 4.2 cmH2O) than in non-survivors (15.2 ± 5.2 cmH2O, p < 0.001). Contrarily, in obese patients, driving pressure at day 1 was not significantly different between survivors (13.7 ± 4.5 cmH2O) and non-survivors (13.2 ± 5.1 cmH2O, p = 0.41) at day 90. After three multivariate Cox analyses, plateau pressure [HR = 1.04 (95% CI 1.01-1.07) for each point of increase], Crs [HR = 0.97 (95% CI 0.96-0.99) for each point of increase] and driving pressure [HR = 1.07 (95% CI 1.04-1.10) for each point of increase], respectively, were independently associated with 90-day mortality in non-obese patients, but not in obese patients. CONCLUSIONS: Contrary to non-obese ARDS patients, driving pressure was not associated with mortality in obese ARDS patients.

The 2014 updated version of the Confusion Assessment Method for the Intensive Care Unit compared to the 5th version of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders and other current methods used by intensivists.

BACKGROUND: One third of patients admitted to an intensive care unit (ICU) will develop delirium. However, delirium is under-recognized by bedside clinicians without the use of delirium screening tools, such as the Intensive Care Delirium Screening Checklist (ICDSC) or the Confusion Assessment Method for the ICU (CAM-ICU). The CAM-ICU was updated in 2014 to improve its use by clinicians throughout the world. It has never been validated compared to the new reference standard, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders 5th version (DSM-5). METHODS: We made a prospective psychometric study in a 16-bed medical-surgical ICU of a French academic hospital, to measure the diagnostic performance of the 2014 updated CAM-ICU compared to the DSM-5 as the reference standard. We included consecutive adult patients with a Richmond Agitation Sedation Scale (RASS) ≥ -3, without preexisting cognitive disorders, psychosis or cerebral injury. Delirium was independently assessed by neuropsychological experts using an operationalized approach to DSM-5, by investigators using the CAM-ICU and the ICDSC, by bedside clinicians and by ICU patients. The sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values were calculated considering neuropsychologist DSM-5 assessments as the reference standard (primary endpoint). CAM-ICU inter-observer agreement, as well as that between delirium diagnosis methods and the reference standard, was summarized using κ coefficients, which were subsequently compared using the Z-test. RESULTS: Delirium was diagnosed by experts in 38% of the 108 patients included for analysis. The CAM-ICU had a sensitivity of 83%, a specificity of 100%, a positive predictive value of 100% and a negative predictive value of 91%. Compared to the reference standard, the CAM-ICU had a significantly (p < 0.05) higher agreement (κ = 0.86 ± 0.05) than the physicians,' residents' and nurses' diagnoses (κ = 0.65 ± 0.09; 0.63 ± 0.09; 0.61 ± 0.09, respectively), as well as the patient's own impression of feeling delirious (κ = 0.02 ± 0.11). Differences between the ICDSC (κ = 0.69 ± 0.07) and CAM-ICU were not significant (p = 0.054). The CAM-ICU demonstrated a high reliability for inter-observer agreement (κ = 0.87 ± 0.06). CONCLUSIONS: The 2014 updated version of the CAM-ICU is valid according to DSM-5 criteria and reliable regarding inter-observer agreement in a research setting. Delirium remains under-recognized by bedside clinicians.

Medical Versus Surgical ICU Obese Patient Outcome: A Propensity-Matched Analysis to Resolve Clinical Trial Controversies.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the short- and long-term mortality of obese ICU patients following medical as opposed to surgical admission and the relation between obesity and mortality. DESIGN: Retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data, using a propensity score-matched analysis of patients with medical or surgical admission. SETTING: One French mixed medical-surgical ICU. PATIENTS: Critically ill obese patients (body mass index ≥ 30 kg/m) and nonobese patients admitted during a 14-year period. INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Seven-hundred ninety-one obese patients and 4,644 nonobese patients were included, 338 (43%) and 2,367 (51%) medical and 453 (57%) and 2,277 (49%) surgical obese and nonobese patients, respectively. Mortality was significantly higher in medical than in surgical obese patients in ICU (25% vs 12%; p < 0.001) and up to 365 days (36% vs 18%; p < 0.001) post ICU admission. One-to-one propensity score matching generated 260 pairs with well-balanced baseline characteristics. After matching on propensity score, mortality was still significantly higher in medical patients both in the ICU (21% vs 13%; p = 0.03) and up to 365 days (30% vs 20%; p = 0.01) post ICU admission. Obesity was not significantly associated with mortality both in univariate analysis (140 obese patients [15%] in the dead group vs 651 [14%] in the alive group; p = 0.72) and multivariate analysis (odds ratio, 1.09 [95% CI, 0.86-1.38]; p = 0.49) after adjustment for Simplified Acute Physiology Score II, age, category of admission, history of cardiac disease, and history of respiratory disease. CONCLUSIONS: After careful matching, the data suggest that ICU mortality in obese population was higher in the medical group than in the surgical group and remains significantly higher 365 days post ICU admission.

Immediate interruption of sedation compared with usual sedation care in critically ill postoperative patients (SOS-Ventilation): a randomised, parallel-group clinical trial.

BACKGROUND: Avoidance of excessive sedation and subsequent prolonged mechanical ventilation in intensive care units (ICUs) is recommended, but no data are available for critically ill postoperative patients. We hypothesised that in such patients stopping sedation immediately after admission to the ICU could reduce unnecessary sedation and improve patient outcomes. METHODS: We did a randomised, parallel-group, clinical trial at three ICUs in France. Stratified randomisation with minimisation (1:1 via a restricted web platform) was used to assign eligible patients (aged ≥18 years, admitted to an ICU after abdominal surgery, and expected to require at least 12 h of mechanical ventilation because of a critical illness defined by a Sequential Organ Failure Assessment score >1 for any organ, but without severe acute respiratory distress syndrome or brain injury) to usual sedation care provided according to recommended practices (control group) or to immediate interruption of sedation (intervention group). The primary outcome was the time to successful extubation (defined as the time from randomisation to the time of extubation [or tracheotomy mask] for at least 48 h). All patients who underwent randomisation (except for those who were excluded after randomisation) were included in the intention-to-treat analysis. This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT01486121. FINDINGS: Between Dec 2, 2011, and Feb 27, 2014, 137 patients were randomly assigned to the control (n=68) or intervention groups (n=69). In the intention-to-treat analysis, time to successful extubation was significantly lower in the intervention group than in the control group (median 8 h [IQR 4-36] vs 50 h [29-93], group difference -33·6 h [95% CI -44·9 to -22·4]; p<0·0001). The adjusted hazard ratio was 5·2 (95% CI 3·1-8·8, p<0·0001). INTERPRETATION: Immediate interruption of sedation in critically ill postoperative patients with organ dysfunction who were admitted to the ICU after abdominal surgery improved outcomes compared with usual sedation care. These findings support interruption of sedation in these patients following transfer from the operating room. FUNDING: Délégation à la Recherche Clinique et à l'Innovation du Groupement de Coopération Sanitaire de la Mission d'Enseignement, de Recherche, de Référence et d'Innovation (DRCI-GCS-MERRI) de Montpellier-Nîmes.

The CAM-ICU has now a French "official" version. The translation process of the 2014 updated Complete Training Manual of the Confusion Assessment Method for the Intensive Care Unit in French (CAM-ICU.fr).

INTRODUCTION: Delirium is common in Intensive-Care-Unit (ICU) patients but under-recognized by bed-side clinicians when not using validated delirium-screening tools. The Confusion-Assessment-Method for the ICU (CAM-ICU) has demonstrated very good psychometric properties, and has been translated into many different languages though not into French. We undertook this opportunity to describe the translation process. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The translation was performed following recommended guidelines. The updated method published in 2014 including introduction letters, worksheet and flowsheet for bed-side use, the method itself, case-scenarios for training and Frequently-Asked-Questions (32 pages) was translated into French language by a neuropsychological researcher who was not familiar with the original method. Then, the whole method was back-translated by a native English-French bilingual speaker. The new English version was compared to the original one by the Vanderbilt University ICU-delirium-team. Discrepancies were discussed between the two teams before final approval of the French version. RESULTS: The entire process took one year. Among the 3692 words of the back-translated version of the method itself, 18 discrepancies occurred. Eight (44%) lead to changes in the final version. Details of the translation process are provided. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: The French version of CAM-ICU is now available for French-speaking ICUs. The CAM-ICU is provided with its complete training-manual that was challenging to translate following recommended process. While many such translations have been done for other clinical tools, few have published the details of the process itself. We hope that the availability of such teaching material will now facilitate a large implementation of delirium-screening in French-speaking ICUs.

Apnoeic oxygenation via high-flow nasal cannula oxygen combined with non-invasive ventilation preoxygenation for intubation in hypoxaemic patients in the intensive care unit: the single-centre, blinded, randomised controlled OPTINIV trial.

PURPOSE: High-flow nasal cannula oxygen (HFNC) has the potential to provide apnoeic oxygenation. We decided to assess in a proof-of-concept study whether the addition of HFNC to non-invasive ventilation (NIV) could reduce oxygen desaturation during intubation, compared with NIV alone for preoxygenation, in severely hypoxaemic intensive care unit (ICU) patients with respiratory failure. METHODS: We conducted a randomised, controlled, single-centre trial with assessor-blinded outcome assessment in patients admitted to the ICU. Hypoxaemic patients requiring orotracheal intubation for respiratory failure were randomised to receive preoxygenation using HFNC [flow = 60 L/min, fraction of inspired oxygen (FiO2) = 100 %] combined with NIV (pressure support = 10 cmH2O, positive end-expiratory pressure = 5 cmH2O, FiO2 = 100 %) in the intervention group or NIV alone in the reference group prior to intubation. The primary outcome was the lowest oxygen saturation (SpO2) during the intubation procedure. Secondary outcomes were intubation-related complications and ICU mortality. RESULTS: Between July 2015 and February 2016, we randomly assigned 25 and 24 patients to the intervention and reference groups, respectively. In both groups the main reasons for respiratory failure were pneumonia and ARDS. During the intubation procedure, the lowest SpO2 values were significantly higher in the intervention group than in the reference group [100 (95-100) % vs. 96 (92-99) %, p = 0.029]. After exclusion of two patients from analysis for protocol violation, no (0 %) patients in the intervention group and five (21 %) patients in the reference group had SpO2 below 80 % (p = 0.050). We recorded no significant difference between the groups in intubation-related complications or ICU mortality. CONCLUSIONS: A novel strategy for preoxygenation in hypoxaemic patients, adding HFNC for apnoeic oxygenation to NIV prior to orotracheal intubation, may be more effective in reducing the severity of oxygen desaturation than the reference method using NIV alone.

A simple widespread computer help improves nutrition support orders and decreases infection complications in critically ill patients.

AIMS: To assess the impact of a simple computer-based decision-support system (computer help) on the quality of nutrition support orders and patients' outcome in Intensive-Care Unit (ICU). METHODS: This quality-improvement study was carried out in a 16-bed medical-surgical ICU in a French university hospital. All consecutive patients who stayed in ICU more than 10 days with non-oral feeding for more than 5 days were retrospectively included during two 12-month periods. Prescriptions of nutrition support were collected and compared to French national guidelines as a quality-improvement process. A computer help was constructed using a simple Excel-sheet (Microsoft(TM)) to guide physicians' prescriptions according to guidelines. This computer help was displayed in computers previously used for medical orders. Physicians were informed but no systematic protocol was implemented. Patients included during the first (control group) and second period (computer help group) were compared for achievement of nutrition goals and ICU outcomes. RESULTS: The control and computer help groups respectively included 71 and 95 patients. Patients' characteristics were not significantly different between groups. In the computer help group, prescriptions achieved significantly more often 80% of nutrition goals for calorie (45% vs. 79% p<0.001) and nitrogen intake (3% vs. 37%, p<0.001). Incidence of nosocomial infections decreased significantly between the two groups (59% vs. 41%, p = 0.03). Mortality did not significantly differ between control (21%) and computer help groups (15%, p = 0.30). CONCLUSIONS: Use of a widespread inexpensive computer help is associated with significant improvements in nutrition support orders and decreased nosocomial infections in ICU patients. This computer-help is provided in electronic supplement.

Improved emollient use reduces atopic eczema symptoms and is cost neutral in infants: before-and-after evaluation of a multifaceted educational support programme.

BACKGROUND: Parents and carers of children with eczema often underuse emollient therapy, essential to repairing and protecting the defective skin barrier in atopic eczema. Educational interventions delivered by specialist dermatology nurses in hospital settings have been shown to improve emollient use and reduce symptoms of atopic eczema, but benefits of community-based interventions are uncertain. Support and information about appropriate care may often be inadequate for patients and carers in the community. METHODS: A multifaceted educational support programme was evaluated as a method of increasing emollient use and reducing atopic eczema in children. Support provided for parents and carers included an educational DVD, online daily diary and telephone helpline. The before and after study included 136 British children and their parents, providing baseline and 12 week follow-up data while receiving the programme. Measures included emollient use, POEM and PEST scores, and cost of care. RESULTS: Average emollient use increased by 87.6 g (95% CI: 81.9 to 119.5 g, p = 0.001) from baseline with the change being immediate and persistent. The POEM score reduced on average by 5.38 (95% CI: 4.36 to 6.41, p = 0.001), a 47% reduction from baseline. Similarly the PEST score reduced on average by 0.61 (95% CI: 0.47 to 0.75, p = 0.001), a 48% reduction from baseline. Sleep disturbance was reduced by 1.27 nights per week (95% CI: 0.85 to 1.68, p = 0.001) and parental feeling of control improved by 1.32 points (95% CI: 1.16 to 1.48, p = 0.001). From the NHS perspective, the programme was cost neutral overall within the study period. CONCLUSION: A community-based multifaceted educational support programme greatly increased emollient use, reducing symptoms of atopic eczema and general practitioner contacts, without increasing cost. Significant benefits may accrue to the families and carers of children with atopic eczema due to improved sleep patterns and greater feeling of control. PEST, a new simple measure of acute and remitting atopic eczema severity designed to help parents and children to monitor and manage eczema, merits further evaluation.

Decreasing severe pain and serious adverse events while moving intensive care unit patients: a prospective interventional study (the NURSE-DO project).

INTRODUCTION: A quality-improvement project was conducted to reduce severe pain and stress-related events while moving ICU-patients. METHODS: The Plan-Do-Check-Adjust cycle was studied during four one-month phases, separated by five-month interphases. All consecutive patients staying more than 24 hours were evaluated every morning while being moved for nursing care (bathing, massage, sheet-change, repositioning). Phase 1 was considered as the baseline. Implemented and adjusted quality-interventions were assessed at phases 2 and 3, respectively. An independent post-intervention control-audit was performed at Phase 4. Primary-endpoints were the incidence of severe pain defined by a behavioral pain scale > 5 or a 0 to 10 visual numeric rating scale > 6, and the incidence of serious adverse events (SAE): cardiac arrest, arrhythmias, tachycardia, bradycardia, hypertension, hypotension, desaturation, bradypnea or ventilatory distress. Pain, SAE, patients' characteristics and analgesia were compared among the phases by a multivariate mixed-effects model for repeated-measurements, adjusted on severity index, age, admission type (medical/surgical), intubation and sedation status. RESULTS: During the four studied phases, 630 care procedures were analyzed in 53, 47, 43 and 50 patients, respectively. Incidence of severe pain decreased significantly from 16% (baseline) to 6% in Phase 3 (odds ratio (OR) = 0.33 (0.11; 0.98), P = 0.04) and 2% in Phase 4 (OR = 0.30 (0.12; 0.95), P = 0.02). Incidence of SAE decreased significantly from 37% (baseline) to 17% in Phase 3 and 21% in Phase 4. In multivariate analysis, SAE were independently associated with Phase 3 (OR = 0.40 (0.23; 0.72), P < 0.01), Phase 4 (OR = 0.53 (0.30; 0.92), P = 0.03), intubation status (OR = 1.91 (1.28; 2.85), P < 0.01) and severe pain (OR = 2.74 (1.54; 4.89), P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Severe pain and serious adverse events are common and strongly associated while moving ICU patients for nursing procedures. Quality improvement of pain management is associated with a decrease of serious adverse events. Careful documentation of pain management during mobilization for nursing procedures could be implemented as a health quality indicator in the ICU.