Learning from terrorist mass casualty incidents: a global survey.

BACKGROUND: Reports published directly after terrorist mass casualty incidents frequently fail to capture difficulties that may have been encountered. An anonymised consensus-based platform may enable discussion and collaboration on the challenges faced. Our aim was to identify where to focus improvement for future responses. METHODS: We conducted a mixed methods study by email of clinicians' experiences of leading during terrorist mass casualty incidents. An initial survey identified features that worked well, or failed to, during terrorist mass casualty incidents plus ongoing challenges and changes that were implemented as a result. A follow-up, quantitative survey measured agreement between responses within each of the themes using a Likert scale. RESULTS: Thirty-three participants responded from 22 hospitals that had received casualties from a terrorist incident, representing 17 cities in low-middle, middle and high income countries. The first survey identified themes of sufficient (sometimes abundant) human resource, although coordination of staff was a challenge. Difficulties highlighted were communication, security, and management of blast injuries. The most frequently implemented changes were education on specific injuries, revising future plans and preparatory exercises. Persisting challenges were lack of time allocated to training and psychological well-being. The follow-up survey recorded highest agreement amongst correspondents on the need for re-triage at hospital (90% agreement), coordination roles (85% agreement), flexibility (100% agreement), and large-scale exercises (95% agreement). CONCLUSION: This survey collates international experience gained from clinicians managing terrorist mass casualty incidents. The organisation of human response, rather than consumption of physical supplies, emerged as the main finding. NHSH Clinical Effectiveness Unit project registration number: 2020/21-036.

Focal cardiac ultrasound learning with pocked ultrasound device: A bicentric prospective blinded randomized study.

PURPOSE: Point-of-care ultrasound using a pocket-ultrasound-device (PUD) is increasing in clinical medicine but the optimal way to teach focused cardiac ultrasound is not clear. We evaluated whether teaching using a PUD or a conventional-ultrasound-device (CUD) is different when the final exam was conducted on a PUD. The primary aim was to compare the weighted total quality scale (WTQS, out of 100) obtained by participants in the two groups (CUD and PUD) on a live volunteer 2-4 weeks after their initial training. The secondary aims were to compare examination time and students' confidence levels (out of 50). METHODS: This bicentric, prospective single-blind randomized trial included undergraduate medical students. After watching a 15 min video about echocardiography views, students had a 45 min hands-on training session with a live volunteer using a PUD or a CUD. The final examination was conducted with a PUD on a live volunteer. RESULTS: Eighty-six comparable students were included, with 4 ± 1 years of medical training. In the PUD group, the mean WTQS was 65 ± 16 versus 60 ± 15 in the CUD group [p = 0.22; in multivariate analysis, OR 0.8 95% CI (0.1;1.6), p = 0.34]. The examination time was 10.0 [6.2-12.4] min in the PUD group versus 11.4 [7.3-13.2] in the CUD group (p = 0.39), while the confidence level was 27.9 ± 7.7 in the PUD group versus 27.4 ± 7.2 in the CUD group (p = 0.76). CONCLUSION: There was no difference between teaching echocardiographic views using a PUD as compared to a CUD on the PUD image quality, exam time, or confidence level of students.

Blood lactate measurement within the emergency department: A two-year retrospective analysis.

We evaluate in this retrospective cohort, the clinical situations leading emergency physicians to take a blood lactate sample, the prevalence of hyperlactatemia and its impact on short-term adverse outcome. ED patients requiring a blood lactate measurement (BLM) during a two-year period were included. Early patients' outcomes were extracted and discharge diagnoses were classified into 12 diagnostic categories. A total of 118,737 patients were analyzed. A BLM was carried out in 13,089 of them. Surprisingly, the proportion of patients having a BLM was higher in those admitted for seizure (31.4%) than in those admitted for infection (27.9%). Ten percent of patients who had a blood lactate test had a lactate level >4 mmol/l (1,315). Among them, 23.2% were admitted for infections, 20% for seizures, and 11% for cardiovascular diseases. After excluding the patients older than 75 years from the analysis in order to prevent a selection bias, the patient's severity was independently associated to an age over 65 years (OR: 1.26), an arterial blood sampling (OR: 2.77) and the blood lactate level (OR: 1.31). The blood lactate level was very informative to detect the sicker patients in the infection group whereas its interest was poor in the group of patients admitted for seizures. In conclusion, blood lactate testing has become routine in emergency departments and a large proportion of patients have abnormal blood lactate levels. The most frequent causes of high blood lactate in the ED are infection and seizures but the prognostic value of blood lactate seems to be different from one diagnostic category to the other.

Predicting morphine related side effects in the ED: An international cohort study.

STUDY OBJECTIVES: Morphine is the reference treatment for severe acute pain in an emergency department. The purpose of this study was to describe and analyse opioid-related ADRs (adverse drug reactions) in a large cohort of emergency department patients, and to identify predictive factors for those ADRs. METHODS: In this prospective, observational, pharmaco-epidemiological international cohort study, all patients aged 18years or older who were treated with morphine were enrolled. The study was done in 23 emergency departments in the US and France. Baseline numerical rating scale score and initial and total doses of morphine titration were recorded. Logistic regression analysis was used to study the effects of demographic, clinical and medical history covariates on the occurrence of opioid-induced ADRs within 6h after treatment. RESULTS: A total of 1128 patients were included over 10months. Median baseline initial pain scores were 8/10 (7-10) versus 3/10 (1-4) after morphine administration. Median titration duration was 10min (IQR, 1-30). The occurrence of opioid-induced ADRs was 25% and 2% were serious. Patients experienced mainly nausea and drowsiness. Medical history of travel sickness (odds ratio [OR], 1.7; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.01-2.86) and history of nausea or vomiting post morphine (OR, 3.86; 95% CI, 2.29-6.51) were independent predictors of morphine related ADRs. CONCLUSION: Serious morphine related ADRs are rare and unpredictable. Prophylactic antiemetic therapy could be proposed to patients with history of travel sickness and history of nausea or vomiting in a postoperative setting or after morphine administration.

Long-Term ß-Blocker Therapy Decreases Blood Lactate Concentration in Severely Septic Patients.

OBJECTIVES: Measurement of blood lactate concentration in the early management of sepsis is an important step in severity assessment. High blood lactate levels in the early phase of sepsis have classically been thought to be related to tissue hypoxia, but other factors could intervene. We hypothesized that the activation of glycolysis through ß-adrenergic stimulation by endogenous catecholamines plays an important role in lactate production and that long-term ß-blocker therapy could affect the lactate concentration in patients with severe sepsis and septic shock. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. SETTING: Emergency department. PATIENTS: Two hundred sixty patients with severe sepsis or septic shock were included. Twenty-five percent were previously treated with ß-blockers. INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: We recorded initial vital signs, the source of infection, mortality at 28 days, blood lactate concentration, and Predisposition Insult Response of Organ failure and Sequential Organ Failure Assessment scores using an electronic database. Blood lactate concentration was significantly lower in patients previously treated with ß-blockers (3.9 ± 2.3 mmol/L vs 5.6 ± 3.6 mmol/L; p < 0.001). This difference was still significant after controlling for mortality (p < 0.005), for the level of the Predisposition Insult Response of Organ failure (p < 0.05) and Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (p < 0.05) scores, and for the source of infection (p < 0.05). Nearly four times more patients treated with ß-blockers had normal blood lactate levels (p< 0.001). Only two factors were significantly and independently associated with normal blood lactate concentration during severe sepsis and septic shock: survival (p = 0.03) and ß-blocker therapy (p = 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Long-term ß-blocker therapy decreases blood lactate concentration of severely ill septic patients at presentation. We conclude that the use of blood lactate measurement as a triage tool in the initial assessment of septic patients with ß-blocker therapy may underestimate the severity of the sepsis.

Effectiveness of arterial, venous, and capillary blood lactate as a sepsis triage tool in ED patients.

OBJECTIVE: We evaluate the capacity of arterial (ABL), peripheral venous (VBL), and capillary (CBL) blood lactate concentration to early detect the presence of severe sepsis in patients admitted to the emergency department for a septic syndrome. METHODS: Patients with signs of sepsis presenting to the emergency department were prospectively enrolled. Blood lactate was measured using a handheld point-of-care analyzer on microsamples of arterial, peripheral venous, and capillary blood. An arterial blood sample was dispatched to the central laboratory as a reference measurement. RESULTS: A total of 103 patients were enrolled in the study, with 63 patients presenting with a severe sepsis. There was a strong correlation between the point of care and the reference blood lactate measurement. The CBL, VBL, and ABL were all significantly different (3.01±0.29, 2.51±0.21, and 2.03±0.18 mmol/L, respectively; P<.001). The VBL value was the most efficient to detect early the presence of severe sepsis (areas under the receiver operating characteristic curves were 0.85±0.04, 0.76±0.05, and 0.75±0.05 for VBL, ABL, and CBL, respectively; P<.01). Mortality at 28 days was related to the severity of sepsis (28.6% vs 7.5%) and to the number or organ dysfunctions (P<.01). Arterial blood lactate, VBL, and CBL were all significantly associated with the 28th-day mortality. CONCLUSIONS: Initial VBL may be used efficiently to assess the severity of sepsis, and it could even be more effective than ABL and CBL to early detect the presence of severe sepsis.

Monitoring CO2 in shock states.

The primary end point when treating acute shock is to restore blood circulation, mainly by reaching macrocirculatory parameters. However, even if global haemodynamic goals can be achieved, microcirculatory perfusion may remain impaired, leading to cellular hypoxia and organ damage. Interestingly, few methods are currently available to measure the adequacy of organ blood flow and tissue oxygenation. The rise in tissue partial pressure of carbon dioxide (CO2) has been observed when tissue perfusion is decreased. In this regard, tissue partial pressure of CO2 has been proposed as an early and reliable marker of tissue hypoxia even if the mechanisms of tissue partial pressure in CO2 rise during hypoperfusion remain unclear. Several technologies allow the estimation of CO2 content from different body sites: vascular, tissular (in hollow organs, mucosal or cutaneous), and airway. These tools remain poorly evaluated, and some are used but are not widely used in clinical practice. The present review clarifies the physiology of increasing tissue CO2 during hypoperfusion and underlines the specificities of the different technologies that allow bedside estimation of tissue CO2 content.

Impact of a computerized decision support system on compliance with guidelines on antibiotics prescribed for urinary tract infections in emergency departments: a multicentre prospective before-and-after controlled interventional study.

OBJECTIVES: Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are one of the leading reasons for antibiotic prescriptions in emergency departments (EDs), with half of these antibiotics being inappropriately prescribed. Our objective was to assess the impact of a computerized decision support system (CDSS) on compliance with guidelines on empirical antibiotic prescriptions (antibiotic and duration) for UTIs in EDs. METHODS: A multicentre prospective before-and-after controlled interventional study was conducted from 19 March to 28 October 2012. All adults diagnosed with community-acquired UTIs (cystitis, pyelonephritis or prostatitis) at three French EDs were included. The antibiotic therapy was considered compliant with guidelines if the antibiotic and the duration prescribed were in accordance with the national guidelines. Data were collected using electronic medical records. Paired tests were used when comparing periods within each ED and global analyses used multivariate logistic mixed models. RESULTS: Nine hundred and twelve patients were included during the 30 week study period. The CDSS was used in 59% of cases (182/307). The CDSS intervention improved the compliance of antibiotic prescriptions in only one ED in a bivariate analysis (absolute increase +20%, P = 0.007). The choice of the antibiotic was improved in multivariate analyses but only when the CDSS was used [OR = 1.94 (95% CI 1.13-3.32)]. The CDSS also changed the initial diagnosis in 23% of cases, in all three EDs. CONCLUSIONS: The CDSS only partially improved compliance with guidelines on antibiotic prescriptions in UTIs.

Improving the validity of peripheral venous blood gas analysis as an estimate of arterial blood gas by correcting the venous values with SvO2.

BACKGROUND: Peripheral venous blood gas (pVBG) analysis in replacement of arterial blood gas (ABG) is limited by the unpredictable differences between arterial and venous values, especially for PCO2 and pH (ΔPCO2 and ΔpH). OBJECTIVES: We hypothesized that, using the theoretical relationship linking SvO2 and blood flow, we could diminish the effect of local circulatory conditions on ΔPCO2 and ΔpH and thereby increase pVBG validity. METHODS: This was a prospective cross-sectional study performed in emergency patients requiring a blood gas analysis in which ABG and pVBG were performed simultaneously. The data of 50 randomly selected patients (model group) were used for developing two equations to correct PvCO2 and pHv according to the peripheral SvO2 (SpvO2) level. The formulas derived were PvCO2cor = PvCO2 - 0.30 × (75 - SpvO2), and pHvcor = pHv + 0.001 × (75 - SpvO2). The validity of the corrected values was then tested on the remaining population (validation group). RESULTS: There were 281 patients included in the study, mainly for dyspnea. ΔPCO2 and ΔpH were strongly correlated with SpvO2 (r(2) = 0.62 and r(2) = 0.53, respectively, p < 0.001). Using the data of the model group, we developed equations that we applied on the validation group. We found that the corrected values were more valid than the raw values for detecting a PaCO2 > 45 mm Hg (AUC ROC = 0.96 ± 0.01 vs. 0.89 ± 0.02, p < 0.001), a PaCO2 < 35 mm Hg (AUC = 0.95 ± 0.02 vs. 0.84 ± 0.03, p < 0.001), a pHa < 7.35 (AUC = 0.97 ± 0.01 vs. 0.95 ± 0.02, p < 0.05), or a pHa > 7.45 (AUC = 0.91 ± 0.02 vs. 0.81 ± 0.04, p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The variability of ΔPCO2 and ΔpH is significantly lowered when the venous values are corrected according to the SpvO2 value, and pVBG is therefore more accurate and valid for detecting an arterial abnormality.

Untargeted plasma metabolomic fingerprinting highlights several biomarkers for the diagnosis and prognosis of coronavirus disease 19.

Objectives: The COVID-19 pandemic has been a serious worldwide public health crisis since 2020 and is still challenging healthcare systems. New tools for the prognosis and diagnosis of COVID-19 patients remain important issues. Design: Here, we studied the metabolome of plasma samples of COVID-19 patients for the identification of prognosis biomarkers. Patients: Plasma samples of eighty-six SARS-CoV-2-infected subjects and 24 healthy controls were collected during the first peak of the COVID-19 pandemic in France in 2020. Main results: Plasma metabolome fingerprinting allowed the successful discrimination of healthy controls, mild SARS-CoV-2 subjects, and moderate and severe COVID-19 patients at hospital admission. We found a strong effect of SARS-CoV-2 infection on the plasma metabolome in mild cases. Our results revealed that plasma lipids and alterations in their saturation level are important biomarkers for the detection of the infection. We also identified deoxy-fructosyl-amino acids as new putative plasma biomarkers for SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 severity. Finally, our results highlight a key role for plasma levels of tryptophan and kynurenine in the symptoms of COVID-19 patients. Conclusion: Our results showed that plasma metabolome profiling is an efficient tool for the diagnosis and prognosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection.

COVID-19 patients age, comorbidity profiles and clinical presentation related to the SARS-CoV-2 UK-variant spread in the Southeast of France.

The variant 20I/501Y.V1, associated to a higher risk of transmissibility, emerged in Nice city (Southeast of France, French Riviera) during January 2021. The pandemic has resumed late December 2020 in this area. A high incidence rate together with a fast turn-over of the main circulating variants, provided us the opportunity to analyze modifications in clinical profile and outcome traits. We performed an observational study in the University hospital of Nice from December 2020 to February 2021. We analyzed data of sequencing of SARS-CoV-2 from the sewage collector and PCR screening from all positive samples at the hospital. Then, we described the characteristics of all COVID-19 patients admitted in the emergency department (ED) (n = 1247) and those hospitalized in the infectious diseases ward or ICU (n = 232). The UK-variant was absent in this area in December, then increasingly spread in January representing 59% of the PCR screening performed mid-February. The rate of patients over 65 years admitted to the ED decreased from 63 to 50% (p = 0.001). The mean age of hospitalized patients in the infectious diseases ward decreased from 70.7 to 59.2 (p < 0.001) while the proportion of patients without comorbidity increased from 16 to 42% (p = 0.007). Spread of the UK-variant in the Southeast of France affects younger and healthier patients.

Effectiveness of a Multifaceted Informational-Based and Text Message Reminders on Pneumococcal and Influenza Vaccinations in Hospital Emergency Departments: A Cluster-Randomized Controlled Trial.

OBJECTIVES: We aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a multifaceted procedure in improving pneumococcal and influenza vaccinations 6 months after an emergency department (ED) visit among patients aged 65 years and older. METHODS: We conducted a cluster-randomized, controlled, parallel-group, open-label implementation trial in 18 EDs in France and Monaco. Participants were recruited from November 2015 to September 2016. EDs were randomly assigned with a 1:1 ratio to provide either a multifaceted procedure that combined structured information about pneumococcal and influenza vaccines and three text message reminders sent to patients every two weeks (intervention arm) or nonstructured information only (control arm). The outcomes were self-reported pneumococcal vaccination and influenza vaccination rates within 6 months of enrollment. RESULTS: A total of 9 EDs were randomized to the intervention arm (n = 780 patients) and 9 to the control arm (n = 695 patients). The median age for all enrolled patients was 74 years (25-75th percentiles, 69 to 82): 50.1% were male, 34.9% had at least one underlying condition, and 30.7% were at risk for invasive pneumococcal infection. In the intention-to-treat analysis, the multifaceted intervention did not alter the pneumococcal vaccination rate (6.4% versus 4.6%, absolute difference: 1.8; 95% CI: [-0.9 to 4.4]; p = 0.19), whereas it improved the influenza vaccination rate (52.1% versus 40.0%, absolute difference: 12.1; 95% CI: [2.4 to 21.8]; p = 0.01). At 12 months, mortality did not differ between the intervention (9.7%) and control (11.2%) arms (p = 0.35). CONCLUSIONS: A multifaceted intervention based on text message reminders provides an opportunity to increase anti-influenza vaccination among elderly patients visiting the ED. Efforts are warranted to provide better information on pneumococcal diseases and the benefits of pneumococcal vaccines, especially in the elderly.

QT Interval Prolongation Under Hydroxychloroquine/Azithromycin Association for Inpatients With SARS-CoV-2 Lower Respiratory Tract Infection.

Association between Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) and Azithromycin (AZT) is under evaluation for patients with lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI) caused by the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS-CoV-2). Both drugs have a known torsadogenic potential, but sparse data are available concerning QT prolongation induced by this association. Our objective was to assess for COVID-19 LRTI variations of QT interval under HCQ/AZT in patients hospitalized, and to compare manual versus automated QT measurements. Before therapy initiation, a baseline 12 lead-ECG was electronically sent to our cardiology department for automated and manual QT analysis (Bazett and Fridericia's correction), repeated 2 days after initiation. According to our institutional protocol (Pasteur University Hospital), HCQ/AZT was initiated only if baseline QTc ≤ 480ms and potassium level> 4.0 mmol/L. From March 24th to April 20th 2020, 73 patients were included (mean age 62 ± 14 years, male 67%). Two patients out of 73 (2.7%) were not eligible for drug initiation (QTc ≥ 500 ms). Baseline average automated QTc was 415 ± 29 ms and lengthened to 438 ± 40 ms after 48 hours of combined therapy. The treatment had to be stopped because of significant QTc prolongation in two out of 71 patients (2.8%). No drug-induced life-threatening arrhythmia, nor death was observed. Automated QTc measurements revealed accurate in comparison with manual QTc measurements. In this specific population of inpatients with COVID-19 LRTI, HCQ/AZT could not be initiated or had to be interrupted in less than 6% of the cases.

High Prevalence of Acquired Thrombophilia Without Prognosis Value in Patients With Coronavirus Disease 2019.

Background Recent literature reports a strong thrombotic tendency in patients hospitalized for a coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection. This characteristic is unusual and seems specific to COVID-19 infections, especially in their severe form. Viral infections can trigger acquired thrombophilia, which can then lead to thrombotic complications. We investigate for the presence of acquired thrombophilia, which could participate in this phenomenon, and report its prevalence. We also wonder if these thrombophilias participate in the bad prognosis of severe COVID-19 infections. Methods and Results In 89 consecutive patients hospitalized for COVID-19 infection, we found a 20% prevalence of PS (protein S) deficiency and a high (ie, 72%) prevalence of antiphospholipid antibodies: mainly lupus anticoagulant. The presence of PS deficiency or antiphospholipid antibodies was not linked with a prolonged activated partial thromboplastin time nor with D-dimer, fibrinogen, or CRP (C-reactive protein) concentrations. These coagulation abnormalities are also not linked with thrombotic clinical events occurring during hospitalization nor with mortality. Conclusions We assess a high prevalence of positive tests detecting thrombophilia in COVID-19 infections. However, in our series, these acquired thrombophilias are not correlated with the severity of the disease nor with the occurrence of thrombotic events. Albeit the strong thrombotic tendency in COVID-19 infections, the presence of frequent acquired thrombophilia may be part of the inflammation storm of COVID-19 and should not systematically modify our strategy on prophylactic anticoagulant treatment, which is already revised upwards in this pathological condition. Registration URL: https://www.clini​caltr​ials.gov; Unique identifier: NCT04335162.

An acute coronary syndrome in Antarctica.

Cruise tourism to Antarctica is constantly growing. Passengers and crewmembers may experience illnessesor injuries while traveling to remote areas with harsh weather conditions from where prompt evacuationis mostly unavailable. While a small explorer ship was at Wilhelmina bay (64°39' South and 62°08' West)in the Antarctic Peninsula, a 73-year-old male passenger presented with acute chest pain after two shortexcursions off the vessel in cold weather conditions. He was treated on board and remained clinicallystable until the ship reached Ushuaia at the end of the cruise which was 5 days after the symptoms onset.