Predictive factors for severe long-term chronic kidney disease after acute kidney injury requiring renal replacement therapy in critically ill patients: an ancillary study of the ELVIS randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Acute kidney injury (AKI) requiring renal replacement therapy (RRT) is a serious complication in the ICU that results in increased mortality and risk of chronic kidney disease (CKD). Some studies suggest RRT modality may have an impact on long-term renal recovery after AKI. However, other predictive factors of severe long-term CKD in ICU patients with AKI requiring RRT are unknown. METHODS: We performed an ancillary study of the multicenter ELVIS trial in the population with AKI requiring RRT. Patients alive 3 months after RRT initiation were eligible. Serum creatinine levels available at 3, 6 and 12 months and 3 and 5 years were recorded. CKD stage was determined according to the glomerular filtration rate as estimated by the CKD-EPI formula. At each timepoint, two groups of patients were compared, a no/mild CKD group with normal or mildly to moderately decreased renal function (stages 1, 2 and 3 of the international classification) and a severe CKD group (stages 4 and 5). Our objective was to identify predictive factors of severe long-term CKD. RESULTS: Of the 287 eligible patients, 183 had follow-up at 3 months, 136 (74.3%) from the no/mild CKD group and 47 (25.7%) from the severe CKD group, and 122 patients at 5 years comprising 96 (78.7%) from the no/mild CKD group and 26 (21.3%) from the severe CKD group. Multivariate analysis showed that a long RRT period was associated with severe CKD up to 12 months (ORM12 = 1.03 95% CI [1.02-1.05] per day) and that a high SOFA score at the initiation of RRT was not associated with severe CKD up to 5 years (ORM60 = 0.85 95% CI [0.77-0.93] per point). CONCLUSION: Severe long-term CKD was found in 21% of ICU survivors who underwent RRT for AKI. The duration of the RRT in AKI patients was identified as a new predictive factor for severe long-term CKD. This finding should be taken into consideration in future studies on the prognosis of ICU patients with AKI requiring RRT. Trial registration ELVIS trial was registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number: NCT00875069 (June 16, 2014), and this ancillary study was registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number: NCT03302624 (October 6, 2017).

Comparison between regional citrate anticoagulation and heparin for intermittent hemodialysis in ICU patients: a propensity score-matched cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Regional citrate anticoagulation (RCA) is the gold standard of anticoagulation for continuous renal replacement therapy but is rarely used for intermittent hemodialysis (IHD) in ICU. Few studies assessed the safety and efficacy of RCA during IHD in ICU; however, no data are available comparing RCA to heparin anticoagulation, which are commonly used for IHD. The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy and safety of RCA compared to heparin anticoagulation during IHD. METHODS: This retrospective single-center cohort study included consecutive ICU patients treated with either heparin anticoagulation (unfractionated or low-molecular-weight heparin) or RCA for IHD from July to September in 2015 and 2017. RCA was performed with citrate infusion according to blood flow and calcium infusion by diffusive influx from dialysate. Using a propensity score analysis, as the primary endpoint we assessed whether RCA improved efficacy, quantified with Kt/V from the ionic dialysance, compared to heparin anticoagulation. The secondary endpoint was safety. Exploratory analyses were performed on the changes in efficacy and safety between the implementation period (2015) and at long term (2017). RESULTS: In total, 208 IHD sessions were performed in 56 patients and were compared (124 RCA and 84 heparin coagulation). There was no difference in Kt/V between RCA and heparin (0.95 ± 0.38 vs. 0.89 ± 0.32; p = 0.98). A higher number of circuit clotting (12.9% vs. 2.4%; p = 0.02) and premature interruption resulting from acute high transmembrane pressure (21% vs. 7%; p = 0.02) occurred in the RCA sessions compared to the heparin sessions. In the propensity score-matching analysis, RCA was associated with an increased risk of circuit clotting (absolute differences = 0.10, 95% CI [0.03-0.18]; p = 0.008). There was no difference in efficacy and safety between the two time periods (2015 and 2017). CONCLUSION: RCA with calcium infusion by diffusive influx from dialysate for IHD was easy to implement with stable long-term efficacy and safety but did not improve efficacy and could be associated with an increased risk of circuit clotting compared to heparin anticoagulation in non-selected ICU patients. Randomized trials to determine the best anticoagulation for IHD in ICU patients should be conducted in a variety of settings.

Epidural analgesia in ICU chest trauma patients with fractured ribs: retrospective study of pain control and intubation requirements.

BACKGROUND: Nonintubated chest trauma patients with fractured ribs admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) are at risk for complications and may require invasive ventilation at some point. Effective pain control is essential. We assessed whether epidural analgesia (EA) in patients with fractured ribs who were not intubated at ICU admission decreased the need for invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV). We also looked for risk factors for IMV. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: This retrospective, observational, multicenter study conducted in 40 ICUs in France included consecutive patients with three or more fractured ribs who were not intubated at admission between July 2013 and July 2015. RESULTS: Of the 974 study patients, 788 were included in the analysis of intubation predictors. EA was used in 130 (16.5%) patients, and 65 (8.2%) patients required IMV. Factors independently associated with IMV were chronic respiratory disease (P = 0.008), worse SAPS II (P < 0.0001), flail chest (P = 0.02), worse Injury Severity Score (P = 0.0003), higher respiratory rate at admission (P = 0.02), alcohol withdrawal syndrome (P < 0.001), and noninvasive ventilation (P = 0.04). EA was not associated with decreases in IMV requirements, median numerical rating scale pain score, or intravenous morphine requirements from day 1 to day 7. CONCLUSIONS: EA was not associated with a lower risk of IMV in chest trauma patients with at least 3 fractured ribs, moderate pain, and no intubation on admission. Further studies are needed to clarify the optimal pain control strategy in chest trauma patients admitted to the ICU, notably those with severe pain or high opioid requirements.

Impact of the route of nutrition on gut mucosa in ventilated adults with shock: an ancillary of the NUTRIREA-2 trial.

PURPOSE: The effects of the route of nutrition on the gut mucosa of patients with shock are unclear. Plasma citrulline concentration is a marker of enterocyte mass, and plasma intestinal fatty acid binding protein (I-FABP) concentration is a marker of enterocyte damage. We aimed to study the effect of the route of nutrition on plasma citrulline concentration measured at day 3 of nutrition. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Ancillary study of the NUTRIREA-2 trial. Ventilated adults with shock were randomly assigned to receive enteral or parenteral nutrition. Enterocyte biomarkers were measured at baseline, day 3, and day 8 of nutrition. RESULT: A total of 165 patients from 13 French ICUs were included in the study: 85 patients in the enteral group and 80 patients in the parenteral group. At baseline, plasma citrulline was low without difference between groups (12.2 µmol L-1 vs 13.3 µmol L-1). At day 3, plasma citrulline concentration was higher in the enteral group than in the parenteral group (18.7 µmol L-1 vs 15.3 µmol L-1, p = 0.01). Plasma I-FABP concentration was increased at baseline, without difference between groups (245 pg mL-1 vs 244 pg mL-1). Plasma I-FABP concentration was higher in the enteral group than in the parenteral group at day 3 and day 8 (158 pg mL-1 vs 50 pg mL-1, p = 0.005 and 225 pg mL-1 vs 50 pg mL-1, p = 0.03). CONCLUSION: Plasma citrulline concentration was higher after 3 days of enteral nutrition than after 3 days of parenteral nutrition. This result raises the question of the possibility that enteral nutrition is associated with a more rapid restoration of enterocyte mass than parenteral nutrition.