COVID-19 and Acute Heart Failure: Screening the Critically Ill - A Position Statement of the Cardiac Society of Australia and New Zealand (CSANZ).

Up to one-third of COVID-19 patients admitted to intensive care develop an acute cardiomyopathy, which may represent myocarditis or stress cardiomyopathy. Further, while mortality in older patients with COVID-19 appears related to multi-organ failure complicating acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), the cause of death in younger patients may be related to acute heart failure. Cardiac involvement needs to be considered early on in critically ill COVID-19 patients, and even after the acute respiratory phase is passing. This Statement presents a screening algorithm to better identify COVID-19 patients at risk for severe heart failure and circulatory collapse, while balancing the need to protect health care workers and preserve personal protective equipment (PPE). The significance of serum troponin levels and the role of telemetry and targeted transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) in patient investigation and management are addressed, as are fundamental considerations in the management of acute heart failure in COVID-19 patients.

An intensivist-led ECMO accreditation pathway and safety data over the first 4 years.

Objective: To describe the training and accreditation process behind an intensivist-led extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) cannulation program, and identify the rate of complications associated with the ECMO cannulation procedure. Design: A narrative review of the accreditation process, and a retrospective review of complications related to cannulation during the first four years of the intensivist program. Setting: Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, a quaternary referral hospital in Sydney. Participants: All patients initiated onto ECMO during the first four years of the intensivist cannulation program (August 2018 to August 2022).Main outcome measures: All cases were reviewed for identification of 14 pre-defined adverse events which were classified as low, medium or high clinical significance complications. Results: A total of 402 cannulations were attempted by the intensivist group in 194 separate cannulation episodes involving 179 patients. This included 93 V-V initiations, 69 V-A initiations (36 of these ECMO-CPR), 3 V-AV (veno-arteriovenous) initiations, 25 ECMO reconfigurations and four patients cannulated for peripheral cardiopulmonary bypass in cardiothoracic theatre. One of the 402 cannulations was halted as resuscitation was ceased, and one was halted and the patient transferred to theatre for central arterial cannulation. 394 out of the remaining 400 cannulations were successful (98.5%). Of 402 total cannulations, 32 complication events occurred (7.96% event rate), of which 15 (3.7% event rate) were low significance complications, 10 medium significance (2.5% event rate), and seven high clinical significance (1.7% event rate). Conclusions: Our experience of the first four years of an intensivist-led ECMO service demonstrates that our training process and cannulation technique result in the provision of a complex therapy with low levels of complications, on par with those in the published literature.

Platelet Adhesion and Activation in an ECMO Thrombosis-on-a-Chip Model.

Use of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) for cardiorespiratory failure remains complicated by blood clot formation (thrombosis), triggered by biomaterial surfaces and flow conditions. Thrombosis may result in ECMO circuit changes, cause red blood cell hemolysis, and thromboembolic events. Medical device thrombosis is potentiated by the interplay between biomaterial properties, hemodynamic flow conditions and patient pathology, however, the contribution and importance of these factors are poorly understood because many in vitro models lack the capability to customize material and flow conditions to investigate thrombosis under clinically relevant medical device conditions. Therefore, an ECMO thrombosis-on-a-chip model is developed that enables highly customizable biomaterial and flow combinations to evaluate ECMO thrombosis in real-time with low blood volume. It is observed that low flow rates, decelerating conditions, and flow stasis significantly increased platelet adhesion, correlating with clinical thrombus formation. For the first time, it is found that tubing material, polyvinyl chloride, caused increased platelet P-selectin activation compared to connector material, polycarbonate. This ECMO thrombosis-on-a-chip model can be used to guide ECMO operation, inform medical device design, investigate embolism, occlusion and platelet activation mechanisms, and develop anti-thrombotic biomaterials to ultimately reduce medical device thrombosis, anti-thrombotic drug use and therefore bleeding complications, leading to safer blood-contacting medical devices.

Implementing enhanced extracorporeal membrane oxygenation for CPR (ECPR) in the emergency department.

Refractory out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) has a very poor prognosis, with survival rates at around 10%. Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) for patients in refractory arrest, known as ECPR, aims to provide perfusion to the patient whilst the underlying cause of arrest can be addressed. ECPR use has increased substantially, with varying survival rates to hospital discharge. The best outcomes for ECPR occur when the time from cardiac arrest to implementation of ECPR is minimised. To reduce this time, systems must be in place to identify the correct patient, expedite transfer to hospital, facilitate rapid cannulation and ECMO circuit flows. We describe the process of activation of ECPR, patient selection, and the steps that emergency department clinicians can utilise to facilitate timely cannulation to ensure the best outcomes for patients in refractory cardiac arrest. With these processes in place our survival to hospital discharge for OHCA patients is 35%, with most patients having a good neurological function.

Corrigendum to "Blend to Limit OxygEN in ECMO: A RanDomised ControllEd Registry (BLENDER) trial: Study protocol and statistical analysis plan" [Crit Care Resuscit 25 (2023) 118-125].

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1016/j.ccrj.2023.06.001.].

Blend to Limit OxygEN in ECMO: A RanDomised ControllEd Registry (BLENDER) Trial: Study Protocol and Statistical Analysis Plan.

Introduction: Critically ill patients supported with venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA ECMO) are at risk of developing severe arterial hyperoxia, which has been associated with increased mortality. Lower saturation targets in this population may lead to deleterious episodes of severe hypoxia. This manuscript describes the protocol and statistical analysis plan for the Blend to Limit OxygEN in ECMO: A RanDomised ControllEd Registry (BLENDER) Trial. Design: The BLENDER trial is a pragmatic, multicentre, registry-embedded, randomised clinical trial., registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT03841084) and approved by The Alfred Hospital Ethics Committee project ID HREC/50486/Alfred-2019. Participants and setting: Patients supported by VA ECMO for cardiogenic shock or cardiac arrest who are enrolled in the Australian national ECMO registry. Intervention: The study compares a conservative oxygenation strategy (target arterial saturations 92-96%) with a liberal oxygenation strategy (target 97-100%). Main Outcome Measures: The primary outcome is the number of intensive care unit (ICU)-free days for patients alive at day 60. Secondary outcomes include duration of mechanical ventilation, ICU and hospital mortality, the number of hypoxic episodes, neurocognitive outcomes, and health economic analyses. The 300-patient sample size enables us to detect a 3-day difference in ICU-free days at day 60, assuming a mean ICU-free days of 11 days, with a risk of type 1 error of 5% and power of 80%. Data will be analysed according to a predefined analysis plan. Findings will be disseminated in peer-reviewed publications. Conclusions: This paper details the protocol and statistical analysis plan for the BLENDER trial, a registry-embedded, multicentre interventional trial comparing liberal and conservative oxygenation strategies in VA ECMO.

Expert consensus on training and accreditation for extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation an international, multidisciplinary modified Delphi Study.

BACKGROUND: A multidisciplinary group of stakeholders were used to identify: (1) the core competencies of a training program required to perform in-hospital ECPR initiation (2) additional competencies required to perform pre-hospital ECPR initiation and; (3) the optimal training method and maintenance protocol for delivering an ECPR program. METHODS: A modified Delphi process was undertaken utilising two web based survey rounds and one virtual meeting. Experts rated the importance of different aspects of ECPR training, competency and governance on a 9-point Likert scale. A diverse, representative group was targeted. Consensus was achieved when greater than 70% respondents rated a domain as critical (> or = 7 on the 9 point Likert scale). RESULTS: 35 international ECPR experts from 9 countries formed the expert panel, with a median number of 14 years of ECMO practice (interquartile range 11-38). Participant response rates were 97% (survey round one), 63% (virtual meeting) and 100% (survey round two). After the second round of the survey, 47 consensus statements were formed outlining a core set of competencies required for ECPR provision. We identified key elements required to safely train and perform ECPR including skill pre-requisites, surrogate skill identification, the importance of competency-based assessment over volume of practice and competency requirements for successful ECPR practice and skill maintenance. CONCLUSIONS: We present a series of core competencies, training requirements and ongoing governance protocols to guide safe ECPR implementation. These findings can be used to develop training syllabus and guide minimum standards for competency as the growth of ECPR practitioners continues.

Fulminant Delta COVID-19 myocarditis: a case report of fatal primary cardiac dysfunction.

Background: Whilst myocarditis or myocardial injury due to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection is commonly reported, profound primary cardiac dysfunction requiring mechanical circulatory support, with the development of fulminant myocarditis prior to respiratory failure, is rarely described. The endomyocardial biopsy (EMB) findings in these patients is seldom reported, the findings are varied, and effective treatment unknown. Case summary: A 39-year-old female with no significant past medical history and confirmed Delta variant coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection (Day 3), presented with a 1 day history of diarrhoea, vomiting, and abdominal pain. The patient denied respiratory symptoms and chest X-ray was clear. Lactate level was 6.3, initial troponin T 118 ng/L. Despite resuscitation, the patient significantly deteriorated in the emergency department, resulting in pulseless electrical activity arrest requiring veno-arterial extra-corporeal membrane oxygenation cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Over the following 36 h, cardiac function deteriorated to near-complete left ventricular (LV) standstill. Coronary angiography revealed normal coronary arteries with slow flow. Endomyocardial biopsy showed diffuse interstitial macrophage infiltrate and small vessel thromboses. Left ventricular function did not improve over the following 7 days, and despite treatment with tocilizumab, high-dose steroids, and intravenous immunoglobulin, she eventually died due to disease-related complications. Discussion: Primary cardiac dysfunction secondary to COVID-19 infection is rarely reported. Little is known about the incidence, natural history, and pathophysiology of fulminant COVID-19 myocarditis. We present the most severe case of cardiac dysfunction due to COVID-19 reported in a young patient without respiratory compromise who never recovered from any cardiac function.

Long-term outcomes of adults with acute respiratory failure treated with veno-venous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation.

Veno-venous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation is increasingly used for severe but potentially reversible acute respiratory failure in adults; however, there are limited data regarding long-term morbidity. At our institution, most patients requiring veno-venous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation have been followed up by a single physician. Our primary aim was to describe the serial long-term morbidity for respiratory, musculoskeletal and psychological functioning.A retrospective audit of inpatient and outpatient medical records was conducted. A total of 125 patients treated with veno-venous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation for primary respiratory failure were included. The patients were young (mean (standard deviation) age 43.7 (4.1) years), obese (mean (standard deviation) body mass index 30.8 (10.4) kg/m2), and mostly were male (59%). Most patients (60%) had no comorbidities.The survival rate to discharge was 70%, with body mass index and the number of comorbidities being independent predictors of survival on multiple logistic regression analysis. Over half (57%) of the Australian survivors had regular outpatient follow-up. They had a median of three reviews (range 1-9) over a median of 11.8 months (range 1.5-79) months. Breathlessness and weakness resolved in most within six months, with lung function abnormalities taking longer to resolve. Over half (60%) returned to employment within six months of discharge. Over a quarter (29%) displayed symptoms of anxiety, depression or post-traumatic stress disorder.

Hemostasis, coagulation and thrombin in venoarterial and venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation: the HECTIC study.

Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) support has a high incidence of both bleeding and thrombotic complications. Despite clear differences in patient characteristics and pathologies between veno-venous (VV) and veno-arterial (VA) ECMO support, anticoagulation practices are often the same across modalities. Moreover, there is very little data on their respective coagulation profiles and comparisons of thrombin generation in these patients. This study compares the coagulation profile and thrombin generation between patients supported with either VV and VA ECMO. A prospective cohort study of patients undergoing VA and VV ECMO at an Intensive care department of a university hospital and ECMO referral centre. In addition to routine coagulation testing and heparin monitoring per unit protocol, thromboelastography (TEG), multiplate aggregometry (MEA), calibrated automated thrombinography (CAT) and von-Willebrand's activity (antigen and activity ratio) were sampled second-daily for 1 week, then weekly thereafter. VA patients had significantly lower platelets counts, fibrinogen, anti-thrombin and clot strength with higher d-dimer levels than VV patients, consistent with a more pronounced consumptive coagulopathy. Thrombin generation was higher in VA than VV patients, and the heparin dose required to suppress thrombin generation was lower in VA patients. There were no significant differences in total bleeding or thrombotic event rates between VV and VA patients when adjusted for days on extracorporeal support. VA patients received a lower median daily heparin dose 8500 IU [IQR 2500-24000] versus VV 28,800 IU [IQR 17,300-40,800.00]; < 0.001. Twenty-eight patients (72%) survived to hospital discharge; comprising 53% of VA patients and 77% of VV patients. Significant differences between the coagulation profiles of VA and VV patients exist, and anticoagulation strategies for patients of these modalities should be different. Further research into the development of tailored anticoagulation strategies that include the mode of ECMO support need to be completed.

Pig in a china shop: a personal perspective of how pandemic (H1N1) 2009 affected the work of intensive care units in NSW.

Intensive care support of patients with severe respiratory failure has improved over recent years and with improved methods of ventilation fewer of these patients now die. However despite these improvements, a significant number of patients still die with acute respiratory failure. The outbreak of pandemic (H1N1) 2009 influenza presented NSW intensive care units with many critically ill patients with severe acute respiratory failure. Three case studies and summary data illustrate the impact of these patients on intensive care units services in Australia and New Zealand.

In-Depth Extracorporeal Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation in Adult Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest.

The use of extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (E-CPR) for the treatment of patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest who do not respond to conventional cardiopulmonary resuscitation CPR) has increased significantly in the past 10 years, in response to case reports and observational studies reporting encouraging results. However, no randomized controlled trials comparing E-CPR with conventional CPR have been published to date. The evidence from systematic reviews of the available observational studies is conflicting. The inclusion criteria for published E-CPR studies are variable, but most commonly include witnessed arrest, immediate bystander CPR, an initial shockable rhythm, and an estimated time from CPR start to establishment of E-CPR (low-flow time) of <60 minutes. A shorter low-flow time has been consistently associated with improved survival. In an effort to reduce low-flow times, commencement of E-CPR in the prehospital setting has been reported and is currently under investigation. The provision of an E-CPR service, whether hospital based or prehospital, carries considerable cost and technical challenges. Despite increased adoption, many questions remain as to which patients will derive the most benefit from E-CPR, when and where to implement E-CPR, optimal post-arrest E-CPR care, and whether this complex invasive intervention is cost-effective. Results of ongoing trials are awaited to determine whether E-CPR improves survival when compared with conventional CPR.

Extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation for refractory cardiac arrest: A multicentre experience.

AIM: To describe the ECPR experience of two Australian ECMO centres, with regards to survival and neurological outcome, their predictors and complications. METHODS: Retrospective observational study of prospectively collected data on all patients who underwent extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (ECPR) at two academic ECMO referral centres in Sydney, Australia. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Thirty-seven patients underwent ECPR, 25 (68%) were for in-hospital cardiac arrests. Median age was 54 (IQR 47-58), 27 (73%) were male. Initial rhythm was ventricular fibrillation or pulseless ventricular tachycardia in 20 patients (54%), pulseless electrical activity (n=14, 38%), and asystole (n=3, 8%). 27 (73%) arrests were witnessed and 30 (81%) patients received bystander CPR. Median time from arrest to initiation of ECMO flow was 45min (IQR 30-70), and the median time on ECMO was 3days (IQR 1-6). Angiography was performed in 54% of patients, and 27% required subsequent coronary intervention (stenting or balloon angioplasty 24%). A total of 13 patients (35%) survived to hospital discharge (IHCA 33% vs. OHCA 37%). All survivors were discharged with favourable neurological outcome (Cerebral Performance Category 1 or 2). Pre-ECMO lactate level was predictive of mortality OR 1.35 (1.06-1.73, p=0.016). CONCLUSIONS: In selected patients with refractory cardiac arrest, ECPR may provide temporary support as a bridge to intervention or recovery. We report favourable survival and neurological outcomes in one third of patients and pre-ECMO lactate levels predictive of mortality. Further studies are required to determine optimum selection criteria for ECPR.

Introduction of intensive glycaemic control into a neurosurgical intensive care unit: a retrospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: There is evidence that intensive glycaemic control decreases morbidity and mortality in surgical intensive care unit patients. In traumatic brain injury, hyperglycaemia is a prognostic indicator. OBJECTIVE AND STUDY DESIGN: This retrospective cohort study describes the blood glucose level outcomes before and after the introduction of an intensive insulin protocol to a neurosurgical ICU. METHODS: We analysed data on all patients admitted to a neurosurgical ICU during the year before, and the year after, the introduction in July 2003 of an intensive insulin protocol targeting patient blood glucose level (BGL) to 4.4- 6.1mmol/L. Patients who underwent fewer than 20 BGL measurements during the ICU admission were excluded. Data were obtained from an electronic clinical information system. RESULTS: 121 patients were enrolled: 64 before and 57 after introduction of the protocol. The groups were similar in sex, age, and severity of illness on ICU admission. After introduction of the protocol, BGL was significantly lower (weighted mean BGL, 6.73mmol/L v 7.77mmol/L before; P < 0.001), and proportion of BGL readings in the target range was greater (37% v 21% before; P < 0.001). In addition, BGL variability was greater (weighted mean standard deviation, 2.03 v 1.88 before; P < 0.001), hypoglycaemia was more common (0.58% of BGL readings v 0.20% before; P = 0.06), and ICU stay was significantly longer, but there was no difference in median Glasgow Coma Scale score or ICU discharge status (alive or dead). CONCLUSIONS: The intensive insulin protocol was effective in lowering blood glucose in neurosurgical ICU patients.

Insulin therapy in critically ill patients.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The recent publication of the results of an aggressive approach to the treatment of hyperglycaemia in critically ill patients, and a rekindling of interest in the use of an infusion of glucose insulin and potassium as adjunctive therapy in a diverse group of patients with cardiovascular disease, warrants a review of the multiple effects of insulin and a review of laboratory and clinical studies. RECENT FINDINGS: The use of an aggressive protocol to maintain normoglycaemia in critically ill patients has been demonstrated to be a beneficial technique in the critical care setting. Implementation of the protocol outside of a research setting appears to be feasible. Recent studies on the use of insulin in addition to glucose and potassium in patients with diverse cardiovascular diseases have also demonstrated positive results. SUMMARY: This review will summarize some of the putative beneficial effects of insulin as a pharmacological agent, and review recent clinical data. Although the relative benefits of normoglycaemia in the critical care setting and the beneficial effects of insulin are difficult to differentiate, a substantial overlap exists. The extent to which these converging therapies (aggressive normoglycaemia and insulin pharmacotherapy) will be applicable to diverse clinical settings has yet to be determined.

Practice parameters for hemodynamic support of sepsis in adult patients: 2004 update.

OBJECTIVE: To provide the American College of Critical Care Medicine with updated guidelines for hemodynamic support of adult patients with sepsis. DATA SOURCE: Publications relevant to hemodynamic support of septic patients were obtained from the medical literature, supplemented by the expertise and experience of members of an international task force convened from the membership of the Society of Critical Care Medicine. STUDY SELECTION: Both human studies and relevant animal studies were considered. DATA SYNTHESIS: The experts articles reviewed the literature and classified the strength of evidence of human studies according to study design and scientific value. Recommendations were drafted and graded levels based on an evidence-based rating system described in the text. The recommendations were debated, and the task force chairman modified the document until <10% of the experts disagreed with the recommendations. CONCLUSIONS: An organized approach to the hemodynamic support of sepsis was formulated. The fundamental principle is that clinicians using hemodynamic therapies should define specific goals and end points, titrate therapies to those end points, and evaluate the results of their interventions on an ongoing basis by monitoring a combination of variables of global and regional perfusion. Using this approach, specific recommendations for fluid resuscitation, vasopressor therapy, and inotropic therapy of septic in adult patients were promulgated.