Critical Care and Postoperative Management of the First Human Long Segment Orthotopic Tracheal Transplantation.

To outline the postoperative management of a long segment tracheal transplant in the ICU setting. DESIGN: The recipient required reconstruction of a long segment tracheal defect from a previous prolonged intubation. A male donor was chosen for a female recipient to enable analysis of the reepithelialization kinetics using fluorescence in situ hybridization to analyze the source of the new ciliated epithelium. SETTING: Transplant ICU at the Mount Sinai Hospital, New York, NY. PATIENTS: The female recipient was previously intubated for an asthma exacerbation and subsequently developed long segment tracheal stenosis and failed conventional management including dilatation, stenting, and six major surgical procedures rendering her chronically tracheostomy-dependent. The male donor suffered a massive subarachnoid hemorrhage and was subsequently pronounced brain dead. Organ procurement occurred after obtaining appropriate consent from the patient's family. INTERVENTIONS: The patient received a deceased donor tracheal allograft that included the thyroid gland, parathyroid glands, and the muscularis of the cervical and thoracic esophagus. Triple therapy immunosuppression (tacrolimus, mycophenolate mofetil, and a corticosteroid taper) was maintained. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: The patient was initially managed postoperatively with deep sedation on ventilator via armored/reinforced endotracheal tube placed through a small tracheostomy located along the superior tracheal anastomosis. Serial bronchoscopies were performed for graft assessment, pulmonary toilet, and biopsies, which initially showed acute inflammatory changes but no features of acute allograft rejection. A euthyroid state was maintained but hypercalcemia developed. CONCLUSIONS: The ICU management of this first long segment orthotopic tracheal transplant required a multidisciplinary approach involving critical care, otolaryngology, transplant surgery, interventional pulmonary, endocrinology, 1:1 nursing throughout the recipient's transplant ICU stay, and respiratory therapy that resulted in the successful establishment of a viable tracheal airway and heralded the end of chronic tracheostomy dependence.

Postoperative Nursing Care of a Deceased Donor Tracheal Transplant Recipient.

INTRODUCTION: Certain airway disorders, such as tracheal stenosis, can severely affect the ability to breathe, reduce quality of life, and increase morbidity and mortality. Treatment options for long-segment tracheal stenosis include multistage tracheal replacement with biosynthetic material, autotransplantation, and allotransplantation. These interventions have not demonstrated long-term dependable results because of lack of adequate blood supply to the organ and ciliated epithelium. A new transplant program featuring single-stage long-segment tracheal transplant addresses this concern. CLINICAL FINDINGS: The patient was a 56-year-old woman with a history of obesity, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, liver sarcoidosis, 105-pack-year smoking history, and asthma. A severe asthma exacerbation in 2014 required prolonged intubation, and she subsequently developed long-segment cricotracheal stenosis. In 2015 she underwent an unsuccessful tracheal resection followed by failed attempts at tracheal stenting and dilation procedures. These attempts at stenting resulted in a permanent extended-length tracheostomy and ultimately ventilator dependency. INTERVENTIONS: The patient underwent a single-stage long-segment deceased donor tracheal transplant. Important nursing considerations included hemodynamic monitoring, airway management and securement, graft assessment, stoma and wound care, nutrition, medication administration, and patient education. CONCLUSION: High-quality nursing care postoperatively in the intensive care unit is critical to safe and effective treatment of the tracheal transplant recipient and success of the graft. To effectively treat these patients, nurses need relevant education and training. This article is the first documentation of postoperative nursing care following single-stage long-segment tracheal transplant.

Outcomes and Prognosis Factors in Patients With Vena Cava Filters in a Quaternary Medical Center: A 5-Year Retrospective Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Indications for inferior vena cava filter (IVCF) placement are controversial. This study assesses the proportion of different indications for IVCF placement and the associated 30-day event rates and predictors for all-cause mortality, deep vein thrombosis (DVT), pulmonary embolism, and bleeding after IVCF placement. METHOD: In this 5-year retrospective cohort observational study in a quaternary care center, consecutive patients with IVCF placement were identified through cross-matching of 3 database sets and classified into 3 indication groups defined as "standard" in patients with venous thromboembolism (VTE) and contraindication to anticoagulants, "extended" in patients with VTE but no contraindication to anticoagulants, and "prophylactic" in patients without VTE. RESULTS: We identified 1248 IVCF placements, that is, 238 (19.1%) IVCF placements for standard indications, 583 (46.7%) IVCF placements for extended indications, and 427 (34.2%) IVCF placements for prophylactic indications. Deep vein thrombosis rates [95% confidence interval] were higher in the extended (8.06% [5.98-10.58]) and prophylactic (7.73% [5.38-10.68]) groups than in the standard group (3.36% [1.46-6.52]). Mortality rates were higher in the standard group (12.18% [8.31-17.03]) than in the extended group (7.55% [5.54-9.99]) and the prophylactic (5.85% [3.82-8.52]) group. Bleeding rates were higher in the standard group (4.62% [2.33-8.12]) than in the prophylactic group (2.11% [0.97-3.96]). Best predictors for VTE were acute medical conditions; best predictors for mortality were age, acute medical conditions, cancer, and Medicare health insurance. CONCLUSIONS: Prophylactic and extended indications account for the majority of IVCF placements. The standard indication is associated with the lowest VTE rate that may be explained by the competing risk of mortality higher in this group and related to the underlying medical conditions and bleeding risk. In the prophylactic group (no VTE at baseline), the exceedingly high DVT rate may be related to the IVCF placement.

Critical care management and intensive care unit outcomes following cytoreductive surgery with hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy.

AIM: To study the early postoperative intensive care unit (ICU) management and complications in the first 2 wk of patients undergoing cytoreductive surgery (CRS) and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC). METHODS: Our study is a retrospective, observational study performed at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, quaternary care hospital in New York City. All adult patients who underwent CRS and HIPEC between January 1, 2007 and December 31, 2012 and admitted to ICU postoperatively were studied. Fifty-one patients came to the ICU postoperatively out of 170 who underwent CRS and HIPEC therapy during the study period. Data analysis was performed using descriptive statistics. RESULTS: Of the 170 patients who underwent CRS and HIPEC therapy, 51 (30%) came to the ICU postoperatively. Mean ICU length of stay was 4 d (range 1-60 d) and mean APACHE II score was 15 (range 7-23). Thirty-one/fifty-one (62%) patients developed postoperative complications. Aggressive intraoperative and postoperative fluid resuscitation is required in most patients. Hypovolemia was seen in all patients and median amount of fluids required in the first 48 h was 6 L (range 1-14 L). Thirteen patients (25%) developed postoperative hypotension with seven requiring vasopressor support. The major cause of sepsis was intraabdominal, with 8 (15%) developing anastomotic leaks and 5 (10%) developing intraabdominal abscess. The median survival was 14 mo with 30 d mortality of 4% (2/51) and 90 d mortality of 16% (8/51). One year survival was 56.4% (28/51). Preoperative medical co morbidities, extent of surgical debulking, intraoperative blood losses, amount of intra op blood products required and total operative time are the factors to be considered while deciding ICU vs non ICU admission. CONCLUSION: Overall, ICU outcomes of this study population are excellent. Triage of these patients should consider preoperative and intraoperative factors. Intensivists should be vigilant to aggressive postop fluid resuscitation, pain control and early detection and management of surgical complications.

Pulmonary hypertension in pregnancy: critical care management.

Pulmonary hypertension is common in critical care settings and in presence of right ventricular failure is challenging to manage. Pulmonary hypertension in pregnant patients carries a high mortality rates between 30-56%. In the past decade, new treatments for pulmonary hypertension have emerged. Their application in pregnant women with pulmonary hypertension may hold promise in reducing morbidity and mortality. Signs and symptoms of pulmonary hypertension are nonspecific in pregnant women. Imaging workup may have undesirable radiation exposure. Pulmonary artery catheter remains the gold standard for diagnosing pulmonary hypertension, although its use in the intensive care unit for other conditions has slowly fallen out of favor. Goal-directed bedside echocardiogram and lung ultrasonography provide attractive alternatives. Basic principles of managing pulmonary hypertension with right ventricular failure are maintaining right ventricular function and reducing pulmonary vascular resistance. Fluid resuscitation and various vasopressors are used with caution. Pulmonary-hypertension-targeted therapies have been utilized in pregnant women with understanding of their safety profile. Mainstay therapy for pulmonary embolism is anticoagulation, and the treatment for amniotic fluid embolism remains supportive care. Multidisciplinary team approach is crucial to achieving successful outcomes in these difficult cases.

Critical care issues in oncological surgery patients.

As life expectancy increases and advances in cancer treatment more often convert deadly conditions into more chronic diseases, the surgical intensivist can expect to be faced with greater numbers of oncology patients undergoing aggressive surgical treatments for curative intent, prolonging survival, or primarily palliation by alleviating obstruction, infection, bleeding, or pain. Cytoreductive surgery (CRS) and heated intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) are a paradigm for the emerging field of multimodal aggressive oncological surgery. This article describes the CRS/HIPEC technique, and discusses the most common postoperative complications and critical care issues in these patients, including anastomotic leaks, intestinal perforation, abscesses, and intra-abdominal bleeding. The leading cause of mortality is sepsis leading to multiple organ failure, and such patients are at particularly higher risk due to the extensive CRS and HIPEC. The intensivist must be vigilant to ensure that source control is not overlooked. This process is a very difficult one, made even more challenging by the blunting of physiologic responses and the frequent absence of the classic acute abdomen.

Sinus bradycardia associated with daclizumab in liver transplant recipients: report of 3 cases.

Daclizumab is a commonly used immunosuppressive agent for prophylaxis of solid organ rejection. Although rare, the cardiovascular adverse effects of daclizumab include sinus tachycardia, hypotension, and hypertension. Here, we report 3 patients who developed significant and prolonged sinus bradycardia after receiving daclizumab following orthotopic liver transplant. Daclizumab should be considered a possible cause of bradycardia following its administration in orthotopic liver transplant.

Bronchiolitis obliterans organizing pneumonia after orthotopic liver transplantation.

Bronchiolitis obliterans organizing pneumonia (BOOP) has been described after bone marrow, lung, heart-lung, and renal transplantation, but rarely after orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT). We report a case of BOOP after OLT to emphasize BOOP as an under diagnosed and treatable cause of nonresolving pneumonia, which may not be preventable by maintenance low-dose prednisone. A 48-year-old man was hospitalized for dyspnea and cough one month after OLT. Among his medications were tacrolimus and prednisone. Physical examination was significant for lung crepitations and bilateral leg edema. Chest x-ray revealed bilateral infiltrates. Computed tomography (CT) of the chest demonstrated bilateral diffuse infiltrates with areas of sparing and nodularities. Bronchoscopy was normal and bronchoalveolar lavage was negative. Lung biopsy was performed and demonstrated serpiginous plugs of fibroblastic tissue filling the alveolar spaces, focal fibrosis of some alveolar septa, and reactive pneumocytic hyperplasia consistent with BOOP. Methylprednisolone was continued with clinical improvement and weaning from the ventilator, but subsequent sepsis and multisystem organ failure finally led to the patient's death.