Characteristics, management, and outcomes of active cancer patients with cardiogenic shock.

AIMS: Characteristics, management, and outcomes of patients with active cancer admitted for cardiogenic shock remain largely unknown. This study aimed to address this issue and identify the determinants of 30-day and 1-year mortality in a large cardiogenic shock cohort of all aetiologies. METHODS AND RESULTS: FRENSHOCK is a prospective multicenter observational registry conducted in French critical care units between April and October 2016. 'Active cancer' was defined as a malignancy diagnosed within the previous weeks with planned or ongoing anticancer therapy. Among the 772 enrolled patients (mean age 65.7 ± 14.9 years; 71.5% male), 51 (6.6%) had active cancer. Among them, the main cancer types were solid cancers (60.8%), and hematological malignancies (27.5%). Solid cancers were mainly urogenital (21.6%), gastrointestinal (15.7%), and lung cancer (9.8%). Medical history, clinical presentation, and baseline echocardiography were almost the same between groups. In-hospital management significantly differed: patients with cancers received more catecholamines or inotropes (norepinephrine 72% vs. 52%, P = 0.005 and norepinephrine-dobutamine combination 64.7% vs. 44.5%, P = 0.005), but had less mechanical circulatory support (5.9% vs. 19.5%, P = 0.016). They presented a similar 30-day mortality rate (29% vs. 26%) but a significantly higher mortality at 1-year (70.6% vs. 45.2%, P < 0.001). In multivariable analysis, active cancer was not associated with 30-day mortality but was significantly associated with 1-year mortality in 30-day survivors [HR 3.61 (1.29-10.11), P = 0.015]. CONCLUSION: Active cancer patients accounted for almost 7% of all cases of cardiogenic shock. Early mortality was the same regardless of active cancer or not, whereas long-term mortality was significantly increased in patients with active cancer.

A comparison of two doses of mannitol on brain relaxation during supratentorial brain tumor craniotomy: a randomized trial.

BACKGROUND: Twenty percent mannitol is widely used to reduce brain bulk and facilitate the surgical approach in intracranial surgery. However, a dose-response relationship has not yet been established. In this study, we compared the effects of 0.7 and 1.4 g·kg(-1) mannitol on brain relaxation during elective supratentorial brain tumor surgery. METHODS: In this prospective, randomized, double-blind study, we enrolled 80 patients undergoing supratentorial craniotomy for tumor resection. Patients were assigned to receive 0.7 g·kg(-1) (group L) or 1.4 g·kg(-1) (group H) of 20% mannitol at surgical incision. Brain relaxation was assessed immediately after opening of the dura on a scale ranging from 1 to 4 (1 = perfectly relaxed, 2 = satisfactorily relaxed, 3 = firm brain, 4 = bulging brain). RESULTS: There was no significant difference between the 2 groups regarding age, sex, body mass index, and brain tumor localization or size. In group L 52.5% of patients and in group H 77.5% of patients presented a midline shift (P = 0.03). The median scores of brain relaxation (interquantile range) were 2.0 (1.75-3) and 2.0 (1-3) (P = 0.16 for patients in group L and H, respectively). We then used a proportional odds model to adjust for this unbalanced distribution and to assess the group effect (low-dose versus high-dose mannitol) on brain relaxation scores. When adjusted for the presence of midline shift, the use of a higher dose of mannitol resulted in an odds ratio of 2.5 (P = 0.03). This indicates that, considering the effect of a midline shift, the odds of having a 1-level improvement in relaxation score in patients who received a higher dose of mannitol (group H) was 2.5 times as large as the odds for the low-dose group. The odds ratio of 0.29 (P = 0.007) for the midline shift indicates that its occurrence was associated with a higher probability of a lower relaxation score, on average. CONCLUSION: In this study, we show that 1.4 g·kg(-1) of 20% mannitol results in equivalent brain relaxation scores as 0.7 g·kg(-1) in patients undergoing craniotomy for supratentorial brain tumor. When corrected for the presence of midline shift, this study reveals that patients in the high-dose group had significantly more chances of obtaining a better relaxation score compared with the lower-dose group.

Superficial cervical plexus block for transitional analgesia in infratentorial and occipital craniotomy: a randomized trial.

BACKGROUND: In this study, we compared the quality of transitional analgesia provided by bilateral superficial cervical plexus block (SCPB) or morphine following a remifentanil-based anesthesia for infratentorial or occipital craniotomy. METHODS: In this randomized controlled and double-blind study, 30 patients scheduled for infratentorial or occipital craniotomy were divided randomly into two groups: group morphine (morphine 0.1 mg·kg⁻¹ iv after dural closure and a SCPB performed with 20 mL of 0.9% saline at the end of the surgery) or group block (10 mL of 0.9% saline iv instead of morphine after dural closure and a SCPB performed with 20 mL of a 1:1 mixture of 0.5% bupivacaine and 2% lidocaine at the end of the surgery). Postoperative pain was assessed at one, two, four, eight, 12, 16, and 24 hr using an 11-point (0-10) numerical rating scale (NRS). Analgesia was provided with subcutaneous codeine. RESULTS: Average NRS scores were similar between the two groups at each time interval over the study period. The average scores (with 95% confidence interval) were 3.9 (3.4-4.4) and 4.3 (3.8-4.9) for the block and morphine groups, respectively (P = 0.25). The delay before administration of the first dose of codeine was not statistically different between the two groups: 25 min (5-2,880) vs 21.5 min (5-90), median and range for the block and morphine groups, respectively. The incidence of nausea and vomiting was similar between the two groups. CONCLUSION: Bilateral superficial cervical plexus block provides transitional analgesia that is clinically equivalent to morphine following remifentanil-based anesthesia in patients undergoing occipital or infratentorial craniotomies.

Extracorporeal life support in severe drug intoxication: a retrospective cohort study of seventeen cases.

INTRODUCTION: Cardiovascular failure is the leading cause of death in severe acute drug intoxication. In this setting, we report the feasibility, complications, and outcome of emergency extracorporeal life support (ECLS) in refractory shock or cardiac arrest following a drug overdose. METHODS: This is a retrospective cohort study of 17 patients admitted over a 10-year period for prolonged cardiac arrest or refractory shock following a drug overdose and not responding to optimal conventional treatment. Patients were evaluated in the medical ICU and cardiovascular surgery department of a university hospital. ECLS implantation used a centrifugal pump connected to a hollow-fiber membrane oxygenator and was performed in the operating room (n = 13), intensive care unit (n = 3), or emergency department (n = 1). ECLS was employed for refractory shock and prolonged cardiac arrest in 10 and 7 cases, respectively. RESULTS: The mean duration of external cardiac massage was 101 +/- 55 minutes. Fifteen patients had ingested cardiotoxic drugs, including 11 cases of drugs with membrane stabilizing activity. Time from hospital admission to initiation of ECLS was 6.4 +/- 7.0 hours. Time to ECLS implant was 58 +/- 11 minutes. The mean ECLS flow rate was 3.45 +/- 0.45 L/min. The average ECLS duration was 4.5 +/- 2.4 days. Early complications included limb ischemia (n = 6), femoral thrombus (n = 1), cava inferior thrombus (n = 1), and severe bleeding at the site of cannulation (n = 2). Fifteen patients were weaned off ECLS support and 13 (76%) were discharged to hospital without sequelae. CONCLUSIONS: Based on our experience, we consider ECLS as a last resort, efficient, and relatively safe therapeutic option in this population. However, the uncontrolled nature of our data requires careful interpretation.