Ventilated Patients With COVID-19 Show Airflow Obstruction.

OBJECTIVE: Many patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) need mechanical ventilation secondary to acute respiratory distress syndrome. Information on the respiratory system mechanical characteristics of this disease is limited. The aim of this study is to describe the respiratory system mechanical properties of ventilated COVID-19 patients. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PATIENTS: Patients consecutively admitted to the medical intensive care unit at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in Iowa City, USA, from April 19 to May 1, 2020, were prospectively studied; final date of follow-up was May 1, 2020. MEASUREMENTS: At the time of first patient contact, ventilator information was collected including mode, settings, peak airway pressure, plateau pressure, and total positive end expiratory pressure. Indices of airflow resistance and respiratory system compliance were calculated and analyzed. MAIN RESULTS: The mean age of the patients was 58 years. 6 out of 12 (50%) patients were female. Of the 21 laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 patients on invasive mechanical ventilation, 9 patients who were actively breathing on the ventilator were excluded. All the patients included were on volume-control mode. Mean [±standard deviation] ventilator indices were: resistive pressure 19 [±4] cmH2O, airway resistance 20 [±4] cmH2O/L/s, and respiratory system static compliance 39 [±16] ml/cmH2O. These values are consistent with abnormally elevated resistance to airflow and reduced respiratory system compliance. Analysis of flow waveform graphics revealed a pattern consistent with airflow obstruction in all patients. CONCLUSIONS: Severe respiratory failure due to COVID-19 is regularly associated with airflow obstruction.

Effect of Use of a Bougie vs Endotracheal Tube With Stylet on Successful Intubation on the First Attempt Among Critically Ill Patients Undergoing Tracheal Intubation: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: For critically ill adults undergoing emergency tracheal intubation, failure to intubate the trachea on the first attempt occurs in up to 20% of cases and is associated with severe hypoxemia and cardiac arrest. Whether using a tracheal tube introducer ("bougie") increases the likelihood of successful intubation compared with using an endotracheal tube with stylet remains uncertain. Objective: To determine the effect of use of a bougie vs an endotracheal tube with stylet on successful intubation on the first attempt. Design, Setting, and Participants: The Bougie or Stylet in Patients Undergoing Intubation Emergently (BOUGIE) trial was a multicenter, randomized clinical trial among 1102 critically ill adults undergoing tracheal intubation in 7 emergency departments and 8 intensive care units in the US between April 29, 2019, and February 14, 2021; the date of final follow-up was March 14, 2021. Interventions: Patients were randomly assigned to use of a bougie (n = 556) or use of an endotracheal tube with stylet (n = 546). Main Outcomes and Measures: The primary outcome was successful intubation on the first attempt. The secondary outcome was the incidence of severe hypoxemia, defined as a peripheral oxygen saturation less than 80%. Results: Among 1106 patients randomized, 1102 (99.6%) completed the trial and were included in the primary analysis (median age, 58 years; 41.0% women). Successful intubation on the first attempt occurred in 447 patients (80.4%) in the bougie group and 453 patients (83.0%) in the stylet group (absolute risk difference, -2.6 percentage points [95% CI, -7.3 to 2.2]; P = .27). A total of 58 patients (11.0%) in the bougie group experienced severe hypoxemia, compared with 46 patients (8.8%) in the stylet group (absolute risk difference, 2.2 percentage points [95% CI, -1.6 to 6.0]). Esophageal intubation occurred in 4 patients (0.7%) in the bougie group and 5 patients (0.9%) in the stylet group, pneumothorax was present after intubation in 14 patients (2.5%) in the bougie group and 15 patients (2.7%) in the stylet group, and injury to oral, glottic, or thoracic structures occurred in 0 patients in the bougie group and 3 patients (0.5%) in the stylet group. Conclusions and Relevance: Among critically ill adults undergoing tracheal intubation, use of a bougie did not significantly increase the incidence of successful intubation on the first attempt compared with use of an endotracheal tube with stylet. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03928925

BOugie or stylet in patients UnderGoing Intubation Emergently (BOUGIE): protocol and statistical analysis plan for a randomised clinical trial.

INTRODUCTION: Intubation-related complications are less frequent when intubation is successful on the first attempt. The rate of first attempt success in the emergency department (ED) and intensive care unit (ICU) is typically less than 90%. The bougie, a semirigid introducer that can be placed into the trachea to facilitate a Seldinger-like technique of tracheal intubation and is typically reserved for difficult or failed intubations, might improve first attempt success. Evidence supporting its use, however, is from a single academic ED with frequent bougie use. Validation of these findings is needed before widespread implementation. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: The BOugie or stylet in patients Undergoing Intubation Emergently trial is a prospective, multicentre, non-blinded randomised trial being conducted in six EDs and six ICUs in the USA. The trial plans to enrol 1106 critically ill adults undergoing orotracheal intubation. Eligible patients are randomised 1:1 for the use of a bougie or use of an endotracheal tube with stylet for the first intubation attempt. The primary outcome is successful intubation on the first attempt. The secondary outcome is severe hypoxaemia, defined as an oxygen saturation less than 80% between induction until 2 min after completion of intubation. Enrolment began on 29 April 2019 and is expected to be completed in 2021. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: The trial protocol was approved with waiver of informed consent by the Central Institutional Review Board at Vanderbilt University Medical Center or the local institutional review board at an enrolling site. The results will be submitted for publication in a peer-reviewed journal and presented at scientific conferences. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: ClinicalTrials.gov Registry (NCT03928925).

Optimizing the Approach to Patients With Pleural Effusion and Radiologic Findings Suspect for Cancer.

BACKGROUND: When patients present with pleural effusion and structural abnormalities consistent with malignancy on imaging, the traditional approach has been to perform a thoracentesis and await the results before proceeding to more invasive diagnostic procedures. The objective of this study was to evaluate whether concurrent thoracentesis and tissue biopsy is superior to sequential sampling. METHODS: Retrospective chart review was performed for patients who had a pleural cytology from May 2014 until January 2017. Patients without parenchymal, pleural, or mediastinal abnormalities and those with a prior primary thoracic malignancy were excluded. Patients with an effusion and additional suspect findings were grouped based upon whether initial approach was concurrent versus sequential. The following outcomes were documented: lag time to diagnosis from thoracentesis, lag time to hematology/oncology (HONC) service consult, time to molecular study results, lag time to therapy, and time to death. RESULTS: Of 565 cases, 45 met criteria, 28 (62%) having undergone concurrent and 17 (38%) sequential sampling. The median lag time to biopsy for the concurrent group, 3 days, was significantly shorter than the 9-day lag time for the sequential group (P=0.006). Five patients in the sequential group and one in the concurrent group were lost to follow-up. Patients in the concurrent group had earlier diagnosis and oncology visits (2 d, 7 d) than those in the sequential group (6.5 d, 16 d) (P<0.001 and <0.039, respectively). Time from diagnosis to death did not differ for the 2 groups. CONCLUSION: For patients presenting with pleural effusion accompanied by additional suspect findings, concurrent tissue sampling, and thoracentesis may both reduce loss to follow up and accelerate care.

Prevalence and predictors of readmissions among adults with cystic fibrosis in the United States.

INTRODUCTION: Patients with Cystic Fibrosis (CF) have increasing rates of hospitalization. We analyzed the burden and predictors of thirty-day readmission among patients with CF in the U.S. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Nationwide Readmission Database (NRD) 2013 was used to identify adults with CF who were hospitalized. These individuals were followed to determine the prevalence of readmission within thirty days of index discharge. Cox proportional hazard regression was used to identify independent predictors of readmission. RESULTS: There were 14,616 index admissions of adults with CF in 2013. Of these, 2,606 (17.8%) patients were readmitted within 30 days of discharge. Female sex and chronic anemia were independent predictors of readmission. The most common causes of readmission were pulmonary exacerbation (31%), lung transplant complications (5.2%), and septicemia (3.4%). CONCLUSION: Readmissions are frequent among adults with CF and contribute to significant healthcare burden and cost among this population.

A review of the management of complex para-pneumonic effusion in adults.

A complex para-pneumonic effusion is a descriptive term for exudative effusions, which complicate or are likely to complicate the anatomy of the pleural space after pneumonia. We performed an online search was performed using the resources PubMed and Google Scholar to provide an update on the management of such effusions based on review of published literature. Search terms including pleural effusion (PE), parapneumonic effusion, and empyema were used. Relevant studies were identified and original articles were studied, compared and summarized. References in these articles were examined for relevance and included where appropriate. Studies involving pediatric patients were excluded. Management of para-pneumonic PE has changed tremendously over the last decade. As we accumulate more evidence in this area, approach to pleural fluid drainage is becoming more specific and guideline based. An example of a practice changing study in this aspect is the Multi-center Intrapleural Streptokinase Trial (MIST) 2 trial which demonstrated that a combination of intra-pleural tPA and DNAse improved outcomes in pleural infections compared to DNase or t-PA alone. More randomized control trials are needed to describe the role of surgical techniques like VATS (video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery) when MIST 2 protocol fails; this combination has revolutionized the management of empyema in recently.