The impact of sex on epidemiology, management, and outcome of spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage (sICH).

OBJECTIVE: Data on sex differences in spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhages are limited. METHODS: An automated comprehensive scoping literature review was performed using PubMed and Scopus. Articles written in English about spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage and sex were reviewed. RESULTS: Males experience spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage more frequently than females, at younger ages, and have a higher prevalence of deep bleeds compared to females. Risk factors between sexes vary and may contribute to differing incidences and locations of spontaneous intracranial hemorrhage. Globally, females receive less aggressive care than males, likely impacting survival. CONCLUSIONS: Epidemiology, risk factors, and treatment of spontaneous intracranial hemorrhage vary by sex, with limited and oftentimes conflicting data available. Further research into the sex-based differences of spontaneous intracranial hemorrhage is necessary for clinicians to better understand how to evaluate and guide treatment in the future.

Fixed-dose Combination of Torsemide and Mineralocorticoid Receptor Antagonists.

The combination of torsemide and spironolactone presents a promising approach to managing conditions such as edema and hypertension. Torsemide, a loop diuretic, enhances diuresis by inhibiting sodium reabsorption in the kidneys, while spironolactone, a potassium-sparing diuretic and mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist (MRA), complements this effect by preventing potassium loss and offering additional cardiovascular benefits. This review examines clinical evidence supporting their combined effectiveness in treating fluid retention and improving outcomes in conditions like heart failure (HF). Given the limited research available, it is essential to carefully evaluate patient-specific factors. However, several side effects necessitate careful patient selection and monitoring. Moreover, optimizing dosing regimens is crucial to ensure the safety and efficacy of torsemide and MRAs in clinical settings.

Rationale and design of the TUXEDO-2 India study: Ultra-Thin strUt Supraflex Cruz versus XiencE in a Diabetic pOpulation with multi-vessel disease-2.

BACKGROUND: The role of percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI) in patients with diabetes mellitus and multi-vessel disease has been questioned by the results of the FREEDOM trial, which showed superiority of coronary artery bypass graft(CABG) over first generation drug-eluting stents (DES) including a reduction in mortality. In the light of safer and more efficacious stents and significantly better medical management, those results that date back to 2012 need to be revisited. TUXEDO-2 is a study designed to compare two contemporary stents in Indian diabetic patients with multi-vessel disease. AIMS: The primary objective of the TUXEDO-2 study is to compare the clinical outcomes of PCI with ultra-thin Supraflex Cruz vs Xience when combined with contemporary optimal medical therapy (OMT) in diabetic patients with multi-vessel disease. The secondary objective is to compare clinical outcomes between a pooled cohort from both arms of the study (Supraflex Cruz + Xience; PCI arm) vs CABG based on a performance goal derived from the CABG arm of the FREEDOM trial (historical cohort). The tertiary objective is a randomized comparison of ticagrelor vs prasugrel in addition to aspirin for the composite of ischemic and bleeding events. METHODS: In this prospective, open-label, multi-centre, 2 × 2 factorial, randomized, controlled study, 1,800 patients with diabetes mellitus and multi-vessel disease (inclusion criteria similar to FREEDOM trial) with indication for coronary revascularization will be randomly assigned to Supraflex Cruz or Xience stents and also to ticagrelor- or prasugrel- based antiplatelet strategies. All patients will receive guideline directed OMT and optimal PCI including image- and physiology-guided complete revascularization where feasible. The patients will be followed through five years to assess their clinical status and major clinical events. The primary endpoint is a non-inferiority comparison of target lesion failure at one-year for Supraflex Cruz vs Xience (primary objective) with an expected event rate of 11% and a non-inferiority margin of 4.5%. For PCI vs CABG (secondary objective), the primary endpoint is major adverse cardiac events (MACE), defined as a composite of all cause death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, or stroke at one-year and yearly up to five years, with a performance goal of 21.6%. For ticagrelor vs prasugrel (tertiary objective), the primary endpoint is composite of death, myocardial infarction, stroke, and major bleeding as per the Bleeding Academic Research Consortium (BARC) at one-year with expected event rate of 15% and a non-inferiority margin of 5%. CONCLUSIONS: The TUXEDO-2 study is a contemporary study involving state-of-the-art PCI combined with guideline directed OMT in a complex subset of patients with diabetes mellitus and multi-vessel disease. The trial will answer the question as to whether a biodegradable polymer coated ultra-thin Supraflex Cruz stent is an attractive option for PCI in diabetic patients with multi-vessel disease. It will also help address the question whether the results of FREEDOM trial would have been different in the current era of safer and more efficacious stents and modern medical therapy. In addition, the comparative efficacy and safety of ticagrelor vs prasugrel in addition to aspirin will be evaluated. (CTRI/2019/11/022088).

Are beta-blockers safe and effective after myocardial infarction in patients with COPD?

ABSTRACT: Clinicians may be hesitant to prescribe beta-blockers in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) who have a comorbid compelling cardiovascular indication for beta-blocker therapy. This article summarizes the available data on the safety and efficacy of beta-blockers in patients with COPD and recent myocardial infarction.

Inattentional blindness to DWI lesions in spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage.

PURPOSE: Inattentional blindness refers to when an individual fails to recognize an event or object due to their awareness being engaged in a different task and has been described in radiology. The purpose of this study is to determine whether the sensitivity of detecting diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) lesions in spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage (sICH) is reduced due to inattentional blindness. METHODS: Using a prospective observational cohort, select sICH patients received an MRI scan within 72 h of admission. The scans were subject to an "official read" that occurred as part of the routine workflow. Separately, each scan underwent two "preliminary research reads" with task-specific instructions to detect DWI lesions. A "final research read" via three-party adjudication was used to calculate sensitivity and specificity for detecting these lesions. Board-certified neuroradiologists blinded to the clinical history of the patients reviewed all imaging. RESULTS: Amongst 121 sICH participants with research MRI scans, 49.6% (n = 60) scans were noted to have DWI lesion on their "final research read." The "official read" detected these DWI lesions with a sensitivity of 65% (95% CI, 52-77%). In contrast, the "preliminary research read" sensitivity for readers 1 and 2 was 98% (CI 95%, 91 to 100%) and 87% (CI 95%, 75 to 94%), respectively. Both were significantly different (p < 0.05) from the sensitivity of the "official read." CONCLUSIONS: Given the increased sensitivity with task-specific instructions, our results suggest that inattentional blindness may be leading to the decreased detection of DWI lesions in patients with concomitant sICH.

Association of Longitudinal Glycemia with Diffusion Weighted Imaging Lesions in Spontaneous Intracerebral Hemorrhage.

OBJECTIVES: Higher glycemia on admission has been associated with diffusion weighted imaging (DWI) lesions in patients with spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage (sICH). However, the influence of longitudinal glycemia after admission and during a patient's hospitalization on DWI lesions in sICH has not been studied. Our aim was to compare longitudinal glycemia in sICH patients with and without DWI lesions. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Glycemia measurements were abstracted on participants enrolled in a prospective observational study examining predictors for DWI lesions in sICH. Univariate analysis was used to compare mean longitudinal glycemia in sICH patients with and without DWI lesions. Logistical regression was used to determine whether mean longitudinal glycemia was predictive of DWI lesions. RESULTS: DWI lesions were found in 60 of the 121 (49.6%) participants. Mean time-to-MRI was 99.6 h (SD ± 89). During this time interval, 2,101 glucose measurements were analyzed with a median number of 7 (IQR 12, 1-261) measurements per patient. Mean longitudinal glycemia was higher in the DWI positive group compared to the DWI negative group until time-to-MRI (132 mg/dL vs 122 mg/dL, p = 0.03). Mean longitudinal glycemia was found to be predictive of DWI lesions (OR 1.02, 95% CI 1.005 to 1.035, p = 0.011). CONCLUSIONS: Mean longitudinal glycemia was higher in sICH patients with DWI lesions compared to those without DWI lesions. Future research into the association between higher glycemia and DWI lesions in sICH may provide insight into a pathophysiologic mechanism.

Systemic Oxygen Utilization in Severe COVID-19 Respiratory Failure: A Case Series.

BACKGROUND: Management of hypoxemia in patients with severe COVID-19 respiratory failure is based on the guideline recommendations for specific SpO2 targets. However, limited data exist on systemic O2 utilization. The objective of this study was to examine systemic O2 utilization in a case series of patients with this disease. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Between March 24, and April 9, 2020, 8 patients intubated for severe COVID-19 respiratory failure had near-simultaneous drawing of arterial blood gas (ABG), central venous blood gas (cVBG), and central venous oxygen saturation (ScvO2) at a mean of 6.1 days into hospitalization. Three patients were managed with indirect cardiac output (CO) monitoring by FloTrac sensor and Vigileo monitor (Edwards Lifesciences, Irvine, CA). The oxygen extraction index (OEI; SaO2-ScvO2/SaO2) and oxygen extraction fraction (OEF; CaO2-CvO2/CaO2 ≥ 100) were calculated. Values for hyperoxia (ScvO2 ≥ 90%), normoxia (ScvO2 71-89%), and hypoxia (ScvO2 ≤ 70%) were based on the literature. Mean values were calculated. RESULTS: The mean partial pressure of oxygen (PaO2) was 102 with a mean fraction of inspired O2 (FiO2) of 44%. One patient was hyperoxic with a reduced OEI (17%). Five patients were normoxic, but 2 had a reduced OEF (mean 15.9%). Two patients were hypoxic but had increased systemic O2 utilization based on OEF or OEI. CONCLUSION: In select patients with severe COVID-19 respiratory failure, O2 delivery (DO2) was found to exceed O2 utilization. SpO2 targets based on systemic O2 utilization may help in reducing oxygen toxicity, especially in the absence of anaerobic metabolism. Further data are needed on the prevalence of systemic O2 utilization in COVID-19. HOW TO CITE THIS ARTICLE: Garg RK, Kimbrough T, Lodhi W, DaSilva I. Systemic Oxygen Utilization in Severe COVID-19 Respiratory Failure: A Case Series. Indian J Crit Care Med 2021;25(2):215-218.

The Influence of Diffusion Weighted Imaging Lesions on Outcomes in Patients with Acute Spontaneous Intracerebral Hemorrhage.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVE: Diffusion weighted imaging (DWI) lesions have been well described in patients with acute spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage (sICH). However, there are limited data on the influence of these lesions on sICH functional outcomes. We conducted a prospective observational cohort study with blinded imaging and outcomes assessment to determine the influence of DWI lesions on long-term outcomes in patients with acute sICH. We hypothesized that DWI lesions are associated with worse modified Rankin Scale (mRS) at 3 months after hospital discharge. METHODS: Consecutive sICH patients meeting study criteria were consented for an magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan of the brain and evaluated for remote DWI lesions by neuroradiologists blinded to the patients' hospital course. Blinded mRS outcomes were obtained at 3 months. Logistic regression was used to determine significant factors (p < 0.05) associated with worse functional outcomes defined as an mRS of 4-6. The generalized estimating equation (GEE) approach was used to investigate the effect of DWI lesions on dichotomized mRS (0-3 vs 4-6) longitudinally. RESULTS: DWI lesions were found in 60 of 121 patients (49.6%). The presence of a DWI lesion was associated with increased odds for an mRS of 4-6 at 3 months (OR 5.987, 95% CI 1.409-25.435, p = 0.015) in logistic regression. Using the GEE model, patients with a DWI lesion were less likely to recover over time between 14 days/discharge and 3 months (p = 0.005). CONCLUSIONS: DWI lesions are common in primary sICH, occurring in almost half of our cohort. Our data suggest that DWI lesions are associated with worse mRS at 3 months in good grade sICH and are predictive of impaired recovery after hospital discharge. Further research into the pathophysiologic mechanisms underlying DWI lesions may lead to novel treatment options that may improve outcomes associated with this devastating disease.

Intracerebral Hemorrhage Outcomes in the Very Elderly.

BACKGROUND: There is a paucity of outcomes data in patients over 80 years presenting with intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). The primary aim of our study is to describe outcomes in this patient population. METHOD: Retrospective study of patients admitted with primary ICH from January 2012 to July 2018. Data were obtained from the Rush University Get With The Guidelines database; only patients 80 or above were included. RESULTS: A total of 1713 patients were screened and 220 patients met inclusion criteria. About 68.2% were female and mean age was 85.6 years old. Median ICH score on admission was 2 (IQR 1-3). Location of ICH included: deep (48.2%), lobar (40%), and cerebellum (9.5%). ICH etiologies included hypertensive (51.8%), cerebral amyloid angiopathy (26.8%), coagulopathy (5.9%), and the remaining were undetermined. CT angiograms were performed in 34.5% (n = 76) of patients; of these patients one arteriovenous malformation was identified. Patients underwent the following procedures: external ventricular drains (8.6%), decompression (3.6%), and ventriculoperitoneal shunts (1.8%). Tracheostomy and percutaneous gastrostomy placement were performed in 8.2%. About 4.5% had seizures and 1.5% were treated for status epilepticus. Disposition at hospital discharge included: subacute nursing facility ([SNF] 24.1%), acute rehabilitation (23.2%), hospice (18.2%), death (18.2%), home (11.8%), long-term acute care facility ([LTAC] 3.6%), and unknown (1%). Patients with an ICH score ≥2 on admission had a roughly 6 times higher chance of experiencing an unfavorable outcome (LTAC, SNF, or death), when compared to patients with lower ICH score. CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that a significant proportion (35%) of ICH patients ≥80 years old have a good outcome, with discharge to home or to rehabilitation. Our data suggest that older patients with ICH presenting with supratentorial hemorrhages (volume < 30 cc) without intraventricular extension can have good outcomes despite their age.

Challenges in Brain Death Determination and Apnea Testing for Patients with COVID-19.

INTRODUCTION: Apnea testing remains essential for the clinical evaluation of brain death determination. In patients who test positive for SARS-CoV-2, disconnecting the patient from the ventilator and introducing high flow oxygen into the endotracheal tube increases the risk for aerosolization of airway secretions and exposure of the examiner. METHODS: Case report of a patient with an intracerebral hemorrhage that evolved to significant cerebral edema and herniation, who underwent apnea test using a method involving a t-piece and an HME filter. RESULTS: Patient successfully pronounced brain dead using a safe method to minimize exposure to SARS-CoV-2. CONCLUSION: At a time where healthcare workers are at high risk of exposure to COVID-19, the above described method is a safe process for apnea testing in declaration of brain death.