Platelet transfusions in adult ICU patients with thrombocytopenia: A sub-study of the PLOT-ICU inception cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Platelet transfusions are frequently used in the intensive care unit (ICU), but current practices including used product types, volumes, doses and effects are unknown. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Sub-study of the inception cohort study 'Thrombocytopenia and Platelet Transfusions in the ICU (PLOT-ICU)', including acutely admitted, adult ICU patients with thrombocytopenia (platelet count <150 × 109/L). The primary outcome was the number of patients receiving platelet transfusion in ICU by product type. Secondary outcomes included platelet transfusion details, platelet increments, bleeding, other transfusions and mortality. RESULTS: Amongst 504 patients with thrombocytopenia from 43 hospitals in 10 countries in Europe and the United States, 20.8% received 565 platelet transfusions; 61.0% received pooled products, 21.9% received apheresis products and 17.1% received both with a median of 2 (interquartile range 1-4) days from admission to first transfusion. The median volume per transfusion was 253 mL (180-308 mL) and pooled products accounted for 59.1% of transfusions, however, this varied across countries. Most centres (73.8%) used fixed dosing (medians ranging from 2.0 to 3.5 × 1011 platelets/transfusion) whilst some (mainly in France) used weight-based dosing (ranging from 0.5 to 0.7 × 1011 platelets per 10 kg body weight). The median platelet count increment for a single prophylactic platelet transfusion was 2 (-1 to 8) × 109/L. Outcomes of patients with thrombocytopenia who did and did not receive platelet transfusions varied. CONCLUSIONS: Among acutely admitted, adult ICU patients with thrombocytopenia, 20.8% received platelet transfusions in ICU of whom most received pooled products, but considerable variation was observed in product type, volumes and doses across countries. Prophylactic platelet transfusions were associated with limited increases in platelet counts.

Thrombocytopenia and platelet transfusions in ICU patients: an international inception cohort study (PLOT-ICU).

PURPOSE: Thrombocytopenia (platelet count < 150 × 109/L) is common in intensive care unit (ICU) patients and is likely associated with worse outcomes. In this study we present international contemporary data on thrombocytopenia in ICU patients. METHODS: We conducted a prospective cohort study in adult ICU patients in 52 ICUs across 10 countries. We assessed frequencies of thrombocytopenia, use of platelet transfusions and clinical outcomes including mortality. We evaluated pre-selected potential risk factors for the development of thrombocytopenia during ICU stay and associations between thrombocytopenia at ICU admission and 90-day mortality using pre-specified logistic regression analyses. RESULTS: We analysed 1166 ICU patients; the median age was 63 years and 39.5% were female. Overall, 43.2% (95% confidence interval (CI) 40.4-46.1) had thrombocytopenia; 23.4% (20-26) had thrombocytopenia at ICU admission, and 19.8% (17.6-22.2) developed thrombocytopenia during their ICU stay. Absence of acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), non-cancer-related immune deficiency, liver failure, male sex, septic shock, and bleeding at ICU admission were associated with the development of thrombocytopenia during ICU stay. Among patients with thrombocytopenia, 22.6% received platelet transfusion(s), and 64.3% of in-ICU transfusions were prophylactic. Patients with thrombocytopenia had higher occurrences of bleeding and death, fewer days alive without the use of life-support, and fewer days alive and out of hospital. Thrombocytopenia at ICU admission was associated with 90-day mortality (adjusted odds ratio 1.7; 95% CI 1.19-2.42). CONCLUSION: Thrombocytopenia occurred in 43% of critically ill patients and was associated with worse outcomes including increased mortality. Platelet transfusions were given to 23% of patients with thrombocytopenia and most were prophylactic.

Intraindividual variation of the transversus abdominis plane block: an exploratory study in healthy volunteers.

INTRODUCTION: The transversus abdominis plane block is widely used in postoperative pain management after abdominal surgery. However, large interindividual variation in the cutaneous distribution area of the block has been demonstrated. The purpose of the present study was to explore the reproducibility of the block by determining the intraindividual variation when repeating the block on two separate days. METHODS: Ultrasound-guided posterior transversus abdominis plane blocks were performed in 16 healthy volunteers and repeated after at least 2 days. Cutaneous sensory block areas and distributions, thresholds for mechanical stimulation, abdominal muscle thicknesses at rest and during maximal contraction, waist circumferences and block duration times were measured on both days. Outcome measurements from the 2 days were compared using a one-sample t-test and intraclass correlation coefficients were calculated for each parameter. Agreement was evaluated visually using Bland-Altman plots. RESULTS: None of the mean values of the outcome measurements differed significantly between the 2 days. Intraclass correlation coefficient was 0.75 (moderate-to-good reliability) for lateral abdominal muscle thickness during maximal contraction, but ranges from -0.07 to 0.67 were found for all other outcome measurements (poor-to-moderate reliability). CONCLUSION: We found a moderate-to-good reproducibility for lateral abdominal muscle thickness during maximal voluntary contraction, but a moderate-to-poor reproducibility for all other block characteristics. However, the cutaneous distribution of the block was still located primarily inferior to a horizontal line through the umbilicus and lateral relative to a vertical line through the anterior superior iliac spine.

Meralgia Paresthetica after Prone Positioning Ventilation in the Intensive Care Unit.

Meralgia paresthetica (MP) is a mononeuropathy of the lateral femoral cutaneous nerve (LFCN) caused by external compression of the nerve during its course close to the anterior superior iliac spine. We present a case of a patient with acute respiratory distress induced by Legionella pneumonia who was admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) for mechanical ventilation. In the ICU, the patient received one session of prone position ventilation for 8.5 consecutive hours. At evaluation six months later, the patient reported persistent bilateral numbness of the anterolateral thigh, which he complained had begun right after he woke up at the ICU. He was referred for further neurological and neurophysiological examination and was diagnosed with bilateral MP, a condition never previously described as a complication to mechanical ventilation in prone position in the ICU.