Being Convinced and Taking Responsibility: A Qualitative Study of Family Members' Experience of Organ Donation Decision and Bereavement After Brain Death.

OBJECTIVES: Family members of brain dead patients experience an unprecedented situation in which not only they are told that their loved one is dead but are also asked to consider organ donation. The objective of this qualitative study was to determine 1) what it means for family members to make the decision and to take responsibility, 2) how they interact with the deceased patient in the ICU, 3) how family members describe the impact of the process and of the decision on their bereavement process. DESIGN: Qualitative study using interviews with bereaved family members who were approached for organ donation after the death of their relative in the ICU (brain death). SETTING: Family members from 13 ICUs in France. SUBJECTS: Bereaved family members who were approached for organ donation after the death of their relative in the ICU (brain death). INTERVENTION: None. MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS: Twenty-four interviews were conducted with 16 relatives of organ donor patients and with eight relatives of nonorgan donor patients. Three themes emerged: 1) taking responsibility-relatives explain how they endorse decisional responsibility but do not experience it as a burden, on the contrary; 2) ambiguous perceptions of death-two groups of relatives emerge: those for whom ambiguity hinders their acceptance of the patient's death; those for whom ambiguity is an opportunity to accept the death and say goodbye; and 3) donation as a comfort during bereavement. CONCLUSIONS: In spite of caregivers' efforts to focus organ donation discussions and decision on the patient, family members feel a strong decisional responsibility that is not experienced as a burden but a proof of their strong connection to the patient. Brain death however creates ambivalent experiences that some family members endure whereas others use as an opportunity to perform separation rituals. Last, organ donation can be experienced as a form of comfort during bereavement provided family members remain convinced their decision was right.

Vascularized composite allotransplantation - a Council of Europe position paper.

After more than 120 hand-upper extremity and 37 face transplant procedures performed worldwide, vascularized composite allotransplantation (VCA) now falls under the scope of organ transplant legislation in Europe and the United States. While in the USA, VCA has been considered as standard care since 2014, VCA in Europe is still performed through clinical research trials, except in United Kingdom. However, after two decades of favourable experience with upper extremity transplantation (UET), professionals in Europe are proposing hand allotransplantation as "controlled standard" care, as opposed to face transplantation (FT), which is still a challenging activity. The European Committee on Organ Transplantation (CD-P-TO) has elaborated a position paper to provide recommendations concerning regulatory aspects for UET and FT. It is aimed at Health Authorities in charge of the oversight - and coordination - of organ donation and transplantation, and at professional groups to help them manage such complex and costly programs dedicated to properly selected patients.

Grief Symptoms in Relatives Who Experienced Organ Donation Requests in the ICU.

RATIONALE: Studies show that the quality of end-of-life communication and care have a significant impact on the living long after the death of a relative and have been implicated in the burden of psychological symptoms after the ICU experience. In the case of organ donation, the patient's relatives are centrally involved in the decision-making process; yet, few studies have examined the impact of the quality of communication on the burden of psychological symptoms after death. OBJECTIVES: To assess the experience of the organ donation process and grief symptoms in relatives of brain-dead patients who discussed organ donation in the ICU. METHODS: We conducted a multicenter longitudinal study in 28 ICUs in France. Participants were the relatives of brain-dead patients who were approached to discuss organ donation. Relatives were followed-up by phone at three time points: at 1 month, to complete a questionnaire describing their experience of the organ donation process; at 3 months, to complete the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale and the Impact of Event Scale-Revised; and at 9 months, to complete the Impact of Event Scale-Revised and the Inventory of Complicated Grief. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: In total, 202 relatives of 202 patients were included, of whom 158 consented to and 44 refused organ donation. Interviews were conducted at 1, 3, and 9 months with 78%, 68%, and 58% of relatives, respectively. The overall experience of the organ donation process was significantly more burdensome for relatives of nondonors. They were more dissatisfied with communication (27% vs. 10%; P = 0.021), more often shocked by the request (65% vs. 19%; P < 0.0001), and more often found the decision difficult (53% vs. 27%; P = 0.017). However, there were no significant differences in grief symptoms measured at 3 and 9 months between the two groups. Understanding of brain death was associated with grief symptoms; our results show a higher prevalence of complicated grief symptoms among relatives who did not understand the brain death process than among those who did (75% vs. 46.1%; P = 0.026). CONCLUSIONS: Experience of the organ donation process varied between relatives of donor versus nondonor patients, with relatives of nondonors experiencing lower-quality communication, but the decision was not associated with subsequent grief symptoms. Importantly, understanding of brain death is a key element of the organ donation process for relatives.

Intravascular Complications of Central Venous Catheterization by Insertion Site.

BACKGROUND: Three anatomical sites are commonly used to insert central venous catheters, but insertion at each site has the potential for major complications. METHODS: In this multicenter trial, we randomly assigned nontunneled central venous catheterization in patients in the adult intensive care unit (ICU) to the subclavian, jugular, or femoral vein (in a 1:1:1 ratio if all three insertion sites were suitable [three-choice scheme] and in a 1:1 ratio if two sites were suitable [two-choice scheme]). The primary outcome measure was a composite of catheter-related bloodstream infection and symptomatic deep-vein thrombosis. RESULTS: A total of 3471 catheters were inserted in 3027 patients. In the three-choice comparison, there were 8, 20, and 22 primary outcome events in the subclavian, jugular, and femoral groups, respectively (1.5, 3.6, and 4.6 per 1000 catheter-days; P=0.02). In pairwise comparisons, the risk of the primary outcome was significantly higher in the femoral group than in the subclavian group (hazard ratio, 3.5; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.5 to 7.8; P=0.003) and in the jugular group than in the subclavian group (hazard ratio, 2.1; 95% CI, 1.0 to 4.3; P=0.04), whereas the risk in the femoral group was similar to that in the jugular group (hazard ratio, 1.3; 95% CI, 0.8 to 2.1; P=0.30). In the three-choice comparison, pneumothorax requiring chest-tube insertion occurred in association with 13 (1.5%) of the subclavian-vein insertions and 4 (0.5%) of the jugular-vein insertions. CONCLUSIONS: In this trial, subclavian-vein catheterization was associated with a lower risk of bloodstream infection and symptomatic thrombosis and a higher risk of pneumothorax than jugular-vein or femoral-vein catheterization. (Funded by the Hospital Program for Clinical Research, French Ministry of Health; ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT01479153.).

Clinicians' Perception and Experience of Organ Donation From Brain-Dead Patients.

OBJECTIVE: ICU clinicians are primarily involved in organ donation after brain death of ICU patients. Their perceptions of organ donation may affect outcomes. Our objective was to describe ICU clinician's perceptions and experience of organ donation. DESIGN AND SETTING: Cross-sectional study among physicians and nurses (90 ICUs in France). We used factorial correspondence analysis to describe categories of clinicians regarding their perceptions and experience of organ donation. Factors associated with a positive (motivating) or negative (stressful) experiences were studied using multivariate logistic regression. PARTICIPANTS: Physicians and nurses. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Three thousand three hundred twenty-five clinicians working in 77 ICUs returned questionnaires. Professionals who experienced organ donation as motivating were younger (odds ratio, 0.41; 95% CI, 0.32-0.53; p < 0.001), more often potential organ donors (odds ratio, 1.92; 95% CI, 1.56-2.35; p < 0.001), less likely to describe inconsistency (odds ratio, 0.43; 95% CI, 0.23-0.8) or complexity (odds ratio, 0.55; 95% CI, 0.45-0.67) of their feelings versus their professional activity, less likely to report that organ donation was not a priority in their ICU (odds ratio, 0.68; 95% CI, 0.55-0.84), and more likely to have participated in meetings of transplant coordinators with relatives (odds ratio, 1.71; 95% CI, 1.37-2.14; p < 0.001). Professionals who felt organ donation was stressful were older (odds ratio, 1.84; 95% CI, 1.34-2.54; p < 0.001), less often physicians (odds ratio, 0.58; 95% CI, 0.44-0.77; p < 0.001), more likely to describe shift from curative care to organ donation as emotionally complex (odds ratio, 1.83; 95% CI, 1.52-2.21; p < 0.001), care of relatives of brain-dead patients as complex (odds ratio, 1.59; 95% CI, 1.32-1.93; p < 0.001), and inconsistency and complexity of personal feelings about organ donation versus professional activity (odds ratio, 3.25; 95% CI, 1.92-5.53; p < 0.001), and more likely to have little experience with caring for potential organ donors (odds ratio, 1.49; 95% CI, 1.09-2.04). CONCLUSIONS: Significant differences exist among ICU clinician's perceptions of organ donation. Whether these differences affect family experience and consent rates deserves investigation.

New classification of donation after circulatory death donors definitions and terminology.

In the face of a crisis in organ donation, the transplant community are increasingly utilizing donation after circulatory death (DCD) donors. Over the last 10 years, with the increasing usage of DCD donors, we have seen the introduction in a number of new terms and definitions. We report the results of the 6th International Conference in Organ Donation held in Paris in 2013 and report a consensus agreement of an established expert European Working Group on the definitions and terminology regarding DCD donation, including refinement of the Maastricht definitions. This document forms part of a special series where recommendations are presented for uncontrolled and controlled DCD donation and organ specific guidelines for kidney, pancreas, liver and lung transplantation. An expert panel formed a consensus on definitions and terms aiming to establish consistent usage of terms in DCD donation.

Uncontrolled donation after circulatory death: European practices and recommendations for the development and optimization of an effective programme.

The shortage of organs remains one of the biggest challenges in transplantation. To address this, we are increasingly turning to donation after circulatory death (DCD) donors and now in some countries to uncontrolled DCD donors. We consolidate the knowledge on uncontrolled DCD in Europe and provide recommendations and guidance for the development and optimization of effective uncontrolled DCD programmes.

Acquiring procedural skills in ICUs: a prospective multicenter study*.

OBJECTIVES: Providing appropriate training of procedural skills to residents while ensuring patient safety through trainee supervision is a difficult and constant challenge. We sought to determine how effective and safe procedural skill acquisition is in French ICUs and to identify failure and complication risk factors. DESIGN: Multicenter prospective observational study. Invasive procedures performed by residents were recorded during two consecutive semesters. SETTING: Eighty-four residents. SUBJECTS: Eighty-four residents. INTERVENTION: None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Number of invasive procedures performed, failure and complication rates, supervision, and assistance provided. Five thousand six hundred seventeen procedures were prospectively studied: 1,007 tracheal intubations, 1,272 arterial and 2,586 central venous catheter insertions, 457 fiberoptic bronchoscopies, and 295 chest tube insertions. During the semesters, residents performed a median of 10 intubations, 14 arterial catheter insertions, and 26 central venous catheter insertions. Complication rates were low, similar to those in the literature: 8.6% desaturation and 7.4% esophageal placement during intubation; 0.4% and 2.3% pneumothorax with jugular and subclavian central venous catheter insertions, respectively. We identified risk factors for failure and complications. Higher rates of failure and complications for intubation were associated with residents with no or little previous experience (p < 0.001); failure of internal jugular vein catheterization was associated with left-side insertion (p = 0.005) and absence of mechanical ventilation (p = 0.007). Supervision and assistance were more frequent at the beginning of the semester and for intubation and chest tube insertion. Finally, residents had less access to fiberoptic bronchoscopy and chest tube insertion. CONCLUSION: Procedural skills acquisition by residents in the ICU appears feasible and safe with complication rates comparable to what has previously been reported. We identified specific procedures and situations associated with higher failure and complication rates that could require proactive training. Questions still remain regarding minimal numbers of procedures to attain competence and how best to provide procedural training.

Cytokine profiles in adults with imported malaria.

The increase in worldwide travel is making imported malaria a growing health concern in non-endemic countries. Most data on the pathophysiology of malaria come from endemic areas. Little is known about cytokine profiles during imported malaria. This study aimed at deciphering the relationship between cytokine host response and malaria severity among imported cases in France. This study reports cytokine profiles in adults with Plasmodium falciparum malaria included in the PALUREA prospective study conducted between 2006 and 2010. The patients were classified as having uncomplicated malaria (UM) or severe malaria (SM), with this last further categorized as very severe malaria (VSM) or less severe malaria (LSM). At hospital admission, eight blood cytokines were assayed in duplicate using Luminex® technology: interleukin (IL)-1α, IL-1ß, IL-2, IL-4, IL-10, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)α, interferon (IFN)γ, and macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF). These assays were repeated on days 1 and 2 in the SM group. Of the 278 patients, 134 had UM and 144 SM. At hospital admission, over half the patients had undetectable levels of IL-1α, IL-1ß, IL-2, IL-4, IFNγ, and TNFα, while IL-10 and MIF were significantly higher in the SM vs. the UM group. Higher IL-10 was significantly associated with higher parasitemia (R = 0.32 [0.16-0.46]; P = 0.0001). In the SM group, IL-10 elevation persisting from admission to day 2 was significantly associated with subsequent nosocomial infection. Of eight tested cytokines, only MIF and IL-10 were associated with disease severity in adults with imported P. falciparum malaria. At admission, many patients had undetectable cytokine levels, suggesting that circulating cytokine assays may not be helpful as part of the routine evaluation of adults with imported malaria. Persisting high IL-10 concentration was associated with subsequent nosocomial infection, suggesting its possible interest in immune monitoring of most severe patients.

A multifaceted program for improving quality of care in intensive care units: IATROREF study.

OBJECTIVE: To test the effects of three multifaceted safety programs designed to decrease insulin administration errors, anticoagulant prescription and administration errors, and errors leading to accidental removal of endotracheal tubes and central venous catheters, respectively. Medical errors and adverse events are associated with increased mortality in intensive care patients, indicating an urgent need for prevention programs. DESIGN: Multicenter cluster-randomized study. SETTING: One medical intensive care unit in a university hospital and two medical-surgical intensive care units in community hospitals belonging to the Outcomerea Study Group. PATIENTS: Consecutive patients >18 yrs admitted from January 2007 to January 2008 to the intensive care units. INTERVENTIONS: We tested three multifaceted safety programs vs. standard care in random order, each over 2.5 months, after a 1.5-month observation period. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Incidence rates of medical errors/1000 patient-days in the multifaceted safety program and standard-care groups were compared using adjusted hierarchical models. In 2117 patients with 15,014 patient-days, 8520 medical errors (567.5/1000 patient-days) were reported, including 1438 adverse events (16.9%, 95.8/1000 patient-days). The insulin multifaceted safety program significantly decreased errors during implementation (risk ratio 0.65; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.52-0.82; p = .0003) and after implementation (risk ratio 0.51; 95% CI 0.35-0.73; p = .0004). A significant Hawthorne effect was found. The accidental tube/catheter removal multifaceted safety program decreased errors significantly during implementation (odds ratio [OR] 0.34; 95% CI 0.15-0.81; p = .01]) and nonsignificantly after implementation (OR 1.65; 95% CI 0.78-3.48). The anticoagulation multifaceted safety program was not significantly effective (OR 0.64; 95% CI 0.26-1.59) but produced a significant Hawthorne effect. CONCLUSIONS: A multifaceted program was effective in preventing insulin errors and accidental tube/catheter removal. Significant Hawthorne effects occurred, emphasizing the need for appropriately designed studies before definitively implementing strategies. TRIAL REGISTRATION: clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT00461461.

Dressing disruption is a major risk factor for catheter-related infections.

OBJECTIVE: Major catheter-related infection includes catheter-related bloodstream infections and clinical sepsis without bloodstream infection resolving after catheter removal with a positive quantitative tip culture. Insertion site dressings are a major mean to reduce catheter infections by the extraluminal route. However, the importance of dressing disruptions in the occurrence of major catheter-related infection has never been studied in a large cohort of patients. DESIGN: A secondary analysis of a randomized multicenter trial was performed in order to determine the importance of dressing disruption on the risk for development of catheter-related bloodstream infection. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Among 1,419 patients (3,275 arterial or central-vein catheters) included, we identified 296 colonized catheters, 29 major catheter-related infections, and 23 catheter-related bloodstream infections. Of the 11,036 dressings changes, 7,347 (67%) were performed before the planned date because of soiling or undressing. Dressing disruption occurred more frequently in patients with higher Sequential Organ Failure Assessment scores and in patients receiving renal replacement therapies; it was less frequent in males and patients admitted for coma. Subclavian access protected from dressing disruption. Dressing cost (especially staff cost) was inversely related to the rate of disruption. The number of dressing disruptions was related to increased risk for colonization of the skin around the catheter at removal (p < .0001). The risk of major catheter-related infection and catheter-related bloodstream infection increased by more than three-fold after the second dressing disruption and by more than ten-fold if the final dressing was disrupted, independently of other risk factors of infection. CONCLUSION: Disruption of catheter dressings was common and was an important risk factor for catheter-related infections. These data support the preferential use of the subclavian insertion site and enhanced efforts to reduce dressing disruption in postinsertion bundles of care.

Infectious risk associated with arterial catheters compared with central venous catheters.

BACKGROUND: Scheduled replacement of central venous catheters and, by extension, arterial catheters, is not recommended because the daily risk of catheter-related infection is considered constant over time after the first catheter days. Arterial catheters are considered at lower risk for catheter-related infection than central venous catheters in the absence of conclusive evidence. OBJECTIVES: To compare the daily risk and risk factors for colonization and catheter-related infection between arterial catheters and central venous catheters. METHODS: We used data from a trial of seven intensive care units evaluating different dressing change intervals and a chlorhexidine-impregnated sponge. We determined the daily hazard rate and identified risk factors for colonization using a marginal Cox model for clustered data. RESULTS: We included 3532 catheters and 27,541 catheter-days. Colonization rates did not differ between arterial catheters and central venous catheters (7.9% [11.4/1000 catheter-days] and 9.6% [11.1/1000 catheter-days], respectively). Arterial catheter and central venous catheter catheter-related infection rates were 0.68% (1.0/1000 catheter-days) and 0.94% (1.09/1000 catheter-days), respectively. The daily hazard rate for colonization increased steadily over time for arterial catheters (p = .008) but remained stable for central venous catheters. Independent risk factors for arterial catheter colonization were respiratory failure and femoral insertion. Independent risk factors for central venous catheter colonization were trauma or absence of septic shock at intensive care unit admission, femoral or jugular insertion, and absence of antibiotic treatment at central venous catheter insertion. CONCLUSIONS: The risks of colonization and catheter-related infection did not differ between arterial catheters and central venous catheters, indicating that arterial catheter use should receive the same precautions as central venous catheter use. The daily risk was constant over time for central venous catheter after the fifth catheter day but increased significantly over time after the seventh day for arterial catheters. Randomized studies are needed to investigate the impact of scheduled arterial catheter replacement.

Hemolysis and Plasma Free Hemoglobin During Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation Support: From Clinical Implications to Laboratory Details.

Venovenous and venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) are lifesaving supports that are more and more frequently used in critically ill patients. Despite of major technological improvements observed during the last 20 years, ECMO-associated hemolysis is still a complication that may arise during such therapy. Hemolysis severity, directly appreciated by plasma free hemoglobin concentration, may be present with various intensity, from a nonalarming and tolerable hemolysis to a highly toxic one. Here, we propose a review dedicated to extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO)-associated hemolysis, with a particular emphasis on pathophysiology, prevalence, and clinical consequences of such complication. We also focus on laboratory assessment of hemolysis and on the limits that have to be known by clinicians to prevent and manage hemolytic events.

Predicting the risk of documented ventilator-associated pneumonia for benchmarking: construction and validation of a score.

OBJECTIVES: : To build and validate a ventilator-associated pneumonia risk score for benchmarking. The rate of ventilator-associated pneumonia varies widely with case-mix, a fact that has limited its use for measuring intensive care unit performance. METHODS: : We studied 1856 patients in the OUTCOMEREA database treated at intensive care unit admission by endotracheal intubation followed by mechanical ventilation for >48 hrs; they were allocated randomly to a training data set (n = 1233) or a validation data set (n = 623). Multivariate logistic regression was used. Calibration of the final model was assessed in both data sets, using the Hosmer-Lemeshow chi-square test and receiver operating characteristic curves. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: : Independent risk factors for ventilator-associated pneumonia were male gender (odds ratio = 1.97, 95% confidence interval = 1.32-2.95); SOFA at intensive care unit admission (<3 [reference value], 3-4 [2.57, 1.39-4.77], 5-8 [7.37, 4.24-12.81], >8 [5.81 (3.2-10.52)], no use within 48 hrs after intensive care unit admission of parenteral nutrition (2.29, 1.52-3.45), no broad-spectrum antimicrobials (2.11, 1.46-3.06); and mechanical ventilation duration (<5 days (); 5-7 days (17.55, 4.01-76.85); 7-15 days (53.01, 12.74-220.56); >15 days (225.6, 54.3-936.7). Tests in the training set showed good calibration and good discrimination (area under the curve-receiver operating characteristic curve = 0.881), and both criteria remained good in the validation set (area under the curve-receiver operating characteristic curve = 0.848) and good calibration (Hosmer-Lemeshow chi-square = 9.98, p = .5). Observed ventilator-associated pneumonia rates varied across intensive care units from 9.7 to 26.1 of 1000 mechanical ventilation days but the ratio of observed over theoretical ventilator-associated pneumonia rates was >1 in only two intensive care units. CONCLUSIONS: : The ventilator-associated pneumonia rate may be useful for benchmarking provided the ratio of observed over theoretical rates is used. External validation of our prediction score is needed.

Chlorhexidine-impregnated sponges and less frequent dressing changes for prevention of catheter-related infections in critically ill adults: a randomized controlled trial.

CONTEXT: Use of a chlorhexidine gluconate-impregnated sponge (CHGIS) in intravascular catheter dressings may reduce catheter-related infections (CRIs). Changing catheter dressings every 3 days may be more frequent than necessary. OBJECTIVE: To assess superiority of CHGIS dressings regarding the rate of major CRIs (clinical sepsis with or without bloodstream infection) and noninferiority (less than 3% colonization-rate increase) of 7-day vs 3-day dressing changes. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PATIENTS: Assessor-blind, 2 x 2 factorial, randomized controlled trial conducted from December 2006 through June 2008 and recruiting patients from 7 intensive care units in 3 university and 2 general hospitals in France. Patients were adults (>18 years) expected to require an arterial catheter, central-vein catheter, or both inserted for 48 hours or longer. INTERVENTIONS: Use of CHGIS vs standard dressings (controls). Scheduled change of unsoiled adherent dressings every 3 vs every 7 days, with immediate change of any soiled or leaking dressings. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Major CRIs for comparison of CHGIS vs control dressings; colonization rate for comparison of 3- vs 7-day dressing changes. RESULTS: Of 2095 eligible patients, 1636 (3778 catheters, 28,931 catheter-days) could be evaluated. The median duration of catheter insertion was 6 (interquartile range [IQR], 4-10) days. There was no interaction between the interventions. Use of CHGIS dressings decreased the rates of major CRIs (10/1953 [0.5%], 0.6 per 1000 catheter-days vs 19/1825 [1.1%], 1.4 per 1000 catheter-days; hazard ratio [HR], 0.39 [95% confidence interval {CI}, 0.17-0.93]; P = .03) and catheter-related bloodstream infections (6/1953 catheters, 0.40 per 1000 catheter-days vs 17/1825 catheters, 1.3 per 1000 catheter-days; HR, 0.24 [95% CI, 0.09-0.65]). Use of CHGIS dressings was not associated with greater resistance of bacteria in skin samples at catheter removal. Severe CHGIS-associated contact dermatitis occurred in 8 patients (5.3 per 1000 catheters). Use of CHGIS dressings prevented 1 major CRI per 117 catheters. Catheter colonization rates were 142 of 1657 catheters (7.8%) in the 3-day group (10.4 per 1000 catheter-days) and 168 of 1828 catheters (8.6%) in the 7-day group (11.0 per 1000 catheter-days), a mean absolute difference of 0.8% (95% CI, -1.78% to 2.15%) (HR, 0.99; 95% CI, 0.77-1.28), indicating noninferiority of 7-day changes. The median number of dressing changes per catheter was 4 (IQR, 3-6) in the 3-day group and 3 (IQR, 2-5) in the 7-day group (P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: Use of CHGIS dressings with intravascular catheters in the intensive care unit reduced risk of infection even when background infection rates were low. Reducing the frequency of changing unsoiled adherent dressings from every 3 days to every 7 days modestly reduces the total number of dressing changes and appears safe. TRIAL REGISTRATION: clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT00417235.

An underrecognized source of organ donors: patients with brain death after successfully resuscitated cardiac arrest.

OBJECTIVE: To identify predictors of brain death after successful resuscitation of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA), with the goal of improving the detection of brain death, and to evaluate outcomes of solid organs harvested from these patients. DESIGN AND SETTING: Prospective observational cohort study in a medical and surgical unit of a nonuniversity hospital. PATIENTS: Patients with successfully resuscitated OHCA were prospectively included in a database over a 7-year period. We looked for early predictors of brain death and compared outcomes of organ transplants from these patients to those from patients with brain death due to head injury or stroke. RESULTS: Over the 7-year period 246 patients were included. No early predictors of brain death were found. Of the 40 patients (16%) who met criteria for brain death, after a median ICU stay of 2.5 days (IQR 2.0-4.2), 19 donated 52 solid organs (29 kidneys, 14 livers, 7 hearts, and 2 lungs). Outcomes of kidneys and livers did not differ between donors with and without resuscitated cardiac arrest. CONCLUSIONS: Brain death may occur in about one-sixth of patients after successfully resuscitated OHCA, creating opportunities for organ donation.

Increased plasma levels of soluble triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells 1 and procalcitonin after cardiac surgery and cardiac arrest without infection.

Soluble triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells 1 (sTREM-1) and procalcitonin (PCT) are often considered to be specific markers for infection. We evaluated plasma levels of sTREM-1 and PCT in patients with systemic inflammatory response syndrome but no sepsis. Noninfected patients undergoing elective heart surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass (n = 76) and patients admitted after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (n = 54) were followed up for 3 days. Patients with severe sepsis (n = 55) and healthy volunteers (n = 31) were included as positive and negative controls, respectively. Plasma levels of PCT were higher in sepsis patients than in patients who survived after cardiac arrest or after heart surgery. In contrast, peak plasma levels of sTREM-1 in heart surgery and in cardiac arrest patients overlapped with those measured in patients with sepsis. Both sTREM-1 and PCT were significantly higher in cardiac arrest patients who died of refractory shock than in those who died of neurological failure or survived without major neurological damage. In the cardiac arrest patients with refractory shock, sTREM-1 and PCT levels were similar to those in the patients with severe sepsis. In conclusion, sTREM-1 and PCT are not specific for infection and can increase markedly in acute inflammation without infection.

Coagulopathy after successful cardiopulmonary resuscitation following cardiac arrest: implication of the protein C anticoagulant pathway.

OBJECTIVES: We investigated coagulation abnormalities in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) patients, with special attention to the protein C anticoagulant pathway. BACKGROUND: Successfully resuscitated cardiac arrest is followed by a systemic inflammatory response and by activation of coagulation, both of which may contribute to organ failure and neurological dysfunction. METHODS: Coagulation parameters were measured in all patients admitted after successfully resuscitated OHCA. RESULTS: At admission, 67 patients had a systemic inflammatory response with increased interleukin-6 and coagulation activity (thrombin-antithrombin complex), reduced anticoagulation (antithrombin, protein C, and protein S), activated fibrinolysis (plasmin-antiplasmin complex), and, in some cases, inhibited fibrinolysis (increased plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 with a peak on day 1). These abnormalities were more severe in patients who died within two days (50 of 67, 75%) and were most severe in patients dying from early refractory shock. Protein C and S levels were low compared to healthy volunteers and discriminated OHCA survivors from nonsurvivors. Furthermore, a subgroup of patients had a transient increase in plasma-activated protein C at admission followed by undetectable levels. This, along with an increase in soluble thrombomodulin over time, suggests secondary endothelial injury and dysfunction of the protein C anticoagulant pathway similar to that observed in severe sepsis. CONCLUSIONS: Major coagulation abnormalities were found after successful resuscitation of cardiac arrest. These abnormalities are consistent with secondary down-regulation of the thrombomodulin-endothelial protein C receptor pathway.

Comparison of alcoholic chlorhexidine and povidone-iodine cutaneous antiseptics for the prevention of central venous catheter-related infection: a cohort and quasi-experimental multicenter study.

PURPOSE: Compare the effectiveness of different cutaneous antiseptics in reducing risk of catheter-related infection in intensive care unit (ICU) patients. METHODS: We compared the risk of central venous catheter-related infection according to four-step (scrub, rinse, dry, and disinfect) alcoholic 5 % povidone-iodine (PVI-a, n = 1521), one-step (disinfect) alcoholic 2 % chlorhexidine (2 % CHX-a, n = 1116), four-step alcoholic <1 % chlorhexidine (<1 % CHX-a, n = 357), and four-step aqueous 10 % povidone-iodine (PVI, n = 368) antiseptics used for cutaneous disinfection and catheter care during the 3SITES multicenter randomized controlled trial. Within this cohort, we performed a quasi-experimental study (i.e., before-after) involving the four ICUs which switched from PVI-a to 2 % CHX-a. We used propensity score matching (PSM, n = 776) and inverse probability weighting treatment (IPWT, n = 1592). The end point was the incidence of catheter-related infection (CRI) defined as catheter-related bloodstream infection (CRBSI) or a positive catheter tip culture plus clinical sepsis on catheter removal. RESULTS: In the cohort analysis and compared with PVI-a, the incidence of CRI was lower with 2 % CHX-a [adjusted hazard ratio (aHR), 0.51; 95 % confidence interval (CI) (0.28-0.96), p = 0.037] and similar with <1 % CHX-a [aHR, 0.73; (0.36-1.48), p = 0.37] and PVI [aHR, 1.50; 95 % CI (0.85-2.64), p = 0.16] after controlling for potential confounders. In the quasi-experimental study and compared with PVI-a, the incidence of catheter-related infection was again lower with 2 % CHX-a after PSM [HR, 0.35; 95 % CI (0.15, 0.84), p = 0.02] and in the IPWT analysis [HR, 0.31; 95 % CI (0.14, 0.70), p = 0.005]. The incidence of CRBSI or adverse event was not significantly different between antiseptics in all analyses. CONCLUSIONS: In comparison with PVI-a, the use of 2 % CHX-a for cutaneous disinfection of the central venous catheter insertion site and maintenance catheter care was associated with a reduced risk of catheter infection, while the benefit of <1 % CHX-a was uncertain. CLINICAL TRIALS IDENTIFIER: NCT01479153.

Epidemiology and economic evaluation of severe sepsis in France: age, severity, infection site, and place of acquisition (community, hospital, or intensive care unit) as determinants of workload and cost.

PURPOSE: Severe sepsis is a leading cause of death in critically ill patients. We evaluated cost and workload according to infection site, place and time of acquisition, and severity. MATERIAL AND METHOD: We used a prospective 3-year database from 6 intensive care units (ICUs) including 1698 patients. RESULTS: Of the 1698 patients, 713 (42%) had severe sepsis at admission and 339 during the ICU stay (211 had both). Mortality was twice as high in patients with than those without ICU-acquired infection, independent of the presence of severe sepsis at admission. The mean (SD; median) cost of severe sepsis was 22 800 (21 400 ; 15 800 ). Among patients with severe sepsis at admission, workload and cost were higher for pneumonia, peritonitis, and multiple-site infections and for hospital-acquired (17,400 [14,700; 17,400]) vs community-acquired infection (12,600 [12,100 ; 8900 ]). Intensive care unit-acquired severe sepsis was associated with greater than 3-fold increases in workload and costs. By multiple linear regression, older age, emergency surgery, septic shock, Acute Physiological and Chronic Health Evaluation II score, and hospital or ICU-acquired severe sepsis were independently associated with higher costs. CONCLUSIONS: The wide variations in cost and workload invite efforts to identify patient subgroups most likely to benefit from high-cost treatments and from prevention, particularly targeting severe nosocomial infections.