Early Restrictive or Liberal Fluid Management for Sepsis-Induced Hypotension.

BACKGROUND: Intravenous fluids and vasopressor agents are commonly used in early resuscitation of patients with sepsis, but comparative data for prioritizing their delivery are limited. METHODS: In an unblinded superiority trial conducted at 60 U.S. centers, we randomly assigned patients to either a restrictive fluid strategy (prioritizing vasopressors and lower intravenous fluid volumes) or a liberal fluid strategy (prioritizing higher volumes of intravenous fluids before vasopressor use) for a 24-hour period. Randomization occurred within 4 hours after a patient met the criteria for sepsis-induced hypotension refractory to initial treatment with 1 to 3 liters of intravenous fluid. We hypothesized that all-cause mortality before discharge home by day 90 (primary outcome) would be lower with a restrictive fluid strategy than with a liberal fluid strategy. Safety was also assessed. RESULTS: A total of 1563 patients were enrolled, with 782 assigned to the restrictive fluid group and 781 to the liberal fluid group. Resuscitation therapies that were administered during the 24-hour protocol period differed between the two groups; less intravenous fluid was administered in the restrictive fluid group than in the liberal fluid group (difference of medians, -2134 ml; 95% confidence interval [CI], -2318 to -1949), whereas the restrictive fluid group had earlier, more prevalent, and longer duration of vasopressor use. Death from any cause before discharge home by day 90 occurred in 109 patients (14.0%) in the restrictive fluid group and in 116 patients (14.9%) in the liberal fluid group (estimated difference, -0.9 percentage points; 95% CI, -4.4 to 2.6; P = 0.61); 5 patients in the restrictive fluid group and 4 patients in the liberal fluid group had their data censored (lost to follow-up). The number of reported serious adverse events was similar in the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: Among patients with sepsis-induced hypotension, the restrictive fluid strategy that was used in this trial did not result in significantly lower (or higher) mortality before discharge home by day 90 than the liberal fluid strategy. (Funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute; CLOVERS ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT03434028.).

An Update on Management of Adult Patients with Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome: An Official American Thoracic Society Clinical Practice Guideline.

Background: This document updates previously published Clinical Practice Guidelines for the management of patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), incorporating new evidence addressing the use of corticosteroids, venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, neuromuscular blocking agents, and positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP). Methods: We summarized evidence addressing four "PICO questions" (patient, intervention, comparison, and outcome). A multidisciplinary panel with expertise in ARDS used the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation framework to develop clinical recommendations. Results: We suggest the use of: 1) corticosteroids for patients with ARDS (conditional recommendation, moderate certainty of evidence), 2) venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation in selected patients with severe ARDS (conditional recommendation, low certainty of evidence), 3) neuromuscular blockers in patients with early severe ARDS (conditional recommendation, low certainty of evidence), and 4) higher PEEP without lung recruitment maneuvers as opposed to lower PEEP in patients with moderate to severe ARDS (conditional recommendation, low to moderate certainty), and 5) we recommend against using prolonged lung recruitment maneuvers in patients with moderate to severe ARDS (strong recommendation, moderate certainty). Conclusions: We provide updated evidence-based recommendations for the management of ARDS. Individual patient and illness characteristics should be factored into clinical decision making and implementation of these recommendations while additional evidence is generated from much-needed clinical trials.

Acetaminophen for Prevention and Treatment of Organ Dysfunction in Critically Ill Patients With Sepsis: The ASTER Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: Acetaminophen (paracetamol) has many pharmacological effects that might be beneficial in sepsis, including inhibition of cell-free hemoglobin-induced oxidation of lipids and other substrates. Objective: To determine whether acetaminophen increases days alive and free of organ dysfunction in sepsis compared with placebo. Design, Setting, and Participants: Phase 2b randomized, double-blind, clinical trial conducted from October 2021 to April 2023 with 90-day follow-up. Adults with sepsis and respiratory or circulatory organ dysfunction were enrolled in the emergency department or intensive care unit of 40 US academic hospitals within 36 hours of presentation. Intervention: Patients were randomized to 1 g of acetaminophen intravenously every 6 hours or placebo for 5 days. Main Outcome and Measures: The primary end point was days alive and free of organ support (mechanical ventilation, vasopressors, and kidney replacement therapy) to day 28. Treatment effect modification was evaluated for acetaminophen by prerandomization plasma cell-free hemoglobin level higher than 10 mg/dL. Results: Of 447 patients enrolled (mean age, 64 [SD, 15] years, 51% female, mean Sequential Organ Failure Assessment [SOFA] score, 5.4 [SD, 2.5]), 227 were randomized to acetaminophen and 220 to placebo. Acetaminophen was safe with no difference in liver enzymes, hypotension, or fluid balance between treatment arms. Days alive and free of organ support to day 28 were not meaningfully different for acetaminophen (20.2 days; 95% CI, 18.8 to 21.6) vs placebo (19.6 days; 95% CI, 18.2 to 21.0; P = .56; difference, 0.6; 95% CI, -1.4 to 2.6). Among 15 secondary outcomes, total, respiratory, and coagulation SOFA scores were significantly lower on days 2 through 4 in the acetaminophen arm as was the rate of development of acute respiratory distress syndrome within 7 days (2.2% vs 8.5% acetaminophen vs placebo; P = .01; difference, -6.3; 95% CI, -10.8 to -1.8). There was no significant interaction between cell-free hemoglobin levels and acetaminophen. Conclusions and Relevance: Intravenous acetaminophen was safe but did not significantly improve days alive and free of organ support in critically ill sepsis patients. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04291508.

Early High-Dose Vitamin D3 for Critically Ill, Vitamin D-Deficient Patients.

BACKGROUND: Vitamin D deficiency is a common, potentially reversible contributor to morbidity and mortality among critically ill patients. The potential benefits of vitamin D supplementation in acute critical illness require further study. METHODS: We conducted a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 3 trial of early vitamin D3 supplementation in critically ill, vitamin D-deficient patients who were at high risk for death. Randomization occurred within 12 hours after the decision to admit the patient to an intensive care unit. Eligible patients received a single enteral dose of 540,000 IU of vitamin D3 or matched placebo. The primary end point was 90-day all-cause, all-location mortality. RESULTS: A total of 1360 patients were found to be vitamin D-deficient during point-of-care screening and underwent randomization. Of these patients, 1078 had baseline vitamin D deficiency (25-hydroxyvitamin D level, <20 ng per milliliter [50 nmol per liter]) confirmed by subsequent testing and were included in the primary analysis population. The mean day 3 level of 25-hydroxyvitamin D was 46.9±23.2 ng per milliliter (117±58 nmol per liter) in the vitamin D group and 11.4±5.6 ng per milliliter (28±14 nmol per liter) in the placebo group (difference, 35.5 ng per milliliter; 95% confidence interval [CI], 31.5 to 39.6). The 90-day mortality was 23.5% in the vitamin D group (125 of 531 patients) and 20.6% in the placebo group (109 of 528 patients) (difference, 2.9 percentage points; 95% CI, -2.1 to 7.9; P = 0.26). There were no clinically important differences between the groups with respect to secondary clinical, physiological, or safety end points. The severity of vitamin D deficiency at baseline did not affect the association between the treatment assignment and mortality. CONCLUSIONS: Early administration of high-dose enteral vitamin D3 did not provide an advantage over placebo with respect to 90-day mortality or other, nonfatal outcomes among critically ill, vitamin D-deficient patients. (Funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute; VIOLET ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT03096314.).

Early Neuromuscular Blockade in the Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome.

BACKGROUND: The benefits of early continuous neuromuscular blockade in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) who are receiving mechanical ventilation remain unclear. METHODS: We randomly assigned patients with moderate-to-severe ARDS (defined by a ratio of the partial pressure of arterial oxygen to the fraction of inspired oxygen of <150 mm Hg with a positive end-expiratory pressure [PEEP] of ≥8 cm of water) to a 48-hour continuous infusion of cisatracurium with concomitant deep sedation (intervention group) or to a usual-care approach without routine neuromuscular blockade and with lighter sedation targets (control group). The same mechanical-ventilation strategies were used in both groups, including a strategy involving a high PEEP. The primary end point was in-hospital death from any cause at 90 days. RESULTS: The trial was stopped at the second interim analysis for futility. We enrolled 1006 patients early after the onset of moderate-to-severe ARDS (median, 7.6 hours after onset). During the first 48 hours after randomization, 488 of the 501 patients (97.4%) in the intervention group started a continuous infusion of cisatracurium (median duration of infusion, 47.8 hours; median dose, 1807 mg), and 86 of the 505 patients (17.0%) in the control group received a neuromuscular blocking agent (median dose, 38 mg). At 90 days, 213 patients (42.5%) in the intervention group and 216 (42.8%) in the control group had died before hospital discharge (between-group difference, -0.3 percentage points; 95% confidence interval, -6.4 to 5.9; P = 0.93). While in the hospital, patients in the intervention group were less physically active and had more adverse cardiovascular events than patients in the control group. There were no consistent between-group differences in end points assessed at 3, 6, and 12 months. CONCLUSIONS: Among patients with moderate-to-severe ARDS who were treated with a strategy involving a high PEEP, there was no significant difference in mortality at 90 days between patients who received an early and continuous cisatracurium infusion and those who were treated with a usual-care approach with lighter sedation targets. (Funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute; ROSE ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT02509078.).

Oxygen Toxicity in Critically Ill Adults.

Oxygen supplementation is one of the most common interventions in critically ill patients. Despite over a century of data suggesting both beneficial and detrimental effects of supplemental oxygen, optimal arterial oxygenation targets in adult patients remain unclear. Laboratory animal studies have consistently showed that exposure to a high FiO2 causes respiratory failure and early death. Human autopsy studies from the 1960s purported to provide histologic evidence of pulmonary oxygen toxicity in the form of diffuse alveolar damage. However, concomitant ventilator-induced lung injury and/or other causes of acute lung injury may explain these findings. Although some observational studies in general populations of critically adults showed higher mortality in association with higher oxygen exposures, this finding has not been consistent. For some specific populations, such as those with cardiac arrest, studies have suggested harm from targeting supraphysiologic PaO2 levels. More recently, randomized clinical trials of arterial oxygenation targets in narrower physiologic ranges were conducted in critically ill adult patients. Although two smaller trials came to opposite conclusions, the two largest of these trials showed no differences in clinical outcomes in study groups that received conservative versus liberal oxygen targets, suggesting that either strategy is reasonable. It is possible that some strategies are of benefit in some subpopulations, and this remains an important ongoing area of research. Because of the ubiquity of oxygen supplementation in critically ill adults, even small treatment effects could have a large impact on a global scale.

Effect of Lowering Vt on Mortality in Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome Varies with Respiratory System Elastance.

Rationale: If the risk of ventilator-induced lung injury in acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is causally determined by driving pressure rather than by Vt, then the effect of ventilation with lower Vt on mortality would be predicted to vary according to respiratory system elastance (Ers). Objectives: To determine whether the mortality benefit of ventilation with lower Vt varies according to Ers. Methods: In a secondary analysis of patients from five randomized trials of lower- versus higher-Vt ventilation strategies in ARDS and acute hypoxemic respiratory failure, the posterior probability of an interaction between the randomized Vt strategy and Ers on 60-day mortality was computed using Bayesian multivariable logistic regression. Measurements and Main Results: Of 1,096 patients available for analysis, 416 (38%) died by Day 60. The posterior probability that the mortality benefit from lower-Vt ventilation strategies varied with Ers was 93% (posterior median interaction odds ratio, 0.80 per cm H2O/[ml/kg]; 90% credible interval, 0.63-1.02). Ers was classified as low (<2 cm H2O/[ml/kg], n = 321, 32%), intermediate (2-3 cm H2O/[ml/kg], n = 475, 46%), and high (>3 cm H2O/[ml/kg], n = 224, 22%). In these groups, the posterior probabilities of an absolute risk reduction in mortality ≥ 1% were 55%, 82%, and 92%, respectively. The posterior probabilities of an absolute risk reduction ≥ 5% were 29%, 58%, and 82%, respectively. Conclusions: The mortality benefit of ventilation with lower Vt in ARDS varies according to elastance, suggesting that lung-protective ventilation strategies should primarily target driving pressure rather than Vt.

Identifying Clinical Research Priorities in Adult Pulmonary and Critical Care. NHLBI Working Group Report.

Preventing, treating, and promoting recovery from critical illness due to pulmonary disease are foundational goals of the critical care community and the NHLBI. Decades of clinical research in acute respiratory distress syndrome, acute respiratory failure, pneumonia, and sepsis have yielded improvements in supportive care, which have translated into improved patient outcomes. Novel therapeutics have largely failed to translate from promising preclinical findings into improved patient outcomes in late-phase clinical trials. Recent advances in personalized medicine, "big data," causal inference using observational data, novel clinical trial designs, preclinical disease modeling, and understanding of recovery from acute illness promise to transform the methods of pulmonary and critical care clinical research. To assess the current state of, research priorities for, and future directions in adult pulmonary and critical care research, the NHLBI assembled a multidisciplinary working group of investigators. This working group identified recommendations for future research, including 1) focusing on understanding the clinical, physiological, and biological underpinnings of heterogeneity in syndromes, diseases, and treatment response with the goal of developing targeted, personalized interventions; 2) optimizing preclinical models by incorporating comorbidities, cointerventions, and organ support; 3) developing and applying novel clinical trial designs; and 4) advancing mechanistic understanding of injury and recovery to develop and test interventions targeted at achieving long-term improvements in the lives of patients and families. Specific areas of research are highlighted as especially promising for making advances in pneumonia, acute hypoxemic respiratory failure, and acute respiratory distress syndrome.

Premature, Opportune, and Delayed Weaning in Mechanically Ventilated Patients: A Call for Implementation of Weaning Protocols in Low- and Middle-Income Countries.

OBJECTIVES: Weaning protocols establish readiness-to-wean criteria to determine the opportune moment to conduct a spontaneous breathing trial. Weaning protocols have not been widely adopted or evaluated in ICUs in low- and middle-income countries. We sought to compare clinical outcomes between participants whose weaning trials were retrospectively determined to have been premature, opportune, or delayed based on when they met readiness-to-wean criteria. DESIGN: Prospective, multicenter observational study. SETTING: Five medical ICUs in four public hospitals in Lima, Perú. SUBJECTS: Adults with acute respiratory failure and at least 24 hours of invasive mechanical ventilation (n = 1,657). INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: We established six readiness-to-wean criteria and retrospectively categorized our sample into three weaning groups: 1) premature: if the weaning trial took place before fulfilling all criteria, 2) opportune: if the weaning trial took place within 24 hours after fulfilling the criteria, and 3) delayed: if the weaning trial took place over 24 hours after fulfilling criteria. We compared 90-day mortality, ventilator-free days, ICU-free days, and hospital-free days between premature, opportune, and delayed weaning groups. In our sample, 761 participants (60.8%) were classified as having a premature weaning trial, 196 underwent opportune weaning (15.7%), and 295 experienced delayed weaning (23.6%). There was no significant difference in 90-day mortality between the groups. Both the premature and delayed weaning groups had poorer clinical outcomes with fewer ventilator-free days (-2.18, p = 0.008) and (-3.49, p < 0.001), ICU-free days (-2.25, p = 0.001) and (-3.72, p < 0.001), and hospital-free days (-2.76, p = 0.044) and (-4.53, p = 0.004), respectively, compared with the opportune weaning group. CONCLUSIONS: Better clinical outcomes occur with opportune weaning compared with premature and delayed weaning. If readiness-to-wean criteria can be applied in resource-limited settings, it may improve ICU outcomes associated with opportune weaning.

Mean Airway Pressure As a Predictor of 90-Day Mortality in Mechanically Ventilated Patients.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the association between mean airway pressure and 90-day mortality in patients with acute respiratory failure requiring mechanical ventilation and to compare the predictive ability of mean airway pressure compared with inspiratory plateau pressure and driving pressure. DESIGN: Prospective observational cohort. SETTING: Five ICUs in Lima, Peru. SUBJECTS: Adults requiring invasive mechanical ventilation via endotracheal tube for acute respiratory failure. INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Of potentially eligible participants (n = 1,500), 65 (4%) were missing baseline mean airway pressure, while 352 (23.5%) were missing baseline plateau pressure and driving pressure. Ultimately, 1,429 participants were included in the analysis with an average age of 59 ± 19 years, 45% female, and a mean PaO2/FIO2 ratio of 248 ± 147 mm Hg at baseline. Overall, 90-day mortality was 50.4%. Median baseline mean airway pressure was 13 cm H2O (interquartile range, 10-16 cm H2O) in participants who died compared to a median mean airway pressure of 12 cm H2O (interquartile range, 10-14 cm H2O) in participants who survived greater than 90 days (p < 0.001). Mean airway pressure was independently associated with 90-day mortality (odds ratio, 1.38 for difference comparing the 75th to the 25th percentile for mean airway pressure; 95% CI, 1.10-1.74) after adjusting for age, sex, baseline Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation III, baseline PaO2/FIO2 (modeled with restricted cubic spline), baseline positive end-expiratory pressure, baseline tidal volume, and hospital site. In predicting 90-day mortality, baseline mean airway pressure demonstrated similar discriminative ability (adjusted area under the curve = 0.69) and calibration characteristics as baseline plateau pressure and driving pressure. CONCLUSIONS: In a multicenter prospective cohort, baseline mean airway pressure was independently associated with 90-day mortality in mechanically ventilated participants and predicts mortality similarly to plateau pressure and driving pressure. Because mean airway pressure is readily available on all mechanically ventilated patients and all ventilator modes, it is a potentially more useful predictor of mortality in acute respiratory failure.

Effect of Hydroxychloroquine on Clinical Status at 14 Days in Hospitalized Patients With COVID-19: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: Data on the efficacy of hydroxychloroquine for the treatment of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) are needed. Objective: To determine whether hydroxychloroquine is an efficacious treatment for adults hospitalized with COVID-19. Design, Setting, and Participants: This was a multicenter, blinded, placebo-controlled randomized trial conducted at 34 hospitals in the US. Adults hospitalized with respiratory symptoms from severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection were enrolled between April 2 and June 19, 2020, with the last outcome assessment on July 17, 2020. The planned sample size was 510 patients, with interim analyses planned after every 102 patients were enrolled. The trial was stopped at the fourth interim analysis for futility with a sample size of 479 patients. Interventions: Patients were randomly assigned to hydroxychloroquine (400 mg twice daily for 2 doses, then 200 mg twice daily for 8 doses) (n = 242) or placebo (n = 237). Main Outcomes and Measures: The primary outcome was clinical status 14 days after randomization as assessed with a 7-category ordinal scale ranging from 1 (death) to 7 (discharged from the hospital and able to perform normal activities). The primary outcome was analyzed with a multivariable proportional odds model, with an adjusted odds ratio (aOR) greater than 1.0 indicating more favorable outcomes with hydroxychloroquine than placebo. The trial included 12 secondary outcomes, including 28-day mortality. Results: Among 479 patients who were randomized (median age, 57 years; 44.3% female; 37.2% Hispanic/Latinx; 23.4% Black; 20.1% in the intensive care unit; 46.8% receiving supplemental oxygen without positive pressure; 11.5% receiving noninvasive ventilation or nasal high-flow oxygen; and 6.7% receiving invasive mechanical ventilation or extracorporeal membrane oxygenation), 433 (90.4%) completed the primary outcome assessment at 14 days and the remainder had clinical status imputed. The median duration of symptoms prior to randomization was 5 days (interquartile range [IQR], 3 to 7 days). Clinical status on the ordinal outcome scale at 14 days did not significantly differ between the hydroxychloroquine and placebo groups (median [IQR] score, 6 [4-7] vs 6 [4-7]; aOR, 1.02 [95% CI, 0.73 to 1.42]). None of the 12 secondary outcomes were significantly different between groups. At 28 days after randomization, 25 of 241 patients (10.4%) in the hydroxychloroquine group and 25 of 236 (10.6%) in the placebo group had died (absolute difference, -0.2% [95% CI, -5.7% to 5.3%]; aOR, 1.07 [95% CI, 0.54 to 2.09]). Conclusions and Relevance: Among adults hospitalized with respiratory illness from COVID-19, treatment with hydroxychloroquine, compared with placebo, did not significantly improve clinical status at day 14. These findings do not support the use of hydroxychloroquine for treatment of COVID-19 among hospitalized adults. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT04332991.

Effect of Documenting Prognosis on the Information Provided to ICU Proxies: A Randomized Trial.

OBJECTIVES: The Critical Care Choosing Wisely Task Force recommends that intensivists offer patients at high risk for death or severe functional impairment the option of pursuing care focused on comfort. We tested the a priori hypothesis that intensivists who are prompted to document patient prognosis are more likely to disclose prognosis and offer comfort-focused care. DESIGN: Randomized controlled trial (clinicaltrials.gov: NCT02721810). SETTING: High-fidelity Simulation Center in Baltimore, MD. PARTICIPANTS: One hundred sixteen intensivists from 17 states. INTERVENTION: All intensivists reviewed a paper-based medical record for a hypothetical patient on ICU day 3 and answered four survey questions about the patient's medical management. Intensivists randomized to the intervention group answered three additional questions about patient prognosis. Thereafter, each intensivist participated in a standardized, video-recorded, simulated family meeting with an actor performing a standardized portrayal of the patient's daughter. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Two blinded intensivists reviewed deidentified written transcripts of all simulated family meetings. The primary outcome was the blinded reviewers' assessment that the intensivist had presented the option of care focused entirely on comfort. Secondary outcomes included disclosing risk of death. All outcomes were planned prior to data collection. Among the 63 intensivists randomized to the intervention, 50 (79%) expected the patient to die during the hospitalization and 58 (92%) expected the patient to have new functional impairments preventing independent living. Intensivists in the intervention versus control group were no more likely to offer the option of care focused on comfort (13% vs 13%; 95% CI, -13% to 12%; p = 1.0) but were more likely to inform the daughter that her father was sick enough to die (68% vs 43%; 95% CI, 5-44%; p = 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Documenting prognosis may help intensivists disclose prognosis to ICU proxies, but in isolation, it is unlikely to change the treatment options offered during initial family meetings.

Association between hospital mortality and inspiratory airway pressures in mechanically ventilated patients without acute respiratory distress syndrome: a prospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Higher inspiratory airway pressures are associated with worse outcomes in mechanically ventilated patients with the acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). This relationship, however, has not been well investigated in patients without ARDS. We hypothesized that higher driving pressures (ΔP) and plateau pressures (Pplat) are associated with worse patient-centered outcomes in mechanically ventilated patients without ARDS as well as those with ARDS. METHODS: Using data collected during a prospective, observational cohort study of 6179 critically ill participants enrolled in 59 ICUs across the USA, we used multivariable logistic regression to determine whether ΔP and Pplat at enrollment were associated with hospital mortality among 1132 mechanically ventilated participants. We stratified analyses by ARDS status. RESULTS: Participants without ARDS (n = 822) had lower average severity of illness scores and lower hospital mortality (27.3% vs. 38.7%; p <  0.001) than those with ARDS (n = 310). Average Pplat (20.6 vs. 23.9 cm H2O; p <  0.001), ΔP (14.3 vs. 16.0 cm H2O; p <  0.001), and positive end-expiratory pressure (6.3 vs. 7.9 cm H2O; p <  0.001) were lower in participants without ARDS, whereas average tidal volumes (7.2 vs. 6.8 mL/kg PBW; p <  0.001) were higher. Among those without ARDS, higher ΔP (adjusted OR = 1.36 per 7 cm H2O, 95% CI 1.14-1.62) and Pplat (adjusted OR = 1.42 per 8 cm H2O, 95% CI 1.17-1.73) were associated with higher mortality. We found similar relationships with mortality among those participants with ARDS. CONCLUSIONS: Higher ΔP and Pplat are associated with increased mortality for participants without ARDS. ΔP may be a viable target for lung-protective ventilation in all mechanically ventilated patients.

Sedation practices and clinical outcomes in mechanically ventilated patients in a prospective multicenter cohort.

OBJECTIVES: We sought to study the association between sedation status, medications (benzodiazepines, opioids, and antipsychotics), and clinical outcomes in a resource-limited setting. DESIGN: A longitudinal study of critically ill participants on mechanical ventilation. SETTING: Five intensive care units (ICUs) in four public hospitals in Lima, Peru. PATIENTS: One thousand six hundred fifty-seven critically ill participants were assessed daily for sedation status during 28 days and vital status by day 90. RESULTS: After excluding data of participants without a Richmond Agitation Sedation Scale score and without sedation, we followed 1338 (81%) participants longitudinally for 18,645 ICU days. Deep sedation was present in 98% of participants at some point of the study and in 12,942 ICU days. Deep sedation was associated with higher mortality (interquartile odds ratio (OR) = 5.42, 4.23-6.95; p < 0.001) and a significant decrease in ventilator (- 7.27; p < 0.001), ICU (- 4.38; p < 0.001), and hospital (- 7.00; p < 0.001) free days. Agitation was also associated with higher mortality (OR = 39.9, 6.53-243, p < 0.001). The most commonly used sedatives were opioids and benzodiazepines (9259 and 8453 patient days respectively), and the latter were associated with a 41% higher mortality in participants with a higher cumulative dose (75th vs 25th percentile, interquartile OR = 1.41, 1.12-1.77; p < 0.01). The overall cumulative dose of benzodiazepines and opioids was high, 774.5 mg and 16.8 g, respectively, by day 7 and by day 28; these doses approximately doubled. Haloperidol was only used in 3% of ICU days; however, the use of it was associated with a 70% lower mortality (interquartile OR = 0.3, 0.22-0.44, p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Deep sedation, agitation, and cumulative dose of benzodiazepines were all independently associated with higher 90-day mortality. Additionally, deep sedation was associated with less ventilator-, ICU-, and hospital-free days. In contrast, haloperidol was associated with lower mortality in our study.

Risk factors for the development of acute respiratory distress syndrome in mechanically ventilated adults in Peru: a multicenter observational study.

BACKGROUND: Clinical and epidemiological differences between acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) that presents at the initiation of mechanical ventilation [MV] (ARDS at MV onset) and that which develops during the course of MV (ARDS after MV onset) are not well understood. We conducted an observational study in five Peruvian ICUs to characterize differences between ARDS at MV onset and after MV onset and identify risk factors for the development of ARDS after MV onset. METHODS: We consecutively enrolled critically ill patients with acute respiratory failure requiring at least 24 h of mechanical ventilation and followed them prospectively during the first 28 days and compared baseline characteristics and clinical outcomes by ARDS status. RESULTS: We enrolled 1657 participants on MV (mean age 60.0 years, 55% males) of whom 334 (20.2%) had ARDS at MV onset and 180 (10.9%) developed ARDS after MV onset. Average tidal volume at the initiation of MV was 8.7 mL/kg of predicted body weight (PBW) for participants with ARDS at MV onset, 8.6 mL/kg PBW for those who developed ARDS after MV onset, and 8.5 mL/kg PBW for those who never developed ARDS (p = 0.23). Overall, 90-day mortality was 56% and 55% for ARDS after MV onset and ARDS at MV onset, respectively, as compared to 46% among those who never developed ARDS (p < 0.01). Adults with ARDS had a higher body mass index (BMI) than those without ARDS (27.3 vs 26.5 kg/m2, p < 0.01). Higher peak pressure (adjusted interquartile OR = 1.51, 95% CI 1.21-1.88), higher mean airway pressure (adjusted interquartile OR = 1.41, 95% CI 1.13-1.76), and higher positive end-expiratory pressure (adjusted interquartile OR = 1.29, 95% CI 1.10-1.50) at MV onset were associated with a higher odds of developing ARDS after MV onset. CONCLUSIONS: In this study of mechanically ventilated patients, 31% of study participants had ARDS at some point during their ICU stay. Optimal lung-protective ventilation was not used in a majority of patients. Patients with ARDS after MV onset had a similar 90-day mortality as those with ARDS at MV onset. Higher airway pressures at MV onset, higher PEEP, and higher BMI were associated with the development of ARDS after MV onset.

Driving pressure and survival in the acute respiratory distress syndrome.

BACKGROUND: Mechanical-ventilation strategies that use lower end-inspiratory (plateau) airway pressures, lower tidal volumes (VT), and higher positive end-expiratory pressures (PEEPs) can improve survival in patients with the acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), but the relative importance of each of these components is uncertain. Because respiratory-system compliance (CRS) is strongly related to the volume of aerated remaining functional lung during disease (termed functional lung size), we hypothesized that driving pressure (ΔP=VT/CRS), in which VT is intrinsically normalized to functional lung size (instead of predicted lung size in healthy persons), would be an index more strongly associated with survival than VT or PEEP in patients who are not actively breathing. METHODS: Using a statistical tool known as multilevel mediation analysis to analyze individual data from 3562 patients with ARDS enrolled in nine previously reported randomized trials, we examined ΔP as an independent variable associated with survival. In the mediation analysis, we estimated the isolated effects of changes in ΔP resulting from randomized ventilator settings while minimizing confounding due to the baseline severity of lung disease. RESULTS: Among ventilation variables, ΔP was most strongly associated with survival. A 1-SD increment in ΔP (approximately 7 cm of water) was associated with increased mortality (relative risk, 1.41; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.31 to 1.51; P<0.001), even in patients receiving "protective" plateau pressures and VT (relative risk, 1.36; 95% CI, 1.17 to 1.58; P<0.001). Individual changes in VT or PEEP after randomization were not independently associated with survival; they were associated only if they were among the changes that led to reductions in ΔP (mediation effects of ΔP, P=0.004 and P=0.001, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: We found that ΔP was the ventilation variable that best stratified risk. Decreases in ΔP owing to changes in ventilator settings were strongly associated with increased survival. (Funded by Fundação de Amparo e Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo and others.).

Oxygen Exposure Resulting in Arterial Oxygen Tensions Above the Protocol Goal Was Associated With Worse Clinical Outcomes in Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome.

OBJECTIVES: High fractions of inspired oxygen may augment lung damage to exacerbate lung injury in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome. Participants enrolled in Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome Network trials had a goal partial pressure of oxygen in arterial blood range of 55-80 mm Hg, yet the effect of oxygen exposure above this arterial oxygen tension range on clinical outcomes is unknown. We sought to determine if oxygen exposure that resulted in a partial pressure of oxygen in arterial blood above goal (> 80 mm Hg) was associated with worse outcomes in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome. DESIGN: Longitudinal analysis of data collected in these trials. SETTING: Ten clinical trials conducted at Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome Network hospitals between 1996 and 2013. SUBJECTS: Critically ill patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome. INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: We defined above goal oxygen exposure as the difference between the fraction of inspired oxygen and 0.5 whenever the fraction of inspired oxygen was above 0.5 and when the partial pressure of oxygen in arterial blood was above 80 mm Hg. We then summed above goal oxygen exposures in the first five days to calculate a cumulative above goal oxygen exposure. We determined the effect of a cumulative 5-day above goal oxygen exposure on mortality prior to discharge home at 90 days. Among 2,994 participants (mean age, 51.3 yr; 54% male) with a study-entry partial pressure of oxygen in arterial blood/fraction of inspired oxygen that met acute respiratory distress syndrome criteria, average cumulative above goal oxygen exposure was 0.24 fraction of inspired oxygen-days (interquartile range, 0-0.38). Participants with above goal oxygen exposure were more likely to die (adjusted interquartile range odds ratio, 1.20; 95% CI, 1.11-1.31) and have lower ventilator-free days (adjusted interquartile range mean difference of -0.83; 95% CI, -1.18 to -0.48) and lower hospital-free days (adjusted interquartile range mean difference of -1.38; 95% CI, -2.09 to -0.68). We observed a dose-response relationship between the cumulative above goal oxygen exposure and worsened clinical outcomes for participants with mild, moderate, or severe acute respiratory distress syndrome, suggesting that the observed relationship is not primarily influenced by severity of illness. CONCLUSIONS: Oxygen exposure resulting in arterial oxygen tensions above the protocol goal occurred frequently and was associated with worse clinical outcomes at all levels of acute respiratory distress syndrome severity.

Fifty Years of Research in ARDS. Setting Positive End-Expiratory Pressure in Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome.

Positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) has been used during mechanical ventilation since the first description of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). In the subsequent decades, many different strategies for optimally titrating PEEP have been proposed. Higher PEEP can improve arterial oxygenation, reduce tidal lung stress and strain, and promote more homogenous ventilation by preventing alveolar collapse at end expiration. However, PEEP may also cause circulatory depression and contribute to ventilator-induced lung injury through alveolar overdistention. The overall effect of PEEP is primarily related to the balance between the number of alveoli that are recruited to participate in ventilation and the amount of lung that is overdistended when PEEP is applied. Techniques to assess lung recruitment from PEEP may help to direct safer and more effective PEEP titration. Some PEEP titration strategies attempt to weigh beneficial effects on arterial oxygenation and on prevention of cyclic alveolar collapse with the harmful potential of overdistention. One method for PEEP titration is a PEEP/FiO2 table that prioritizes support for arterial oxygenation. Other methods set PEEP based on mechanical parameters, such as the plateau pressure, respiratory system compliance, or transpulmonary pressure. No single method of PEEP titration has been shown to improve clinical outcomes compared with other approaches of setting PEEP. Future trials should focus on identifying individuals who respond to higher PEEP with recruitment and on clinically important outcomes (e.g., mortality).

Fifty Years of Research in ARDS. Vt Selection in Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome.

Mechanical ventilation (MV) is critical in the management of many patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). However, MV can also cause ventilator-induced lung injury (VILI). The selection of an appropriate Vt is an essential part of a lung-protective MV strategy. Since the publication of a large randomized clinical trial demonstrating the benefit of lower Vts, the use of Vts of 6 ml/kg predicted body weight (based on sex and height) has been recommended in clinical practice guidelines. However, the predicted body weight approach is imperfect in patients with ARDS because the amount of aerated lung varies considerably due to differences in inflammation, consolidation, flooding, and atelectasis. Better approaches to setting Vt may include limits on end-inspiratory transpulmonary pressure, lung strain, and driving pressure. The limits of lowering Vt have not yet been established, and some patients may benefit from Vts that are lower than those in current use. However, lowering Vts may result in respiratory acidosis. Tactics to reduce respiratory acidosis include reductions in ventilation circuit dead space, increases in respiratory rate, higher positive end-expiratory pressures in patients who recruit lung in response to positive end-expiratory pressure, recruitment maneuvers, and prone positioning. Mechanical adjuncts such as extracorporeal carbon dioxide removal may be useful to normalize pH and carbon dioxide levels, but further studies will be necessary to demonstrate benefit with this technology.