Severe forms of influenza infections admitted in intensive care units: Analysis of mortality factors.

Background: The severe forms of influenza infection requiring intensive care unit (ICU) admission remain a medical challenge due to its high mortality. New H1N1 strains were hypothesized to increase mortality. The studies below represent a large series focusing on ICU-admitted influenza patients over the last decade with an emphasis on factors related to death. Methods: A retrospective study of patients admitted in ICU for influenza infection over the 2010-2019 period in Réunion Island (a French overseas territory) was conducted. Demographic data, underlying conditions, and therapeutic management were recorded. A univariate analysis was performed to assess factors related to ICU mortality. Results: Three hundred and fifty adult patients were analyzed. Overall mortality was 25.1%. Factors related to higher mortality were found to be patient age >65, cancer history, need for intubation, early intubation within 48 h after admission, invasive mechanical ventilation (MV), acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), vaso-support drugs, extracorporal oxygenation by membrane (ECMO), dialysis, bacterial coinfection, leucopenia, anemia, and thrombopenia. History of asthma and oseltamivir therapy were correlated with a lower mortality. H1N1 did not impact mortality. Conclusion: Patient's underlying conditions influence hospital admission and secondary ICU admission but were not found to impact ICU mortality except in patients age >65, history of cancer, and bacterial coinfections. Pulmonary involvement was often present, required MV, and often evolved toward ARDS. ICU mortality was strongly related to ARDS severity. We recommend rapid ICU admission of patients with influenza-related pneumonia, management of bacterial coinfection, and early administration of oseltamivir.

Admission into intensive care unit in preeclampsia: a four-year population-based study in Reunion Island.

INTRODUCTION: Preeclampsia is one of the leading causes of maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality. The objective of our study was to study risk factors and complications associated with severe preeclampsia requiring intensive care unit (ICU) admission. METHODS: Retrospective comparative study over a period from 1st of January 2015 to 1st of January 2019 in the University's maternity unit of South Reunion (Indian Ocean). Our sampling included all preeclamptic patients who delivered in the Southern part of the island. Patients admitted to intensive care unit (ICU) and those who remained in the maternity unit (controls) were reviewed. RESULTS: Out of 482 preeclampsia cases, 94 women (19.5%) needed a transfer in ICU, of which only 21 (4.3%) needed invasive intensive care. Mean length of stay was 2.4 ± 2.1 days. ICU admission was associated with HELLP syndrome (OR 8.5 [4.9-14.9], p<.001), severe post-partum hemorrhage (OR 5.86 [1.29-26.70], p=.01) and early onset of preeclampsia (<34 weeks gestation), 2.97 [1.9-4.7], p<.001), leading to higher rate of C-section (OR 2.83 [1.67-4.78], p<.001). There were three patients with a history of eclampsia and no case of maternal death was reported. Fetal prognosis was much poorer in maternal ICU admissions than in controls, with outcomes including lower birth weight (1776 vs. 2304 g, p<.001) and higher perinatal morbidity (infant respiratory distress syndrome 3.70 [1.94-7.05], p<.001) and mortality (<.001). CONCLUSIONS: Women needing invasive ICU represented 4.3% of preeclampsia cases. This experience is of interest for lower resource settings such as in countries like Madagascar where very intensive ICU means are very poor, but simpler ICU surveillance is possible. Fetal prognosis was poor though no maternal death was reported. Thus, a multidisciplinary approach of patients with preeclampsia should be encouraged; admission into ICU should be facilitated, as soon as any sign of severity and complications appears.

An observational study using eye tracking to assess resident and senior anesthetists' situation awareness and visual perception in postpartum hemorrhage high fidelity simulation.

BACKGROUND: The postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) is the leading cause of maternal mortality in the world. Human factors and especially situation awareness has primarily responsibility to explain suboptimal cares. Based on eye tracking and behavior analysis in high fidelity simulation of PPH management, the goal of this study is to identify perceptual and cognitive key parameters of the expertise. METHODS: Two groups of fifteen anesthetists (residents and experienced anesthetists) watched the beginning of a severe simulated PPH management. During this first experimental phase, situation awareness was assessed using SAGAT (Situation Awareness Global Assessment Technique) questionnaire and visual behavior was analyzed with eye tracking. In the continuity of the video sequence, they have to step in the PPH situation and to provide care to the simulated patient. Performance of cares was evaluated and self-assessed as well as cognitive load. RESULTS: No statistical difference between the residents and experienced anesthetists was observed on performance of simulated PPH management. The mean expected practice score was 76.9 ± 13.9%). Assessment of situation awareness (65 ± 7%), cognitive load (74.4 ± 11.3%) and theoretical knowledge of PPH (52.4 ± 3.5%) were also not statistically different between the two groups. Only results of self-assessed performance (respectively 66.1 ± 16.6 and 47.0 ± 20.8 for experts and residents) and eye-tracking data revealed that experts tended to get accurate evaluation of their performance and to monitor more the blood loss of the patient. Experts have in average 8.28% more fixating points than Novices and gazed the blood loss region longer (865 ms ± 439 vs. 717 ms ± 362). CONCLUSIONS: This study pointed out the limits of classical assessment of performance, and human factors based on questionnaires to identify expertise in simulated PPH care. A neuroscientific approach with new technology like eye tracking could provide new objective and more sensitive insights on human factors in simulated medical emergency situations.

Correlation between students' and trainers' evaluations while learning delegated surgical procedures: A prospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: The delegation of procedures within the medical competence to the nurses can increase the effectiveness of the healthcare provided. The objectives of the study are (1) to assess the quality of training courses for delegated surgical procedures through implementation for graduate scrub nursing ("students") (2) and to evaluate the correlation between the evaluation of this training carried out by students and the self-assessment conducted by the faculty ("trainers"). MATERIALS AND METHODS: We set up a 49-h training for five groups of 10 students from July 2016 to July 2017 in our tertiary academic hospital. The course consisted mostly in simulations based on the "Zwisch" model and focused on acquiring the control of the gesture as well as on the development of critical reasoning. An evaluation of the training by the students but also a self-assessment of trainers were prospectively collected using the SFDP26 questionnaire. RESULTS: 52 active scrub nursing students and 21 trainers were included. 96% of students and 86% of trainers evaluated the training from "good" to "very good". Progress was observed for 41 (79%) of the students and 18 (86%) of the trainers, and 98% of students felt able to put their new skills into clinical practice after training. There was no difference between the total scores of students and teachers (p = 0.153). A statistically significant difference between the evaluations produced by the students and the self-evaluations produced by the trainers was observed for 8 of the 26 items of assessment. In case of inadequacy, the trainers' scores were always lower than those of the students. CONCLUSIONS: Training in performing delegated surgical procedures by mixed cognitive and motor gestures learning, based on the development of critical thinking and simulations seems to be effective, with a significant improvement in students' knowledge and skills. Expectations of students and trainers are well correlated.

Serious acute chikungunya virus infection requiring intensive care during the Reunion Island outbreak in 2005-2006.

OBJECTIVE: To report the clinical and laboratory findings of adults with serious chikungunya virus acute infection hospitalized in an intensive care unit. DESIGN: Case series study from August 2005 to May 2006. SETTING: Medical intensive care unit, South Reunion Hospital. PATIENTS: We observed 33 episodes of confirmed acute chikungunya virus infection (chikungunya virus-IgM or reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction positive in the serum) admitted to the intensive care unit. INTERVENTIONS: We collected cerebrospinal fluid, serum, and sometimes tissue samples from patients with suspected chikungunya fever in our intensive care unit. These samples underwent viral testing for evidence of acute chikungunya virus infection. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Of the 33 patients, 19 (58%) had chikungunya virus specific manifestations, 8 (24%) had associated acute infectious disease and 6 (18%) exacerbations of previous complaints. Among the chikungunya virus specific manifestations, we identified 14 cases of encephalopathy, one case each of myocarditis, hepatitis and Guillain Barré syndrome. Eighty-five percent of patients had a McCabe score = 1 (for nonfatal or no underlying disease). Mortality was 48%. CONCLUSIONS: Chikungunya virus infection may be responsible for very severe clinical presentation, including young patients with unremarkable medical histories. Chikungunya virus infection is strongly suspected to have neurologic, hepatic, and myocardial tropism leading to dramatic complications and high mortality rate.

Training experts in difficult airway management: Evaluation of a continuous professional development program.

OBJECTIVE: The Formation de référents aux techniques d'intubation difficile (FRTID) is a French continuing medical education program on difficult airway management. Its objectives are to train experts in the task of training other physicians in their hospitals for better guideline compliance. Our aim was to describe the curriculum of the experts and to evaluate the program's efficacy via a prospective survey. METHODS: Each participant was asked to complete a questionnaire before (T0), immediately (T1), 6 (T6) and 12 (T12) months after the course. The main criterion was the proportion of the participants who declared that they had implemented at least one action to improve difficult airway management in their institution at 6 months. Other criteria included the proportion of participants who declared that they had modified their own clinical practice and the frequency of use of specific devices assessed on modified Likert numerical rating scales. RESULTS: Two hundred and forty-four participants were included in the survey. One hundred and three, 91 and 62 participants responded to the T1 (immediately after the course), T6 (6 months later) and T12 (12 months later) questionnaires, respectively; 73 physicians (i.e. 30% of all participants and 80% of the survey responders) declared that they had implemented at least one action likely to optimize the management of difficult airways. On the T6 and T12 questionnaires, 91% and 97% of the responders respectively declared that they had changed their clinical practice. The course has resulted in increased use of transtracheal oxygenation with manual devices (Manujet(®), Enk(®)) and Seldinger cricothyroidotomy as well as paediatric difficult airway techniques such as paediatric sized elastic gum and Airtraq™ or fibrescopic intubation under general anaesthesia with spontaneous ventilation (through a laryngeal mask). CONCLUSION: These data encourage the training of experts in difficult airways. This curriculum is contributing to the dissemination of the recommendations among a large number of practitioners.

[Outbreak of influenza pandemic virus A(H1N1) 2009 infections in Emergency Department, Saint-Pierre, Reunion Island. July-August 2009]. / Prise en charge dans un service d'urgence de l'épidémie à virus pandémique A(H1N1) 2009 à Saint-Pierre, île de La Réunion. Juillet-Août 2009.

INTRODUCTION: The 2009 pandemic influenza A (H1N1) virus has emerged to cause the first pandemic of the 21st century. On July 3, 2009, novel swine-origin influenza A (H1N1) virus (S-OIV) was identified in Reunion Island, French overseas department located in the southern hemisphere. The present study describes the characteristics and the impact of the epidemic on the activity of an emergency department (ED) from July 3 to August 31, 2009. METHOD: Patients consulting the ED with a discharge diagnosis of influenza-like illness were analyzed. RESULTS: The ED activity in 2009, compared to 2008, increased by 0.5% in July and 9.7% in August. In July and August, respectively 7.1 and 20.0% cases of S-OIV infection were hospitalized. For the 394 patients studied (186 males, 36.2+/-18.5 years), 199 (50.5%) were reported to have comorbidity or risk factor (RF) for complications. Complications occurred in 112 patients (28.4%). The most common complications were bronchospasme (52.7%), pneumonia (32.1%), decompensation caused by comorbidity (17.9%). Seventy-three patients (18.5%) required hospitalization. Patients aged 65 and over accounted for 10.9% of all patients, 31.5% of hospitalized patients and 21.4% of complicated S-OIV infection. Regardless of age, comorbidity and / or RF was reported in 80.2% of complicated S-OIV infection and 86.3% of hospitalized patients. The circuit of patients with S-OIV infection was initially focused on "consultation S-OIV" localized in ED. This organization mobilized several health professionals, disorganized the various medical departments involved, and was unsuitable for the childcare or patient's monitoring with signs of poor tolerance. This organization, even identifying S-OIV patients at their arrival, referred patients to different areas of the hospital and various consultation rooms in ED. CONCLUSION: Recommendations for surveillance, prevention and policy for persons with RF, particularly respiratory disease, are justified. This feedback can raise questions about the patient's circulation in hospital and adjust plans for the organization.

Low clinical burden of 2009 pandemic influenza A (H1N1) infection during pregnancy on the island of La Réunion.

BACKGROUND: Pregnant women have been identified as a group at risk, both for respiratory complications than for the admissions to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) during the 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic (pdm). The purpose of this prospective register-based cohort-study was to characterize the clinical virulence of the pdm (H1N1/09)v during pregnancy in La Réunion. METHODS/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Over a twelve-week pdm wave (13 July to 3 October 2009), 294 pregnant women presented with an influenza-like illness (ILI) to one of the three maternity departments of the South Reunion area, Indian Ocean. Out of these, 278 were checked by RT-PCR for influenza viruses (157 positive and 121 negative, of whom, 141 with pdm flu and 132 with ILIs of non pdm origin, 5 untyped). The median body temperature was higher in women experiencing pdm flu than in those with non pdm ILI (38.9 degrees C versus 38.3 degrees C, P<0.0001), without evidence linked to circulating viremia. Oseltamivir was given for 86% of pdm flu cases in a median time inferior than 48 hrs (range 0-7 days). The hospitalization rate for pdm flu was of 60% and not associated with underlying conditions. Six viral pneumonia and fourteen asthma attacks were observed among 84 hospitalized pdm flu cases, of whom, only one led to the ICU for an acute lung injury. No maternal death occurred during the pdm wave. None adverse pregnancy outcome was associated with pdm flu. No congenital birth defect, nor early-onset neonatal influenza infection was attributable to pdm flu exposure. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: This report mitigates substantially the presumed severity of pandemic H1N1/09 influenza infection during pregnancy. The reasons for which the clinical burden of H1N1/09 influenza virus may differ worldwide raise questions about a differential local viral-strain effect and public health preparedness, notably in timely access to special care and antiviral treatments.