Corticosteroid treatment and intensive insulin therapy for septic shock in adults: a randomized controlled trial.

CONTEXT: Corticosteroid therapy induces potentially detrimental hyperglycemia in septic shock. In addition, the benefit of adding fludrocortisone in this setting is unclear. OBJECTIVES: To test the efficacy of intensive insulin therapy in patients whose septic shock was treated with hydrocortisone and to assess, as a secondary objective, the benefit of fludrocortisone. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PATIENTS: A multicenter, 2 x 2 factorial, randomized trial, involving 509 adults with septic shock who presented with multiple organ dysfunction, as defined by a Sequential Organ Failure Assessment score of 8 or more, and who had received hydrocortisone treatment was conducted from January 2006 to January 2009 in 11 intensive care units in France. INTERVENTIONS: Patients were randomly assigned to 1 of 4 groups: continuous intravenous insulin infusion with hydrocortisone alone, continuous intravenous insulin infusion with hydrocortisone plus fludrocortisone, conventional insulin therapy with hydrocortisone alone, or conventional insulin therapy with intravenous hydrocortisone plus fludrocortisone. Hydrocortisone was administered in a 50-mg bolus every 6 hours, and fludrocortisone was administered orally in 50-microg tablets once a day, each for 7 days. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: In-hospital mortality. RESULTS: Of the 255 patients treated with intensive insulin, 117 (45.9%), and 109 of 254 (42.9%) treated with conventional insulin therapy died (relative risk [RR], 1.07; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.88-1.30; P = .50). Patients treated with intensive insulin experienced significantly more episodes of severe hypoglycemia (<40 mg/dL) than those in the conventional-treatment group, with a difference in mean number of episodes per patient of 0.15 (95% CI, 0.02-0.28; P = .003). At hospital discharge, 105 of 245 patients treated with fludrocortisone (42.9%) died and 121 of 264 (45.8%) in the control group died (RR, 0.94; 95% CI, 0.77-1.14; P = .50). CONCLUSIONS: Compared with conventional insulin therapy, intensive insulin therapy did not improve in-hospital mortality among patients who were treated with hydrocortisone for septic shock. The addition of oral fludrocortisone did not result in a statistically significant improvement in in-hospital mortality. TRIAL REGISTRATION: clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT00320099.

A comparison of two depths of prolonged neuromuscular blockade induced by cisatracurium in mechanically ventilated critically ill patients.

OBJECTIVES: To compare two levels of continuous cisatracurium-induced curarization in hypoxemic, ventilated patients. DESIGN AND SETTING: An open-labeled, multicenter, prospective, randomized study. PATIENTS: Hundred two patients with a ratio between arterial oxygen tension and inspired oxygen tension (PaO(2)/FIO(2)) less than 200 despite optimization of sedation and ventilation were randomized into group 1 (n=52) with an end point of no response at orbicularis oculi to train-of-four (TOF) stimulation or group 2 (n=50) with an end point of two responses. MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS: The PaO(2)/FIO(2) and end-inspiratory plateau airway pressure (Pplat) were evaluated at baseline (before curarization) and at regular intervals once TOF end points had been attained for up to 2 h afterwards (T2 h). A decrease of 1 cmH(2)O or more of Pplat at T2 h compared to baseline was observed in 37% and 50% of the patients in groups 1 and 2, respectively (p=0.17). Time courses of PaO(2)/FIO(2) (mmHg) and Pplat (cmH(2)O) [mean (SD)] were equivalent in both groups, with a mild increase in PaO(2)/FIO(2) [p=0.0014; from 126 (33) to 141 (55) and from 134 (40) to 152 (52), respectively, in groups 1 and 2] and decrease in Pplat [p=0.016; from 29.1 (8.9) to 28.5 (8.8) and from 27.7 (7.5) to 26.6 (7.6)]. Median total durations of curarization were 28.9 h (3.1-219.7) in group 1 and 31.4 h (1.6-650.6) in group 2. Median cisatracurium infusion rates were 5.2 microg kg(-1) min(-1) (2.1-13.7) in group 1 and 3.6 microg kg(1) min(-1) (1.0-13.5) in group 2. The median delay to recovery from paralysis was shorter in group 2 (0.75 h vs 1.25 h; p=0.0008). CONCLUSION: When a prolonged curarization is decided upon in an ICU patient, a blockade at 2/4 at TOF at orbicularis oculi has similar effects on respiratory parameters as a blockade at 0/4, allowing a decrease in total administered doses and a shortening of the recovery of muscle strength after cessation of infusion.

Preparation of isolated human muscle fibers: a technical report.

The aim of this study was to develop a technique to culture satellite cells from isolated intact fast or slow human muscle fibers. Previous studies have been carried out on small rodent muscles where the fibers run from tendon to tendon, but this is the first description of the modification of this technique for much larger human muscles. We have demonstrated that the human muscle fibers are in fact segmental, and we have also shown that it is possible to obtain very pure satellite cell cultures. We discuss the importance of this technique as a source of highly purified muscle cell cultures, which can be used for further studies on satellite cell behavior.

Intubating laryngeal mask airway in morbidly obese and lean patients: a comparative study.

BACKGROUND: The intubating laryngeal mask airway (ILMA) was designed using the characteristics of healthy-weight subjects but was shown to be an effective airway device in morbidly obese patients. The authors compared airway management quality in morbidly obese and lean patients with use of the ILMA. METHODS: Fifty morbidly obese and 50 lean patients (mean body mass indexes, 42 and 27 kg/m, respectively) were enrolled in this prospective study. After induction of general anesthesia, characteristics of airway management were judged on safety and efficiency parameters, including success rate at ventilation and intubation and airway management quality criteria, such as the number of patients who required adjustment maneuvers, the number of failed tracheal intubation attempts, the total duration of airway management, and an overall difficulty visual analog scale score. RESULTS: The ILMA was successfully inserted and adequate ventilation through the ILMA was achieved in all 100 patients. The success rates of tracheal intubation through the ILMA were similar in obese and lean patients (96% and 94%, respectively). The numbers of failed blind tracheal access attempts and patients who required airway-adjustment maneuvers were significantly reduced in obese patients as compared with lean patients. Four obese patients experienced transient episodes of oxygen desaturation (oxygen saturation < 90%) before adequate bag ventilation was established with the ILMA. CONCLUSION: The authors confirmed that the ILMA was an efficient airway device for airway management of both lean and obese patients. In the conditions of this study, the authors observed that airway management with the ILMA was simpler in obese patients as compared with lean patients.