Development of a Machine Learning Model Predicting an ICU Admission for Patients with Elective Surgery and Its Prospective Validation in Clinical Practice.

Frequent utilization of the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) is associated with higher costs and decreased availability for patients who urgently need it. Common risk assessment tool, like the ASA score, lack objectivity and do account only for some influencing parameters. The aim of our study was (1) to develop a reliable machine learning model predicting ICU admission risk after elective surgery, and (2) to implement it in a clinical workflow. We used electronic medical records from more than 61,000 patients for modelling. A random forest model outperformed other methods with an area under the curve of 0.91 in the retrospective test set. In the prospective implementation, the model achieved a sensitivity of 73.3% and a specificity of 80.8%. Further research is essential to determine physicians' attitudes to machine learning models and assess the long term improvement of ICU management.

Effect of ICU interventions on gastrointestinal motility.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Early detection of gastrointestinal motility disturbances is a major goal to reduce the incidence of this potentially disastrous event by prophylactic managements and early goal-directed therapy in patients at risk. RECENT FINDINGS: Gastroparesis frequently results in the inability to feed critically ill patients, aggravating problems such as bacterial translocation and stress-induced intestinal damage. Recently published data have advanced our understanding of the pathophysiologic background of gastroparesis, intestinal stress damage and the effect of early enteral nutrition on gastrointestinal function. New techniques, such as ultrasound and the capsule techniques, might help to assess intestinal function beyond the aspiration of gastric residual volumes and the passage of stool. Therapeutic options such as opioid antagonists and the 5-hydroxytryptamine receptor 4 agonist prucalopride might help to restore intestinal function. SUMMARY: Gastrointestinal motility disturbances are caused by a myriad of pathological processes. Moreover, bowel integrity is governed by comorbidity, impaired metabolic function and pharmacological interventions in critically ill patients. Restoring gastrointestinal function, therefore, requires a multimodal approach including prophylactic management strategies and the sensible use of substances with inhibitory effects on intestinal motility.

Premature preoperative discontinuation of antiplatelet drug therapy in cardiovascular risk patients: a preliminary study on the role of P2Y12 receptor monitoring.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: In high-bleeding risk procedures, discontinuation of antiplatelet drug therapy with clopidogrel may be requested by surgeons, usually 7-10 days before the surgical procedure. New platelet function tests, such as the vasodilator-stimulated phosphoprotein phosphorylation assay, may help to assess the perioperative status of the clopidogrel-specific P2Y12 receptor. METHODS: Using vasodilator-stimulated phosphoprotein phosphorylation assay, the platelet reactivity index (PRI) was measured in 80 individuals, including 20 healthy volunteers, 20 cardiologic patients under full antiplatelet drug therapy with clopidogrel and aspirin, 20 surgical patients without any antiplatelet drugs and 20 patients under clopidogrel, discontinued 7 days before the surgical procedure. RESULTS: The mean PRI (95% confidence interval) in healthy volunteers was 86 (82-89%) and that in the surgical control group was 77% (72-81%). In cardiologic patients under full antiplatelet therapy, mean PRI was 51% (42-60%). In the clopidogrel discontinuation group, PRI increased from 51% (40-62%) on day 0 to 65% (57-74%) on day 3 and to 76% (69-84%) on day 5. On the morning of surgery, mean PRI was 85% (80-91%). The PRI values on the 5th day were equivalent to those of the surgical control group (mean difference -0.4%, 95% confidence interval -8.6% to 7.8%, P = 0.9). Fifty-five percent of the patients in the discontinuation group had a PRI of more than 50% on day 0. CONCLUSION: The study using vasodilator-stimulated phosphoprotein phosphorylation assay, one of the new platelet function assays for the assessment of inhibition of platelet P2Y12 receptor, demonstrates that the PRI on day 5 after discontinuation of clopidogrel is equivalent to a surgical control group and it questions the rigid practice of delaying surgery for 7-10 days, particularly in patients without a clopidogrel effect.