Health status and quality of life before critical illness: Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966 study.

BACKGROUND: Previous findings support the claim intensive care unit (ICU) patients have a higher rate of comorbidities and reduction of health- and functional status compared with the normal population. AIM: In this prospective observational study, our aim was to determine those health-related factors at the age of 31 years which were associated with a later critical illness among previously un-hospitalized individuals by exploring data obtained from the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966 (NFBC1966). METHODS: NFBC1966 is a Finnish birth cohort, which includes 12,058 live births with expected dates of delivery during 1966. The study was conducted among cohort participants who had not been hospitalized for any reason before the cohort follow-up visit at the age of 31. The study group included NFBC1966 participants who were admitted to the ICU of the Oulu University Hospital. The control group included participants who were treated for any reason in regular hospital wards. The data considering the participants' health status and behavior at the age of 31 were collected from the NFBC1966 database. The gathering of ICU and hospitalization data was concluded on December 31, 2016. RESULTS: 849 NFBC1966 participants met the inclusion criteria: 69 were treated in the ICU (study group) and 780 on regular hospital wards (controls). In the study group, the rate of neurological diseases (26% vs. 16%, 95% CI: -21.8%, -0.2%), malignancy (3% vs. 0.7%, 95% CI: -9.7%, 0.0%), alcohol abuse (4.5% vs. 1%, 95% CI: -11.5%, -0.3%) and smoking (77% vs. 65%, 95% CI: -21.6%, -0.3%) were higher compared with the control group. The patients in the ICU group were also more prone to violent injuries, (17% vs. 7%, 95% CI: -20.2%, -1.9%), practiced less hard physical activity (65% vs. 78%, 95% CI: 2.1%, 25.3%) and had lower maximal muscle strength according to the hand grip test (30 vs. 34 kg, 95% CI: -8.2, 8.6 kg). CONCLUSIONS: In this study examining previously un-hospitalized patients, the main factors associated with future critical illness were neurological comorbidities, malignancy, alcohol misuse, smoking, low maximum muscle strength, and less frequent physical exercise compared with those with hospitalization not requiring ICU admission.

Unresponsive Low Mixed Venous Oxygen Saturation During Early Intensive Care Unit Stay is Associated With Increased Risk of Organ Dysfunction After Cardiac Surgery: A Single-Center Retrospective Study.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of the study was to determine if unresponsive mixed venous oxygen saturation (SvO2) values during early postoperative hours are associated with postoperative organ dysfunction. DESIGN: A single-center retrospective observational study. SETTING: A university hospital. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 6,282 adult patients requiring cardiac surgery who underwent surgery in a University Hospital from 2007 to 2020. INTERVENTIONS: A pulmonary artery catheter was used to gather SvO2 samples after surgery at admission to the intensive care unit (ICU) and 4 hours later. For the analysis, patients were divided into 4 groups according to their SvO2 values. The rate of organ dysfunctions categorized according to the SOFA score was then studied among these subgroups. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: The crude mortality rate for the cohort at 1 year was 4.3%. Multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS) was present in 33.0% of patients in the early postoperative phase. During the 4-hour initial treatment period, 43% of the 931 patients with low SvO2 on admission responded to goal-directed therapy to increase SvO2 >60%; whereas, in 57% of the 931 patients, the low SvO2 was sustained. According to the adjusted logistic regression analyses, the odds ratio for MODS (4.23 [95% CI 3.41-5.25]), renal- replacement therapy (4.97 [95% CI 3.28-7.52]), time on a ventilator (2.34 [95% CI 2.17-2.52]), and vasoactive-inotropic score >30 (3.62 [95% CI 2.96-4.43]) were the highest in the group with sustained low SvO2. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with SvO2 <60% at ICU admission and 4 hours later had the greatest risk of postoperative MODS. Responsiveness to a goal-directed therapy protocol targeting maintaining or increasing SvO2 ≥60% at and after ICU admission may be beneficial.

Reliability of Bioreactance and Pulse-Power Analysis in Measuring Cardiac Index During Open Abdominal Aortic Surgery.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the accuracy, precision, and trending ability of noninvasive bioreactance-based Starling SV and the mini invasive pulse-power device LiDCOrapid as compared to thermodilution cardiac output (TDCO) as measured by pulmonary artery catheter when assessing cardiac index (CIx) in the setting of elective open abdominal aortic (AA) surgery. DESIGN: A prospective method-comparison study. SETTING: Oulu University Hospital, Finland. PARTICIPANTS: Forty patients undergoing elective open abdominal aortic surgery. INTERVENTIONS: Intraoperative CI measurements were obtained simultaneously with TDCO and the study monitors, resulting in 627 measurement pairs with Starling SV and 497 with LiDCOrapid. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: The Bland-Altman method was used to investigate the agreement among the devices, and four-quadrant plots with error grids were used to assess trending ability. The agreement between TDCO and Starling SV was associated with a bias of 0.18 L/min/m2 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.13 to 0.23), wide limits of agreement (LOA = -1.12 to 1.47 L/min/m2), and a percentage error (PE) of 63.7 (95% CI = 52.4-71.0). The agreement between TDCO and LiDCOrapid was associated with a bias of -0.15 L/min/m2 (95% CI = -0.21 to -0.09), wide LOA (-1.56 to 1.37), and a PE of 68.7 (95% CI = 54.9-79.6). The trending ability of neither device was sufficient. CONCLUSION: The CI measurements achieved with Starling SV and LiDCOrapid were not interchangeable with TDCO, and the ability to track changes in CI was poor. These results do not support the use of either study device in monitoring CI during open AA surgery.

Postoperative Complications and Outcome After Emergency Laparotomy: A Retrospective Study.

BACKGROUND: Emergency laparotomy (EL) is a common urgent surgical procedure with high risk for postoperative complications. Complications impair the prognosis and prolong the hospital stay. This study explored the incidence and distribution of complications and their impact on short-term mortality after EL. METHODS: This was a retrospective single-center register-based cohort study of 674 adults undergoing midline EL between May 2015 and December 2017. The primary outcome was operation-related or medical complication after EL. The secondary outcome was mortality in 90-day follow-up. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to identify independent risk factors for complications. RESULTS: A total of 389 (58%) patients developed complications after EL, including 215 (32%) patients with operation-related complications and 361 (54%) patients with medical complications. Most of the complications were Clavien-Dindo classification type 4b (28%) and type 2 (22%). Operation-related complications occurred later compared to medical complications. Respiratory complications were the most common medical complications, and infections were the most common operation-related complications. The 30- and 90-day mortalities were higher in both the medical (17.2%, 26.2%) and operation-related complication groups (13.5%, 24.2%) compared to patients without complications (10.5% and 4.8%, 14.8% and 8.0%). Low albumin, high surgical urgency, excessive alcohol consumption and medical complications were associated with operation-related complications. Older age, high ASA class and operation-related complications were associated with medical complications. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrated that EL is associated with a high risk of complications and poor short-term outcome. Complications impair the prognosis regardless of which kind of EL is in question.

Accuracy of dispatch and prehospital triage performance in poisonings - A retrospective study from northern Finland.

BACKGROUND: Increasing numbers of dispatches place a burden on EMS; this study sought to assess the prehospital evaluation of poisoned patients transported to hospital. The primary aim of this study was to measure dispatch centre and EMS provider performance as well as factors contributing to the recognition of poisoning among prehospital patients. The secondary aim was to compare triage performance between dispatch centres and EMS providers. METHODS: A retrospective single-centre study in Northern Finland was conducted. Patients suspected as poisonings by dispatch centres as well as other EMS-transported patients who received a diagnosis of poisoning in hospital between June 1, 2015 and June 1, 2017, were included. RESULTS: There were a total of 1668 poisoning-related EMS missions. Dispatch centres suspected poisonings with sensitivity of 79.9% (95% CI 76.7-82.9) and specificity of 98.9% (95% CI 98.9-99.0) when all EMS missions were taken into account. In a logistic regression model, decreased state of consciousness as dispatch code (OR 7.18, 95% CI 1.90-27.05) and intravenous fluid resuscitation (OR 6.58, 95% CI 1.34-32.37) were associated with EMS transport providers not recognizing poisoning. Overtriage rate appeared significantly higher (33.6%, 95% CI 28.6-39.2) for dispatch when compared with transport (17.8%, 95% CI 13.9-22.6). CONCLUSION: Dispatch centres seem to suspect poisonings fairly accurately. Poisonings unrecognized by EMS providers may be linked with intravenous fluid resuscitation and decreased patient consciousness. Overtriage appears to resolve somewhat from dispatch to transport. There were no fatal poisonings in this study population.

Reliability of bioreactance and pulse power analysis in measuring cardiac index during cytoreductive abdominal surgery with hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC).

PURPOSE: Various malignancies with peritoneal carcinomatosis are treated with cytoreductive surgery and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC). The hemodynamic instability resulting from fluid balance alterations during the procedure necessitates reliable hemodynamic monitoring. The aim of the study was to compare the accuracy, precision and trending ability of two less invasive hemodynamic monitors, bioreactance-based Starling SV and pulse power device LiDCOrapid with bolus thermodilution technique with pulmonary artery catheter in the setting of cytoreductive surgery with HIPEC. METHODS: Thirty-one patients scheduled for cytoreductive surgery were recruited. Twenty-three of them proceeded to HIPEC and were included to the study. Altogether 439 and 430 intraoperative bolus thermodilution injections were compared to simultaneous cardiac index readings obtained with Starling SV and LiDCOrapid, respectively. Bland-Altman method, four-quadrant plots and error grids were used to assess the agreement of the devices. RESULTS: Comparing Starling SV with bolus thermodilution, the bias was acceptable (0.13 l min- 1 m- 2, 95% CI 0.05 to 0.20), but the limits of agreement were wide (- 1.55 to 1.71 l min- 1 m- 2) and the percentage error was high (60.0%). Comparing LiDCOrapid with bolus thermodilution, the bias was acceptable (- 0.26 l min- 1 m- 2, 95% CI - 0.34 to - 0.18), but the limits of agreement were wide (- 1.99 to 1.39 l min- 1 m- 2) and the percentage error was high (57.1%). Trending ability was inadequate with both devices. CONCLUSION: Starling SV and LiDCOrapid were not interchangeable with bolus thermodilution technique limiting their usefulness in the setting of cytoreductive surgery with HIPEC.

Outcomes in patients requiring intensive care unit (ICU) admission after emergency laparotomy: A retrospective study.

PURPOSE: Outcomes after emergency laparotomy (EL) are poor. These patients are often admitted to an intensive care unit (ICU). This study explored outcomes in patients who were admitted to an ICU within 48 h after EL. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This retrospective single-center registry study included all patients over 16 years of age that underwent an EL and were admitted to an ICU within 48 h after surgery in Oulu University Hospital, Finland between January 2005 and May 2015. Survival was followed until the end of 2019. RESULTS: We included 525 patients. Hospital mortality was 13.3%, 30-day mortality was 17.3%, 90-day mortality was 24.2%, 1-year mortality was 33.0%, and 5-year mortality was 59.4%. Survivors were younger (57 [45-70] years) than the non-survivors (73 [62-80] years; p < .001). According to the Cox regression model, death during the follow-up was associated with age, APACHE II-score, lower postoperative CRP levels and platelet count of the first postoperative day, and the admission from the post-anesthesia care unit (PACU) to the ICU instead of direct ICU admission. CONCLUSION: Age, high APACHE II-score, low CRP and platelet count, and admission from the PACU to the ICU associated with mortality after EL in patients admitted to an ICU within 48 h after EL.

Association of low mixed venous oxygen saturations during early ICU stay with increased 30-day and 1-year mortality after cardiac surgery: a single-center retrospective study.

BACKGROUND: Low postoperative mixed venous oxygen saturation (SvO2) values have been linked to poor outcomes after cardiac surgery. The present study was designed to assess whether SvO2 values of < 60% at intensive care unit (ICU) admission and 4 h after admission are associated with increased mortality after cardiac surgery. METHODS: During the years 2007-2020, 7046 patients (74.4% male; median age, 68 years [interquartile range, 60-74]) underwent cardiac surgery at an academic medical center in Finland. All patients were monitored with a pulmonary artery catheter. SvO2 values were obtained at ICU admission and 4 h later. Patients were divided into four groups for analyses: SvO2 ≥ 60% at ICU admission and 4 h later; SvO2 ≥ 60% at admission but < 60% at 4 h; SvO2 < 60% at admission but ≥ 60% at 4 h; and SvO2 < 60% at both ICU admission and 4 h later. Kaplan-Meier survival curves, Cox regression models, and receiver operating characteristic curve analysis were used to assess differences among groups in 30-day and 1-year mortality. RESULTS: In the overall cohort, 52.9% underwent coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), 29.1% valvular surgery, 12.1% combined CABG and valvular procedures, 3.5% surgery of the ascending aorta or aortic dissection, and 2.4% other cardiac surgery. The 1-year crude mortality was 4.3%. The best outcomes were associated with SvO2 ≥ 60% at both ICU admission and 4 h later. Hazard ratios for 1-year mortality were highest among patients with SvO2 < 60% at both ICU admission and 4 h later, regardless of surgical subgroup. CONCLUSION: SvO2 values < 60% at ICU admission and 4 h after admission are associated with increased 30-day and 1-year mortality after cardiac surgery. Goal-directed therapy protocols targeting SvO2 ≥ 60% may be beneficial. Prospective studies are needed to confirm these observational findings.

Accuracy, Precision, and Trending Ability of Perioperative Central Venous Oxygen Saturation Compared to Mixed Venous Oxygen Saturation in Unselected Cardiac Surgical Patients.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether central venous oxygen saturation (ScvO2) measurements could be used interchangeably with mixed venous oxygen saturation (SvO2) measurements in adult cardiac surgery patients. DESIGN: A single-center prospective observational study. SETTING: A university hospital. PARTICIPANTS: Eighty-five adult patients undergoing cardiac surgery. INTERVENTIONS: The study authors compared the oxygen saturations in 590 pairs of venous blood samples drawn from the pulmonary artery catheter (PAC) at three different time points during surgery and four different time points in the intensive care unit. They compared samples obtained from the distal pulmonary artery line (SvO2) to those drawn from the proximal central venous line of the PAC (ScvO2) with the Bland-Altman test and the four-quadrant method. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: The mean bias between SvO2 and ScvO2 was -1.9 (95% confidence interval [CI], -2.3 to -1.5) and the limits of agreement (LOA) were -11.5 to 7.6 (95% CI, -12.5 to -10.7 and 6.8-8.5, respectively). The percentage error (PE) was 13.2%. Based on the four-quadrant plot, only 50% of the measurement pairs were in agreement, indicating deficient trending ability. CONCLUSION: ScvO2 values showed acceptable accuracy as the mean bias was low. The precision was inadequate; although the PE was acceptable, the LOA were wide. Trending ability was inadequate. The authors cannot recommend the use of ScvO2 values interchangeably with SvO2 measurements in the management of adult cardiac surgery patients.

Reliability of Bioreactance and Pulse-Power Analysis in Measuring Cardiac Index in Patients Undergoing Cardiac Surgery With Cardiopulmonary Bypass.

OBJECTIVES: Less-invasive and continuous cardiac output monitors recently have been developed to monitor patient hemodynamics. The aim of this study was to compare the accuracy, precision, and trending ability of noninvasive bioreactance-based Starling SV and miniinvasive pulse-power device LiDCOrapid to bolus thermodilution technique with a pulmonary artery catheter (TDCO) when measuring cardiac index in the setting of cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). DESIGN: A prospective method-comparison study. SETTING: Oulu University Hospital, Finland. PARTICIPANTS: Twenty patients undergoing cardiac surgery with CPB. INTERVENTIONS: Cardiac index measurements were obtained simultaneously with TDCO intraoperatively and postoperatively, resulting in 498 measurements with Starling SV and 444 with LiDCOrapid. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: The authors used the Bland-Altman method to investigate the agreement between the devices and four-quadrant plots with error grids to assess the trending ability. The agreement between TDCO and Starling SV was qualified with a bias of 0.43 L/min/m2 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.37-0.50), wide limits of agreement (LOA, -1.07 to 1.94 L/min/m2), and a percentage error (PE) of 66.3%. The agreement between TDCO and LiDCOrapid was qualified, with a bias of 0.22 L/min/m2 (95% CI 0.16-0.27), wide LOA (-0.93 to 1.43), and a PE of 53.2%. With both devices, trending ability was insufficient. CONCLUSION: The reliability of bioreactance-based Starling SV and pulse-power analyzer LiDCOrapid was not interchangeable with TDCO, thus limiting their usefulness in cardiac surgery with CPB.

Quality of life in head and neck cancer patients at 5 years after free flap reconstruction: a significant decline during the follow-up.

PURPOSE: Free flap reconstructions following head and neck tumor resection are known to involve more than 50% rate of complications and other adverse events and up to 50% mortality during a 5-year follow-up. We aimed to examine the difference in the long-term quality of life (QoL) between the 2-year and 5-year assessments after free flap surgery for cancer of the head and neck. METHODS: A total of 28 of the 39 eligible patients responded to the survey. QoL was assessed at 5 years after operation and compared with the assessment performed at 2 years after the operation using RAND-36, EORTC-C30 and H&N-35, and SWAL-QOL tools. RESULTS: The criteria for poor QoL using RAND-36 tool was met in 11 (39.3%) patients in contrast to 4 (14.3%, P = 0.003) patients in the 2-year assessment. EORTC-C30 global score was decreased from 83.9 (SD16.4) to 64.6 (SD 24.0, P < 0.001) during the follow-up. In both RAND-36 and EORTC-C30 surveys, decline was found in physical and role functioning together with energy and emotional well-being domains. SWAL-QOL showed poor swallowing-related QoL in both assessments. CONCLUSION: We found a significant decline in QoL during a 5-year follow-up after free flap surgery for cancer of the head and neck.

Emergency department admission and mortality of the non-transported emergency medical service patients: a cohort study from Northern Finland.

OBJECTIVES: A high number of emergency medical service (EMS) patients are not transported to hospital by ambulance. Various non-transport protocols and guidelines have been implemented by different EMS providers. The present study examines subsequent tertiary care ED and hospital admission and mortality of the patients assessed and not transported by EMS in Northern Finland and evaluates the factors predicting these outcomes. METHODS: Data from EMS missions with a registered non-transportation code during 1 January 2018-31 December 2018 were screened retrospectively. EMS charts were retrieved from a local EMS database and data concerning hospital admission and mortality were collected from the medical records of Oulu University Hospital, Oulu, Finland. RESULTS: A total of 12 530 EMS non-transport missions were included. Of those, a total of 344 (2.7%) patients were admitted to tertiary care ED in 48 hours after the EMS contact, and 229 (1.8%) of them were further admitted to the hospital. Patients with the dispatch code 'abdominal pain', clinical presentation with fever or hyperglycaemia, physician phone consultation and a decision not to transport during night hours were associated with a higher risk of ED admission within 48 hours after EMS contact. Overall 48-hour and 30-day mortalities of non-transported patients were 0.2% (n=25) and 1.0% (n=128), respectively. CONCLUSION: In this cohort, the rate of subsequent tertiary care ED admission and mortality in the non-transported EMS patients was low. Dispatch code abdominal pain, clinical presentation with fever or hyperglycaemia, physician phone consultation and night-hours increased the risk of ED admission within 48 hours after EMS contact.

Bioreactance and fourth-generation pulse contour methods in monitoring cardiac index during off-pump coronary artery bypass surgery.

The pulmonary artery catheter (PAC) is considered the gold standard for cardiac index monitoring. Recently new and less invasive methods to assess cardiac performance have been developed. The aim of our study was to assess the reliability of a non-invasive monitor utilizing bioreactance (Starling SV) and a non-calibrated mini-invasive pulse contour device (FloTrac/EV1000, fourth-generation software) compared to bolus thermodilution technique with PAC (TDCO) during off-pump coronary artery bypass surgery (OPCAB). In this prospective study, 579 simultaneous intra- and postoperative cardiac index measurements obtained with Starling SV, FloTrac/EV1000 and TDCO were compared in 20 patients undergoing OPCAB. The agreement of data was investigated by Bland-Altman plots, while trending ability was assessed by four-quadrant plots with error grids. In comparison with TDCO, Starling SV was associated with a bias of 0.13 L min-1 m-2 (95% confidence interval, 95% CI, 0.07 to 0.18), wide limits of agreement (LOA, - 1.23 to 1.51 L min-1 m-2), a percentage error (PE) of 60.7%, and poor trending ability. In comparison with TDCO, FloTrac was associated with a bias of 0.01 L min-1 m-2 (95% CI - 0.05 to 0.06), wide LOA (- 1.27 to 1.29 L min-1 m-2), a PE of 56.8% and poor trending ability. Both Starling SV and fourth-generation FloTrac showed acceptable mean bias but imprecision due to wide LOA and high PE, and poor trending ability. These findings indicate limited reliability in monitoring cardiac index in patients undergoing OPCAB.

Long-term mortality after endovascular thrombectomy for stroke.

OBJECTIVES: Endovascular thrombectomy (EVT) has become the standard treatment for large vessel occlusion (LVO) in acute ischemic stroke. Stroke trials typically report clinical outcome at the three-month time point but there is a lack of studies focusing on the long-term outcome after EVT. The aim of this study is to assess the long-term mortality after EVT for stroke and to determine the factors that are associated with mortality. METHODS: Retrospective single-center analysis of 323 patients who underwent EVT for stroke between the years 2015-2019 and survived at least 30 days. Patients were followed up until the end of the year 2020. Cox regression analysis was used to identify the factors associated with mortality. RESULTS: A total of 53 (16.4%) of the 30-day survivors died during the follow-up. According to the Cox regression analysis, mortality was associated with functional dependence (modified Rankin Scale (mRS) >2, HR 2.7 (95% CI 1.2-5.9), p=0.013), comorbidity (Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) ≥3, HR 2.7 (95% CI 1.4-5.5), p=0.004), stroke severity at baseline (National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) >8, HR 1.9 (95% CI 1.1-3.3), p=0.026), and medical complications (HR 2.4 (95% CI 1.2-4.8), p=0.011). Procedural variables did not have an impact on mortality. CONCLUSIONS: Functional dependence, stroke severity, comorbidity, and medical complications during the hospital stay were associated with the long-term mortality after EVT for stroke.

Treatment profile and long-term outcome of intensive care unit-admitted patients with liver cirrhosis or other liver disease in relation to alcohol consumption.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the impact of alcohol consumption on the treatment profile, mortality and causes of death in intensive care unit (ICU)-admitted patients with liver cirrhosis and other liver disease. METHODS: Data on liver disease and ICU treatment of patients with previously diagnosed liver disease between 2015 and 2017 were retrospectively collected from medical records at Oulu University Hospital, Finland. The median follow-up was 367 days. The causes of death were obtained from Statistics Finland. RESULTS: From 250 patients, high-risk alcohol consumption was present in 74.7% (71 of 95) cirrhotic patients and 43.2% (67 of 155) patients in the other liver disease group. Gastrointestinal causes were the most common admission causes. Despite the higher SOFA scores in the alcoholic liver cirrhosis patients compared with the non-alcoholic cirrhosis, there were no differences in the need for organ support, length of ICU stay or outcome between the groups or the subgroups. There were no differences in 1-year mortality between the cirrhosis groups (alcoholic cirrhosis 43.7% versus non-alcoholic cirrhosis 45.8%, p = 1.0) or between the other liver disease groups (patients with alcohol consumption 37.3% versus patients without alcohol consumption 36.4%, p = 1.0). The patients with high-risk alcohol consumption died more often due to liver disease, whereas the patients without high-risk alcohol consumption died often due to malignancies. CONCLUSIONS: We report no significant impact of alcohol consumption on the ICU treatment profile or mortality of patients with cirrhosis or other liver disease. The high mortality underlines the importance of preventive measures after ICU admission.

Medical complications and outcome after endovascular therapy for acute ischemic stroke.

AIM: Endovascular therapy (EVT) in acute stroke is an effective but invasive treatment which is frequently followed by various complications. The aim of the present study was to examine the rate of medical complications and other adverse events following EVT. METHODS: Retrospective single-center study of 380 consecutive stroke patients who received EVT between the years 2015-2019. RESULTS: A total of 234 (61.6%) patients had at least one recorded medical complication. The most common complication was pneumonia in 154 (40.5%) patients, followed by acute cardiac insufficiency in 134 (35.3%), and myocardial infarction in 22 (5.8%) patients. In multivariate analysis, the need for general anesthesia (OR 3.8 (1.9-7.7)), Charlson Comorbidity Index >3 (OR 1.3 (1.1-1.5)), male gender (1.9 (1.1-1.3)) and high National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score at admission (1.1 (1.0-1.2)) were associated with medical complications. CONCLUSION: Medical complications are common among unselected stroke patients undergoing EVT. Both comorbidity and stroke severity have an influence on medical complications. Early recognition of complications is essential, because vast majority of patients encountering medical complications have a poor short-term outcome.

Causes of death for intensive care survivors with and without acute kidney injury in 5-year follow-up.

BACKGROUND: Data on the causes of death and long-term mortality of intensive care unit-treated hospital survivors with acute kidney injury (AKI) are limited. The goal of this study was to analyze the causes of death among critically ill patients during a 5-year follow-up. METHODS: In this predetermined sub-study of a prospective, observational, multi-center cohort from the FINNAKI study, we analyzed 2436 patients who were discharged from the hospital. Statistics Finland provided the follow-up data and causes of death. RESULTS: During the follow-up, 765 (31%) patients died, of whom 295 (39%) had AKI and 73 (9.5%) had received renal replacement therapy. More than half of the deaths in both the non-AKI and AKI groups occurred after the 1 year follow-up (58% vs. 54%, respectively). The three most common causes of death in AKI were cardiovascular diseases (36%), malignancies (21%), and neurological diseases (11%). In early deaths (<90 days) cardiovascular causes were more prevalent in AKI patients compared to non-AKI (38% vs 25%, P = .037.) In six cases (0.8%), the main cause of death was kidney disease, out of which five were in the AKI group. In patients with cardiovascular causes, the median time to death was shorter in AKI patients compared to non-AKI patients (508 vs 816 days, P = .018). CONCLUSION: Cardiovascular causes and malignancies account for more than half of the causes of death in patients who had suffered AKI, while death from kidney disease after AKI is rare. Early cardiovascular deaths are more prevalent in AKI compared to non-AKI patients.

Difference in postoperative opioid consumption after spinal versus general anaesthesia for ankle fracture surgery-A retrospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Surgical treatment of ankle fracture is associated with significant pain and high postoperative opioid consumption. The anaesthesia method may affect early postoperative pain. The main objective of the study was to compare postoperative opioid consumption after ankle-fracture surgery between patients treated with spinal anaesthesia and general anaesthesia. METHODS: We reviewed retrospectively the files of 586 adult patients with surgically treated ankle fracture in the years 2014 through 2016. The primary outcome was opioid consumption during the first 48 postoperative hours. Secondary outcomes were maximal pain scores, postoperative nausea and vomiting, the length of stay in the post-anaesthesia care unit, and opioid use in different time periods up to 48 h postoperatively. Propensity score matching was used to mitigate confounding variables. RESULTS: Total opioid consumption 48 h postoperatively was significantly lower after spinal anaesthesia (propensity score-matched population: effect size -13.7 milligrams; 95% CI -18.8 to -8.5; P < .001). The highest pain score on the numerical rating scale in the post-anaesthesia care unit was significantly higher after general anaesthesia (propensity score-matched population: effect size 3.7 points; 95% CI 3.2-4.2; P < .001). A total of 60 patients had postoperative nausea and vomiting in the post-anaesthesia care unit, 53 (88.3%) of whom had general anaesthesia (P = .001). CONCLUSIONS: Patients with surgically treated ankle fracture whose operation was performed under general anaesthesia used significantly more opioids in the first 48 h postoperatively, predominantly in the post-anaesthesia care unit, compared with patients given spinal anaesthesia.

Alcohol consumption is associated with a later need for ICU admission: a Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966-study.

BACKGROUND: Alcohol-related problems are common in intensive care unit (ICU) admitted patients. The aim of the present study is to assess the impact of alcohol consumption on the need of intensive care in 19 years follow-up period. METHODS: The study population consists of Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966 participants, who responded alcohol-related questions at 31 years of age and Intensive Care Unit (ICU admissions from 1997 to 2016. RESULTS: There were a total of 8379 assessed people and 136 (1.6%) of them were later admitted to ICU. A total of 44 (32.4%) of the ICU-admitted persons had their alcohol consumption at the highest quartile of the cohort (P = 0.047). These patients had a lower number of malignancy-related admissions (3.6% versus 14.0%, P = 0.027), neurological admissions (14.3 versus 30.6%, P = 0.021), and were more often admitted due to poisonings (12.5% versus 5.0%, P = 0.07). There were no differences in 28-day post-ICU mortality but long-term mortality of ICU-admitted patients with lower alcohol consumption was higher than non-ICU-admitted population. CONCLUSION: Among ICU-admitted population, there was higher alcohol consumption at age of 31 years. People in the lower alcohol consumption quartiles were more often admitted to ICU due to malignancy-related causes and they had higher long-term mortality.

Early impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and social restrictions on ambulance missions.

BACKGROUND: The SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has had a major impact on health care services globally. Recent studies report that emergency departments have experienced a significant decline in the number of admitted patients in the early phase of the pandemic. To date, research regarding the influence of COVID-19 on emergency medical services (EMS) is limited. This study investigates a change in the number and characteristics of EMS missions in the early phase of the pandemic. METHODS: All EMS missions in the Northern Ostrobothnia region, Finland (population 295 500) between 1 March to 30 June 2020 were screened and analyzed as the study group. A control group was composed from the EMS calls between the corresponding months in the years 2016-19. RESULTS: A total of 74 576 EMS missions were screened for the study. Within the first 2 months after the first COVID-19 cases in the study area, the decline in the number of EMS missions was 5.7-13% compared with the control group average. EMS time intervals (emergency call to dispatch, dispatch, en-route, on-scene and hospital handover) prolonged in the COVID-19 period. Dispatches concerning mental health problems increased most in the study period (+1.2%, P < 0.001). Only eleven confirmed COVID-19 infections were encountered by EMS in the study period. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that the present COVID-19 pandemic and social restrictions lead to changes in the EMS usage. These preliminary findings emphasize the importance of developing new strategies and protocols in response to the oncoming pandemic waves.