Non-invasive oxygenation support in acutely hypoxemic COVID-19 patients admitted to the ICU: a multicenter observational retrospective study.

BACKGROUND: Non-invasive oxygenation strategies have a prominent role in the treatment of acute hypoxemic respiratory failure during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). While the efficacy of these therapies has been studied in hospitalized patients with COVID-19, the clinical outcomes associated with oxygen masks, high-flow oxygen therapy by nasal cannula and non-invasive mechanical ventilation in critically ill intensive care unit (ICU) patients remain unclear. METHODS: In this retrospective study, we used the best of nine covariate balancing algorithms on all baseline covariates in critically ill COVID-19 patients supported with > 10 L of supplemental oxygen at one of the 26 participating ICUs in Catalonia, Spain, between March 14 and April 15, 2020. RESULTS: Of the 1093 non-invasively oxygenated patients at ICU admission treated with one of the three stand-alone non-invasive oxygenation strategies, 897 (82%) required endotracheal intubation and 310 (28%) died during the ICU stay. High-flow oxygen therapy by nasal cannula (n = 439) and non-invasive mechanical ventilation (n = 101) were associated with a lower rate of endotracheal intubation (70% and 88%, respectively) than oxygen masks (n = 553 and 91% intubated), p < 0.001. Compared to oxygen masks, high-flow oxygen therapy by nasal cannula was associated with lower ICU mortality (hazard ratio 0.75 [95% CI 0.58-0.98), and the hazard ratio for ICU mortality was 1.21 [95% CI 0.80-1.83] for non-invasive mechanical ventilation. CONCLUSION: In critically ill COVID-19 ICU patients and, in the absence of conclusive data, high-flow oxygen therapy by nasal cannula may be the approach of choice as the primary non-invasive oxygenation support strategy.

Diffuse trophoblast damage is the hallmark of SARS-CoV-2-associated fetal demise.

Placental pathology in SARS-CoV-2-infected pregnancies seems rather unspecific. However, the identification of the placental lesions due to SARS-CoV-2 infection would be a significant advance in order to improve the management of these pregnancies and to identify the mechanisms involved in a possible vertical transmission. The pathological findings in placentas delivered from 198 SARS-CoV-2-positive pregnant women were investigated for the presence of lesions associated with placental SARS-CoV-2 infection. SARS-CoV-2 infection was investigated in placental tissues through immunohistochemistry, and positive cases were further confirmed by in situ hybridization. SARS-CoV-2 infection was also investigated by RT-PCR in 33 cases, including all the immunohistochemically positive cases. Nine cases were SARS-CoV-2-positive by immunohistochemistry, in situ hybridization, and RT-PCR. These placentas showed lesions characterized by villous trophoblast necrosis with intervillous space collapse and variable amounts of mixed intervillous inflammatory infiltrate and perivillous fibrinoid deposition. Such lesions ranged from focal to massively widespread in five cases, resulting in intrauterine fetal death. Two of the stillborn fetuses showed some evidence of SARS-CoV-2 positivity. The remaining 189 placentas did not show similar lesions. The strong association between trophoblastic damage and placenta SARS-CoV-2 infection suggests that this lesion is a specific marker of SARS-CoV-2 infection in placenta. Diffuse trophoblastic damage, massively affecting chorionic villous tissue, can result in fetal death associated with COVID-19 disease.

Fluid balance in sepsis and septic shock as a determining factor of mortality.

OBJECTIVE: The objective was to assess whether fluid balance had a determinant impact on mortality rate in a cohort of critically ill patients with severe sepsis or septic shock. DESIGN: A prospective and observational study was carried out on an inception cohort. SETTING: The setting was an intensive care unit of a university hospital. PATIENTS: Patients admitted consecutively in the intensive care unit who were diagnosed with severe sepsis or septic shock were included. INTERVENTIONS: Demographic, laboratory, and clinical data were registered, as well as time of septic shock onset, illness severity (Simplified Acute Physiology Score II, Sepsis-related Organ Failure Assessment), and comorbidities. Daily and accumulated fluid balance was registered at 24, 48, 72, and 96 hours. Survival curves representing 28-day mortality were built according to the Kaplan-Meier method. RESULTS: A total of 42 patients were included in the analysis: men, 64.3%; mean age, 61.8±15.9 years. Septic shock was predominant in 69% of the cases. Positive blood cultures were obtained in 17 patients (40.5%). No age, sex, Sepsis-related Organ Failure Assessment, creatinine, lactate, venous saturation of O2, and troponin differences were observed upon admission between survivors and nonsurvivors. However, higher Simplified Acute Physiology Score II was observed in nonsurvivors, P=.016. Nonsurvivors also showed higher accumulated positive fluid balance at 48, 72, and 96 hours with statistically significant differences. Besides, significant differences (P=.02) were observed in the survival curve with the risk of mortality at 72 hours between patients with greater than 2.5 L and less than 2.5 L of accumulated fluid balance. CONCLUSIONS: Fluid administration at the onset of severe sepsis or septic shock is the first line of hemodynamic treatment. However, the accumulated positive fluid balance in the first 48, 72, and 96 hours is associated with higher mortality in these critically ill patients.

Management of foetal hyperthyroidism in a mother with autoimmune hypothyroidism: A case report.

Foetal hyperthyroidism is mediated by transplacental passage of thyroid stimulating antibodies (TSAbs) and affects mothers with autoimmune (AI) thyroid disease. We report a case of a 33-year-old woman with a history of AI hypothyroidism and raised TSI after 2 stillbirths with suspect foetal hyperthyroidism. At 20.5 gestational weeks (GW) of her third pregnancy, foetal tachycardia and goitre were detected. TSI levels were 30.9mUI/mL. Methimazole (MMI) was started and adjusted based on ultrasound signs (foetal heart rate and thyroid gland vascularisation). The neonate was born at 35GW and cord blood revealed decreased TSH and normal free T4. MMI was started in the neonate at 2 days of life due to the appearance of asymptomatic hyperthyroidism. This case illustrates a rare recurrence of foetal hyperthyroidism in a mother with AI hypothyroidism. Pregestational thyroidectomy, TSAbs determination, early ultrasound diagnosis and foetal therapy helped us to improve obstetric outcomes.

The influence of obesity and diet quality on fetal growth and perinatal outcome.

Introduction: .Background: maternal obesity is associated with an increase of both maternal and fetal complications as macrosomia. Aim: to assess the quality of diet in a cohort of pregnant women in terms of Mediterranean diet (MD) adherence and to examine the association between diet quality, obesity, weight gain and fetal growth and perinatal complications. Methods: Mediterranean Diet Adherence Screener (MEDAS) was applied to assess diet quality in 542 pregnant women. Fetal biometric measurements at third-trimester ultrasound were collected and perinatal outcomes were recorded. Results: only 35 % of pregnant women presented a good quality of diet, in terms of adherence to MD. Diet quality significantly increased with lower values of body mass index (BMI) and higher maternal age. Higher BMI was significantly associated with a higher abdominal circumference and estimated fetal weight at the third trimester, a higher risk of hypertension disorder, induction of labor and a higher birthweight. A statistically significant association between diet quality and ultranosographic measures or perinatal outcome was not found. However, a higher weight gain across gestation was significantly associated with a higher risk of gestational diabetes, a higher gestational age at delivery and a higher birthweight. Conclusion: most of our pregnant women did not showed a great diet quality, but there was no evidence that diet quality affected pregnancy complications. On the contrary, pre-pregnancy BMI was related to fetal and neonatal growth and obstetric outcomes, similarly to weight gain across gestation.

Introducción: Introducción: la obesidad materna se asocia con un aumento de complicaciones maternas y fetales, como la macrosomía. Objetivo: evaluar la calidad de la dieta en una cohorte de mujeres embarazadas en términos de adherencia a la dieta mediterránea (DM) y examinar la asociación entre la calidad de la dieta, la obesidad, el aumento de peso y el crecimiento fetal y las complicaciones perinatales. Métodos: se aplicó el Mediterranean Diet Adherence Screener (MEDAS) para evaluar la calidad de la dieta en 542 mujeres embarazadas. Se recogieron las medidas biométricas fetales en la ecografía del tercer trimestre y se registraron los resultados perinatales. Resultados: solo el 35 % de las gestantes presentó una buena calidad de alimentación en términos de adherencia a la DM. La calidad de la dieta aumentó significativamente con valores más bajos de índice de masa corporal (IMC) y mayor edad materna. Un IMC más alto se asoció significativamente con una mayor circunferencia abdominal y peso fetal estimado en el tercer trimestre, un mayor riesgo de trastorno hipertensivo, inducción del parto y mayor peso al nacer. No se encontró una asociación estadísticamente significativa entre la calidad de la dieta y las medidas ecográficas o el resultado perinatal. Sin embargo, un mayor aumento de peso durante la gestación se asoció significativamente con un mayor riesgo de diabetes gestacional, mayor edad gestacional al momento del parto y mayor peso al nacer. Conclusiones: la mayoría de nuestras gestantes no mostró una buena calidad de la dieta, pero no hubo evidencia de que la calidad de la dieta afectara las complicaciones del embarazo. Por el contrario, el IMC pregestacional se relacionó con el crecimiento fetal y neonatal y los resultados obstétricos, de manera similar al aumento de peso durante la gestación.

Sacrococcygeal teratoma with preterm delivery: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Sacrococcygeal teratoma is one of the most frequently prenatally diagnosed neoplasias. Obstetric ultrasound has a role in the diagnosis and management of these tumors during pregnancy. In this report, we describe a multidisciplinary approach in a case of a patient with sacrococcygeal teratomas and preterm delivery, as well as postnatal outcomes. CASE PRESENTATION: A 26-year-old Caucasian woman at 20.3 weeks of gestation with a normal gestational course and no relevant medical or surgical history was referred to our institution with a sacrococcygeal mass diagnosis. Magnetic resonance imaging confirmed the diagnosis of sacrococcygeal teratoma type I according to the Altman classification. Follow-up with ultrasound showed an increase in the size of the mass up to 190 × 150 mm, high Doppler flow, and severe polyhydramnios. At 35.1 weeks of gestation, the patient had premature rupture of membranes, and an emergency cesarean section was performed due to recurrent late decelerations detected by fetal heart rate monitoring. Afterward, surgery was performed successfully at 36 hours of life. Posterior controls revealed normal and healthy child growth. CONCLUSIONS: This case report demonstrates the importance of a multidisciplinary approach to offer the best neonatal outcomes by performing early surgery, as well as the need for follow-up by ultrasound in order to minimize complications by assessing mass growth, Doppler flow, and amniotic fluid.