Ultrasonography for Screening and Follow-Up of Diaphragmatic Dysfunction in the ICU: A Pilot Study.

PURPOSE: Reversibility and impact of diaphragmatic dysfunction (DD) are unknown. The principal aim was to describe diaphragmatic function as assessed by ultrasonography during weaning trials. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The present study is a 6-month single-center prospective study. All patients under mechanical ventilation for more than 7 days and eligible for a spontaneous breathing trial (SBT) were enrolled prospectively. INTERVENTION: Two blinded ultrasonographers evaluated each hemidiaphragm during SBT. Prevalence of DD among weaning failure and death and interobserver reproducibility have been evaluated. RESULTS: The 34 included patients had a mean Simplified Acute Physiology Score version II of 55.7 ± 14 and a median intensive care unit (ICU) stay length of 17 days (13-30). Diaphragmatic dysfunction was found in 13 (38%) patients, on both sides in 8. Bilateral DD resolved before ICU discharge in 5 of the 7 reevaluated patients. No weaning failures were recorded. The ICU mortality was higher in patients with DD (37% vs 5%, P = .048). Mean interobserver agreement rate was 91%. Reproducibility was better with M-mode. CONCLUSION: The ICU-acquired DD usually improves before ICU discharge but might constitute a marker for greater disease severity. The present preliminary results require confirmation in a larger prospective multicenter study.

Serum Albumin Kinetics in Major Ovarian, Gastrointestinal, and Cervico Facial Cancer Surgery.

Hypoalbuminemia in major cancer surgery can lead to postoperative short and long-term complications. Our study was designed to detect albumin variations in three major cancer surgeries: ovarian debulking (DBK), major abdominal gastrointestinal surgery (ABD), and major cervico-facial, or ear, nose and throat cancer surgery (ENT). Single-center prospective study inclusion criteria were non-emergency procedures scheduled to last at least five hours. We performed hourly perioperative monitoring of the patients' albuminemia and hemoglobinemia. Electronic charts were followed for at least five years for survival analysis. Sixty-three patients were analyzed: 30 in the DBK group, 13 in the ABD group, and 20 in the ENT group. There was a significant difference in albumin decrease between the ENT group and the two others (−19% at six hours in the ENT group versus -49% in the debulking group and −31% in the ABD group (p < 0.05). There was no significant difference between the DBK and ABD groups. The decrease in hemoglobin was not significantly different between the groups, and no significant difference was observed in long-term survival. DBK and ABD surgery yielded significant hypoalbuminemia. Therefore, the extent of decrease in serum albumin is probably not the only etiology of the specific postoperative complications of these major surgeries. No significant difference was noticed in five-year mortality, and no correlation was found in relation to the degree of intraoperative albumin kinetics.