Prognosis value of partial arterial oxygen pressure in patients with septic shock subjected to pre-hospital invasive ventilation.

OBJECTIVE: Mechanical ventilation can help improve the prognosis of septic shock. While adequate delivery of oxygen to the tissue is crucial, hyperoxemia may be deleterious. Invasive out-of-hospital ventilation is often promptly performed in life-threatening emergencies. We propose to determine whether the arterial oxygen pressure (PaO2) at the intensive care unit (ICU) admission is associated with mortality in patients with septic shock subjected to pre-hospital mechanical ventilation. METHODS: We performed a monocentric retrospective observational study on 77 patients. PaO2 was measured at ICU admission. The primary outcome was mortality at day 28 (D28). RESULTS: Forty-nine (64%) patients were included. The mean PaO2 at ICU admission was 153 ±â€¯77 and 202 ±â€¯82 mm Hg for alive and deceased patients respectively. Mortality concerned 18% of patients for PaO2 < 100, 25% for 100 < PaO2 < 150 and 57% for a PaO2 > 150 mm Hg. PaO2 was significantly associated with mortality at D28 (p = 0.04). Using propensity score analysis including SOFA score, pre-hospital duration, lactate, and prehospital fluid volume expansion, association with mortality at D28 only remained for PaO2 > 150 mm Hg (p = 0.02, OR [CI95] = 1.59 [1.20-2.10]). CONCLUSIONS: In this study, we report a significant association between hyperoxemia at ICU admission and mortality in patients with septic shock subjected to pre-hospital invasive mechanical ventilation. The early adjustment of the PaO2 should be considered for these patients to avoid the toxic effects of hyperoxemia. However, blood gas analysis is hard to get in a prehospital setting. Consequently, alternative and feasible measures are needed, such as pulse oximetry, to improve the management of pre-hospital invasive ventilation.

Transient neurological deficit due to a misplacement of central venous catheter despite ultrasound guidance and ultrasound assistance.

Central venous catheters (CVC) are frequently used in intensive care units (ICU), with a low incidence of complications, most of them being of mechanical origin and occurring during the insertion of the catheter. To avoid such complications, "ultrasound guidance" and "ultrasound assistance" are recommended. Nevertheless, even with trained and experienced physicians, mechanical complications of IJV access such as carotid punctures are still reported. We report the case of a 75-year-old woman, admitted into the ICU for CVC insertion due to impossibility of peripheral venous access. About 12 hours after the procedure, the patient presented a neurological deficit. The cervical and thoracic CT scan showed a transfixing path of the catheter from the left IJV into the left common carotid artery, with distal extremity of the catheter localized in the ascending aorta. The catheter was removed, and thereafter the neurological deficit immediately and definitely disappeared. Onset of a neurological deficit after CVC insertion into the IJV, regardless the time of occurrence after the procedure, should suggest complication due to the CVC insertion, even if procedure was uneventful and chest radiography confirmed the apparent accurate position of CVC.