Subcostal versus transhepatic view to assess the inferior vena cava in critically ill patients.

BACKGROUND: Evaluation of the inferior vena cava (IVC) is not always possible through the subcostal (SC) window. METHODS: Inferior vena cava diameters measured by transhepatic (TH) and SC views were compared by Bland and Altman analysis. RESULTS: 131 patients were enrolled, including 88 (67%) under mechanical ventilation. The echogenicity was statistically poorer through the TH view in comparison with the SC view (P = .002). The correlation between the SC and TH views was good and better for respiratory variation than for end-expiratory or end-inspiratory diameter measurements (r = 0.86). Despite low bias, the limits of agreement were wide (-7.5 and 7.7 mm for end-expiratory diameter, -8.7 and 8.5 mm for end-inspiratory diameter, and -5.3 and 5.8 mm for respiratory variation). Complementary analysis showed that the concordance between the SC and the TH views was better when the IVC was distended. However, the limits of agreement remained broad. CONCLUSIONS: Although feasible in almost all patients, the TH view does not provide better echogenicity in comparison with the SC view. Despite a good correlation with the SC view and a low bias, the limits of agreement were wide, especially when the IVC has an ellipsoidal shape, suggesting caution in the interpretation of data obtained by the TH view.

Intravascular Complications of Central Venous Catheterization by Insertion Site.

BACKGROUND: Three anatomical sites are commonly used to insert central venous catheters, but insertion at each site has the potential for major complications. METHODS: In this multicenter trial, we randomly assigned nontunneled central venous catheterization in patients in the adult intensive care unit (ICU) to the subclavian, jugular, or femoral vein (in a 1:1:1 ratio if all three insertion sites were suitable [three-choice scheme] and in a 1:1 ratio if two sites were suitable [two-choice scheme]). The primary outcome measure was a composite of catheter-related bloodstream infection and symptomatic deep-vein thrombosis. RESULTS: A total of 3471 catheters were inserted in 3027 patients. In the three-choice comparison, there were 8, 20, and 22 primary outcome events in the subclavian, jugular, and femoral groups, respectively (1.5, 3.6, and 4.6 per 1000 catheter-days; P=0.02). In pairwise comparisons, the risk of the primary outcome was significantly higher in the femoral group than in the subclavian group (hazard ratio, 3.5; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.5 to 7.8; P=0.003) and in the jugular group than in the subclavian group (hazard ratio, 2.1; 95% CI, 1.0 to 4.3; P=0.04), whereas the risk in the femoral group was similar to that in the jugular group (hazard ratio, 1.3; 95% CI, 0.8 to 2.1; P=0.30). In the three-choice comparison, pneumothorax requiring chest-tube insertion occurred in association with 13 (1.5%) of the subclavian-vein insertions and 4 (0.5%) of the jugular-vein insertions. CONCLUSIONS: In this trial, subclavian-vein catheterization was associated with a lower risk of bloodstream infection and symptomatic thrombosis and a higher risk of pneumothorax than jugular-vein or femoral-vein catheterization. (Funded by the Hospital Program for Clinical Research, French Ministry of Health; ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT01479153.).

Sodium Bicarbonate Versus Sodium Chloride for Preventing Contrast-Associated Acute Kidney Injury in Critically Ill Patients: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

OBJECTIVES: To test whether hydration with bicarbonate rather than isotonic sodium chloride reduces the risk of contrast-associated acute kidney injury in critically ill patients. DESIGN: Prospective, double-blind, multicenter, randomized controlled study. SETTING: Three French ICUs. PATIENTS: Critically ill patients with stable renal function (n = 307) who received intravascular contrast media. INTERVENTIONS: Hydration with 0.9% sodium chloride or 1.4% sodium bicarbonate administered with the same infusion protocol: 3 mL/kg during 1 hour before and 1 mL/kg/hr during 6 hours after contrast medium exposure. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: The primary endpoint was the development of contrast-associated acute kidney injury, as defined by the Acute Kidney Injury Network criteria, 72 hours after contrast exposure. Patients randomized to the bicarbonate group (n = 151) showed a higher urinary pH at the end of the infusion than patients randomized to the saline group (n = 156) (6.7 ± 2.1 vs 6.2 ± 1.8, respectively; p < 0.0001). The frequency of contrast-associated acute kidney injury was similar in both groups: 52 patients (33.3%) in the saline group and 53 patients (35.1%) in the bicarbonate group (absolute risk difference, -1.8%; 95% CI [-12.3% to 8.9%]; p = 0.81). The need for renal replacement therapy (five [3.2%] and six [3.9%] patients; p = 0.77), ICU length of stay (24.7 ± 22.9 and 23 ± 23.8 d; p = 0.52), and mortality (25 [16.0%] and 24 [15.9%] patients; p > 0.99) were also similar between the saline and bicarbonate groups, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Except for urinary pH, none of the outcomes differed between the two groups. Among ICU patients with stable renal function, the benefit of using sodium bicarbonate rather than isotonic sodium chloride for preventing contrast-associated acute kidney injury is marginal, if any.

Quasi-experimental study of sodium citrate locks and the risk of acute hemodialysis catheter infection among critically ill patients.

Critically ill patients who require renal replacement therapy (RRT) are vulnerable to catheter-related bloodstream infections (CRBSI). This study compared the risks of dialysis catheter infection according to the choice of locking solution in the intensive care unit (ICU). A prospective quasi-experimental study with marginal structural models (MSM) and 2:1 greedy propensity-score matching (PSM) was conducted at nine university-affiliated hospitals and three general hospitals. A total of 596 critically ill patients received either saline solution or heparin lock solution (the standard of care [SOC]) from 2004 to 2007 in the Cathedia cohort (n = 464 for MSM; n = 124 for PSM) or 46.7% citrate lock from 2011 to 2012 in the citrate (CLock) cohort (n = 132 for MSM; n = 62 for PSM) to perform RRT using intermittent hemodialysis. Catheter-tip colonization and CRBSI were analyzed. The mean duration (standard deviation [SD]) of catheterization was 7.1 days (6.1) in the SOC group and 7.0 days (5.9) in the CLock group (P = 0.84). The risk of dialysis catheter-tip colonization was lower in the CLock group (20.5 versus 38.7 per 1,000 catheter-days in the SOC group; hazard ratio [HR] from MSM, 0.73; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.57 to 0.93; P < 0.02). Consistent findings were found from PSM (HR, 0.46; 95% CI, 0.22 to 0.95; P < 0.04). The risk of CRBSI was nonsignificantly different in the CLock group (1.1 versus 1.8 per 1,000 catheter-days in the SOC group; HR from MSM, 0.48; 95% CI, 0.12 to 1.87; P = 0.29). By reducing the risk of catheter-tip colonization, citrate lock has the potential to improve hemodialysis safety in the ICU. Additional studies are warranted before the routine use of citrate locks can be recommended in the ICU.

Noninvasive ventilation and breathing-swallowing interplay in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease*.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate breathing-swallowing interactions in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease requiring noninvasive mechanical ventilation and, if needed, to develop a technical modification of the ventilator designed to eliminate ventilator insufflations during swallowing. DESIGN: We conducted a prospective, open-label, interventional study. PATIENTS: Fifteen consecutive chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients with exacerbations requiring ICU admission and NIV. INTERVENTIONS: Swallowing performance and breathing-swallowing interactions were investigated noninvasively by chin electromyography, cervical piezoelectric sensor, and inductive respiratory plethysmography. Two water-bolus sizes (5 and 10 mL) were tested in random order. Swallowing was tested with and without noninvasive mechanical ventilation, in random order. First, a standard mechanical ventilator capable of delivering noninvasive mechanical ventilation was used. Second, a marketed device was equipped with an off-switch for use during swallowing. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Swallowing performance and breathing-swallowing interactions were investigated noninvasively by chin electromyography, cervical piezoelectric sensor, and inductive respiratory plethysmography. Two water bolus sizes (5 and 10 mL) were tested in random order. Swallowing was tested with and without noninvasive mechanical ventilation in random order. First, a standard mechanical ventilator capable of delivering noninvasive mechanical ventilation was used. Swallowing efficiency, breathing-swallowing synchronization, and Borg Scale dyspnea scores improved significantly with noninvasive mechanical ventilation. However, swallowing induced ventilator triggering followed by autotriggering. To improve patient-ventilator synchrony, a marketed device was equipped with an off-switch for use during swallowing. This device completely eliminated swallowing-induced ventilator triggering and postswallow autotriggering. CONCLUSION: Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease admitted to the ICU for acute exacerbations had abnormal breathing-swallowing interactions and dyspnea, which improved with noninvasive mechanical ventilation. Furthermore, a ventilator device with a simple switch-off pushbutton to eliminate insufflations during swallows prevented swallowing-induced ventilator triggering and postswallow autotriggering.

Calibration trial of an innovative medical device (NEVVA© ) for the evaluation of pain in non-communicating patients in the intensive care unit.

Background: Pain management is an essential and complex issue for non-communicative patients undergoing sedation in the intensive care unit (ICU). The Behavioral Pain Scale (BPS), although not perfect for assessing behavioral pain, is the gold standard based partly on clinical facial expression. NEVVA© , an automatic pain assessment tool based on facial expressions in critically ill patients, is a much-needed innovative medical device. Methods: In this prospective pilot study, we recorded the facial expressions of critically ill patients in the medical ICU of Caen University Hospital using the iPhone and Smart Motion Tracking System (SMTS) software with the Facial Action Coding System (FACS) to measure human facial expressions metrically during sedation weaning. Analyses were recorded continuously, and BPS scores were collected hourly over two 8 h periods per day for 3 consecutive days. For this first stage, calibration of the innovative NEVVA© medical device algorithm was obtained by comparison with the reference pain scale (BPS). Results: Thirty participants were enrolled between March and July 2022. To assess the acute severity of illness, the Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) and the Simplified Acute Physiology Score (SAPS II) were recorded on ICU admission and were 9 and 47, respectively. All participants had deep sedation, assessed by a Richmond Agitation and Sedation scale (RASS) score of less than or equal to -4 at the time of inclusion. One thousand and six BPS recordings were obtained, and 130 recordings were retained for final calibration: 108 BPS recordings corresponding to the absence of pain and 22 BPS recordings corresponding to the presence of pain. Due to the small size of the dataset, a leave-one-subject-out cross-validation (LOSO-CV) strategy was performed, and the training results obtained the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.792. This model has a sensitivity of 81.8% and a specificity of 72.2%. Conclusion: This pilot study calibrated the NEVVA© medical device and showed the feasibility of continuous facial expression analysis for pain monitoring in ICU patients. The next step will be to correlate this device with the BPS scale.

Pneumocystis pneumonia in intensive care: clinical spectrum, prophylaxis patterns, antibiotic treatment delay impact, and role of corticosteroids. A French multicentre prospective cohort study.

PURPOSE: Severe Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia (PJP) requiring intensive care has been the subject of few prospective studies. It is unclear whether delayed curative antibiotic therapy may impact survival in these severe forms of PJP. The impact of corticosteroid therapy combined with antibiotics is also unclear. METHODS: This multicentre, prospective observational study involving 49 adult intensive care units (ICUs) in France was designed to evaluate the severity, the clinical spectrum, and outcomes of patients with severe PJP, and to assess the association between delayed curative antibiotic treatment and adjunctive corticosteroid therapy with mortality. RESULTS: We included 158 patients with PJP from September 2020 to August 2022. Their main reason for admission was acute respiratory failure (n = 150, 94.9%). 12% of them received antibiotic prophylaxis for PJP before ICU admission. The ICU, hospital, and 6-month mortality were 31.6%, 35.4%, and 40.5%, respectively. Using time-to-event analysis with a propensity score-based inverse probability of treatment weighting, the initiation of curative antibiotic treatment after 96 h of ICU admission was associated with faster occurrence of death [time ratio: 6.75; 95% confidence interval (95% CI): 1.48-30.82; P = 0.014]. The use of corticosteroids for PJP was associated with faster occurrence of death (time ratio: 2.48; 95% CI 1.01-6.08; P = 0.048). CONCLUSION: This study showed that few patients with PJP admitted to intensive care received prophylactic antibiotic therapy, that delay in curative antibiotic treatment was common and that both delay in curative antibiotic treatment and adjunctive corticosteroids for PJP were associated with accelerated mortality.

Use of online blood volume and blood temperature monitoring during haemodialysis in critically ill patients with acute kidney injury: a single-centre randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Little is known about the clinical impact on cardiovascular stability during intermittent haemodialysis (IHD) for acute kidney injury (AKI) of online monitoring devices that control blood volume (BV) and blood temperature in the intensive care unit (ICU) setting. We compared different dialysis treatment modalities with or without these new systems among critically ill patients requiring IHD. METHODS: In a prospective single-centre three-arm randomized controlled trial, 600 dialysis sessions in 74 consecutive AKI critically ill patients were involved to assess intradialytic hypotension. Standard dialysis therapy with constant ultrafiltration (UF) rate, cool dialysate and high sodium conductivity (Treatment A) was compared to regimens with adjunctive interventions including BV control (Treatment B) and the combination of BV and active blood temperature control (Treatment C). Each dialysis session was randomly assigned to one of the three treatment arms and served as statistical unit. RESULTS: Five hundred and seventy-two dialysis sessions were analysed (188, 190 and 194 in Treatments A, B and C, respectively). Hypotension occurred in 16.6% treatments, with similar rates among the arms. Haemodynamic parameters and dialysis-related complications did not differ between therapies. Based on generalized estimating equation adjusted to dialysate sodium conductivity, higher Sequential Organ Failure Assessment the day of dialysis session, the need for vasopressors and lower systolic blood pressure at the onset of the session were identified as independent predictors of hypotensive episodes, whereas regimens containing the new online monitors were not. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that both actively controlled body temperature and UF profiled by online monitoring systems have no significant impact on the incidence of intradialytic hypotension in the ICU setting. Further research is needed before the use of these new sophisticated automatic methods can be applied routinely to the ICU setting.

Development and validation of a multivariable model predicting the required catheter dwell time among mechanically ventilated critically ill patients in three randomized trials.

BACKGROUND: The anatomic site for central venous catheter insertion influences the risk of central venous catheter-related intravascular complications. We developed and validated a predictive score of required catheter dwell time to identify critically ill patients at higher risk of intravascular complications. METHODS: We retrospectively conducted a cohort study from three multicenter randomized controlled trials enrolling consecutive patients requiring central venous catheterization. The primary outcome was the required catheter dwell time, defined as the period between the first catheter insertion and removal of the last catheter for absence of utility. Predictors were identified in the training cohort (3SITES trial; 2336 patients) through multivariable analyses based on the subdistribution hazard function accounting for death as a competing event. Internal validation was performed in the training cohort by 500 bootstraps to derive the CVC-IN score from robust risk factors. External validation of the CVC-IN score were performed in the testing cohort (CLEAN, and DRESSING2; 2371 patients). RESULTS: The analysis was restricted to patients requiring mechanical ventilation to comply with model assumptions. Immunosuppression (2 points), high creatinine > 100 micromol/L (2 points), use of vasopressor (1 point), obesity (1 point) and older age (40-59, 1 point; ≥ 60, 2 points) were independently associated with the required catheter dwell time. At day 28, area under the ROC curve for the CVC-IN score was 0.69, 95% confidence interval (CI) [0.66-0.72] in the training cohort and 0.64, 95% CI [0.61-0.66] in the testing cohort. Patients with a CVC-IN score ≥ 4 in the overall cohort had a median required catheter dwell time of 24 days (versus 11 days for CVC-IN score < 4 points). The positive predictive value of a CVC-IN score ≥ 4 was 76.9% for > 7 days required catheter dwell time in the testing cohort. CONCLUSION: The CVC-IN score, which can be used for the first catheter, had a modest ability to discriminate required catheter dwell time. Nevertheless, preference of the subclavian site may contribute to limit the risk of intravascular complications, in particular among ventilated patients with high CVC-IN score. Trials Registration NCT01479153, NCT01629550, NCT01189682.

Predictors of mortality and short-term physical and cognitive dependence in critically ill persons 75 years and older: a prospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to identify predictors of 3-month mortality in critically ill older persons under medical care and to assess the clinical impact of an ICU stay on physical and cognitive dependence and subjective health status in survivors. METHODS: We conducted a prospective observational cohort study including all older persons 75 years and older consecutively admitted into ICU during a one-year period, except those admitted after cardiac arrest, All patients were followed for 3 months or until death. Comorbidities were assessed using the Charlson index and physical dependence was evaluated using the Katz index of Activity of Daily Living (ADL). Cognitive dependence was determined by a score based on the individual components of the Lawton index of Daily Living and subjective health status was evaluated using the Nottingham Health Profile (NHP) score. RESULTS: One hundred patients were included in the analysis. The mean age was 79.3 ± 3.4 years. The median Charlson index was 6 [IQR, 4 to 7] and the mean ADL and cognitive scores were 5.4 ± 1.1 and 1.2 ± 1.4, respectively, corresponding to a population with a high level of comorbidities but low physical and cognitive dependence. Mortality was 61/100 (61%) at 3 months. In multivariate analysis only comorbidities assessed by the Charlson index [Adjusted Odds Ratio, 1.6; 95% CI, 1.2-2.2; p < 0.003] and the number of organ failures assessed by the SOFA score [Adjusted Odds Ratio, 2.5; 95% CI, 1.1-5.2; p < 0.02] were independently associated with 3-month mortality. All 22 patients needing renal support after Day 3 died. Compared with pre-admission, physical (p = 0.04), and cognitive (p = 0.62) dependence in survivors had changed very little at 3 months. In addition, the mean NHP score was 213.1 ± 132.8 at 3 months, suggesting an acceptable perception of their quality of life. CONCLUSIONS: In a selected population of non surgical patients 75 years and older, admission into the ICU is associated with a 3-month survival rate of 38% with little impact on physical and cognitive dependence and subjective health status. Nevertheless, a high comorbidity level (ie, Charlson index), multi-organ failure, and the need for extra-renal support at the early phase of intensive care could be considered as predictors of death.

Serum neuron-specific enolase as predictor of outcome in comatose cardiac-arrest survivors: a prospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: The prediction of neurological outcome in comatose patients after cardiac arrest has major ethical and socioeconomic implications. The purpose of this study was to assess the capability of serum neuron-specific enolase (NSE), a biomarker of hypoxic brain damage, to predict death or vegetative state in comatose cardiac-arrest survivors. METHODS: We conducted a prospective observational cohort study in one university hospital and one general hospital Intensive Care Unit (ICU). All consecutive patients who suffered cardiac arrest and were subsequently admitted from June 2007 to February 2009 were considered for inclusion in the study. Patients who died or awoke within the first 48 hours of admission were excluded from the analysis. Patients were followed for 3 months or until death after cardiopulmonary resuscitation. The Cerebral Performance Categories scale (CPC) was used as the outcome measure; a CPC of 4-5 was regarded as a poor outcome, and a CPC of 1-3 a good outcome. Measurement of serum NSE was performed at 24 h and at 72 h after the time of cardiac arrest using an enzyme immunoassay. Clinicians were blinded to NSE results. RESULTS: Ninety-seven patients were included. All patients were actively supported during the first days following cardiac arrest. Sixty-five patients (67%) underwent cooling after resuscitation. At 3 months 72 (74%) patients had a poor outcome (CPC 4-5) and 25 (26%) a good outcome (CPC 1-3). The median and Interquartile Range [IQR] levels of NSE at 24 h and at 72 h were significantly higher in patients with poor outcomes: NSE at 24 h: 59.4 ng/mL [37-106] versus 28.8 ng/mL [18-41] (p < 0.0001); and NSE at 72 h: 129.5 ng/mL [40-247] versus 15.7 ng/mL [12-19] (p < 0.0001). The Receiver Operator Characteristics (ROC) curve for poor outcome for the highest observed NSE value for each patient determined a cut-off value for NSE of 97 ng/mL to predict a poor neurological outcome with a specificity of 100% [95% CI = 87-100] and a sensitivity of 49% [95% CI = 37-60]. However, an approach based on a combination of SSEPs, NSE and clinical-EEG tests allowed to increase the number of patients (63/72 (88%)) identified as having a poor outcome and for whom intensive treatment could be regarded as futile. CONCLUSION: NSE levels measured early in the course of patient care for those who remained comatose after cardiac arrest were significantly higher in patients with outcomes of death or vegetative state. In addition, we provide a cut-off value for NSE (> 97 ng/mL) with 100% positive predictive value of poor outcome. Nevertheless, for decisions concerning the continuation of treatment in this setting, we emphasize that an approach based on a combination of SSEPs, NSE and clinical EEG would be more accurate for identifying patients with a poor neurological outcome.

Ultraprotective ventilation allowed by extracorporeal CO2 removal improves the right ventricular function in acute respiratory distress syndrome patients: a quasi-experimental pilot study.

BACKGROUND: Right ventricular (RV) failure is a common complication in moderate-to-severe acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). RV failure is exacerbated by hypercapnic acidosis and overdistension induced by mechanical ventilation. Veno-venous extracorporeal CO2 removal (ECCO2R) might allow ultraprotective ventilation with lower tidal volume (VT) and plateau pressure (Pplat). This study investigated whether ECCO2R therapy could affect RV function. METHODS: This was a quasi-experimental prospective observational pilot study performed in a French medical ICU. Patients with moderate-to-severe ARDS with PaO2/FiO2 ratio between 80 and 150 mmHg were enrolled. An ultraprotective ventilation strategy was used with VT at 4 mL/kg of predicted body weight during the 24 h following the start of a low-flow ECCO2R device. RV function was assessed by transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) during the study protocol. RESULTS: The efficacy of ECCO2R facilitated an ultraprotective strategy in all 18 patients included. We observed a significant improvement in RV systolic function parameters. Tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (TAPSE) increased significantly under ultraprotective ventilation compared to baseline (from 22.8 to 25.4 mm; p < 0.05). Systolic excursion velocity (S' wave) also increased after the 1-day protocol (from 13.8 m/s to 15.1 m/s; p < 0.05). A significant improvement in the aortic velocity time integral (VTIAo) under ultraprotective ventilation settings was observed (p = 0.05). There were no significant differences in the values of systolic pulmonary arterial pressure (sPAP) and RV preload. CONCLUSION: Low-flow ECCO2R facilitates an ultraprotective ventilation strategy thatwould improve RV function in moderate-to-severe ARDS patients. Improvement in RV contractility appears to be mainly due to a decrease in intrathoracic pressure allowed by ultraprotective ventilation, rather than a reduction of PaCO2.

Ability of procalcitonin to distinguish between bacterial and nonbacterial infection in severe acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary syndrome in the ICU.

BACKGROUND: To assess the ability of procalcitonin (PCT) to distinguish between bacterial and nonbacterial causes of patients with severe acute exacerbation of COPD (AECOPD) admitted to the ICU, we conducted a retrospective analysis of two prospective studies including 375 patients with severe AECOPD with suspected lower respiratory tract infections. PCT levels were sequentially assessed at the time of inclusion, 6 h after and at day 1, using a sensitive immunoassay. The patients were classified according to the presence of a documented bacterial infection (including bacterial and viral coinfection) (BAC + group), or the absence of a documented bacterial infection (i.e., a documented viral infection alone or absence of a documented pathogen) (BAC- group). The accuracy of PCT levels in predicting bacterial infection (BAC + group) vs no bacterial infection (BAC- group) at different time points was evaluated by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis. RESULTS: Regarding the entire cohort (n = 375), at any time, the PCT levels significantly differed between groups (Kruskal-Wallis test, p < 0.001). A pairwise comparison showed that PCT levels were significantly higher in patients with bacterial infection (n = 94) than in patients without documented pathogens (n = 218) (p < 0.001). No significant difference was observed between patients with bacterial and viral infection (n = 63). For example, the median PCT-H0 levels were 0.64 ng/ml [0.22-0.87] in the bacterial group vs 0.24 ng/ml [0.15-0.37] in the viral group and 0.16 ng/mL [0.11-0.22] in the group without documented pathogens. With a c-index of 0.64 (95% CI; 0.58-0.71) at H0, 0.64 [95% CI 0.57-0.70] at H6 and 0.63 (95% CI; 0.56-0.69) at H24, PCT had a low accuracy for predicting bacterial infection (BAC + group). CONCLUSION: Despite higher PCT levels in severe AECOPD caused by bacterial infection, PCT had a poor accuracy to distinguish between bacterial and nonbacterial infection. Procalcitonin might not be sufficient as a standalone marker for initiating antibiotic treatment in this setting.

Extracorporeal Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and Survival After Refractory Cardiac Arrest: Is ECPR Beneficial?

The level of evidence of expert recommendations for starting extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (ECPR) in refractory out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) and in-hospital cardiac arrest (IHCA) is low. Therefore, we reported our experience in the field to identify factors associated with hospital mortality. We conducted a retrospective cohort study of all consecutive patients treated with ECPR for refractory cardiac arrest without return to spontaneous circulation, regardless of cause, at the Caen University Hospital. Factors associated with hospital mortality were analyzed. Eighty-six patients (i.e., 35 OHCA and 51 IHCA) were included. The overall hospital mortality rate was 81% (i.e., 91% and 75% in the OHCA and IHCA groups, respectively). Factors independently associated with mortality were: sex, age > 44 years, and time from collapse until extracorporeal life support (ECLS) initiation. Interestingly, no-shockable rhythm was not associated with mortality. The receiver operating characteristic-area under the curve values of pH value (0.75 [0.60-0.90]) and time from collapse until ECLS initiation over 61 minutes (0.87 [0.76-0.98]) or 74 minutes (0.90 [0.80-1.00]) for predicting hospital mortality showed good discrimination performance. No-shockable rhythm should not be considered a formal exclusion criterion for ECPR. Time from collapse until ECPR initiation is the cornerstone of success of an ECPR strategy in refractory cardiac arrest.