Evaluation of the effect of Modafinil in the improvement of the level of consciousness in patients with COVID-19 encephalopathy: A randomized controlled trial.

AIM: COVID-19 can lead to encephalopathy and loss of consciousness. This double-blinded randomized clinical trial conducted in Tehran, Iran, aimed to assess the potential effectiveness of modafinil in patients with COVID-19-related encephalopathy. METHODS: Nineteen non-intubated COVID-19 patients with encephalopathy were randomized into two groups: a treatment group receiving crushed modafinil tablets and a placebo group receiving starch powder. Modafinil was administered at a dose of 100 mg every 2 h, reaching a peak dosage of 400 mg. The level of consciousness was assessed using the Glasgow Coma Score (GCS) at multiple time points on the day of medication administration. The trial was registered under IRCT20170903036041N3 on 23/5/2021. RESULTS: The average age in the modafinil and placebo groups was 75.33 and 70 years, respectively. No significant differences were observed between the two groups in terms of chronic conditions, clinical symptoms, or laboratory data. GCS scores were similar between the groups at baseline (p-value = 0.699). After four doses of modafinil, GCS scores were slightly higher in the treatment group, but this difference was not statistically significant (p-value = 0.581). GCS scores after each round of drug administration didn't significantly differ between the treatment and placebo groups (p-value = 0.908). CONCLUSION: Modafinil exhibited a slight improvement in the level of consciousness among COVID-19 patients with encephalopathy, although this improvement did not reach statistical significance when compared to the control group. Further research with larger sample sizes and longer treatment durations is recommended to explore modafinil's potential benefits in managing altered consciousness in COVID-19 patients.

Investigating Causes of Medical Errors in Intensive Care Units in Iran: A Cross-sectional Study.

Background: Medical errors cause disability and mortality in intensive care units (ICUs). We aimed to determine the occurrence and causes of medical errors in the ICUs of Iran. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, data from the family complaint files referred to The disciplinary authority of Iran Medical Council was retrospectively reviewed to explore the causes of medical errors. Statistical analysis was performed in SPSS Version 26.0. Results: A total of 293 complaint files were referred to the disciplinary commission from 2014 to 2019, of which 95 files were related to medical errors in ICUs. The median age of patients was 62 years (46-74 years) and 52 (54.7%) patients were men. Also, 37 (38.9%) patients had decreased levels of consciousness and 42 (42.2%) patients had cardiovascular disease. A total of 40 (42.1%) patients experienced a single medical error and 55 (57.9%) patients experienced more than 1. Causes of medical errors in patients were physician's or nurse's negligence in 53 (55.8%) patients, weak interaction of physician and nurse with the patient and family members in 11 (11.6%) patients, weak interprofessional interaction among physicians in 7 (7.4%) patients, equipment and structure of ICUs in 7 (7.4 patients, nature of ICUs and patients in 6 (6.3%) patients, weak physician-nurse interprofessional interaction in 5 (5.2%) patients) patients, low attention of the physician and the nurse to medication safety in 6 (6.3%) patients. Conclusion: Patient safety is impacted by a variety of medical mistakes. Interprofessional strategies can be developed and put into action to mitigate medical errors in ICUs.

Relationship of vitamin D level with insulin dosage required based on insulin therapy protocol.

An Expression of Concern has been published | View Update to April 27th, 2023: The Publisher is glad to inform the readers that the issue discussed in the Expression of Concern has been favorably resolved and we have no longer cause of concern regarding this paper. The deficiency of vitamin D (VD) amongst Iranian people is high and also is related on hyperglycemia. This study aims to evaluate the association of VD levels with the required dose of insulin prescribed based on an insulin therapy protocol in critical condition patients admitted to intensive care unit (ICU), in an investigation based in Iran. This cross-sectional study was performed on patients who required insulin due to hyperglycemia. The relationship between serum VD level and the required dose of insulin prescribed based on insulin therapy protocol in this group of patients was investigated. A total of 172 patients with a mean age of 46.93 ± 31.9 years were included in this study. Across the included participants, 78.8% of patients had VD deficiency, 11.9% had insufficient VD and 9.3% had normal VD levels. There was a significant difference in mean blood sugar between the VD deficiency group and the normal group. VD levels were also significantly higher in men than women. Furthermore, the HbA1C hemoglobin level in patients with VD deficiency was significantly higher compared to the group with normal levels of VD. Our findings suggest that decreased VD is associated with increased blood sugar and insulin requirements in patients admitted to ICU. Women are at a higher risk for VD deficiency. We hope that these findings may help inform relevant treatment strategies.

High-fat low-carbohydrate enteral feeding enriched with olive oil and acute respiratory failure: A double-blind, randomized, controlled trial.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: The study evaluated the impact of two types of high fat diet on the outcomes of acute pulmonary failure. METHODS: A total of 93 Ventilated acute pulmonary failure patients with enteral feeding were assigned randomly to the control group with carbohydrate-based formula (protein: 20%, fat: 30%, carbohydrate: 50%) and two study groups with fat-based formula, including group A (protein: 20%, In equal proportions of olive and sunflower oil 45%, charbohydrate:35%) and group B (protein: 20%, sunflower oil:45%, charbohydrate:35%). The diets were prescribed for 14 days. RESULTS: In each group, 16 patients completed the study. The PaCO2 decreased significantly in the study group A compared with the control group at weaning. The risk of separation from mechanical ventilation during study period was eight times higher in the study group A than the control group. On day 10 of intervention, serum hs-CRP decreased significantly in the control group and the study group A compared to the baseline. Serum concentration of total antioxidant capacity was increased significantly in the study group A on day 10 of the intervention, but in the other two groups it was reduced. Gastrointestinal complications, including diarrhea and high gastric residual volume, were not different between the groups. CONCLUSION: With a fat-based diet high in olive oil, more patients were weaned during the study period. This diet reduced the PaCo2 at weaning, reduced the serum level of hs-CRP, and increased the serum level of total antioxidant capacity concentration. Fat-based diet high in sunflower oil did not have any beneficial effects on outcomes.

Relationship between Mini Nutritional Assessment Score and Infection in Critical Care Patients.

Background: Nutrition and infectious diseases are 2 influential factors. Mini nutritional assessment (MNA) score is one of the indicators for assessing the nutritional status of the patients. The present study aimed to evaluate the relationship between MNA- short form (SF) and the infectious status of patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) of Hazrat-e-Rasoul hospital in Tehran. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study performed at Hazrat-e-Rasoul hospital in Tehran from 2019 to 2020. Each patient completed the MNA-SF questionnaire. The questionnaire has 6 factors with a score range of 0 to 14, with 12 to 14 indicating "normal nutrition," 8 to 11 indicating "at risk of malnutrition," and 0 to 7 indicating "malnutrition." The patients were monitored for clinical and paraclinical signs and symptoms of infectious disease for the first 14 days after being admitted to the ICU. Then, the relationship between infection level and MNA-SF scores were recorded and the chi-square, independent samples t test, and Pearson correlation test were used. Results: In this study, 119 patients (60 men and 59 women), with a mean age of 53.82 ± 19.76 years were selected, and 71 (59.67%) of the patients had an infection. Women without infection were significantly more than men (p=0.021). In the assessment of the MNA-SF questionnaire, we found that 62 (52.1%) patients had "normal nutrition" status, 30 (25.2%), and 27 (22.7%) had "at risk for malnutrition" and "malnutrition" status, respectively. MNA-SF scores were significantly different in different age groups (p=0.040). There was a significant relationship between weight loss, mobility, and neuropsychological problems with age (p<0.001). Also, there was a meaningful relationship between nutritional status and infection (p=0.032). The results determined that noninfected cases among the patients with "normal nutrition" status were more than those "at risk for malnutrition" (p=0.007). The results of this study showed that clinical outcomes had a significant relationship with nutritional status (p=0.043). Conclusion: Based on the present study, good nutritional status can reduce infection and mortality in patients who are admitted to ICU, and the nutritional status assessed with MNA-SF can play an essential role in patients' susceptibility to infection.

Effect of Inhaled Colistin on the Treatment of Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia due to Multi-drug Resistant Acinetobacter.

BACKGROUND: Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia (VAP) is a hospital pneumonia that is considered in patients on mechanical ventilation for at least 48 hours with symptoms of new lower respiratory tract infections being reported in them. The present study reviews the effect of adding inhaled colistin in the treatment of ventilator-induced pulmonary infections in Intensive Care Unit (ICU) patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this single blind clinical trial, patients admitted to the ICU with diagnosis of pulmonary infections caused by ventilator were investigated. In the treatment group, patients received 150 mg of colistin plus 1,000,000 units inhaled colistin every eight hours and in the control group only 300 mg of colistin every eight hours intravenously was given. Patients were followed up in terms of clinical findings for seven days after the initial diagnosis of infection. RESULTS: The results of this study showed that administration of inhaled colistin in patients admitted in ICU significantly improved culture indices, leukocyte, white blood cell count, chest X-ray, chest secretion, CPIS score and saccharification (SpO2) on the third and seventh days after treatment compared to the first day. CONCLUSION: Considering the positive effect of adding inhaled colistin to the treatment of patients admitted to ICU with pulmonary infections caused by ventilator with multi-drug resistant Acinetobacter, the use of combination drug therapy is recommended.