Epidemiology and Prognostic Utility of Cellular Components of Hematological System in Sepsis.

BACKGROUND: Data are lacking on the role of cellular components of hematological system as biomarkers for prognosis of sepsis. We planned to identify if these parameters measured at admission to ICU and at 72 hours can be useful as prognostic marker in septic critically ill patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this prospective observational study, 130 adult patients with sepsis were recruited. Various hematological study parameters (total, differential, and absolute leukocyte count, platelet count, platelet distribution width, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio) were noted at day 1 and day 3 of admission. Primary outcome was 28-day mortality, and secondary outcomes were duration of mechanical ventilation, vasopressor requirement, ICU length of stay, and requirement of renal replacement therapy. The variables were compared between two groups and using binary regression model and were evaluated as prognostic markers for 28-day mortality. RESULTS: Data from n = 129 were analyzed. At day-28, n = 58 (44.96%) patients survived. Baseline and demographic parameters were comparable between survivors and nonsurvivors. Admission Sequential Organ Failure Assessment score was more in nonsurvivors than survivors [8 (6-8) vs 6 (4-8); p = 0.002]. In nonsurvivors, monocyte, lymphocyte, basophil, eosinophil, and platelet count were significantly less at day 1 and lymphocyte, eosinophil, basophil and platelet count were significantly less at day 3. NLR and PLR at day 3 were significantly more in nonsurvivors. On logistic regression analysis, age, thrombocytopenia on day 1, and low eosinophil count on day 3 predicted 28-day mortality (p = 0.006, p = 0.02, and p = 0.04, respectively). CONCLUSION: Thrombocytopenia on day 1 and eosinopenia on day 3 may predict 28-day mortality in sepsis. HOW TO CITE THIS ARTICLE: Sinha H, Maitra S, Anand RK, Aggarwal R, Rewari V, Subramaniam R, et al. Epidemiology and Prognostic Utility of Cellular Components of Hematological System in Sepsis. Indian J Crit Care Med 2021;25(6):660-667.

Efficacy of Left Ventricular Outflow Tract and Carotid Artery Velocity Time Integral as Predictors of Fluid Responsiveness in Patients with Sepsis and Septic Shock.

Background: Transthoracic echocardiography is a reliable method to measure a dynamic change in left ventricular outflow tract velocity time integral (LVOTVTI) and stroke volume (SV) in response to passive leg raising (PLR) and can predict fluid responsiveness in critically ill patients. Measuring carotid artery velocity time integral (CAVTI) is easier, does not depend on adequate cardiac window, and requires less skill and expertise than LVOTVTI. The aim of this study is to identify the efficacy of ΔCAVTI and ΔLVOTVTI pre- and post-PLR in predicting fluid responsiveness in critically ill patients with sepsis and septic shock. Methods: After the institutional ethics committee's clearance and informed written consent, 60 critically ill mechanically ventilated patients aged 18-65 years were recruited in this prospective parallel-group study with 20 patients in each group: sepsis (group S), septic shock (group SS), and control (group C). Demographic parameters and baseline acute physiology, age and chronic health evaluation-II and sequential organ failure assessment scores were noted. LVOTVTI, SV, and CAVTI were measured before and after PLR along with other hemodynamic variables. Patients having a change in SV more than 15% following PLR were defined as "responders." Results: Twenty-three patients (38.33%) were responders. Area under receiver-operating characteristic curve for ΔCAVTI could predict responders in control and sepsis patients only. The correlation coefficients between pre- and post-PLR ΔCAVTI and ΔLVOTVTI were 0.530 (p = 0.016), 0.440 (p = 0.052), and 0.044 (p = 0.853) in control, sepsis, and septic shock patients, respectively. Conclusion: Following PLR, ΔCAVTI does not predict fluid responsiveness in septic shock patients and the correlation between ΔCAVTI and ΔLVOTVTI is weak in septic shock patients and only modest in sepsis patients. How to cite this article: Chowhan G, Kundu R, Maitra S, Arora MK, Batra RK, Subramaniam R, et al. Efficacy of Left Ventricular Outflow Tract and Carotid Artery Velocity Time Integral as Predictors of Fluid Responsiveness in Patients with Sepsis and Septic Shock. Indian J Crit Care Med 2021;25(3):310-316. CTRI/Trial Reg No: www.ctri.nic.in, CTRI/2017/11/010434.

Analgesic efficacy and spread of local anesthetic in ultrasound-guided paravertebral, pectoralis II, and serratus anterior plane block for breast surgeries: A randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Thoracic paravertebral block (TPVB) has become the gold standard to provide postoperative analgesia in breast surgery. Recently, ultrasound-guided (USG) pectoralis (PECS) block and serratus anterior plane (SAP) block have been described as an alternative to TPVB. The objectives were to compare TPVB, PECS, and SAP block in terms of analgesic efficacy and the spread of local anesthetic by ultrasound imaging, correlating it with the sensory blockade. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Prospective randomized interventional study conducted in 45 ASA grades I-II patients scheduled for the elective breast surgery. Patients were randomly allocated into three groups, i.e., Gr.1 (USG -TPVB) (ropivacaine 0.375% 20 ml), Gr.2 (USG-PECS II) block (ropivacaine 0.375% 30 ml), and Gr.3 (USG-SAP) (ropivacaine 0.375% 30 ml). Spread of the local anesthetics was seen with ultrasound imaging. Onset of sensory blockade, postoperative fentanyl consumption, and pain scores was measured. RESULTS: TPVB and SAP group had comparatively higher spread and sensory block compared to PECS group. Postoperative fentanyl requirement (mean ± SD) was 428.33 ± 243.1 µg, 644.67 ± 260.15 µg, and 415 ± 182.44 µg in the TPVB group, PECS II group, and SAP group, respectively. SAP group had significantly lesser requirement than PECS II group (P = 0.028) but similar requirement as in TPVB group (P = 1.0). Pain scores were not significantly different among the group in the postoperative period. CONCLUSION: TPVB and SAP group result in a greater spread of the drug and provide equivalent analgesia and are superior to the PECS II block in providing analgesia for breast surgeries. SAP block is easier to perform than TPVB with lesser chances of complications and results in faster onset.

Distal radial arterial cannulation in adult patients: A retrospective cohort study.

PURPOSE: Safety and feasibility of distal radial artery cannulation at the anatomic snuffbox in the perioperative settings in adult patients have been assessed in this study. METHODS: Adult patients undergoing elective surgery requiring arterial cannulation were recruited in this retrospective cohort study. RESULTS: Data of 55 patients have been reviewed here; among which in 21 patients, arterial puncture was performed ultrasound guidance and in 34 patients puncture was guided by the pulsation of the distal radial artery at the anatomical snuffbox. First attempt success rate of distal radial arterial cannulation was 76.3% (42 of 55 patients) and it was similar between ultrasound guided (USG) and palpation technique (P = 0.53, Chi-square test). Overall, cannulation success rate was 87.3% (48 of 55 patients) and it was also similar between USG and palpation technique (P = 0.79, Chi-square test). CONCLUSION: Distal radial artery cannulation is technically feasible in patients undergoing elective surgery. However, further randomized controlled trials are required to establish its clinical utility and safety profile in comparison to conventional radial artery cannulation.

Intracoronary Administration of Thrombolysis for Severe Coronary Artery Ectasia Presenting as an Acute Inferior ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction.

We present a 75-year-old male with acute inferior ST-elevation myocardial infarction, severe coronary artery ectasia, and large thrombus burden in the right coronary artery to support the use of intracoronary thrombolysis as a second-line therapy for a large thrombus burden in primary percutaneous coronary intervention.

Effect of dexmedetomidine as an adjuvant to bupivacaine in femoral nerve block for perioperative analgesia in patients undergoing total knee replacement arthroplasty: A dose-response study.

CONTEXT: Dexmedetomidine is being increasingly used in nerve blocks. However, there are only a few dose determination studies. AIMS: To compare two doses of dexmedetomidine, in femoral nerve block, for postoperative analgesia after total knee arthroplasty (TKA). SETTINGS AND DESIGN: A prospective, randomized, controlled trial was conducted in the Department of Anesthesia at AIIMS, a Tertiary Care Hospital. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Sixty American Society of Anesthesiologists I-II patients undergoing TKA under subarachnoid block were randomized to three Groups A, B, and C. Control Group A received 20 ml (0.25%) of bupivacaine in femoral nerve block. Groups B and C received 1 and 2 µg/kg dexmedetomidine along with bupivacaine for the block, respectively. Outcomes measured were analgesic efficacy measured in terms of visual analog scale (VAS) score at rest and passive motion, duration of postoperative analgesia, and postoperative morphine consumption. Adverse effects of dexmedetomidine were also studied. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED: All qualitative data were analyzed using Chi-square test and VAS scores using Kruskal-Wallis test. Comparison of patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) morphine consumption and time to first use of PCA were done using ANOVA followed by Least Significant Difference test. A P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: The VAS score at rest was significantly lower in Group C compared to Groups A and B (P < 0.05). There was no difference in VAS score at motion between Groups B and C. The mean duration of analgesia was significantly longer in Group C (6.66 h) compared to Groups A (4.55 h) and B (5.70 h). Postoperative mean morphine consumption was significantly lower in Group C (22.85 mg) compared to Group A (32.15 mg) but was comparable to Group B (27.05 mg). There was no significant difference in adverse effects between the groups. CONCLUSION: The use of dexmedetomidine at 2 µg/kg dose in femoral nerve block is superior to 1 µg/kg for providing analgesia after TKA, although its role in facilitating early ambulation needs further evaluation.

Difficult airway in Mowat-Wilson syndrome.

Mowat-Wilson syndrome is a rare congenital syndrome involving multiple system abnormalities. The most consistently present components include facial deformity, mental retardation, and Hirschsprung disease. We report the anesthetic management of a case of Mowat-Wilson syndrome, with a difficult airway, who underwent Duhamel's procedure and colostomy closure.

An unusual case of syncope in a young female with incidental long QTc interval.

Syncope is a common presentation to emergency departments. Arrhythmias account for 14% of those presentations [1], which requires careful assessment due to the potential for sudden cardiac death (SCD). QTc prolongation either due to congenital channelopathy or acquired aetiology can lead to polymorphic ventricular tachycardia and SCD, and should be excluded on electrocardiography. On the other hand, detailed history and thorough clinical examination are the most important tools in reaching the diagnosis, even in the presence of QTC prolongation.

A rare case of adult type ALCAPA syndrome: presentation, diagnosis and management.

We report a case of a 43 year-old previously fit and healthy woman presenting with cardiac arrest secondary to an anomalous origin of the Left Coronary Artery from the Pulmonary Artery (ALCAPA) Syndrome, a very rare congenital anomaly that it is extremely unusual to survive to adulthood if left uncorrected. To our knowledge, this is the first case of its type to be diagnosed and reported in an Australian hospital. Suspicion of this anomaly on conventional coronary angiography is essential given the life threatening nature of this condition.

A case of aborted sudden cardiac death and consequent extreme electrical storm secondary to a metastatic cardiac tumor.

We report a 43-year-old man with an implantable cardioverter defibrillator for aborted sudden cardiac death. He represents in extreme electrical storm with 111 different ventricular fibrillation episodes. Successful treatment was achieved with multiple antiarrhythmic agents, mechanical ventilation, external shocks, and ultimately overdrive pacing. A cardiac magnetic resonance scan revealed two cardiac lesions that were later diagnosed as metastatic fibrosarcoma. This case highlights two very important and increasingly common cardiological dilemmas: the management of extreme electrical storm and the role of magnetic resonance imaging in aborted cardiac death patients with an apparent "normal" heart.

A case of single atrium and single ventricle physiology with bilateral cleft lip and palate for lip repair surgery.

Bilateral cleft lip and palate may occasionally be associated with complex congenital cyanotic heart disease. An infant with common atrium and single ventricle with infundibular pulmonary stenosis (Blalock-Taussig shunt done recently) presented for lip repair surgery. Balanced general anesthesia was administered using sevoflurane along with a regional nerve block to maintain optimal pulmonary and systemic vascular resistance.

The evaluation of efficacy and safety of paravertebral block for perioperative analgesia in patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy.

BACKGROUND: Paravertebral block is a popular regional anesthetic technique used for perioperative analgesia in multiple surgical procedures. There are very few randomized trials of its use in laparoscopic cholecystectomy in medical literature. This study was aimed at assessing its efficacy and opioid-sparing potential in this surgery. METHODS: FIFTY PATIENTS WERE INCLUDED IN THIS PROSPECTIVE RANDOMIZED STUDY AND ALLOCATED TO TWO GROUPS: Group A (25 patients) receiving general anesthesia alone and Group B (25 patients) receiving nerve-stimulator-guided bilateral thoracic Paravertebral Block (PVB) at T6 level with 0.3 ml/kg of 0.25% bupivacaine prior to induction of general anesthesia. Intraoperative analgesia was supplemented with fentanyl (0.5 µg/kg) based on hemodynamic and clinical parameters. Postoperatively, patients in both the groups received Patient-Controlled Analgesia (PCA) morphine for the first 24 hours. The efficacy of PVB was assessed by comparing intraoperative fentanyl requirements, postoperative VAS scores at rest, and on coughing and PCA morphine consumption between the two groups. RESULTS: Intraoperative supplemental fentanyl was significantly less in Group B compared to Group A (17.6 µg and 38.6 µg, respectively, P =0.001). PCA morphine requirement was significantly low in the PVB group at 2, 6, 12, and 24 hours postoperatively compared to that in Group A (4.4 mg vs 6.9 mg, 7.6 mg vs 14.2 mg, 11.6 mg vs 20.0 mg, 16.8 mg vs 27.2 mg, respectively; P <0.0001 at all intervals). CONCLUSION: Pre-induction PVB resulted in improved analgesia for 24 hours following laparoscopic cholecystectomy in this study, along with a significant reduction in perioperative opioid consumption and opioid-related side effects.

Bispectral index correlates well with Richmond agitation sedation scale in mechanically ventilated critically ill patients.

PURPOSE: The clinical sedation scores available for assessing sedation in the intensive care unit (ICU) have drawbacks and limit their usefulness in paralyzed and deeply sedated patients. An objective tool, the bispectral index (BIS), could prove beneficial in such circumstances. We evaluated the ability of BIS to assess the level of sedation and its correlation with the Richmond agitation sedation scale (RASS) in ICU. METHODS: Twenty-four, mechanically ventilated, critically ill patients of either sex, 15-65 years of age, were studied over a period of 24 h. They received a standard sedation regimen consisting of a bolus dose of propofol 0.5 mg/kg and fentanyl 1 microg/kg followed by infusions of propofol and fentanyl ranging from 1.5 to 5 mg/kg/h and 0.5 to 2.0 microg/kg/h, respectively. Hemodynamic parameters, temperature, end-tidal carbon dioxide, BIS and RASS values were recorded. The correlation of BIS and RASS was expressed as Kendall correlation coefficients (tau). A p value of <0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: A total of 414 readings was obtained. On comparing BIS values for all patients with the corresponding RASS values, there was a statistically highly significant correlation between the two. (tau = 0.56, p < 0.0001). For adequate sedation as judged by a RASS value of 0 to -3, the median BIS value was found to be 56 (range 42-89). A BIS value of 70 had a high sensitivity (85%) and specificity (80%) to differentiate adequate from inadequate sedation. CONCLUSION: Our results illustrate that BIS correlates well with RASS when assessing the level of sedation in mechanically ventilated critically ill patients. BIS reliably differentiates inadequate from adequate sedation.

Post-infarction ventricular septal defect--a case report.

Post-infarction ventricular septal defects (VSD) are rare (1-2%) but often fatal complications of acute myocardial infarction. These post infarction defects require urgent surgical treatment. We report a case unique in being a late presentation of post MI multiple VSDs. The patient survived surgery and a stormy post repair course with an excellent final outcome.