Comparison of COVID-19 with influenza A in the ICU: a territory-wide, retrospective, propensity matched cohort on mortality and length of stay.

OBJECTIVES: Direct comparisons between COVID-19 and influenza A in the critical care setting are limited. The objective of this study was to compare their outcomes and identify risk factors for hospital mortality. DESIGN AND SETTING: This was a territory-wide, retrospective study on all adult (≥18 years old) patients admitted to public hospital intensive care units in Hong Kong. We compared COVID-19 patients admitted between 27 January 2020 and 26 January 2021 with a propensity-matched historical cohort of influenza A patients admitted between 27 January 2015 and 26 January 2020. We reported outcomes of hospital mortality and time to death or discharge. Multivariate analysis using Poisson regression and relative risk (RR) was used to identify risk factors for hospital mortality. RESULTS: After propensity matching, 373 COVID-19 and 373 influenza A patients were evenly matched for baseline characteristics. COVID-19 patients had higher unadjusted hospital mortality than influenza A patients (17.5% vs 7.5%, p<0.001). The Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation IV (APACHE IV) adjusted standardised mortality ratio was also higher for COVID-19 than influenza A patients ((0.79 (95% CI 0.61 to 1.00) vs 0.42 (95% CI 0.28 to 0.60)), p<0.001). Adjusting for age, PaO2/FiO2, Charlson Comorbidity Index and APACHE IV, COVID-19 (adjusted RR 2.26 (95% CI 1.52 to 3.36)) and early bacterial-viral coinfection (adjusted RR 1.66 (95% CI 1.17 to 2.37)) were directly associated with hospital mortality. CONCLUSIONS: Critically ill patients with COVID-19 had substantially higher hospital mortality when compared with propensity-matched patients with influenza A.

Characteristics and outcomes of patients admitted to adult intensive care units in Hong Kong: a population retrospective cohort study from 2008 to 2018.

BACKGROUND: Globally, mortality rates of patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) have decreased over the last two decades. However, evaluations of the temporal trends in the characteristics and outcomes of ICU patients in Asia are limited. The objective of this study was to describe the characteristics and risk adjusted outcomes of all patients admitted to publicly funded ICUs in Hong Kong over a 11-year period. The secondary objective was to validate the predictive performance of Acute Physiology And Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) IV for ICU patients in Hong Kong. METHODS: This was an 11-year population-based retrospective study of all patients admitted to adult general (mixed medical-surgical) intensive care units in Hong Kong public hospitals. ICU patients were identified from a population electronic health record database. Prospectively collected APACHE IV data and clinical outcomes were analysed. RESULTS: From 1 April 2008 to 31 March 2019, there were a total of 133,858 adult ICU admissions in Hong Kong public hospitals. During this time, annual ICU admissions increased from 11,267 to 14,068, whilst hospital mortality decreased from 19.7 to 14.3%. The APACHE IV standard mortality ratio (SMR) decreased from 0.81 to 0.65 during the same period. Linear regression demonstrated that APACHE IV SMR changed by - 0.15 (95% CI - 0.18 to - 0.11) per year (Pearson's R = - 0.951, p < 0.001). Observed median ICU length of stay was shorter than that predicted by APACHE IV (1.98 vs. 4.77, p < 0.001). C-statistic for APACHE IV to predict hospital mortality was 0.889 (95% CI 0.887 to 0.891) whilst calibration was limited (Hosmer-Lemeshow test p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Despite relatively modest per capita health expenditure, and a small number of ICU beds per population, Hong Kong consistently provides a high-quality and efficient ICU service. Number of adult ICU admissions has increased, whilst adjusted mortality has decreased over the last decade. Although APACHE IV had good discrimination for hospital mortality, it overestimated hospital mortality of critically ill patients in Hong Kong.

Metabolic Requirement of Septic Shock Patients Before and After Liberation From Mechanical Ventilation.

OBJECTIVES: This study identified the difference in energy expenditure and substrate utilization of patients during and upon liberation from mechanical ventilation. METHODS: Patients under intensive care who were diagnosed with septic shock and dependent on mechanical ventilation were recruited. Indirect calorimetry measurements were performed during and upon liberation from mechanical ventilation. RESULTS: Thirty-five patients were recruited (20 men and 15 women; mean age, 69 ± 10 years). Measured energy expenditures during ventilation and upon liberation were 2090 ± 489 kcal·d-1 and 1910 ± 579 kcal·d-1, respectively ( P < .05). Energy intake was provided at 1148 ± 495 kcal·d-1 and differed significantly from all measured energy expenditures ( P < .05). Mean carbohydrate utilization was 0.19 ± 0.1 g·min-1 when patients were on mechanical ventilation compared with 0.15 ± 0.09 g·min-1 upon liberation ( P < .05). Mean lipid oxidation was 0.08 ± 0.05 g·min-1 during and 0.09 ± 0.07 g·min-1 upon liberation from mechanical ventilation ( P > .05). CONCLUSIONS: Measured energy expenditure was higher during than upon liberation from mechanical ventilation. This could be the increase in work of breathing from the continuous positive pressure support, repeated weaning cycles from mechanical ventilation, and/or the asynchronization between patients' respiration and ventilator support. Future studies should examine whether more appropriately matching energy expenditure with energy intake would promote positive health outcomes.

Mycobacterium abscessus bacteremia after receipt of intravenous infusate of cytokine-induced killer cell therapy for body beautification and health boosting.

BACKGROUND: We report the first series of Mycobacterium abscessus bacteremia after cytokine-induced killer cell therapy for body beautification and health boosting. METHODS: The clinical manifestations, laboratory and radiological investigations, cytokine/chemokine profiles, and outcomes were described and analyzed. RESULTS: Four patients were admitted, and 3 patients had septic shock. Chest radiographs showed pulmonary infiltrates in all patients. Three patients developed peripheral gangrene, and 1 patient required lower limb and finger amputations. Patient 1 also developed disseminated infection including meningitis and urinary tract infection. Postmortem examination of patient 1 showed focal areas of pulmonary hemorrhage and diffuse alveolar damage, splenic infarct, adrenal necrosis, and hemorrhage, and acid-fast bacilli (AFB) were seen in the lung, liver, kidney, and adrenal gland. Patient 2 developed inguinal granulomatous lymphadenitis about 40 days after onset of lower limb gangrene. Wedge-shaped pulmonary infarcts were found in patient 3, and retinitis and subcutaneous lesions developed in patient 4. Patients in septic shock had dysregulated cytokine/chemokine profiles. Patient 4 with relatively milder presentation had increasing levels of interleukin 17 and cytokines in the interferon-γ/interleukin 12 pathway. All survivors required prolonged intravenous antibiotics. Blood cultures grew M. abscessus for all patients, and admission peripheral blood smear revealed AFB for 3 patients. Mycobacterium abscessus was also isolated from respiratory specimens (2 patients), urine (1 patient), and cerebrospinal fluid (1 patient). Time to initial blood culture positivity (patients 1, 2, and 3: ≤52 hours; patient 4: 83 hours) appeared to correlate with disease severity. CONCLUSIONS: Empirical coverage for rapidly growing mycobacteria should be considered in patients with sepsis following cosmetic procedures.

Hyperimmune IV immunoglobulin treatment: a multicenter double-blind randomized controlled trial for patients with severe 2009 influenza A(H1N1) infection.

BACKGROUND: Experience from influenza pandemics suggested that convalescent plasma treatment given within 4 to 5 days of symptom onset might be beneficial. However, robust treatment data are lacking. METHODS: This is a multicenter, prospective, double-blind, randomized controlled trial. Convalescent plasma from patients who recovered from the 2009 pandemic influenza A(H1N1) (A[H1N1]) infection was fractionated to hyperimmune IV immunoglobulin (H-IVIG) by CSL Biotherapies (now BioCSL). Patients with severe A(H1N1) infection on standard antiviral treatment requiring intensive care and ventilatory support were randomized to receive H-IVIG or normal IV immunoglobulin manufactured before 2009 as control. Clinical outcome and adverse effects were compared. RESULTS: Between 2010 and 2011, 35 patients were randomized to receive H-IVIG (17 patients) or IV immunoglobulin (18 patients). One defaulted patient was excluded from analysis. No adverse events related to treatment were reported. Baseline demographics and viral load before treatment were similar between the two groups. Serial respiratory viral load demonstrated that H-IVIG treatment was associated with significantly lower day 5 and 7 posttreatment viral load when compared with the control (P = .04 and P = .02, respectively). The initial serum cytokine level was significantly higher in the H-IVIG group but fell to a similar level 3 days after treatment. Subgroup multivariate analysis of the 22 patients who received treatment within 5 days of symptom onset demonstrated that H-IVIG treatment was the only factor that independently reduced mortality (OR, 0.14; 95% CI, 0.02-0.92; P = .04). CONCLUSIONS: Treatment of severe A(H1N1) infection with H-IVIG within 5 days of symptom onset was associated with a lower viral load and reduced mortality. TRIAL REGISTRY: ClinialTrials.gov; No.: NCT01617317; URL: www.clinicaltrials.gov.

Low prevalence of subclinical severe acute respiratory syndrome-associated coronavirus infection among hospital healthcare workers in Hong Kong.

We recruited 688 hospital healthcare workers who cared for patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and did not develop the disease in the Hong Kong outbreak in 2003. A questionnaire survey was conducted and serum samples were collected for SARS-associated coronavirus (SARS-CoV) antibody. The high-risk procedures performed and the types of unprotected exposures were recorded for analysis. Only 1 asymptomatic nurse had positive serological test. The result demonstrates the low rate of subclinical SARS-CoV infection in hospital healthcare workers and that the infection control practice against SARS in Hong Kong's hospitals during the outbreak was highly effective.

Initial viral load and the outcomes of SARS.

BACKGROUND: Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) is caused by a novel coronavirus. It may progress to respiratory failure, and a significant proportion of patients die. Preliminary data suggest that a high viral load of the SARS coronavirus is associated with adverse outcomes in the intensive care unit, but the relation of viral load to survival is unclear. METHODS: We prospectively studied an inception cohort of 133 patients with virologically confirmed SARS who were admitted to 2 general acute care hospitals in Hong Kong from Mar. 24 to May 4, 2003. The patients were followed until death or for a minimum of 90 days. We used Cox proportional hazard modelling to analyze potential predictors of survival recorded at the time of presentation, including viral load from nasopharyngeal specimens (measured by quantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction [PCR] of the SARS-associated coronavirus). RESULTS: Thirty-two patients (24.1%) met the criteria for acute respiratory distress syndrome, and 24 patients (18.0%) died. The following baseline factors were independently associated with worse survival: older age (61-80 years) (adjusted hazard ratio [HR] 5.24, 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.03-13.53), presence of an active comorbid condition (adjusted HR 3.36, 95% CI 1.44-7.82) and higher initial viral load of SARS coronavirus, according to quantitative PCR of nasopharyngeal specimens (adjusted HR 1.21 per log10 increase in number of RNA copies per millilitre, 95% CI 1.06-1.39). INTERPRETATION: We found preliminary evidence that higher initial viral load is independently associated with worse prognosis in SARS. Mortality data for patients with SARS should be interpreted in light of age, comorbidity and viral load. These considerations will be important in future studies of SARS.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome complicated by spontaneous pneumothorax.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) presents an unprecedented diagnostic and therapeutic challenge to clinicians. Despite recent progress in identifying and analyzing the coronavirus that is responsible for it, few reports have addressed the clinical complications of SARS. The present study was a two-center retrospective cohort study. All patients in the study had SARS, were managed in the two major Hong Kong hospitals (ie, Prince of Wales Hospital and United Christian Hospital), and had developed spontaneous pneumothorax during their hospitalization between March 10, 2003, and April 28, 2003. Spontaneous pneumothorax was reported in 6 of 356 SARS patients who were treated at the two hospitals during the period. This represents an incidence of 1.7%. None of the six patients had a history of smoking or pulmonary disease. The rate of admission to the ICU was 66.7% and the crude mortality rate was 33.3% in this group of patients. There was a trend for the mean neutrophil count in these patients to be higher than in previously reported cohorts of comparable SARS patients (14.5 x 10(9) vs 4.6 x 10(9) neutrophils per liter, respectively). Conservative measures like tube thoracostomy or observation alone offered satisfactory initial symptomatic management in five of six patients. Spontaneous pneumothorax is a specific and potentially life-threatening complication in SARS patients. Patients with extensive lung injury, as indicated by severe clinical courses, and in particular high neutrophil counts, appear to be most at risk. The benefits of surgical management must be balanced against the potential risks to health-care workers.