Checklists and consistency of care after resuscitation from in-hospital cardiac arrest: A pilot study.

BACKGROUND: In-hospital cardiac arrest (IHCA) with the return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) is a clinical scenario associated with potentially devastating outcomes. OBJECTIVE: Inconsistencies in post-ROSC care exist and we sought to find a low cost way to decrease this variability. DESIGNS, SETTINGS, AND PARTICIPANTS: We obtained pre and post intervention metrics including percentage of IHCA with a timely electrocardiogram (ECG), arterial blood gas (ABG), physician documentation, and documentation of patient surrogate communication after ROSC. INTERVENTION: We developed and implemented a post-ROSC checklist for IHCA and measured post-ROSC clinical care delivery metrics at our hospital during a 1-year pilot period. MAIN OUTCOME AND RESULTS: After the introduction of the checklist, 83.7% of IHCA had an ECG within 1 h of ROSC, compared to a baseline of 62.8% (p = 0.01). The rate of physician documentation within 6 h of ROSC was 74.4% after introduction of the checklist, compared to a baseline of 49.5% (p < 0.01). The percentage of IHCA with ROSC that completed all four of the critical post-ROSC tasks after the introduction of the post-ROSC checklist was 51.1% as compared to 19.4% before implementation (p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Our study demonstrated improved consistency in completing post-ROSC clinical tasks after the introduction of a post-ROSC checklist to our hospital. This work suggests that the implementation of a checklist can have meaningful impacts on task completion in the post-ROSC setting. Despite this, considerable inconsistencies in post-ROSC care persisted after the intervention indicating the limits of checklists in this setting. Future work is needed to identify interventions that can further improve post-ROSC processes of care.

Brain-lung crosstalk: how should we manage the breathing brain?

Recent studies have drawn increasing attention to brain-lung crosstalk in critically ill patients. However, further research is needed to investigate the pathophysiological interactions between the brain and lungs, establish neuroprotective ventilatory strategies for brain-injured patients, provide guidance on potentially conflicting treatment priorities in patients with concomitant brain and lung injury, and enhance prognostic models to inform extubation and tracheostomy decisions. To bring together such research, BMC Pulmonary Medicine welcomes submissions to its new Collection on 'Brain-lung crosstalk'.

Utilization of mechanical power and associations with clinical outcomes in brain injured patients: a secondary analysis of the extubation strategies in neuro-intensive care unit patients and associations with outcome (ENIO) trial.

BACKGROUND: There is insufficient evidence to guide ventilatory targets in acute brain injury (ABI). Recent studies have shown associations between mechanical power (MP) and mortality in critical care populations. We aimed to describe MP in ventilated patients with ABI, and evaluate associations between MP and clinical outcomes. METHODS: In this preplanned, secondary analysis of a prospective, multi-center, observational cohort study (ENIO, NCT03400904), we included adult patients with ABI (Glasgow Coma Scale ≤ 12 before intubation) who required mechanical ventilation (MV) ≥ 24 h. Using multivariable log binomial regressions, we separately assessed associations between MP on hospital day (HD)1, HD3, HD7 and clinical outcomes: hospital mortality, need for reintubation, tracheostomy placement, and development of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). RESULTS: We included 1217 patients (mean age 51.2 years [SD 18.1], 66% male, mean body mass index [BMI] 26.3 [SD 5.18]) hospitalized at 62 intensive care units in 18 countries. Hospital mortality was 11% (n = 139), 44% (n = 536) were extubated by HD7 of which 20% (107/536) required reintubation, 28% (n = 340) underwent tracheostomy placement, and 9% (n = 114) developed ARDS. The median MP on HD1, HD3, and HD7 was 11.9 J/min [IQR 9.2-15.1], 13 J/min [IQR 10-17], and 14 J/min [IQR 11-20], respectively. MP was overall higher in patients with ARDS, especially those with higher ARDS severity. After controlling for same-day pressure of arterial oxygen/fraction of inspired oxygen (P/F ratio), BMI, and neurological severity, MP at HD1, HD3, and HD7 was independently associated with hospital mortality, reintubation and tracheostomy placement. The adjusted relative risk (aRR) was greater at higher MP, and strongest for: mortality on HD1 (compared to the HD1 median MP 11.9 J/min, aRR at 17 J/min was 1.22, 95% CI 1.14-1.30) and HD3 (1.38, 95% CI 1.23-1.53), reintubation on HD1 (1.64; 95% CI 1.57-1.72), and tracheostomy on HD7 (1.53; 95%CI 1.18-1.99). MP was associated with the development of moderate-severe ARDS on HD1 (2.07; 95% CI 1.56-2.78) and HD3 (1.76; 95% CI 1.41-2.22). CONCLUSIONS: Exposure to high MP during the first week of MV is associated with poor clinical outcomes in ABI, independent of P/F ratio and neurological severity. Potential benefits of optimizing ventilator settings to limit MP warrant further investigation.

A Description of Mechanically Ventilated Patients Admitted From the Emergency Department With a Short Critical Care Stay.

BACKGROUND: Patients admitted to an intensive care unit (ICU) requiring invasive mechanical ventilation who are discharged alive from the ICU within 24 h are poorly characterized in the literature. OBJECTIVE: Our aim was to characterize a cohort of intubated emergency department (ED) patients who are extubated and discharged from the ICU within 24 h. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective, observational cohort study at a single level I trauma center from January 2017 to December 2019. We included adults who were admitted to an ICU from the ED requiring invasive mechanical ventilation. Our primary outcome was the proportion of patients who were discharged from the ICU alive within 24 h. RESULTS: Of 13,374 ED patients admitted to an ICU during the study period, 2871 patients were intubated and ventilated in the prehospital or ED settings. Of these, 14% were discharged alive from the ICU within 24 h of admission. Only 21% of these patients were intubated in the ED. We identified the following two distinct subpopulations comprising 62% of this short-stay group: patients with a primary discharge diagnosis of intoxication (47%) and minimally injured trauma patients (53%), with 4% of patients in both subgroups. CONCLUSIONS: A total of 14% of patients receiving intubation with mechanical ventilation in the prehospital environment or in the ED were discharged alive from the ICU within 24 h. We identified two distinct subgroups of patients with a short stay in intensive care who may be candidates for ED extubation, including patients with intoxication and minimally injured trauma patients.

Veno-venous Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation for COVID-19: A Call For System-Wide Checks to Ensure Equitable Delivery For All.

Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) has emerged in the COVID-19 pandemic as a potentially beneficial yet scare resource for treating critically ill patients, with variable allocation across the United States. The existing literature has not addressed barriers patients may face in access to ECMO as a result of healthcare inequity. We present a novel patient-centered framework of ECMO access, providing evidence for potential bias and opportunities to mitigate this bias at every stage between a marginalized patient's initial presentation to treatment with ECMO. While equitable access to ECMO support is a global challenge, this piece focuses primarily on patients in the United States with severe COVID-19-associated ARDS to draw from current literature on VV-ECMO for ARDS and does not address issues that affect ECMO access on a more international scale.

Factors Associated with Early Withdrawal of Life-Sustaining Treatments After Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest: A Subanalysis of a Randomized Trial of Prehospital Therapeutic Hypothermia.

BACKGROUND: The objective of this study is to describe incidence and factors associated with early withdrawal of life-sustaining therapies based on presumed poor neurologic prognosis (WLST-N) and practices around multimodal prognostication after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). METHODS: We performed a subanalysis of a randomized controlled trial assessing prehospital therapeutic hypothermia in adult patients admitted to nine hospitals in King County with nontraumatic OHCA between 2007 and 2012. Patients who underwent tracheal intubation and were unconscious following return of spontaneous circulation were included. Our outcomes were (1) incidence of early WLST-N (WLST-N within < 72 h from return of spontaneous circulation), (2) factors associated with early WLST-N compared with patients who remained comatose at 72 h without WLST-N, (3) institutional variation in early WLST-N, (4) use of multimodal prognostication, and (5) use of sedative medications in patients with early WLST-N. Analysis included descriptive statistics and multivariable logistic regression. RESULTS: We included 1,040 patients (mean age was 65 years, 37% were female, 41% were White, and 44% presented with arrest due to ventricular fibrillation) admitted to nine hospitals. Early WLST-N accounted for 24% (n = 154) of patient deaths and occurred in half (51%) of patients with WLST-N. Factors associated with early WLST-N in multivariate regressions were older age (odds ratio [OR] 1.02, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.01-1.03), preexisting do-not-attempt-resuscitation orders (OR 4.67, 95% CI: 1.55-14.01), bilateral absent pupillary reflexes (OR 2.4, 95% CI: 1.42-4.10), and lack of neurological consultation (OR 2.60, 95% CI: 1.52-4.46). The proportion of patients with early WLST-N among all OHCA admissions ranged from 19-60% between institutions. A head computed tomography scan was obtained in 54% (n = 84) of patients with early WLST-N; 22% (n = 34) and 5% (n = 8) underwent ≥ 1 and ≥ 2 additional prognostic tests, respectively. Prognostic tests were more frequently performed when neurological consultation occurred. Most patients received sedating medications (90%) within 24 h before early WLST-N; the median time from last sedation to early WLST-N was 4.2 h (interquartile range 0.4-15). CONCLUSIONS: Nearly one quarter of deaths after OHCA were due to early WLST-N. The presence of concerning neurological examination findings appeared to impact early WLST-N decisions, even though these are not fully reliable in this time frame. Lack of neurological consultation was associated with early WLST-N and resulted in underuse of guideline-concordant multimodal prognostication. Sedating medications were often coadministered prior to early WLST-N and may have further confounded the neurological examination. Standardizing prognostication, restricting early WLST-N, and a multidisciplinary approach including neurological consultation might improve outcomes after OHCA.

Impact of COVID-19 on neurocritical care delivery and outcomes in patients with severe acute brain injury - Assessing the initial response in the first US epicenter.

To investigate the pandemic's impact on critically ill patients with neurological emergencies, we compared care metrics and outcomes of patients with severe acute brain injury (SABI) before and during the initial COVID-19 surge at our institution. We included adult patients with SABI during two separate three-month time periods: 'pre-COVID vs COVID'. We further stratified the COVID cohort to characterize outcomes in patients requiring COVID-19 precautions (Patient Under Investigation, 'PUI'). The primary endpoint was in-hospital mortality; secondary endpoints included length of stay (LOS), diagnostic studies performed, time to emergent decompressive craniectomies (DCHC), ventilator management, and end-of-life care. We included 394 patients and found the overall number of admissions for SABI declined by 29 % during COVID (pre-COVID n = 231 vs COVID, n = 163). Our primary outcome of mortality and most secondary outcomes were similar between study periods. There were more frequent extubation attempts (72.1 % vs 76 %) and the mean time to extubation was shorter during COVID (55.5 h vs 38.2 h). The ICU LOS (6.10 days vs 4.69 days) and hospital LOS (15.32 days vs 11.74 days) was shorter during COVID. More PUIs died than non-PUIs (51.7 % vs 11.2 %), but when adjusted for markers of illness severity, this was not significant. We demonstrate the ability to maintain a consistent care delivery for patients with SABI during the pandemic at our institution. PUIs represent a population with higher illness severity at risk for delays in care. Multicenter, longitudinal studies are needed to explore the impact of the pandemic on patients with acute neurological emergencies.

Brain-Lung Crosstalk: Management of Concomitant Severe Acute Brain Injury and Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome.

Purpose of Review: To summarize pathophysiology, key conflicts, and therapeutic approaches in managing concomitant severe acute brain injury (SABI) and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Recent Findings: ARDS is common in SABI and independently associated with worse outcomes in all SABI subtypes. Most landmark ARDS trials excluded patients with SABI, and evidence to guide decisions is limited in this population. Potential areas of conflict in the management of patients with both SABI and ARDS are (1) risk of intracranial pressure (ICP) elevation with high levels of positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP), permissive hypercapnia due to lung protective ventilation (LPV), or prone ventilation; (2) balancing a conservative fluid management strategy with ensuring adequate cerebral perfusion, particularly in patients with symptomatic vasospasm or impaired cerebrovascular blood flow; and (3) uncertainty about the benefit and harm of corticosteroids in this population, with a mortality benefit in ARDS, increased mortality shown in TBI, and conflicting data in other SABI subtypes. Also, the widely adapted partial pressure of oxygen (PaO2) target of > 55 mmHg for ARDS may exacerbate secondary brain injury, and recent guidelines recommend higher goals of 80-120 mmHg in SABI. Distinct pathophysiology and trajectories among different SABI subtypes need to be considered. Summary: The management of SABI with ARDS is highly complex, and conventional ARDS management strategies may result in increased ICP and decreased cerebral perfusion. A crucial aspect of concurrent management is to recognize the risk of secondary brain injury in the individual patient, monitor with vigilance, and adjust management during critical time windows. The care of these patients requires meticulous attention to oxygenation and ventilation, hemodynamics, temperature management, and the neurological exam. LPV and prone ventilation should be utilized, and supplemented with invasive ICP monitoring if there is concern for cerebral edema and increased ICP. PEEP titration should be deliberate, involving measures of hemodynamic, pulmonary, and brain physiology. Serial volume status assessments should be performed in SABI and ARDS, and fluid management should be individualized based on measures of brain perfusion, the neurological exam, and cardiopulmonary status. More research is needed to define risks and benefits in corticosteroids in this population.

Perceptions of Critical Care Shortages, Resource Use, and Provider Well-being During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Survey of 1,985 Health Care Providers in Brazil.

BACKGROUND: Brazil has been disproportionately affected by COVID-19, placing a high burden on ICUs. RESEARCH QUESTION: Are perceptions of ICU resource availability associated with end-of-life decisions and burnout among health care providers (HCPs) during COVID-19 surges in Brazil? STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: We electronically administered a survey to multidisciplinary ICU HCPs during two 2-week periods (in June 2020 and March 2021) coinciding with COVID-19 surges. We examined responses across geographical regions and performed multivariate regressions to explore factors associated with reports of: (1) families being allowed less input in decisions about maintaining life-sustaining treatments for patients with COVID-19 and (2) emotional distress and burnout. RESULTS: We included 1,985 respondents (57% physicians, 14% nurses, 12% respiratory therapists, 16% other HCPs). More respondents reported shortages during the second surge compared with the first (P < .05 for all comparisons), including lower availability of intensivists (66% vs 42%), ICU nurses (53% vs 36%), ICU beds (68% vs 22%), and ventilators for patients with COVID-19 (80% vs 70%); shortages were highest in the North. One-quarter of HCPs reported that families were allowed less input in decisions about maintaining life-sustaining treatments for patients with COVID-19, which was associated with lack of intensivists (adjusted relative risk [aRR], 1.37; 95% CI, 1.05-1.80) and ICU beds (aRR, 1.71; 95% CI, 1.16-2.62) during the first surge and lack of N95 masks (aRR, 1.43; 95% CI, 1.10-1.85), noninvasive positive pressure ventilation (aRR, 1.56; 95% CI, 1.18-2.07), and oxygen concentrators (aRR, 1.50; 95% CI, 1.13-2.00) during the second surge. Burnout was higher during the second surge (60% vs 71%; P < .001), associated with witnessing colleagues at one's hospital contract COVID-19 during both surges (aRR, 1.55 [95% CI, 1.25-1.93] and 1.31 [95% CI, 1.11-1.55], respectively), as well as worries about finances (aRR, 1.28; 95% CI, 1.02-1.61) and lack of ICU nurses (aRR, 1.25; 95% CI, 1.02-1.53) during the first surge. INTERPRETATION: During the COVID-19 pandemic, ICU HCPs in Brazil experienced substantial resource shortages, health care disparities between regions, changes in end-of-life care associated with resource shortages, and high proportions of burnout.

A 57-Year-Old Man With COVID-19 Pneumonia Who Required Venovenous Extracorporeal Life Support With a Rapidly Escalating WBC Count.

CASE PRESENTATION: A 57-year-old man who had been intubated and placed on venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation for hypoxemic respiratory failure due to COVID-19 pneumonia was transferred to our facility. He underwent anticoagulation with IV heparin titrated to an anti-Factor Xa goal of 0.1 to 0.3 international unit/mL. Over extracorporeal membrane oxygenation days 13 to 17, his WBC count rose from 17,500 to 47,000 cells/µL. He simultaneously experienced the development of fluid-refractory shock that required multiple vasopressors and received stress-dose hydrocortisone when his WBC was 30,000 cells/µL. He remained afebrile and was started on broad-spectrum antimicrobials that included antifungal and anthelminthic therapy.

Bronchoscopy Teaching Without a Gold Standard: Attending Pulmonologists' Assessment of Learners, Supervisory Styles, and Variation in Practice.

BACKGROUND: Despite the growing role of simulation in procedural teaching, bronchoscopy training largely is experiential and occurs during patient care. The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education sets a target of 100 bronchoscopies to be performed during pulmonary fellowship. Attending physicians must balance fellow autonomy with patient safety during these clinical teaching experiences. Few data on best practices for bronchoscopy teaching exist, and a better understanding of how bronchoscopy currently is supervised could allow for improvement in bronchoscopy teaching. RESEARCH QUESTION: How do attending bronchoscopists supervise bronchoscopy, and in particular, how do attendings balance fellow autonomy with patient safety? STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: This was a focused ethnography conducted at a single center using audio recording of dialog between attendings and fellows during bronchoscopies, supplemented by observation of nonverbal teaching. Interviews with attending bronchoscopists and limited interviews of fellows also were recorded. Interviews were transcribed verbatim before analysis. We used constant comparative analysis to analyze data and qualitative research software to support data organization and thematic analysis. Education researchers from outside of pulmonary critical care joined the team to minimize bias. RESULTS: We observed seven attending bronchoscopists supervising eight bronchoscopies. We noted distinct teaching behaviors, classified into themes, which then were grouped into four supervisory styles of modelling, coaching, scaffolding, and fading. Observation and interviews illuminated that assessing fellow skill was one tool used to choose a style, and attendings moved between styles. Attendings accepted some, but not all, variation in both performing and supervising bronchoscopy. INTERPRETATION: Attending pulmonologists used a range of teaching microskills as they moved between different supervisory styles and selectively accepted variation in practice. These distinct approaches may create well-rounded bronchoscopists by the end of fellowship training and should be studied further.

Delivering a Novel Medical Education "Escape Room" at a National Scientific Conference: First Live, Then Pivoting to Remote Learning Because of COVID-19.

Escape Rooms are gaining prominence as education modalities; the use of principles of game design have been shown to augment knowledge acquisition in a fun, team-based learning experience ("edutainment"). In this report, we outline some of the medical literature and then provide our step-by-step approach and lessons learned when building what was, to our knowledge, the first continuing medical education Escape Room at a national scientific meeting. We then comment on how this innovative educational offering was reimagined the following year for remote (virtual) learning because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Deaths Related to Bronchial Arterial Embolization in Patients With Cystic Fibrosis: Three Cases and an Institutional Review.

Cystic fibrosis (CF) patients are at risk for life-threatening hemoptysis, sometimes necessitating bronchial arterial embolization (BAE). Spinal artery embolization and pulmonary infarction are commonly cited procedural risks, yet respiratory failure and death are underappreciated. We conducted a retrospective institutional review of our outcomes after BAE for hemoptysis in CF and present three cases highlighting this complication. From 2007 to 2015, 12 patients underwent 17 BAE procedures for hemoptysis at our institution. Three patients experienced respiratory failure and died within 3 months of BAE. Nonsurvivors had significantly lower baseline FEV1 values than survivors (21.8% vs 52.6%, P < .05). BAE as a treatment for life-threatening hemoptysis may precipitate respiratory failure in end-stage CF and should accelerate the evaluation for lung transplantation. Institutions should reevaluate their BAE practices to ensure preservation of the bronchial circulation, which contributes to gas exchange in these patients.

Internal Medicine Residents' Retention of Knowledge and Skills in Bedside Ultrasound.

BACKGROUND: The long-term retention of knowledge and skills in bedside ultrasound by internal medicine residents after ultrasound training is not well understood. OBJECTIVE: We sought to determine whether knowledge and skills acquired from focused training in bedside ultrasound are retained over time, and whether retention is related to independent practice. METHODS: We conducted a prospective observational trial of 101 internal medicine residents at an academic medical center who participated in a bedside ultrasound workshop followed by 12 months of independent practice. Performance was measured on image-based knowledge and skills assessment using direct observation, both before the workshop and 12 months later. Individual usage data were obtained along with a survey on attitudes toward bedside ultrasound. RESULTS: Participants' mean knowledge assessment score increased from a baseline of 63.7% to 84.5% immediately after training (P < .001). At 12 months, mean knowledge score fell to 73.0%, significantly different from both prior assessments (P < .001). Despite knowledge decline, the mean skills assessment score improved from a baseline of 30.5% to 50.4% at 12 months (P < .001). Residents reporting more ultrasound use (> 25 examinations) had higher scores in baseline knowledge and skills assessments than those with lower usage (< 25 examinations). Change in knowledge and image acquisition skills between assessments was equal in both subgroups. CONCLUSIONS: Residents' knowledge of ultrasound improved after brief training but decayed over time, whereas skills showed marginal improvement over the study, with minimal support. Growth and retention of ultrasound abilities were not impacted by usage rates.