Pain Behaviors Analyzed by Videorecording in Brain-Injured Patients Admitted to the Intensive Care Unit.

AIM: To describe and classify pain behaviors (facial and body) in brain-injured patients with a low level of consciousness before, during, and after the performance of painful and non-painful care procedures. METHODS: Facial behaviors and body movements in brain-injured patients were videotaped at rest, during the application of three care procedures (two painful and one non-painful), and 15 minutes after completion of these procedures. Each video recording was evaluated by expert evaluators blinded to each other. For each of the behaviors observed, all possible combinations between the three procedures and/or time were compared using the McNemar test. Effect size was measured by the difference in proportions using the Wilson score 95% confidence intervals. RESULTS: Twenty-seven patients were included. The mean (standard deviation) Glasgow Coma Score was 5.4 (1.9). A total of 33 behaviors (29 active, four neutral) were registered. Expression of behaviors was more common during the painful procedures compared with the other time points (non-painful procedures, baseline, and final evaluation). Inter-evaluator agreement was substantial (Kappa index >0.7) in more than 50% of the observed behaviors. CONCLUSIONS: In this study involving brain-injured patients with a low level of consciousness, facial, body, and ventilation-related behaviors were more common during painful procedures. Agreement between evaluators to detect the presence or absence of these behaviors was substantial. These findings underscore the need to develop pain assessment measures specific to this patient population.

Application of the Behavioural Indicators of Pain Scale in patients with traumatic brain injury.

AIM: To develop and psychometrically test the Behavioural Indicators of Pain Scale (ESCID) in patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI). DESIGN: A prospective observational study to test the psychometric properties of the Behavioural Indicators of Pain Scale in patients with TBI. METHOD: A convenience sample of patients with TBI, who were non-communicative and using invasive mechanical ventilation was selected. Pain was evaluated by two observers who were blinded from each other. Assessments were performed at baseline via the performance of a painful procedure (aspiration of secretions) and a non-painful procedure (rubbing with a gauze). Assessments were repeated after application of procedures on days 1 and 6 of hospitalization in an intensive care unit. Data were collected between January-December 2016. RESULTS: About 134 patients were included in the study. Of these, 76.1% were men. The mean age of participants was 45.2 (SD 17.5) years. The pain score significantly increased during the painful procedure when compared with the baseline measure and non-painful procedure (p < .001). Patients displayed a greater number of pain-indicating behaviours during the painful procedure on day 6, compared with day 1 (p < .05). This finding coincided with a reduced level of sedation and a greater level of consciousness. CONCLUSION: The ESCID scale detects pain behaviours and discriminates among the different types of stimulation in patients with brain injury, who are uncommunicative and with mechanical ventilation, with good reliability. The ability for patients with brain injury to express behaviours is limited because of the low level of consciousness and the deep level of sedation. IMPACT: This research will have an impact on the practice of pain assessment in patients with brain injury, representing a first step to adapt the content of the ESCID.

Adaptación de la escala ESCID para medir el dolor en pacientes críticos con daño cerebral / Adaptation of the ESCID scale to measure pain in critical patients with brain damage

OBJETIVO: evaluar la validez de constructo y la fiabilidadde la adaptación de la escala de conductas indicadoras de dolor (ESCID), para valorar el dolor en pacientes críticos con daño cerebral, no comunicativos y sometidos a ventilación mecánica. MÉTODO: sujetos: estudio multicéntrico, observacional. Se llevará a cabo en pacientes críticos con lesión cerebral adquirida, mayores de edad, sometidos a ventilación mecánica invasiva y sin capacidad de comunicación, ingresados en unidades de cuidados intensivos de cuatro hospitales universitarios de tercer nivel de la Comunidad de Madrid. En todos los sujetos se evaluará el dolor con dos instrumentos simultáneamente (ESCID-DC y videograbación). La evaluación del dolor con ESCID-DC se realizará por dos observadores independientes con resultado ciego entre ellos, ante la aplicación de dos procedimientos dolorosos (aspiración de secreciones traqueales y presión en lecho ungueal), y un procedimiento no doloroso. La medición se efectuará únicamente una vez por cada paciente y procedimiento. La medición del dolor se hará en tres momentos: cinco minutos antes, durante y 15 minutos después de cada procedimiento. Cinco minutos antes de iniciar los procedimientos y hasta diez minutos después, dos videocámaras (una enfoca el cuerpo completo, otra solo la cara) captarán imágenes y audio, para posteriormente analizar los cambios gestuales y corporales del sujeto en cada momento, y poder correlacionarlos con los ocho indicadores conductuales de la escala ESCID-DC. CONCLUSIONES: contar con una escala de este tipo con buenas propiedades psicométricas mejorará el manejo del dolor de los pacientes con daño cerebral y, por tanto, la eficacia del tratamiento

OBJECTIVE: to evaluate the validity of the concept and the reliability of the adaptation of the Scale of Behavior Indicators of Pain (ESCID) in order to assess pain in critical patients with brain damage, who are non-communicative and undergoing mechanical ventilation. METHOD: subjects: a multicenter observational study. It will be conducted on critical patients with acquired brain damage, of age, undergoing invasive mechanical ventilation, and unable to communicate, who have been admitted to intensive care units from four 3rd level University Hospitals from the Community of Madrid. Pain will be evaluated in all subjects with two instruments simultaneously (ESCID-DC and video recording). Pain evaluation through ESCID-DC will be conducted by two independent observers with blind results between them, with the application of two painful procedures (aspiration of tracheal secretions and pressure on the nail bed) and a non-painful procedure. Measurement will only be conducted once per patient and procedure. Pain measurement will be conducted at three time points: fiveminutes before, during, and fifteenminutes after each procedure. Five minutes before initiating the procedure and up to ten minutes afterwards, two video cameras will capture images and audio (one will focus on the entire body, the other one only on the face), in order to capture and subsequently analyze the gestural and body changes of the subject at each moment, and to be able to correlate them with the eight behavior indicators of the ESCID-DC scale. CONCLUSIONS: the availability of this type of scale, with good psychometric properties, will improve pain management for patients with brain damage and, therefore, treatment efficacy

The early diagnosis and management of mixed delirium in a patient placed on ECMO and with difficult sedation: A case report.

Delirium represents a serious problem that impacts the physical and cognitive prognosis of patients admitted to intensive care units and requires prompt diagnosis and management. This article describes the case and progress of a patient placed on Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation with difficult sedation criteria and an early diagnosis of mixed delirium. During the case report, we reflect on the pharmacological and non-pharmacological strategies employed to cope with delirium paying special attention to the non-use of physical restraint measures in order to preserve vital support devices (endotracheal tube or Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation cannula). The multimodal and multidisciplinary approach, focused on nursing interventions, strict Pain/Agitation/Delirium monitoring and pharmacological measures, as well as the implementation of measures according to the eCASH (early Comfort using Analgesia, minimal Sedatives and maximal Human Care) concept, were effective, resulting in a relatively short admission considering the severity of the patient's condition and the associated complications. Early independent ambulation was achieved prior to transfer to a hospitalisation unit.

Validation of the Behavioural Indicators of Pain Scale ESCID for pain assessment in non-communicative and mechanically ventilated critically ill patients: a research protocol.

AIM: To investigate the validity and reliability of the Behavioural Indicators of Pain Scale (ESCID) in medically and surgically non-communicative and mechanically ventilated critical patients. BACKGROUND: Scales based on behavioural indicators of pain are suggested to measure pain in non-communicative critically ill patients. Scales proposed thus far have a range not comparable to those used with patients who can report their pain. A scale with a 0-10 range and more behavioural indicators is proposed to improve the detection and measurement of pain. DESIGN: A multicentre prospective observational design to validate a scale-measuring instrument. METHODS: Three hundred non-communicative and mechanically ventilated critical patients from 20 different intensive care units will be observed for 5 minutes before, during and 15 minutes after three procedures: turning, tracheal suctioning and soft friction with gauze on healthy tissue. Two independent observers will assess the pain of subjects with the Behavioural Pain Scale and the ESCID scale simultaneously. Descriptive and inferential statistics will be used. Student's t-test will be used to compare components of the twos scales. Inter-rater and intrarater agreement will be investigated. The reliability scale will be measured using Cronbach's alpha. Approval date for this protocol was January 2012. DISCUSSION: A greater number of behavioural indicators in the ESCID scale than in previously validated scales, with a 0-10 score range, can improve the detection and measurement of pain in non-communicative and mechanically ventilated critical patients. Funding granted in 2011 by the Spanish Health Research Fund (PI 11/00766, Health Ministry). TRIAL REGISTRATION: Study registered with www.clinicaltrials.gov (NCT01744717).