Fatal heat stroke based on foudroyant irreversible multiple organ dysfunction in German summer.

Objectives: Heat stroke is a serious condition that might lead from moderate organ impairment to multiple organ dysfunction syndrome. Appropriate diagnosis-finding, fast initiation of cooling and intensive care are key measures of the initial treatment. Scientific case report based on i) clinical experiences obtained in the clinical management of a particularly rare case and ii) selected references from the medical scientific literature. Case presentation: We present a case of a young and healthy construction worker who suffered from an exertional heat stroke with a body core temperature exceeding 42 °C by previous several hour work at 35 °C ambient temperature. Heat stroke was associated with foudroyant, not reversible multiple organ dysfunction syndrome, in particular, early disturbed coagulation, microcirculatory, liver and respiratory failure, and subsequent fatal outcome despite immediate diagnosis-finding, rapid external cooling and expanded intensive care management. Conclusions: Basic knowledge on an adequate diagnosis(-finding in time) and treatment of heat stroke is important for (almost each) physician in the summertime as well as is essential for the initiation of an appropriate management. Associated high morbidity and mortality rates indicate the need for implementation of standard operation protocols.

["Drug Interaction Stewardship" (DIS) and Therapeutic Drug Monitoring for Anti-infective Treatment in Intensive Care, a Single Centre Observational Study]. / "Drug Interaction Stewardship" (DIS) und therapeutisches Drug-Monitoring (TDM) für die antiinfektive Therapie in der operativen Intensivmedizin, eine monozentrische Beobachtungsstudie.

INTRODUCTION: Appropriate medication of intensive care patients is complicated by disturbed organ functions and organ failure, pathophysiological changes in severely ill patients as well as possible sepsis, ongoing haemodialysis for renal and hepatic insufficiency, varying pharmacokinetics/-dynamics (PK/PD) of drugs as well as numerous drug interactions. AIM: Illustration of an interdisciplinary approach in daily clinical practice to optimise regular "polymedication" as well as the ongoing medication of patients prior to surgical interventions as indicated and as part of the appropriate peri- and postoperative intensive care management. METHOD: A so-called "drug interaction stewardship" (DIS) is very similar to the already established "antibiotic stewardship" (ABS) during daily clinical routine of an intensive care unit and has been implemented. In addition, therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) has been extended to antibiotics/antimycotics (such as meropenem, piperacillin-tazobactam, ceftazidime, linezolide, voriconazole, fluconazole, caspofungin), for which TDM had not yet been established. This was in a consecutive cohort of patients with abdominal surgery over a defined time period and was part of a systematic clinical single centre observational study (tertiary centre). RESULTS: From 01 - 2012 to 08 - 2016, 1,454 single drug patient consultations led to 385 (26.5%) changes in medical treatment, which had been previously initiated by an experienced intensive care physician. Most frequently in 156 cases (10.7%) this was due to newly calculated PK/PD. Analysis of 2,333 TDM samples resulted in a minimum serum level within the adequate range in 1,130 cases (48.4%). In 427 cases (18.3%), the drug serum level was too low and in 776 subjects (33.3%), prompting a change in the type, dose, dose interval and application route. CONCLUSION: DIS and TDM provide a high rate of detection of unwanted drug interactions and inappropriate drug levels in surgical intensive care patients and help to assure targeted therapy changes.

[Acute Liver Failure, Acute-On-Chronic Liver Failure, Hepatorenal Syndrome, Hepatopulmonary Syndrome and Portopulmonary Hypertension, Artificial Liver Support on the ICU]. / Akutes Leberversagen, akut-auf-chronisches Leberversagen, hepatorenales Syndrom, hepatopulmonales Syndrom und portopulmonale Hypertonie, Leberunterstützungsverfahren auf der Intensivstation.

Background Acute hepatic dysfunction in the form of acute liver failure (ALF) or acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF) is a disease with a high risk of mortality and requires interdisciplinary intensive care. Aim This article explains the nomenclature, pathophysiology, prognosis and possible treatment options of ALF and ACLF, including the possibilities of extracorporeal liver support therapy at the point of liver transplantation (LTx). Method Narrative review with a selective literature review and representative case studies. Results/Corner Points ALF and ACLF may have several causes and are associated with high mortality. The causes of ALF must be accurately diagnosed because targeted treatment options are available. Both ALF and ACLF may require a liver transplantation for the patient's survival. For ALF and ACLF there are different criteria for decision-making on liver transplantation and graft allocation. For extracorporeal liver support therapy, two methods have been established (MARS [molecuar adsorbent recirculating system] and FPSA [fractionated plasma separation and adsorption] Prometheus®). Both approaches may have the potential to increase the probability of survival of patients with ALF or ACLF. In some cases they can be used for bridging to liver transplantation, in individual cases also for primary poison elimination, e.g. after Amatoxin ingestion. Both methods are not suitable for long-term therapy. Conclusion Acute liver failure (ALF) and acute on chronic liver failure (ACLF) are serious diseases with a high risk of mortality. Affected patients should receive immediate interdisciplinary intensive care in a (tertiary) centre with the aim to clarify the cause of the disease as well as possible treatment options with respect to available extracorporeal liver support therapy and liver transplantation.

Nosocomial Infections and Microbiologic Spectrum after Major Elective Surgery of the Pancreas, Liver, Stomach, and Esophagus.

BACKGROUND: The majority of infections treated by surgeons are nosocomial infections (NI). The frequency of these infections in relation to the organ operated on as well as the organisms involved are not well defined. Detailed knowledge of these issues is essential for optimal care of surgical patients. This study aimed to determine infection rates and the responsible pathogens after major elective surgery of the pancreas, liver, stomach, and esophagus. METHODS: Between January 1, 2005 and August 31, 2007, the records of all patients of the Department of General, Abdominal and Vascular Surgery, University Hospital Magdeburg (Germany) with elective resection of the pancreas, liver, stomach, and esophagus were evaluated retrospectively. Study parameters were: Patient number, age, gender, body mass index (BMI), American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) classification, indication for resection, operation duration, length of stay (LOS) in the intensive care unit (ICU) and in hospital, mortality, organ-related rate and kind of NI, and microbiologic spectrum. Nosocomial infections were defined as: Surgical site infection (U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC] 1 or 2) and intra-abdominal infection (CDC 3), urinary tract infection, clinical sepsis, blood stream and catheter-related infection, respiratory tract infection, and pneumonia. RESULTS: A total of 358 patients were included: 150 (42%) with pancreas resection, 91 (25%) with liver resection, 105 (29%) with gastric resection, and 12 (3%) with esophagus resection. Median LOS in the ICU for all groups was 48.8 h (interquartile range [IQR] 24.9-91.8 h), median LOS in hospital was 16 d (IQR 13-23 d), and in-hospital mortality was 4.5%. Patients with NI had significantly greater in-hospital death and prolonged stay in hospital and ICU (p<0.001). In 120 (33.5%) patients, one or more NI occurred (range, 83% in esophagus patients to 21% in liver patients). Intra-abdominal (16.5%) and surgical site infections (12.3%) were most frequent; 80.8% of the NI were culture-positive. The most frequent clinically relevant isolates were Escherichia coli (12.4%), coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS) (12.2%), and Enterococcus faecium (9.7%). The highest resistance rates were found for Staphylococcus aureus (methicillin-resistant S. aureus [MRSA] 29.4%) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (23.5%). CONCLUSIONS: For patients undergoing elective surgery of the pancreas, liver, stomach, and esophagus, considerable differences in demographic factors, frequency, and kind of NI exist. The consequences of NI force surgeons to analyze pre-operative risk factors carefully, assess indications for operation thoroughly, and optimize all controllable parameters.

PCR-based rapid sepsis diagnosis effectively guides clinical treatment in patients with new onset of SIRS.

INTRODUCTION: Early detection of the causing microorganism and timely therapeutic intervention are crucial for improved outcome of patients with sepsis. Quite recently, we evaluated the technical and diagnostic feasibility of a commercial multiplex real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) (LightCycler SeptiFast® assay) for detection of blood stream infections in a cohort of intensive care unit (ICU) patients with the risk of abdominal sepsis. RESULTS AND FINDINGS: The PCR positivity rate showed a high coincidence with systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS; 75.8%). In this study, we focussed on patients from the same surgical ICU with upcoming SIRS and addressed the utility on therapeutic decision making following diagnostic application of PCR in addition and comparison to conventional microbiological and laboratory tests. In total, 104 patients on the ICU fulfilling the American College of Chest Physicians/Society of Critical Care Medicine SIRS criteria were enrolled. Blood samples were taken within 24 h of upcoming SIRS. Some 39.9% (n = 59) of the blood samples (n (Total) = 148) were positive using multiplex-PCR and 20.3% (n = 30) using conventional culture. In 11.4% of all samples, multiplex-PCR detected more than one microorganism. Among the 77 microorganisms identified by multiplex-PCR, only 25 (32.5%) could be confirmed by blood culture; an additional 17 could be confirmed by microbiological test results from other significant patient specimen. Positive blood samples independent of the detection method were characterised by significant elevated levels of procalcitonin (p < 0.05) but not C-reactive protein. In 25 cases (16.9%, n = 148), the rapid identification of involved pathogens by multiplex-PCR led to prompt adjustment of therapy. CONCLUSIONS: Our study demonstrates improved detection of specific pathogens with a high intrinsic resistance and positive impact on therapeutic decision-making by additional multiplex-PCR-based analysis of blood samples for infectious agents in patients with new onset of SIRS. Thus, we showed for the first time that PCR test results guide clinical treatment successfully.