Unsuspected foreign-body aspiration in adult patient with status asthmaticus: Case report.

INTRODUCTION: Accidental foreign body aspiration can cause severe damage to the airway and threaten the patient's life. This situation requires multidisciplinary and systematic approach from the medical and surgical team, in order to achieve complete resolution maintaining airway permeability. PRESENTATION OF CASE: This is a 49 y/o man who presented with a severe asthma attack, in whom an unsuspected foreign body in the inferior airway was diagnosed, which was possibly the result of aspiration during the initial emergency care, causing worsening of the already critical condition. DISCUSSION: We described the clinical course, radiologic and endoscopic findings, and outcome of the patient, highlighting the importance of considering the possibility of a foreign body in the airway, when there is no improvement in refractory status asthmaticus. This is particularly important in a university hospital. Moreover, the implementation of checklists when invasive procedures are performed can avoid loss of material, preventing iatrogenic aspiration events. CONCLUSION: Foreign body aspirations may remain undetected due to lack of suspicion, especially in adults, in whom they can cause chronic symptoms, or worsen chronic respiratory conditions turning them into more complex diseases. This cause must be considered in the differential diagnosis of refractory status asthmaticus.

Meta-Analysis of Post-Intubation Hypotension: A Plea to Consider Circulation First in Hypovolemic Patients.

Hypovolemic patients can develop postintubation hypotension (PIH). Our objective is to review the literature regarding PIH and the association with mortality. We searched MEDLINE from inception to February 2018. A meta-analysis was performed to assess the effect of PIH on mortality. The results of the meta-analysis were reported in forest plots of the estimated effects of the included studies with a 95 per cent confidence interval. Heterogeneity was evaluated using the I² test, which corresponded to low (I² < 25%), medium (I² = 25-75%), and high (I² > 75%) heterogeneity. We identified 243 records. Four studies were included in the meta-analysis. The studies reported 2044 patients with 36.8 per cent (n = 753) developing PIH. Data indirectly reflecting the hemodynamic status were available in three studies (n = 1117 patients). Overall mortality was 24.6 per cent (n = 503) and was significantly higher in patients that developed PIH [mortality, n (%): PIH = 250/753 (33.2%) vs 253/1291 (19.6%), P < 0.001]. Patients that develop PIH have an increased mortality. Considering a targeted resuscitation in hypovolemic patients is pivotal to minimize PIH.

A meta-analysis of the incidence of complications associated with groin access after the use of resuscitative endovascular balloon occlusion of the aorta in trauma patients.

BACKGROUND: Serious complications related to groin access have been reported with the use of resuscitative endovascular balloon occlusion of the aorta (REBOA). We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to estimate the incidence of complications related to groin access from the use of REBOA in adult trauma patients. METHODS: We identified articles in MEDLINE and EMBASE. We reviewed all studies that involved adult trauma patients who underwent the placement of a REBOA and included only those that reported the incidence of complications related to groin access. A meta-analysis of proportions was performed. RESULTS: We identified 13 studies with a total of 424 patients. REBOA was inserted most commonly by trauma surgeons or emergency room physicians. Information regarding puncture technique was reported in 12 studies and was available for a total of 414 patients. Percutaneous access and surgical cutdown were performed in 304 (73.4%) and 110 (26.5%) patients, respectively. Overall, complications related to groin access occurred in 5.6% of patients (n = 24/424). Lower limb amputation was required in 2.1% of patients (9/424), of which three cases (3/424 [0.7%]) were directly related to the vascular puncture from the REBOA insertion. A meta-analysis that used the logit transformation showed a 5% (95% CI 3%-9%) incidence of complications without significant heterogeneity (LR test: χ = 0.73, p = 0.2, Tau-square = 0.2). In a second meta-analysis, we used the Freeman-Tukey double arcsine transformation and found an incidence of complications of 4% (95% CI 2%-7%) with low heterogeneity (I = 16.3%). CONCLUSION: We found that the incidence of complications related to groin access was of 4-5% based on a meta-analysis of 13 studies published worldwide. Currently, there are no benchmarks or quality measures as a reference to compare, and thus, further work is required to identify these benchmarks and improve the practice of REBOA in trauma surgery. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Systematic review and meta-analysis, level III.

Could resuscitative endovascular balloon occlusion of the aorta improve survival among severely injured patients with post-intubation hypotension?

Current literature shows the association of post-intubation hypotension and increased odds of mortality in critically ill non-trauma and trauma populations. However, there is a lack of research on potential interventions that can prevent or ameliorate the consequences of endotracheal intubation and thus improve the prognosis of trauma patients with post-intubation hypotension. This review paper hypothesizes that the deployment of REBOA among trauma patients with PIH, by its physiologic effects, will reduce the odds of mortality in this population. The objective of this paper is to review the current literature on REBOA and post-intubation hypotension, and, furthermore, to provide a rational hypothesis on the potential role of REBOA in severely injured patients with post-intubation hypotension.