Ceftriaxone to prevent early ventilator-associated pneumonia in patients with acute brain injury: a multicentre, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, assessor-masked superiority trial.

BACKGROUND: Patients with acute brain injury are at high risk of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP). The benefit of short-term antibiotic prophylaxis remains debated. We aimed to establish the effect of an early, single dose of the antibiotic ceftriaxone on the incidence of early VAP in patients with severe brain injury who required mechanical ventilation. METHODS: PROPHY-VAP was a multicentre, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, assessor-masked, superiority trial conducted in nine intensive care units in eight French university hospitals. We randomly assigned comatose (Glasgow Coma Scale score [GCS] ≤12) adult patients (age ≥18 years) who required mechanical ventilation for at least 48 h after acute brain injury to receive intravenous ceftriaxone 2 g or placebo once within the 12 h following tracheal intubation. Participants did not receive selective oropharyngeal and digestive tract decontamination. The primary outcome was the proportion of patients developing early VAP from the 2nd to the 7th day of mechanical ventilation, confirmed by masked assessors. The analysis was reported in the modified intention-to-treat population, which comprised all randomly assigned patients except those who withdrew or did not give consent to continue and those who did not receive the allocated treatment because they met a criterion for non-eligibility. The trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02265406. FINDINGS: From Oct 14, 2015, to May 27, 2020, 345 patients were randomly assigned (1:1) to receive ceftriaxone (n=171) or placebo (n=174); 330 received the allocated intervention and 319 were included in the analysis (162 in the ceftriaxone group and 157 in the placebo group). 166 (52%) participants in the analysis were men and 153 (48%) were women. 15 patients did not receive the allocated intervention after randomisation and 11 withdrew their consent. Adjudication confirmed 93 cases of VAP, including 74 early infections. The incidence of early VAP was lower in the ceftriaxone group than in the placebo group (23 [14%] vs 51 [32%]; hazard ratio 0·60 [95% CI 0·38-0·95], p=0·030), with no microbiological impact and no adverse effects attributable to ceftriaxone. INTERPRETATION: In patients with acute brain injury, a single ceftriaxone dose decreased the risk of early VAP. On the basis of our findings, we recommend that an early, single dose of ceftriaxone be included in all bundles for the prevention of VAP in patients with brain injury who require mechanical ventilation. FUNDING: French Ministry of Social Affairs and Health.

Body-weight support gait training in neurological intensive care: safety, feasibility, and delays before walking with or without suspension.

BACKGROUND: Early Mobilization in Intensive Care Units (ICUs) enhances patients' evolution, but has been rarely studied in neurological ICUs. The aim of this study was to assess gait training with body-weight support (BWS) in neuroICU, and to report on its safety, feasibility and on delays before walking with and without BWS. METHODS: This study was an observational one-year single-center study. Inclusion criteria were adults with a neurological injury requiring mechanical ventilation. Exclusion criteria were early death or ICU transfer. After weaning from ventilation, patients were screened for indications of BWS walking using predefined criteria. RESULTS: Patients' conditions were mostly brain injuries: 32% subarachnoid hemorrhages, 42% focal strokes, and 12% traumatic brain injuries. Out of 272 admissions, 136 patients were excluded, 78 were eligible, and 33 performed BWS walking. Among non-eligible patients, 36 walked unsuspended upon ventilation weaning, 17 presented too severe impairments. Among the 45 eligible patients who did not receive BWS training, main reasons were workload and weekends (31%), medical barriers (29%), and early ICU discharge (22%). 78 BWS sessions were performed on the 33 beneficiaries (median sessions per patient 2, max 10). Pre-session, most patients had inadequate response to pain, orders, or simple orientation questions. Sitting without support was impossible for 74%. Most pre-post changes in hemodynamic, respiratory, and pain parameters were small, and recovered spontaneously after the session. Eight sessions were interrupted; reasons were pain, fatigue or major imbalance (4), syncope (1), occurrence of stool (2), and battery failure (1). None of these adverse events required medical intervention, patients recovered upon session interruption. Median session duration was 31 min, patients walked on median 17 m. First BWS session occurred on median 3 days after ventilation weaning, and 11 days before patients were able to walk unsuspended. CONCLUSIONS: Verticalization and walking using a suspension device in patients in neuroICU allows early gait training, despite challenging neurological impairments. It is safe and generally well tolerated. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials database (ID: NCT04300491).

Continuous and deep sedation until death after a decision to withdraw life-sustaining therapies in intensive care units: A national survey.

BACKGROUND: Continuous and deep sedation until death is a much highly debated end-of-life practice. France is unique in having a regulatory framework for it. However, there are no data on its practice in intensive care units (ICUs). AIM: The aim is to describe continuous and deep sedation in relation to the framework in the specific context of withdrawal of life-sustaining therapies in ICUs, that is, its decision-making process and its practice compared to other end-of-life practices in this setting. DESIGN AND SETTING: French multicenter observational study. Consecutive ICU patients who died after a decision to withdraw life-sustaining therapies. RESULTS: A total of 343 patients in 57 ICUs, 208 (60%) with continuous and deep sedation. A formalized procedure for continuous and deep sedation was available in 32% of the ICUs. Continuous and deep sedation was not the result of a collegial decision-making process in 17% of cases, and did not involve consultation with an external physician in 29% of cases. The most commonly used sedative medicines were midazolam (10 [5-18] mg h-1) and propofol (200 [120-250] mg h -1). The Richmond Agitation Sedation Scale (RASS) was -5 in 60% of cases. Analgesia was associated with sedation in 94% of cases. Compared with other end-of-life sedative practices (n = 98), medicines doses were higher with no difference in the depth of sedation. CONCLUSIONS: This study shows a poor compliance with the framework for continuous and deep sedation. It highlights the need to formalize it to improve the decision-making process and the match between the intent, the practice and the actual effect.

Outcomes After Endovascular Therapy With Procedural Sedation vs General Anesthesia in Patients With Acute Ischemic Stroke: The AMETIS Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: General anesthesia and procedural sedation are common practice for mechanical thrombectomy in acute ischemic stroke. However, risks and benefits of each strategy are unclear. Objective: To determine whether general anesthesia or procedural sedation for anterior circulation large-vessel occlusion acute ischemic stroke thrombectomy are associated with a difference in periprocedural complications and 3-month functional outcome. Design, Setting, and Participants: This open-label, blinded end point randomized clinical trial was conducted between August 2017 and February 2020, with final follow-up in May 2020, at 10 centers in France. Adults with occlusion of the intracranial internal carotid artery and/or the proximal middle cerebral artery treated with thrombectomy were enrolled. Interventions: Patients were assigned to receive general anesthesia with tracheal intubation (n = 135) or procedural sedation (n = 138). Main Outcomes and Measures: The prespecified primary composite outcome was functional independence (a score of 0 to 2 on the modified Rankin Scale, which ranges from 0 [no neurologic disability] to 6 [death]) at 90 days and absence of major periprocedural complications (procedure-related serious adverse events, pneumonia, myocardial infarction, cardiogenic acute pulmonary edema, or malignant stroke) at 7 days. Results: Among 273 patients evaluable for the primary outcome in the modified intention-to-treat population, 142 (52.0%) were women, and the mean (SD) age was 71.6 (13.8) years. The primary outcome occurred in 38 of 135 patients (28.2%) assigned to general anesthesia and in 50 of 138 patients (36.2%) assigned to procedural sedation (absolute difference, 8.1 percentage points; 95% CI, -2.3 to 19.1; P = .15). At 90 days, the rate of patients achieving functional independence was 33.3% (45 of 135) with general anesthesia and 39.1% (54 of 138) with procedural sedation (relative risk, 1.18; 95% CI, 0.86-1.61; P = .32). The rate of patients without major periprocedural complications at 7 days was 65.9% (89 of 135) with general anesthesia and 67.4% (93 of 138) with procedural sedation (relative risk, 1.02; 95% CI, 0.86-1.21; P = .80). Conclusions and Relevance: In patients treated with mechanical thrombectomy for anterior circulation acute ischemic stroke, general anesthesia and procedural sedation were associated with similar rates of functional independence and major periprocedural complications. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03229148.

Pectoral Nerve Blocks for Breast Augmentation Surgery: A Randomized, Double-blind, Dual-centered Controlled Trial.

BACKGROUND: Pectoral nerve blocks have been proposed for analgesia during and after breast cancer surgery, but data are conflicted in aesthetic breast surgery. This trial tested the primary hypothesis that adding a preincisional pectoral nerve block is superior to systemic multimodal analgesic regimen alone for pain control after breast augmentation surgery. A second hypothesis is that rescue opioid consumption would be decreased with a long-lasting effect for both outcomes during the following days. METHODS: Seventy-three adult female patients undergoing aesthetic breast augmentation surgery under general anesthesia were randomly allocated to receive a pectoral nerve block versus no block. Both groups received standard care with protocolized multimodal analgesia alone including systematic acetaminophen and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. The primary outcome measure was the maximal numerical rating scale in the first 6 h after extubation. Secondary outcomes included intraoperative remifentanil consumption and from extubation to day 5: maximal numerical rating scale, postoperative cumulative opioid consumption and postoperative opioid side effects, and patient satisfaction recorded at day 5. RESULTS: The maximal numerical rating scale score in the first 6 h was lower in the pectoral nerve block group compared with the control group (3.9 ± 2.5 vs. 5.2 ± 2.2; difference: -1.2 [95% CI, -2.3 to -0.1]; P = 0.036). The pectoral nerve block group had a lower maximal numerical rating scale between days 1 and 5 (2.2 ± 1.9 vs. 3.2 ± 1.7; P = 0.032). The cumulative amount of overall opioids consumption (oral morphine equivalent) was lower for the pectoral nerve block group from hour 6 to day 1 (0.0 [0.0 to 21.0] vs. 21.0 [0.0 to 31.5] mg, P = 0.006) and from days 1 to 5 (0.0 [0.0 to 21.0] vs. 21.0 [0.0 to 51] mg, P = 0.002). CONCLUSIONS: Pectoral nerve block in conjunction with multimodal analgesia provides effective perioperative pain relief after aesthetic breast surgery and is associated with reduced opioid consumption over the first 5 postoperative days.

Transcranial sonographic assessment of the third ventricle in neuro-ICU patients to detect hydrocephalus: a diagnostic reliability pilot study.

BACKGROUND: Transcranial sonography is a point-of-care tool recommended in intensive care units (ICU) to monitor brain injured patients. Objectives of the study was to assess feasibility and reliability of the third ventricle (V3) diameter measurement using transcranial sonography (TCS) compared to brain computed-tomography (CT), the gold standard measurement, and to measure the TCS learning curve. DESIGN: prospective study, in a 16-bed neurological ICU in an academic hospital. Every consecutive brain injured adult patient, who required a brain CT and TCS monitoring were included. The V3 diameter was blindly measured by TCS and CT. Intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and Bland-Altman plot were used to assess the reliability and agreement between TCS and CT V3 measurements. Diagnosis performance of the V3 diameter using TCS to detect hydrocephalus was measured. Absolute difference between V3 measurement by residents and experts was measured consecutively to assess the learning curve. RESULTS: Among the 100 patients included in the study, V3 diameter could be assessed in 87 patients (87%) from at least one side of the skull. Both temporal windows were available in 70 patients (70%). The ICC between V3 diameter measured by TCS and CT was 0.90 [95% CI 0.84-0.93] on the right side, and 0.92 [0.88-0.95] on the left side. In Bland-Altman analysis, mean difference, standard deviation, 95% limits of agreement were 0.36, 1.52, - 2.7 to 3.3 mm, respectively, on the right side; 0.25, 1.47, - 2.7 to 3.1 mm, respectively, on the left side. Among the 35 patients with hydrocephalus, V3 diameters could be measured by TCS in 31 patients (89%) from at least one side. Hydrocephalus was, respectively, excluded, confirmed, or inconclusive using TCS in 35 (40%), 25 (29%) and 27 (31%) of the 87 assessable patients. After 5 measurements, every resident reached a satisfactory measurement compared to the expert operator. CONCLUSION: TCS allows rapid, simple and reliable V3 diameter measurement compared with the gold standard in neuro-ICU patients. Aside from sparing irradiating procedures and transfers to the radiology department, it may especially increase close patient monitoring to detect clinically occult hydrocephalus earlier. Further studies are needed to measure the potential clinical benefit of this method. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov ID: NCT02830269.

Long-term outcome in patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage requiring mechanical ventilation.

BACKGROUND: Patients affected with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH) often require intensive care, and then present distinctive outcome from less severe patients. We aimed to specify their long-term outcome and to identify factors associated with poor outcome. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective study in a French university hospital intensive care unit. Patients with aSAH requiring mechanical ventilation hospitalized between 2010 and 2015 were included. At least one year after initial bleeding, survival and degree of disability were assessed using the modified Rankin Scale (mRS) via telephone interviews. A multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed to determine independent factors associated with poor outcome defined as mRS≥3. RESULTS: Two-hundred thirty-six patients were included. Among them, 7 were lost to follow-up, and 229 were analyzed: 73 patients (32%) had a good outcome (mRS<3), and 156 (68%) had a poor outcome (mRS≥3). The estimated 1-year survival rate was 63%. One-hundred sixty-three patients patients (71%) suffered from early brain injuries (EBI), 33 (14%) from rebleeding, 80 (35%) from vasospasm and 63 (27%) from delayed cerebral ischemia (DCI). Multivariable logistic regression identified independent factors associated with poor outcome including delay between aSAH diagnosis and mRS assessment (OR, 0.96; 95% CI, 0.95-0.98; p<.0001), age (OR per 10 points, 1.57; 95% CI, 1.12-2.19; p = 0.008), WFNS V versus WFNS III (OR, 5.71; 95% CI 1.51-21.61; p = 0.004), subarachnoid rebleeding (OR, 6.47; 95% CI 1.16-36.06; p = 0.033), EBI (OR, 4.52; 95% CI 1.81-11.29; p = 0.001) and DCI (OR, 4.73; 95% CI, 1.66-13.49; p = 0.004). CONCLUSION: Among aSAH patients requiring assisted ventilation, two-third of them survived at one year, and one-third showed good long-term outcome. As it appears as an independant factor associated with poor outcome, DCI shoud retain particular attention in future studies beyond angiographic vasospasm.

Bilateral mandibular block improves pain relief and morphine consumption in mandibular osteotomies: a prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial.

BACKGROUND: The sensory innervation of the lower jaw mainly depends on the third root of the trigeminal nerve, the mandibular nerve (V3). The aim of this single-center, prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study was to evaluate the effectiveness of bilateral V3 block for postoperative analgesia management in mandibular osteotomies. METHODS: 107 patients undergoing mandibular surgery (75 scheduled osteotomies and 32 mandible fractures) were randomized in two groups. A bilateral V3 block was performed in each group, either with ropivacaine 0.75% (block group, n=50) or with a placebo (placebo group, n=57). A postoperative multimodal analgesia was equally provided to both groups. The primary outcome was the cumulative morphine consumption at 24 hours. Secondary outcomes were the occurrence of severe pain and the incidence of postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) in the first 24 hours. Data were analyzed on an intention-to-treat basis. RESULTS: The cumulative morphine consumption at 24 hours was significantly lower in the block group (median 8.0 mg (IQR 2.0-21.3) vs 12.0 mg (IQR 8.0-22.0), p=0.03), as well as the incidence of severe pain during the 24 hours of follow-up (4.0% vs 22.8%, p<0.01). The mandibular block had no impact on the incidence of PONV. CONCLUSION: Bilateral V3 block for mandibular osteotomies is an effective opioid-sparing procedure. It provided better postoperative analgesia in the first 24 hours, and it did not affect PONV incidence. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT02618993.

Implementation of French Recommendations for the Prevention and the Treatment of Hospital-acquired Pneumonia: A Cluster-randomized Trial.

BACKGROUND: We determined whether an audit on the adherence to guidelines for hospital-acquired pneumonia (HAP) can improve the outcomes of patients in intensive care units (ICUs). METHODS: This study was conducted at 35 ICUs in 30 hospitals. We included consecutive, adult patients hospitalized in ICUs for 3 days or more. After a 3-month baseline period followed by the dissemination of recommendations, an audit on the compliance to recommendations (audit period) was followed by a 3-month cluster-randomized trial. We randomly assigned ICUs to either receive audit and feedback (intervention group) or participate in a national registry (control group). The primary outcome was the duration of ICU stay. RESULTS: Among 1856 patients enrolled, 602, 669, and 585 were recruited in the baseline, audit, and intervention periods, respectively. The composite measures of compliance were 47% (interquartile range [IQR], 38-56%) in the intervention group and 42% (IQR, 25-53%) in the control group (P = .001). As compared to the baseline period, the ICU lengths of stay were reduced by 3.2 days in the intervention period (P = .07) and by 2.8 days in the control period (P = .02). The durations of ICU stay were 7 days (IQR, 5-14 days) in the control group and 9 days (IQR, 5-20 days) in the intervention group (P = .10). After adjustment for unbalanced baseline characteristics, the hazard ratio for being discharged alive from the ICU in the control group was 1.17 (95% confidence interval, .69-2.01; P = .10). CONCLUSIONS: The publication of French guidelines for HAP was associated with a reduction of the ICU length of stay. However, the realization of an audit to improve their application did not further improve outcomes. CLINICAL TRIALS REGISTRATION: NCT03348579.

Optimal intracranial pressure in patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage treated with coiling and requiring external ventricular drainage.

Optimal management of intracranial pressure (ICP) among aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH) patients requiring external ventricular drainage (EVD) is controversial. To analyze predictors of delayed cerebral ischemia (DCI)-related cerebral infarction after aSAH and the influence of ICP values on DCI, we prospectively collected consecutive patients with aSAH receiving coiling and requiring EVD. Predictors of DCI-related cerebral infarction (new CT hypodensities developed within the first 3 weeks not related to other causes) were studied. Vasospasm and brain hypoperfusion were studied with CT angiography and CT perfusion (RAPID-software). Among 50 aSAH patients requiring EVD, 21 (42%) developed DCI-related cerebral infarction, while 27 (54%) presented vasospasm. Mean ICP ranged between 2 and 19 mmHg. On the multivariate analysis, the mean ICP (OR = 2, 95%CI = 1.01-3.9, p = 0.042) and the mean hypoperfusion volume on Tmax delay > 6 (OR = 1.2, 95%CI = 1.01-1.3, p = 0.025) were independent predictors of DCI. To predict DCI-related cerebral infarction, Tmax delay > 6 s presented the highest AUC (0.956, SE = 0.025), with a cutoff value of 18 ml showing sensitivity, specificity, PPV, NPV, and accuracy of 90.5% (95%CI = 69-98.8%), 86.2% (95%CI = 68.4-96%), 82.6% (95%CI = 65.4-92%), 92.5% (95%CI = 77-98%), and 88% (95%CI = 75-95%), respectively. The AUC of the mean ICP was 0.825 (SE = 0.057), and the best cutoff value was 6.7 mmHg providing sensitivity, specificity, PPV, NPV, and accuracy of 71.4% (95%CI = 48-89%), 62% (95%CI = 42-79%), 58% (95%CI = 44-70%), 75% (95%CI = 59-86%), and 66% (95%CI = 51-79%) for the prediction of DCI-related cerebral infarction, respectively. Among aSAH patients receiving coiling and EVD, lower ICP (< 6.7 mmHg in our study) could potentially be beneficial in decreasing DCI-related cerebral infarction. Brain hypoperfusion with a volume > 18 ml at Tmax delay > 6 s presents a high sensibility and specificity in prediction of DCI-related cerebral infarction.

Macintosh Videolaryngoscope for Intubation in the Operating Room: A Comparative Quality Improvement Project.

BACKGROUND: "Macintosh"-videolaryngoscopes (VLs) are VLs that allow both direct and indirect laryngoscopy for intubation. We describe the decision-making and implementation-processes that our hospital used regarding the choice of device. We compared the performances of 4 Macintosh-VLs both in direct and indirect laryngoscopy. METHODS: A quality-improvement-project for airway management aiming at implementing Macintosh-VL for all intubation procedures performed in the operating room, involving 4 Macintosh-VLs (McGrath-Mac, C-MAC-S, C-MAC-S-Pocket-Monitor [PM], and APA). Three consecutive steps were described: (1) direct laryngoscopy with Macintosh-VL, (2) indirect laryngoscopy with Macintosh-VL (intubation attempt with Macintosh-style blade in case of Cormack I or II), (3) intubation attempt with hyperangulated blade in case of Cormack III/IV or failure of Macintosh-style blade. The main end point was the need to move to step III and use a hyperangulated blade. A mixed-effects multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed to compare devices on the main end point while considering site as a random effect. Comparison of means was performed using analysis of variance and Tukey's test for multiple comparisons (number of laryngoscopy attempts, numeric rate scale [NRS] difficulty of intubation and NRS user-friendliness). Comparison of percentages was performed using a χ2 test for the need to move to step III and a Kruskal-Wallis test for the quality of image (bad, passable, good, very good, excellent). A P value ≤.008 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: From May to September 2017, 589 patients were included. Using the McGrath-Mac (22/180 [12%]) was associated with less use of hyperangulated blade than using the C-MAC-S (39/132 [30%], odds ratio [OR] [99.2% confidence interval {CI}] 0.34 [0.16-0.77], P = .0005), the APA (35/138 [25%], OR [99.2% CI] 0.42 [0.19-0.93]; P = .004), but not the C-MAC-S-PM (29/139 [21%], OR [99.2% CI] 0.53 [0.23-1.2]; P = .04).Overall, the number of intubation attempts was significantly lower using the McGrath Mac than the C-MAC-S or the C-MAC-S-PMVLs. Subjective appreciation of intubation difficulty and user-friendliness of the devices showed respectively lower and higher NRS scores for the McGrath-Mac compared to the other devices, whereas subjective assessment of image quality showed higher quality for the C-MAC-S and C-MAC-S-PM compared to the APA or McGrath-Mac. CONCLUSIONS: Among 4 single-use Macintosh-VLs, glottic visualization in direct and indirect laryngoscopy with the Macintosh-style blade was significantly improved with the McGrath-Mac compared to other Macintosh-VLs, leading to a less frequent need to resort to the hyperangulated blade and reduced overall number of intubation attempts.

Guidelines: Anaesthesia in the context of COVID-19 pandemic.

OBJECTIVES: The world is currently facing an unprecedented healthcare crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The objective of these guidelines is to produce a framework to facilitate the partial and gradual resumption of intervention activity in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: The group has endeavoured to produce a minimum number of recommendations to highlight the strengths to be retained in the 7 predefined areas: (1) protection of staff and patients; (2) benefit/risk and patient information; (3) preoperative assessment and decision on intervention; (4) modalities of the preanaesthesia consultation; (5) specificity of anaesthesia and analgesia; (6) dedicated circuits and (7) containment exit type of interventions. RESULTS: The SFAR Guideline panel provides 51 statements on anaesthesia management in the context of COVID-19 pandemic. After one round of discussion and various amendments, a strong agreement was reached for 100% of the recommendations and algorithms. CONCLUSION: We present suggestions for how the risk of transmission by and to anaesthetists can be minimised and how personal protective equipment policies relate to COVID-19 pandemic context.

Prioritisation of ICU treatments for critically ill patients in a COVID-19 pandemic with scarce resources.

BACKGROUND: Relying on capacity increases and patient transfers to deal with the huge and continuous inflow of COVID-19 critically ill patients is a strategy limited by finite human and logistical resources. RATIONALE: Prioritising both critical care initiation and continuation is paramount to save the greatest number of lives. It enables to allocate scarce resources in priority to those with the highest probability of benefiting from them. It is fully ethical provided it relies on objective and widely shared criteria, thus preventing arbitrary decisions and guaranteeing equity. Prioritisation seeks to fairly allocate treatments, maximise saved lives, gain indirect life benefits from prioritising exposed healthcare and similar workers, give priority to those most penalised as a last resort, and apply similar prioritisation schemes to all patients. PRIORITISATION STRATEGY: Prioritisation schemes and their criteria are adjusted to the level of resource scarcity: strain (level A) or saturation (level B). Prioritisation yields a four level priority for initiation or continuation of critical care: P1-high priority, P2-intermediate priority, P3-not needed, P4-not appropriate. Prioritisation schemes take into account the patient's wishes, clinical frailty, pre-existing chronic condition, along with severity and evolution of acute condition. Initial priority level must be reassessed, at least after 48h once missing decision elements are available, at the typical turning point in the disease's natural history (ICU days 7 to 10 for COVID-19), and each time resource scarcity levels change. For treatments to be withheld or withdrawn, a collegial decision-making process and information of patient and/or next of kin are paramount. PERSPECTIVE: Prioritisation strategy is bound to evolve with new knowledge and with changes within the epidemiological situation.

The Frontal Bone Window for Transcranial Doppler Ultrasonography in Critically Ill Patients: Validation of a New Approach in the ICU.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: The temporal bone window (TBW) for transcranial Doppler (TCD) often fails to insonate the anterior cerebral artery (ACA). The frontal bone window (FBW) has never been evaluated in intensive care units (ICU). The main objective was to determine the ability of the FBW to assess ACA velocities in critically ill patients. METHODS: A prospective study was conducted in two ICUs of the Montpellier University Hospital (France), between November 2014 and September 2016. Adult patients admitted to ICU for brain injury, with a Glasgow Coma Scale score ≤ 13, were enrolled within 3 days after admission. A first TCD examination was carried out bilaterally through the TBW and FBW by an intensivist expert in TCD, repeated by the same examiner, and 15 min later by an intensivist certified in TCD, designated as non-expert, blinded. The success of the FBW examinations was defined by the ability to measure the ACA velocities. Intra- and interobserver agreements were analyzed according to the Bland and Altman method. RESULTS: A total of 147 patients were analyzed. The FBW succeeded in insonating the ACA in 66 patients [45%, CI (37-53)], 45 bilaterally and 21 unilaterally. For 16 patients (11%), the FBW was the only way to measure ACA velocities. By combining the two techniques, the ACA success rate increased from 62% CI (54-70) to 73% CI (65-79) (P = 0.05). Intra- and interobserver mean biases and 95% limits of agreement for ACA systolic velocity measurements through the FBW were 1 (- 33 to 35) and 2 (- 34 to 38) cm s-1, respectively. For paired TBW and FBW measures of ACA velocities, mean biases (± SD) for ACA systolic, and mean and diastolic velocities were relatively close to zero, but negatives (- 7 ± 33, - 2 ± 19, - 1 ± 15 cm s-1, respectively), highlighting that ACA velocities were lower with the FBW (A2 segment) than TBW (A1 segment). The correlation coefficient for ACA systolic velocities measured by the FBW and TBW was R = 0.47, CI (0.28-0.62). No risk factors for failure of the FBW were identified. CONCLUSIONS: In ICU, the FBW was able to insonate the ACA in 45% of patients admitted for brain injury, without the use of contrast agents. The FBW could improve the detection of ACA vasospasms.

Sedation versus general anaesthesia in endovascular therapy for anterior circulation acute ischaemic stroke: the multicentre randomised controlled AMETIS trial study protocol.

INTRODUCTION: Endovascular thrombectomy is the standard of care for anterior circulation acute ischaemic stroke (AIS) secondary to emergent large vessel occlusion in patients who qualify. General anaesthesia (GA) or conscious sedation (CS) is usually required to ensure patient comfort and avoid agitation and movement during thrombectomy. However, the question of whether the use of GA or CS might influence functional outcome remains debated. Indeed, conflicting results exist between observational studies with better outcomes associated with CS and small monocentric randomised controlled trials favouring GA. Therefore, we aim to evaluate the effect of CS versus GA on functional outcome and periprocedural complications in endovascular mechanical thrombectomy for anterior circulation AIS. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: Anesthesia Management in Endovascular Therapy for Ischemic Stroke (AMETIS) trial is an investigator initiated, multicentre, prospective, randomised controlled, two-arm trial. AMETIS trial will randomise 270 patients with anterior circulation AIS in a 1:1 ratio, stratified by centre, National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (≤15 or >15) and association of intravenous thrombolysis or not to receive either CS or GA. The primary outcome is a composite of functional independence at 3 months and absence of perioperative complication occurring by day 7 after endovascular therapy for anterior circulation AIS. Functional independence is defined as a modified Rankin Scale score of 0-2 by day 90. Perioperative complications are defined as intervention-associated arterial perforation or dissection, pneumonia or myocardial infarction or cardiogenic acute pulmonary oedema or malignant stroke evolution occurring by day 7. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: The AMETIS trial was approved by an independent ethics committee. Study began in august 2017. Results will be published in an international peer-reviewed medical journal. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT03229148.

Assessing pain in critically ill brain-injured patients: a psychometric comparison of 3 pain scales and videopupillometry.

Three clinical scales (the Nociception Coma Scale adapted for Intubated patients [NCS-I], its Revised version [NCS-R-I], and the Behavioral Pain Scale [BPS]) and videopupillometry were compared for measuring pain in intubated, noncommunicating, critically ill, brain-injured patients. Pain assessment was performed before, during, just after, and 5 minutes after 3 procedures: the reference non-nociceptive procedure (assessment of the Richmond Agitation Sedation Scale) and 2 nociceptive procedures (turning and tracheal suctioning). The primary endpoint was construct validity (discriminant and criterion validation), determined by comparing pain measurements between different times/procedures. Secondary endpoints were internal consistency, inter-rater reliability, and feasibility. Fifty patients (54% women, median age 63 years [56-68]) were included 13 [7-24] days after brain injury (76% hemorrhagic or ischemic strokes). All tools increased significantly more (P < 0.001) during the nociceptive procedures vs the non-nociceptive procedure. The BPS was the only pain tool that did not increase significantly during the non-nociceptive procedure (P = 0.41), suggesting that it was the most discriminant tool. The BPS, NCS-I, and NCS-R-I were good predictors of nociception with areas under the curves ≥0.96, contrary to videopupillometry (area under the curve = 0.67). The BPS, NCS-I, and NCS-I-R had high inter-rater reliabilities (weighted kappa = 0.86, 0.82 and 0.84, respectively). Internal consistency was moderate (>0.60) for all pain scales. Factor analysis represented a majority of information on a first dimension, with motor domains represented on a second dimension. Scale feasibility was better for the NCS-I and NCS-R-I than for the BPS. In conclusion, the BPS, NCS-I, and NCS-R-I are valid, reliable, and acceptable pain scales for use in intubated critically ill, brain-injured patients, unlike videopupillometry. Future research requires tool design centered on domains of observation adapted to this very specific population.

Prevention of early ventilation-acquired pneumonia (VAP) in comatose brain-injured patients by a single dose of ceftriaxone: PROPHY-VAP study protocol, a multicentre, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.

INTRODUCTION: Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) is the first cause of healthcare-associated infections in intensive care units (ICUs) and brain injury is one of the main risk factors for early-onset VAP. Antibiotic prophylaxis has been reported to decrease their occurrence in brain-injured patients, but a lack of controlled randomised trials and the risk of induction of bacterial resistance explain the low level of recommendations. The goal of this study is to determine whether a single dose of ceftriaxone within the 12 hours postintubation after severe brain injury can decrease the risk of early-onset VAP. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: The PROPHY-VAP is a French multicentre, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, clinical trial. Adult brain-injured patients (n=320) with a Glasgow Coma Scale ≤12, requiring mechanical ventilation for more than 48 hours, are randomised to receive either a single dose of ceftriaxone 2 g or a placebo within the 12 hours after tracheal intubation. The primary endpoint is the proportion of patients developing VAP from the 2nd to the 7th day after mechanical ventilation. Secondary endpoints include the proportion of patients developing late VAP (>7 days after tracheal intubation), the number of ventilator-free days, VAP-free days and antibiotic-free days, length of stay in the ICU, proportion of patients with ventilator-associated events and mortality during their ICU stay. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: The initial research project was approved by the Institutional Review Board of OUEST III (France) on 20 October 2014 (registration No 2014-001668-36) and carried out according to the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki and the Clinical Trials Directive 2001/20/EC of the European Parliament relating to the Good Clinical Practice guidelines. The results of this study will be presented in national and international meetings and published in an international peer-reviewed journal. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT02265406; Pre-results.