Use, timing and factors associated with tracheal intubation in septic shock: a prospective multicentric observational study.

BACKGROUND: No recommendation exists about the timing and setting for tracheal intubation and mechanical ventilation in septic shock. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This prospective multicenter observational study was conducted in 30 ICUs in France and Spain. All consecutive patients presenting with septic shock were eligible. The use of tracheal intubation was described across the participating ICUs. A multivariate analysis was performed to identify parameters associated with early intubation (before H8 following vasopressor onset). RESULTS: Eight hundred and fifty-nine patients were enrolled. Two hundred and nine patients were intubated early (24%, range 4.5-47%), across the 18 centers with at least 20 patients included. The cumulative intubation rate during the ICU stay was 324/859 (38%, range 14-65%). In the multivariate analysis, seven parameters were significantly associated with early intubation and ranked as follows by decreasing weight: Glasgow score, center effect, use of accessory respiratory muscles, lactate level, vasopressor dose, pH and inability to clear tracheal secretions. Global R-square of the model was only 60% indicating that 40% of the variability of the intubation process was related to other parameters than those entered in this analysis. CONCLUSION: Neurological, respiratory and hemodynamic parameters only partially explained the use of tracheal intubation in septic shock patients. Center effect was important. Finally, a vast part of the variability of intubation remained unexplained by patient characteristics. Trial registration Clinical trials NCT02780466, registered on May 23, 2016. https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02780466?term=intubatic&draw=2&rank=1.

[Analysis of the 2015 British guidelines on the prevention and management of tumor lysis syndrome]. / Analyse des recommandations britanniques 2015 sur la prévention et la prise en charge du syndrome de lyse tumorale.

Whether it appears spontaneously or is induced by therapy, the tumor lysis syndrome is responsible for a massive release of ions and puric bases degradation of products in the circulation exceeding the renal excretion capacity. Some, such as uric acid, xanthine, and calcium phosphate, can precipitate in the renal tubules or parenchyma. It must be known to any practitioner supporting patients with hematologic malignancies, mainly high-grade but also some solid tumors. The 2015 publication of the British recommendations pertaining to patients suffering from hematological diseases should be broadcast. The main goal of treatment is to prevent the occurrence of renal dysfunction associated with heavy morbidity and mortality, either for his own conduct or consequences on obtaining a good tumor response. Some items proposed for the care, whether curative or preventive, should be discussed or detailed, which is the subject of this paper.

Sedation, sucralfate, and antibiotic use are potential means for protection against early-onset ventilator-associated pneumonia.

To examine risk factors for early-onset ventilator-associated pneumonia (EOP) in patients requiring mechanical ventilation (MV), we performed a prospective cohort study that included 747 patients. Pneumonia was defined as a positive result for a protected quantitative distal sample. EOP was defined as pneumonia that occurred from day 3 to day 7 of MV. Eighty patients (10.7%) experienced EOP. Independent predictors of EOP were male sex (odds ratio [OR], 2.06; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.18-3.63), actual Glasgow Coma Scale value of 6-13 (OR, 1.95; 95% CI, 1.2-3.18), high Logistic Organ Dysfunction score at day 2 (OR, 1.12 per point; 95% CI, 1.02-1.23), unplanned extubation (OR, 3.19; 95% CI, 1.28-7.92), and sucralfate use (OR, 1.81; 95% CI, 1.01-3.26). Protection occurred with use of aminoglycosides (OR, 0.36; 95% CI, 0.17-0.76), beta -lactams and/or beta -lactamase inhibitors (OR, 0.47; 95% CI, 0.28-0.83), or third-generation cephalosporins (OR, 0.33; 95% CI, 0.16-0.74). Sucralfate use and unplanned extubation are independent risk factors for EOP. Use of aminoglycosides, beta-lactams/ beta-lactamase inhibitors, or third-generation cephalosporins protects against EOP.

Compliance with triage to intensive care recommendations.

DESIGN: Recommendations for triage to intensive care units (ICUs) have been issued but not evaluated. SETTING: In this prospective, multicenter study, all patients granted or refused admission to 26 ICUs affiliated with the French Society for Critical Care were included during a 1-month period. Characteristics of participating ICUs and patients, circumstances of triage, and description of the triage decision with particular attention to compliance with published recommendations were recorded. RESULTS: During the study period, 1,009 patients were and 283 were not admitted to the participating ICUs. Refused patients were more likely to be older than 65 yrs (odds ratio [OR], 3.53; confidence interval [CI], 1.98-5.32) and to have a poor chronic health status (OR, 3.09; CI, 2.05-4.67). An admission diagnosis of acute respiratory or renal failure, shock, or coma was associated with admission, whereas chronic severe respiratory and heart failure or metastatic disease without hope of remission were associated with refusal (OR, 2.24; CI, 1.38-3.64). Only four (range, 0-8) of the 20 recommendations for triage to ICU were observed; a full unit and triage over the phone were associated with significantly poorer compliance with recommendations (0 [0-2] vs. 6 [2-9], p =.0003; and 1 [0-6] vs. 6 [1-9], p <.0001; respectively). CONCLUSION: Recommendations for triage to intensive care are rarely observed, particularly when the unit is full or triage is done over the phone. These recommendations may need to be redesigned to improve their practicability under real-life conditions, with special attention to phone triage and triaging to a full unit.

Infection as a trigger of diabetic ketoacidosis in intensive care-unit patients.

We determined the prevalence and indicators of infection in intensive care unit (ICU) patients with diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) by performing a retrospective analysis of 123 episodes of DKA (in 113 patients) managed in a medical ICU between 1990 and 1997. In univariate analysis, features associated with infection were female sex, neurological symptoms at admission, fever during the week before admission, a need for colloids, a high blood lactate level at admission, and lack of complete clearance of ketonuria within 12 h. Multivariate analysis identified 3 independent predictors of infection: female sex (odds ratio [OR], 2.31; confidence interval [CI], 1.05-5.35), neurological symptoms at admission (OR, 2.83; CI, 1.18-6.8), and lack of complete clearance of ketonuria within 12 h (OR, 3.73; CI, 1.58-9.09). Infection is the leading trigger of DKA in ICU patients. Neurological symptoms at admission and lack of complete clearance of ketonuria within 12 h are useful warning signals of infection.