Identifying drivers for user preference and acceptability of different hydro-alcoholic hand rub formulations.

BACKGROUND: In the current era, the importance of proper hand hygiene to reduce the transmission of infectious diseases has become difficult to debate. Yet, compliance rates remain low and are affected by many factors, amongst which is user acceptability of hand hygiene products. AIM: The present study aimed at investigating drivers of preference towards different hand hygiene formulations. METHODS: Three different formulations (liquid, foam and gel) of the same brand were randomly and blindly evaluated by 54 participants based on the WHO Protocol for Evaluation of Tolerability and Acceptability of Alcohol-based Handrubs. RESULTS: The majority (76%) of respondents indicated that the product formulation impacted their level of compliance with hand hygiene protocols. The preferred formulation was liquid, with 50% of participants ranking it as first choice. General product satisfaction, the product texture, the drying speed and the ease of application, were the statistically significant drivers for participants to rank a formulation as their first choice vs not ranking it as their first choice. CONCLUSIONS: When designing alcohol formulations and implementing hand hygiene protocols, understanding drivers of preference for formulations may enhance product user acceptability and therefore compliance with hand hygiene.

Systematic review and consensus definitions for the Standardised Endpoints in Perioperative Medicine (StEP) initiative: renal endpoints.

BACKGROUND: Renal injury is a common perioperative complication. The adoption of renal endpoints, standardised and valid for use in perioperative clinical trials, would enhance the quality of perioperative clinical research. The Standardised Endpoints in Perioperative Medicine (StEP) initiative was established to derive standardised endpoints for use in perioperative clinical trials. METHODS: A systematic review was conducted to identify renal endpoints currently reported in perioperative clinical trials. In parallel, an initial list of candidate endpoints was developed based on renal theme group expertise. A multi-round Delphi consensus process was used to refine this list and produce a suite of recommended perioperative renal outcome measures. RESULTS: Based on our systematic review, 63 studies were included for analysis. Marked heterogeneity and imprecision of endpoint definitions were observed. Our initial list of candidate endpoints included 10 endpoints for consideration. The response rates for Delphi rounds 1, 2, and 3 were 89% (n=16), 90% (n=75), and 100% (n=6), respectively. A final list of four renal endpoints was identified: acute kidney injury defined by the Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) consensus criteria, acute kidney disease defined by ≥30% decline in estimated glomerular filtration rate from baseline at 30 days after operation in patients meeting the acute-kidney-injury criteria within 7 days of surgery, the composite of death or renal replacement therapy, and the Major Adverse Kidney Events (MAKE) composite. CONCLUSIONS: We identified four key renal outcome measures that should be considered for use in perioperative clinical trials. Using standardised definitions to capture and report these endpoints will facilitate improved benchmarking and meta-analysis of future trials.

Intravenous fluids: effects on renal outcomes.

Intravenous fluid therapy is the most commonly prescribed inpatient medication in hospitals around the world. Intravenous fluids are drugs and have an indication, a dose, and expected and unintended effects. The type and amount of fluid given to patients are both important, and can either hasten or slow recovery depending on how they are administered. This narrative review provides a brief summary of the effect of intravenous fluid administration on kidney function and on renal outcome measures of relevance to both patients and clinicians. Several large clinical trials of fluid therapy are currently underway, the results of which are likely to change clinical practice.

Neurophysiologically-informed markers of individual variability and pharmacological manipulation of human cortical gamma.

The ability to quantify synaptic function at the level of cortical microcircuits from non-invasive data would be enormously useful in the study of neuronal processing in humans and the pathophysiology that attends many neuropsychiatric disorders. Here, we provide proof of principle that one can estimate inter-and intra-laminar interactions among specific neuronal populations using induced gamma responses in the visual cortex of human subjects - using dynamic causal modelling based upon the canonical microcircuit (CMC; a simplistic model of a cortical column). Using variability in induced (spectral) responses over a large cohort of normal subjects, we find that the predominant determinants of gamma responses rest on recurrent and intrinsic connections between superficial pyramidal cells and inhibitory interneurons. Furthermore, variations in beta responses were mediated by inter-subject differences in the intrinsic connections between deep pyramidal cells and inhibitory interneurons. Interestingly, we also show that increasing the self-inhibition of superficial pyramidal cells suppresses the amplitude of gamma activity, while increasing its peak frequency. This systematic and nonlinear relationship was only disclosed by modelling the causes of induced responses. Crucially, we were able to validate this form of neurophysiological phenotyping by showing a selective effect of the GABA re-uptake inhibitor tiagabine on the rate constants of inhibitory interneurons. Remarkably, we were able to recover the pharmacodynamics of this effect over the course of several hours on a per subject basis. These findings speak to the possibility of measuring population specific synaptic function - and its response to pharmacological intervention - to provide subject-specific biomarkers of mesoscopic neuronal processes using non-invasive data. Finally, our results demonstrate that, using the CMC as a proxy, the synaptic mechanisms that underlie the gain control of neuronal message passing within and between different levels of cortical hierarchies may now be amenable to quantitative study using non-invasive (MEG) procedures.

Asynchronous partial contact motion due to internal resonance in multiple degree-of-freedom rotordynamics.

Sudden onset of violent chattering or whirling rotor-stator contact motion in rotational machines can cause significant damage in many industrial applications. It is shown that internal resonance can lead to the onset of bouncing-type partial contact motion away from primary resonances. These partial contact limit cycles can involve any two modes of an arbitrarily high degree-of-freedom system, and can be seen as an extension of a synchronization condition previously reported for a single disc system. The synchronization formula predicts multiple drivespeeds, corresponding to different forms of mode-locked bouncing orbits. These results are backed up by a brute-force bifurcation analysis which reveals numerical existence of the corresponding family of bouncing orbits at supercritical drivespeeds, provided the damping is sufficiently low. The numerics reveal many overlapping families of solutions, which leads to significant multi-stability of the response at given drive speeds. Further, secondary bifurcations can also occur within each family, altering the nature of the response and ultimately leading to chaos. It is illustrated how stiffness and damping of the stator have a large effect on the number and nature of the partial contact solutions, illustrating the extreme sensitivity that would be observed in practice.

Meta-analysis of high- versus low-chloride content in perioperative and critical care fluid resuscitation.

BACKGROUND: The objective of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to assess the relationship between the chloride content of intravenous resuscitation fluids and patient outcomes in the perioperative or intensive care setting. METHODS: Systematic searches were performed of PubMed/MEDLINE, Embase and Cochrane Library (CENTRAL) databases in accordance with PRISMA guidelines. Randomized clinical trials, controlled clinical trials and observational studies were included if they compared outcomes in acutely ill or surgical patients receiving either high-chloride (ion concentration greater than 111 mmol/l up to and including 154 mmol/l) or lower-chloride (concentration 111 mmol/l or less) crystalloids for resuscitation. Endpoints examined were mortality, measures of kidney function, serum chloride, hyperchloraemia/metabolic acidosis, blood transfusion volume, mechanical ventilation time, and length of hospital and intensive care unit stay. Risk ratios (RRs), mean differences (MDs) or standardized mean differences (SMDs) and confidence intervals were calculated using fixed-effect modelling. RESULTS: The search identified 21 studies involving 6253 patients. High-chloride fluids did not affect mortality but were associated with a significantly higher risk of acute kidney injury (RR 1.64, 95 per cent c.i. 1.27 to 2.13; P < 0.001) and hyperchloraemia/metabolic acidosis (RR 2.87, 1.95 to 4.21; P < 0.001). High-chloride fluids were also associated with greater serum chloride (MD 3.70 (95 per cent c.i. 3.36 to 4.04) mmol/l; P < 0.001), blood transfusion volume (SMD 0.35, 0.07 to 0.63; P = 0.014) and mechanical ventilation time (SMD 0.15, 0.08 to 0.23; P < 0.001). Sensitivity analyses excluding heavily weighted studies resulted in non-statistically significant effects for acute kidney injury and mechanical ventilation time. CONCLUSION: A weak but significant association between higher chloride content fluids and unfavourable outcomes was found, but mortality was unaffected by chloride content.

Choice of fluid in acute illness: what should be given? An international consensus.

Fluid management during critical illness is a dynamic process that may be conceptualized as occurring in four phases: rescue, optimization, stabilization, and de-escalation (mobilization). The selection and administration of resuscitation fluids is one component of this complex physiological sequence directed at restoring depleted intravascular volume. Presently, the selection of i.v. fluid is usually dictated more by local practice patterns than by evidence. The debate on fluid choice has primarily focused on evaluating outcome differences between 'crystalloids vs colloids'. More recently, however, there is interest in examining outcome differences based on the chloride content of crystalloid solutions. New insights into the conventional Starling model of microvascular fluid exchange may explain that the efficacy of colloids in restoring and maintaining depleted intravascular volume is only moderately better than crystalloids. A number of investigator-initiated, high-quality, randomized controlled trials have demonstrated that modest improvements in short-term physiological endpoints with colloids have not translated into better patient-centred outcomes. In addition, there is substantial evidence that certain types of fluids may independently worsen patient-centred outcomes. These include hydroxyethyl starch and albumin solutions in selected patient populations. There is no evidence to support the use of other colloids. The use of balanced salt solutions in preference to 0.9% saline is supported by the absence of harm in large observational studies. However, there is no compelling randomized trial-based evidence demonstrating improved clinical outcomes with the use of balanced salt solutions compared with 0.9% saline at this time.

Pharmacological management of fluid overload.

BACKGROUND: Standard treatment practice for the hypotensive patient with poor tissue perfusion is rapid volume resuscitation; in some scenarios, such as septic shock, this is performed with targeted goal-directed endpoints within 6 h of presentation. As a result, patients often develop significant positive fluid accumulation, which has been associated with poor outcomes above certain thresholds. METHODS: The aim of the current paper is to provide guidance for active pharmacological fluid management in the patient with, or at risk for, clinically significant positive fluid balance from either resuscitation for hypovolaemic shock or acute decompensated heart failure. RESULTS: We develop rationale for pharmacological fluid management targets (prevention of worsening fluid accumulation, achievement of slow vs rapid net negative fluid balance) in the context of phases of critical illness provided in the earlier Acute Dialysis Quality Initiative 12 papers.

Four phases of intravenous fluid therapy: a conceptual model.

I.V. fluid therapy plays a fundamental role in the management of hospitalized patients. While the correct use of i.v. fluids can be lifesaving, recent literature demonstrates that fluid therapy is not without risks. Indeed, the use of certain types and volumes of fluid can increase the risk of harm, and even death, in some patient groups. Data from a recent audit show us that the inappropriate use of fluids may occur in up to 20% of patients receiving fluid therapy. The delegates of the 12th Acute Dialysis Quality Initiative (ADQI) Conference sought to obtain consensus on the use of i.v. fluids with the aim of producing guidance for their use. In this article, we review a recently proposed model for fluid therapy in severe sepsis and propose a framework by which it could be adopted for use in most situations where fluid management is required. Considering the dose-effect relationship and side-effects of fluids, fluid therapy should be regarded similar to other drug therapy with specific indications and tailored recommendations for the type and dose of fluid. By emphasizing the necessity to individualize fluid therapy, we hope to reduce the risk to our patients and improve their outcome.

Indications and management of mechanical fluid removal in critical illness.

BACKGROUND: The Acute Dialysis Quality Initiative (ADQI) dedicated its Twelfth Consensus Conference (2013) to all aspects of fluid therapy, including the management of fluid overload (FO). The aim of the working subgroup 'Mechanical fluid removal' was to review the indications, prescription, and management of mechanical fluid removal within the broad context of fluid management of critically ill patients. METHODS: The working group developed a list of preliminary questions and objectives and performed a modified Delphi analysis of the existing literature. Relevant studies were identified through a literature search using the MEDLINE database and bibliographies of relevant research and review articles. RESULTS: After review of the existing literature, the group agreed the following consensus statements: (i) in critically ill patients with FO and with failure of or inadequate response to pharmacological therapy, mechanical fluid removal should be considered as a therapy to optimize fluid balance. (ii) When using mechanical fluid removal or management, targets for rate of fluid removal and net fluid removal should be based upon the overall fluid balance of the patient and also physiological variables, individualized, and reassessed frequently. (iii) More research on the role and practice of mechanical fluid removal in critically ill patients not meeting fluid balance goals (including in children) is necessary. CONCLUSION: Mechanical fluid removal should be considered as a therapy for FO, but more research is necessary to determine its exact role and clinical application.

Vascular content, tone, integrity, and haemodynamics for guiding fluid therapy: a conceptual approach.

BACKGROUND: Despite many clinical trials and investigative efforts to determine appropriate therapeutic intervention(s) for shock, this topic remains controversial. The use of i.v. fluid has represented the cornerstone for the treatment of hypoperfusion for two centuries. METHODS: As a part of International Acute Dialysis Quality Initiative XII Fluids Workgroup meeting, we sought to incorporate recent advances in our understanding of vascular biology into a more comprehensive yet accessible approach to the patient with hypoperfusion. In this workgroup, we attempted to develop a framework that incorporates key aspects of the vasculature into a diagnostic approach. RESULTS: The four main components of our proposal involve the assessment of the blood flow (BF), vascular content (vC), the vascular barrier (vB), and vascular tone (vT). Any significant perturbation in any of these domains can lead to hypoperfusion at both the macro- and micro-circulatory level. We have termed the BF, vC, vB, and vT diagnostic approach the vascular component (VC) approach. CONCLUSIONS: The VC approach to hypoperfusion has potential advantages to the current diagnostic system. This approach also has the distinct advantage that it can be used to assess the systemic, regional, and micro-vasculature, thereby harmonizing the approach to clinical vascular diagnostics across these levels. The VC approach will need to be tested prospectively to determine if this system can in fact improve outcomes in patients who suffer from hypoperfusion.

Retinal haemorrhages and related findings in abusive and non-abusive head trauma: a systematic review.

AIM: To report the retinal signs that distinguish abusive head trauma (AHT) from non-abusive head trauma (nAHT). METHODS: A systematic review of literature, 1950-2009, was conducted with standardised critical appraisal. Inclusion criteria were a strict confirmation of the aetiology, children aged <11 years and details of an examination conducted by an ophthalmologist. Post mortem data, organic disease of eye, and inadequate examinations were excluded. A multivariate logistic regression analysis was conducted to determine odds ratios (OR) and probabilities for AHT. RESULTS: Of the 62 included studies, 13 provided prevalence data (998 children, 504 AHT). Overall, retinal haemorrhages (RH) were found in 78% of AHT vs 5% of nAHT. In a child with head trauma and RH, the OR that this is AHT is 14.7 (95% confidence intervals 6.39, 33.62) and the probability of abuse is 91%. Where recorded, RH were bilateral in 83% of AHT compared with 8.3% in nAHT. RH were numerous in AHT, and few in nAHT located in the posterior pole, with only 10% extending to periphery. True prevalence of additional features, for example, retinal folds, could not be determined. CONCLUSIONS: Our systematic review confirms that although certain patterns of RH were far commoner in AHT, namely large numbers of RH in both the eyes, present in all layers of the retina, and extension into the periphery, there was no retinal sign that was unique to abusive injury. RH are rare in accidental trauma and, when present, are predominantly unilateral, few in number and in the posterior pole.

Beyond single-marker analyses: mining whole genome scans for insights into treatment responses in severe sepsis.

Management of severe sepsis, an acute illness with high morbidity and mortality, suffers from the lack of effective biomarkers and largely empirical predictions of disease progression and therapeutic responses. We conducted a genome-wide association study using a large randomized clinical trial cohort to discover genetic biomarkers of response to therapy and prognosis utilizing novel approaches, including combination markers, to overcome limitations of single-marker analyses. Sepsis prognostic models were dominated by clinical variables with genetic markers less informative. In contrast, evidence for gene-gene interactions were identified for sepsis treatment responses with genetic biomarkers dominating models for predicting therapeutic responses, yielding candidates for replication in other cohorts.

Regional brain blood flow in man during acute changes in arterial blood gases.

Despite the importance of blood flow on brainstem control of respiratory and autonomic function, little is known about regional cerebral blood flow (CBF) during changes in arterial blood gases.We quantified: (1) anterior and posterior CBF and reactivity through a wide range of steady-state changes in the partial pressures of CO2 (PaCO2) and O2 (PaO2) in arterial blood, and (2) determined if the internal carotid artery (ICA) and vertebral artery (VA) change diameter through the same range.We used near-concurrent vascular ultrasound measures of flow through the ICA and VA, and blood velocity in their downstream arteries (the middle (MCA) and posterior (PCA) cerebral arteries). Part A (n =16) examined iso-oxic changes in PaCO2, consisting of three hypocapnic stages (PaCO2 =∼15, ∼20 and ∼30 mmHg) and four hypercapnic stages (PaCO2 =∼50, ∼55, ∼60 and ∼65 mmHg). In Part B (n =10), during isocapnia, PaO2 was decreased to ∼60, ∼44, and ∼35 mmHg and increased to ∼320 mmHg and ∼430 mmHg. Stages lasted ∼15 min. Intra-arterial pressure was measured continuously; arterial blood gases were sampled at the end of each stage. There were three principal findings. (1) Regional reactivity: the VA reactivity to hypocapnia was larger than the ICA, MCA and PCA; hypercapnic reactivity was similar.With profound hypoxia (35 mmHg) the relative increase in VA flow was 50% greater than the other vessels. (2) Neck vessel diameters: changes in diameter (∼25%) of the ICA was positively related to changes in PaCO2 (R2, 0.63±0.26; P<0.05); VA diameter was unaltered in response to changed PaCO2 but yielded a diameter increase of +9% with severe hypoxia. (3) Intra- vs. extra-cerebral measures: MCA and PCA blood velocities yielded smaller reactivities and estimates of flow than VA and ICA flow. The findings respectively indicate: (1) disparate blood flow regulation to the brainstem and cortex; (2) cerebrovascular resistance is not solely modulated at the level of the arteriolar pial vessels; and (3) transcranial Doppler ultrasound may underestimate measurements of CBF during extreme hypoxia and/or hypercapnia.

Coronary revascularization in transition from on-pump to off-pump: the effect of the off-pump coronary artery bypass on medium-term outcome.

AIM: We previously reported that early patient outcome, chiefly ischaemic injury, was reduced in patients allocated to off pump coronary artery bypass (OPCAB) surgery. This report concerns the medium-term outcome for this cohort of patients. METHODS: A prospective observational study was carried out in a single cardiothoracic specialty hospital. Forty-four patients scheduled for elective multivessel coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) surgery using either off pump (OPCAB) (n=21) or on pump (cardiopulmonary bypass, CPB) (n=23) were included in the study. Data on the symptoms, quality of life, need for cardiovascular therapy, and occurrence of cardiovascular events or death among patients at 6- and 12-months after surgery were collected by a patient questionnaire and reviewing the medical charts. RESULTS: Compared with patients who underwent CPB surgery, OPCAB patients required a smaller increase in cardiovascular medication (5.6% versus 47.1%; P=0.007) at the 6-month follow-up and demonstrated a trend toward improved symptoms (dyspnea at 6 months, 0, range 0-4 versus 1, range 0-4; P=0.03) and quality of life (Duke Activity Status Index at 6 months, 20.8+5.6 versus 19+6.8; P=0.13). No differences in the incidence of cardiologic intervention or mortality were observed between groups. CONCLUSIONS: The trend toward improved medium-term outcome variables among patients treated with OPCAB may have owed to the reduced cardiac ischemic injury associated with OPCAB compared with CPB.

Effects of isoflurane, pentobarbital, and urethane on apoptosis and apoptotic signal transduction in rat kidney.

BACKGROUND: Renal cell apoptosis contributes significantly to the pathogenesis of acute renal failure. Anesthetic agents have been shown to modulate apoptotic signal transduction in various tissues. We examined the effects of 6 h of different general anesthetic techniques on renal cell apoptosis in rat kidneys. METHODS: Twenty-one male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly allocated into four groups: (i) control, non-anesthetized rats (n= 3) and rats anesthetized with (ii) inhaled isoflurane (n= 6), (iii) intraperitoneal pentobarbital (n= 6), and (iv) intraperitoneal urethane (n= 6). Animals were sacrificed 6 h after the induction of anesthesia. RESULTS: Apoptosis was assessed by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-fluorescein end-labeling analysis. RNA was extracted from the left kidney to probe cDNA microarrays. Gene expression was measured as a percentage of glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) and subsequently confirmed using reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Compared with the control (no anesthesia), urethane significantly (P < 0.001) induced apoptosis in both the renal cortex and medulla. Isoflurane significantly (P < 0.001) inhibited apoptosis in the medulla. Microarray analysis revealed that urethane up-regulated more (74) genes than pentobarbital (16) and isoflurane (10). Isoflurane down-regulated more genes (85) than pentobarbital (74) and urethane (12). These anesthetic-induced modulations were significant (P < 0.05) for 60 isoflurane-, 30 pentobarbital- and 4 urethane-modulated genes. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that general anesthetic drugs have an effect on renal cell apoptosis and apoptotic signal transduction, and thus may potentially affect the risk of subsequent acute renal failure.