Critically Ill Patients with Visceral Nocardia Infection, France and Belgium, 2004-2023.

We studied 50 patients with invasive nocardiosis treated during 2004-2023 in intensive care centers in France and Belgium. Most (65%) died in the intensive care unit or in the year after admission. Nocardia infections should be included in the differential diagnoses for patients in the intensive care setting.

Survival Benefit of Renin-Angiotensin System Blockers in Critically Ill Cancer Patients: A Retrospective Study.

Increasing evidence argues for the promotion of tumorigenesis through activation of the renin-angiotensin system pathway. Accordingly, a benefit of renin-angiotensin system blockers (RABs) treatments has been suggested in patients with solid cancers in terms of survival. We aimed to evaluate in-ICU survival and one-year survival in cancer patients admitted to the ICU with respect to the use of RABs. We conducted a retrospective observational single-center study in a 24-bed medical ICU. We included all solid cancer patients (age ≥ 18 years) requiring unplanned ICU admission. From 2007 to 2020, 1845 patients with solid malignancies were admitted (median age 67 years (59-75), males 61.7%). The most frequent primary tumor sites were the gastrointestinal tract (26.8%), the lung (24.7%), the urological tract (20.1%), and gynecologic and breast cancers (13.9%). RABs were used in 414 patients, distributed into 220 (53.1%) with angiotensin-receptor blockers (ARBs) and 194 (46.9%) with angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEis). After multivariate adjustment, ARBs use (OR = 0.62, 95%CI (0.40-0.92), p = 0.03) and ACEis use (OR = 0.52, 95%CI (0.32-0.82), p = 0.006) were both associated with improved in-ICU survival. Treatment with ARBs was independently associated with decreased one-year mortality (OR = 0.6, 95%CI (0.4-0.9), p = 0.02), whereas treatment with ACEis was not. In conclusion, this study argues for a beneficial impact of RABs use on the prognosis of critically ill cancer patients.

When breast cancer comes to the ICU: outcomes and prognostic factors.

BACKGROUND: Breast cancer is the most prevalent neoplasm in women in North American and European countries. Data about intensive care unit (ICU) requirements and the related outcomes are scarce. Furthermore, long-term outcome after ICU discharge has not been described. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We conducted a retrospective monocenter study including patients with breast cancer requiring unplanned ICU admission over a 14-year period (2007-2020). RESULTS: 177 patients (age = 65[57-75] years) were analyzed. Breast cancer was at a metastatic stage for 122 (68.9%) patients, recently diagnosed in 25 (14.1%) patients or in progression under treatment in 76 (42.9%) patients. Admissions were related to sepsis in 56 (31.6%) patients, to iatrogenic/procedural complication in 19 (10.7%) patients and to specific oncological complications in 47 (26.6%) patients. Seventy-two (40.7%) patients required invasive mechanical ventilation, 57 (32.2%) vasopressors/inotropes, and 26 (14.7%) renal replacement therapy. In-ICU and one-year mortality rates were 20.9% and 57.1%, respectively. Independent factors associated with in-ICU mortality were invasive mechanical ventilation and impaired performance status. One-year mortality in ICU survivors was independently associated with specific complications, triple negative cancer, and impaired performance status. After hospital discharge, most patients (77.4%) were able to continue or initiate antitumoral treatment. CONCLUSION: ICU admission was linked to the underlying malignancy in one-quarter of breast cancer patients. Despite the low in-ICU mortality rate (20.9%) and thereafter continuation of cancer treatment in most survivors (77.4%), one-year mortality reached 57.1%. Impaired performance status prior to the acute complication was a potent predictor of both short-term and long-term outcomes.

The double sides of NLRP3 inflammasome activation in sepsis.

Sepsis is defined as a life-threatening organ dysfunction induced by a dysregulated host immune response to infection. Immune response induced by sepsis is complex and dynamic. It is schematically described as an early dysregulated systemic inflammatory response leading to organ failures and early deaths, followed by the development of persistent immune alterations affecting both the innate and adaptive immune responses associated with increased risk of secondary infections, viral reactivations, and late mortality. In this review, we will focus on the role of NACHT, leucin-rich repeat and pyrin-containing protein 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome in the pathophysiology of sepsis. NLRP3 inflammasome is a multiproteic intracellular complex activated by infectious pathogens through a two-step process resulting in the release of the pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-1ß and IL-18 and the formation of membrane pores by gasdermin D, inducing a pro-inflammatory form of cell death called pyroptosis. The role of NLRP3 inflammasome in the pathophysiology of sepsis can be ambivalent. Indeed, although it might protect against sepsis when moderately activated after initial infection, excessive NLRP3 inflammasome activation can induce dysregulated inflammation leading to multiple organ failure and death during the acute phase of the disease. Moreover, this activation might become exhausted and contribute to post-septic immunosuppression, driving impaired functions of innate and adaptive immune cells. Targeting the NLRP3 inflammasome could thus be an attractive option in sepsis either through IL-1ß and IL-18 antagonists or through inhibition of NLRP3 inflammasome pathway downstream components. Available treatments and results of first clinical trials will be discussed.

Clinical significance of thrombocytopenia in patients with septic shock: An observational retrospective study.

PURPOSE: Whether thrombocytopenia in critically ill patients accounts for a bystander of severity or drives specific complications is unclear. We addressed the effect of thrombocytopenia on septic shock, with emphasis on intensive care unit (ICU)-acquired bleeding, infections and thrombotic complications. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective (2008-2019) single-center study of patients with septic shock. Thrombocytopenia was assessed over the first seven days and was defined as severe (nadir <50 G/L), mild (nadir 50-150 G/L) and relative (30% decrease with nadir >150 G/L). Outcomes were ICU mortality and ICU-acquired complications defined by severe bleeding, infections and thrombotic events during the ICU stay. RESULTS: The study comprised 1024 patients. Severe, mild and relative thrombocytopenia occurred in 33%, 40% and 9% of patients. The in-ICU mortality rate was 27%, independently associated with severe thrombocytopenia. ICU-acquired infections, hemorrhagic and thrombotic complications occurred in 27.5%, 13.3% and 11.6% of patients, respectively. Patients with severe, mild or relative thrombocytopenia exhibited higher incidences of bleeding events (20.3%, 15.3% and 14.4% vs. 3.6% in non-thrombocytopenic, p < 0.001), infections (35.2%, 21.9% and 33.3% vs. 23.1% in non-thrombocytopenic, p < 0.001) and thrombotic events (14.6%, 10.8% and 17.8% vs. 7.8% in non-thrombocytopenic, p = 0.03). Only severe thrombocytopenia remained independently associated with increased risk of bleeding. CONCLUSIONS: Severe thrombocytopenia was independently associated with ICU mortality and increased risk of bleeding, but not with infectious and thrombotic events.

Assessment of Functional and Nutritional Status and Skeletal Muscle Mass for the Prognosis of Critically Ill Solid Cancer Patients.

Simple and accessible prognostic factors are paramount for solid cancer patients experiencing life-threatening complications. The aim of this study is to appraise the impact of functional and nutritional status and skeletal muscle mass in this population. We conducted a retrospective (2007−2020) single-center study by enrolling adult patients with solid cancers requiring unplanned ICU admission. Performance status, body weight, and albumin level were collected at ICU admission and over six months. Skeletal muscle mass was assessed at ICU admission by measuring muscle areas normalized by height (SMI). Four-hundred and sixty-two patients were analyzed, mainly with gastro-intestinal (34.8%) and lung (29.9%) neoplasms. Moreover, 92.8% of men and 67.3% of women were deemed cachectic. In the multivariate analysis, performance status at ICU admission (CSH 1.74 [1.27−2.39], p < 0.001) and the six month increase in albumin level (CSH 0.38 [0.16−0.87], p = 0.02) were independent predictors of ICU mortality. In the subgroup of mechanically ventilated patients, the psoas SMI was independently associated with ICU mortality (CSH 0.82 [0.67−0.98], p = 0.04). Among the 368 ICU-survivors, the performance status at ICU admission (CSH 1.34 [1.14−1.59], p < 0.001) and the six-month weight loss (CSH 1.33 [1.17−2.99], p = 0.01) were associated with a one-year mortality rate. Most cancer patients displayed cachexia at ICU admission. Time courses of nutritional parameters may aid the prediction of short- and long-term outcomes.

Scleroderma cardiac crisis: A-life-threatening but reversible complication of systemic sclerosis.

OBJECTIVE: To describe systemic sclerosis (SSc) heart involvement in the ICU. METHODS: We retrospectively studied patients with previous diagnosis of SSc admitted to the ICU for acute cardiac dysfunction between 2012 and mid-2021. RESULTS: 9 female patients were included, mainly with diffuse SSc (n = 7, 78%). Six (67%) had digital ulcers. All but one patient complained about physical cardiac symptoms (n = 8, 89%), 5 (56%) had electrocardiogram modifications. Biological exams revealed elevated troponin (705 µg/l [421-1582]) and Nt-pro-BNP (16,062 ng/l [10419-40,738]). Patients exhibited severe left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) impairment (20% [10-20] vs 58% [53-60] before ICU admission (p = 0.0002)) requiring vasopressors and/or inotropes for 7 patients (78%) and mechanical ventilation or renal replacement therapy for 4 patients (44%). LVEF spontaneously improved during ICU stay (LVEF 40% [30-40] vs 20% [10-20], p = 0.0007) and returned to baseline within 6 months following ICU discharge (LVEF 53% [31-61] vs 58% [53-60]). Seven (78%) patients survived the ICU-stay and 4 (44%) were alive at 6 months. CONCLUSION: We report an uncommon and specific severe acute life-threatening cardiac dysfunction in SSc patients, which can be reversible but remains associated with a poor long-term prognosis, which can be reversible but remains associated with a poor long-term prognosis.

Patterns of ICU admissions and outcomes in patients with solid malignancies over the revolution of cancer treatment.

BACKGROUND: Major therapeutic advances including immunotherapy and targeted therapies have been changing the face of oncology and resulted in improved prognosis as well as in new toxic complications. The aim of this study is to appraise the trends in intensive care unit (ICU) admissions and outcomes of critically ill patients with solid malignancies. We performed a retrospective single-centre study over a 12-year period (2007-2018) including adult patients with solid malignancies requiring unplanned ICU admission. Admission patterns were classified as: (i) specific if directly related to the underlying cancer; (ii) non-specific; (iii) drug-related or procedural adverse events. RESULTS: 1525 patients were analysed. Lung and gastro-intestinal tract accounted for the two main tumour sites. The proportion of patients with metastatic diseases increased from 48.6% in 2007-2008 to 60.2% in 2017-2018 (p = 0.004). Critical conditions were increasingly related to drug- or procedure-related adverse events, from 8.8% of ICU admissions in 2007-2008 to 16% in 2017-2018 (p = 0.01). The crude severity of critical illness at ICU admission did not change over time. The ICU survival rate was 77.4%, without any significant changes over the study period. Among the 1279 patients with complete follow-up, the 1-year survival rate was 33.2%. Independent determinants of ICU mortality were metastatic disease, cancer in progression under treatment, admission for specific complications and the extent of organ failures (invasive and non-invasive ventilation, inotropes/vasopressors, renal replacement therapy and SOFA score). One-year mortality in ICU-survivors was independently associated with lung cancer, metastatic disease, cancer in progression under treatment, admission for specific complications and decision to forgo life-sustaining therapies. CONCLUSION: Advances in the management and the prognosis of solid malignancies substantially modified the ICU admission patterns of cancer patients. Despite underlying advanced and often metastatic malignancies, encouraging short-term and long-term outcomes should help changing the dismal perception of critically ill cancer patients.

Sepsis and Cancer: An Interplay of Friends and Foes.

Sepsis and cancer share a number of pathophysiological features, and both result from the inability of the host's immune system to cope with the initial insult (tissue invasion by pathogens and malignant cell transformation, respectively). The common coexistence of both disorders and the profound related alterations in immune homeostasis raise the question of their mutual impact on each other's course. This translational review aims to discuss the interactions between cancer and sepsis supported by clinical data and the translation to experimental models. The dramatic improvement in cancer has come at a cost of increased risks of life-threatening infectious complications. Investigating the long-term outcomes of sepsis survivors has revealed an unexpected susceptibility to cancer long after discharge from the ICU. Nonetheless, it is noteworthy that an acute septic episode may harbor antitumoral properties under particular circumstances. Relevant double-hit animal models have provided clues to whether and how bacterial sepsis may impact malignant tumor growth. In sequential sepsis-then-cancer models, postseptic mice exhibited accelerated tumor growth. When using reverse cancer-then-sepsis models, bacterial sepsis applied to mice with cancer conversely resulted in inhibition or even regression of tumor growth. Experimental models thus highlight dual effects of sepsis on tumor growth, mostly depending on the sequence of insults, and allow deciphering the immune mechanisms and their relation with microorganisms.

Transfusion-related acute lung injury (TRALI) after intravenous immunoglobulins: French multicentre study and literature review.

Transfusion-related acute lung injury (TRALI), defined as the onset of acute respiratory distress after blood transfusion, is a rare complication which is a leading cause of transfusion related-mortality. In this retrospective study, we report the French nationwide experience of intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG)-related TRALI, with a literature review and analysis of management and outcome of this rare condition. With the pharmacovigilance services, we conducted a retrospective multicenter study in the French network of intensive care units with TRALI concomitant to IVIG use and pooled with data from a literature review. Overall, 17 cases have been included in this case-series, our case report, seven personal cases and nine cases from the literature review. The median age was 55 years [2-79] with 10/17 (59%) male subjects. The underlying diseases motivating IVIG infusion were neurologic diseases in 35% of cases (Guillain Barre syndrome = 2, peripheral neuropathy = 2, neurolupus = 1, myasthenia = 1), multiple myeloma with hypogammaglobulinemia (n = 2; 12%), primary hypogammaglobulinemia (n = 2; 12%), autoimmune cytopenias (n = 2; 12%), graft versus host cutaneous disease after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for acute myeloid leukaemia (n = 1), anti-HLA antibodies after lung transplant (n = 1), cancer-associated thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura-haemolytic uremic syndrome (n = 1), Kawasaki disease (n = 1) and in experimental essay (n = 1). TRALI symptoms begin either after the start or during the infusion (n = 7; 41%), or after the infusion (n = 10; 59%, 10 min to 24 h). Besides respiratory distress, it was also noted shock (33%), fever (18 %), cough (18%), nausea/vomiting (18 %), chills (12%) and agitation (12%). The X-ray showed mainly bilateral alveolar opacities (n = 15; 88%). Mechanical ventilation was needed in nine cases (53%), with median 1-day duration [1-4]. Four patients (24%) died during hospitalisation in the intensive care unit. Given the increasing use of intravenous immunoglobulins, TRALI must now be discussed in cases of respiratory distress occurring during or immediately following the infusion even if this side effect remains rare.Key Points• TRALI must now be discussed in cases of respiratory distress occurring during or immediately following an infusion of intravenous immunoglobulins.

Sepsis inhibits tumor growth in mice with cancer through Toll-like receptor 4-associated enhanced Natural Killer cell activity.

Sepsis-induced immune dysfunctions are likely to impact on malignant tumor growth. Sequential sepsis-then-cancer models of tumor transplantation in mice recovering from sepsis have shown that the post-septic immunosuppressive environment was able to promote tumor growth. We herein addressed the impact of sepsis on pre-established malignancy in a reverse cancer-then sepsis experimental model. Mice previously inoculated with MCA205 fibrosarcoma cells were subjected to septic challenges by polymicrobial peritonitis induced by cecal ligation and puncture or endotoxinic shock. The anti-tumoral immune response was assessed through the distribution of tumor-infiltrating immune cells, as well as the functions of cytotoxic cells. As compared to sham surgery, polymicrobial sepsis dampened malignant tumor growth in wild-type (WT) mice, but neither in Toll-like receptor 4 (Tlr4)-/- nor in Myd88-/- mice. Similar tumor growth inhibition was observed following a LPS challenge in WT mice, suggesting a regulatory role of Tlr4 in this setting. The low expression of MHC class 1 onto MCA205 cells suggested the involvement of Natural Killer (NK) cells in sepsis-induced tumor inhibition. Septic insults applied to mice with cancer promoted the main anti-tumoral NK functions of IFNγ production and degranulation. The anti-tumoral properties of NK cells obtained from septic mice were exacerbated when cultured with MHC1low MCA205 or YAC-1 cells. These results suggest that sepsis may harbor dual effects on tumor growth depending on the sequential experimental model. When applied in mice with cancer, sepsis prevents tumor growth in a Tlr4-dependent manner by enhancing the anti-tumoral functions of NK cells.

Adhering to the procalcitonin algorithm allows antibiotic therapy to be shortened in patients with ventilator-associated pneumonia.

PURPOSE: Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) increases exposure to antibiotics. Physicians are however reluctant to shorten treatment, arguing this could lead to failures and worse outcome. Monitoring procalcitonin (PCT) has proven effective for decreasing exposure to antibiotics in randomized controlled trials, but additional "real-life" studies are needed. MATERIALS AND METHODS: All patients with VAP in whom ABT was stopped before death or discharge were included in this 5-year prospective cohort study. Patients in whom ABT was stopped in accordance with the algorithm ("PCT-guided" group: ABT withdrawal strongly encouraged if PCT < 0.5 ng/mL or < 80% peak value) were compared to those with ABT continuation despite PCT decrease ("not PCT-guided" group). The primary endpoint was ABT duration. The secondary endpoint was unfavorable VAP outcome (i.e. death or relapse). RESULTS: We included 157 of the 316 patients with microbiologically-proven VAP. The algorithm was overruled in 81 patients (51.6%). ABT duration was significantly longer in these patients than in the PCT-guided group (9.5 vs. 8.0 days; p = .02), although baseline and VAP characteristics did not differ. The rate of unfavorable outcomes was comparable (46.9% vs. 51.3%; p = .69). CONCLUSIONS: PCT-guided ABT adherence appears safe for patients with VAP and is likely to reduce exposure to antibiotics.

Significance of Prior Digestive Colonization With Extended-Spectrum ß-Lactamase-Producing Enterobacteriaceae in Patients With Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia.

OBJECTIVES: Ventilator-associated pneumonia is frequent in ICUs. Extended-spectrum ß-lactamase-producing Enterobacteriaceae are difficult-to-treat pathogens likely to cause ventilator-associated pneumonia. We sought to assess the interest of screening for extended-spectrum ß-lactamase-producing Enterobacteriaceae rectal carriage as a way to predict their involvement in ventilator-associated pneumonia. DESIGN: A retrospective cohort study of patients with suspected ventilator-associated pneumonia in a medical ICU was conducted. PATIENTS: Every patient admitted between January 2006 and August 2013 was eligible if subjected to mechanical ventilation for more than 48 hours. Each patient with suspected ventilator-associated pneumonia was included in the cohort. Active surveillance culture for extended-spectrum ß-lactamase-producing Enterobacteriaceae detection was routinely performed in all patients at admission and then weekly throughout the study period. Extended-spectrum ß-lactamase colonization was defined by the isolation of at least one extended-spectrum ß-lactamase-producing Enterobacteriaceae from rectal swab culture. INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Among 587 patients with suspected ventilator-associated pneumonia, 40 (6.8%) were colonized with extended-spectrum ß-lactamase-producing Enterobacteriaceae prior to the development of pneumonia. Over the study period, 20 patients (3.4%) had ventilator-associated pneumonia caused by extended-spectrum ß-lactamase-producing Enterobacteriaceae; of whom, 17 were previously detected as being colonized with extended-spectrum ß-lactamase-producing Enterobacteriaceae. Sensitivity and specificity of prior extended-spectrum ß-lactamase-producing Enterobacteriaceae colonization as a predictor of extended-spectrum ß-lactamase-producing Enterobacteriaceae involvement in ventilator-associated pneumonia were 85.0% and 95.7%, respectively. The positive and negative predictive values were 41.5% and 99.4%, respectively. The positive likelihood ratio was 19.8. CONCLUSIONS: Screening for extended-spectrum ß-lactamase-producing Enterobacteriaceae digestive colonization by weekly active surveillance cultures could reliably exclude the risk of the involvement of such pathogens in patients with ventilator-associated pneumonia in low-prevalence area.