Table 0; documenting the steps to go from clinical database to research dataset.

OBJECTIVES: Data-driven decision support tools have been increasingly recognized to transform health care. However, such tools are often developed on predefined research datasets without adequate knowledge of the origin of this data and how it was selected. How a dataset is extracted from a clinical database can profoundly impact the validity, interpretability and interoperability of the dataset, and downstream analyses, yet is rarely reported. Therefore, we present a case study illustrating how a definitive patient list was extracted from a clinical source database and how this can be reported. STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING: A single-center observational study was performed at an academic hospital in the Netherlands to illustrate the impact of selecting a definitive patient list for research from a clinical source database, and the importance of documenting this process. All admissions from the critical care database admitted between January 1, 2013, and January 1, 2023, were used. RESULTS: An interdisciplinary team collaborated to identify and address potential sources of data insufficiency and uncertainty. We demonstrate a stepwise data preparation process, reducing the clinical source database of 54,218 admissions to a definitive patient list of 21,553 admissions. Transparent documentation of the data preparation process improves the quality of the definitive patient list before analysis of the corresponding patient data. This study generated seven important recommendations for preparing observational health-care data for research purposes. CONCLUSION: Documenting data preparation is essential for understanding a research dataset originating from a clinical source database before analyzing health-care data. The findings contribute to establishing data standards and offer insights into the complexities of preparing health-care data for scientific investigation. Meticulous data preparation and documentation thereof will improve research validity and advance critical care.

Facial appearance associates with longitudinal multi-organ failure: an ICU cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Facial appearance, whether consciously or subconsciously assessed, may affect clinical assessment and treatment strategies in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). Nevertheless, the association between objective clinical measurement of facial appearance and multi-organ failure is currently unknown. The objective of this study was to examine whether facial appearance at admission is associated with longitudinal evaluation of multi-organ failure. METHODS: This was a sub-study of the Simple Intensive Care Studies-II, a prospective observational cohort study. All adult patients acutely admitted to the ICU between March 26, 2019, and July 10, 2019, were included. Facial appearance was assessed within three hours of ICU admission using predefined pictograms. The SOFA score was serially measured each day for the first seven days after ICU admission. The association between the extent of eye-opening and facial skin colour with longitudinal Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) scores was investigated using generalized estimation equations. RESULTS: SOFA scores were measured in 228 patients. Facial appearance scored by the extent of eye-opening was associated with a higher SOFA score at admission and follow-up (unadjusted 0.7 points per step (95%CI 0.5 to 0.9)). There was no association between facial skin colour and a worse SOFA score over time. However, patients with half-open or closed eyes along with flushed skin had a lower SOFA score than patients with a pale or normal facial skin colour (P-interaction < 0.1). CONCLUSIONS: The scoring of patients' facial cues, primarily the extent of eye-opening and facial colour, provided valuable insights into the disease state and progression of the disease of critically ill patients. The utilization of advanced monitoring techniques that incorporate facial appearance holds promise for enhancing future intensive care support.

The laboratory parameters-derived CoLab score as an indicator of the host response in ICU COVID-19 patients decreases over time: a prospective cohort study.

The CoLab score was developed and externally validated to rule out COVID-19 among suspected patients presenting at the emergency department. We hypothesized a within-patient decrease in the CoLab score over time in an intensive care unit (ICU) cohort. Such a decrease would create the opportunity to potentially rule out the need for isolation when the infection is overcome. Using linear mixed-effects models, data from the Maastricht Intensive Care COVID (MaastrICCht) cohort were used to investigate the association between time and the CoLab score. Models were adjusted for sex, APACHE II score, ICU mortality, and daily SOFA score. The CoLab score decreased by 0.30 points per day (95% CI - 0.33 to - 0.27), independent of sex, APACHE II, and Mortality. With increasing SOFA score over time, the CoLab score decreased more strongly (- 0.01 (95% CI - 0.01 to - 0.01) additional decrease per one-point increase in SOFA score.) The CoLab score decreased in ICU patients on mechanical ventilation for COVID-19, with a one-point reduction per three days, independent of sex, APACHE II, and ICU mortality, and somewhat stronger with increasing multi-organ failure over time. This suggests that the CoLab score would decrease below a threshold where COVID-19 can be excluded.

The association between coronary artery calcification and vectorcardiography in mechanically ventilated COVID-19 patients: the Maastricht Intensive Care COVID cohort.

BACKGROUND: Coronary artery calcification (CAC) is associated with poor outcome in critically ill patients. A deterioration in cardiac conduction and loss of myocardial tissue could be an underlying cause. Vectorcardiography (VCG) and cardiac biomarkers provide insight into these underlying causes. The aim of this study was to investigate whether a high degree of CAC is associated with VCG-derived variables and biomarkers, including high-sensitivity troponin-T (hs-cTnT) and N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP). METHODS: Mechanically ventilated coronavirus-19 (COVID-19) patients with an available chest computed tomography (CT) and 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG) were studied. CAC scores were determined using chest CT scans. Patients were categorized into 3 sex-specific tertiles: low, intermediate, and high CAC. Daily 12 leads-ECGs were converted to VCGs. Daily hs-cTnT and NT-proBNP levels were determined. Linear mixed-effects regression models examined the associations between CAC tertiles and VCG variables, and between CAC tertiles and hs-cTnT or NT-proBNP levels. RESULTS: In this study, 205 patients (73.2% men, median age 65 years [IQR 57.0; 71.0]) were included. Compared to the lowest CAC tertile, the highest CAC tertile had a larger QRS area at baseline (6.65 µVs larger [1.50; 11.81], p = 0.012), which decreased during admission (- 0.27 µVs per day [- 0.43; - 0.11], p = 0.001). Patients with the highest CAC tertile also had a longer QRS duration (12.02 ms longer [4.74; 19.30], p = 0.001), higher levels of log hs-cTnT (0.79 ng/L higher [0.40; 1.19], p < 0.001) and log NT-proBNP (0.83 pmol/L higher [0.30; 1.37], p = 0.002). CONCLUSION: Patients with a high degree of CAC had the largest QRS area and higher QRS amplitude, which decreased more over time when compared to patients with a low degree of CAC. These results suggest that CAC might contribute to loss of myocardial tissue during critical illness. These insights could improve risk stratification and prognostication of patients with critical illness.

The CoLab score is associated with SARS-CoV-2 viral load during admission in individuals admitted to the intensive care unit: the CoLaIC cohort study.

OBJECTIVES: The present study examines the temporal association between the changes in SARS-CoV-2 viral load during infection and whether the CoLab-score can facilitate de-isolation. METHODS: Nasal swabs and blood samples were collected from ICU-admitted SARS-CoV-2 positive patients at Maastricht UMC+ from March 25, 2020 to October 1, 2021. The CoLab-score was calculated based on 10 blood parameters and age and can range from -43 to 6. Three mixed effects analyses compared patient categories based on initial PCR Ct values (low; Ct≤20, mid; 20>Ct≤30, high; Ct>30), serial PCR Ct values to CoLab-scores over time, and the association between within-patient delta Ct values and CoLab-scores. RESULTS: In 324 patients, the median Ct was 33, and the median CoLab-score was -1.78. Mid (n=110) and low (n=41) Ct-categories had higher CoLab-scores over time (+0.60 points, 95 % CI; 0.04-1.17, and +0.28 points, 95 % CI -0.49 to 1.04) compared to the high Ct (n=87) category. Over time, higher serial Ct values were associated with lower serial CoLab-scores, decreasing by -0.07 points (95 % CI; -0.11 to -0.02) per day. Increasing delta Ct values were associated with a decreasing delta CoLab-score of -0.12 (95 % CI; -0.23; -0.01). CONCLUSIONS: The study found an association between lower viral load on admission and reduced CoLab-score. Additionally, a decrease in viral load over time was associated with a decrease in CoLab-score. Therefore, the CoLab-score may make patient de-isolation an option based on the CoLab-score.

Deep embedded clustering generalisability and adaptation for integrating mixed datatypes: two critical care cohorts.

We validated a Deep Embedded Clustering (DEC) model and its adaptation for integrating mixed datatypes (in this study, numerical and categorical variables). Deep Embedded Clustering (DEC) is a promising technique capable of managing extensive sets of variables and non-linear relationships. Nevertheless, DEC cannot adequately handle mixed datatypes. Therefore, we adapted DEC by replacing the autoencoder with an X-shaped variational autoencoder (XVAE) and optimising hyperparameters for cluster stability. We call this model "X-DEC". We compared DEC and X-DEC by reproducing a previous study that used DEC to identify clusters in a population of intensive care patients. We assessed internal validity based on cluster stability on the development dataset. Since generalisability of clustering models has insufficiently been validated on external populations, we assessed external validity by investigating cluster generalisability onto an external validation dataset. We concluded that both DEC and X-DEC resulted in clinically recognisable and generalisable clusters, but X-DEC produced much more stable clusters.

Characteristics and outcome of COVID-19 patients admitted to the ICU: a nationwide cohort study on the comparison between the consecutive stages of the COVID-19 pandemic in the Netherlands, an update.

BACKGROUND: Previously, we reported a decreased mortality rate among patients with COVID-19 who were admitted at the ICU during the final upsurge of the second wave (February-June 2021) in the Netherlands. We examined whether this decrease persisted during the third wave and the phases with decreasing incidence of COVID-19 thereafter and brought up to date the information on patient characteristics. METHODS: Data from the National Intensive Care Evaluation (NICE)-registry of all COVID-19 patients admitted to an ICU in the Netherlands were used. Patient characteristics and rates of in-hospital mortality (the primary outcome) during the consecutive periods after the first wave (periods 2-9, May 25, 2020-January 31, 2023) were compared with those during the first wave (period 1, February-May 24, 2020). RESULTS: After adjustment for patient characteristics and ICU occupancy rate, the mortality risk during the initial upsurge of the third wave (period 6, October 5, 2021-January, 31, 2022) was similar to that of the first wave (ORadj = 1.01, 95%-CI [0.88-1.16]). The mortality rates thereafter decreased again (e.g., period 9, October 5, 2022-January, 31, 2023: ORadj = 0.52, 95%-CI [0.41-0.66]). Among the SARS-CoV-2 positive patients, there was a huge drop in the proportion of patients with COVID-19 as main reason for ICU admission: from 88.2% during the initial upsurge of the third wave to 51.7%, 37.3%, and 41.9% for the periods thereafter. Restricting the analysis to these patients did not modify the results on mortality. CONCLUSIONS: The results show variation in mortality rates among critically ill COVID-19 patients across the calendar time periods that is not explained by differences in case-mix and ICU occupancy rates or by varying proportions of patients with COVID-19 as main reason for ICU admission. The consistent increase in mortality during the initial, rising phase of each separate wave might be caused by the increased virulence of the contemporary virus strain and lacking immunity to the new strain, besides unmeasured patient-, treatment- and healthcare system characteristics.

Quality improvement of Dutch ICUs from 2009 to 2021: A registry based observational study.

PURPOSE: To investigate the development in quality of ICU care over time using the Dutch National Intensive Care Evaluation (NICE) registry. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We included data from all ICU admissions in the Netherlands from those ICUs that submitted complete data between 2009 and 2021 to the NICE registry. We determined median and interquartile range for eight quality indicators. To evaluate changes over time on the indicators, we performed multilevel regression analyses, once without and once with the COVID-19 years 2020 and 2021 included. Additionally we explored between-ICU heterogeneity by calculating intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC). RESULTS: 705,822 ICU admissions from 55 (65%) ICUs were included in the analyses. ICU length of stay (LOS), duration of mechanical ventilation (MV), readmissions, in-hospital mortality, hypoglycemia, and pressure ulcers decreased significantly between 2009 and 2019 (OR <1). After including the COVID-19 pandemic years, the significant change in MV duration, ICU LOS, and pressure ulcers disappeared. We found an ICC ≤0.07 on the quality indicators for all years, except for pressure ulcers with an ICC of 0.27 for 2009 to 2021. CONCLUSIONS: Quality of Dutch ICU care based on seven indicators significantly improved from 2009 to 2019 and between-ICU heterogeneity is medium to small, except for pressure ulcers. The COVID-19 pandemic disturbed the trend in quality improvement, but unaltered the between-ICU heterogeneity.

Rotational thromboelastometry as a biomarker for mortality - The Maastricht Intensive Care COVID cohort.

BACKGROUND: Patients with severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) present with persisting hypercoagulability, hypofibrinolysis and prolonged clot initiation as measured with viscoelastic assays. The objective of this study was to investigate the trajectories of traditional assays of hemostasis, routine and tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) rotational thromboelastometry (ROTEM) in COVID-19 patients and to study their association with mortality. METHODS: Patients enrolled within the Maastricht Intensive Care COVID (MaastrICCht) cohort were included. Traditional assays of hemostasis (prothrombin time; PT, fibrinogen and D-dimer) were measured daily and ROTEM EXTEM, FIBTEM and tPA assays were performed weekly. Trajectories of these biomarkers were analyzed over time for survivors and non-survivors using linear mixed-effects models. Additional Fine and Gray competing risk survival analysis was performed for the first available measurement after intubation. RESULTS: Of the 138 included patients, 57 (41 %) died in the intensive care unit (ICU). Over 450, 400 and 1900 individual measurements were available for analysis of routine, tPA ROTEM and traditional assays of hemostasis, respectively, with a median [IQR] follow-up of 15 [8-24] days. Non-survivors on average had prolonged CT (clotting time) and increased fibrinogen compared to survivors. MCF (maximum clot firmness), LOT (lysis onset time), LT (lysis time) and PT measurements increased more over time in non-survivors compared to survivors. Associations persisted after adjustment for demographics and disease severity. EXTEM and FIBTEM CT at intubation were associated with increased 45-day ICU mortality. CONCLUSIONS: ROTEM measurements demonstrate a further increase of hypercoagulability and (hypo)fibrinolysis parameters in non-survivors throughout ICU admission. Furthermore, prolonged CT at intubation was associated with higher 45-day ICU mortality.

Serial electrical impedance tomography course in different treatment groups; The MaastrICCht cohort.

PURPOSE: To describe the effect of dexamethasone and tocilizumab on regional lung mechanics over admission in all mechanically ventilated COVID-19 patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Dynamic compliance, alveolar overdistension and collapse were serially determined using electric impedance tomography (EIT). Patients were categorized into three groups; no anti-inflammatory therapy, dexamethasone therapy, dexamethasone + tocilizumab therapy. The EIT variables were (I) visualized using polynomial regression, (II) evaluated throughout admission using linear mixed-effects models, and (III) average respiratory variables were compared. RESULTS: Visual inspection of EIT variables showed a pattern of decreasing dynamic compliance. Overall, optimal set PEEP was lower in the dexamethasone group (-1.4 cmH2O, -2.6; -0.2). Clinically applied PEEP was lower in the dexamethasone and dexamethasone + tocilizumab group (-1.5 cmH2O, -2.6; -0.2; -2.2 cmH2O, -5.1; 0.6). Dynamic compliance, alveolar overdistension, and alveolar collapse at optimal set PEEP did not significantly differ between the three groups. CONCLUSION: Optimal and clinically applied PEEP were lower in the dexamethasone and dexamethasone + tocilizumab groups. The results suggest that the potential beneficial effects of these therapies do not affect lung mechanics favorably. However, this study cannot fully rule out any beneficial effect of anti-inflammatory treatment on pulmonary function due to its observational nature.

Hyperglycemia and glucose variability are associated with worse survival in mechanically ventilated COVID-19 patients: the prospective Maastricht Intensive Care Covid Cohort.

BACKGROUND: Data on hyperglycemia and glucose variability in relation to diabetes mellitus, either known or unknown in ICU-setting in COVID-19, are scarce. We prospectively studied daily glucose variables and mortality in strata of diabetes mellitus and glycosylated hemoglobin among mechanically ventilated COVID-19 patients. METHODS: We used linear-mixed effect models in mechanically ventilated COVID-19 patients to investigate mean and maximum difference in glucose concentration per day over time. We compared ICU survivors and non-survivors and tested for effect-modification by pandemic wave 1 and 2, diabetes mellitus, and admission HbA1c. RESULTS: Among 232 mechanically ventilated COVID-19 patients, 21.1% had known diabetes mellitus, whereas 16.9% in wave 2 had unknown diabetes mellitus. Non-survivors had higher mean glucose concentrations (ß 0.62 mmol/l; 95%CI 0.20-1.06; ß 11.2 mg/dl; 95% CI 3.6-19.1; P = 0.004) and higher maximum differences in glucose concentrations per day (ß 0.85 mmol/l; 95%CI 0.37-1.33; ß 15.3; 95%CI 6.7-23.9; P = 0.001). Effect modification by wave, history of diabetes mellitus and admission HbA1c in associations between glucose and survival was not present. Effect of higher mean glucose concentrations was modified by pandemic wave (wave 1 (ß 0.74; 95% CI 0.24-1.23 mmol/l) ; (ß 13.3; 95%CI 4.3-22.1 mg/dl)) vs. (wave 2 (ß 0.37 (95%CI 0.25-0.98) mmol/l) (ß 6.7 (95% ci 4.5-17.6) mg/dl)). CONCLUSIONS: Hyperglycemia and glucose variability are associated with mortality in mechanically ventilated COVID-19 patients irrespective of the presence of diabetes mellitus.

Strain on Scarce Intensive Care Beds Drives Reduced Patient Volumes, Patient Selection, and Worse Outcome: A National Cohort Study.

OBJECTIVES: Strain on ICUs during the COVID-19 pandemic required stringent triage at the ICU to distribute resources appropriately. This could have resulted in reduced patient volumes, patient selection, and worse outcome of non-COVID-19 patients, especially during the pandemic peaks when the strain on ICUs was extreme. We analyzed this potential impact on the non-COVID-19 patients. DESIGN: A national cohort study. SETTING: Data of 71 Dutch ICUs. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 120,393 patients in the pandemic non-COVID-19 cohort (from March 1, 2020 to February 28, 2022) and 164,737 patients in the prepandemic cohort (from January 1, 2018 to December 31, 2019). INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Volume, patient characteristics, and mortality were compared between the pandemic non-COVID-19 cohort and the prepandemic cohort, focusing on the pandemic period and its peaks, with attention to strata of specific admission types, diagnoses, and severity. The number of admitted non-COVID-19 patients during the pandemic period and its peaks were, respectively, 26.9% and 34.2% lower compared with the prepandemic cohort. The pandemic non-COVID-19 cohort consisted of fewer medical patients (48.1% vs. 50.7%), fewer patients with comorbidities (36.5% vs. 40.6%), and more patients on mechanical ventilation (45.3% vs. 42.4%) and vasoactive medication (44.7% vs. 38.4%) compared with the prepandemic cohort. Case-mix adjusted mortality during the pandemic period and its peaks was higher compared with the prepandemic period, odds ratios were, respectively, 1.08 (95% CI, 1.05-1.11) and 1.10 (95% CI, 1.07-1.13). CONCLUSIONS: In non-COVID-19 patients the strain on healthcare has driven lower patient volume, selection of fewer comorbid patients who required more intensive support, and a modest increase in the case-mix adjusted mortality.

Higher levels of circulating desphospho-uncarboxylated matrix Gla protein over time are associated with worse survival: the prospective Maastricht Intensive Care COVID cohort.

BACKGROUND: Extra-hepatic vitamin K-status, measured by dephosphorylated uncarboxylated matrix Gla protein (dp-ucMGP), maintains vascular health, with high levels reflecting poor vitamin K status. The occurrence of extra-hepatic vitamin K deficiency throughout the disease of COVID-19 and possible associations with pulmonary embolism (PE), and mortality in intensive care unit (ICU) patients has not been studied. The aim of this study was to investigated the association between dp-ucMGP, at endotracheal intubation (ETI) and both ICU and six months mortality. Furthermore, we studied the associations between serially measured dp-ucMGP and both PE and mortality. METHODS: We included 112 ICU patients with confirmed COVID-19. Over the course of 4 weeks after ETI, dp-ucMGP was measured serially. All patients underwent computed tomography pulmonary angiography (CTPA) to rule out PE. Results were adjusted for patient characteristics, disease severity scores, inflammation, renal function, history of coumarin use, and coronary artery calcification (CAC) scores. RESULTS: Per 100 pmol/L dp-ucMGP, at ETI, the odds ratio (OR) was 1.056 (95% CI: 0.977 to 1.141, p = 0.172) for ICU mortality and 1.059 (95% CI: 0.976 to 1.059, p = 0.170) for six months mortality. After adjustments for age, gender, and APACHE II score, the mean difference in plasma dp-ucMGP over time of ICU admission was 167 pmol/L (95% CI: 4 to 332, p = 0.047). After additional adjustments for c-reactive protein, creatinine, and history of coumarin use, the difference was 199 pmol/L (95% CI: 50 to 346, p = 0.010). After additional adjustment for CAC score the difference was 213 pmol/L (95% CI: 3 to 422, p = 0.051) higher in ICU non-survivors compared to the ICU survivors. The regression slope, indicating changes over time, did not differ. Moreover, dp-ucMGP was not associated with PE. CONCLUSION: ICU mortality in COVID-19 patients was associated with higher dp-ucMGP levels over 4 weeks, independent of age, gender, and APACHE II score, and not explained by inflammation, renal function, history of coumarin use, and CAC score. No association with PE was observed. At ETI, higher levels of dp-ucMGP were associated with higher OR for both ICU and six month mortality in crude and adjusted modes, although not statistically significantly.

Pericardial Fat Is Associated With Less Severe Multiorgan Failure Over Time in Patients With Coronavirus Disease-19: The Maastricht Intensive Care COVID Cohort.

PURPOSE: Pericardial fat (PF) and epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) may enhance the proinflammatory response in corona virus-19 (COVID-19) patients. Higher PF and EAT volumes might result in multiorgan failure and explain unfavorable trajectories.The aim of this study was to examine the association between the volume of PF and EAT and multiorgan failure over time. MATERIALS AND METHODS: All mechanically ventilated COVID-19 patients with an available chest computed tomography were prospectively included (March-June 2020). PF and EAT volumes were quantified using chest computed tomography scans. Patients were categorized into sex-specific PF and EAT tertiles. Variables to calculate Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) scores were collected daily to indicate multiorgan failure. Linear mixed-effects regression was used to investigate the association between tertiles for PF and EAT volumes separately and serial SOFA scores over time. All models were adjusted. RESULTS: Sixty-three patients were divided into PF and EAT tertiles, with median PF volumes of 131.4 mL (IQR [interquartile range]: 115.7, 143.2 mL), 199.8 mL (IQR: 175.9, 221.6 mL), and 318.8 mL (IQR: 281.9, 376.8 mL) and median EAT volumes of 69.6 mL (IQR: 57.0, 79.4 mL), 107.9 mL (IQR: 104.6, 115.1 mL), and 163.8 mL (IQR: 146.5, 203.1 mL). Patients in the highest PF tertile had a statistically significantly lower SOFA score over time (1.3 [-2.5, -0.1], P =0.033) compared with the lowest PF tertile. EAT tertiles were not significantly associated with SOFA scores over time. CONCLUSION: A higher PF volume is associated with less multiorgan failure in mechanically ventilated COVID-19 patients. EAT volumes were not associated with multiorgan failure.

Patient and Management Variables Associated With Survival After Postcardiotomy Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation in Adults: The PELS-1 Multicenter Cohort Study.

Background Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) has been increasingly used for postcardiotomy cardiogenic shock, but without a concomitant reduction in observed in-hospital mortality. Long-term outcomes are unknown. This study describes patients' characteristics, in-hospital outcome, and 10-year survival after postcardiotomy ECMO. Variables associated with in-hospital and postdischarge mortality are investigated and reported. Methods and Results The retrospective international multicenter observational PELS-1 (Postcardiotomy Extracorporeal Life Support) study includes data on adults requiring ECMO for postcardiotomy cardiogenic shock between 2000 and 2020 from 34 centers. Variables associated with mortality were estimated preoperatively, intraoperatively, during ECMO, and after the occurrence of any complications, and then analyzed at different time points during a patient's clinical course, through mixed Cox proportional hazards models containing fixed and random effects. Follow-up was established by institutional chart review or contacting patients. This analysis included 2058 patients (59% were men; median [interquartile range] age, 65.0 [55.0-72.0] years). In-hospital mortality was 60.5%. Independent variables associated with in-hospital mortality were age (hazard ratio [HR], 1.02 [95% CI, 1.01-1.02]) and preoperative cardiac arrest (HR, 1.41 [95% CI, 1.15-1.73]). In the subgroup of hospital survivors, the overall 1-, 2-, 5-, and 10-year survival rates were 89.5% (95% CI, 87.0%-92.0%), 85.4% (95% CI, 82.5%-88.3%), 76.4% (95% CI, 72.5%-80.5%), and 65.9% (95% CI, 60.3%-72.0%), respectively. Variables associated with postdischarge mortality included older age, atrial fibrillation, emergency surgery, type of surgery, postoperative acute kidney injury, and postoperative septic shock. Conclusions In adults, in-hospital mortality after postcardiotomy ECMO remains high; however, two-thirds of those who are discharged from hospital survive up to 10 years. Patient selection, intraoperative decisions, and ECMO management remain key variables associated with survival in this cohort. Registration URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov; Unique identifier: NCT03857217.

On-Support and Postweaning Mortality in Postcardiotomy Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation.

BACKGROUND: Postcardiotomy venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA ECMO) is characterized by discrepancies between weaning and survival-to-discharge rates. This study analyzes the differences between postcardiotomy VA ECMO patients who survived, died on ECMO, or died after ECMO weaning. Causes of death and variables associated with mortality at different time points are investigated. METHODS: The retrospective, multicenter, observational Postcardiotomy Extracorporeal Life Support Study (PELS) includes adults requiring postcardiotomy VA ECMO between 2000 and 2020. Variables associated with on-ECMO mortality and postweaning mortality were modeled using mixed Cox proportional hazards, including random effects for center and year. RESULTS: In 2058 patients (men, 59%; median age, 65 years; interquartile range [IQR], 55-72 years), weaning rate was 62.7%, and survival to discharge was 39.6%. Patients who died (n = 1244) included 754 on-ECMO deaths (36.6%; median support time, 79 hours; IQR, 24-192 hours), and 476 postweaning deaths (23.1%; median support time, 146 hours; IQR, 96-235.5 hours). Multiorgan (n = 431 of 1158 [37.2%]) and persistent heart failure (n = 423 of 1158 [36.5%]) were the main causes of death, followed by bleeding (n = 56 of 754 [7.4%]) for on-ECMO mortality and sepsis (n = 61 of 401 [15.4%]) for postweaning mortality. On-ECMO death was associated with emergency surgery, preoperative cardiac arrest, cardiogenic shock, right ventricular failure, cardiopulmonary bypass time, and ECMO implantation timing. Diabetes, postoperative bleeding, cardiac arrest, bowel ischemia, acute kidney injury, and septic shock were associated with postweaning mortality. CONCLUSIONS: A discrepancy exists between weaning and discharge rate in postcardiotomy ECMO. Deaths occurred during ECMO support in 36.6% of patients, mostly associated with unstable preoperative hemodynamics. Another 23.1% of patients died after weaning in association with severe complications. This underscores the importance of postweaning care for postcardiotomy VA ECMO patients.

The impact of high versus standard enteral protein provision on functional recovery following intensive care admission (PRECISE trial): study protocol for a randomized controlled, quadruple blinded, multicenter, parallel group trial in mechanically ventilated patients.

BACKGROUND: Critically ill patients are subject to severe skeletal muscle wasting during intensive care unit (ICU) stay, resulting in impaired short- and long-term functional outcomes and health-related quality of life. Increased protein provision may improve functional outcomes in ICU patients by attenuating skeletal muscle breakdown. Supporting evidence is limited however and results in great variety in recommended protein targets. METHODS: The PRECISe trial is an investigator-initiated, bi-national, multi-center, quadruple-blinded randomized controlled trial with a parallel group design. In 935 patients, we will compare provision of isocaloric enteral nutrition with either a standard or high protein content, providing 1.3 or 2.0 g of protein/kg/day, respectively, when fed on target. All unplanned ICU admissions with initiation of invasive mechanical ventilation within 24 h of admission and an expected stay on ventilator support of at least 3 days are eligible. The study is designed to assess the effect of the intervention on functional recovery at 1, 3, and 6 months following ICU admission, including health-related quality of life, measures of muscle strength, physical function, and mental health. The primary endpoint of the trial is health-related quality of life as measured by the Euro-QoL-5D-5-level questionnaire Health Utility Score. Overall between-group differences will be assessed over the three time points using linear mixed-effects models. DISCUSSION: The PRECISe trial will evaluate the effect of protein on functional recovery including both patient-centered and muscle-related outcomes. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04633421 . Registered on November 18, 2020. First patient in (FPI) on November 19, 2020. Expected last patient last visit (LPLV) in October 2023.

Heterogeneity in Clinical Practices for Post-Cardiotomy Extracorporeal Life Support: a Pilot Survey from the PELS-1 Multicenter Study.

BACKGROUND: High-quality evidence for post-cardiotomy extracorporeal life support (PC-ECLS) management is lacking. This study investigated the real-world PC-ECLS clinical practices. METHODS: This cross-sectional, multi-institutional, international pilot survey explored center organization, anticoagulation management, left ventricular unloading, distal limb perfusion, PC-ECLS monitoring and transfusions practices. Twenty-nine questions were distributed among 34 hospitals participating in the Post-cardiotomy Extra-Corporeal Life Support Study. RESULTS: Of the 32 centers [16 low-volume (50%); 16 high-volume (50%)] that responded, 16 (50%) had dedicated ECLS specialists. Twenty-six centers (81.3%) reported using additional mechanical circulatory supports. Anticoagulation practices were highly heterogeneous: 24 hospitals (75%) reported using patient's bleeding status as a guide, without a specific threshold in 54.2% of cases. Transfusion targets ranged 7-10 g/dL. Most centers used cardiac venting on a case-by-case basis (78.1%) and regular distal limb perfusion (84.4%). Nineteen (54.9%) centers reported dedicated monitoring protocols including daily echocardiography (87.5%), Swan-Ganz catheterization (40.6%), cerebral near-infrared spectroscopy (53.1%) and multimodal assessment of limb ischemia. Inspection of the circuit (71.9%), oxygenator pressure drop (68.8%), plasma free hemoglobin (75%), d-dimer (59.4%), lactate dehydrogenase (56.3%) and fibrinogen (46.9%) are used to diagnose hemolysis and thrombosis. CONCLUSIONS: This study shows remarkable heterogeneity in clinical practices for PC-ECLS management. More standardized protocols and better implementation of available evidence are recommended.

A guide to sharing open healthcare data under the General Data Protection Regulation.

Sharing healthcare data is increasingly essential for developing data-driven improvements in patient care at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). However, it is also very challenging under the strict privacy legislation of the European Union (EU). Therefore, we explored four successful open ICU healthcare databases to determine how open healthcare data can be shared appropriately in the EU. A questionnaire was constructed based on the Delphi method. Then, follow-up questions were discussed with experts from the four databases. These experts encountered similar challenges and regarded ethical and legal aspects to be the most challenging. Based on the approaches of the databases, expert opinion, and literature research, we outline four distinct approaches to openly sharing healthcare data, each with varying implications regarding data security, ease of use, sustainability, and implementability. Ultimately, we formulate seven recommendations for sharing open healthcare data to guide future initiatives in sharing open healthcare data to improve patient care and advance healthcare.