Characteristics of the pulmonary opacities on chest CT associated with difficulty in short-term liberation from veno-venous ECMO in patients with severe ARDS.

BACKGROUND: It is clinically important to predict difficulty in short-term liberation from veno-venous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (V-V ECMO) in patients with severe acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) at the time of initiation of the support. The aim of this study was to identify the characteristics of pulmonary opacities on chest CT that is associated with difficulty in short-term liberation from V-V ECMO (< 14 days). METHODS: This multicenter retrospective study was conducted in adult patients initiated on V-V ECMO for severe ARDS between January 2014 and June 2022. The pulmonary opacities on CT at the time of initiation of the ECMO support were evaluated in a blinded manner, focusing on the following three characteristics of the opacities: (1) their distribution (focal/diffuse on the dorso-ventral axis or unilateral/bilateral on the left-right axis); (2) their intensity (pure ground glass/pure consolidation/mixed pattern); and (3) the degree of fibroproliferation (signs of traction bronchiectasis or reticular opacities). RESULTS: Among the 153 patients, 72 (47%) were successfully liberated from ECMO in the short term, while short-term liberation failed in the remaining 81 (53%) patients. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the presence of mixed-pattern pulmonary opacities and signs of traction bronchiectasis, but not the distribution of the opacities, were independently associated with difficulty in short-term liberation (OR [95% CI]; 4.8 [1.4-16.5] and 3.9 [1.4-11.2], respectively). CONCLUSIONS: The presence of a mixed pattern of the pulmonary opacities and signs of traction bronchiectasis on the chest CT were independently associated with difficulty in short-term liberation from V-V ECMO in severe ARDS patients.

Instruments to assess post-intensive care syndrome assessment: a scoping review and modified Delphi method study.

BACKGROUND: The assessment of post-intensive care syndrome (PICS) is challenging due to the numerous types of instruments. We herein attempted to identify and propose recommendations for instruments to assess PICS in intensive care unit (ICU) survivors. METHODS: We conducted a scoping review to identify PICS follow-up studies at and after hospital discharge between 2014 and 2022. Assessment instruments used more than two times were included in the modified Delphi consensus process. A modified Delphi meeting was conducted three times by the PICS committee of the Japanese Society of Intensive Care Medicine, and each score was rated as not important (score: 1-3), important, but not critical (4-6), and critical (7-9). We included instruments with ≥ 70% of respondents rating critical and ≤ 15% of respondents rating not important. RESULTS: In total, 6972 records were identified in this scoping review, and 754 studies were included in the analysis. After data extraction, 107 PICS assessment instruments were identified. The modified Delphi meeting reached 20 PICS assessment instrument recommendations: (1) in the physical domain: the 6-min walk test, MRC score, and grip strength, (2) in cognition: MoCA, MMSE, and SMQ, (3) in mental health: HADS, IES-R, and PHQ-9, (4) in the activities of daily living: the Barthel Index, IADL, and FIM, (5) in quality of life: SF-36, SF-12, EQ-5D-5L, 3L, and VAS (6), in sleep and pain: PSQI and Brief Pain Inventory, respectively, and (7) in the PICS-family domain: SF-36, HADS, and IES-R. CONCLUSION: Based on a scoping review and the modified Delphi method, 20 PICS assessment instruments are recommended to assess physical, cognitive, mental health, activities of daily living, quality of life, sleep, and pain in ICU survivors and their families.

Modified traumatic bleeding severity score: early determination of the need for massive transfusion.

BACKGROUND: Determination of the need for massive transfusion (MT) is essential for early activation of a MT protocol. The Traumatic Bleeding Severity Score (TBSS) predicts the need for MT accurately, but takes time to determine because systolic blood pressure after a 1000mL of crystalloid infusion is used. The aim of this study is to determine the how well the Modified TBSS (age, sonography, pelvic fracture, serum lactate and systolic blood pressure on arrival) predicts the need for MT (accuracy). METHODS: This is a single-center retrospective study of trauma patients (Injury Severity Score ≧16) admitted between 2010 and 2014. The TBSS, the Trauma Associated Severe Hemorrhage (TASH) Score, and the Modified TBSS were calculated. MT is defined as ≧10 U packed red blood cell transfusion within 24hours of injury, and the predictive value of the need for MT was compared by area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) analysis among three scores. RESULTS: Three hundred patients were enrolled, and MT given to 25% of patients. Although the AUC of the TBSS was higher than that of the TASH score (0.956 vs 0.912, P=.006) and the Modified TBSS (0.956 vs 0.915, P=.001), there was no difference between the AUC of the Modified TBSS and the TASH score. The Modified TBSS has high accuracy, within an AUC >0.9. CONCLUSION: The predictive value of the Modified TBSS of the need for MT is still high and is equivalent to the TASH score. The Modified TBSS is calculated earlier in resuscitation than the original TBSS.