Delayed Transfer of Critically Ill Patients from Emergency Department to Intensive Care Unit.

Background and aim: Delay in the transfer of critically ill patients from the emergency department (ED) to intensive care units (ICUs) may worsen clinical outcomes. This prospective, observational study was done to find the incidence of delayed transfer. Materials and methods: After approval from the institute ethics committee and written informed consent, all patients admitted to ICU from ED over 6 months were divided into groups I and II as patients getting transferred to ICU within 30 minutes of the decision or not, respectively. The factors affecting the immediate transfer and clinical outcome of all patients were noted. Monthly feedback was given to the ED team. Results: Out of 52 ICU admissions from ED, 35 (67.3%) patients were not transferred within 30 minutes, and the most frequent factor preventing immediate transfer was ED-related (54%). A statistically significant difference was found in acute physiology and chronic health evaluation (APACHE II) score, clinical deterioration during transfer, longer duration of mechanical ventilation and length of stay, and higher mortality with patients transferred immediately to ICU. A reduction of 42.6% was noted in transfer time from the first month to the last month of study. Conclusion: The incidence of delayed transfer of patients from ED to ICU was 67.3% with ED-related factors being the most frequent cause of delay (54.2%). How to cite this article: Bosco S, Sahni N, Jain A, Arora P, Raj V, Yaddanapudi L. Delayed Transfer of Critically Ill Patients from Emergency Department to Intensive Care Unit. Indian J Crit Care Med 2023;27(8):580-582.

Medication Prescription Errors in the Intensive Care Unit: Prospective Observational Study.

Introduction: The WHO launched a 5-year global initiative to address the problem of medication errors on March 29, 2017, targeting a decrease in severe and avoidable medication-related harm by 50% in all the countries. Since prescription errors are preventable, this study was conducted to determine incidence and severity of medication prescription errors (MPEs). Settings and design: Intensive care unit of a tertiary care academic hospital, prospective observational study. Methods and materials: For all patients admitted in a medical ICU, baseline data (demographic, APACHE II, length of ICU stay, and days of mechanical ventilation) were noted. Treatment charts were reviewed daily, and each prescription was compared against a master chart prepared using standardized references to study the incidence of prescription errors. Severity classification was done using National Coordinating Council for Medication Error Reporting and Prevention (NCCMERP) classification. Mean and median, along with standard deviation and interquartile range, were calculated for all quantitative variables. Multivariate linear regression analysis model was used. Results: Out of the total 24,572 medication orders, 2,624 had prescription errors, an error rate of 10.7% (95% CI, 10.3-11.1). When analyzed for severity, 1,757 (7.15%) (95% CI, 6.8-7.5) MPEs did not result in patient harm and 867 (3.52%) (95% CI, 3.3-3.8) MPEs required interventions and/or resulted in patient harm. Patients with deranged creatinine (p <0.001) and INR (p = 0.024) had higher number of severe MPEs. Conclusion: The incidence of MPEs in the medical ICU at the tertiary care hospital was 10.7%, 3.52% being severe errors. How to cite this article: Kumar M, Sahni N, Shafiq N, Yaddanapudi LN. Medication Prescription Errors in the Intensive Care Unit: Prospective Observational Study. Indian J Crit Care Med 2022;26(5):555-559.

In Response to "Balanced Salt Solution for Metabolic Acidosis in ICU".

How to cite this article: Rawat N, Sahni N, Yaddanapudi L. In Response to "Balanced Salt Solution for Metabolic Acidosis in ICU". Indian J Crit Care Med 2021;25(2):237.

Comparison of Commercially Available Balanced Salt Solution and Ringer's Lactate on Extent of Correction of Metabolic Acidosis in Critically Ill Patients.

INTRODUCTION: Appropriate early fluid resuscitation is ubiquitous for critically ill patients with metabolic acidosis. Owing to harmful effects of normal saline, commercially prepared balanced salt solutions are being used. However, there is no study comparing use of Ringer's lactate (RL) and commercially available balanced salt solutions in critically ill patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A randomized controlled trial was conducted during July 2016 to December 2017. Fifty adult patients admitted to intensive care unit with metabolic acidosis were randomized into group RL or group acetate solution (AC). Respective trial fluid was administered at 20 mL/kg/hour for first hour and 10 mL/kg/hour for second hour. Arterial blood gas analysis samples were taken 15 minutes apart. The fluid resuscitation was continued till pH got corrected to 7.3 or 2 hours, whichever was earlier. The primary aim was to compare time to correct metabolic acidosis in both the groups. The secondary outcomes were the extent of correction of metabolic acidosis, total volume of fluid used, and total cost per patient. RESULTS: Demographic parameters, APACHE II score, and baseline investigations were comparable. The metabolic acidosis got corrected in 12 patients in group AC and 10 patients in group RL (p value = 0.66). The mean time for correction of metabolic acidosis was 57 ± 3.85 minutes in group RL and 56.25 ± 4.22 minutes in group AC (p value =0.95). The extent of correction of metabolic acidosis and total volume of fluid used was also comparable (p value = 0.05). However, the cost of fluid used was significantly higher in group AC (p value < 0.01). CONCLUSION: During administration of balanced salt solutions, RL or AC, in critically ill patients with metabolic acidosis, AC did not confer any advantage in time to or extent of correction of metabolic acidosis. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: There is no difference in acid-base status with use of different types of balanced salt solutions for resuscitation in critically ill patients. HOW TO CITE THIS ARTICLE: Rawat N, Sahni N, Yaddanapudi L. Comparison of Commercially Available Balanced Salt Solution and Ringer's Lactate on Extent of Correction of Metabolic Acidosis in Critically Ill Patients. Indian J Crit Care Med 2020;24(7):539-543.

Prospective audit of sedation/anesthesia practices for children undergoing computerized tomography in a tertiary care institute.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The aim of the study was to enumerate the sedative drugs used, assess the efficacy of sedative drugs, and determine the incidence of adverse events. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A prospective audit of children sedated for computerized tomography (CT) by anesthesiology team was conducted for a period of 4 months. The data included patient demographic variables, fasting period, medications administered, adequacy of sedation, imaging characteristics, adverse events, and requirement for escalated care. RESULTS: A total of 331 children were enrolled for sedation by the anesthesia team. The drugs used for sedation were propofol, ketamine, and midazolam. Twenty-two percent children received one sedative drug, 60% children were administered two drugs, and 5% children required a combination of all three drugs for successful sedation. Sedation was effective for successful conduct of CT scan in 95.8% patients without the requirement of a repeat scan. Twelve (5%) children experienced adverse events during the study period. However, none of the adverse events necessitated prolonged postprocedural hospitalization or resulted in permanent neurologic injury or death. CONCLUSIONS: The current practice of sedation with propofol, ketamine, and midazolam, either single or in combination was efficacious in a high percentage of patients. The incidence of adverse events during the study period was low.

Effect of Intensive Education and Training of Nurses on Ventilator-associated Pneumonia and Central Line-associated Bloodstream Infection Incidence in Intensive Care Unit at a Tertiary Care Center in North India.

OBJECTIVE: The aim was to analyze the impact of education and training of nurses on the incidence of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) and central line-associated bloodstream infection (CLABSI). PATIENTS AND METHODS: A prospective observational study at a tertiary care hospital included adult patients with Intensive Care Unit stay >48 h. The study was done in three phases: in Phase 1, baseline VAP and CLABSI incidence was calculated; in Phase 2, education and training of nurses; and in Phase 3, data were recollected for the incidence of VAP and CLABSI. RESULTS: The baseline incidence of VAP in Phase 1 was 28.86/1000 ventilator days and that of CLABSI was 7.89/1000 central-line days. In Phase 3, the incidence of VAP increased to 35.06 and that of CLABSI decreased significantly, 1.73. CONCLUSION: Intensive education and training sessions with feedback from nurses over a period of 6 months led to significant reduction in the incidence of CLABSI; however, the incidence of VAP increased.

Mechanical ventilation in neurological and neurosurgical patients.

Approximately 20% of all patients requiring mechanical ventilation suffer from neurological dysfunction. It is imperative in the ventilatory management of such patients to have a thorough understanding of the disease pathology that may require institution of mechanical ventilation as well as in realizing its effects on the injured brain. These patients have unique challenges pertaining to the assessment and securing of the airway, maintenance of mechanical ventilation, as well as weaning and extubation readiness. This manuscript aims to present the current evidence in ventilatory management of the important subset of patients with neuronal injury. The indications for ventilatory management include both neurological and neurosurgical causes.

Sepsis of unknown origin with multiorgan failure syndrome: Think of hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis.

Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis is a clinic pathologic entity characterized by increased proliferation and activation of benign macrophages with hemophagocytosis throughout the reticuloendothelial system. It is a potentially lethal disorder due to an uncontrolled immune response to a triggering agent. HPS may be primary, or secondary to malignancy, infections, auto-immune diseases, and pharmacotherapy. HPS is a rare, but life-threatening complication. Herein, we described a female patient with HPS with secondary sepsis. Our objective was to raise the importance of early diagnosis of HFS by presenting a representative case.

Comparison of different routes of administration of clonidine for analgesia following anterior cruciate ligament repair.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: A high percentage of patients undergoing arthroscopic repairs on day care basis complain of inadequate postoperative pain relief. Clonidine was evaluated for the best route as an adjuvant in regional anesthesia in anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) repair to prolong analgesia. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A prospective randomized double-blinded study was planned in a tertiary care hospital in North India in which 85 American Society of Anesthesiologists I and II patients undergoing ACL repair were enrolled. All groups received 0.5% hyperbaric bupivacaine intrathecally as in control group C. Group IT received intrathecal 1 µg/kg of clonidine along with hyperbaric bupivacaine, group IA received 0.25% bupivacaine and 1 µg/kg clonidine intra-articularly, and group NB received 0.25% bupivacaine and 1 µg/kg clonidine in femoro-sciatic nerve block (FSNB). Postoperative pain free interval and block characteristics were the primary outcomes studied. RESULTS: Pain-free duration was 546.90 (±93.66) min in group NB (P < 0.001) in comparison to 234.90 (±20.99), 367.80 (±47.40) and 172.20 (±54.82) min in groups IA, IT and C, respectively. Sensory block and motor blockade in NB were 474.90 (±43.80) and 267.40 (±34.59) min, respectively, and were significantly prolonged (P > 0.001) in comparison to other groups. The mean rescue analgesic requirement and cumulative frequency of rescue analgesia were least in group NB, followed by groups IT, IA and C. CONCLUSION: Clonidine is safe and effective adjuvant with bupivacaine in prolonging analgesia through various routes employed for post knee surgery pain. The maximum prolongation of analgesia is achieved through FSNB with a risk of prolonging postanesthesia care unit stay.

Effect of intensive training and education of health care workers on the maintenance bundle of venous access devices in critically ill patients at a tertiary care academic hospital.

BACKGROUND: The maintenance bundle of care for all venous access devices (peripheral intravenous catheters, PIVC; central venous catheters, CVCs; hemodialysis ports) is important to prevent secondary sepsis in critically ill patients. This quality improvement project analyzed the effect of intensive training and education of health care workers (HCWs) on maintenance bundles for venous access devices. METHODS: The study period comprising of preintervention phase (3-months) included 25 random visits to the intensive care unit for point observations regarding maintenance of all venous access devices in-situ in all intensive care unit patients on the day of the visit. The observations were categorized as appropriate or inappropriate practices based on American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) guidelines for CVC 2020, INICC guidelines for PIVC 2017, and Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care (ACQHCS) for PIVC and hemodialysis ports, December 2019. While the intervention phase (1-month) comprised intensive training and education of HCWs, postintervention phase 3 (3-months) included similar visits and point observations as during the preintervention phase. RESULTS: The maintenance of PIVC improved significantly in terms of the condition of site (from 82.7% appropriate observations to 97.8%, P < .05); condition of connectors (45.7%-56.8%, P < .05), and any attached unused IV sets (90.5%-98.56%, P < .05). For CVC, there was significant improvement in condition of insertion site (66%-94%, P < .01); condition of connectors (0%-44.37%, P < .01); fixation (91%-99.3%, P < .05); any attached unused IV sets (38.9%-97.3%, P < .01) and knowledge of HCW (96.52%-100%, P = .05). For hemodialysis ports, no significant improvement was observed. CONCLUSIONS: Intensive training and education of HCWs led to significant improvement in the maintenance bundle of care for PIVC and CVC.

Efficacy of melatonin in decreasing the incidence of delirium in critically ill adults: a randomized controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether enteral melatonin decreases the incidence of delirium in critically ill adults. METHODS: In this randomized controlled trial, adults were admitted to the intensive care unit and received either usual standard care alone (Control Group) or in combination with 3mg of enteral melatonin once a day at 9 PM (Melatonin Group). Concealment of allocation was done by serially numbered opaque sealed envelopes. The intensivist assessing delirium and the investigator performing the data analysis were blinded to the group allocation. The primary outcome was the incidence of delirium within 24 hours of the intensive care unit stay. The secondary outcomes were the incidence of delirium on Days 3 and 7, intensive care unit mortality, length of intensive care unit stay, duration of mechanical ventilation and Glasgow outcome score (at discharge). RESULTS: We included 108 patients in the final analysis, with 54 patients in each group. At 24 hours of intensive care unit stay, there was no difference in the incidence of delirium between Melatonin and Control Groups (29.6 versus 46.2%; RR = 0.6; 95%CI 0.38 - 1.05; p = 0.11). No secondary outcome showed a statistically significant difference. CONCLUSION: Enteral melatonin 3mg is not more effective at decreasing the incidence of delirium than standard care is in critically ill adults.

Effect of duration of pneumoperitoneum on renal function in patients undergoing laparoscopic surgeries: a prospective observational study.

This study aimed to assess the effect of pneumoperitoneum and, thereby, raised intra-abdominal pressure for different durations (≤ 1 h, 1-3 h and > 3 h) on renal function. One hundred and twenty adult patients were allocated to four groups-the Control Group A (N = 30; patients undergoing non-laparoscopic surgery) or Group B (N = 30; patients undergoing laparoscopic surgery with duration of pneumoperitoneum < 1 h) or Group C (N = 30; patients undergoing laparoscopic surgery with duration of pneumoperitoneum 1-3 h) or Group D (N = 30; patients undergoing laparoscopic surgery with duration of pneumoperitoneum > 3 h). The baseline, intraoperative (at the end of pneumoperitoneum/surgery), and postoperative (after 6 h) values of blood urea levels, creatinine clearance, and serum cystatin C were compared. The results showed that the raised IAP (10-12 mmHg) and varying durations of pneumoperitoneum (from less than 1 h to more than 3 h) did not significantly affect renal function measured in terms of change in serum cystatin levels from baseline to 6 h in postoperative period. The varying durations of pneumoperitoneum also did not significantly affect serum creatinine or blood urea levels in the postoperative period. CTRI registration: CTRI/2016/10/007334.

Comparison of Palonosetron with Combination of Palonosetron and Dexamethasone in the Prevention of Post Operative Nausea and Vomiting in Patients Undergoing Middle Ear Surgery: A Prospective Randomized Trial.

We compared the use of palonosetron with combination of palonosetron and dexamethasone in prevention of PONV in patients undergoing middle ear surgery under general anaesthesia. Prospective, randomized study was conducted including 90 adult patients who received either palonosetron (0.075 mg) (Group P) or combination of palonosetron (0.075 mg) and dexamethasone (8 mg) (Group PD). The primary outcome was incidence of nausea, vomiting and complete response. Secondary parameters were time to receive first rescue antiemetic, total dose required, patient's satisfaction, postoperative pain scores and total dose of rescue analgesic. The incidence of nausea was 15.5% and 8.8% (p = 0.522) and vomiting was 6.7% and 2.2% (p = 0.610) in group P and PD, respectively Complete response (CR) was observed in 84.4% patients in group P and 91% patients in group PD (p = 0.522). Combination of palonosetron and dexamethasone is not superior to use of palonosetron alone for PONV prevention.

Comparing postgraduate anaesthesia education in India and abroad: Strengths and scope.

The quality of training is a major contributor to workforce proficiency in healthcare, and there is a definite need to achieve a uniform level of knowledge and skill in medical education programmes. There is a paucity of literature comparing postgraduate anaesthesia medical education training structure and requirements across the globe. In a zeal to achieve uniform competencies and technical skills, the strengths and scope of training programmes need to be identified. In this article, we describe the core elements of postgraduate training in various countries while proposing an amalgamation of strengths of each programme and providing a roadmap to evolve further the competency-based comprehensive curriculum proposed by the National Medical Commission of India.

Breaking barriers to remain healthy and fit during a residency in anaesthesiology.

Anaesthesiology is a high-demand speciality of medicine in terms of long and unpredictable work hours, stressful work requirements, pressure for a cent per cent productivity in academics, clinical work and research. Higher stress levels can cause non-communicable diseases like hypertension, obesity and depressed immunity, among many others. In the journey as a trainee anaesthetist, vigorous and diligent efforts are needed to gain perfection in knowledge and skills ultimately. While this path is being transversed, it is essential to address physical and mental fitness by exercising it to the recommended benefits, to ward away stress and burnout. In this special article, the authors will discuss the barriers young anaesthesia trainees face to staying healthy and fit during their training and practical and appropriate measures to mitigate the same through intervention at various levels of hierarchy.

Colonization of the central venous catheter by Stenotrophomonas maltophilia in an ICU setting: An impending outbreak managed in time.

BACKGROUND: Stenotrophomonas maltophiliacauses opportunistic infections in immunocompromised and patients in intensive care units (ICUs). An outbreak of S. maltophilia in ICU is described which highlights the importance of the risk of infection from contaminated medical devices and suction fluids in ventilated patients. METHODS: The investigation of the outbreak was carried out. Environmental sampling was done. This was followed by MALDI-TOF MS typing and recA gene-based-phylogeny. RESULTS: In February, S. maltophilia was reported from the central line blood of six patients from ICU within a span of two weeks. The peripheral line blood cultures were sterile in all patients. Relevant environmental sampling of the high-touch surface and fluids revealed S. maltophilia strains in normal saline used for suction and in the inspiratory circuit of two patients. The isolated strains from patients and environment (inspiratory fluid) showed a minimum of 95.41% recA gene sequence identity between each other. Strict cleaning and disinfection procedures were followed. Continuous surveillance was done and no further case of S. maltophilia was detected. Timely diagnosis and removal of central line prevented development of central-line associated blood stream infection. CONCLUSION: This outbreak report illustrates that environmental sources like suction fluid and normal saline could be the source of S. maltophilia in ICU patients.