Hydrogen as a GC/MS carrier and buffer gas for use in forensic laboratories.

A custom set of ion volumes was manufactured in order to investigate the gain and byproducts using hydrogen as a buffer gas following electron ionization in a quadrupole ion trap mass spectrometer as compared with helium. Analyses of illicit drugs such as cocaine, codeine, and oxycodone, and explosives such as TNT, RDX, and HMTD with ion volume exit orifices of 1mm, 2mm, 4mm, 6mm, 8mm and 10mm were performed using GC/MS. Strong similarities between hydrogen and helium spectra of illicit drugs and explosives provide evidence that hydrogen can be used effectively as a buffer gas in an ion trap mass spectrometer.

Severe Fatal ARDS Due to Untreated Human Granulocytic Anaplasmosis in a 67-Year-Old Man: A Case Report.

BACKGROUND Anaplasmosis, or human granulocytic anaplasmosis (HGA), is a tick-borne diseased caused by a gram-negative, intracellular bacterium, Anaplasma phagocytophilum. HGA usually presents with mild symptoms but can be more severe. This report describes a 67-year-old male resident of rural Pennsylvania, admitted to the hospital after a fall, who developed fatal acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) associated with human granulocytic anaplasmosis (HGA) following transmission of Anaplasma phagocytophilum by a tick bite (Ixodes scapularis). CASE REPORT A 67-year-old man, resident of rural Pennsylvania, with history of diabetes mellitus, presented after falling from a 7-foot-tall ladder, sustaining right-sided hemopneumothorax, multiple right rib fractures, and unstable T12 vertebra fracture. He required tube thoracostomy and underwent T9-L2 posterior spinal fusion surgery. His initial labs showed leukopenia, thrombocytopenia, and elevated transaminase levels. His course was complicated by cardiac arrest and acute respiratory failure, consistent with severe ARDS. He received high positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) ventilation, prone positioning, and neuromuscular paralysis to improve refractory hypoxemia. Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) for bacterial, fungal, viral pathogens, Covid-19, respiratory viral panel, Mycoplasma pneumoniae, and Chlamydia pneumoniae were negative. his family withdrew medical care, knowing the patient's own wishes, and the patient died. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for Anaplasma DNA came back positive after the patient's death. His peripheral smear was then examined, showing morulae inside the cytoplasm of infected neutrophils.   CONCLUSIONS This report describes the atypical presentation of a case of HGA and highlights that in parts of the world where tick-borne diseases are endemic, disease awareness, high index of clinical suspicion, and early diagnosis and management are required.

Design for Implementation of a System-Level ICU Pandemic Surge Staffing Plan.

BACKGROUND: The current coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic is causing significant strain on ICUs worldwide. Initial and subsequent regional surges are expected to persist for months and potentially beyond. As a result of this, as well as the fact that ICU provider staffing throughout the United States currently operate at or near capacity, the risk for severe and augmented disruption in delivery of care is very real. Thus, there is a pressing need for proactive planning for ICU staffing augmentation, which can be implemented in response to a local surge in ICU volumes. METHODS: We provide a description of the design, dissemination, and implementation of an ICU surge provider staffing algorithm, focusing on physicians, advanced practice providers, and certified registered nurse anesthetists at a system-wide level. RESULTS: The protocol was designed and implemented by the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center's Integrated ICU Service Center and was rolled out to the entire health system, a 40-hospital system spanning Pennsylvania, New York, and Maryland. Surge staffing models were developed using this framework to assure that local needs were balanced with system resource supply, with rapid enhancement and expansion of tele-ICU capabilities. CONCLUSIONS: The ICU pandemic surge staffing algorithm, using a tiered-provider strategy, was able to be used by hospitals ranging from rural community to tertiary/quaternary academic medical centers and adapted to meet specific needs rapidly. The concepts and general steps described herein may serve as a framework for hospital and other hospital systems to maintain staffing preparedness in the face of any form of acute patient volume surge.

Outcomes and changes in code status of patients with acute myeloid leukemia undergoing induction chemotherapy who were transferred to the intensive care unit.

Patients with Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) have compromised marrow function and chemotherapy causes further suppression. As a result complications are frequent, and patients may require admission to the intensive care unit (ICU). How codes status changes when these events occur and how those changes influence outcome are largely unknown. Outcomes for adult patients with AML, undergoing induction chemotherapy, and transferred to the ICU between January 2000 and December 2013 were analyzed. 94 patients were included. Median survival was 1.3 months. At 3 and 6 months overall survival (OS) was 27% and 18% respectively. Respiratory failure was the most common reason for transfer to ICU (88%), with 63% requiring mechanical ventilation at transfer. Other reasons included: cardiac arrest (18%), septic shock (17%), hypotension (9%), and acute renal failure (9%). The most frequent interventions were mechanical ventilation in 85%, vasopressors in 62%, and hemodialysis in 30%. Following transfer 55 patients (58%) had a change in code status. Overall, 46 patients (49%) changed from Full Code (FC) to Comfort Care (CC), 7 (7%) from FC to Do Not Resuscitate (DNR), and 2 (2%) from DNR to CC. For the entire cohort, ICU mortality (IM) was 61% and hospital mortality (HM) was 71%. For FC or DNR patients, IM was 30% and HM was 41%. For CC patients, IM was 90% and HM was 100%. Overall, 27 patients (29%) survived to discharge. Of those discharged, 22 (81%) were alive at 3 months and 17 (63%) were alive at 6 months. In conclusion, patients that required ICU admission during induction chemotherapy have a poor prognosis. Code status changed during the ICU stay for the majority of patients and always to a less aggressive status.