Medizinische Klinik-Intensivmedizin Und Notfallmedizin最新文献

Background: Early mobilization of critical ill patients in the intensive care unit (ICU) has a positive effect on outcome. Currently, due to concerns of cerebral vasospasm and rebleeding patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) have a prolong bedrest for 12-14 days.

Objective: What effect does early mobilization have on vasospasm, clinical outcome, length of stay and ICU complication rate in patients with SAH compared to standard treatment?

Methods: A systematic literature search was conducted in MEDLINE via the PubMed® (U.S. National Library of Medicine®, Bethesda, MD, USA) and CINAHL® (EBSCO, Ipswich, MA, USA) databases.

Results: A total of 14 studies were identified. Overall, the studies showed an improved functional outcome and a reduction in the length of hospitalization and ventilation time. Only in one study did vasospasms occur more frequently and the outcome of patients with early mobilization was worse.

Conclusion: Further research is needed to identify possible positive effects of early mobilization in patients with SAH and to be able to describe the risk-benefit ratio more precisely.

Intravenous thrombolysis (IVT) and endovascular therapy (EVT) are the cornerstones of acute ischemic stroke treatment. While IVT has been an integral part of acute therapy since the mid-1990s, EVT has evolved as one of the most effective treatments in medicine over the past decade. Traditionally, systemic thrombolysis has been performed with alteplase (rtPA). More recently, tenecteplase (TNK) has been shown to be non-inferior to rtPA. TNK has some pharmacological advantages over rtPA and may lead to earlier recanalization, particularly in large vessel occlusions. All recanalization therapies are highly time dependent. To ensure rapid treatment, standard operating procedures (SOPs) should be established and followed in clinical practice. The optimal time window for IVT is 4.5 h after symptom onset and can be extended up to 9 h using specialized imaging techniques. For EVT, studies suggest a time window up to 24 h after symptom onset. In some cases, EVT has been successfully performed beyond this time window. To select patients for EVT, advanced imaging identifying salvageable brain tissue might be necessary. Even in large ischemic stroke, EVT can still improve outcome. Compared to EVT, IVT requires fewer technical and human resources, so more stroke patients can potentially be treated. In contrast, EVT requires highly trained personnel with sophisticated equipment and can, therefore, only be performed in specialized centers. Both procedures should be combined within the 4.5 h time window for patients without contraindications.

Background: Strokes are common neurological emergencies that require rapid diagnosis to minimize long-term damage. Prehospital detection and triage play a critical role in patient outcomes.

Objective: How effective are different prehospital diagnostic tools for stroke detection, and which triage strategies optimize patient care?

Methods: The article compares prehospital diagnostic tools for stroke detection and evaluates different transport strategies. Case studies illustrate their practical application.

Results: Traditional stroke diagnosis methods have limitations, particularly in identifying strokes in the posterior circulation. Newer diagnostic tools that incorporate additional symptoms, such as dizziness and vision problems, show higher sensitivity. The choice of triage strategy depends on the severity of symptoms and regional factors. Direct transport to specialized centers is beneficial for severe strokes, while initial stabilization at nearby units is more efficient in rural areas.

Conclusion: Modern diagnostic tools offer better sensitivity for prehospital stroke detection. Regional cooperation and the selection of appropriate triage strategies are key to improving stroke care.

Background: CAR-T cell (chimeric antigen receptor T) therapy is now part of standard of care treatment of B‑cell lineage malignancies. Although it is an effective treatment, it comes along with adverse side effects and toxicities that may require intensive care therapy. The costs related to critical care therapy in critically ill patients after CAR‑T administration have not been evaluated.

Patients and methods: Retrospective analysis of all patients who had received CAR‑T therapy and were admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) of a tertiary care university medical centre in Germany between 1 January 2019 and 31 December 2022. Cause of admission and ICU therapy as well as treatment and total hospitals costs were evaluated.

Results: Thirty patients with a history of CAR-T cell therapy for underlying haematological malignancy were included. The median age of all patients was 60 years (interquartile range [IQR] 50-70) and 37% (n = 11) were female. 93% (n = 28) of patients had non-Hodgkin lymphoma and 7% (n = 2) had multiple myeloma. The cohort was stratified whether the ICU admission was CAR‑T therapy related (i.e. within 30 days after CAR‑T therapy; 73%, n = 22) or the admission was of an other cause (> 30 days after CAR‑T therapy) (27%, n = 8). The median duration from CAR‑T therapy to ICU admission was 6 (range 5-8) days in CAR-T cell therapy associated ICU admissions compared with 52 (range 31-126) days in other admissions. The overall illness severity on admission was numerically higher in CAR-T-related ICU admission compared to other admissions (46 vs. 43 points, p = 0.18). Vasopressor therapy (50% vs. 75%; p = 0.19), invasive mechanical ventilation (27% vs. 50%; p = 0.24) and renal replacement therapy (14% vs. 50%; p < 0.05) were used in CAR-T-associated admission compared to other admissions, respectively. The ICU mortality (23% vs. 50%; p = 0.15) was higher in patients with other ICU admission. Median total costs of the entire inpatient stay in hospital were € 27,845 (range 8661-368,286 €) in CAR-T-associated ICU admissions compared to € 59,234 (range 23,182-127,044 €) in the group of other ICU admissions (costs of the CAR‑T product not included).

Conclusion: In relation to the total costs of CAR-T-cell therapy (production of the CAR‑T product), therapy-associated complications have a relatively low impact on the costs and utilization of ICU resources.

Epileptic seizures, which are often accompanied by a reduction in vigilance, are a common emergency. Every first-time epileptic seizure should be investigated further. Particular attention should be paid to whether it is an acute symptomatic seizure, which is an acute event characterized by a metabolic disorder or acute cerebral damage within a certain period of time, or possibly epilepsy. In terms of differential diagnosis, psychogenic nonepileptic seizures also pose a challenge, as they are often not easy to distinguish from epileptic seizures, but require a different therapeutic approach. Persistent epileptic seizures in the sense of status epilepticus (duration: > 5 min) are also common in the (pre)clinical emergency situation and require immediate initiation of adequate therapy, which consists of rapid and sufficient administration of benzodiazepines. Nasal administration is a quick and simple option here, particularly in the prehospital setting. Furthermore, persistent reductions in vigilance are a not infrequently occurring phenomenon in the (pre)clinical setting, which is, however, based on numerous differential diagnoses. Here, nonconvulsive status epilepticus should be considered as a possible cause and rapid diagnosis using EEG should be sought in order to begin early treatment, which improves patient outcomes.

In Germany, a substantial reform of emergency care is strictly recommended. Regulation of patient flows into the ambulatory and stationary sectors remains a major issue.In the OPTINOFA project funded by Innovationsfunds, a new triage system was developed for a structured primary evaluation of both urgency and care level of emergency cases. OPTINOFA was evaluated in a cluster-randomized, controlled multicenter trial using a stepped-wedge design in eight emergency departments (ED) from 1 July 2019 to 31 May 2021. Additionally, data from one ED were used for comparison of temporal changes without intervention. The primary study endpoint represented the increase of patient transfers to the ambulatory sector; secondary endpoints included the outcome, process and quality indicators as well as mean emergency care costs.In the study, 46,558 emergency cases were included in the control period and 37,485 emergency cases in the intervention period. Concerning the primary endpoint, a significant increase of transfers to the ambulatory sector were detected in the per-protocol EDs (p < 0.001, odds ratio = 10.59). Waiting times were significantly reduced by an average 20 min in the intervention phase. Furthermore, a stable admission rate was found within 3 days after initial ED presentation. Cost analysis revealed no increase of treatment expenses within 28 days after ED admission.In this project a valid assistant service for structured primary evaluation of urgency and care level was successfully developed for emergency cases and served as a digital triage instrument with interoperable format. Clinical trial results revealed great potential for the OPTINOFA triage system to control patient flows in emergency and acute medicine.