Critical care science最新文献

Background: The optimal and safest hypnotic agent for rapid sequence intubation in critically ill patients remains uncertain. Factors such as hypovolemia, vasoplegia, hypoxemia, and acidosis can influence the efficacy and safety of induction agents. Propofol is commonly used for this purpose; however, it is associated with the risk of exacerbating hypotension. Ketamine, which has a more favorable hemodynamic profile, may offer a safer alternative in these patients.

Objective: To assess whether ketamine is a safer alternative to propofol for rapid sequence intubation by reducing the incidence of hypotension during induction in critically ill patients.

Methods: This will be a randomized, open-label, pragmatic, bicenter study. A total of 170 critically ill patients requiring endotracheal intubation in the intensive care unit will be randomly assigned to receive either ketamine or propofol as the hypnotic agent. Randomization will be conducted using RedCap with a 1:1 ratio and variable block sizes, stratified by study site and vasopressor use during intubation.

Results: The primary outcome will be the occurrence of hypotension, defined as the lowest mean arterial pressure recorded within the first 10 minutes following induction. Secondary outcomes, assessed within 1-hour post-induction, include mortality, incidence of cardiopulmonary arrest, the occurrence of severe hypotension (systolic blood pressure < 80mmHg), the occurrence of severe hypoxemia (oxygen saturation < 85%), and the number of intubation attempts.

Conclusion: The PROMINE study will provide valuable evidence to guide the selection of hypnotic agents for rapid sequence intubation in critically ill patients. It will contribute to a better understanding of the hemodynamic effects associated with propofol and ketamine in this context, potentially informing clinical practice.

Objective: Traumatic brain injury leads to disruption of the hypothalamic-pituitary axis. The aim of this study was to evaluate anterior pituitary gland function in the acute phase following traumatic brain injury and its relationship with patient outcomes.

Methods: This was a prospective cohort of traumatic brain injury patients admitted to the intensive care unit. The levels of adrenocorticotropic hormone, growth hormone, and thyroid-stimulating hormone on Days 0, 3 and 7 after the injury were measured. The Glasgow Outcome Scale-Extended (GOSE) was used for 6-month outcomes.

Results: A total of 88 traumatic brain injury patients (79% male, 41 ± 19 years old) who were admitted to the intensive care unit were studied. The frequencies of hormone levels below the range were as follows: adrenocorticotropic hormone, 81% on Day 0, 75% on Day 3, and 68% on Day 7; growth hormone, 76% on Day 0, 65% on Day 3, and 61% on Day 7; and thyroid-stimulating hormone, 42% on Day 0, 41% on Day 3, and 14% on Day 7. Traumatic brain injury severity was associated with Day 0 adrenocorticotropic hormone (p = 0.03) and Day 7 growth hormone (p = 0.03) levels and inversely associated with Day 3 thyroid-stimulating hormone (p = 0.03) levels. Glial fibrillary astrocytic protein was directly associated with Day 3 adrenocorticotropic hormone (OR 1.02, 95%CI 1.01 - 1.03; p < 0.001) and inversely associated with Day 7 thyroid-stimulating hormone (OR 1.02, 95%CI: 1.02 - 1.03; p = 0.04) levels. There was no significant association between hormone levels and mortality or the 6-month Glasgow Outcome Scale-Extended score.

Conclusion: Anterior pituitary hormone disturbances are common following a traumatic brain injury, and the degree of dysfunction is related to the injury severity. No associations were found with mortality or disability. Further investigations are warranted to standardize the measurement of pituitary function after traumatic brain injury and clarify its prognostic/therapeutic role.

Background: Rapid Response Teams have been widely implemented in high-income countries and play a crucial role in the early identification and management of clinically deteriorating patients. However, their implementation in low and middle-income settings has not been adequately described. Our goal was to map the current evidence in this setting.

Methods: We conducted a scoping review to map the published literature about Rapid Response Teams in low- and middle-income countries, according to year of publication, study type, team composition, reported outcomes, and potential roles of the team.

Results: After screening 6,679 studies, 52 fulfilled eligibility criteria: 36 full-text studies and 16 conference abstracts. Most of the studies were from Brazil (51.2%), followed by India (19.2%) and Turkey (7.7%), with the two earliest reports being conference abstracts published in 2009. The predominant design was before-and-after studies (20; 38.4%), followed by cohort studies (16; 30.8%). An intensive care unit physician was always a member of the Rapid Response Teams in 55.9% of the studies and an intensive care unit nurse in 23.5%. The number of Rapid Response Teams calls in the before-and-after studies ranged from 2.39 to 124 per 1,000 admissions. Reported outcomes varied, with most studies focusing on mortality (26, 50%) and code blue incidence (21; 40.4%). Four (7.7%) studies reported an active role of Rapid Response Teams in goals of care discussions.

Conclusion: We found that evidence on Rapid Response Teams in low- and middle-income countries remains limited, with a time lag in publications compared to high-income countries. Our findings highlight the need for further studies and policy initiatives to evaluate the effectiveness of implementing Rapid Response Teams in resource-constrained settings.

Objective: To investigate the relationship between sonographic and radiological scores of lung edema with metrics of shunt, dead space, and respiratory mechanics in critically ill patients under invasive ventilation for greater than 24 hours.

Methods: This is a secondary analysis of a prospective observational study involving invasively ventilated critically ill patients. The radiographic assessment of lung edema score and the global lung ultrasound score were utilized to evaluate pulmonary edema. Measurements for assessing shunt and dead space included the ratio of partial pressure of oxygen to fraction of inspired oxygen ratio, ventilatory ratio, and corrected minute volume, respectively. Respiratory mechanics were assessed through dynamic respiratory system compliance, driving pressure, and mechanical power of ventilation.

Results: A total of 364 invasively ventilated patients were included; one-third of them were classified as having acute respiratory distress syndrome. Median radiographic assessment of lung edema and global lung ultrasound scores were 15 [8 to 20] and 7 [3 to 13], respectively. Both scores explained little of the variance in partial pressure of oxygen to fraction of inspired oxygen ratio, ventilatory ratio, corrected minute volume, respiratory system compliance, driving pressure, and mechanical power (R2 = 0.05-0.12). Patients without acute respiratory distress syndrome exhibited a stronger association between the radiographic assessment of lung edema score and partial pressure of oxygen to fraction of inspired oxygen ratio, as well as between the global lung ultrasound score and respiratory system compliance. In contrast, patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome demonstrated stronger associations between the radiographic assessment of lung edema score and mechanical power and between the global lung ultrasound score and dead space metrics. A positive interaction of positive end-expiratory pressure was found only for the association between partial pressure of oxygen to fraction of inspired oxygen ratio and the radiographic assessment of lung edema and global lung ultrasound scores.

Conclusion: The radiographic assessment of lung edema score and the global lung ultrasound score poorly correlate with shunt, dead space, and respiratory mechanics metrics in invasively ventilated patients. A counterintuitive moderation effect of acute respiratory distress syndrome status is observed in some of these associations.