Aurélie Le Thuaut

Video Laryngoscopy vs Direct Laryngoscopy on Successful First-Pass Orotracheal Intubation Among ICU Patients: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance In the intensive care unit (ICU), orotracheal intubation can be associated with increased risk of complications because the patient may be acutely unstable, requiring prompt intervention, often by a practitioner with nonexpert skills. Video laryngoscopy may decrease this risk by improving glottis visualization. Objective To determine whether video laryngoscopy increases the frequency of successful first-pass orotracheal intubation compared with direct laryngoscopy in ICU patients. Design, Setting, and Participants Randomized clinical trial of 371 adults requiring intubation while being treated at 7 ICUs in France between May 2015 and January 2016; there was 28 days of follow-up. Interventions Intubation using a video laryngoscope (n = 186) or direct laryngoscopy (n = 185). All patients received general anesthesia. Main Outcomes and Measures The primary outcome was the proportion of patients with successful first-pass intubation. The secondary outcomes included time to successful intubation and mild to moderate and severe life-threatening complications. Results Among 371 randomized patients (mean [SD] age, 62.8 [15.8] years; 136 [36.7%] women), 371 completed the trial. The proportion of patients with successful first-pass intubation did not differ significantly between the video laryngoscopy and direct laryngoscopy groups (67.7% vs 70.3%; absolute difference, −2.5% [95% CI, −11.9% to 6.9%]; P = .60). The proportion of first-attempt intubations performed by nonexperts (primarily residents, n = 290) did not differ between the groups (84.4% with video laryngoscopy vs 83.2% with direct laryngoscopy; absolute difference 1.2% [95% CI, −6.3% to 8.6%]; P = .76). The median time to successful intubation was 3 minutes (range, 2 to 4 minutes) for both video laryngoscopy and direct laryngoscopy (absolute difference, 0 [95% CI, 0 to 0]; P = .95). Video laryngoscopy was not associated with life-threatening complications (24/180 [13.3%] vs 17/179 [9.5%] for direct laryngoscopy; absolute difference, 3.8% [95% CI, −2.7% to 10.4%]; P = .25). In post hoc analysis, video laryngoscopy was associated with severe life-threatening complications (17/179 [9.5%] vs 5/179 [2.8%] for direct laryngoscopy; absolute difference, 6.7% [95% CI, 1.8% to 11.6%]; P = .01) but not with mild to moderate life-threatening complications (10/181 [5.4%] vs 14/181 [7.7%]; absolute difference, −2.3% [95% CI, −7.4% to 2.8%]; P = .37). Conclusions and Relevance Among patients in the ICU requiring intubation, video laryngoscopy compared with direct laryngoscopy did not improve first-pass orotracheal intubation rates and was associated with higher rates of severe life-threatening complications. Further studies are needed to assess the comparative effectiveness of these 2 strategies in different clinical settings and among operators with diverse skill levels. Trial Registration clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT02413723

Antibiotic Therapy in Comatose Mechanically Ventilated Patients Following Aspiration: Differentiating Pneumonia From Pneumonitis*

Objectives: To determine the proportion of patients with documented bacterial aspiration pneumonia among comatose ICU patients with symptoms suggesting either bacterial aspiration pneumonia or non-bacterial aspiration pneumonitis. Design: Prospective observational study. Setting: University-affiliated 30-bed ICU. Patients: Prospective cohort of 250 patients admitted to the ICU with coma (Glasgow Coma Scale score ⩽ 8) and treated with invasive mechanical ventilation. Interventions: None. Measurements and Main Results: The primary outcome was the proportion of patients with microbiologically documented bacterial aspiration pneumonia. Patients meeting predefined criteria for aspiration syndrome routinely underwent telescopic plugged catheter sampling during bronchoscopy before starting probabilistic antibiotic treatment. When cultures were negative, the antibiotic treatment was stopped. Of 250 included patients, 98 (39.2%) had aspiration syndrome, including 92 before mechanical ventilation discontinuation. Telescopic plugged catheter in these 92 patients showed bacterial aspiration pneumonia in 43 patients (46.7%). Among the remaining 49 patients, 16 continued to receive antibiotics, usually for infections other than pneumonia; of the 33 patients whose antibiotics were discontinued, only two subsequently showed signs of lung infection. In the six patients with aspiration syndrome after mechanical ventilation, and therefore without telescopic plugged catheter, antibiotic treatment was continued for 7 days. Mechanical ventilation duration, ICU length of stay, and mortality did not differ between the 43 patients with bacterial aspiration pneumonia and the 49 patients with non-bacterial aspiration pneumonitis. The 152 patients without aspiration syndrome did not receive antibiotics. Conclusions: Among comatose patients receiving mechanical ventilation, those without clinical, laboratory, or radiologic evidence of bacterial aspiration pneumonia did not require antibiotics. In those with suspected bacterial aspiration pneumonia, stopping empirical antibiotic therapy when routine telescopic plugged catheter sampling recovered no microorganisms was nearly always effective. This strategy may be a valid alternative to routine full-course antibiotic therapy. Only half the patients with suspected bacterial aspiration pneumonia had this diagnosis confirmed by telescopic plugged catheter sampling.

McGRATH MAC videolaryngoscope versus Macintosh laryngoscope for orotracheal intubation in intensive care patients: the randomised multicentre MACMAN trial study protocol

Introduction Critically ill patients with acute respiratory, neurological or cardiovascular failure requiring invasive mechanical ventilation are at high risk of difficult intubation and have organ dysfunctions associated with complications of intubation and anaesthesia such as hypotension and hypoxaemia. The complication rate increases with the number of intubation attempts. Videolaryngoscopy improves elective endotracheal intubation. McGRATH MAC is the lightest videolaryngoscope and the most similar to the Macintosh laryngoscope. The primary goal of this trial was to determine whether videolaryngoscopy increased the frequency of successful first-pass intubation in critically ill patients, compared to direct view Macintosh laryngoscopy. Methods and analysis MACMAN is a multicentre, open-label, randomised controlled superiority trial. Consecutive patients requiring intubation are randomly allocated to either the McGRATH MAC videolaryngoscope or the Macintosh laryngoscope, with stratification by centre and operator experience. The expected frequency of successful first-pass intubation is 65% in the Macintosh group and 80% in the videolaryngoscope group. With α set at 5%, to achieve 90% power for detecting this difference, 185 patients are needed in each group (370 in all). The primary outcome is the proportion of patients with successful first-pass orotracheal intubation, compared between the two groups using a generalised mixed model to take the stratification factors into account. Ethics and dissemination The study project has been approved by the appropriate ethics committee (CPP Ouest 2, # 2014-A00674-43). Informed consent is not required, as both laryngoscopy methods are considered standard care in France; information is provided before study inclusion. If videolaryngoscopy proves superior to Macintosh laryngoscopy, its use will become standard practice, thereby decreasing first-pass intubation failure rates and, potentially, the frequency of intubation-related complications. Thus, patient safety should benefit. Further studies would be warranted to determine whether videolaryngoscopy is also beneficial in the emergency room and for prehospital emergency care. Trial registration number NCT02413723; Pre-results.

Validation of specific questionnaires to assess nausea and vomiting of pregnancy in a French population

To validate the modified Pregnancy‐Unique Quantification of Emesis and Nausea (PUQE) score and the Health‐Related Quality of Life for Nausea and Vomiting of Pregnancy (NVP‐QOL) score in a French population.

Efficacy of maternal and biological parameters at the time of diagnosis of gestational diabetes mellitus in predicting neonatal morbidity

OBJECTIVE Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is independently associated with an increased risk of maternal-fetal complications. Improved glycemic control allows reducing perinatal morbidity and mortality and, specifically, the risk of macrosomia and shoulder dystocia which are the most common complications associated with GDM. Nonetheless, a need for early antenatal predictor of neonatal morbidity in women suffering from GDM is required. The objective of the study was to evaluate the efficacy of different maternal, biological, and antenatal parameters at the time of diagnosis of GDM or perinatal variables as predictors of neonatal morbidity. STUDY DESIGN This was a prospective observational study recruited all pregnant women with diagnosis of GDM at first- or second-trimester in a tertiary care hospital from July 2014 to October 2015. Different antenatal parameters (maternal weight, weight gain during pregnancy, history of GDM, history of macrosomia, serum fructosamine, HbA1c) were obtained at the time of diagnosis of GDM. Mode of delivery was also analyzed. Neonatal morbidity was defined by at least one of the following criteria: preterm birth <37 weeks, macrosomia, shoulder dystocia, respiratory distress syndrome, 5-min Apgar score <7, pH < 7.10 and admission to the NICU (neonatal intensive care unit) for 24 h. Univariate and logistic regression analyses were performed to determine independent antenatal predictors of neonatal morbidity. RESULTS Two hundred pregnant women with diagnosis of GDM were included. The mean gestational age at the time of diagnosis of GDM was 22 ± 6 weeks. Insulin was required in 72/200 (36%) women for glycemic control during pregnancy. Neonatal morbidity occurred in 21% (n = 42). In the univariate analysis, neonatal morbidity was associated with nulliparity (50% compared to 32%, p = 0.03), induction of labor (36% compared to 27%, p = 0.03) and cesarean section (36% compared to 12%, p < 0.01). Multivariable logistic regression analysis found a significant association between nulliparity and neonatal morbidity (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 2.3, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.1-4.7). Cesarean delivery was also significantly associated with neonatal morbidity (aOR 7.6, 95% CI 2.9-20). CONCLUSION This suggests that nulliparity was an efficient antenatal predictor of neonatal morbidity at the time of diagnosis of GDM. Cesarean section was also associated with neonatal morbidity in women with GDM.

Coronary angiography after cardiac arrest: useful for whom?

Dear Editor, Dankiewicz et al. [1] report no survival benefit of early coronary angiography (CAG) in patients without ST elevation after cardiac arrest. We congratulate them for this new subgroup analysis of the landmark TTM trial [2]. However, we have concerns about their interpretation of the results. First, the frequency of significant culprit-lesion identification by CAG in the TTM trial is affected by the population characteristics selected using two criteria: suspected cardiac cause and suspected acute ischemia. In the Utstein Style, medical cause is a category but cardiac cause only a subcategory, within which the cardiac diagnoses are not specified. All the observational cohort studies showing superiority of CAG over no CAG included out-of-hospital cardiac arrests (OHCA) due to cardiac causes but did not describe the methods used to diagnose these cardiac causes. Prevalences of coronary artery disease vary with the diagnostic methods. Early CAG and/or CT identified a cause in only 59 % of patients with OHCA [3]. In the study by Dankiewicz et al. [1], late CAG was performed in 94/292 (32 %) patients who did not undergo early CAG. This high crossover rate may have induced underestimation of CAG benefits in the group with early CAG. Second, OHCA of presumed cardiac cause was an inclusion criterion for the TTM trial [2]. Nevertheless, only 63 % of patients underwent CAG in the ICU and 44 % had attempted percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). However, in some studies successful PCI, but not CAG, was associated with the outcome. Dankiewicz et al. [1] report that only 96 (38 %) of 252 early-CAG-group patients underwent successful PCI. This point indicates selection of patients to early-CAG based on a high probability of chronic myocardial ischemia, regardless of whether acute infarction was diagnosed. It probably indicates better tolerance of ischemia–reperfusion injury in this subgroup compared to groups with other causes of cardiac arrest (e.g., pulmonary embolism). A secondary analysis of our single-center cardiac arrest cohort [4] showed that PCI, but not CAG, was associated with decreased mortality and improved 6-month outcomes (Fig. 1, v test). Performing CAG without PCI unnecessarily delays temperature management [5], gas exchange optimization, and anticoagulant therapy. Considerable effort has been expended to standardize neurological prognostication after cardiac arrest. Now, the time has come to standardize patient selection for CAG. Over 10 years ago, the GRACE score was developed to guide management decisions in patients with acute coronary syndrome. A similar approach may be helpful after cardiac arrest. A score designed to rule out

Risk factors and outcomes of infected pancreatic necrosis: Retrospective cohort of 148 patients admitted to the ICU for acute pancreatitis:

Objective The primary objective of this article is to identify risk factors for infected pancreatic necrosis (IPN) in patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) for severe acute pancreatitis. We also described outcomes of IPN. Background Acute pancreatitis is common and associated with multiple, potentially life-threatening complications. Over the last decade, minimally invasive procedures have been developed to treat IPN. Methods We retrospectively studied consecutive patients admitted for severe acute pancreatitis to the ICUs of the Nantes University Hospital in France, between 2012 and 2015. Logistic regression was used to evaluate potential associations linking IPN to baseline patient characteristics and outcomes. Results Of the 148 included patients, 26 (17.6%) died. IPN developed in 62 (43%) patients and consistently required radiological, endoscopic, and/or surgical intervention. By multivariate analysis, factors associated with IPN were number of organ failure (OF) (for ≥ 3: OR, 28.67 (6.23–131.96), p < 0.001) and portosplenomesenteric venous thrombosis (OR, 8.16 (3.06–21.76)). Conclusion IPN occurred in nearly half our ICU patients with acute pancreatitis and consistently required interventional therapy. Number of OFs and portosplenomesenteric venous thrombosis were significantly associated with IPN. Early management of OF may reduce IPN incidence, and management of portosplenomesenteric venous thrombosis should be investigated.

Predictive factors for successful cervical ripening using a double‐balloon catheter after previous cesarean delivery

To identify predictors of successful cervical ripening using double‐balloon catheter (DBC) for labor induction among women with previous cesarean delivery (PCD) and unfavorable cervix at term.

Intubation With Video Laryngoscopy vs Direct Laryngoscopy—Reply

In Reply Drs Loh and Tan comment on the long duration of intubation using the video laryngoscope vs the laryngoscope. The time differed from previous studies because counting started at anesthesia induction. Duration of intubation is more accurately determined this way than at the beginning of laryngoscopy in which introduction of the (video) laryngoscope into the mouth is part of the intubation process and can be delayed or prolonged (eg, if mouth opening limitation is underestimated). The median intubation time of 3 minutes included the time needed for drugs to be injected and take action. The laryngoscopy time in our study was similar to that reported by Ng and colleagues.