Enyo Ablordeppey

Lung-Protective Ventilation Initiated in the Emergency Department (LOV-ED): A Quasi-Experimental, Before-After Trial

Study objective: We evaluated the efficacy of an emergency department (ED)–based lung‐protective mechanical ventilation protocol for the prevention of pulmonary complications. Methods: This was a quasi‐experimental, before‐after study that consisted of a preintervention period, a run‐in period of approximately 6 months, and a prospective intervention period. The intervention was a multifaceted ED‐based mechanical ventilator protocol targeting lung‐protective tidal volume, appropriate setting of positive end‐expiratory pressure, rapid oxygen weaning, and head‐of‐bed elevation. A propensity score–matched analysis was used to evaluate the primary outcome, which was the composite incidence of acute respiratory distress syndrome and ventilator‐associated conditions. Results: A total of 1,192 patients in the preintervention group and 513 patients in the intervention group were included. Lung‐protective ventilation increased by 48.4% in the intervention group. In the propensity score–matched analysis (n=490 in each group), the primary outcome occurred in 71 patients (14.5%) in the preintervention group compared with 36 patients (7.4%) in the intervention group (adjusted odds ratio 0.47; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.31 to 0.71). There was an increase in ventilator‐free days (mean difference 3.7; 95% CI 2.3 to 5.1), ICU‐free days (mean difference 2.4; 95% CI 1.0 to 3.7), and hospital‐free days (mean difference 2.4; 95% CI 1.2 to 3.6) associated with the intervention. The mortality rate was 34.1% in the preintervention group and 19.6% in the intervention group (adjusted odds ratio 0.47; 95% CI 0.35 to 0.63). Conclusion: Implementing a mechanical ventilator protocol in the ED is feasible and is associated with significant improvements in the delivery of safe mechanical ventilation and clinical outcome.

A Quasi-experimental, Before-after Trial Examining the Impact of an Emergency Department Mechanical Ventilator Protocol on Clinical Outcomes and Lung-protective Ventilation in Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome

Objectives: To evaluate the impact of an emergency department mechanical ventilation protocol on clinical outcomes and adherence to lung-protective ventilation in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome. Design: Quasi-experimental, before-after trial. Setting: Emergency department and ICUs of an academic center. Patients: Mechanically ventilated emergency department patients experiencing acute respiratory distress syndrome while in the emergency department or after admission to the ICU. Interventions: An emergency department ventilator protocol which targeted variables in need of quality improvement, as identified by prior work: 1) lung-protective tidal volume, 2) appropriate setting of positive end-expiratory pressure, 3) oxygen weaning, and 4) head-of-bed elevation. Measurements and Main Results: A total of 229 patients (186 preintervention group, 43 intervention group) were studied. In the emergency department, the intervention was associated with significant changes (p < 0.01 for all) in tidal volume, positive end-expiratory pressure, respiratory rate, oxygen administration, and head-of-bed elevation. There was a reduction in emergency department tidal volume from 8.1 mL/kg predicted body weight (7.0–9.1) to 6.4 mL/kg predicted body weight (6.1–6.7) and an increase in lung-protective ventilation from 11.1% to 61.5%, p value of less than 0.01. The intervention was associated with a reduction in mortality from 54.8% to 39.5% (odds ratio, 0.38; 95% CI, 0.17–0.83; p = 0.02) and a 3.9 day increase in ventilator-free days, p value equals to 0.01. Conclusions: This before-after study of mechanically ventilated patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome demonstrates that implementing a mechanical ventilator protocol in the emergency department is feasible and associated with improved clinical outcomes.

Diagnostic Accuracy of Central Venous Catheter Confirmation by Bedside Ultrasound Versus Chest Radiography in Critically Ill Patients: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Objective: We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to examine the accuracy of bedside ultrasound for confirmation of central venous catheter position and exclusion of pneumothorax compared with chest radiography. Data Sources: PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, reference lists, conference proceedings and ClinicalTrials.gov. Study Selection: Articles and abstracts describing the diagnostic accuracy of bedside ultrasound compared with chest radiography for confirmation of central venous catheters in sufficient detail to reconstruct 2 × 2 contingency tables were reviewed. Primary outcomes included the accuracy of confirming catheter positioning and detecting a pneumothorax. Secondary outcomes included feasibility, interrater reliability, and efficiency to complete bedside ultrasound confirmation of central venous catheter position. Data Extraction: Investigators abstracted study details including research design and sonographic imaging technique to detect catheter malposition and procedure-related pneumothorax. Diagnostic accuracy measures included pooled sensitivity, specificity, positive likelihood ratio, and negative likelihood ratio. Data Synthesis: Fifteen studies with 1,553 central venous catheter placements were identified with a pooled sensitivity and specificity of catheter malposition by ultrasound of 0.82 (0.77–0.86) and 0.98 (0.97–0.99), respectively. The pooled positive and negative likelihood ratios of catheter malposition by ultrasound were 31.12 (14.72–65.78) and 0.25 (0.13–0.47). The sensitivity and specificity of ultrasound for pneumothorax detection was nearly 100% in the participating studies. Bedside ultrasound reduced mean central venous catheter confirmation time by 58.3 minutes. Risk of bias and clinical heterogeneity in the studies were high. Conclusions: Bedside ultrasound is faster than radiography at identifying pneumothorax after central venous catheter insertion. When a central venous catheter malposition exists, bedside ultrasound will identify four out of every five earlier than chest radiography.

Antipyretic Therapy in Critically Ill Septic Patients: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Objective: This meta-analysis aimed to examine the impact of antipyretic therapy on mortality in critically ill septic adults. Data Sources: Literature searches were implemented in Ovid Medline, Embase, Scopus, Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, NHS Economic Evaluation Database, and ClinicalTrials.gov through February 2016. Study Selection: Inclusion criteria were observational or randomized studies of septic patients, evaluation of antipyretic treatment, mortality reported, and English-language version available. Studies were excluded if they enrolled pediatric patients, patients with neurologic injury, or healthy volunteers. Criteria were applied by two independent reviewers. Data Extraction: Two reviewers independently extracted data and evaluated methodologic quality. Outcomes included mortality, frequency of shock reversal, acquisition of nosocomial infections, and changes in body temperature, heart rate, and minute ventilation. Randomized and observational studies were analyzed separately. Data Synthesis: Eight randomized studies (1,507 patients) and eight observational studies (17,432 patients) were analyzed. Antipyretic therapy did not reduce 28-day/hospital mortality in the randomized studies (relative risk, 0.93; 95% CI, 0.77–1.13; I 2 = 0.0%) or observational studies (odds ratio, 0.90; 95% CI, 0.54–1.51; I 2 = 76.1%). Shock reversal (relative risk, 1.13; 95% CI, 0.68–1.90; I 2 = 51.6%) and acquisition of nosocomial infections (relative risk, 1.13; 95% CI, 0.61–2.09; I 2 = 61.0%) were also unchanged. Antipyretic therapy decreased body temperature (mean difference, –0.38°C; 95% CI, –0.63 to –0.13; I 2 = 84.0%), but not heart rate or minute ventilation. Conclusions: Antipyretic treatment does not significantly improve 28-day/hospital mortality in adult patients with sepsis.

Analgosedation Practices and the Impact of Sedation Depth on Clinical Outcomes Among Patients Requiring Mechanical Ventilation in the ED: A Cohort Study

BACKGROUND: Analgesia and sedation are cornerstone therapies for mechanically ventilated patients. Despite data showing that early deep sedation in the ICU influences outcome, this has not been investigated in the ED. Therefore, ED‐based sedation practices, and their influence on outcome, remain incompletely defined. This studys objectives were to describe ED sedation practices in mechanically ventilated patients and to test the hypothesis that ED sedation depth is associated with worse outcomes. METHODS: This was a cohort study of a prospectively compiled ED registry of adult mechanically ventilated patients at a single academic medical center. Hospital mortality was the primary outcome and hospital‐, ICU‐, and ventilator‐free days were secondary outcomes. A backward stepwise multivariable logistic regression model evaluated the primary outcome as a function of ED sedation depth. Sedation depth was assessed with the Richmond Agitation‐Sedation Scale (RASS). RESULTS: Four hundred fourteen patients were studied. In the ED, 354 patients (85.5%) received fentanyl, 254 (61.3%) received midazolam, and 194 (46.9%) received propofol. Deep sedation was observed in 244 patients (64.0%). After adjusting for confounders, a deeper ED RASS was associated with mortality (adjusted OR, 0.77; 95% CI, 0.63–0.94). CONCLUSIONS: Early deep sedation is common in mechanically ventilated ED patients and is associated with worse mortality. These data suggest that ED‐based sedation is a modifiable variable that could be targeted to improve outcome.

Discrepancies in measuring bladder volumes with bedside ultrasound and bladder scanning in the intensive care unit: A pilot study

Objective Intensive care unit patients are at risk for catheter-associated urinary tract infection. Earlier removal of catheters may be possible with accurate measurement of bladder volume. The purpose was to compare measured bladder volumes with bedside ultrasound, bladder scanner, and urine volume. Design Prospective correlational descriptive study. Setting Surgical/trauma intensive care unit and medical intensive care unit. Patients Renal dialysis patients with less than 100 ml of urine in 24 h prior to urinary catheter removal and patients with suspected catheter obstruction. Measurements and main results A physician trained in ultrasound and an advanced practice registered nurse trained in bladder scanning measured bladder volume; each blinded to the other’s measurement. Device used first (ultrasound or bladder scanner) alternated daily. The intensive care unit team determined need for intermittent catheterization or treatment for suspected obstruction. Fifty-one measurements from 13 patients were obtained with results reported in milliliters. Ultrasound measurements were a mean volume of 72.1 ± 127 (range: 1.7–666) and the bladder scanner measurements were 117 ± 131 (0–529). On six occasions in five dialysis patients, urine volume measurement was available. The mean difference in ultrasound–urine volume mean difference was 0.5 ± 37.8 (range: −68 to 38.2) and the bladder scanner–urine volume was 132 ± 167 (−72 to 397). Two patients with suspected catheter obstructions had ultrasound, bladder scanner, urine volume measurements, respectively: (1) 539, 51, >300 (began voiding before catheter replaced); (2) 666, 68, 1000 with catheter replacement. Conditions leading to greatest differences were obesity, indwelling catheter and ascites. Conclusions These results demonstrate the inaccuracy of the bladder scanner. Ultrasound measurements appear more accurate. To remove urinary catheters in patients with minimal to low urine output, serial ultrasound measurements can be used to monitor bladder volumes and return of renal function.

Thirty-day hospital readmissions among mechanically ventilated emergency department patients

Background Unplanned 30-day readmissions have a negative impact on patients and healthcare systems. Mechanically ventilated ED patients are at high risk for complications, but factors associated with readmission are unknown. Objective (1) Determine the rate of 30-day hospital readmission for ED patients receiving mechanical ventilation. (2) Identify associations between ED-based risk factors and readmission. Design Retrospective cohort study. Setting Tertiary-care, academic medical centre. Patients Adult ED patients receiving mechanical ventilation. Measurements Baseline demographics, comorbid conditions, illness severity and treatment variables were collected, as were clinical outcomes occurring during the index hospitalisation. The primary outcome was 30-day hospital readmission rate. Multivariable logistic regression was used to evaluate factors associated with the primary outcome. Results A total of 1262 patients were studied. The primary outcome occurred in 287 (22.7%) patients. There was no association between care in the ED and readmission. During the index hospitalisation, readmitted patients had shorter ventilator, hospital and intensive care unit duration (P<0.05 for all). The primary outcome was associated with African-American race (adjusted OR 1.34 (95% CI 1.02 to 1.78)), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (adjusted OR 1.52 (95% CI 1.12 to 2.06)), diabetes mellitus (adjusted OR 1.34 (95% CI 1.02 to 1.78)) and higher illness severity (adjusted OR 1.03 (95% CI 1.01 to 1.05)). Conclusions Almost one in four mechanically ventilated ED patients are readmitted within 30 days, and readmission is associated with patient-level and institutional-level factors. Strategies must be developed to identify, treat and coordinate care for the most at-risk patients.

Sub-acute Tamponade and the Value of Point-of- Care Ultrasound for Rapid Diagnosis: A Case Report

Minoxidil is a strong oral vasodilator that is used to treat patients with hypertension refractory to first-line medications. We report a case of minoxidil-associated subacute cardiac tamponade diagnosed by point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) in a hypertensive patient. A 30-year-old male with a past medical history of poorly controlled hypertension (treated with minoxidil) and chronic kidney disease presented with 2–3 days of chest pain and shortness of breath with markedly elevated blood pressures. A point-of-care transthoracic echocardiogram revealed a massive pericardial effusion with sonographic tamponade physiology. We review the risk factors for developing pericardial effusions that progress to cardiac tamponade, the utility of diagnosing these patients by POCUS, and the incidence of patients who present with sonographic signs of cardiac tamponade without hypotension.

Levodopa Withdrawal Presenting as Fever in a Critically Ill Patient Receiving Concomitant Enteral Nutrition

Nutritional protein may decrease levodopa absorption and has resulted in withdrawal and neuroleptic malignant-like syndromes in critically ill patients. A 72-year-old male was admitted with shortness of breath. His medical history included Parkinson’s disease for over 30 years for which he took carbidopa/levodopa 5 times daily. The patient’s home medications were continued. On day 2, he was intubated and transferred to the intensive care unit (ICU). He was extubated the next day and reintubated on day 4. Enteral nutrition was initiated at 85 mL/h overnight. The patient’s carbidopa/levodopa was administered to limit coadministration with nutrition. Throughout his ICU stay, the patient did not demonstrate changes in mental status. Despite resolution of his pneumonia, he developed fever after administration of one dose overlapping with nutrition, with defervescence throughout the rest of the day. On hospital day 10, that dose was empirically increased. After this dosing change, the patient failed to develop fever during the rest of his hospital stay. On day 16, the patient was discharged to a long-term care facility without any other complications. Our case highlights the interaction between levodopa and enteral nutrition and the potential of fever as the sole sign of withdrawal.

834: DISCREPANCIES IN MEASURING BLADDER VOLUMES WITH BEDSIDE ULTRASOUND AND BLADDER SCANNING IN THE ICU

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