Peter Schellongowski

Comparison of a conventional tracheal airway with the Combitube in an urban emergency medical services system run by physicians

This prospective randomised study was performed to compare the use of the Esophageal-Tracheal Combitube(R) (ETC; Tyco Healthcare, Mansfield, MA; http://www.combitube.org) with a conventional tracheal airway (ETA) for airway management by experienced physicians of the Emergency Medical Services System of the City of Vienna in the prehospital setting. Access to the patients head, time of arrival of the ambulance, ease of insertion, time of insertion, potential substitution by the alternate airway, efficacy of adrenaline (epinephrine) administered via the airway, survival to the intensive care unit (ICU) ward and survival to discharge from the hospital were evaluated. One hundred and seventy-two non-traumatic cardiac arrest patients (131 males, 41 females) were enrolled in this study during a 12 months period. In 83 patients (48.3%), the conventional ETA (group 1) was used for the initial intubation attempt which was successful in 78 patients (94%). The remaining five patients of group 1 could not be intubated with an ETA, but were successfully managed with the ETC. Eighty-nine patients (51.7%) were intubated with the ETC (group 2) as first choice (79 in oesophageal position (89%); eight in tracheal position: (9%)), which was successful in 87 (98%) patients. The remaining two patients in group 2 (2%) were successfully managed with the ETA. Success of intubation and ventilation with ETC was comparable to the ETA. Recorded time of insertion was shorter with the ETC versus ETA (P<0.05). The Combitube worked well in cases of difficult access to the patients head and in bleeding and vomiting patients. Both devices served as successful substitutes for each other. Adrenaline (epinephrine) applied via ETC with a 10-fold dosage was as effective as via the conventional ETA. To our knowledge this is the first study using physicians comparing ETC and ETA in the prehospital setting.

Evaluation of Seldinger technique Emergency cricothyroidotomy versus standard surgical cricothyroidotomy in 200 cadavers

Background: Percutaneous cricothyroidotomy is a lifesaving procedure for airway obstruction in trauma victims who need airway establishment and cannot be intubated or in whom intubation has failed. Methods: The purpose of this study was to examine whether there is a training effect using Seldinger technique emergency cricothyroidotomy (group 1; Arndt Emergency Cricothyroidotomy Catheter Set; Cook Critical Care, Bloomington, IN) versus standard surgical cricothyroidotomy (group 2). Twenty emergency physicians performed five cricothyroidotomies with each method in a total of 200 human cadavers, comparing efficacy and safety (speed, success rate, and injuries). Results: Seven attempts in group 1 and six in group 2 had to be aborted. Time intervals from the start of the procedure to location of the cricothyroid membrane were not significantly different between the groups. However, time to tracheal puncture (P < 0.01) and time to first ventilation (P < 0.001) were significantly longer in group 2. No time effect could be observed in both groups. The airway was accurately placed into the trachea through the cricothyroid membrane in 88.2% (82 of 93) of the cadavers in group 1 and in 84.0% (79 of 94) in group 2 (not significant). No injuries were observed in group 1, whereas there were six punctures of the thyroid vessels in group 2 (P < 0.05). Conclusions: With respect to time needed for the procedure, the participants performed Seldinger technique emergency cricothyroidotomy significantly faster as compared with standard surgical cricothyroidotomy. Even if no training effect had been observed, the authors believe that it is important to train residents in different methods of cricothyroidotomy in cadavers in addition to training in mannequins to achieve a higher level of efficacy in real-life situations. The shorter time to first ventilation and the fact that no injuries could be observed favor the Seldinger technique.

Prognostic factors for intensive care unit admission, intensive care outcome, and post-intensive care survival in patients with de novo acute myeloid leukemia: a single center experience

Background Acute myeloid leukemia is a life-threatening disease associated with high mortality rates. A substantial number of patients require intensive care. This investigation analyzes risk factors predicting admission to the intensive care unit in patients with acute myeloid leukemia eligible for induction chemotherapy, the outcome of these patients, and prognostic factors predicting their survival. Design and Methods A total of 406 consecutive patients with de novo acute myeloid leukemia (15–89 years) were analyzed retrospectively. Markers recorded at the time of diagnosis included karyotype, fibrinogen, C-reactive protein, and Charlson comorbidity index. In patients requiring critical care, the value of the Simplified Acute Physiology Score II, the need for mechanical ventilation, and vasopressor support were recorded at the time of intensive care unit admission. The independent prognostic relevance of the parameters was tested by multivariate analysis. Results Sixty-two patients (15.3%) required intensive care, primarily due to respiratory failure (50.0%) or life-threatening bleeding (22.6%). Independent risk factors predicting intensive care unit admission were lower fibrinogen concentration, the presence of an infection, and comorbidity. The survival rate was 45%, with the Simplified Acute Physiology Score II being the only independent prognostic parameter (P<0.05). Survival was inferior in intensive care patients compared to patients not admitted to an intensive care unit. However, no difference between intensive care and non-intensive care patients was found concerning continuous complete remission at 6 years or survival at 6 years in patients who survived the first 30 days after diagnosis (non-intensive care patients: 28%; intensive care patients: 20%, P>0.05). Conclusions Ongoing infections, low fibrinogen and comorbidity are predictive for intensive care unit admission in acute myeloid leukemia. Although admission was a risk factor for survival, continuous complete remission and survival of patients alive at day 30 were similar in patients who were admitted or not admitted to an intensive care unit.

Continuous lateral rotation therapy to prevent ventilator-associated pneumonia

Objective: To investigate the impact of prophylactic continuous lateral rotation therapy on the prevalence of ventilator-associated pneumonia, duration of mechanical ventilation, length of stay, and mortality in critically ill medical patients. Design: Prospective, randomized, clinical study. Setting: Three medical intensive care units of an university tertiary care hospital. Patients: Patients were randomized to continuous lateral rotation therapy or standard care if they were mechanically ventilated for <48 hrs and free from pneumonia. Primary study end point was development of ventilator-associated pneumonia. Ventilator-associated pneumonia was defined as infiltrate on the chest radiograph plus newly developed purulent tracheal secretion plus increasing signs of inflammation. The diagnosis had to be confirmed microbiologically and required the growth of a pathogen >104 colony-forming units/mL in bronchoalveolar lavage. Radiologists were blinded to randomization whereas clinical outcome assessors were not. Interventions: Rotation therapy was performed continuously in a specially designed bed over an arc of 90°. Additional measures to prevent ventilator-associated pneumonia were equally standardized in both groups including semirecumbent position. Measurements and Main Results: Ventilator-associated pneumonia frequency during the intensive care unit stay was 11% in the rotation group and 23% in the control group (p = .048), respectively. Duration of ventilation (8 ± 5 vs. 14 ± 23 days, p = .02) and length of stay (25 ± 22 days vs. 39 ± 45 days, p = .01) were significantly shorter in the rotation group. In a forward stepwise logistic regression model including the continuous lateral rotation therapy, gender, Lung Injury Score, and Simplified Acute Physiology Score II, continuous lateral rotation therapy just failed to reach statistical significance with respect to development of ventilator-associated pneumonia (p = .08). Intolerance to continuous lateral rotation therapy during the weaning phase was observed in 29 patients (39%). Mortality was comparable in both groups. Conclusions: Ventilator-associated pneumonia prevalence was significantly reduced by continuous lateral rotation therapy. Continuous lateral rotation therapy led to shorter ventilation time and length of stay. Continuous lateral rotation therapy should be considered in ventilated patients at risk for ventilator-associated pneumonia as a feasible method exerting additive effects to other preventive measures.

Evidence and consensus based guideline for the management of delirium, analgesia, and sedation in intensive care medicine. Revision 2015 (DAS-Guideline 2015) - short version.

In 2010, under the guidance of the DGAI (German Society of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine) and DIVI (German Interdisciplinary Association for Intensive Care and Emergency Medicine), twelve German medical societies published the “Evidence- and Consensus-based Guidelines on the Management of Analgesia, Sedation and Delirium in Intensive Care”. Since then, several new studies and publications have considerably increased the body of evidence, including the new recommendations from the American College of Critical Care Medicine (ACCM) in conjunction with Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM) and American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) from 2013. For this update, a major restructuring and extension of the guidelines were needed in order to cover new aspects of treatment, such as sleep and anxiety management. The literature was systematically searched and evaluated using the criteria of the Oxford Center of Evidence Based Medicine. The body of evidence used to formulate these recommendations was reviewed and approved by representatives of 17 national societies. Three grades of recommendation were used as follows: Grade “A” (strong recommendation), Grade “B” (recommendation) and Grade “0” (open recommendation). The result is a comprehensive, interdisciplinary, evidence and consensus-based set of level 3 guidelines. This publication was designed for all ICU professionals, and takes into account all critically ill patient populations. It represents a guide to symptom-oriented prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of delirium, anxiety, stress, and protocol-based analgesia, sedation, and sleep-management in intensive care medicine.

Coagulation parameters and major bleeding in critically ill patients with cirrhosis

Disturbances of coagulation and hemostasis are common in patients with liver cirrhosis. The typical laboratory pattern mimics disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC). The aim of this study was to assess the impact of routine coagulation parameters in critically ill cirrhosis patients with regard to new onset of major bleeding and outcome. A total of 1,493 critically ill patients were studied prospectively. Routine coagulation parameters were assessed, and the DIC score was calculated based on platelets, fibrinogen, d‐dimer, and prothrombin index. New onset of major bleeding during the stay at the intensive care unit and mortality were assessed. Patients were followed for 1 year. Two hundred eleven patients of the cohort had liver cirrhosis. Platelets, fibrinogen, prothrombin index, activated partial thromboplastin time, and d‐dimer as well as the DIC score differed significantly between patients with and without cirrhosis (P < 0.001 for all). Moreover, fibrinogen, platelets, and activated partial thromboplastin time (but not prothrombin index) differed significantly between cirrhosis patients with and without major bleeding (P < 0.01 for all). Bleeding on admission, platelet count <30 < 109/L, fibrinogen level <60 mg/dL, and activated partial thromboplastin time values >100 seconds were the strongest independent predictors for new onset of major bleeding in multivariate regression analysis. One‐year mortality in cirrhosis patients with and without major bleeding was 89% and 68%, respectively (P < 0.05 between groups). Conclusion: Abnormal coagulation parameters and high DIC scores (primarily due to fibrinogen and platelets) correspond to increased bleeding risk in patients with liver cirrhosis in the intensive care unit, and fibrinogen and platelet count were identified as the best routine coagulation parameters for prediction of new onset of major bleeding; however, further studies are required to evaluate the potential therapeutic implications of these findings. (Hepatology 2016;64:556‐568)

Jaundice increases the rate of complications and one‐year mortality in patients with hypoxic hepatitis

Hypoxic hepatitis (HH) is the most frequent cause of acute liver injury in critically ill patients. No clinical data exist about new onset of jaundice in patients with HH. This study aimed to evaluate the incidence and clinical effect of jaundice in critically ill patients with HH. Two hundred and six consecutive patients with HH were screened for the development of jaundice during the course of HH. Individuals with preexisting jaundice or liver cirrhosis at the time of admission (n = 31) were excluded from analysis. Jaundice was diagnosed in patients with plasma total bilirubin levels >3 mg/dL. One‐year‐survival, infections, and cardiopulmonary, gastrointestinal (GI), renal, and hepatic complications were prospectively documented. New onset of jaundice occurred in 63 of 175 patients with HH (36%). In patients who survived the acute event of HH, median duration of jaundice was 6 days (interquartile range, 3‐8). Patients who developed jaundice (group 1) needed vasopressor treatment (P < 0.05), renal replacement therapy (P < 0.05), and mechanical ventilation (P < 0.05) more often and had a higher maximal administered dose of norepinephrine (P < 0.05), compared to patients without jaundice (group 2). One‐year survival rate was significantly lower in group 1, compared to group 2 (8% versus 25%, respectively; P < 0.05). Occurrence of jaundice was associated with an increased frequency of complications during follow‐up (54% in group 1 versus 35% in group 2; P < 0.05). In particular, infections as well as renal and GI complications occurred more frequently in group 1 during follow‐up. Conclusion: Jaundice is a common finding during the course of HH. It leads to an increased rate of complications and worse outcome in patients with HH. (HEPATOLOGY 2012)

Treatment of adult patients with sepsis-induced coagulopathy and purpura fulminans using a plasma-derived protein C concentrate (Ceprotin®)

Background and Objectives  The aim of this study was to document the effects of supplementation with a plasma‐derived protein C concentrate in adult patients with infectious purpura fulminans.

New drugs, new toxicities: severe side effects of modern targeted and immunotherapy of cancer and their management

Pharmacological and cellular treatment of cancer is changing dramatically with benefits for patient outcome and comfort, but also with new toxicity profiles. The majority of adverse events can be classified as mild or moderate, but severe and life-threatening complications requiring ICU admission also occur. This review will focus on pathophysiology, symptoms, and management of these events based on the available literature.While standard antineoplastic therapy is associated with immunosuppression and infections, some of the recent approaches induce overwhelming inflammation and autoimmunity. Cytokine-release syndrome (CRS) describes a complex of symptoms including fever, hypotension, and skin reactions as well as lab abnormalities. CRS may occur after the infusion of monoclonal or bispecific antibodies (MABs, BABs) targeting immune effectors and tumor cells and is a major concern in recipients of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) modified T lymphocytes as well. BAB and CAR T-cell treatment may also be compromised by central nervous system (CNS) toxicities such as encephalopathy, cerebellar alteration, disturbed consciousness, or seizures. While CRS is known to be induced by exceedingly high levels of inflammatory cytokines, the pathophysiology of CNS events is still unclear. Treatment with antibodies against inhibiting immune checkpoints can lead to immune-related adverse events (IRAEs); colitis, diarrhea, and endocrine disorders are often the cause for ICU admissions.Respiratory distress is the main reason for ICU treatment in cancer patients and is attributable to infectious agents in most cases. In addition, some of the new drugs are reported to cause non-infectious lung complications. While drug-induced interstitial pneumonitis was observed in a substantial number of patients treated with phosphoinositol-3-kinase inhibitors, IRAEs may also affect the lungs.Inhibitors of angiogenetic pathways have increased the antineoplastic portfolio. However, vessel formation is also essential for regeneration and tissue repair. Therefore, severe vascular side effects, including thromboembolic events, gastrointestinal bleeding or perforation, hypertension, and congestive heart failure, compromise antitumor efficacy.The limited knowledge of the pathophysiology and management of life-threatening complications relating to new cancer drugs presents a need to provide ICU staff, oncologists, and organ specialists with evidence-based algorithms.

Lung Transplantation for Bronchiolitis Obliterans After Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation: A Single-center Experience

Background Bronchiolitis obliterans (BO) is a detrimental late pulmonary complication after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HCT) associated with chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGvHD). When systemic immunosuppressive treatment fails to improve, severe BO patients should be considered for lung transplantation (LuTX). We present seven patients undergoing LuTX for severe refractory BO after HCT. Methods Seven patients with hematologic malignancies developed severe cGvHD with lung involvement presenting as BO after allogeneic HCT. Evaluation for LuTX was initiated after failure of a median of 4 immunosuppressive regimens. Results Between 1996 and 2012, seven patients with severe refractory BO were evaluated for LuTX. The median time from HCT to diagnosis of chronic lung GvHD was 8.2 months (range, 3.7–16.6). At a median time of 18.1 months (range, 6–120) after diagnosis of BO, six patients received a bilateral sequential LuTX, and one patient received a single LuTX. Six postoperative courses were uneventful; the patient with single LuTX died from septic multiorgan failure. Three LuTX recipients had a mild acute rejection after one to three months after LuTX, and one patient experienced fatal chronic rejection and hemolytic uremic syndrome. At present, three (43%) LuTX recipients remain alive at a median observation time of 26 months (range, 1 month–16 years) after LuTX. The median overall survival from LuTX was 24 months (95% CI, 0.5–78); the median overall survival time after allogeneic HCT is 98 months (95% CI, 46–198). Conclusion This case series illustrates that LuTX is a possible therapeutic option for selected patients with severe treatment-refractory BO.