Rogério da Hora Passos

A clinical score to predict mortality in septic acute kidney injury patients requiring continuous renal replacement therapy: the HELENICC score

BackgroundThis study aimed to identify predictors of early (7-day) mortality in patients with septic acute kidney injury (AKI) who required continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT).MethodsProspective cohort of 186 septic AKI patients undergoing CRRT at a tertiary hospital, from October 2005 to November 2010.ResultsAfter multivariate adjustment, five variables were associated to early mortality: norepinephrine utilization, liver failure, medical condition, lactate level, and pre-dialysis creatinine level. These variables were combined in a score, which demonstrated good discrimination, with a C-statistic of 0.82 (95% CI = 0.76–0.88), and good calibration (χ2 = 4.3; p = 0.83). SAPS 3, APACHE II and SOFA scores demonstrated poor performance in this population.ConclusionsThe HEpatic failure, LactatE, NorepInephrine, medical Condition, and Creatinine (HELENICC) score outperformed tested generic models. Future studies should further validate this score in different cohorts.

Dynamic cerebral autoregulation is impaired during sub-maximal isometric handgrip in patients with heart failure

The incidence of neurological complications, including stroke and cognitive dysfunction, is elevated in patients with heart failure (HF) with reduced ejection fraction. We hypothesized that the cerebrovascular response to isometric handgrip (iHG) is altered in patients with HF. Adults with HF and healthy volunteers were included. Cerebral blood velocity (CBV; transcranial Doppler, middle cerebral artery) and arterial blood pressure (BP; Finometer) were continuously recorded supine for 6 min, corresponding to 1 min of baseline and 3 min of iHG exercise, at 30% maximum voluntary contraction, followed by 2 min of recovery. The resistance-area product was calculated from the instantaneous BP-CBV relationship. Dynamic cerebral autoregulation (dCA) was assessed with the time-varying autoregulation index estimated from the CBV step response derived by an autoregressive moving-average time-domain model. Forty patients with HF and 23 BP-matched healthy volunteers were studied. Median left ventricular ejection fraction was 38.5% (interquartile range: 0.075%) in the HF group. Compared with control subjects, patients with HF exhibited lower time-varying autoregulation index during iHG, indicating impaired dCA ( P < 0.025). During iHG, there were steep rises in CBV, BP, and heart rate in control subjects but with different temporal patterns in HF, which, together with the temporal evolution of resistance-area product, confirmed the disturbance in dCA in HF. Patients with HF were more likely to have impaired dCA during iHG compared with age-matched control subjects. Our results also suggest an impairment of myogenic, neurogenic, and metabolic control mechanisms in HF. The relationship between impaired dCA and neurological complications in patients with HF during exercise deserves further investigation. NEW & NOTEWORTHY Our findings provide the first direct evidence that cerebral blood flow regulatory mechanisms can be affected in patients with heart failure during isometric handgrip exercise. As a consequence, eventual blood pressure modulations are buffered less efficiently and metabolic demands may not be met during common daily activities. These deficits in cerebral autoregulation are compounded by limitations of the systemic response to isometric exercise, suggesting that patients with heart failure may be at greater risk for cerebral events during exercise.

Agitated Saline Bubble−Enhanced Ultrasound for Assessing Appropriate Position of Hemodialysis Central Venous Catheter in Critically Ill Patients

APACHE, Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation; ICU, intensive care unit; SOFA, Sequential Organ Failure Assessment. To the Editor: Renal replacement therapy is recommended to be initiated immediately in patients with life-threatening acute kidney injury (AKI) related symptoms. Ultrasound-guided insertion of hemodialysis catheter is recommended for vascular access. Agitated saline bubble enhanced ultrasound is efficient and rapid to ensure the correct positioning of central venous cateter in critically ill patients. Delayed appearance of microbubbles in the right atrium indicates inadequate positioning. A recent retrospective study performed in 202 patients admitted in a dialysis center and undergoing internal jugular catheterization for hemodialysis or medication administration reported that 2 catheter malpositions were detected immediately by agitated saline bubble enhanced ultrasound. The primary aim of this prospective study, which was performed in ventilated, critically ill patients with AKI, was to compare agitated saline bubble enhanced ultrasound with bedside chest radiography for the confirmation of appropriate positioning of hemodialysis catheter. The secondary aim was to compare agitated saline bubble enhanced ultrasound and bedside chest radiography completion times.

Lactate clearance is associated with mortality in septic patients with acute kidney injury requiring continuous renal replacement therapy: A cohort study.

AbstractThe aim of the study was to assess the clinical utility of lactate measured at different time points to predict mortality at 48 hours and 28 days in septic patients with acute kidney injury (AKI) requiring continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT).Consecutive critically ill patients with septic AKI requiring CRRT were prospectively studied. Variables were collected at initiation of CRRT and 24 hours later.In total, 186 patients were analyzed. Overall mortality at 48 hours was 28% and at 28 days was 69%. Initial lactate, lactate at 24 hours and the proportion of patients with a lactate clearance superior to 10% were different between survivors at 28 days [2.0 mmol/L, 1.95 mmol/L and 18/45 (40%)] and nonsurvivors [3.46 mmol, 4.66 mmol, and 18/94 (19%)]. Multivariate analysis demonstrated that lactate at 24 hours and lactate clearance, but not initial lactate, were independently associated to mortality. Area under the ROC curves for 28-day mortality was 0.635 for initial lactate; 0.828 for lactate at 24 hours and 0.701 for lactate clearance.Lactate clearance and lactate after 24 hours of CRRT, but not initial lactate, were independently associated with mortality in septic AKI patients undergoing CRRT. Serial lactate measurements may be useful prognostic markers than initial lactate in these patients.

Agitated saline bubble–enhanced ultrasound for the positioning of cuffed, tunneled dialysis catheters in patients with end-stage renal disease

Background: In patients with end-stage renal disease, the use of cuffed, tunneled dialysis catheters for hemodialysis has become integral to treatment plans. Fluoroscopy is a widely accepted method for the insertion and positioning of cuffed dialysis catheters, because it is easy to use, accurate and reliable, and has a relatively low incidence of complications. The purpose of our study was to evaluate the feasibility of tunneled hemodialysis catheter placement without the use of fluoroscopy but with a dynamic ultrasound-imaging-based guided technique. Methods: From January 2015 to December 2017, we performed an observational prospective cohort study of 56 patients with end-stage renal disease who required tunneled dialysis catheter placement. Results: The overall success rate for ultrasound-guided central access was 100%, with a mean number of 1.16 (±0.4) attempts per patient. There were no incidences of guide wire coiling/kinking, carotid puncture, pneumothorax, or catheter malfunction. Catheter flow during dialysis was 286 (±38) mL/min. The total number of catheter days was 7451, with a mean of 133 days and a range of 46–322 days. Life table analysis revealed primary patency rates of 100%, 96%, and 53% at 30, 60, and 120 days, respectively. Conclusion: Dynamic ultrasound-based visualization of microbubbles in the right atrium is a highly accurate method to detect percutaneous implantation of large-lumen, tunneled, central venous catheters without the need for fluoroscopic guidance technology. Future research should further develop and confirm these initial findings.

Prognostic ability of quick-SOFA across different age groups of patients with suspected infection outside the intensive care unit: A cohort study.

Objectives: Sepsis identification in older patients is challenging. We evaluated the performance of qSOFA across different age groups of patients with suspected infection outside the intensive care unit (ICU). Methods: Retrospective cohort in a tertiary hospital in Brazil, from January 2016 to December 2016. Outcomes were hospital mortality, ICU admission and bacteremia. Performance of qSOFA was compared over three age groups: (1) reference: ≤65 years, (2) old: 65 to 79 years and (3) very old: ≥80 years. Results: There were 420 patients in the study, of which 259 (61.7%) were ≤65 years, 80 (19%) were 65 to 79 years and 81 (19.3%) were ≥80 years. Old and very old patients had higher qSOFA scores and lower SIRS scores. Overall, qSOFA ≥2 was associated to hospital mortality [OR (95% CI) = 5.8 (3.3–10.4), p < 0.001], ICU admission [OR (95% CI) = 2.7 (1.6–4.6), p < 0.001] and bacteremia [OR (95% CI) = 3.1 (1.7–5.8), p < 0.001]. Those associations were stronger in old and very old patients. qSOFA and SIRS demonstrated overall AUROCs for hospital mortality of 0.72 and 0.50, respectively. Conclusion: qSOFA demonstrated good overall accuracy and was more strongly associated to outcomes in old and very old patients, when compared to younger patients. HighlightsqSOFA demonstrated good overall accuracy and was more strongly associated to outcomes in older age groups.SIRS criteria were not predictive of outcomes in this population.There were different vital signs alterations in each age group.Older age was associated with worse outcomes.

Inclusion and definition of acute renal dysfunction in critically ill patients in randomized controlled trials: a systematic review

BackgroundIn evidence-based medicine, multicenter, prospective, randomized controlled trials (RCTs) are the gold standard for evaluating treatment benefits and ensuring the effectiveness of interventions. Patient-centered outcomes, such as mortality, are most often the preferred evaluated outcomes. While there is currently agreement on how to classify renal dysfunction in critically ill patients , the application frequency of this new classification system in RCTs has not previously been evaluated. In this study, we aim to assess the definition of renal dysfunction in multicenter RCTs involving critically ill patients that included mortality as a primary endpoint.MethodsA comprehensive search was conducted for publications reporting multicenter randomized controlled trials (RCTs) involving adult patients in intensive care units (ICUs) that included mortality as a primary outcome. MEDLINE and PUBMED were queried for relevant articles in core clinical journals published between May 2004 and December 2017.ResultsOf 418 articles reviewed, 46 multicenter RCTs with a primary endpoint related to mortality were included. Thirty-six (78.3%) of the trial reports provided information on renal function in the participants. Only seven articles (15.2%) included mean or median serum creatinine levels, mean creatinine clearance or estimated glomerular filtration rates. Sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA) score was the most commonly used definition of renal dysfunction (20 studies; 43.5%). Risk, Injury, Failure, Loss, End-stage renal disease (RIFLE), Acute Kidney Injury Network (AKIN) and Kidney Disease Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) criteria were used in five (10.9%) trials. In thirteen trials (28.3%), no renal dysfunction criteria were reported. Only one trial excluded patients with renal dysfunction, and it used urinary output or need for renal replacement therapy (RRT) as criteria for this diagnosis.ConclusionThe presence of renal dysfunction was included as a baseline patient characteristic in most RCTs. The RIFLE, AKIN and KDIGO classification systems were infrequently used; renal dysfunction was generally defined using the SOFA score.

Prognostication in urgent intensive care unit referrals: a cohort study

Objectives Prognostication is an essential ability to clinicians. Nevertheless, it has been shown to be quite variable in acutely ill patients, potentially leading to inappropriate care. We aimed to assess the accuracy of physician’s prediction of hospital mortality in acutely deteriorating patients referred for urgent intensive care unit (ICU) admission. Methods Prospective cohort of acutely ill patients referred for urgent ICU admission in an academic, tertiary hospital. Physicians’ prognosis assessments were recorded at ICU referral. Prognosis was assessed as survival without severe disabilities, survival with severe disabilities or no survival. Prognosis was further dichotomised in good prognosis (survival without severe disabilities) or poor prognosis (survival with severe disabilities or no survival) for prediction of hospital mortality. Results There were 2374 analysed referrals, with 2103 (88.6%) patients with complete data on mortality and physicians’ prognosis. There were 593 (34.4%), 215 (66.4%) and 51 (94.4%) deaths in the groups ascribed a prognosis of survival without disabilities, survival with severe disabilities or no survival, respectively (p<0.001). Sensitivity was 31%, specificity was 91% and the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.61 for prediction of mortality. After multivariable analysis, severity of illness, performance status and ICU admission were associated with an increased likelihood of incorrect classification, while worse predicted prognosis was associated with a lower chance of incorrect classification. Conclusions Physician’s prediction was associated with hospital mortality, but overall accuracy was poor, mainly due to low sensitivity to detect risk of poor prognosis.

Fluid removal in critically ill patients during hemodialysis: is there a role for functional hemodynamic monitoring?

Renal replacement therapy is frequently required in critically ill patients with acute kidney injury. With intermittent hemodialysis, large volumes of fluid need to be removed over a relatively short period of time, jeopardizing hemodynamic stability in already hemodynamically compromised patients. Established methods of dry weight estimation are not practical in critical care and the estimation of excess body fluid removable by hemodialysis constitutes a particular change in these patients. Dynamic parameters of fluid responsiveness are increasingly being used to guide fluid therapy in critical care, but their suitability to monitor fluid removal with hemodialysis is not known.

Maximum recruitment strategy revealed efficiency and a larger recruitable lung in a prospective series of early ARDS patients

A recent meta-analysis demonstrated that higher levels of PEEP were associated with improved survival among the subgroup of patients with ARDS. The maximum recruitment strategy (MRS) guided by thoracic CT scan is capable of reversing alveolar collapse almost completely, allowing PEEP titration to sustain lungs almost fully open, homogenizing tidal ventilation and possibly reducing ventilator-induced lung injury.