Project description:Shock in cardio-surgical intensive care unit (ICU) patients requires prompt identification of the underlying condition and timely therapeutic interventions. Management during the first 6 hours, also referred to as "the golden hours", is of paramount importance to reverse the shock state and improve the patient's outcome. The authors have previously described a state-of-the-art diagnostic work-up and discussed how to optimise preload, vascular tone, contractility, heart rate and oxygen delivery during this phase. Ideally, shock can be reversed during this initial period. However, some patients might have developed multiple organ dysfunction, which persists beyond the first 6 hours despite the early haemodynamic treatment goals having been accomplished. This period, also referred to as "the silver days", is the focus of this review. The authors discuss how to reduce vasopressor load and how to minimise adrenergic stress by using alternative inotropes, extracorporeal life-support and short acting beta-blockers. The review incorporates data on fluid weaning, safe ventilation, daily interruption of sedation, delirium management and early rehabilitation. It includes practical recommendations in areas where the evidence is scarce or controversial. Although the focus is on cardio-surgery ICU patients, most of the considerations apply to critical ill patients in general.
Project description:Decompensated cirrhosis is a common reason for admission to the acute medical unit, and such patients typically have complex medical needs and are at high risk of in-hospital death. It is therefore vital that these patients receive appropriate investigations and management as early as possible in their patient journey. Typical presenting clinical features include jaundice, ascites, hepatic encephalopathy, hepato-renal syndrome or variceal haemorrhage. A careful history, examination and investigations can help identify the precipitating cause (infections, gastrointestinal bleeding, high alcohol intake / alcohol-related hepatitis or drug-induced liver injury), so appropriate treatment can be given. A 'care bundle' that has been endorsed by the British Society of Gastroenterology is available to help guide the management of patients with decompensated cirrhosis for the first 24 hours and ensure all aspects are addressed. Specific management of complications, such as infections, gastrointestinal bleeding, hepatic encephalopathy and hepatorenal syndrome, are discussed.
Project description:BACKGROUND:The impact of liver cirrhosis on the outcomes of admission to intensive care unit (ICU) is not completely understood. Our purpose is to identify risk factors for mortality in ICU patients with liver cirrhosis. METHODS:Using reimbursement claims from Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database from in 2006-2012, 1,250,300 patients were identified as having ICU stays of more than 1 day, and 37,197 of these had liver cirrhosis. With propensity score-matching for socioeconomic status, pre-existing medical conditions, and cirrhosis-related morbidities, 37,197 ICU patients without liver cirrhosis were selected for comparison. Adjusted odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of cirrhosis associated with 30-day, ICU, and one-year mortality were calculated. RESULTS:Compared with control, cirrhotic patients had higher 30-day mortality (aOR 1.60, 95% CI 1.53 to 1.68), particularly those with jaundice (aOR 2.23, 95% CI 2.03 to 2.45), ascites (aOR 2.32, 95% CI 2.19 to 2.46) or hepatic coma (aOR 2.21, 95% CI 2.07 to 2.36). Among ICU patients, liver cirrhosis was also associated with ICU mortality (aOR 144, 95% CI 1.38 to 1.51) and one-year mortality (aOR 1.40, 95% CI 1.35 to 1.46). Associations between cirrhosis of liver and increased 30-day mortality were significant in both sexes and every age group. CONCLUSIONS:Liver cirrhosis was associated with 30-day mortality in ICU patients. Jaundice, ascites, hepatic coma, more than 4 admissions due to cirrhosis, and more than 30 days of hospital stay due to cirrhosis were exacerbated factors in cirrhotic ICU patients.
Project description:IntroductionPain is the most common complaint for an emergency department (ED) visit, but ED pain management is poor. Reasons for poor pain management include providers' concerns for drug-seeking behaviors and perceptions of patients' complaints. Patients who had objective findings of long bone fractures were more likely to receive pain medication than those who did not, despite pain complaints. We hypothesized that patients who were interhospital-transferred from an ED to an intensive care unit (ICU) for urgent surgical interventions would display objective pathology for pain and thus receive adequate pain management at ED departure.MethodsThis was a retrospective study at a single, quaternary referral, academic medical center. We included non-trauma adult ED patients who were interhospital-transferred and underwent operative interventions within 12 hours of ICU arrival between July 2013 and June 2014. Patients who had incomplete ED records, required invasive mechanical ventilation, or had no pain throughout their ED stay were excluded. Primary outcome was the percentage of patients at ED departure achieving adequate pain control of ≤ 50% of triage level. We performed multivariable logistic regression to assess association between demographic and clinical variables with inadequate pain control.ResultsWe included 112 patients from 39 different EDs who met inclusion criteria. Mean pain score at triage and ED departure was 8 (standard deviation 8 and 5 [3]), respectively. Median of total morphine equivalent unit (MEU) was 7.5 [5-13] and MEU/kg total body weight (TBW) was 0.09 [0.05-0.16] MEU/kg, with median number of pain medication administration of 2 [1-3] doses. Time interval from triage to first narcotic dose was 61 (35-177) minutes. Overall, only 38% of patients achieved adequate pain control. Among different variables, only total MEU/kg was associated with significant lower risk of inadequate pain control at ED departure (adjusted odds ratio = 0.22; 95% confidence interval = 0.05-0.92, p = 0.037).ConclusionPain control among a group of interhospital-transferred patients requiring urgent operative interventions, was inadequate. Neither demographic nor clinical factors, except MEU/kg TBW, were shown to associate with poor pain management at ED departure. Emergency providers should consider more effective strategies, such as multimodal analgesia, to improve pain management in this group of patients.
Project description:Peritoneal macrophages (PM) are thought to regulate peritoneal inflammation and control bacterial infections in decompensated liver cirrhosis. The aim of this study was to characterize human PM heterogeneity. Employing CD206 surface expression, we identified subsets of human large (LPM) and small (SPM) PM, which differed in granularity and maturation states. FACS-sorted LPM from patients with decompensated cirrhosis revealed discrete transcriptome clusters, comprising more than 4000 differentially regulated genes involved in cell cycle, metabolism, and immune signaling.
Project description:BackgroundIntensive care unit (ICU) organization is a critical factor in optimizing patient outcomes. ICU organization can be divided into "OPEN" (O) and "CLOSED" (C) models, where the specialist or intensivist, respectively, assumes the role of primary physician. Recent studies support improved outcomes in closed ICUs, however, most of the available data is centered on ICUs generally or on subspecialty surgical patients in the setting of a subspecialized surgical intensive care unit (SICU). We examined the impact of closing a general SICU on patient outcomes following cardiac and ascending aortic surgery.MethodsA retrospective cohort of patients following cardiac or ascending aortic surgery by median sternotomy was examined at a single academic medical center one year prior and one year after implementation of a closed SICU model. Patients were divided into "OPEN" (O; n=53) and "CLOSED" (C; n=73) cohorts.ResultsCohorts were comparable in terms of age, race, and number of comorbid conditions. A significant difference in male gender (O: 60.4% vs. C: 76.7%, P=0.049), multiple procedure performed (O: 13.21% vs. C: 35.62%, P=0.019), and hospital readmission rates was detected (O: 39.6% vs. C: 9.6%, P=0.0003). Using a linear regression model, a closed model SICU organization decreased SICU length of stay (LOS). Using a multivariate logistic regression, being treated in a closed ICU decreased a patient's likelihood of having an ICU LOS greater than 48 hours.ConclusionsOur study identified a decreased ICU LOS and hospital readmission in cardiac and ascending aortic patients in a closed general SICU despite increased procedure complexity. Further study is needed to clarify the effects on surgical complications and hospital charges.