Tracheostomy outcomes in coronavirus disease 2019: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Tracheostomy is a standard surgical procedure that is used in critically ill patients who require sustained mechanical ventilation. In this article, we review the outcomes of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients who underwent tracheostomy. We searched for relevant articles on PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar, up to April 20, 2021. This meta- analysis examines ventilation liberation, decannulation, and hospital mortality rates in COVID-19 patients who have undergone tracheostomy. Two investigators evaluated the articles, and the differences of opinion were settled by consensus with a third author. A total of 4366 patients were included in 47 related articles for this meta-analysis. After data pooling, the proportions of ventilation liberation, decannulation and mortality were found to be 48% (95% CI: 31-64), 42% (95% CI: 17-69) and 18% (95% CI: 9-28) respectively. The Luis Furuya-Kanamori (LFK) index values for ventilation liberation, decannulation and mortality were 4.28, 1.32 and 0.69. No transmission of the disease attributable to participating in tracheostomy procedures was reported in most of the included articles.

Are we ready to manage an opioid epidemic in the intensive care unit?

The current opioid epidemic has had a massive impact on the critical care sector. This is due to an increase in the number of acute opioid overdose-related admissions and the number of opioid-dependent and opioid-tolerant patients admitted to intensive care units (ICUs). This review discusses the challenges that intensive care physicians face when caring for patients suffering from opioid-related disorders and analyses existing solutions. Preference for non-opioid analgesics, treatment of acute pain in the ICUs to avoid chronic pain syndrome, and education of patients and caregivers are critical to preventing this pandemic.

Assessment of the use and Safety of Protection Box for Intubation and Extubation Among Anaesthesiologists During COVID-19 Pandemic- A Cross-sectional Survey.

Introduction: Covid 19 epidemic has affected the people making them undergo emergency procedures requiring intubation. A protective box was innovated at our tertiary care centre to safeguard the HCW during intubation and/or extubation and the study was planned to assess its use and safety among the anaesthesiologists. Methods: A cross sectional, questionnaire base survey was done among anaesthesiologists in various strata of residency. The intubation box was used on the patient for intubation and extubation. The experience of participants was recorded via a Google Form and one response per participant was restricted. Participants were divided into two groups, Group 1(1stand 2nd year junior residents) and Group 2 (Senior resident and 3rd year junior resident). A valid response, was received from 25 anaesthesiologists who were either performing or assisting the intubation. The residents were evaluated based on the ease of use and safety features of the box. Results: There was a significant difference in the time taken to intubate between the two groups (p = 0.048) and it was found that Group 2 with more experience took less time to intubate than Group 1. Also, more respondents in Group 2 found it easier to manoeuvre the hands to handle instruments than Group 1(p = 0.024). Conclusion: We recommend that usage of intubation box during intubation or extubation is a non-harmful and necessary compromise that we must make to protect the /safeguard the well-being of Health Care Worker without affecting patient care in our fight with COVID-19. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12070-023-03692-7.

Emerging mucormycosis posing threat to community: Anesthetist's perspective in a tertiary care center.

Mucormycosis has become an ever-growing threat to human health, particularly after the COVID-19 pandemic. As the number of cases of mucormycosis increased, it put a burden on anesthesiologists. Here we describe the etiopathogenesis, clinical presentation, and anesthesia management of patients suffering from mucormycosis.

Clinical features and mortality in COVID-19 SARI versus non COVID-19 SARI cases from Western Rajasthan, India.

BACKGROUND: In March 2020, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) issued guidelines that all patients presenting with severe acute respiratory infections (SARI) should be investigated for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Following the same protocol, in our institute, all patients with SARI were transferred to the COVID-19 suspect intensive care unit (ICU) and investigated for COVID-19. METHODS: This study was planned to examine the demographical, clinical features, and outcomes of the first 500 suspected patients of COVID-19 with SARI admitted in the COVID-19 suspect ICU at a tertiary care center. Between March 7 and July 20, 2020, 500 patients were admitted to the COVID-19 suspect ICU. We analyzed the demographical, clinical features, and outcomes between COVID-19 positive and negative SARI cases. The records of all the patients were reviewed until July 31, 2020. RESULTS: Of the 500 suspected patients admitted to the hospital, 88 patients showed positive results for COVID-19 by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) of the nasopharyngeal swabs. The mean age in the positive group was higher (55.31 ± 16.16 years) than in the negative group (40.46 ± 17.49 years) (P < 0.001). Forty-seven (53.4%) of these patients in the COVID-19 positive group and 217 (52.7%) from the negative group suffered from previously known comorbidities. The common symptoms included fever, cough, sore throat, and dyspnea. Eighty-five (20.6%) patients died in the COVID-19 negative group, and 30 (34.1%) died in the COVID-19 positive group (P = 0.006). Deaths among the COVID-19 positive group had a significantly higher age than deaths in the COVID-19 negative group (P < 0.001). Among the patients who died with positive COVID-19 status had substantially higher neutrophilia and lymphopenia (P < 0.001). X-ray chest abnormalities were almost three times more likely in COVID-19 deaths (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: In the present article, 17.6% of SARI were due to COVID-19 infection with significantly higher mortality (34.1%) in COVID-19 positive patients with SARI. Although all patients presenting as SARI have considerable mortality rates, the COVID-19-associated SARI cases thus had an almost one-third risk of mortality.

Mucormycosis: A Case Series of Patients Admitted in Non-COVID-19 Intensive Care Unit of a Tertiary Care Center during the Second Wave.

Rhino-orbital-cerebral mucormycosis is an invasive fungal infection associated with mortality of 25-62%. There has been a surge in the number of cases during this second wave of coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) in India. We report 10 cases of mucormycosis admitted to our adult intensive care unit. After reviewing the patient's information, we found that 60% of patients had received steroids, and most had uncontrolled blood sugar levels. Most patients received treatment with surgical debridement and antifungal, although the mortality rate was as high as 40%. We report two unique cases of renal and gastrointestinal mucormycosis as well. We concluded that poor glycemic control was the primary etiology behind the rise in the number of cases. Our report also stresses the importance of early surgical intervention and suggests further research comparing the efficacy of combination antifungal therapy versus single antifungal (amphotericin B) to help resource-limited settings in these times of drug crisis. How to cite this article: Yadav S, Sharma A, Kothari N, Bhatia PK, Goyal S, Goyal A. Mucormycosis: A Case Series of Patients Admitted in Non-COVID-19 Intensive Care Unit of a Tertiary Care Center during the Second Wave. Indian J Crit Care Med 2021;25(10):1193-1196.

Tips and Pearls for Tracheostomy during the Covid-19 Pandemic.

The number of critically-ill coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) patients requiring mechanical ventilation is on the rise. Most guidelines suggest keeping the patient intubated and delay elective tracheostomy. Although the current literature does not support early tracheostomy, the number of patients undergoing it is increasing. During the pandemic, it is important that surgeons and anesthesiologists know the different aspects of tracheostomy in terms of indication, procedure, tube care and complications. A literature search was performed to identify different guidelines and available evidence on tracheostomy in Covid-19 patients. The purpose of the present article is to generate an essential scientific evidence for life-saving tracheostomy procedures.