Thrombotic Events and Anticoagulation-Related Bleeding Complications in Critically Ill Patients with Coronavirus Disease 2019.

Background: Thrombosis (T) is common in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients, and d-dimer concentrations correlate with outcomes. Controversy exists with regards to anticoagulation (AC) for patients. We implemented a full-heparinization AC protocol from the onset of the pandemic and hypothesized that a safety signal would be undetectable. Patients and Methods: Prospective evaluation of 111 patients with COVID-19 critical illness hospitalized from March to June 2020. All patients received therapeutic heparinoid-based AC from admission. Incidences of T, bleeding (B), or both (BT) were noted. The primary outcome was mortality. Kruskal-Wallis test and logistic regression were performed. Results are expressed as n (%), median (interquartile range) and odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals. Alpha was set at 0.05. Results: Thirty-two patients (28%) had T, 23 (20%) had B, and 14 (12%) had BT; 42 (40%) patients were unaffected. Two logistic regression models (outcome = mortality) evaluated BT as T, or BT as B. For BT as T, neither T, B, nor male gender predicted mortality; similarly, for BT as B, neither T, B, nor male gender predicted mortality. Factors associated with higher odds of death included higher Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) II score (odds ratio [OR], 1.06; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.00-1.13; p = 0.0045), higher d-dimer concentration (OR, 1.00; 95% CI, 1.00-1.01; p = 0.043), and higher activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT; OR, 1.09; 95% CI, 1.02-1.16; p = 0.010). Conclusions: Neither T nor B predicted mortality in this prospective cohort of anticoagulated patients with COVID-19 critical illness. These data support continued full-dose heparinoid prophylaxis.

Rethinking the Drug Distribution and Medication Management Model: How a New York City Hospital Pharmacy Department Responded to COVID-19.

Beginning in March 2020, New York City began the fight against coronavirus disease 2019. Health care workers were faced with a disease that led to significant morbidity and mortality with no proven therapies. As hospitals became inundated with patients and underwent rapid expansion of capacity, resources such as drugs, protective and medical equipment, and hospital staff became limited. Pharmacists played a critical role in the management of clinical care and drug delivery during the pandemic. As members of the department of pharmacy within NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, we describe our experiences and processes to overcome challenges faced during the pandemic. Strict inventory management through the use of daily usage reports, frequent communication, and minimization of waste was critical for the management of drug shortages. The creation of guidelines, protocols, and restrictions were not only used to mitigate drug shortages, but also helped educate health care providers and guided medication use. Managing technology through setting up new automatic dispensing cabinets to address hospital expansions and modifying the electronic order entry system to include new protocols and drug shortage information were also vital. Additional key pharmacist functions included provision of investigational drug service support and training of pharmacists, prescribers, nurses, and respiratory therapists to educate and standardize medication use. Through implementation of operational and clinical processes, pharmacists managed critical drug inventory and guided patient treatment. As the pandemic continues, pharmacists will remain vital members of the multidisciplinary team dedicated to the fight against the virus.

PROPOFOL-RELATED INFUSION SYNDROME IN MECHANICALLY VENTILATED ADULTS WITH CORONAVIRUS DISEASE 2019

The median propofol dose upon suspicion of possible PRIS was 20 mcg/kg/min (range, 20-50 mcg/kg/min) and providers decreased the dose in six (75%) patients at that time. B Introduction: b Propofol-related infusion syndrome (PRIS) is a rare and potentially devastating complication associated with prolonged high doses of propofol. Secondary outcomes included propofol dose and duration upon suspicion of PRIS, characterization of PRIS presentation, and mortality. [Extracted from the article] Copyright of Critical Care Medicine is the property of Lippincott Williams & Wilkins and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)

Skin Failure Among Critically Ill Patients Afflicted with Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19).

Objective: To characterize skin integrity among coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients treated in the intensive care unit (ICU), and identify risk factors for skin failure (SF) in these patients. Design: The characteristic, profound pro-inflammatory, hypercoagulable state of COVID-19 is manifested by the high severity of illness and extensive organ dysfunction observed in these patients. SF in critically ill patients, although described previously, exhibits a uniquely complex pathogenesis in this population. Patients: Retrospective review of all COVID-19 patients (confirmed positive for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 [SARS-CoV-2]) admitted to a single surgical ICU for at least 48 hours between March-June 2020. Interventions: Data were extracted from a COVID-19 institutional data repository that harvested data from electronic health records and other clinical data sources. Demographics; coagulation/inflammation biomarkers; number, location, and stage of SF lesions; resource utilization; and outcomes were captured. Measurements and Main Results: 64 patients met inclusion criteria; 51 (80%) developed SF (SF+ ). Forty-three (85%) developed stage 3 or higher SF (χ2 = 22.66, P < .0001). Thirty-nine of 51 (76%) SF+ patients developed more than one SF lesion (χ2 = 13.26, P = .0003). SF+ patients manifested a profound pro-inflammatory, hypercoagulable phenotype (lower serum albumin and higher ferritin, interleukin [IL]-6 and D-dimer concentrations [all, P < .001]). Durations of mechanical ventilation, vasopressor therapy, and ICU length of stay were significantly longer (all, P < .05) in the SF + patients. Conclusions: The unique characteristics of COVID-19 dermatopathology and the strong correlation between markers of inflammation and development of SF reflect COVID-19-related organ dysfunction and its deleterious effects on the microcirculation. Considering that skin is invaded directly by SARS-CoV-2 and affected by COVID-19-related immune complex deposition and microthrombosis, SF may reflect disease as opposed to pressure injuries related to processes of care. In the context of COVID-19 critical illness, SF should not be considered a "never event."

The Safety of Continuous Infusion Propofol in Mechanically Ventilated Adults With Coronavirus Disease 2019.

BACKGROUND: Propofol is commonly used to achieve ventilator synchrony in critically ill patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), yet its safety in this patient population is unknown. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the safety, in particular the incidence of hypertriglyceridemia, of continuous infusion propofol in patients with COVID-19. METHODS: This was a retrospective study at 1 academic medical center and 1 affiliated teaching hospital in New York City. Adult, critically ill patients with COVID-19 who received continuous infusion propofol were included. Patients who received propofol for <12 hours, were transferred from an outside hospital while on mechanical ventilation, or did not have a triglyceride concentration obtained during the infusion were excluded. RESULTS: A total of 252 patients were included. Hypertriglyceridemia (serum triglyceride concentration ≥ 400 mg/dL) occurred in 38.9% of patients after a median cumulative dose of 4307 mg (interquartile range [IQR], 2448-9431 mg). The median time to triglyceride elevation was 3.8 days (IQR, 1.9-9.1 days). In the multivariable regression analysis, obese patients had a significantly greater odds of hypertriglyceridemia (odds ratio = 1.87; 95% CI = 1.10, 3.21). There was no occurrence of acute pancreatitis. The incidence of possible propofol-related infusion syndrome was 3.2%. CONCLUSION AND RELEVANCE: Hypertriglyceridemia occurred frequently in patients with COVID-19 who received propofol but did not lead to acute pancreatitis. Elevated triglyceride concentrations occurred more often and at lower cumulative doses than previously reported in patients without COVID-19. Application of these data may aid in optimal monitoring for serious adverse effects of propofol in patients with COVID-19.