The role of ROX index-based intubation in COVID-19 pneumonia: a cross-sectional comparison and retrospective survival analysis.

BACKGROUND: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients with acute respiratory failure who experience delayed initiation of invasive mechanical ventilation have poor outcomes. The lack of objective measures to define the timing of intubation is an area of concern. We investigated the effect of timing of intubation based on respiratory rate-oxygenation (ROX) index on the outcomes of COVID-19 pneumonia. METHODS: This was a retrospective cross-sectional study performed in a tertiary care teaching hospital in Kerala, India. Patients with COVID-19 pneumonia who were intubated were grouped into early intubation (within 12 hours of ROX index <4.88) or delayed intubation (12 hours or more hours after ROX <4.88). RESULTS: A total of 58 patients was included in the study after exclusions. Among them, 20 patients were intubated early, and 38 patients were intubated 12 hours after ROX index <4.88. The mean age of the study population was 57±14 years, and 55.0% of the patients were male; diabetes mellitus (48.3%) and hypertension (50.0%) were the most common comorbidities. The early intubation group had 88.2% successful extubation, while only 11.8% of the delayed group had successful extubation (P<0.001). Survival was also significantly more frequent in the early intubation group. CONCLUSIONS: Early intubation within 12 hours of ROX index <4.88 was associated with improved extubation and survival in patients with COVID-19 pneumonia.

Bioethical aspects of palliative extubation within end-of-life care in non-recoverable patients in the ICU

Palliative, compassionate or terminal extubation are terms that are being included more and more frequently in hospital institutions and particularly in intensive care units (ICU). Justification: The limited number of ICU beds in the world, the oldest age of the population and greater survival in acute disease, make there are more and more situations in those that require end-of-life decisions;in patients unable to make decisions and different positions in front of the artificial vital supports installed. Problem statement: ICUs that have not used palliative extubation within their strategies for reorienting the therapeutic effort or that they are initiating the culture of palliative sedation and end-of-life care, face the need for a review comprehensive subject matter and generate reflections on extubation due to compassion in the ICU. Methodology: Literature review and analysis from a bioethical perspective. Results and discussion: Terminal extubation appears as a strategy to avoid prolonging unnecessarily life in non-recoverable patients and as a measure to alleviate the suffering, in cases where there is no benefit from continuing invasive ventilatory support. The COVID-19 pandemic also generates another series of tensions to include, since it is necessary to avoid prolong life support in patients with unrecoverable conditions and who are no longer they benefit from being in the ICU due to the futility of the therapies;but it is known that the removal of the orotracheal tube creates a risk of aerosols, which can lead to increased exposure for the health personnel of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. © 2020 Asociación Colombiana de Medicina Crítica y Cuidado lntensivo

Early extubation in COVID-19 pneumonia patients and temporal changes in the lactate dehydrogenase profile

Objective: Since the beginning of the 2019 global pandemic of Coronavirus Disease, using invasive mechanical ventilation as support therapy has been a critical treatment of acute respiratory failure. In the context of a collapsed health system, having an early extubation predictor becomes a useful way of supporting clinical management, by enabling to anticipate the availability of mechanical ventilators. Hence, we assessed the relationship between the progression of lactate dehydrogenase and early extubation in patients with COVID-19. Design: A retrospective study. Setting: A single private hospital in Chile. Patients: Adults aged 18 or older diagnosed with COVID-19 pneumonia and requiring mechanical ventilation, having been admitted to an ICU during the study period. Interventions: None. Measurements and Main Results: Fifty two individuals, 73% males, were included with a median age of 47.1 years old and a median body mass index of 29. Individuals extubated within the first 5 days of mechanical ventilation, early extubation group, amounted to 34.6%. The average decrease in serum lactate dehydrogenase levels was 27.5 UI/L per day (p < 0.01) in the early extubation group compared to 14.7 UI/L per day (p < 0.01) in the late extubation group (individuals extubated after day 5). During the first 48 hours, the average daily decrease was 56.7 UI/L in the early extubation group compared to 13.2 UI/L per day in late extubation group (p < 0.01). Conclusions: Serum lactate dehydrogenase daily level decrease during the first days of mechanical ventilation is associated with earlier patient extubation. © 2022 Sociedad de Anestesiologia de Chile. All rights reserved.

Prone positioning in extubated patients with hypoxemic respiratory failure after cardiac surgery: A retrospective study.

BACKGROUND: Hypoxemic respiratory failure is a serious complication that can occur at any stage after cardiac surgery. Prone positioning (PP) is safe and effective for patients receiving invasive ventilation after hypoxemic respiratory failure; however, few related studies have focused on its use with extubated cardiac surgery patients. Researchers recently reported beneficial effects of PP for hypoxemic patients with COVID-19 and those with moderate ARDS (acute respiratory distress syndrome,ARDS). PP may also improve oxygenation in extubated cardiac surgery patients. OBJECTIVE: In this study, we aimed to assess the safety and effectiveness of PP in extubated cardiac surgery patients to determine whether PP can improve oxygenation and respiratory status or reduce secondary intubation. METHODS: We reviewed our institutional database between August 2018 and August 2020 and identified 22 cardiac surgery patients who had undergone PP for hypoxemic respiratory failure after extubation. From the medical and nursing records, we extracted the following data recorded before PP, during PP, and after PP for each patient, arterial blood gas analyses, hemodynamic records, laboratory reports, and respiratory function training records. RESULTS: Twenty-two extubated patients underwent 74 PP. Each patient underwent a median of 3.5 (2-5) procedures, and the median duration of each PP was 10 h. PP was implemented on the 4.5th postoperative day (median). All patients were discharged from the hospital, and none died. No complications were observed. PP improved the P/F ratio (182.65 ± 60.17, 301.53 ± 61.31, and 246.76 ± 65.68, before PP, during PP, and after PP, respectively, p < 0.001). Additionally, the respiratory rate, Forced Vital Capacity (FVC) and PaCO2 also improved, and hemodynamics showed no significant change. CONCLUSION: PP may be effective and safe for treating patients who are extubated following cardiac surgery with hypoxemic respiratory failure. For these patients, PP is associated with oxygenation and respiratory condition improvements and low secondary intubation rates.

A cross-sectional observational study of endotracheal intubation and extubation practices among doctors treating adult COVID-19 and suspected COVID-19 patients in South Africa

BACKGROUND: Patients with severe COVID-19 may require endotracheal intubation. Unique adjustments to endotracheal intubation and extubation practices are necessary to decrease the risk of SARS-CoV-2 transmission to healthcare workers (HCWs) while avoiding complications of airway management. OBJECTIVES: To investigate the practice of endotracheal intubation and extubation, resources available and complications encountered by clinicians performing endotracheal intubation and extubation of COVID-19 and suspected COVID-19 patients in South Africa (SA). METHOD: A cross-sectional observational study was conducted during the initial surge of COVID-19 cases in SA. Data were collected by means of a self-administered questionnaire completed by clinicians in the private and public healthcare sectors after performing an endotracheal intubation and/or extubation of a patient with confirmed or suspected COVID-19. RESULTS: Data from 135 endotracheal intubations and 45 extubations were collected. Anaesthetists accounted for 87.0% (n=120) of the study participants, specialist clinicians in their respective fields for 59.4% (n=82), and public HCWs for 71.0% (n=98). Cases from Gauteng Province made up 76.8% (n=106) of the database. Haemoglobin desaturation was the most frequent complication encountered during endotracheal intubation (40.0%;n=54). Endotracheal intubations performed at private healthcare institutions were associated with a significantly lower complication rate of 17.5% (n=7) compared with 52.6% (n=50) in the public healthcare sector (p<0.001). Endotracheal intubations performed in theatre had the lowest complication rate of 10.4% (n=5;p<0.001). Propofol was used in 90 endotracheal intubations (66.7%), and its use was associated with fewer complications relative to other induction agents. Minimising the number of intubation attempts (p=0.009) and the use of checklists (p=0.013) significantly reduced the frequency of complications encountered during endotracheal intubation. Intravenous induction technique, neuromuscular blocking agent used, intubating device used and time at which intubation was performed did not affect the incidence of complications. The majority of endotracheal extubations were uncomplicated (88.9%). CONCLUSIONS: The study provides valuable insight into the resources used by clinicians and complications encountered when endotracheal intubations and/or extubations were performed. Data from this study may be used to guide future clinical practice and research, especially in resource-limited settings.

Invasive Airway "Intubation" in COVID-19 Patients; Statistics, Causes, and Recommendations: A Review Article.

CONTEXT: Severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) can induce acute respiratory distress, which is characterized by tachypnea, hypoxia, and dyspnea. Intubation and mechanical ventilation are strategic treatments for COVID-19 distress or hypoxia. METHODS: We searched PubMed, Embase, and Scopus databases to identify relevant randomized control trials, observational studies, and case series published from April 1, 2021. RESULTS: 24 studies were included in this review. Studies had been conducted in the USA, China, Spain, South Korea, Italy, Iran, and Brazil. Most patients had been intubated in the intensive care unit. Rapid sequence induction had been mostly used for intubation. ROX index can be utilized as the predictor of the necessity of intubation in COVID-19 patients. According to the studies, the rate of intubation was 5 to 88%. It was revealed that 1.4 - 44.5% of patients might be extubated. Yet obesity and age (elderly) are the only risk factors of delayed or difficult extubation. CONCLUSIONS: Acute respiratory distress in COVID-19 patients could require endotracheal intubation and mechanical ventilation. Severe respiratory distress, loss of consciousness, and hypoxia had been the most important reasons for intubation. Also, increased levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), ferritin, d-dimer, and lipase in combination with hypoxia are correlated with intubation. Old age, diabetes mellitus, respiratory rate, increased level of CRP, bicarbonate level, and oxygen saturation are the most valuable predictors of the need for mechanical ventilation. ICU admission mortality following intubation was found to be 15 to 36%. Awake-prone positioning in comparison with high-flow nasal oxygen therapy did not reduce the risk of intubation and mechanical ventilation. There was no association between intubation timing and mortality of the infected patients. Noninvasive ventilation may have survival benefits.

Comprehensive assessment of respiratory function, a step towards early weaning from the ventilator.

Methods for assessing diaphragmatic function can be useful in determining the functional status of the respiratory system and can contribute to determining an individual's prognosis, depending on their pathology. They can also be a useful tool for making objective decisions regarding mechanical ventilation weaning and extubation. Esophageal and transdiaphragmatic pressure measurement, diaphragm ultrasound, diaphragmatic excursion, surface electromyography (sEMG) and some serum biomarkers are of increasing interest and use in clinical and intensive care settings to offer a more objective process for withdrawing mechanical ventilation; especially in the situation that we are experiencing with the increased demand for mechanical ventilation to treat patients with Covid-19-associated viral pneumonia. In this literature review, we updated the clinical and physiological indicators with more evidence to improve ventilator withdrawal techniques. We concluded that, to ensure successful extubation in a way that is useful, cost-effective, practical for health personnel and non-invasive for the patient, further studies of novel techniques such as surface electromyography should be implemented.

Use of Disposable Clear Plastic Elastic Band-Rimmed Bag to Limit Infectious Aerosol during Airway Instrumentation.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has highlighted the need for appropriate protective measures for health care providers, particularly for those involved in aerosol-generating procedures. We report the use of the banded bag for extubation to contain infectious aerosols. The banded bag is a clear and disposable shower-cap style image intensifier cover which is commonly used as a sterile cover for mobile X-ray systems. With the addition of a filtered suction, safe air exchange rates can be obtained. We anticipate that the banded bag, which is economical, convenient, and highly practical, can be used as a safety-enhancing device for COVID-19 extubations.

Post-Extubation Stridor Complicating COVID-19-Associated Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome: A Case Series.

Post-extubation stridor is a known complication of mechanical ventilation that affects a substantial number of all critical care patients and leads to increased morbidity and mortality. Common risk factors for the development of post-extubation stridor include female gender, older age, and prolonged length of mechanical ventilation. There may be an increased incidence of post-extubation stridor in patients who require mechanical ventilation to manage the respiratory complications of COVID-19. In this case series, we analyzed nine patients from across our institution who were intubated to manage acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) secondary to COVID-19 and subsequently developed post-extubation stridor. The patients were predominantly females with prolonged intubations and multiple days of prone ventilation. While the patients in this case series possessed some of the well-described risk factors for post-extubation stridor, there may be risk factors specific to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection that make these patients more susceptible to the complication. The cuff leak test was performed on the majority of patients in the case series and did not successfully predict successful extubation in this population. Our analysis suggests that prophylactic corticosteroids given in the 24-48 hours prior to elective extubation in female COVID-19 patients who were intubated for more than six days with consecutive days of intermittent prone ventilation may be helpful in reducing the incidence of post-extubation stridor in this population. Overall, this case series elucidates the need for exceptionally close monitoring of COVID-19 patients upon extubation for the development of stridor.