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Objective: To describe the clinical features of patients with post-COVID-19 syndrome who have recently been discharged from intensive care units (ICUs) included in a chronic care program in Colombia. Methods: Descriptive case series study of a cohort of patients with post-COVID-19 syndrome who entered the Remeo® chronic care program between July 2020 and May 2021. Clinical features, complications, and treatments are described. Results: Among patients in the program discharged from an ICU, 122 cases of post-COVID-19 syndrome were identified. These patients continued in the program. The mean age was 66.9 years (CI 64-68); 62.29% were men, 88.9% (109) had a tracheostomy, 72.8% (90) had a gastrostomy, and 99% required supplemental oxygen. In the first four months, 9,518 interventions were carried out, including physical therapy (xÌ:20.7), occupational therapy (xÌ:10.9), respiratory therapy (xÌ:41.4), and psychology (xÌ:4.8). Conclusions: The chronic care program was an option for patients with post-COVID-19 syndrome recently discharged from an ICU, with a view to minimizing ICU occupation rates and facilitating patients' return to their homes.
Objetivo: Descrever as características clínicas de pacientes com síndrome pós-COVID-19 após internação em unidade de terapia intensiva (UTI), acompanhados em um programa de cuidados prolongados na Colômbia. Métodos: Estudo descritivo de série de casos oriundos de uma coorte de pacientes com síndrome pós-COVID-19 admitidos no programa de cuidados prolongados Remeo® entre julho de 2020 e maio de 2021. Foram descritas as características clínicas desses pacientes, assim como complicações e tratamentos. Resultados: Foram identificados 122 casos de pacientes com síndrome pós-COVID-19 que foram acompanhados no programa após alta da UTI. A média de idade foi 66,9 anos (IC 6468), 62,29% pertenciam ao sexo masculino, 88,9% (109) haviam sido submetidos a traqueostomia, 72,8% (90) a gastrostomia e 99% precisavam usar oxigênio suplementar. Ao todo, 9.518 intervenções foram realizadas nos 4 meses iniciais de acompanhamento no programa, incluindo fisioterapia (xÌ 20,7), terapia ocupacional (xÌ 10,9), terapia respiratória (xÌ 41,4) e atendimento psicológico (xÌ 4,8). Conclusões: O programa de cuidados prolongados ofereceu uma alternativa aos pacientes com síndrome pós-COVID-19 após internação em UTI e teve o objetivo de reduzir a ocupação das UTIs e facilitar a transição do paciente da UTI para casa.
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BACKGROUND/AIMS: For patients hospitalized with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) who require supplemental oxygen, the evidence of the optimal duration of corticosteroid is limited. This study aims to identify whether long-term use of corticosteroids is associated with decreased mortality. METHODS: Between February 10, 2020 and October 31, 2021, we analyzed consecutive hospitalized patients with COVID-19 with severe hypoxemia. The patients were divided into short-term (≤ 14 days) and long-term (> 14 days) corticosteroid users. The primary outcome was 60-day mortality. We performed propensity score (PS) analysis to mitigate the effect of confounders and conducted Kaplan-Meier curve analysis. RESULTS: There were 141 (52%) short-term users and 130 (48%) long-term corticosteroid users. The median age was 68 years and the median PaO2/FiO2 at admission was 158. Of the patients, 40.6% required high-flow nasal cannula, 48.3% required mechanical ventilation, and 11.1% required extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. The overall 60-day mortality rate was 23.2%, and that of patients with hospital-acquired pneumonia (HAP) was 22.9%. The Kaplan-Meier curve for 60- day survival in the PS-matched cohort showed that corticosteroid for > 14 days was associated with decreased mortality (p = 0.0033). There were no significant differences in bacteremia and HAP between the groups. An adjusted odds ratio for the risk of 60-day mortality in short-term users was 5.53 (95% confidence interval, 1.90-18.26; p = 0.003). CONCLUSION: For patients with severe COVID-19, long-term use of corticosteroids was associated with decreased mortality, with no increase in nosocomial complications. Corticosteroid use for > 14 days can benefit patients with severe COVID-19.
Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Humans , Aged , Adrenal Cortex Hormones/adverse effects , Hospitalization , Kaplan-Meier Estimate , Respiration, Artificial , Retrospective StudiesABSTRACT
Hospitalised patients with COVID-19 often require oxygen because of the increased risk of hypoxia, and one of the main treatment goals is to avoid mechanical ventilation where possible. Non-invasive respiratory support such as high-flow nasal oxygen, bi-level positive airway pressure and continuous positive airway pressure appear to be clinical alternatives. However, further research is needed to assess the effectiveness of non-invasive respiratory support and its varying modes as a treatment for COVID-19 within a diverse population. This commentary aims to critically appraise three reviews concerning the use of non-invasive respiratory support in patients with COVID-19 and expand upon the findings with regards to clinical practice.
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An introduction is presented in which the author discusses articles within the issue on topics including environmental contamination by SARS-CoV-2 from COVID-19 19 subjects receiving noninvasive ventilation, SARS-CoV-2 aerosols during noninvasive respiratory support of COVID-19 patients, and response of positive airway pressure devices during treatment of sleep-disordered breathing.
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BACKGROUND: Viral respiratory infections are one of the main causes of hospitalization in children. Even if mortality rate is low, 2% to 3% of the hospitalized children need mechanical ventilation. Risk factors for admission to the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) are well known, while few studies have described risk factors for invasive ventilator support and prolonged hospitalization. METHODS: A retrospective study including all patients aged between 2 and 18 months with a confirmed viral respiratory infection, requiring admission to PICU from September to March between 2015 and 2019, was conducted at Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital in Rome, Italy. RESULTS: One hundred ninety patients were enrolled, with a median age of 2.7 months; 32.1% had at least one comorbidity, mainly prematurity. The most frequent isolated viruses were RSV-B, rhinovirus, and RSV-A; 38.4% needed mechanical ventilation. This subgroup of patients had lower median birth weight compared with patients not requiring mechanical ventilation (2800 g vs. 3180 g, p = 0.02); moreover, comorbidities were present in 43.8% of intubated patients and in 24.8% of patients treated with non-invasive ventilation (p = 0.006). Viral coinfection did not result to be a risk factor for mechanical support, while virus-bacteria coinfection was significantly associated with mechanical ventilation (p < 0.001). Similar risk factors were identified for prolonged hospitalization. CONCLUSIONS: Early identification of patients who could have a sudden respiratory deterioration and need of mechanical ventilation is crucial to reduce complications due to orotracheal intubation and prolonged hospitalization in PICU. Further studies are needed to define high-risk group of patients and to design targeted interventions.
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The objective of the study was to evaluate all available systematic reviews on the use of prone positional ventilation in adult patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). An umbrella review on the efficacy of prone positional ventilation in adult patients ventilation in adult patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome was conducted. We performed a systematic search in the database of Medline (Pubmed), Scopus, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, and Epistemonikos. The ROBIS tools and GRADE methodology were used to assess the risk of bias and certainty of evidence. We estimated the necessary number of patients to be treated to have benefit. For the synthesis of the result, we selected the review with the lowest risk of bias. Sixteen systematic reviews including 64 randomized clinical trials and evaluating the effect of prone positional ventilation, with or without other ventilation strategies were included. Aoyama 2019 observed prone positioning, without complementary ventilation strategies, leading to a reduction in the 28-day mortality only when compared to high-frequency oscillatory ventilation (RR 0.61; 95% CI 0.39-0.95) and lung-protective ventilation in the supine position (RR 0.69; 95% CI 0.48-0.98), with an ARR of 9.32% and 14.94%, an NNTB of 5.89 and 8.04, and a low and moderate certainty of evidence, respectively. Most reviews had severe methodological flaws that led to results with very low certainty of evidence. The review with the lowest risk of bias presented results in favor of prone positional ventilation compared with high-frequency oscillatory ventilation and lung-protective ventilation. There is a need to update the available reviews to obtain more accurate results.
Subject(s)
Respiration, Artificial , Respiratory Distress Syndrome , Humans , Adult , Systematic Reviews as Topic , Respiration, Artificial/methods , Respiratory Distress Syndrome/therapy , Respiratory Distress Syndrome/etiology , Intermittent Positive-Pressure Ventilation , Patient Positioning/adverse effects , Patient Positioning/methodsABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: Tracheostomy (TCT) is the most frequently performed surgical procedure among COVID-19 patients. In Argentina, survival and decannulation rates are unknown. The main objectives of this study were to evaluate mortality and decannulation rates after 90 days of the percutaneous TCT performance. Secondarily, airway injury rate, days on invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV) and days of hospitalization in the intensive care unit (ICU) were also evaluated.
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An introduction is presented in which the author discusses articles within the issue on topics including environmental contamination by SARS-CoV-2 from COVID-19 19 subjects receiving noninvasive ventilation, SARS-CoV-2 aerosols during noninvasive respiratory support of COVID-19 patients, and response of positive airway pressure devices during treatment of sleep-disordered breathing.
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Background: Hyperchloremia has been associated with a greater presence of morbidity and mortality, mainly described in critically ill patients, this may be relative and absolute, which could be reflected in the sodium-chloride difference. Objective: The primary objective was to determine whether the sodium-chloride difference <31 mEq/L measured 24-48 hours after admission is a predictor of 28-day mortality in patients with COVID-19, and as secondary objectives to identify whether it is associated with higher requirement for invasive mechanical ventilation, presence of acute kidney injury and longer hospital stay. Material and methods: Retrospective, descriptive and analytical longitudinal cohort study, was done including all consecutive patients older than 16 years of any gender, admitted to the UMAE from March 1, 2020 to March 2021, which present a diagnosis of COVID-19 with RT-PCR test for SARS-CoV-2 positive. Results: A total of 722 patients were included, the difference sodium-chloride < 31 mEq/L is not associated with an increased risk of death at 28 days (p = 1.172, OR: 1.35;95%CI, 0.87-2.08) or requirement of mechanical ventilation (p = 0.47, OR: 1.19;95%CI, 0.76-1.86), but is associated with a higher risk of AKI (p < 0.05, OR: 2.04;95%CI, 1.33- 3.14) and longer hospital stay (p < 0.05). Conclusions: the sodium-chloride difference < 31 mEq/L in the first hours of admission is associated with a higher risk of presenting acute kidney injury during hospital stay in patients with COVID-19, as well as a longer hospital stay.
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Practitioners need access to and the ability to openly discuss advancement in practice and concepts as they apply to the practice of cardiovascular and pulmonary physical therapy (PT). Lack of accessibility to research literature, limited personal time, or insufficient knowledge to adequately review the breadth of literature published each year can hinder this process. This article provides a limited overview of cardiovascular and pulmonary research published in 2021 that the authors believe most important and relevant or speaks to the volume or trend of current topics in the clinical practice of cardiovascular and pulmonary PT. Each topic area is followed by brief overview of clinical relevance and was open to discussion with the participants present at the 2022 Combined Sections Meeting held on February 4, 2022.
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BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic caused hospital reconversion throughout Mexico and it was scarce information about its development in second-level intensive care units (ICU). OBJECTIVE: To determine the clinical characteristics related to COVID-19 mortality in a second-level ICU. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Observational, cohort, retrospective, and analytical study. Demographic variables, medical history, as well as clinical, ventilatory and laboratory characteristics, and complications of patients admitted to ICU from March to November 2020 due to acute respiratory failure were recorded. Patients were divided into two groups: improvement or death. Lost data were imputed by normal multivariated regression. Descriptive statistics and inferencial analysis were made to determine the risk of significant variables against the death outcome with Cox regression. RESULTS: 60% of patients were male. In-hospital mortality was 55%. An older age (44.4 ± 12.1 vs. 50.7 ± 12.1, p = 0.01), higher APACHE II score (8 (10-13) vs. 15 (11-21), p < 0.001), larger onset-symptom time to ICU (10.1 ± 4.0 vs. 12.0 ± 5.3 days, p = 0.049) and a lower oxygen saturation (78.2 ± 16.%5 vs. 71.1 ± 17.9%, p = 0.017) were significantly asociated characteristics to mortality. Average of stay at ICU was 8 days. CONCLUSIONS: A higher age, more days from beginning of symptoms to hospital admission, and lower oxygenation at admission were pre-admission determining factors for risk of death, while cardiovascular, renal complications and hyperglycemia were the in-hospital determinants.
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Background: Routine data have shown a stark increase in home mechanical ventilation (HMV) in Germany in recent years. However, the development of HMV in the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic is unknown. Methods: Case numbers of initiations, control examinations, and terminations of invasive and non-invasive HMV in 2017-2020 were analysed. ICD-10 diagnoses of cases with an initiation of invasive HMV in 2017- 2020 were examined (data from the German Federal Statistical Office). Expenses of the statutory health insurances for ambulatory intensive care in 2017-2020 were analysed (data from the German Federal Ministry of Health). Results: Contrary to the trend in recent years, HMV initiations declined by 14.9 % in 2020, from n = 17,958 (2019) to n = 15,279 (2020). This development was due to a 15.9 % decline in initiations of non-invasive HMV. In contrast, initiations of invasive HMV remained stable in 2020, despite regional differences. For invasive and non-invasive HMV, control examinations (-28 % and -24 %, respectively) and ventilation terminations (-45.3 % and -15.1 %, respectively) dropped in 2020. Patients for whom invasive HMV was initiated had numerous comorbidities and care needs. Expenses of statutory health insurances for ambulatory intensive care increased from EUR 1.52 billion (2017) to EUR 2.16 billion (2020;+42.3 %). Conclusions: After an increase in control examinations and terminations of HMV in recent years, we observe a trend reversal in 2020. Additionally, initiations of non-invasive HMV decreased in 2020. Future studies need to explore the association between this development and the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Background-Covid-19 Pandemic has proved the Nurse's crucial role in health care delivery system and providing nursing care to critically ill patients. It is a challenge for nurses as they need to be astute, competent, compassionate and critical thinker when they have to take care of patients on mechanical ventilator. Aim-To assess knowledge and practices regarding care of patients on mechanical ventilator among nursing personnel before and after administration ofNursing Care Bundle (NCB) in experimental and comparison group. Material and method. A Quasi Experimental non Equivalent comparison group pretest post test design used in thus study. 65 nursing personnels (30 experimental and 35 comparison groups) were selected from hospitals of North India using convenience sampling technique. NCB was administered in experimental group. Structured knowledge questionairre, Structured Observation Checklist for practices was used to collect data before and after intervention. Results-The mean post test knowledge and practices scores of nursing personnel in experimental and comparison groups were (21.6 ± 3.84, 30.83 ± 4.51) and (17.54 ± 2.76, 19.54 ± 4.17) respectively. There was significant difference between mean pre test and post test knowledge and practices scores (p=0.00).There was statistically no significant correlation between post test knowledge and practices score [r=0.16 (0.39)] among nursing personnel in experimental group at the level of significance 0.05.There was significant association of selected variable in area of gender (0.02) in experimental and education (0.02) in comparison group with pre test knowledge scores , also there was a significant association of selected variable in area of gender in experimental (0.03) and present area of working (0.03) in comparison group with pre test practices score. Conclusion-Nursing Care Bundle was effective in improving knowledge and practices of nursing personnel.
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INTRODUCTION: Oxygen therapy remains the cornerstone for managing patients with severe SARS-CoV-2 infection and several modalities of non-invasive ventilation are used worldwide. High-flow oxygen via nasal canula is one therapeutic option which may in certain cases prevent the need of mechanical ventilation. The aim of this review is to summarize the current evidence on the use of high-flow nasal oxygen in patients with severe SARS-CoV-2 infection. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We conducted a systematic literature search of the databases PubMed and Cochrane Library until April 2021 using the following search terms: "high flow oxygen and COVID-19" and "high flow nasal and COVID-19". RESULTS: Twenty-three articles were included in this review, in four of which prone positioning was used as an adjunctive measure. Most of the articles were cohort studies or case series. High-flow nasal oxygen therapy was associated with a reduced need for invasive ventilation compared to conventional oxygen therapy and led to an improvement in secondary clinical outcomes such as length of stay. The efficacy of high-flow nasal oxygen therapy was comparable to that of other non-invasive ventilation options, but its tolerability is likely higher. Failure of this modality was associated with increased mortality. CONCLUSION: High flow nasal oxygen is an established option for respiratory support in COVID-19 patients. Further investigation is required to quantify its efficacy and utility in preventing the requirement of invasive ventilation.
Introdução: A oxigenoterapia continua a ser o pilar do tratamento de doentes com infecção grave por SARS-CoV-2 e várias modalidades de ventilação não invasiva são usadas em todo o mundo. O oxigénio de alto fluxo via cânula nasal é uma opção terapêutica que pode, em certos casos, evitar a necessidade de ventilação mecânica. Material e Métodos: Realizámos uma pesquisa sistemática da literatura nas bases de dados PubMed e Cochrane Library até abril de 2021 usando os seguintes termos de pesquisa: "oxigénio de alto fluxo e COVID-19" e "alto fluxo nasal e COVID-19". Resultados: Vinte e três artigos foram incluídos nesta revisão, em quatro dos quais a posição de decúbito ventral foi usada como medida adjuvante. A maioria dos artigos eram estudos de coorte ou séries de casos. A oxigenoterapia nasal de alto fluxo pode reduzir a necessidade de ventilação invasiva em comparação com a oxigenoterapia convencional e pode melhorar os resultados clínicos. A eficácia da oxigenoterapia nasal de alto fluxo é comparável à de outras opções de ventilação não invasiva, embora a sua tolerabilidade seja provavelmente superior. O insucesso dessa modalidade está associado ao aumento da mortalidade. Conclusão: O oxigénio nasal de alto fluxo é uma opção estabelecida para suporte respiratório em doentescom COVID-19. É necessária investigação adicional para medir a sua eficácia e utilidade na prevenção da necessidade de ventilação invasiva.
Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Noninvasive Ventilation , Respiratory Insufficiency , Humans , COVID-19/therapy , Oxygen/therapeutic use , SARS-CoV-2 , Respiratory Insufficiency/drug therapy , Oxygen Inhalation TherapyABSTRACT
Majority of mechanically ventilated patients in intensive care units (ICU) suffer from diaphragm dysfunction. It occurs in approximately 60 to 80 % of such patients. Early after the initiation of mechanical ventilation pathophysiological processes leading to diaphragm dysfunction are triggered. Inadequate diaphragm function significantly contributes to difficult weaning, prolonged mechanical ventilation as well as increased morbidity and mortality. Etiology of ventilation induced diaphragm dysfunction (VIDD) is complex and multifactorial. Metabolic and inflammatory changes in muscular tissue are one of the hallmarks of critical illness and together with patient-ventilator asynchrony and prolonged vasopressor support play a key role in VIDD pathophysiology. Treatment of primary cause of respiratory insufficiency is of utmost importance, but besides this, adequate titration of sedatives and muscle relaxants, monitoring of respiratory mechanics and deployment of proportional modes of ventilation are of great significance in prevention and treatment of VIDD. Proportional modes offer support to spontaneous breathing. However, unlike the conventional modes, this support is not constant, it changes with every breath, offering assistance that is proportional to activity of respiratory muscles. The aim of this article was to offer an insight into latest data from scientific literature to healthcare providers. The electronic search of Pubmed, Medline and Google Scholar was conducted by using MeSH (Medical Subject Headings) terms. Our search was limited to randomized controlled trials and review articles written in English, which were published from 2016 to 2021 and conducted on adult patients. Conclusion: During the pandemic of SARS-CoV-2, the importance of mechanical ventilation with all its aspects came into the focus of medical community. Mechanical ventilation is considered as a life saving method of treatment, but serious adverse effects such as dysfunction of diaphragm can be encountered. There are ongoing developments of new strategies and modes of mechanical ventilation aiming at protection of lungs and diaphragm. Diaphragm protective mechanical ventilation reduces the duration of mechanical ventilator support, decreases the incidence of severe complications such as multiple organ failure and consequntely mortality. © 2022 Hrvatski Lijecnicki Zbor. All rights reserved.
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BACKGROUND: The manufacturing of any standard mechanical ventilator cannot rapidly be upscaled to several thousand units per week, largely due to supply chain limitations. The aim of this study was to design, verify and perform a pre-clinical evaluation of a mechanical ventilator based on components not required for standard ventilators, and that met the specifications provided by the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) for rapidly-manufactured ventilator systems (RMVS). METHODS: The design utilises closed-loop negative feedback control, with real-time monitoring and alarms. Using a standard test lung, we determined the difference between delivered and target tidal volume (VT) at respiratory rates between 20 and 29 breaths per minute, and the ventilator's ability to deliver consistent VT during continuous operation for >14 days (RMVS specification). Additionally, four anaesthetised domestic pigs (3 male-1 female) were studied before and after lung injury to provide evidence of the ventilator's functionality, and ability to support spontaneous breathing. FINDINGS: Continuous operation lasted 23 days, when the greatest difference between delivered and target VT was 10% at inspiratory flow rates >825 mL/s. In the pre-clinical evaluation, the VT difference was -1 (-90 to 88) mL [mean (LoA)], and positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) difference was -2 (-8 to 4) cmH2O. VT delivery being triggered by pressures below PEEP demonstrated spontaneous ventilation support. INTERPRETATION: The mechanical ventilator presented meets the MHRA therapy standards for RMVS and, being based on largely available components, can be manufactured at scale. FUNDING: Work supported by Wellcome/EPSRC Centre for Medical Engineering,King's Together Fund and Oxford University.
Subject(s)
Equipment Design , Respiration, Artificial/instrumentation , Animals , COVID-19/pathology , COVID-19/prevention & control , COVID-19/virology , Female , Male , Respiratory Rate , SARS-CoV-2/isolation & purification , Swine , Tidal VolumeABSTRACT
During the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, there was a marked requirement for critical care beds, supplies and trained professionals to assist patients with severe respiratory failure. The Argentine Society of Intensive Care (SATI) designed a study to characterize these aspects in intensive care units (ICUs). Multicenter, prospective cohort study;the participating ICUs completed a form at the end of the study (31/10/2020) on hospital characteristics, number of beds in pre- and intra-pandemic critical areas, incorporation of professionals, technological resources, and workload. Fifty-eight ICUs participated;28(48%) were located in Buenos Aires Province, 22(38%) in Buenos Aires Autonomous City and 10 (17%) in other provinces;31 (53%) of UCIs belonged to the public sector;23 (47%) to the private-social security. In 35/58 (60%) of the hospitals critical care beds increased from 902 to 1575 (75%), 37% in ICU and 63% mainly in Coronary Care Unit and Emergency-shock room. In 41/55 (75%) UCIs, staff were incorporated: 27(49%) physicians (70% intensivists), 36 (65%) nurses, 28 (51%) respiratory therapists, 20(36%) cleaning staff, and 1(2%) others. A 96% of the ICUS reported having sufficient ventilators and 95% enough supplies and PPE. Of all patients on invasive mechanical ventilation, 55% [43-64] had COVID-19. Oxygen therapy was required as noninvasive support in 14% [8-24] of COVID-19 admissions. There was a significant expansion of critical operational areas, secondary to the increase in beds, staff, and adequate availability of ventilators and essential supplies. The burden of critical illness from COVID-19 was intense, with more than half of patients on mechanical ventilation.