Individualizing Fluid Management in Patients with Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome and with Reduced Lung Tissue Due to Surgery-A Narrative Review.

Fluids are the cornerstone of therapy in all critically ill patients. During the last decades, we have made many steps to get fluid therapy personalized and based on individual needs. In patients with lung involvement-acute respiratory distress syndrome-finding the right amount of fluids after lung surgery may be extremely important because lung tissue is one of the most vulnerable to fluid accumulation. In the current narrative review, we focus on the actual perspectives of fluid therapy with the aim of showing the possibilities to tailor the treatment to a patient's individual needs using fluid responsiveness parameters and other therapeutic modalities.

Atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome triggered by mRNA vaccination against SARS-CoV-2: Case report

Atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome (aHUS), also called complement-mediated hemolytic uremic syndrome (CM-HUS), is a rare disease caused by dysregulation in the alternative complement activation pathway. It is a life-threatening condition causing ischemia of a number of organs, and it typically causes acute kidney injury. This disorder may be triggered by various factors including viral or bacterial infections, pregnancy, surgery, and injuries. In about 60% of cases, the genetic origin of the disease can be identified—commonly mutations affecting complementary factor H and MCP protein. Eculizumab, a monoclonal antibody to the C5 component of the complement, represents the current effective treatment.We describe a case of a young woman with a previous history of polyvalent allergies, who developed atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome after vaccination with mRNA vaccine against SARS-CoV-2. The disease manifested by scleral bleeding, acute renal insufficiency, anemia, and thrombocytopenia. The patient was treated with plasma exchanges without sufficient effect;remission occurred only after starting treatment with eculizumab. Genetic examination showed that the patient is a carrier of multiple inherited risk factors (a rare pathogenic variant in CFH, MCPggaac haplotype of the CD46 gene, and the risk haplotype CFH H3). The patient is currently in hematological remission with persistent mild renal insufficiency, continuing treatment with eculizumab/ravulizumab. By this case report, we meant to point out the need for careful monitoring of people after vaccination, as it may trigger immune-mediated diseases, especially in those with predisposing factors.

SepsEast Registry indicates high mortality associated with COVID-19 caused acute respiratory failure in Central-Eastern European intensive care units.

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic caused unprecedented research activity all around the world but publications from Central-Eastern European countries remain scarce. Therefore, our aim was to characterise the features of the pandemic in the intensive care units (ICUs) among members of the SepsEast (Central-Eastern European Sepsis Forum) initiative. We conducted a retrospective, international, multicentre study between March 2020 and February 2021. All adult patients admitted to the ICU with pneumonia caused by COVID-19 were enrolled. Data on baseline and treatment characteristics, organ support and mortality were collected. Eleven centres from six countries provided data from 2139 patients. Patient characteristics were: median 68, [IQR 60-75] years of age; males: 67%; body mass index: 30.1 [27.0-34.7]; and 88% comorbidities. Overall mortality was 55%, which increased from 2020 to 2021 (p = 0.004). The major causes of death were respiratory (37%), cardiovascular (26%) and sepsis with multiorgan failure (21%). 1061 patients received invasive mechanical ventilation (mortality: 66%) without extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (n = 54). The rest of the patients received non-invasive ventilation (n = 129), high flow nasal oxygen (n = 317), conventional oxygen therapy (n = 122), as the highest level of ventilatory support, with mortality of 50%, 39% and 22%, respectively. This is the largest COVID-19 dataset from Central-Eastern European ICUs to date. The high mortality observed especially in those receiving invasive mechanical ventilation renders the need of establishing national-international ICU registries and audits in the region that could provide high quality, transparent data, not only during the pandemic, but also on a regular basis.

Sepseast and covid-19: Time to make a difference

SepsEast is an enthusiastic intensivists group initiative launched in 2012, with the aim to facilitate clinical and research activities in the region. Through its actions and with the motto « Together we win, divided we are slow! » several joint research projects in the fields of perioperative medicine, fluid therapy, cardiovascular monitoring and support have been conducted. In the light of the COVID-19 pandemic, the SepsEast community is aware of its mission and is ready to take the challenge. This is mirrored by several educational, clinical and research activities including the development of a COVID-19 Registry;and an observational clinical study on cytokine adsorption in COVID-19 patients. The current pandemic should be our lesson on how to manage the global threat of infectious disease and to develop strategies for effective diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. Hopefully, the SepsEast community will contribute to these developments and scientific advances in general.

Azithromycin added to hydroxychloroquine for patients admitted to intensive care due to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)-protocol of randomised controlled trial AZIQUINE-ICU.

BACKGROUND: Novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 is known to be susceptible in vitro to exposure to hydroxychloroquine and its effect has been found to be potentiated by azithromycin. We hypothesise that early administration of hydroxychloroquine alone or in combination with azithromycin can prevent respiratory deterioration in patients admitted to intensive care due to rapidly progressive COVID-19 infection. METHODS: Design: Prospective, multi-centre, double-blind, randomised, controlled trial (RCT). PARTICIPANTS: Adult (> 18 years) within 24 h of admission to the intensive care unit with proven or suspected COVID-19 infection, whether or not mechanically ventilated. Exclusion criteria include duration symptoms of febrile disease for ≥ 1 week, treatment limitations in place or moribund patients, allergy or intolerance of any study treatment, and pregnancy. INTERVENTIONS: Patients will be randomised in 1:1:1 ratio to receive Hydroxychloroquine 800 mg orally in two doses followed by 400 mg daily in two doses and azithromycin 500 mg orally in one dose followed by 250 mg in one dose for a total of 5 days (HC-A group) or hydroxychloroquine + placebo (HC group) or placebo + placebo (C-group) in addition to the best standard of care, which may evolve during the trial period but will not differ between groups. Primary outcome is the composite percentage of patients alive and not on end-of-life pathway who are free of mechanical ventilation at day 14. SECONDARY OUTCOMES: The percentage of patients who were prevented from needing intubation until day 14, ICU length of stay, and mortality (in hospital) at day 28 and 90. DISCUSSION: Although both investigational drugs are often administered off label to patients with severe COVID-19, at present, there is no data from RCTs on their safety and efficacy. In vitro and observational trial suggests their potential to limit viral replication and the damage to lungs as the most common reason for ICU admission. Therefore, patients most likely to benefit from the treatment are those with severe but early disease. This trial is designed and powered to investigate whether the treatment in this cohort of patients leads to improved clinical patient-centred outcomes, such as mechanical ventilation-free survival. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Clinical trials.gov: NCT04339816 (Registered on 9 April 2020, amended on 22 June 2020); Eudra CT number: 2020-001456-18 (Registered on 29 March 2020).