One-Year Follow up of Noninvasive Respiratory Support in General Wards.

BACKGROUND: Noninvasive respiratory support (NRS) has been used to treat acute respiratory failure outside the ICU, but existing data have left many knowledge gaps for managing NRS in general wards. The primary objective of this study was to describe indications, duration of treatment, and outcomes of subjects treated with NRS outside the ICU. The secondary objective was to compare outcomes based on age < 80 or ≥ 80 y. METHODS: This retrospective observational study was conducted at Maggiore della Carità University Hospital in Novara, Italy, and included all patients treated with noninvasive ventilation (NIV) or CPAP outside the ICU from November 2017 to October 2018, with 1 year of follow-up. RESULTS: Of the 570 treatments performed, 383 subjects were analyzed, 136 NIV and 247 CPAP. Subjects' median (interquartile range [IQR]) age was 79 (72-85) y, and the main diagnoses of respiratory failure were cardiogenic pulmonary edema in 128 subjects (33%), pneumonia in 99 (26%), and COPD exacerbation in 52 (14%), with a median (IQR) treatment duration of 38 (16-74) h. Rapid response team visits lasted a median (IQR) 3 (2-6) d. Interface-related pressure lesions occurred in 13% of the subjects, in no case leading to definitive treatment discontinuation. Compared with the subjects ≥ 80 y old, the younger subjects had a median (IQR) longer hospitalization (16 [10-24] d vs 13 [9-20] d; P = .003) but slightly decreased in-hospital mortality (21% vs 30%; P = .061) and a decreased post-discharged 1-year mortality in hospital survivors (25% vs 41%; P = .002), differences observed only in the subjects treated with NIV. CONCLUSIONS: In a real-life setting outside the ICU, NIV and CPAP managed by a rapid response team with a daily visit in collaboration with ward staff highly experienced in NRS allowed us to treat the subjects without major complications. Post-discharge 1-year mortality was higher in the subjects ≥ 80 y old treated with NIV for acute hypercapnic respiratory failure.

Pharmacodynamic analysis of a fluid challenge with 4 ml kg-1 over 10 or 20 min: a multicenter cross-over randomized clinical trial.

PURPOSE: A number of studies performed in the operating room evaluated the hemodynamic effects of the fluid challenge (FC), solely considering the effect before and after the infusion. Few studies have investigated the pharmacodynamic effect of the FC on hemodynamic flow and pressure variables. We designed this trial aiming at describing the pharmacodynamic profile of two different FC infusion times, of a fixed dose of 4 ml kg-1. METHODS: Forty-nine elective neurosurgical patients received two consecutive FCs of 4 ml kg-1 of crystalloids in 10 (FC10) or 20 (FC20) minutes, in a random order. Fluid responsiveness was defined as stroke volume index increase ≥ 10%. We assessed the net area under the curve (AUC), the maximal percentage difference from baseline (dmax), time when the dmax was observed (tmax), change from baseline at 1-min (d1) and 5-min (d5) after FC end. RESULTS: After FC10 and FC20, 25 (51%) and 14 (29%) of 49 patients were classified as fluid responders (p = 0.001). With the exception of the AUCs of SAP and MAP, the AUCs of all the considered hemodynamic variables were comparable. The dmax and the tmax were overall comparable. In both groups, the hemodynamic effects on flow variables were dissipated within 5 min after FC end. CONCLUSIONS: The infusion time of FC administration affects fluid responsiveness, being higher for FC10 as compared to FC20. The effect on flow variables of either FCs fades 5 min after the end of infusion.

Outcomes of COVID-19 patients treated with continuous positive airway pressure outside the intensive care unit.

AIM: We aimed to characterise a large population of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients with moderate-to-severe hypoxaemic acute respiratory failure (ARF) receiving continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) outside the intensive care unit (ICU), and to ascertain whether the duration of CPAP application increased the risk of mortality for patients requiring intubation. METHODS: In this retrospective, multicentre cohort study, we included adult COVID-19 patients, treated with CPAP outside ICU for hypoxaemic ARF from 1 March to 15 April, 2020. We collected demographic and clinical data, including CPAP therapeutic goal, hospital length of stay and 60-day in-hospital mortality. RESULTS: The study included 537 patients with a median (interquartile range (IQR) age of 69 (60-76) years. 391 (73%) were male. According to the pre-defined CPAP therapeutic goal, 397 (74%) patients were included in the full treatment subgroup, and 140 (26%) in the do not intubate (DNI) subgroup. Median (IQR) CPAP duration was 4 (1-8) days, while hospital length of stay was 16 (9-27) days. 60-day in-hospital mortality was 34% (95% CI 0.304-0.384%) overall, and 21% (95% CI 0.169-0.249%) and 73% (95% CI 0.648-0.787%) for full treatment and DNI subgroups, respectively. In the full treatment subgroup, in-hospital mortality was 42% (95% CI 0.345-0.488%) for 180 (45%) CPAP failures requiring intubation, and 2% (95% CI 0.008-0.035%) for the remaining 217 (55%) patients who succeeded. Delaying intubation was associated with increased mortality (hazard ratio 1.093, 95% CI 1.010-1.184). CONCLUSIONS: We described a large population of COVID-19 patients treated with CPAP outside ICU. Intubation delay represents a risk factor for mortality. Further investigation is needed for early identification of CPAP failures.

Endometrial thickness in the evaluation of clinical response to medical treatment for deep infiltrating endometriosis: a retrospective study.

PURPOSE: Deep infiltrating endometriosis (DIE) is associated with severe pelvic pain and functional impairment of bowel, urinary, and sexual functions. Though hormone therapy with progestins, either as single agents or combined with estrogens, is effective in managing symptoms, some patients may experience a suboptimal response. Endometrial thickness assessed by transvaginal ultrasound examination, reflecting the overall estrogen stimulation, may correlate with the clinical response to hormonal treatments. METHODS: A retrospective study was carried out on 61 women with DIE affecting the bowel or the recto-vaginal septum, undergoing hormone treatment. The symptoms of patients were evaluated at the baseline and after 12 months of therapy, calculating a global Visual Analogue Scale score (gVAS) encompassing dysmenorrhea, dyspareunia, chronic pelvic pain, dyschezia, abdominal pain and dysuria. Patients were divided into two subgroups using, as a calculated cut-off value, the mean endometrial thickness in our population at 12 months. The change in gVAS score during the 12 months of treatment was then compared between the two groups. RESULTS: Women with a thinner endometrium (< 3.3 mm) showed a better response to treatment in terms of symptoms control as compared to patients with a thicker endometrium (mean gVAS score reduction 9.2 ± 1.3 vs. 5.2 ± 1.3, p = 0.036). The correlation between endometrial thickness and symptomatic response was also confirmed (p = 0.041) on multivariate linear regression analysis including as covariates age, size of lesions of DIE, presence of uterine adenomyosis, ovarian endometriosis and type of medical treatment. CONCLUSION: Endometrial thickness on ultrasound transvaginal examination is correlated with better response rates to hormone therapy in terms of symptoms control. A thinner endometrium, probably resulting from a more efficient suppression of estrogen stimulation, is associated with improved symptoms. These results may aid clinicians in monitoring and tailoring hormonal treatments during follow-up of women with symptomatic DIE.