3-month prognostic impact of severe acute renal failure under veno-venous ECMO support: Importance of time of onset.

PURPOSE: Veno-venous ECMO is increasingly used for the management of refractory ARDS. In this context, acute kidney injury (AKI) is a major and frequent complication, often associated with poor outcome. We aimed to identify characteristics associated with severe renal failure (Kidney Disease Improving Global Outcome (KDIGO) 3) and its impact on 3-month outcome. METHODS: Between May 2009 and April 2016, 60 adult patients requiring VV-ECMO in our University Hospital were prospectively included. RESULTS: AKI occurrence was frequent (75%; n=45), 51% of patients (n=31) developed KDIGO 3 - predominantly prior to ECMO insertion - and renal replacement therapy was required in 43% (n=26) of cases. KDIGO 3 was associated with a lower mechanical ventilation weaning rate (24% vs 68% for patients with no AKI or other stages of AKI; p<0.001) and a higher 90-day mortality rate (72% vs 32%, p=0.002). Multivariate logistic regression suggested that KDIGO 3 occurrence prior to ECMO insertion, as well as PaCO2>57mmHg and mSOFA>12 were independent risks factors for 90-day mortality. CONCLUSION: KDIGO 3 AKI occurrence is correlated with the severity of patients' clinical condition prior to ECMO insertion and is negatively associated with 90-day survival.

Influence of Age on Decision-Making Process to Limit or Withdraw Life-Sustaining Treatment in the Intensive Care Unit - A Single Center Prospective Observational Study.

BACKGROUND: The increasing age in the industrialized countries places significant demands on intensive care unit (ICU) resources and this triggers debates about end-of-life care for the elderly. OBJECTIVES: We sought to determine the impact of age on the decision-making process to limit or withdraw life-sustaining treatment (DWLST) in an ICU in France. We hypothesized that there are differences in the decision-making process for young and old patients. DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS: We prospectively studied end-of-life decision-making for all consecutive admissions (n=390) to a tertiary care university ICU in Toulouse, France over a period of 11 months between January and October 2011. RESULTS: Among the 390 patients included in the study (age ≥70yo, n=95; age <70yo, n=295) DWLST were more common for patients 70 years or older (43% for age ≥70yo vs. 16% for age <70yo, p <0.0001). Reasons for DWLST were different in the 2 groups, with the 'no alternative treatment options' and 'severity of illness' as the most frequent reasons cited for the younger group whereas it was 'severity of illness' for the older group. 'Advanced age' led to DWLSTs in 43% of the decisions in the group ≥70yo (vs. 0% in the group <70yo, p <0.0001). Multivariate logistic regression showed a high SAPS II score and age ≥70yo as independent risk factors for DWLSTs in the ICU. We did not find age ≥70yo as an independent risk factor for mortality in ICU. CONCLUSION: We found that age ≥70yo was an independent risk factor for DWLSTs for patients in the ICU, but not for their mortality. Reasons leading to DWLSTs are different according to the age of patients.

Estimation of glomerular filtration rate to adjust vancomycin dosage in critically ill patients: superiority of the Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration equation?

The purpose of this study was to determine the best estimate of glomerular filtration rate (GFR) to adjust vancomycin (VAN) dosage in critically ill patients. Seventy-eight adult intensive care unit patients received a 15 mg/kg loading dose of VAN plus a 30 mg/kg/day continuous infusion. Steady-state concentration was measured 48 hours later and the dose was adjusted to obtain a target concentration ranging from 20 to 25 mg/l. GFR was estimated by measured creatinine clearance (CLCR), Cockcroft, Modification of Diet in Renal Disease and Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration (CKD-EPI) equations. The required dose providing the target concentration was 36±17 mg/kg/day. The first dosage had to be increased in 51% of all patients and in 84% of trauma patients (highest GFR), but had to be decreased in 17% of patients. The closest relationship between clearances of vancomycin was observed with CKD-EPI to GFR. The correlation between clearances of vancomycin and measured CLCR was significant but was rather poor with Cockcroft and Modification of Diet in Renal Disease equation. On the Bland and Altman plots, measured CLCR provided a lower bias but a larger confidence interval and a weaker precision than CKD-EPI. For VAN dose adjustments in intensive care unit patients, Cockcroft formula and Modification of Diet in Renal Disease should be used with caution. In clinical practice, the physician does not have at their disposal the patient's measured CLCR when prescribing. The CKD-EPI appears to be the best predictor of clearances of vancomycin for calculation of a therapeutic VAN regimen.

[Patient with acute renal injury presenting dabigatran overdose: Hemodialysis for surgery]. / Surdosage en dabigatran chez un patient en insuffisance rénale : intérêt et limites de l'hémodialyse.

Dabigatran is a direct thrombin inhibitor indicated for stroke and systemic embolism prevention in patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation. No reversal agent exists, but hemodialysis has been proposed as dabigatran removal method. We report a case of an 80-year-old man presenting hemorrhage with dabigatran overdose caused by obstructive acute renal failure. Before nephrostomy, several hemodialysis sessions were necessary to remove dabigatran probably because of its large volume of distribution.

[How can we determine the best cerebral perfusion pressure in pediatric traumatic brain injury?]. / Quelle pression de perfusion cérébrale après traumatisme crânien chez l'enfant?

The management of cerebral perfusion pressure (CPP) is the one of the main preoccupation for the care of paediatric traumatic brain injury (TBI). The physiology of cerebral autoregulation, CO2 vasoreactivity, cerebral metabolism changes with age as well as the brain compliance. Low CPP leads to high morbidity and mortality in pediatric TBI. The recent guidelines for the management of CPP for the paediatric TBI indicate a CPP threshold 40-50 mmHg (infants for the lower and adolescent for the upper). But we must consider the importance of age-related differences in the arterial pressure and CPP. The best CPP is the one that allows to avoid cerebral ischaemia and oedema. In this way, the adaptation of optimal CPP must be individual. To assess this objective, interesting tools are available. Transcranial Doppler can be used to determine the best level of CPP. Other indicators can predict the impairment of autoregulation like pressure reactivity index (PRx) taking into consideration the respective changes in ICP and CPP. Measurement of brain tissue oxygen partial pressure is an other tool that can be used to determine the optimal CPP.

[The choice of a pediatric anesthesia ventilator]. / Comment choisir un respirateur d'anesthésie pédiatrique?

The technology of anesthesia ventilators has substantially progressed during last years. The choice of a pediatric anesthesia ventilator needs to be led by multiple parameters: requirement, technical (pneumatic performance, velocity of halogenated or oxygen delivery), cost (purchase, in operation, preventive and curative maintenance), reliability, ergonomy, upgradability, and compatibility. The demonstration of the interest of pressure support mode during maintenance of spontaneous ventilation anesthesia makes this mode essential in pediatrics. In contrast, the financial impact of target controlled inhalation of halogenated has not be studied in pediatrics. Paradoxically, complex and various available technologies had not been much prospectively studied. Anesthesia ventilators performances in pediatrics need to be clarified in further clinical and bench test studies.

[Aspirin and its danger: Reye syndrome in young adult]. / L'aspirine et ses dangers: syndrome de Reye chez un adulte jeune.

We describe the case of a 19-year-old male diagnosed with Reye syndrome within the context of viral pericarditis and salicylate ingestion. He presented a fatal brain oedema without liver failure. Brain biopsies obtained during a decompressive craniectomy led to the diagnosis.

Study of agreement of aortic, radial and femoral blood pressures during aortic endografting.

PURPOSE: To estimate the agreement between radial or femoral, and ascending aortic invasive blood pressure values. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Prospective study on 32 patients who underwent an aortic endografting under general anesthesia. After deploying the prosthesis under controlled hypotension, a catheter was introduced in the aorta to measure the staged systolic (SAP), diastolic (DAP) and mean (MAP) arterial pressures, in particular at the level of ascending aorta and femoral artery. RESULTS: No differences were observed between SAP, DAP or MAP measured in the aorta versus femoral or radial arteries. A better agreement was observed between the aortic and femoral MAP (bias of 1mmHg, limits of agreement between: -8.8mmHg and +10.8mmHg) than between the aortic and the radial MAP (bias of 1.7mmHg, limits of agreement between: -14.1mmHg and +17.5mmHg). The comparison between radial and femoral MAP was not satisfying (bias of -4.7mmHg and limits of agreement between -19.1mmHg and +9.7mmHg). CONCLUSION: The femoral MAP is more accurate to predict value of the aortic MAP than the radial MAP in a hypotensive setting. The clinician should be aware of these discrepancies in conditions of hemodynamic impairment to optimize the treatment.

[Use of ECMO (extracorporeal membrane oxygenation) in a traumatic brain injured patient with severe hypoxemia]. / Utilisation d'un ECMO (extracorporeal membrane oxygenation) dans un cas d'hypoxémie réfractaire associée à un traumatisme crânien grave.

Traumatic brain injuries are fairly sensitive to hypoxia. For patient with associated lung and brain traumas, different means used to improve oxygen blood level are poorly described. We report the use of ECMO in a refractory hypoxemia occurred to a multitrauma young patient with neurological lesions.

[Video laryngoscopic tracheal intubation under sedation]. / Intubation au vidéolaryngoscope sous-sédation.

We report a video laryngoscopic tracheal intubation under sedation in a patient with a hip fracture. Preoperative assessment revealed signs of difficult airway management linked to a cervical spine immobilization. Here we describe an alternative method to awake fiber optic flexible intubation.

[Pulmonary embolism and pregnancy]. / Embolie pulmonaire et grossesse.

OBJECTIVE: Pulmonary embolism remains a leading cause of maternal death in France and in other developed countries. Prevention is well codified, but management remains complex both for diagnosis and therapeutics. The objective of this review was to update the knowledge on diagnosis and treatment of pulmonary embolism during pregnancy. ARTICLE TYPE: Review. DATA SOURCE: Medline(®) database looking for articles published in English or French between 1965 and 2012, using pulmonary embolism, pregnancy, heparin, thrombolysis and vena cava filter as keywords. Editorials, original articles, reviews and cases reports were selected. DATA SYNTHESIS: Pulmonary embolism is one of the leading causes of maternal death in France. Clinical signs and biologic tests are not specific during pregnancy. Doppler ultrasound is helpful for diagnosis and avoids maternal and fetal radiation. Treatment is based on full anticoagulation. Low molecular weight heparin is the treatment of choice. A temporary vena cava filter may be proposed, especially at the end of pregnancy, or when heparin is contraindicated. In case of pulmonary embolism with cardiogenic shock, thrombolysis is an alternative treatment. CONCLUSION: Diagnostic approach is first based on the use of ultrasound- Doppler, and frequently on-to computed tomographic pulmonary angiography or ventilation-perfusion lung scanning. The treatment is based on low molecular weight heparin. Others therapeutics, such as thrombolysis or temporary vena cava filter, may be useful in certain circumstances.

[Continuous spinal anesthesia and pulmonary arterial hypertension]. / Rachianesthésie continue et hypertension artérielle pulmonaire.

We report the use of continuous spinal anesthesia for hip fracture surgery in a patient with pulmonary arterial hypertension. Preoperative evaluation, anesthetic technique and preoperative monitoring are discussed.

Relative accuracy of arterial and capillary glucose meter measurements in critically ill patients.

AIM: As optimizing glucose control in critically ill patients remains a challenge for intensive-care physicians, this study aimed to determine the accuracy of glucose measurements. METHODS: The accuracy of capillary and arterial blood glucose meter measurements was compared with central laboratory arterial glucose measurements; the factors associated with inaccurate measures were also determined. RESULTS: Altogether, 302 samples from 75 patients were assessed. Mean glucose levels were 126±52 mg/dL for capillary measurements, 133±50 mg/dL for arterial measurements and 143±54 mg/dL for serum glucose laboratory measurements. Compliance with the ISO 15197 guidelines was observed in 74.8% of the capillary samples and 88.7% of the arterial samples. However, all measurements by glucose meter (with either capillary or arterial samples) led to underestimations of serum glucose. CONCLUSION: In critically ill patients, glucose measurements from capillary and arterial blood by glucose meter are inaccurate, and can potentially lead to inappropriate use of insulin-infusion protocols and failure to achieve glycaemic targets.

[Medical handovers in ICU: a snapshot of practice in the South West of France]. / État des lieux des transmissions médicales en réanimation en Midi-Pyrénées.

INTRODUCTION: Medical handover is critical for quality of care in ICU. Time assigned to medical handovers can vary across different units, with significant impact on the organization of medical work. We aimed to study the time spent for medical handover in ICU and its variation across academic, general and private hospitals in the area of the South West of France, the Midi-Pyrénées region. METHODS: Between August and October 2010, we questioned by phone, 86 physicians issued from 19 different ICUs. This prospective observational study mainly focused on four items: unit's characteristics, health diaries organization, medical handovers procedures, and self-assessment of satisfaction for medical handover (numeric scale from 0 to 10). RESULTS: Eleven general hospital centers, three private hospitals, five university hospitals were concerned by the survey. The mean time spent for medical handover was 59±35 min on monday morning, significantly longer than other days, evening, and to weekend handovers (P<0.001 for all comparisons). When reporting it to the number of ICU bed, the time spent for handover per patient was significantly shorter in private hospital compared to general and academic hospital (P<0.05 for all comparison). CONCLUSION: Time spent for medical handover is important, with an approximate total time of 1h 30 min on monday, and 1h the other days. Physician in private hospitals spend less time for medical handovers. This fact should be considered for medical timework organization, especially in academic hospital and in hospital with large ICU.

Early encephalic toxicity after inadvertent intrathecal injection of low osmolar contrast medium.

Only nonionic contrast media are allowed for intrathecal use because of their lower neurotoxicity. In case of inadvertent intrathecal administration of an ionic contrast medium, the typical following syndrome is called ascending tonic clonic seizure syndrome. We describe the case of a 61-year-old woman with low back pain who underwent myelography. Ioxaglate, a water-soluble ionic low osmolar contrast medium was accidentally injected intrathecally. She first presented encephalic signs of neurotoxicity, followed by opisthotonic spasms and respiratory distress. In our case, ioxaglate is a low osmolar agent, leading to early encephalic toxicity (preceding medullary signs), because of its cephalic migration. The patient was successfully treated by sedation, anticonvulsant therapy and fluid hydration. Intrathecal administration of an ionic contrast medium is clearly contraindicated. In case of inadvertent injection of a low osmolar product, encephalic signs are seen first.