Anti-Xa Directed Thromboprophylaxis in Critically Ill Patients with Coronavirus Disease 2019.

Objective: To compare Anti-Xa directed thromboprophylaxis using low molecular weight heparin (LMWH) (anti-Xa peak goal 0.2-0.5 IU/mL) to alternative anticoagulation strategies in critically ill COVID-19 patients. Methods: This was a retrospective, multicenter, single health-system study. Primary outcomes were thromboembolic events and clinically important bleeding events. Secondary outcomes included dosing comparisons between LMWH cohorts. Main Results: A total of 695 patients were included. No differences were found in the incidence of thrombotic events with any of the dosing strategies. The incidence of major bleeding was significantly higher in the standard dose thromboprophylaxis, intermediate dose subcutaneous heparin (SQH), and therapeutic anticoagulation cohorts. Forty-nine percent of patients within the anti-Xa directed group had their first anti-Xa peak at goal, while 43% were above goal. Patients who had levels above goal had dose modifications made, therefore anti-Xa directed LMWH resulted in significantly lower total daily doses compared to intermediate dose LMWH. Conclusions: Anti-Xa directed LMWH dosing provided comparable thromboprophylaxis with lower total daily doses of LMWH in critically ill COVID-19 patients. Further randomized controlled trials are needed to confirm our findings.

Hashimoto's Thyroiditis Presents as an Acute Encephalopathy: A Case Report of Unusual Presentation.

Hashimoto's thyroiditis is the most common thyroid disorder in the United States. Hashimoto encephalopathy is a rare presentation of Hashimoto's thyroiditis that is frequently misdiagnosed. We present the case of a 71-year-old female who had normal mental status at baseline. She presented with acute alteration in mental status. Further evaluation with brain MRI showed a hyperintense signal in the bilateral centrum. Spinal fluid analysis revealed elevated protein. Thyroid peroxidase (TPO) antibody was elevated at 59.7 and TSH was elevated at 4.9. Her mental status improved dramatically after treatment with steroids and levothyroxine. This diagnosis should be suspected when the patient develops acute encephalopathy with positive serum thyroid antibody settings with a complete return to normal mental status after treatment with steroids.

Evaluation of Early Administration of Insulin Glargine in the Acute Management of Diabetic Ketoacidosis.

BACKGROUND: Few studies have evaluated the early use of insulin glargine in the management of diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) patients. Early insulin glargine use in DKA was safe and associated with a trend towards faster DKA resolution. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of early insulin glargine administration for acute management of DKA in critically ill patients. METHODS: This single-center retrospective cohort study included patients, who were >18 years of age with DKA, admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) for at least 12 h, and received intravenous insulin infusion for at least 6 h. The primary endpoint was the association between the time to insulin glargine administration and time to DKA resolution. Linear and logistic regression analyses were performed. RESULTS: Of the 913 patients evaluated, 380 were included in the study. The overall mean age was 45±17 years, 196 (51.6%) were female, and 262 (70%) patients had type 1 diabetes mellitus. The mean blood glucose level was 584.9±210 mg/dL, pH was 7.16±0.17, anion gap was 28.17±6.9 mEq/L, and serum bicarbonate level was 11.19±5.72 mEq/L. Every 6-h delay in insulin glargine administration was associated with a 26-min increase in time to DKA resolution (95% confidence interval [CI], 14.76-37.44; p<0.0001), 3.2-h increase in insulin infusion duration (95% CI, 28.8-36; p<0.0001), and 6.5-h increase in ICU LOS (95% CI, 5.04-7.92; p<0.0001). CONCLUSION: Early administration of insulin glargine is potentially safe and may be associated with a reduction in time to DKA resolution and a shorter duration of insulin infusion.

The Impact of a New Best Practice Advisory on the Management of Diabetic Ketoacidosis.

BACKGROUND: According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) hospitalization rates have been steadily increasing. Due to the increasing incidence and the economic impact associated with its morbidity and treatment, effective management is key. We aimed to streamline the management of DKA in our intensive care units (ICU) by implementing a Best-Practice Advisory (BPA) that notifies providers when DKA has resolved. METHODS: A BPA was implemented on 9/15/2018. We conducted a retrospective review of patients admitted to the ICU with DKA a year before and after 9/15/2018. Adults (≥18 age) meeting DKA criteria on admission and treated with continuous insulin infusion (CII) were included. Pre-intervention group included patients admitted before BPA implementation and post-intervention group included patients admitted after. Summary and univariate analyses were performed. RESULTS: A total of 282 patients were included; 162 (57%) pre-intervention and 120 (43%) post-intervention. Mean (±SD) age of the patients was 44 (±17) years. There was no significant difference in baseline characteristics such as age, sex, race, BMI, HbA1c, initial blood glucose, anion gap or bicarbonate concentration between both the groups (p>0.05). Mean (±SD) total time on CII in hours was significantly lower in the post-intervention group {14.8 (±7.7) vs. 17.5 (±14.3) p=0.041, 95% CI: 0.11-5.3}. The incidence of hypoglycemia was lower in the post-intervention group {n=4 (3%) vs. 17 (10%), p=0.024}. There was no significant difference in hypokalemia, mortality, LOS or ICU stay between both the groups (p>0.05). CONCLUSION: The BPA introduced in our DKA management algorithm successfully reduced the total time on insulin and the incidence of hypoglycemia.

Computer-Based versus Paper-Based Insulin Infusion Algorithms in Diabetic Ketoacidosis.

BACKGROUND: Paper-based and computer-based insulin infusion algorithms facilitate appropriate glycemic therapy. The data comparing these algorithms in the management of diabetic ketoacidosis in the intensive care unit (ICU) setting are limited. We aimed to determine the differences in time to diabetic ketoacidosis resolution and incidence of hypoglycemia between computer and paper-based insulin infusion. METHODS: Single-institution retrospective review of patients admitted to the ICU with diabetic ketoacidosis between 4/1/2015 and 7/20/2018. Our institution introduced computer-based insulin infusion (Glucommander) to the intensive care unit on 3/28/2016. Patients were grouped into either paper-based group (preintervention) or a computer-based group (postintervention). Summary and univariate analyses were performed. RESULTS: A total of 620 patients (paper-based=247; computer-based=373) with a median (IQR) age of 40 (26-56) years were included; 46% were male. Patients in the computer-based group were significantly older (p=0.003); otherwise, there were no significant differences in gender, race, body mass index and HbA1c. The mean (±SD) time to diabetic ketoacidosis resolution in the computer-based group was significantly lower than the paper-based group (p=0.02). The number of patients in the paper-based group who developed severe hypoglycemia (<50 mg/dl) was significantly higher {8% vs 1%; p<0.0001}. CONCLUSION: Our analyses demonstrate statistically significant decreases in time to DKA resolution and hypoglycemic events in DKA patients who were managed using a computer-based insulin infusion algorithm providing a more effective and safer option when compared to paper-based insulin infusion.

Comparison of a clinical-laboratory algorithm, 4t and heparin-induced thrombocytopenia expert probability scores in the diagnosis of heparin-induced thrombocytopenia in the critical care setting.

BACKGROUND: Several scoring systems are utilized to calculate the pre-test probability of heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT). We hypothesize that a clinical-laboratory algorithm combining the 4Ts score with the optical density (OD) of anti-PF4-heparin antibody is more accurate than either the 4Ts or HIT expert probability (HEP) scores in the critical care setting. METHODS: A single-institution retrospective review of adult patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) that were evaluated for HIT was conducted. Two reviewers independently rated the proposed algorithm, 4Ts and HEP score. Summary, univariate and area under receiver operator characteristic analyses were performed. RESULTS: A total of 88 patients with a mean (SD) age of 62 (15) years were included. The sensitivity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value were superior in our clinical-laboratory algorithm compared to the 4Ts score ≥ 4 and the HEP score ≥ 2. The algorithm's specificity was non-inferior to the 4Ts score and HEP score. There was no significant difference between our clinical-laboratory algorithm and the 4Ts score or the HEP score in predicting HIT. CONCLUSION: Our study confirms that the combination of clinical and laboratory criteria is crucial in the presumable diagnosis of HIT. This is the first study that validates different HIT scores in an isolated ICU population.

An Unusual Case of Diffuse Alveolar Hemorrhage as a Clinical Manifestation of Atypical Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome: A Case Report.

Hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) is a constellation of microangiopathic hemolytic anemia, thrombocytopenia, and acute renal injury. HUS is subcategorized into primary or secondary HUS. Primary HUS is synonymous with atypical HUS (aHUS) and is attributed to genetic complement deficiency. Diffuse alveolar hemorrhage (DAH) is a serious condition complicating multiple systemic conditions. aHUS presenting as DAH is exceedingly rare. In this case, we present a 75-year-old male patient who presented with generalized weakness, malaise, and hemoptysis. He was found to have hemolytic anemia and thrombocytopenia, with elevated creatinine. Bronchoscopy confirmed DAH. He was started on plasmapheresis with a suboptimal response. aHUS was suspected and the patient was started on eculizumab with subsequent laboratory and clinical improvement. HUS and aHUS can present as DAH. It is very important to recognize both conditions as both are life threatening with high morbidity and mortality.

Not the Typical Pneumonia: An Unusual Case of Rasburicase-induced Methomoglobinemia.

We present a rare case of rasburicase-induced methemoglobinemia and hemolytic anemia in the setting of presumed glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency. A 78-year-old male with a known history of chronic lymphocytic leukemia presented to the clinic with fever of unknown origin. Laboratory results were significant for hyperuricemia. He was empirically started on levofloxacin and rasburicase. He then presented to the emergency department with shortness of breath and syncope. Physical examination was remarkable for a fever of 102.8 °F, conjunctival pallor, and scleral icterus. An infiltrate was observed on his computed tomography (CT) angiogram of the chest. Arterial blood gas on 50% fraction of inspired oxygen was significant for an arterial oxygen level of 222 millimeters mercury and oxyhemoglobin of 85.9%. Co-oximetry was then obtained and methemoglobin level was 13.4%. Laboratory results were noteworthy for a drop-in hemoglobin, indirect hyperbilirubinemia, low haptoglobin and elevated lactate dehydrogenase; depicting hemolytic anemia. The patient received two units of packed red blood cells, intravenous broad-spectrum antibiotics and he clinically improved.

Community-acquired Pneumonia with Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus in a Patient Admitted to the Intensive Care Unit: A Therapeutic Challenge.

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) was previously considered a purely nosocomial pathogen. However, community-acquired MRSA has recently emerged as an important cause of severe necrotizing community-acquired pneumonia (CA-MRSA) in previously healthy individuals. This new pathogen exhibits antibiotic resistance and is linked to extended hospital stay and higher mortality. CA-MRSA has presented new therapeutic challenges due to high vancomycin treatment failure and lack of specificity of clinical findings. There is emerging evidence that treatment with linezolid leads to better patient outcomes in patients with CA-MRSA. Through this case, we aim to raise awareness about early institution of therapy for CA-MRSA whenever it is suspected, to improve patient outcomes.