Protocol for a prospective cohort study on the use of clinical nutrition and assessment of long-term clinical and functional outcomes in critically ill adult patients.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Limited data are available on the impact of clinical nutrition over the course of critical illness and post-discharge outcomes. The present study aims to characterize the use of nutrition support in patients admitted to European intensive care units (ICUs), and its impact on clinical outcomes. Here we present the procedures of data collection and evaluation. METHODS: Around 100 medical, surgical, or trauma ICUs in 11 countries (Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Germany, France, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom) participate in the study. In defined months between November 2019 and April 2020, approximately 1250 patients are enrolled if staying in ICU for at least five consecutive days. Data from ICU day 1-4 are collected retrospectively, followed by a prospective observation period from day 5-90 after ICU admission. Data collection includes patient characteristics, nutrition parameters, complications, ICU and hospital length of stay, discharge status, and functional outcomes. For data analysis, the target is 1000 patients with complete data. Statistical analyses will be descriptive, with multivariate analyses adjusted for potential confounders to explore associations between nutritional balance and change in functional status, time-to-weaning from invasive mechanical ventilation, time to first clinical complication, and overall 15, 30 and 90-day survival. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: This non-interventional study was reviewed and approved by the ethics committee of the Medical University Vienna, Vienna, Austria (approval number 1678/2019), and the respective ethical committees from participating sites at country and/or local level, as required. Results will be shared with investigators on a country level, and a publication and results presentation at the 2021 ESPEN Congress is planned. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT04143503.

Reducing the knowledge to action gap in hospital nutrition care - Developing and implementing nutritionDay 2.0.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: In hospital nutrition care the difficulty of translating knowledge to action often leads to inadequate management of patients with malnutrition. nutritionDay, an annual cross-sectional survey has been assessing nutrition care in healthcare institutions in 66 countries since 2006. While initial efforts led to increased awareness of malnutrition, specific local remedial actions rarely followed. Thus, reducing the Knowledge-to-action (KTA) gap in nutrition care requires more robust and focused strategies. This study describes the strategy, methods, instruments and experience of developing and implementing nutritionDay 2.0, an audit and feedback intervention that uses quality and economic indicators, feedback, benchmarking and self-defined action strategies to reduce the KTA gap in hospital nutrition care. METHODS: We used an evidence based multi-professional mixed-methods approach to develop and implement nutritionDay 2.0 This audit and feedback intervention is driven by a Knowledge-to-Action framework complemented with robust stakeholder analysis. Further evidence was synthesized from the literature, online surveys, a pilot study, World Cafés and individual expert feedback involving international health care professionals, nutrition care scientists and patients. RESULTS: The process of developing and implementing nutritionDay 2.0 over three years resulted in a new audit questionnaire based on 36 nutrition care quality and economic indicators at hospital, unit and patient levels, a new action-oriented feedback and benchmarking report and a unit-level personalizable action plan template. The evaluation of nutritionDay 2.0 is ongoing and will include satisfaction and utility of nutritionDay 2.0 tools and short-, mid- and long-term effects on the KTA gap. CONCLUSION: In clinical practice, nutritionDay 2.0 has the potential to promote behavioural and practice changes and improve hospital nutrition care outcomes. In research, the data generated advances knowledge about institutional malnutrition and quality of hospital nutrition care. The ongoing evaluation of the initiative will reveal how far the KTA gap in hospital nutrition care was addressed and facilitate the understanding of the mechanisms needed for successful audit and feedback. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Registration in clinicaltrials.gov: Identifier: NCT02820246.

Nutrition care quality indicators in hospitals and nursing homes: A systematic literature review and critical appraisal of current evidence.

OBJECTIVE: Quality indicators (QIs) can be used to assess and improve the quality of care in health care institutions. Although QIs about nutrition care in hospitals and nursing homes have been used in studies, no systematic catalogue exists to date. This systematic literature review identifies nutrition care QIs in hospitals and nursing homes and maps them according to QI type, stakeholder level and nutrition care theme. We also assess the level of consensus between studies and critically appraise the QIs presented therein based on two conceptual frameworks. METHODS: Ovid, Scopus and grey literature were searched from 1995 to 2016 including studies in English and German. Papers were considered if they presented, developed, assessed, rated or applied nutrition care QIs in hospitals or nursing homes. We used Donabedian's framework to define structure, process and outcome indicators, the WHO (World Health Organization) definition to describe stakeholder levels, and a structured table to map indicators within themes. Further, we used the Institute of Medicine (IOM) and the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) frameworks' key dimensions to measure the conceptual quality of the QIs. Results are summarised and presented tabulated and narratively. RESULTS: From 536 identified studies, 46 were included. Eight hundred and twenty-two QIs were extracted and mapped into 19 themes and 151 sub-themes. Half were process indicators (49%) and about a quarter were outcome (28%) and structure (23%) indicators, respectively. The vast majority (71%) targeted micro level, while 28% meso level and only 1% macro level information. The nutrition themes meals/mealtimes (12%), treatment (adherence) (12%), nutrition screening (7%), assessment (7%) and monitoring (7%) were most frequently covered. 69% of indicators were cited by more than one study. Most frequent framework dimensions were patient-centeredness (33%), timeliness (30%), validity (30%) and actionability/feasibility (30%). CONCLUSION: The large number of nutrition care QIs in hospitals and nursing homes indicates the high interest in and importance of better nutrition care provision in institutions. However, the great variability indicates little consensus of the nutrition community on how to best assess and measure the quality of nutrition care. The limited methodological and conceptual validity of presented QIs and the low representation of QIs at macro and meso levels make international consensus finding complicated. Increased efforts including all stakeholder levels and using conceptual frameworks to define a limited number of key QIs with high methodological validity, actionability and stakeholder relevance are needed. Registration in clinicaltrials.gov: Identifier: NCT02820246.

Effect of Intraoperative High Positive End-Expiratory Pressure (PEEP) With Recruitment Maneuvers vs Low PEEP on Postoperative Pulmonary Complications in Obese Patients: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: An intraoperative higher level of positive end-expiratory positive pressure (PEEP) with alveolar recruitment maneuvers improves respiratory function in obese patients undergoing surgery, but the effect on clinical outcomes is uncertain. Objective: To determine whether a higher level of PEEP with alveolar recruitment maneuvers decreases postoperative pulmonary complications in obese patients undergoing surgery compared with a lower level of PEEP. Design, Setting, and Participants: Randomized clinical trial of 2013 adults with body mass indices of 35 or greater and substantial risk for postoperative pulmonary complications who were undergoing noncardiac, nonneurological surgery under general anesthesia. The trial was conducted at 77 sites in 23 countries from July 2014-February 2018; final follow-up: May 2018. Interventions: Patients were randomized to the high level of PEEP group (n = 989), consisting of a PEEP level of 12 cm H2O with alveolar recruitment maneuvers (a stepwise increase of tidal volume and eventually PEEP) or to the low level of PEEP group (n = 987), consisting of a PEEP level of 4 cm H2O. All patients received volume-controlled ventilation with a tidal volume of 7 mL/kg of predicted body weight. Main Outcomes and Measures: The primary outcome was a composite of pulmonary complications within the first 5 postoperative days, including respiratory failure, acute respiratory distress syndrome, bronchospasm, new pulmonary infiltrates, pulmonary infection, aspiration pneumonitis, pleural effusion, atelectasis, cardiopulmonary edema, and pneumothorax. Among the 9 prespecified secondary outcomes, 3 were intraoperative complications, including hypoxemia (oxygen desaturation with Spo2 ≤92% for >1 minute). Results: Among 2013 adults who were randomized, 1976 (98.2%) completed the trial (mean age, 48.8 years; 1381 [69.9%] women; 1778 [90.1%] underwent abdominal operations). In the intention-to-treat analysis, the primary outcome occurred in 211 of 989 patients (21.3%) in the high level of PEEP group compared with 233 of 987 patients (23.6%) in the low level of PEEP group (difference, -2.3% [95% CI, -5.9% to 1.4%]; risk ratio, 0.93 [95% CI, 0.83 to 1.04]; P = .23). Among the 9 prespecified secondary outcomes, 6 were not significantly different between the high and low level of PEEP groups, and 3 were significantly different, including fewer patients with hypoxemia (5.0% in the high level of PEEP group vs 13.6% in the low level of PEEP group; difference, -8.6% [95% CI, -11.1% to 6.1%]; P < .001). Conclusions and Relevance: Among obese patients undergoing surgery under general anesthesia, an intraoperative mechanical ventilation strategy with a higher level of PEEP and alveolar recruitment maneuvers, compared with a strategy with a lower level of PEEP, did not reduce postoperative pulmonary complications. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02148692.

Association between night-time surgery and occurrence of intraoperative adverse events and postoperative pulmonary complications.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this post hoc analysis of a large cohort study was to evaluate the association between night-time surgery and the occurrence of intraoperative adverse events (AEs) and postoperative pulmonary complications (PPCs). METHODS: LAS VEGAS (Local Assessment of Ventilatory Management During General Anesthesia for Surgery) was a prospective international 1-week study that enrolled adult patients undergoing surgical procedures with general anaesthesia and mechanical ventilation in 146 hospitals across 29 countries. Surgeries were defined as occurring during 'daytime' when induction of anaesthesia was between 8:00 AM and 7:59 PM, and as 'night-time' when induction was between 8:00 PM and 7:59 AM. RESULTS: Of 9861 included patients, 555 (5.6%) underwent surgery during night-time. The proportion of patients who developed intraoperative AEs was higher during night-time surgery in unmatched (43.6% vs 34.1%; P<0.001) and propensity-matched analyses (43.7% vs 36.8%; P=0.029). PPCs also occurred more often in patients who underwent night-time surgery (14% vs 10%; P=0.004) in an unmatched cohort analysis, although not in a propensity-matched analysis (13.8% vs 11.8%; P=0.39). In a multivariable regression model, including patient characteristics and types of surgery and anaesthesia, night-time surgery was independently associated with a higher incidence of intraoperative AEs (odds ratio: 1.44; 95% confidence interval: 1.09-1.90; P=0.01), but not with a higher incidence of PPCs (odds ratio: 1.32; 95% confidence interval: 0.89-1.90; P=0.15). CONCLUSIONS: Intraoperative adverse events and postoperative pulmonary complications occurred more often in patients undergoing night-time surgery. Imbalances in patients' clinical characteristics, types of surgery, and intraoperative management at night-time partially explained the higher incidence of postoperative pulmonary complications, but not the higher incidence of adverse events. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT01601223.

Intraoperative ventilation settings and their associations with postoperative pulmonary complications in obese patients.

BACKGROUND: There is limited information concerning the current practice of intraoperative mechanical ventilation in obese patients, and the optimal ventilator settings for these patients are debated. We investigated intraoperative ventilation parameters and their associations with the development of postoperative pulmonary complications (PPCs) in obese patients. METHODS: We performed a secondary analysis of the international multicentre Local ASsessment of VEntilatory management during General Anesthesia for Surgery' (LAS VEGAS) study, restricted to obese patients, with a predefined composite outcome of PPCs as primary end-point. RESULTS: We analysed 2012 obese patients from 135 hospitals across 29 countries in Europe, North America, North Africa, and the Middle East. Tidal volume was 8.8 [25th-75th percentiles: 7.8-9.9] ml kg-1 predicted body weight, PEEP was 4 [1-5] cm H2O, and recruitment manoeuvres were performed in 7.7% of patients. PPCs occurred in 11.7% of patients and were independently associated with age (P<0.001), body mass index ≥40 kg m-2 (P=0.033), obstructive sleep apnoea (P=0.002), duration of anaesthesia (P<0.001), peak airway pressure (P<0.001), use of rescue recruitment manoeuvres (P<0.05) and routine recruitment manoeuvres performed by bag squeezing (P=0.021). PPCs were associated with an increased length of hospital stay (P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Obese patients are frequently ventilated with high tidal volume and low PEEP, and seldom receive recruitment manoeuvres. PPCs increase hospital stay, and are associated with preoperative conditions, duration of anaesthesia and intraoperative ventilation settings. Randomised trials are warranted to clarify the role of different ventilatory parameters in obese patients. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT01601223.

Protective intraoperative ventilation with higher versus lower levels of positive end-expiratory pressure in obese patients (PROBESE): study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Postoperative pulmonary complications (PPCs) increase the morbidity and mortality of surgery in obese patients. High levels of positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) with lung recruitment maneuvers may improve intraoperative respiratory function, but they can also compromise hemodynamics, and the effects on PPCs are uncertain. We hypothesized that intraoperative mechanical ventilation using high PEEP with periodic recruitment maneuvers, as compared with low PEEP without recruitment maneuvers, prevents PPCs in obese patients. METHODS/DESIGN: The PRotective Ventilation with Higher versus Lower PEEP during General Anesthesia for Surgery in OBESE Patients (PROBESE) study is a multicenter, two-arm, international randomized controlled trial. In total, 2013 obese patients with body mass index ≥35 kg/m2 scheduled for at least 2 h of surgery under general anesthesia and at intermediate to high risk for PPCs will be included. Patients are ventilated intraoperatively with a low tidal volume of 7 ml/kg (predicted body weight) and randomly assigned to PEEP of 12 cmH2O with lung recruitment maneuvers (high PEEP) or PEEP of 4 cmH2O without recruitment maneuvers (low PEEP). The occurrence of PPCs will be recorded as collapsed composite of single adverse pulmonary events and represents the primary endpoint. DISCUSSION: To our knowledge, the PROBESE trial is the first multicenter, international randomized controlled trial to compare the effects of two different levels of intraoperative PEEP during protective low tidal volume ventilation on PPCs in obese patients. The results of the PROBESE trial will support anesthesiologists in their decision to choose a certain PEEP level during general anesthesia for surgery in obese patients in an attempt to prevent PPCs. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02148692. Registered on 23 May 2014; last updated 7 June 2016.

Early enteral nutrition in critically ill patients: ESICM clinical practice guidelines

PURPOSE: To provide evidence-based guidelines for early enteral nutrition (EEN) during critical illness. METHODS: We aimed to compare EEN vs. early parenteral nutrition (PN) and vs. delayed EN. We defined "early" EN as EN started within 48 h independent of type or amount. We listed, a priori, conditions in which EN is often delayed, and performed systematic reviews in 24 such subtopics. If sufficient evidence was available, we performed meta-analyses; if not, we qualitatively summarized the evidence and based our recommendations on expert opinion. We used the GRADE approach for guideline development. The final recommendations were compiled via Delphi rounds. RESULTS: We formulated 17 recommendations favouring initiation of EEN and seven recommendations favouring delaying EN. We performed five meta-analyses: in unselected critically ill patients, and specifically in traumatic brain injury, severe acute pancreatitis, gastrointestinal (GI) surgery and abdominal trauma. EEN reduced infectious complications in unselected critically ill patients, in patients with severe acute pancreatitis, and after GI surgery. We did not detect any evidence of superiority for early PN or delayed EN over EEN. All recommendations are weak because of the low quality of evidence, with several based only on expert opinion. CONCLUSIONS: We suggest using EEN in the majority of critically ill under certain precautions. In the absence of evidence, we suggest delaying EN in critically ill patients with uncontrolled shock, uncontrolled hypoxaemia and acidosis, uncontrolled upper GI bleeding, gastric aspirate >500 ml/6 h, bowel ischaemia, bowel obstruction, abdominal compartment syndrome, and high-output fistula without distal feeding access.

Impact of preoperative serum creatinine on short- and long-term mortality after cardiac surgery: a cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Preoperative renal insufficiency is an important predictor of mortality after cardiac surgery. This retrospective cohort study was designed to identify the optimal cut-off for baseline serum creatinine (bSCr) and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) to predict survival. Furthermore, we investigated the potential confounding effect of other perioperative risk indicators on short- and long-term survival. METHODS: Data of 9490 cardiac surgical patients were prospectively collected between 1997 and 2008 (follow up to 2010) at the Medical University Vienna. We identified bSCr cut-off values and calculated uni- and multivariate hazard models for short- and long-term survival and compared the results with a validation set from Zurich. The estimated survival curves defined a distinct period of increased mortality until 150 days. RESULTS: Cut-off values of >115 µmol litre(-1) for bSCr and ≤50 ml min(-1) for eGFR were identified. Increased bSCr, associated with higher mortality [hazard ratio (HR) 2.61, 95% confidence interval (CI) 2.43-2.80, P<0.0001], was present in 19.5% of patients and remained predictive for short- (HR 1.59, 95% CI 1.38-1.83, P=0.0027) and long-term survival (HR 1.46, 95% CI 1.32-1.62, P<0.0001) in the multivariate hazard models. A cut-off of >120 µmol litre(-1) for bSCr was determined for the validation set. Decreased eGFR was present in 23.6% (HR 2.86, 95% CI 2.67-3.06, P<0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: In our patients, increased bSCr was an independent predictor of mortality, which may critically influence risk evaluation and perioperative treatment guidance.

Fight against malnutrition: The results of a 2006-2012 prospective national and global nutritionDay survey.

BACKGROUND: The nutritionDay (nD) initiative has been promoted by the European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism (ESPEN) to assess and audit the nutritional status of hospitalized patients, as well as to promote awareness. Israel has been participating annually in this project since 2006. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the proportion of malnourished patients in Israel in comparison with the rest of the world. METHODS: Data were collected by staff members and the hospitalization outcomes were followed up at day 30. The data were analyzed by the Vienna coordinating center, using "my SQL" (Structured Query Language), an open source relational database management system and analyzed, using SAS (Statistical Analysis System) version 9.2. RESULTS: In Israel, 2303 patients (in 114 various medical specialty units) were included in the study during a 7-year survey, while 4316 units recruited 91,351 patients in the world (W), between 2006 and 2012, The median age of patients was 68 years, with 44% of females and BMI of 27 ± 6 (25 in W). Israel had a higher proportion of nutrition care teams per patient (in 88% of the units) than W (71%) (p < 0.05). 43% of the patients had a weight loss within the last 3 months prior to admission (same for W); 36.7% described a decrease in eating more than 50% of their normal food intake (21.3% in W). Food intake at nD showed that 51.4% of the patients ate half to nothing of the served meal (56.2% in W). In Israel, more patients received hospital modified diets (13% vs. 8.2% in W), but less supplements (5.7% vs. 8.3% in W) or enteral/parenteral nutrition (9.0% vs. 13.5% in W, p < 0.05). Length of hospital stay was shorter in Israel (11 days vs. 14 days in W, p < 0.05) and mortality was similar (3.9% vs. 3.8% in W). CONCLUSION: Malnutrition of hospitalized patients in Israel was found comparable to the rest of the world. However, in Israel in spite of the higher nutrition staff member/patient ratio there was no increase in the administration of supplements or artificial nutrition to malnourished patients in the surveyed units. Also, the length of hospital stay was shorter and was not associated with an increase in mortality.

Comparison of the effects of albumin 5%, hydroxyethyl starch 130/0.4 6%, and Ringer's lactate on blood loss and coagulation after cardiac surgery.

BACKGROUND: Infusion of 5% human albumin (HA) and 6% hydroxyethyl starch 130/0.4 (HES) during cardiac surgery expand circulating volume to a greater extent than crystalloids and would be suitable for a restrictive fluid therapy regimen. However, HA and HES may affect blood coagulation and could contribute to increased transfusion requirements. METHODS: We randomly assigned 240 patients undergoing elective cardiac surgery to receive up to 50 ml kg(-1) day(-1) of either HA, HES, or Ringer's lactate (RL) as the main infusion fluid perioperatively. Study solutions were supplied in identical bottles dressed in opaque covers. The primary outcome was chest tube drainage over 24 h. Blood transfusions, thromboelastometry variables, perioperative fluid balance, renal function, mortality, intensive care unit, and hospital stay were also assessed. RESULTS: The median cumulative blood loss was not different between the groups (HA: 835, HES: 700, and RL: 670 ml). However, 35% of RL patients required blood products, compared with 62% (HA) and 64% (HES group; P=0.0003). Significantly, more study solution had to be administered in the RL group compared with the colloid groups. Total perioperative fluid balance was least positive in the HA group [6.2 (2.5) litre] compared with the HES [7.4 (3.0) litre] and RL [8.3 (2.8) litre] groups (P<0.0001). Both colloids affected clot formation and clot strength and caused slight increases in serum creatinine. CONCLUSIONS: Despite equal blood loss from chest drains, both colloids interfered with blood coagulation and produced greater haemodilution, which was associated with more transfusion of blood products compared with crystalloid use only.

Decreased food intake is a risk factor for mortality in hospitalised patients: the NutritionDay survey 2006.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Malnutrition is a known risk factor for the development of complications in hospitalised patients. We determined whether eating only fractions of the meals served is an independent risk factor for mortality. METHODS: The NutritionDay is a multinational one-day cross-sectional survey of nutritional factors and food intake in 16,290 adult hospitalised patients on January 19th 2006. The effect of food intake and nutritional factors on death in hospital within 30 days was assessed in a competing risk analysis. RESULTS: More than half of the patients did not eat their full meal provided by the hospital. Decreased food intake on NutritionDay or during the previous week was associated with an increased risk of dying, even after adjustment for various patient and disease related factors. Adjusted hazard ratio for dying when eating about a quarter of the meal on NutritionDay was 2.10 (1.53-2.89); when eating nothing 3.02 (2.11-4.32). More than half of the patients who ate less than a quarter of their meal did not receive artificial nutrition support. Only 25% patients eating nothing at lunch receive artificial nutrition support. CONCLUSION: Many hospitalised patients in European hospitals eat less food than provided as regular meal. This decreased food intake represents an independent risk factor for hospital mortality.

Emergency ambulance transport induces stress in patients with acute coronary syndrome.

BACKGROUND: Trials with healthy volunteers have shown that emergency ambulance transportation induces stress, which becomes evident by an increase in heart rate, blood pressure and plasma levels of stress hormones such as adrenaline, noradrenaline, cortisol and prolactin. A study was undertaken to test the hypothesis that emergency ambulance transportation may also lead to stress in patients with acute coronary syndrome. METHODS: Venous plasma levels of epinephrine, norepinephrine and lactate as well as visual analogue scale (VAS) scores for pain and anxiety were measured in 32 patients with defined clinical signs of acute coronary syndrome before and after transportation. Heart rate, blood pressure and transcutaneous oxygen saturation levels were recorded every 3 min. RESULTS: Mean (SD) plasma levels of epinephrine and norepinephrine increased significantly (p<0.01) during transportation (159.29 (55.34) ng/l and 632.53 (156.32) ng/l before transportation vs 211.03 (70.12) ng/l and 782.93 (173.95) ng/l after transportation), while lactate levels, heart rate and mean blood pressure remained almost stable. There was no significant change in mean (SD) VAS scores for pain and anxiety (3.79 (3.70) and 2.89 (3.01) vs 2.13 (3.30) and 1.57 (2.78)). CONCLUSION: Emergency ambulance transportation induces a rise in plasma catecholamine levels and therefore stress in patients with acute coronary syndrome, but does not result in cardiac shock as lactate levels and haemodynamic parameters remain normal.

Postoperative infections after major heart surgery and prevention of ventilator-associated pneumonia: a one-day European prevalence study (ESGNI-008).

Few data have been published on the prevalence of postoperative infection in patients undergoing major heart surgery (MHS). The degree of compliance with standard measures used to prevent them is unknown. This study assessed the prevalence of infections, particularly ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP), in patients undergoing MHS in 42 institutions from 13 European countries. On the study day, there were 321 postoperative MHS patients, of whom 164 (51%) were mechanically ventilated. The overall prevalence of infection was 26.8%. Lower respiratory tract infections represented 57% of all the infections present on the study day. Other infections included intravenous-catheter-related bloodstream infections (2.8%), surgical site infections (2.2%), urinary tract infections (0.9%) and postoperative mediastinitis (0.9%). Of the mechanically ventilated patients, 55 (33.5%) were not being nursed in a semi-recumbent position, 36 (22%) had heat-moisture exchangers with no antibacterial filters, and intracuff pressure was not monitored in 78 patients (47.6%). Only 13 patients (8%) were given continuous subglottic suctioning, 64 patients (39%) did not receive postural oscillation, and gastric overdistension was not actively prevented in 23 patients (14%). In conclusion, these data from intensive care units across Europe provide information on postoperative infections in an important subset of the patient population, and stress the need for active interventions to prevent VAP in patients undergoing MHS.

Infections following major heart surgery in European intensive care units: there is room for improvement (ESGNI 007 Study).

Patients undergoing major heart surgery (MHS) may be at increased risk for nosocomial infections. To assess the incidence and type of infections in MHS patients in European intensive care units (ICUs) and their quality of care, a questionnaire was sent to a selection of MHS ICUs in Europe. Seventeen hospitals from seven European countries participated. Overall, 53% of the ICUs received patients only for MHS and the other 47% were mixed. During the study period, 11 915 patients underwent MHS and 1181 (9.9%) developed one or more nosocomial infections. Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) was the most common infection [median 3.8%; interquartile range (IQR) 1.8-4.9], followed by surgical wound infection (median 1.6%; IQR 0.8-2.3), catheter-related bloodstream infection (median 1.3%; IQR 0.8-2.1), mediastinitis (median 1.1%; IQR 0.4-1.6), urinary tract infection (median 0.6; IQR 0.4-1.4) and nosocomial endocarditis (median 0.2%; IQR 0.0-0.9). Median mortality was 4.7% (IQR 2.7-8.4) and median infection-related mortality was 1% (IQR 0.5-2.7). Regarding VAP, 18% of the ICUs did not routinely pursue a diagnosis. Microbiological information was quantitative in 35% of cases and exclusively qualitative in 65% of cases. An infectious disease specialist was regularly involved in VAP management in only 35% of the ICUs, and the therapeutic approach to VAP involved de-escalation in 59% of the ICUs. MHS ICUs in Europe still have a high rate of postoperative infections. Well-recognized routine practices for the diagnosis and treatment of VAP are not implemented regularly in many European institutions.

ESPEN Guidelines on Enteral Nutrition: Intensive care.

Enteral nutrition (EN) via tube feeding is, today, the preferred way of feeding the critically ill patient and an important means of counteracting for the catabolic state induced by severe diseases. These guidelines are intended to give evidence-based recommendations for the use of EN in patients who have a complicated course during their ICU stay, focusing particularly on those who develop a severe inflammatory response, i.e. patients who have failure of at least one organ during their ICU stay. These guidelines were developed by an interdisciplinary expert group in accordance with officially accepted standards and are based on all relevant publications since 1985. They were discussed and accepted in a consensus conference. EN should be given to all ICU patients who are not expected to be taking a full oral diet within three days. It should have begun during the first 24h using a standard high-protein formula. During the acute and initial phases of critical illness an exogenous energy supply in excess of 20-25 kcal/kg BW/day should be avoided, whereas, during recovery, the aim should be to provide values of 25-30 total kcal/kg BW/day. Supplementary parenteral nutrition remains a reserve tool and should be given only to those patients who do not reach their target nutrient intake on EN alone. There is no general indication for immune-modulating formulae in patients with severe illness or sepsis and an APACHE II Score >15. Glutamine should be supplemented in patients suffering from burns or trauma.

[Requirements and expectations for optimal volume replacement]. / Forderungen und Erwartungen an einen optimalen Volumenersatz.

A volume replacement should compensate a reduction in the intravascular volume and counteract a hypovolemia so that hemodynamics and vital functions can be maintained. For this therapy, a physiologically-based solution comprising both osmotically and colloid osmotically active components should be administered. A consensus is proposed for this purpose which takes into consideration the following aspects: The optimum colloid, the questionable use of albumin, the physiological electrolyte pattern encompassing sodium, potassium, chloride and phosphate and their contributions to osmolality, an eventual addition of glucose, the physiological acid-base status with bicarbonate or alternately with metabolisable anions, and the importance of a clear declaration of all ingredients. The consensus distinguishes between compulsory requirements derived from evidence-based medicine and physiological data and the potential expectations of an optimal volume replacement, including well-grounded wishes and aspirations for the future.