Cerebral microemboli during extracorporeal life support: a single-centre cohort study.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to investigate the load and composition of cerebral microemboli in adult patients undergoing venoarterial extracorporeal life support (ECLS). METHODS: Adult ECLS patients were investigated for the presence of cerebral microemboli and compared to critically ill, pressure-controlled ventilated controls and healthy volunteers. Cerebral microemboli were detected in both middle cerebral arteries for 30 min using transcranial Doppler ultrasound. Neurological outcome (ischaemic stroke, global brain ischaemia, intracerebral haemorrhage, seizure, metabolic encephalopathy, sensorimotor sequelae and neuropsychiatric disorders) was additionally evaluated. RESULTS: Twenty ECLS patients (cannulations: 15 femoro-femoral, 4 femoro-subclavian, 1 femoro-aortic), 20 critically ill controls and 20 healthy volunteers were analysed. ECLS patients had statistically significantly more cerebral microemboli than critically ill controls {123 (43-547) [median (interquartile range)] vs 35 (16-74), difference: 88 [95% confidence interval (CI) 19-320], P = 0.023} and healthy volunteers [11 (5-12), difference: 112 (95% CI 45-351), P < 0.0001]. In ECLS patients, 96.5% (7346/7613) of cerebral microemboli were of gaseous composition, while solid cerebral microemboli [1 (0-5)] were detected in 12 out of 20 patients. ECLS patients had more neurological complications than critically ill controls (12/20 vs 3/20, P = 0.003). In ECLS patients, a high microembolic rate (>100/30 min) tended to be associated with neurological complications including ischaemic stroke, neuropsychiatric disorders, sensorimotor sequelae and non-convulsive status epilepticus (odds ratio 4.5, 95% CI 0.46-66.62; P = 0.559). CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicate that adult ECLS patients are continuously exposed to many gaseous and, frequently, to few solid cerebral microemboli. Prolonged cerebral microemboli formation may contribute to neurological morbidity related to ECLS treatment. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02020759, https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02020759?term=erdoes&rank=1.

Carotid artery blood flow velocities during open-heart surgery and its association with delirium: A prospective, observational pilot study.

The aim of this prospective observational single-centre pilot study was to evaluate the association between alterations in carotid artery blood flow velocities during cardiac surgery and postoperative delirium.Carotid artery blood flow velocity was determined perioperatively at 5 different timepoints by duplex sonography in 36 adult cardiac surgical patients. Delirium was assessed using the Confusion Assessment Method for the ICU and the Intensive Care Delirium Screening Checklist. Additionally, blood flow velocities in the middle cerebral arteries, differences in regional cerebral tissue oxygenation and quantity and quality of microemboli were measured.Delirium was detected in 7 of 36 patients. After cardiopulmonary bypass carotid artery blood flow velocities increased by +23 cm/second (95% confidence interval (CI) 9-36 cm/second) in non-delirious patients compared to preoperative values (P = .002), but not in delirious patients (+3 cm/second [95% CI -25 to 32 cm/second], P = .5781). Middle cerebral artery blood flow velocities were higher at aortic de-cannulation in non-delirious patients (29 cm/second [inter-quartile range (IQR), 24-36 cm/second] vs 12 cm/second [IQR, 10-19 cm/second]; P = .017). Furthermore, brain tissue oxygenation was higher in non-delirious patients during surgery.Our results suggest that higher cerebral blood flow velocities after aortic de-clamping and probably also improved brain oxygenation might be beneficial to prevent postoperative delirium.

Impact of CPAP on Forehead Near-infrared Spectroscopy Measurements in Patients With Acute Respiratory Failure: Truth or Illusion.

BACKGROUND: Critically ill patients with acute respiratory failure admitted to an intensive care unit are at high risk for cerebral hypoxia. We investigated the impact of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy on regional cerebral tissue oxygenation (rSO2). MATERIALS AND METHODS: In total, 40 extubated surgical intensive care unit patients requiring classic oxygen therapy (COT) for acute respiratory failure were examined. Near-infrared spectroscopy (INVOS 5100C, Covidien) was used for 30 minutes to detect bilateral rSO2 during COT via facemask (6 L/min) and CPAP therapy (40% fraction of inspired oxygen, 8 cm H2O CPAP) using a randomized crossover study design. Patients served as their own control. Continuous hemodynamic routine monitoring and blood gas analysis were performed. The effect of CPAP therapy on rSO2 and influence of assessed covariables were investigated using a mixed linear model. RESULTS: Median rSO2 increased from 57.9% (95% confidence interval [CI], 54.2-61.5) during COT to 62.8% (95% CI, 59.2-66.5) during CPAP therapy (P<0.0001). The estimated difference from the mixed model between COT and CPAP is -5.0 (95% CI, -6.3 to -3.7). Median arterial partial pressure of carbon dioxide decreased from 47.8±5.1 mm Hg during COT to 43.1±5 mm Hg during CPAP (P<0.001), whereas arterial partial pressure of oxygen remained unchanged (P=0.329). In total, 23% of patients had SO2 levels <50%, with a higher prevalence under COT. CONCLUSIONS: Our results reveal that CPAP therapy compared with COT may influence rSO2 in patients with acute respiratory failure. However, the cause of the rSO2 increase following CPAP application remains to be elucidated, and the accuracy of cerebral oximetry during CPAP therapy in patients with acute respiratory failure remains questionable.

Cerebral Gaseous Microemboli are Detectable During Continuous Venovenous Hemodialysis in Critically Ill Patients: An Observational Pilot Study.

BACKGROUND: Continuous venovenous hemodialysis (CVVHD) may generate microemboli that cross the pulmonary circulation and reach the brain. The aim of the present study was to quantify (load per time interval) and qualify (gaseous vs. solid) cerebral microemboli (CME), detected as high-intensity transient signals, using transcranial Doppler ultrasound. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty intensive care unit (ICU group) patients requiring CVVHD were examined. CME were recorded in both middle cerebral arteries for 30 minutes during CVVHD and a CVVHD-free interval. Twenty additional patients, hospitalized for orthopedic surgery, served as a non-ICU control group. Statistical analyses were performed using the Mann-Whitney U test or the Wilcoxon matched-pairs signed-rank test, followed by Bonferroni corrections for multiple comparisons. RESULTS: In the non-ICU group, 48 (14.5-169.5) (median [range]) gaseous CME were detected. In the ICU group, the 67.5 (14.5-588.5) gaseous CME detected during the CVVHD-free interval increased 5-fold to 344.5 (59-1019) during CVVHD (P<0.001). The number of solid CME was low in all groups (non-ICU group: 2 [0-5.5]; ICU group CVVHD-free interval: 1.5 [0-14.25]; ICU group during CVVHD: 7 [3-27.75]). CONCLUSIONS: This observational pilot study shows that CVVHD was associated with a higher gaseous but not solid CME burden in critically ill patients. Although the differentiation between gaseous and solid CME remains challenging, our finding may support the hypothesis of microbubble generation in the CVVHD circuit and its transpulmonary translocation toward the intracranial circulation. Importantly, the impact of gaseous and solid CME generated during CVVHD on brain integrity of critically ill patients currently remains unknown and is highly debated.