Respiratory Intensive Care Unit management and efficacy during the COVID-19 outbreak in Naples, Italy.

The World Health Organization declared the Coronavirus Diseases 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak a global pandemic on March 11, 2020. COVID-19 had an impact on over 500 million people worldwide. According to the American Thoracic Society criteria, the respiratory spectrum of this disease ranges from mild illness to severe pneumonia, with the latter occurring in a not insignificant 15% of patients. A rapid increase in the incidence of COVID-19 pneumonia cases has been observed all over the world, resulting in a saturation of the Intensive Care Unit's capacity (ICUs). Because of this impressive outbreak, the ICU beds and invasive mechanical ventilators reached their capacity. Non-invasive supportive care has become an important option for keeping respiratory conditions under control. As a result, proper healthcare resource management was required to ensure adequate patient care. Respiratory Intensive Care Units (RICUs) have become a useful resource for managing complex patients due to a shortage of ICU capacity. This highlighted the importance of RICUs, where patients with moderate to severe respiratory failure can be treated with non-invasive respiratory support rather than being admitted to the ICU. The clinical outcomes and baseline characteristics of patients admitted to the RICU of Cotugno Hospital, a tertiary referral center in Naples (Italy), from January 2021 to October 2021 are described in this report.

Early Prone Positioning and Non-Invasive Ventilation in a Critical COVID-19 Subset. A Single Centre Experience in Southern Italy.

OBJECTIVE: Prone positioning (PP) has demonstrated to be a safe adjunctive therapy for severe acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). There is limited evidence of PP effects on awake patients. This study aimed to investigate the effects and feasibility of PP on coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)-associated awake patients with ARDS in a subintensive setting of care. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This is a single-center case-control study involving patients with severe COVID-19 infection. A total of 29 patients underwent noninvasive ventilation, and PP was initiated 12 h from admission; 18 patients tolerated prone and side positioning for at least 10 h/d and cycled their position every 2 h, and 11 patients had no complaints with PP. RESULTS: A total of 29 patients (25 men and 4 women) with a median age of 64 years showed the average baseline white blood cell count of 8.45×109 cells/L, C-reactive protein of 10.1 mg/L, lactate dehydrogenase of 366 mU/mL, and interleukin-6 of 172 pg/mL. Basal pO2/FiO2 ratio (P/F) was 95 (±56.5) and showed no linear correlation with any of the inflammatory markers tested. Computed tomography findings included ground-glass opacities in 100% (29/29) of patients. Consolidation/atelectasis was found in 58% (17/29) of patients. P/F was homogeneously distributed at baseline in patients with PP (96.5) and without PP (95). P/F during PP increased significantly compared with noncompliant controls (288 vs. 202; p=0.0002). Total duration of respiratory failure was significantly shorter in patients with PP (14 vs. 21 days; p=0.002). The number of days to recover from respiratory failure inversely correlated with PP P/F independently from baseline P/F. CONCLUSION: COVID-19 can lead to a severe impairment of gas exchange regardless of inflammatory status. Therefore, respiratory support may play a major role in COVID-19 treatment. We documented substantial efficacy of PP when started early and for at least 10 h/d. On awake patients, PP feasibility strictly depends on patient's compliance. The interface should be carefully chosen to best fit every patient.

Clinical outcomes of high-flow nasal cannula in COVID-19 associated postextubation respiratory failure. A single-centre case series.

INTRODUCTION: A high-flow nasal cannula (HFNC) is an alternative device for oxygena-tion, which improves gas exchange and reduces the work of breathing. Postextubation respiratory failure causes increased morbidity and mortality. HFNC has been widely employed during the COVID-19 pandemic. The purpose of this paper is to report a single-centre experience on the effectiveness and safety of HFNC in weaning COVID-19 patients. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Nine patients showed severe acute respiratory failure and interstitial pneumonia due to SARS-CoV-2. After mechanical ventilation (5 Helmet CPAP, 4 invasive mechanical ventilation), they were de-escalated to HFNC. Settings were: 34-37°C, flow from 50 to 60 L min-1. FiO2 was set to achieve appropriate SpO2. RESULTS: Nine patients (4 females; age 63 ± 13.27 years; BMI 27.2 ± 4.27) showed a baseline PaO2/FiO2 of 109 ± 45 mm Hg. After a long course of ventilation all patients improved (PaO2/FiO2 336 ± 72 mm Hg). Immediately after initiation of HFNC (2 hours), PaO2/FiO2 was 254 ± 69.3 mm Hg. Mean ROX index at two hours was 11.17 (range: 7.38-14.4). It was consistent with low risk of HFNC failure. No difference was observed on lactate. After 48 hours of HFNC oxygen therapy (day 3), mean PaO2/FiO2 increased to 396 ± 83.5 mm Hg. All patients recovered from respiratory failure after 7 ± 4.1 days. CONCLUSIONS: HFNC might be helpful in weaning COVID-19 respiratory failure. Effectiveness and comfort should be assessed between 2 and 48 hours. Clinical outcomes, oxygenation, and ROX index should be considered, to rule out the need for intubation. Further evidence is required for firm conclusions.