Service line care delivery model for COVID-19 patient-centric care.

OBJECTIVES: The COVID-19 pandemic has caused hospitals around the world to quickly develop not only strategies to treat patients but also methods to protect health care and frontline workers. STUDY DESIGN: Descriptive study. METHODS: We outlined the steps and processes that we took to respond to the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic while continuing to provide our routine acute care services to our community. RESULTS: These steps and processes included establishing teams focused on maintaining an adequate supply of personal protection equipment, cross-training staff, developing disaster-based triage for the emergency department, creating quality improvement teams geared toward updating care based on the most current literature, developing COVID-19-based units, creating COVID-19-specific teams of providers, maximizing use of our electronic health record system to allocate beds, and providing adequate practitioner coverage by creating a computer-based dashboard that indicated the need for health care practitioners. These processes led to seamless and integrated care for all patients with COVID-19 across our health system and resulted in a reduction in mortality from a high of 20% during the first peak (March and April 2020) to 6% during the plateau period (June-October 2020) to 12% during the second peak (November and December 2020). CONCLUSIONS: The detailed processes put in place will help hospital systems meet the continuing challenges not only of COVID-19 but also beyond COVID-19 when other unique public health crises may present themselves.

Impact of Noninvasive Respiratory Support in Patients With COVID-19 Requiring V-V ECMO.

The impact of the duration of noninvasive respiratory support (RS) including high-flow nasal cannula and noninvasive ventilation before the initiation of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is unknown. We reviewed data of patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) treated with V-V ECMO at two high-volume tertiary care centers. Survival analysis was used to compare the effect of duration of RS on liberation from ECMO. A total of 78 patients required ECMO and the median duration of RS and invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV) before ECMO was 2 days (interquartile range [IQR]: 0, 6) and 2.5 days (IQR: 1, 5), respectively. The median duration of ECMO support was 24 days (IQR: 11, 73) and 59.0% (N = 46) remained alive at the time of censure. Patients that received RS for ≥3 days were significantly less likely to be liberated from ECMO (HR: 0.46; 95% CI: 0.26-0.83), IMV (HR: 0.42; 95% CI: 0.20-0.89) or be discharged from the hospital (HR: 0.52; 95% CI: 0.27-0.99) compared to patients that received RS for <3 days. There was no difference in hospital mortality between the groups (HR: 1.12; 95% CI: 0.56-2.26). These relationships persisted after adjustment for age, gender, and duration of IMV. Prolonged duration of RS before ECMO may result in lung injury and worse subsequent outcomes.

Extracorporeal life support for cardiogenic shock during pregnancy and postpartum: a single center experience.

BACKGROUND: The use of veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA ECMO) for cardiogenic shock in pregnant and postpartum patients remains limited by concerns of bleeding, hemolysis, and fetal risks. This case series examines the underlying characteristics and management strategies for this high-risk population. METHODS: All pregnant and post-partum patients who underwent VA ECMO in the cardiovascular intensive care unit between January 1, 2016 and November 1, 2019, were included in this retrospective study. Management of maternal and fetal O2 delivery, left ventricular (LV) unloading, anticoagulation, and ECMO circuit characteristics were evaluated. RESULTS: Five patients required veno-arterial ECMO for restoration of systemic perfusion. Three patients developed peripartum cardiomyopathy, one septic cardiomyopathy, and one acute right ventricular (RV) failure. The median age was 30.6 years, with median gestational age in pregnant patients of 31 weeks. Maternal and fetal survival to discharge was 80%. Bleeding was the primary complication, with two patients requiring blood transfusions; one requiring interventional radiology (IR) embolization and the other requiring surgical intervention to control bleeding. One patient was successfully delivered on VA ECMO. No fetal complications were directly attributed to VA ECMO. CONCLUSIONS: VA ECMO can be employed successfully in obstetric patients with cardiogenic shock with appropriate patient selection. Further research is needed to determine if VA ECMO provides a survival advantage over traditional management strategies in this vulnerable population.

Outcomes of mechanically ventilated patients with COVID-19 associated respiratory failure.

PURPOSE: The outcomes of patients requiring invasive mechanical ventilation for COVID-19 remain poorly defined. We sought to determine clinical characteristics and outcomes of patients with COVID-19 managed with invasive mechanical ventilation in an appropriately resourced US health care system. METHODS: Outcomes of COVID-19 infected patients requiring mechanical ventilation treated within the Inova Health System between March 5, 2020 and April 26, 2020 were evaluated through an electronic medical record review. RESULTS: 1023 COVID-19 positive patients were admitted to the Inova Health System during the study period. Of these, 164 (16.0%) were managed with invasive mechanical ventilation. All patients were followed to definitive disposition. 70/164 patients (42.7%) had died and 94/164 (57.3%) were still alive. Deceased patients were older (median age of 66 vs. 55, p <0.0001) and had a higher initial d-dimer (2.22 vs. 1.31, p = 0.005) and peak ferritin levels (2998 vs. 2077, p = 0.016) compared to survivors. 84.3% of patients over 70 years old died in the hospital. Conversely, 67.4% of patients age 70 or younger survived to hospital discharge. Younger age, non-Caucasian race and treatment at a tertiary care center were all associated with survivor status. CONCLUSION: Mortality of patients with COVID-19 requiring invasive mechanical ventilation is high, with particularly daunting mortality seen in patients of advanced age, even in a well-resourced health care system. A substantial proportion of patients requiring invasive mechanical ventilation were not of advanced age, and this group had a reasonable chance for recovery.

Fixed and dilated pupils, not a contraindication for extracorporeal support: a case series.

Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation is considered a relative contraindication for patients with severe neurological injury manifested by fixed and dilated pupils. The inability to provide adequate cardiopulmonary support while attempting to treat the underlying neurologic disease results in a fatal outcome. The impairment of cerebral perfusion, compounded by the underlying neurologic condition, results in signs of brainstem dysfunction often equated with a fatal prognosis. As a result, these patients are not considered to be candidates for initiation of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. We present a case series of three patients with complex neurologic conditions with fixed and dilated pupils, who received extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. All three patients achieved a significant neurologic recovery. Two survived with a cerebral performance category scale of 1, and the third succumbed to multi-organ failure after achieving a Glasgow Coma Scale of 11T. The decision to initiate extracorporeal membrane oxygenation should be based upon the pathophysiology of the underlying neurologic condition and not solely upon isolated clinical findings. Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation use is normally reserved for patients with reversible underlying processes, and a neurologic exam with fixed and dilated pupils is often interpreted as an irreversible neurologic injury. The implementation and success of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation in this patient population require understanding of complex neurologic diseases, rapid recognition of neurocardiogenic shock, and expeditious initiation of cardiopulmonary support in carefully selected patients. The patients described demonstrate that fixed and dilated pupils are not a contraindication for extracorporeal support in select patients.

Acute Respiratory Failure.

Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is a condition affecting critically ill patients, characterized by pulmonary inflammation and defects in oxygenation due to either direct or indirect injury to the lungs. These guidelines will define the diagnosis and management of ARDS, particularly among combat casualties and patients in the deployed environment. The cornerstone of management of ARDS involves maintaining adequate oxygenation while avoiding further pulmonary injury through lung-protective ventilation. Additional strategies for advanced respiratory failure, such as prone positioning, neuromuscular blockade, and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation will be reviewed here as well. Particularly important to the care of the patient with ARDS in the deployed environment is a familiarity with the challenges and indications for transport/aeromedical evacuation.

Acute eosinophilic pneumonia in the deployed military setting.

RATIONALE: Acute eosinophilic pneumonia (AEP) is a rare but important cause of severe respiratory failure most typically caused by cigarette smoking, but can also be caused by medications, illicit drugs, infections and environmental exposures. There is growing evidence that disease severity varies and not all patients require mechanical ventilation or even supplemental oxygen. OBJECTIVES: To compare patients with AEP treated at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center (LRMC) to those in other published series, and to provide recommendations regarding diagnosis and treatment of AEP. METHODS: A retrospective chart review was completed on forty-three cases of AEP which were identified from March 2003 through March 2010 at LRMC, Germany. RESULTS: Tobacco smoking was reported by 91% of our patients. Only 33% of patients in our series had a fever (temperature > 100.4 °F) at presentation. Peripheral eosinophilia (>5%) was present in 35% on initial CBC, but was seen in 72% of patients during their hospital course. Hypoxemia, as measured by PaO2/FiO2 ratio, seemed to be less severe in patients with higher levels of bronchoalveolar (BAL) eosinophilia percentage. CONCLUSIONS: Based on our experience and literature review, we recommend adjustments to the diagnostic criteria which may increase consideration of this etiology for acute respiratory illnesses as well as provide clinical clues we have found particularly helpful. Similar to recent reports of initial peripheral eosinophilia correlating with less severe presentation we found that higher BAL eosinophilia correlated with less severe hypoxemia.

The role of neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) in the detection of blast lung injury in a military population.

PURPOSE: To study the relationship between serum neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) and military blast and gunshot wound (GSW) to establish whether potential exists for NGAL as a biomarker for blast lung injury (BLI). METHOD: Patients from the intensive care unit (ICU) of the Role 3 Medical Treatment Facility at Camp Bastion, Helmand Province, Afghanistan were studied over a five month period commencing in 2012. Age, mechanism, trauma injury severity score (TRISS) and serum NGAL were recorded on ICU admission (NGAL1). Serum NGAL (NGAL2) and PaO2/FiO2 ratio (P/F ratio2) were recorded at 24h. RESULTS: 33 patients were injured by blast and 23 by GSW. NGAL1 inversely correlated with TRISS (p=0.020), pH (p=0.002) and P/F ratio 2 (p=0.009) overall. When data was stratified into blast and GSW, NGAL1 also inversely correlated with P/F ratio 2 in the blast injured group (p=0.008) but not GSW group (p=0.27). CONCLUSION: Raised NGAL correlated with increased severity of injury (worse survival probability i.e. TRISS and low pH) in both patient groups. There was an inverse correlation between admission NGAL and a marker of blast lung injury (low P/F ratio) at 24h in blast injured group but not GSW group that warrants further investigation.

Transport While on Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation Support.

Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) support for severe acute respiratory failure has been increasing. Evidence suggests that higher volume centers have better outcomes, leading to a need for specialized ECMO transport teams. The inherent nature of the prehospital environment adds an additional layer of complexity; however, the experience of multiple centers has demonstrated that cannulating and transporting a patient on ECMO can be performed safely. The purpose of this review article is to discuss the state of knowledge with respect to ECMO transport with special emphasis given to how to actually undertake such complex transports.

Extracorporeal Gas Exchange: The Expanding Role of Extracorporeal Support in Respiratory Failure.

The use of extracorporeal support is expanding quickly in adult respiratory failure. Extracorporeal gas exchange is an accepted rescue therapy for severe acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) in select patients. Extracorporeal carbon dioxide removal is also being investigated as a preventative, preemptive, and management platform in patients with respiratory failure other than severe ARDS. The non-ARDS patient population is much larger, so the potential for rapid growth is high. This article hopes to inform decisions about the use of extracorporeal support by increasing understanding concerning the past and present practice of extracorporeal gas exchange.

Health care response to CCHF in US soldier and nosocomial transmission to health care providers, Germany, 2009.

In 2009, a lethal case of Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF), acquired by a US soldier in Afghanistan, was treated at a medical center in Germany and resulted in nosocomial transmission to 2 health care providers (HCPs). After his arrival at the medical center (day 6 of illness) by aeromedical evacuation, the patient required repetitive bronchoscopies to control severe pulmonary hemorrhage and renal and hepatic dialysis for hepatorenal failure. After showing clinical improvement, the patient died suddenly on day 11 of illness from cerebellar tonsil herniation caused by cerebral/cerebellar edema. The 2 infected HCPs were among 16 HCPs who received ribavirin postexposure prophylaxis. The infected HCPs had mild or no CCHF symptoms. Transmission may have occurred during bag-valve-mask ventilation, breaches in personal protective equipment during resuscitations, or bronchoscopies generating infectious aerosols. This case highlights the critical care and infection control challenges presented by severe CCHF cases, including the need for experience with ribavirin treatment and postexposure prophylaxis.

Transportable extracorporeal lung support for rescue of severe respiratory failure in combat casualties.

BACKGROUND: Advances in oxygenator membrane, vascular cannula, and centrifugal pump technologies led to the miniaturization of extracorporeal lung support (ECLS) and simplified its insertion and use. Support of combat injuries complicated by severe respiratory failure requires critical care resources not sustainable in the deployed environment. In response to this need, a unique international military-civilian partnership was forged to create a transportable ECLS capability to rescue combat casualties experiencing severe respiratory failure. METHODS: A multidisciplinary training and consultative relationship developed between the US military at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center (LRMC) and the University Hospital Regensburg (UHR), a German regional "lung failure" center with expertise in ECLS. ECLS circuits used were pumpless arteriovenous extracorporeal lung assist (NovaLung iLA) and pump-driven venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (PLS Quadrox D Membrane Oxygenator with Rotaflow Centrifugal Pump). US casualties supported by ECLS between June 2005 and August 2011 were identified from the LRMC Trauma Program Registry for review. RESULTS: UHR cared for 10 US casualties supported by ECLS. The initial five patients were cannulated with arteriovenous circuits (pumpless arteriovenous extracorporeal lung assist), and the remaining five were cannulated with pump-driven venovenous circuits (extracorporeal membrane oxygenation). Four patients were cannulated in the war zone, and six patients were cannulated at LRMC after evacuation to Germany. All patients were transferred to UHR for continued management (mean, 9.6 ECLS days). In all cases, both hypoxemia and hypercapnia improved, allowing for decreased airway pressures. Nine patients were weaned from ECLS and extubated. One soldier died from progressive multiple-organ failure. CONCLUSION: ECLS should be considered in the management of trauma complicated by severe respiratory failure. Modern ECLS technology allows these therapies to be transported for initiation outside of specialized centers even in austere settings. Close collaboration with established centers potentially allows both military and civilian hospitals with infrequent ECLS requirements to use it for initial patient stabilization before transfer for continued care. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Therapeutic/care management study, level V.

The introduction of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation to aeromedical evacuation.

OBJECTIVE: To review the principles of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) and to describe the recent advancements in ECMO technology that permit use of this rescue therapy for severe lung injury in combat casualties. METHODS/RESULTS: Lung protective ventilation has defined the state-of-the-art treatment for acute lung injury for more than a decade. Despite the benefits provided by a low tidal volume strategy, lung injury patients may experience deterioration in gas exchange to the point that other rescue interventions are needed or the patient succumbs to progressive respiratory failure. When this occurs in combat casualties, management of the patient in an austere environment and movement to definitive care become problematic. Recent advances in ECMO technology permit long-range transport of these critically ill casualties with greater physiologic reserve and potentially less mortality. CONCLUSIONS: Advances in ECMO technology now enable the stabilization and aeromedical evacuation of even the most critically ill combat casualties with severe lung injury.

Closing the "care in the air" capability gap for severe lung injury: the Landstuhl Acute Lung Rescue Team and extracorporeal lung support.

BACKGROUND: The success of US Air Force Critical Care Air Transport Teams (CCATT) in transporting critically ill and injured patients enabled changes in military medical force deployment and casualty care practice. Even so, a subset of casualties remains who exceed even CCATT capabilities for movement. These patients led to the creation of the Landstuhl Acute Lung Rescue Team (ALeRT) to close the "care in the air" capability gap. METHODS: The ALeRT Registry was queried for the period between November 1, 2005, and June 30, 2010. Additionally, Landstuhl Regional Medical Center critical care patient transfers to host nation medical centers were reviewed for cases using extracorporeal lung support systems. RESULTS: For the review period, US Central Command activated the ALeRT on 40 occasions. The ALeRT successfully evacuated patients on 24 of 27 missions launched (89%). Three patients were too unstable for ALeRT evacuation. Of the 13 remaining activations, four patients died and nine patients improved sufficiently for standard CCATT movement. The ALeRT initiated pumpless extracorporeal lung assistance six times, but only once to facilitate evacuation. Two patients were supported with full extracorporeal membrane oxygenation support after evacuation due to progressive respiratory failure. CONCLUSIONS: ALeRT successfully transported 24 casualties from the combat zones to Germany. Without the ALeRT, these patients would have remained in the combat theater as significant consumers of limited deployed medical resources. Pumpless extracorporeal lung assistance is already within the ALeRT armamentarium, but has only been used for one aeromedical evacuation. Modern extracorporeal membrane oxygenation systems hold promise as a feasible capability for aeromedical evacuation.

High-frequency percussive ventilation revisited.

High-frequency percussive ventilation (HFPV) has demonstrated a potential role as a rescue option for refractory acute respiratory distress syndrome and as a method for improving inhalation injury outcomes. Nevertheless, there is a lack of literature examining the practical application of HFPV theory toward either improving gas exchange or preventing possible ventilator-induced lung injury. This article will discuss the clinically pertinent aspects of HFPV, inclusive of high- and low-frequency ventilation.

Critical care at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center.

BACKGROUND: Landstuhl Regional Medical Center is the largest U.S. medical facility outside the United States, and it is the first permanently positioned hospital outside the combat zone providing care to the wartime sick and wounded. As of November 2007, Landstuhl Regional Medical Center personnel have treated over 45,000 patients from Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom. The current trauma/critical care service is a multidisciplinary, intensivist-directed team caring for a diverse range of clinical diagnoses to include battle injuries, diseases, and nonbattle injuries. Admissions arise from an at-risk population of 500,000 widely distributed over a geographic area encompassing three continents. DISCUSSION: When compared with 2001, the average daily intensive care unit census has tripled and the patient acuity level has doubled. Combat casualties account for 85% of service admissions. The clinical practice at this critical care hub continues to evolve as a result of wartime damage control trauma care, robust critical care air transport capabilities, length of stay, and other unique factors. The service's focus is to optimize patients for an uneventful evacuation to the United States for definitive care and family support. SUMMARY: Successful verification in 2007 as an American College of Surgeons level II trauma center reflects a continuing institutional commitment to providing the best possible care to the men and women serving our nation in the global war on terror.