Ultrasound to Detect Central Venous Catheter Placement Associated Complications: A Multicenter Diagnostic Accuracy Study.

BACKGROUND: Mechanical complications arising after central venous catheter placement are mostly malposition or pneumothorax. To date, to confirm correct position and detect pneumothorax, chest x-ray film has been the reference standard, while ultrasound might be an accurate alternative. The aim of this study was to evaluate diagnostic accuracy of ultrasound to detect central venous catheter malposition and pneumothorax. METHODS: This was a prospective, multicenter, diagnostic accuracy study conducted at the intensive care unit and postanesthesia care unit. Adult patients who underwent central venous catheterization of the internal jugular vein or subclavian vein were included. Index test consisted of venous, cardiac, and lung ultrasound. Standard reference test was chest x-ray film. Primary outcome was diagnostic accuracy of ultrasound to detect malposition and pneumothorax; for malposition, sensitivity, specificity, and other accuracy parameters were estimated. For pneumothorax, because chest x-ray film is an inaccurate reference standard to diagnose it, agreement and Cohen's κ-coefficient were determined. Secondary outcomes were accuracy of ultrasound to detect clinically relevant complications and feasibility of ultrasound. RESULTS: In total, 758 central venous catheterizations were included. Malposition occurred in 23 (3.3%) out of 688 cases included in the analysis. Ultrasound sensitivity was 0.70 (95% CI, 0.49 to 0.86) and specificity 0.99 (95% CI, 0.98 to 1.00). Pneumothorax occurred in 5 (0.7%) to 11 (1.5%) out of 756 cases according to chest x-ray film and ultrasound, respectively. In 748 out of 756 cases (98.9%), there was agreement between ultrasound and chest x-ray film with a Cohen's κ-coefficient of 0.50 (95% CI, 0.19 to 0.80). CONCLUSIONS: This multicenter study shows that the complication rate of central venous catheterization is low and that ultrasound produces a moderate sensitivity and high specificity to detect malposition. There is moderate agreement with chest x-ray film for pneumothorax. In conclusion, ultrasound is an accurate diagnostic modality to detect malposition and pneumothorax.

Bedside ultrasound to detect central venous catheter misplacement and associated iatrogenic complications: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Insertion of a central venous catheter (CVC) is common practice in critical care medicine. Complications arising from CVC placement are mostly due to a pneumothorax or malposition. Correct position is currently confirmed by chest x-ray, while ultrasonography might be a more suitable option. We performed a meta-analysis of the available studies with the primary aim of synthesizing information regarding detection of CVC-related complications and misplacement using ultrasound (US). METHODS: This is a systematic review and meta-analysis registered at PROSPERO (CRD42016050698). PubMed, EMBASE, the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials were searched. Articles which reported the diagnostic accuracy of US in detecting the position of CVCs and the mechanical complications associated with insertion were included. Primary outcomes were specificity and sensitivity of US. Secondary outcomes included prevalence of malposition and pneumothorax, feasibility of US examination, and time to perform and interpret both US and chest x-ray. A qualitative assessment was performed using the QUADAS-2 tool. RESULTS: We included 25 studies with a total of 2548 patients and 2602 CVC placements. Analysis yielded a pooled specificity of 98.9 (95% confidence interval (CI): 97.8-99.5) and sensitivity of 68.2 (95% CI: 54.4-79.4). US examination was feasible in 96.8% of the cases. The prevalence of CVC malposition and pneumothorax was 6.8% and 1.1%, respectively. The mean time for US performance was 2.83 min (95% CI: 2.77-2.89 min) min, while chest x-ray performance took 34.7 min (95% CI: 32.6-36.7 min). US was feasible in 97%. Further analyses were performed by defining subgroups based on the different utilized US protocols and on intra-atrial and extra-atrial misplacement. Vascular US combined with transthoracic echocardiography was most accurate. CONCLUSIONS: US is an accurate and feasible diagnostic modality to detect CVC malposition and iatrogenic pneumothorax. Advantages of US over chest x-ray are that it can be performed faster and does not subject patients to radiation. Vascular US combined with transthoracic echocardiography is advised. However, the results need to be interpreted with caution since included studies were often underpowered and had methodological limitations. A large multicenter study investigating optimal US protocol, among other things, is needed.

Switching From Intermittent to Continuous Infusion of Vancomycin in Critically Ill Patients: Toward a More Robust Exposure.

BACKGROUND: To increase target attainment rates, switching the mode of administration from intermittent (InI) to continuous infusion (CoI) has been proposed. In this study, target attainment rates and interpatient variation in exposure were compared between vancomycin InI- and CoI-treated critically ill patients. METHODS: An observational cohort study was conducted among critically ill patients admitted to a level-2 intensive care unit. Adult patients (18 years or older) treated with intravenous vancomycin for various indications, including sepsis, pneumonia, and endocarditis between 2007 and 2013 were eligible for inclusion. In 2010, vancomycin mode of administration switched from intermittent to continuous. Vancomycin was administered through intravenous infusion, and dosing was guided by therapeutic drug monitoring. Target attainment rates and variations in serum concentration and estimated area under the curve (AUC) were compared between groups. RESULTS: The target attainment rate for therapeutic vancomycin exposure was higher in the group treated with CoI than in patients treated with InI (48% versus 19%, P < 0.001). Furthermore, between-patient variation in vancomycin serum concentration was nearly twice as high in intermittently infused patients compared with continuously infused patients. Finally, the correlation between serum concentration and AUC was stronger among patients on vancomycin continuous infusion than that of the intermittently dosed group (r 0.93 versus 0.72). CONCLUSIONS: Switching from intermittent to continuous infusion of vancomycin in a critically ill population provided higher target attainment rates and a more robust drug exposure. Furthermore, continuous infusion yielded stronger concentration-AUC correlations facilitating a single sample therapeutic drug monitoring strategy with AUC targets. A switch to continuous infusion may therefore improve clinical outcomes in vancomycin-treated critically ill patients.