Compliance-guided versus FiO2-driven positive-end expiratory pressure in patients with moderate or severe acute respiratory distress syndrome according to the Berlin definition.

OBJECTIVE: To study the effect of setting positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) in an individualized manner (based on highest static compliance) compared to setting PEEP according to FiO2 upon mortality at 28 and 90 days, in patients with different severity acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). SETTING: A Spanish medical-surgical ICU. DESIGN: A post hoc analysis of a randomized controlled pilot study. PATIENTS: Patients with ARDS. INTERVENTIONS: Ventilation with low tidal volumes and pressure limitation at 30cmH2O, randomized in two groups according to the method used to set PEEP: FiO2-guided PEEP group according to FiO2 applied and compliance-guided group according to the highest compliance. PRIMARY VARIABLES OF INTEREST: Demographic data, risk factors and severity of ARDS, APACHE II and SOFA scores, daily Lung Injury Score, ventilatory measurements, ICU and hospital stay, organ failure and mortality at day 28 and 90 after inclusion. RESULTS: A total of 159 patients with ARDS were evaluated, but just 70 patients were included. Severe ARDS patients showed more organ dysfunction-free days at 28 days (12.83±10.70 versus 3.09±7.23; p=0.04) and at 90 days (6.73±22.31 vs. 54.17±42.14, p=0.03), and a trend toward lower 90-days mortality (33.3% vs. 90.9%, p=0.02), when PEEP was applied according to the best static compliance. Patients with moderate ARDS did not show these effects. CONCLUSIONS: In patients with severe ARDS, individualized PEEP selection based on the best static compliance was associated to lower mortality at 90 days, with an increase in organ dysfunction-free days at 28 and 90 days.

Mortality and functional status at one-year of follow-up in elderly patients with prolonged ICU stay. / Mortalidad y estado funcional al año de pacientes ancianos con ingreso prolongado en una unidad de cuidados intensivos.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate mortality and functional status at one year of follow-up in patients>75 years of age who survive Intensive Care Unit (ICU) admission of over 14 days. DESIGN: A prospective observational study was carried out. SETTING: A Spanish medical-surgical ICU. PATIENTS: Patients over 75 years of age admitted to the ICU. PRIMARY VARIABLES OF INTEREST: ICU admission: demographic data, baseline functional status (Barthel index), baseline mental status (Red Cross scale of mental incapacity), severity of illness (APACHE II and SOFA), stay and mortality. One-year follow-up: hospital stay and mortality, functional and mental status, and one-year follow-up mortality. RESULTS: A total of 176 patients were included, of which 22 had a stay of over 14 days. Patients with prolonged stay did not show more ICU mortality than those with a shorter stay in the ICU (40.9% vs 25.3% respectively, P=.12), although their hospital (63.6% vs 33.8%, P<.01) and one-year follow-up mortality were higher (68.2% vs 41.2%, P=.02). Among the survivors, one-year mortality proved similar (87.5% vs 90.6%, P=.57). These patients presented significantly greater impairment of functional status at hospital discharge than the patients with a shorter ICU stay, and this difference persisted after three months. The levels of independence at one-year follow-up were never similar to baseline. No such findings were observed in relation to mental status. CONCLUSIONS: Patients over 75 years of age with a ICU stay of more than 14 days have high hospital and one-year follow-up mortality. Patients who survive to hospital admission did not show greater mortality, though their functional dependency was greater.

Individualized positive end-expiratory pressure application in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome.

Current treatment of acute respiratory distress syndrome is based on ventilatory support with a lung protective strategy, avoiding the development of iatrogenic injury, including ventilator-induced lung injury. One of the mechanisms underlying such injury is atelectrauma, and positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) is advocated in order to avoid it. The indicated PEEP level has not been defined, and in many cases is based on the patient oxygen requirements for maintaining adequate oxygenation. However, this strategy does not consider the mechanics of the respiratory system, which varies in each patient and depends on many factors-including particularly the duration of acute respiratory distress syndrome. A review is therefore made of the different methods for adjusting PEEP, focusing on the benefits of individualized application.