Intensive care in patients with lung cancer: a multinational study.

BACKGROUND: Detailed information about lung cancer patients requiring admission to intensive care units (ICUs) is mostly restricted to single-center studies. Our aim was to evaluate the clinical characteristics and outcomes of lung cancer patients admitted to ICUs. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Prospective multicenter study in 449 patients with lung cancer (small cell, n = 55; non-small cell, n = 394) admitted to 22 ICUs in six countries in Europe and South America during 2011. Multivariate Cox proportional hazards frailty models were built to identify characteristics associated with 30-day and 6-month mortality. RESULTS: Most of the patients (71%) had newly diagnosed cancer. Cancer-related complications occurred in 56% of patients; the most common was tumoral airway involvement (26%). Ventilatory support was required in 53% of patients. Overall hospital, 30-day, and 6-month mortality rates were 39%, 41%, and 55%, respectively. After adjustment for type of admission and early treatment-limitation decisions, determinants of mortality were organ dysfunction severity, poor performance status (PS), recurrent/progressive cancer, and cancer-related complications. Mortality rates were far lower in the patient subset with nonrecurrent/progressive cancer and a good PS, even those with sepsis, multiple organ dysfunctions, and need for ventilatory support. Mortality was also lower in high-volume centers. Poor PS predicted failure to receive the initially planned cancer treatment after hospital discharge. CONCLUSIONS: ICU admission was associated with meaningful survival in lung cancer patients with good PS and non-recurrent/progressive disease. Conversely, mortality rates were very high in patients not fit for anticancer treatment and poor PS. In this subgroup, palliative care may be the best option.

Impact of neutropenia on the outcomes of critically ill patients with cancer: a matched case-control study.

BACKGROUND: The prognostic effect of neutropenia in cancer patients admitted to intensive care units (ICUs) was addressed exclusively in cohort studies with conflicting results. Our aim was to address this question using a matched case-control study. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Ninety-four neutropenic patients and 94 non-neutropenic controls were matched for age, cancer type, Simplified Acute Physiology Score II, Sequential Organ Failure Assessment score, and need for mechanical ventilation and vasopressors. Conditional logistic regression was used to identify factors associated with hospital mortality. RESULTS: The ICU (66% versus 66%, P = 0.999) and hospital (73% versus 78%, P = 0.611) mortality rates were similar in neutropenic and non-neutropenic patients. Adjusting for the type of admission and length of hospital stay before ICU admission, the characteristics associated with increased mortality were the severity of acute disease and organ failures, compromised performance status and sepsis diagnosis. The impact of both previous chemotherapy and neutropenia on the outcomes was not significant. CONCLUSIONS: Using a matched case-control study design, our results provide additional evidence that the presence of neutropenia is no longer associated with worse outcomes in critically ill patients with cancer. Moreover, our results also corroborate that recent exposure to chemotherapy is not associated with increased risk for death.

Understanding international differences in terminology for delirium and other types of acute brain dysfunction in critically ill patients.

BACKGROUND: Delirium (acute brain dysfunction) is a potentially life threatening disturbance in brain function that frequently occurs in critically ill patients. While this area of brain dysfunction in critical care is rapidly advancing, striking limitations in use of terminology related to delirium internationally are hindering cross-talk and collaborative research. In the English literature, synonyms of delirium such as the Intensive Care Unit syndrome, acute brain dysfunction, acute brain failure, psychosis, confusion, and encephalopathy are widely used. This often leads to scientific "confusion" regarding published data and methodology within studies, which is further exacerbated by organizational, cultural and language barriers. OBJECTIVE: We undertook this multinational effort to identify conflicts in terminology and phenomenology of delirium to facilitate communication across medical disciplines and languages. METHODS: The evaluation of the terminology used for acute brain dysfunction was determined conducting communications with 24 authors from academic communities throughout countries/regions that speak the 13 variants of the Romanic languages included into this manuscript. RESULTS: In the 13 languages utilizing Romanic characters, included in this report, we identified the following terms used to define major types of acute brain dysfunction: coma, delirium, delirio, delirium tremens, délire, confusion mentale, delir, delier, Durchgangs-Syndrom, acute verwardheid, intensiv-psykose, IVA-psykos, IVA-syndrom, akutt konfusion/forvirring. Interestingly two terms are very consistent: 100 % of the selected languages use the term coma or koma to describe patients unresponsive to verbal and/or physical stimuli, and 100% use delirium tremens to define delirium due to alcohol withdrawal. Conversely, only 54% use the term delirium to indicate the disorder as defined by the DSM-IV as an acute change in mental status, inattention, disorganized thinking and altered level of consciousness. CONCLUSIONS: Attempts towards standardization in terminology, or at least awareness of differences across languages and specialties, will help cross-talk among clinicians and researchers.

Early use of terlipressin in catecholamine-resistant shock improves cerebral perfusion pressure in severe traumatic brain injury.

BACKGROUND: Maintaining adequate cerebral perfusion pressure is an essential aspect in the treatment of severe acute brain injury. To accomplish this therapeutic goal vasopressors are usually required. Vasopressin is an important endogenous stress hormone and the infusion of low-dose vasopressin and terlipressin has been used to reverse severe hypotension. CASE REPORT: A 14-year-old male patient was admitted to the emergency room after a motorcycle accident. The patient had suffered severe traumatic brain injury, the Glasgow coma score (GCS) was four and there were signs of aspiration of gastric contents. Systemic inflammatory response syndrome and shock refractory to fluid management, norepinephrine and steroid replacement ensued. A terlipressin infusion, as a bolus dose of 1 mg, is associated with the ability to improve cerebral perfusion pressure with concomitant reduction of 80% of norepinephrine doses. DISCUSSION: The present report illustrates the potential benefits of terlipressin in refractory shock in a patient with severe traumatic brain injury. An increase in cerebral perfusion pressure (CPP) and a huge decrease in the dose of norepinephrine were observed. In the setting of severe brain injury associated with refractory hypotension, terlipressin may improve mean arterial pressure and cerebral perfusion pressure. CONCLUSION: In the setting of severe brain injury associated with refractory hypotension, terlipressin may have a role as a rescue therapy.