Utility of Automated Infrared Pupillometry in Assessing the Prolonged Course of Organophosphate Poisoning: A Case Report.

Central and autonomic nervous system signs of organophosphate poisoning (OP), such as altered consciousness, noticeable lacrimation, and salivation, can be influenced by medications used in intensive care settings, such as atropine and pralidoxime methyl (PAM). Because of this, there are no established methods for assessing the duration of OP while receiving antidotal treatment. In the present case, we used the Neurological Pupil Index (NPi) to evaluate the duration of OP in an 82-year-old woman who attempted suicide by ingesting up to 100 mL of fenitrothion. Until hospitalization day (HD) 20, discontinuation of atropine led to the recurrence of altered consciousness, while its reinstatement resulted in improvement; this made it difficult to assess the prolongation of OP based on signs and symptoms. Until HD 20, the NPi remained at 0/0, and subsequently, it increased. Additionally, even after discontinuing atropine, consciousness, tearing, and salivation did not worsen, indicating recovery from OP. On HD 26, serum acetylcholinesterase (AChE) levels were elevated above the measurable level for the first time, following an increase in the NPi. In this case, assessing the persistence of OP based on signs was challenging because these signs improved with atropine and PAM treatment. The improvement in NPi levels coincided with an improvement in poisoning, suggesting that NPi is useful for evaluating the duration of OP. NPi is noninvasive and sensitive compared to AChE, which is used to gauge the persistence of OP and could be used to allow earlier cessation of medication and guide appropriate treatment durations.

Investigating the risk of reintubation by cough force assessment using cough peak expiratory flow: a single-center observational pilot study.

BACKGROUND: No objective indicator exists for evaluating cough strength during extubation of tracheally intubated patients. This study aimed to determine whether cough peak expiratory flow (CPEF) can predict the risk of reintubation due to decreased cough strength. METHODS: This was a retrospective cohort study of patients who were admitted to our Emergency Intensive Care Unit between September 1, 2020 and August 31, 2021 and were under artificial ventilation management for ≥ 24 h. The patients were divided into two groups: successful extubation and reintubation groups, and the relationship between CPEF immediately before extubation and reintubation was investigated. RESULTS: Seventy-six patients were analyzed. In the univariate analysis, CPEF was significantly different between the successful extubation (90.7 ± 25.9 L/min) and reintubation (57.2 ± 6.4 L/min) groups (p < 0.001). In the multivariate analysis with age and duration of artificial ventilation as covariates, CPEF was significantly lower in the reintubation group (p < 0.01). The cutoff value of CPEF for reintubation according to the receiver operating characteristic curve was 60 L/min (area under the curve, 0.897; sensitivity, 78.5%; specificity, 90.9%; p < 0.01). CONCLUSION: CPEF in tracheally intubated patients may be a useful indicator for predicting the risk of reintubation associated with decreased cough strength. The cutoff CPEF value for reintubation due to decreased cough strength was 60 L/min.

Impact of Collaborative Nursing Care Delivery on Patient Safety Events in an Emergency Intensive Care Unit: A Retrospective Observational Study.

OBJECTIVES: Patient safety events (PSEs) have detrimental consequences for patients and healthcare staff, highlighting the importance of prevention. Although evidence shows that nurse staffing affects PSEs, the role of an appropriate nursing care delivery system remains unclear. The current study aimed to investigate whether nursing care delivery systems could prevent PSEs. METHODS: This retrospective study was conducted in Japan. The study examined the collaborative 4:2 nursing care delivery system in which 2 nurses are assigned to care for 4 patients, collaborating to perform tasks, and provide care. The cohort receiving care from a collaborative 4:2 nursing care delivery system was labeled the postintervention, whereas the cohort receiving care from a conventional individualized system, in which one nurse provides care for 2 patients, was labeled the preintervention. The primary outcome was the occurrence of PSEs. RESULTS: The preintervention and postintervention comprised 561 and 401 patients, respectively, with the latter consisting of a younger and more critically ill population. The number of PSEs per 1000 patient-days was not significantly different between the 2 groups (10.3 [95% confidence interval, 7.1-13.5] versus 6.0 [95% confidence interval, 3.2-8.9], P = 0.058). Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that the collaborative 4:2 nursing care delivery system was significantly associated with PSEs (adjusted odds ratio, 0.53; 95% confidence interval, 0.29-0.95; P = 0.037). CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that in an emergency intensive care unit, a collaborative nursing care delivery system was associated with a decrease in PSEs.

Association between obesity and mortality in critically ill COVID-19 patients requiring invasive mechanical ventilation: a multicenter retrospective observational study.

This study aimed to determine whether obesity and disease outcomes are associated in patients with critically-ill coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) requiring invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV). This retrospective observational study using Japanese multicenter registry data included COVID-19 patients who required IMV and were discharged between January and September 2020. The patients were divided into the obese (body mass index [BMI] ≥ 25 kg/m2) and nonobese (BMI < 25 kg/m2) groups. Logistic regression models were used to analyze the association between obesity and disease outcomes. The primary outcome was in-hospital mortality; the secondary outcome was venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VV-ECMO) implementation. Altogether, 477 patients were enrolled (obese, n = 235, median BMI, 28.2 kg/m2; nonobese, n = 242, median BMI, 22.4 kg/m2). Obesity was significantly associated with lower in-hospital mortality in the unadjusted logistic regression model (odds ratio 0.63; 95% confidence interval, 0.42-0.97; p = 0.033), but not with mortality in the adjusted logistic regression model using age, sex, and Charlson Comorbidity Index as covariates (p = 0.564). Obesity was not associated with VV-ECMO implementation in both unadjusted and adjusted models (unadjusted, p = 0.074; adjusted, p = 0.695). Obesity was not associated with outcomes in COVID-19 patients requiring IMV. Obesity may not be a risk factor for poor outcomes in these patients.

Optimal target blood pressure in elderly with septic shock (OPTPRESS) trial: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Hemodynamic stabilization is a core component in the resuscitation of septic shock. However, the optimal target blood pressure remains debatable. Previous randomized controlled trials suggested that uniformly adopting a target mean arterial pressure (MAP) higher than 65 mmHg for all adult septic shock patients would not be beneficial; however, it has also been proposed that higher target MAP may be beneficial for elderly patients, especially those with arteriosclerosis. METHODS: A multicenter, pragmatic single-blind randomized controlled trial will be conducted to compare target MAP of 80-85 mmHg (high-target) and 65-70 mmHg (control) in the resuscitation of septic shock patients admitted to 28 hospitals in Japan. Patients with septic shock aged ≥65 years are randomly assigned to the high-target or control groups. The target MAP shall be maintained for 72 h after randomization or until vasopressors are no longer needed to improve patients' condition. To minimize the adverse effects related to catecholamines, if norepinephrine dose of ≥ 0.1 µg/kg/min is needed to maintain the target MAP, vasopressin will be initiated. Other therapeutic approaches, including fluid administration, hydrocortisone use, and antibiotic choice, will be determined by the physician in charge based on the latest clinical guidelines. The primary outcome is all-cause mortality at 90 days after randomization. DISCUSSION: The result of this trial will provide great insight on the resuscitation strategy for septic shock in the era of global aged society. Also, it will provide the better understanding on the importance of individualized treatment strategy in hemodynamic management in critically ill patients. TRIAL REGISTRATION: UMIN Clinical Trials Registry; UMIN000041775. Registered 13 September 2020.

A patient with COVID-19 and bleeding complications due to neurofibromatosis type 1 during VV-ECMO: A case report.

RATIONALE: The many deaths from coronavirus disease (COVID-19) since 2019 have caused global concern. Effective treatment has not yet been established; supportive care is the main treatment. It has been suggested that veno-venous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VV-ECMO) may be effective in severe cases that do not respond to ventilator management. PATIENT CONCERNS AND DIAGNOSIS: We report the case of a 68-year-old woman with severe respiratory failure due to COVID-19 who was treated with VV-ECMO but suffered from bleeding complications. She presented with multiple café-au-lait lesions and neurofibromas on her skin and was diagnosed pathologically as having neurofibromatosis type 1(NF1). INTERVENTIONS AND OUTCOMES: Although she received appropriate anticoagulation therapy with heparin at the initiation of VV-ECMO, she had 5 episodes of severe bleeding, each requiring transcatheter arterial embolization and massive transfusion. In patients with NF1, vascular fragility has been noted due to vascular infiltration of neurofibromas and degeneration of vascular structures. Therefore, the causes of frequent bleeding complications may be related to the fragility of blood vessels in patients with NF1. VV-ECMO in patients with NF1 is likely to result in frequent bleeding complications and the need for massive transfusion. LESSON: We propose non-anticoagulation treatment strategy for the management of VV-ECMO in patients with NF1. Especially under the COVID-19 pandemic, more careful consideration should be given to the indications for VV-ECMO in patients with NF1.

Prediction of the prognosis of patients with bacteremia caused by encapsulated organisms using spleen volume: A retrospective study.

AIM: The spleen plays an important role in the immune response, and patients with impaired spleen function are at risk of overwhelming post-splenectomy infection. This study investigated whether the spleen volume could predict the prognosis of patients with bacteremia caused by encapsulated organisms. METHODS: This was a single-center, retrospective observational study at Tokyo Medical University Hospital. Twenty patients with encapsulated bacteria (Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae, Neisseria meningitidis, and Capnocytophaga canimorsus) detected in blood culture between January 2017 and July 2020 were included in the study and categorized into two groups: survive and nonsurvive groups. We investigated the association between spleen volume (SV), spleen volume index (SVI), and in-hospital mortality. The SVI was defined as: SVI-H, spleen volume cm3/height m; SVI-BW, spleen volume cm3/body weight kg; and SVI-A, spleen volume cm3 × age/100. RESULTS: The number of patients in the survive group was 17, and that of the non-survive group was 3. The SV and SVI were smaller in the nonsurvive group than in the survive group (P < 0.05). The calculated the SV cut-off for the prediction of prognosis was 36 cm3 with a sensitivity of 94.1% and specificity of 66.7% with a positive predictive value of 94.1% and a negative predictive value of 66.7%. CONCLUSIONS: The SV and SVI could be used to predict the prognosis of bacteremia caused by encapsulated organisms. If the spleen volume as measured by computed tomography is small, more intensive treatment should be considered.

Effects of pleural drainage on oxygenation in critically ill patients.

AIM: Pleural effusion is common among critically ill patients and associated with clinical consequences; however, the benefits of draining pleural effusion remain debatable. Thus, we aimed to investigate pleural drainage effectiveness by focusing on preprocedure patient status. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed 22 patients with pleural effusion. Gas exchange, ventilator settings, vital signs, inflammatory response, and nutrition status were examined preprocedure and 24 h and 1 week postprocedure. Data were analyzed using the non-parametric test and discriminant analysis with receiver operating characteristic curves. RESULTS: The partial arterial oxygen pressure (PaO2) to fraction of inspiratory oxygen (FIO2) (P/F) ratio at 24 h was higher postdrainage than predrainage (250 ± 87 versus 196 ± 84, P < 0.05); however, no significant difference between the P/F ratio predrainage and 1 week postdrainage was noted. Patients were classified into effective and ineffective groups according to a 110% increase in the P/F ratio 1 week postdrainage compared with predrainage. The predrainage P/F ratio was lower in the effective group than in the ineffective group (165 ± 91 versus 217 ± 74, P < 0.05). Discriminant analysis showed the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.72; the cut-off value of the predrainage P/F ratio (divided into effective and ineffective groups) was 174. CONCLUSIONS: Pleural drainage could be effective in patients who have lower preprocedure P/F ratios.

Validation of the Prediction of Delirium for Intensive Care model to predict subsyndromal delirium.

AIM: Subsyndromal delirium is associated with prolonged intensive care unit stays, and prolonged mechanical ventilation requirements. The Prediction of Delirium for Intensive Care (PRE-DELIRIC) model can predict delirium. This study was designed to verify if it can also predict development of subsyndromal delirium. METHODS: We undertook a single-center, retrospective observation study in Japan. We diagnosed subsyndromal delirium based on the Intensive Care Delirium Screening Checklist. We calculated the sensitivity and specificity of the PRE-DELIRIC model and obtained a diagnostic cut-off value. RESULTS: We evaluated data from 70 patients admitted to the mixed medical intensive care unit of the Tokyo Medical University Hospital (Tokyo, Japan) between May 2015 and February 2017. The prevalence of subsyndromal delirium by Intensive Care Delirium Screening Checklist was 31.4%. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.83 of the PRE-DELIRIC model for subsyndromal delirium. The calculated cut-off value was 36 points with a sensitivity of 94.3% and specificity of 57.1%. Subsyndromal delirium was associated with a higher incidence of delirium (odds ratio, 8.81; P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: The PRE-DELIRIC model could be a tool for predicting subsyndromal delirium using a cut-off value of 36 points.