Protocolised approach to end-of-life care in the ICU--the ICU PALCare Pilot Project.

International literature on end-of-life care in intensive care units (ICUs) supports the use of 'protocol bundles', which is not common practice in our 18-bed adult general ICU in Sydney, New South Wales. We conducted a prospective observational study to identify problems related to end-of-life care practices and to determine whether there was a need to develop protocol bundles. Any ICU patient who had 'withdrawal' of life-sustaining treatment to facilitate a comfortable death was eligible. Exclusion criteria included organ donors, unsuitable family dynamics and lack of availability of research staff to obtain family consent. Process-of-care measures were collected using a standardised form. Satisfaction ratings were obtained using de-identified questionnaire surveys given to the healthcare staff shortly after the withdrawal of therapy and to the families 30 days later. Twenty-three patients were enrolled between June 2011 and July 2012. Survey questionnaires were given to 25 family members and 30 healthcare staff, with a high completion rate (24 family members [96%] and 28 staff [93.3%]). Problems identified included poor documentation of family meetings (39%) and symptom management. Emotional/spiritual support was not offered to families (39.1%) or ICU staff (0%). The overall level of end-of-life care was good. The overwhelming majority of families and healthcare staff were highly satisfied with the care provided. Problems identified related to communication documentation and lack of spiritual/emotional support. To address these problems, targeted measures would be more useful than the adoption of protocol bundles. Alternate models of satisfaction surveys may be needed.

Experience with high frequency oscillation ventilation during the 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic in Australia and New Zealand.

During the 2009 H1N1 pandemic, large numbers of patients had severe respiratory failure. High frequency oscillation ventilation was used as a salvage technique for profound hypoxaemia. Our aim was to compare this experience with high frequency oscillation ventilation during the 2009 H1N1 pandemic with the same period in 2008 by performing a three-month period prevalence study in Australian and New Zealand intensive care units. The main study end-points were clinical demographics, care delivery and survival. Nine intensive care units contributed data. During 2009 there were 22 H1N1 patients (17 adults, five children) and 10 non-H1N1 patients (five adults, five children), while in 2008, 18 patients (two adults, 16 children) received high frequency oscillation ventilation. The principal non-H1N1 high frequency oscillation ventilation indication was bacterial or viral pneumonia (56%). For H1N1 patients, the median duration of high frequency oscillation ventilation was 3.7 days (interquartile range 1.8 to 5) with concomitant therapies including recruitment manoeuvres (22%), prone ventilation (41%), inhaled prostacyclins (18%) and inhaled nitric oxide (36%). Seven patients received extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, six having H1N1. Three patients had extracorporeal membrane oxygenation concurrently, two as salvage therapy following the commencement of high frequency oscillation ventilation. In 2008, no high frequency oscillation ventilation patient received extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. Overall hospital survival was 77% in H1N1 patients, while survival in patients having adjunctive extracorporeal membrane oxygenation was similar to those receiving high frequency oscillation ventilation alone (65% compared to 71%, P = 1.00). Survival rates were comparable to published extracorporeal membrane oxygenation outcomes. High frequency oscillation ventilation was used successfully as a rescue therapy for severe respiratory failure. High frequency oscillation ventilation was only available in a limited number of intensive care units during the H1N1 pandemic.

[Impact of pandemic H1N1 2009 influenza virus on critical care in Australia: a single centre case series]. / Onemocnení pandemickým chripkovým virem HIN1 2009 vyzadující intenzivní péci: soubor nemocných z jednoho centra v Austrálii.

INTRODUCTION: In late May 2009, an outbreak of the novel swine - influenza A virus (H1N1) was identified in the Southern hemisphere. We describe the clinical and epidemiologic characteristics ofpatients infected with H1N1 requiring intensive care (ICU) admission at a Sydney University Hospital. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed medical charts and laboratory results ofall patients who tested positively for H1N1 by viral polymerase chain reaction (PCR) on nasopharyngeal smear or endobronchial secretions. RESULTS: From June 1st until August 31st, 2009 a total of 17 patients required admission to the Intensive Care Unit at Nepean Hospital, a tertiary teaching hospital. There were 9 males and 8 females with a mean age of 42 years. The majority of patients were admitted to the ICU within 48 hours of hospital presentation. All patients had flu like symptoms and most presented with respiratory distress and tachycardia. More than half of patients had patchy alveolar infiltrates on chest X ray. Patients who developed acute lung injury and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ALI/ARDS) typically presented with normal leukocyte count, lymphopenia, raised C-reactive protein, creatinkinase, transaminases but normal urea and creatinine. Fourteen patients required intubation while two received non-invasive ventilation. Several patients tested negative for H1N1 on nasopharyngeal smear PCR but tested positive on endobronchial secretions and the rapid flu antigen test proved unreliable. Two patients died during hospital admission but neither from respiratory failure or its consequences. The median duration of intensive care stay was 12 days while hospital stay was 18 days. DISCUSSION: The Nepean Hospital's patient profile and outcomes are similar to the data for all H1N1 associated ICU admission in Australia and New Zealand. H1N1 is capable of causing severe respiratory infection especially in the young to middle aged and the impact on intensive care units is disproportionate to seasonal flu. To reliably test for H1N1 in intubated patients we recommend performing viral PCR on endobronchial secretions.