The role of ultrasonographic lung aeration score in the prediction of postoperative pulmonary complications: an observational study.

BACKGROUND: Postoperative pulmonary complications (PPCs) are important contributors to mortality and morbidity after surgery. The available predicting models are useful in preoperative risk assessment, but there is a need for validated tools for the early postoperative period as well. Lung ultrasound is becoming popular in intensive and perioperative care and there is a growing interest to evaluate its role in the detection of postoperative pulmonary pathologies. OBJECTIVES: We aimed to identify characteristics with the potential of recognizing patients at risk by comparing the lung ultrasound scores (LUS) of patients with/without PPC in a 24-h postoperative timeframe. METHODS: Observational study at a university clinic. We recruited ASA 2-3 patients undergoing elective major abdominal surgery under general anaesthesia. LUS was assessed preoperatively, and also 1 and 24 h after surgery. Baseline and operative characteristics were also collected. A one-week follow up identified PPC+ and PPC- patients. Significantly differing LUS values underwent ROC analysis. A multi-variate logistic regression analysis with forward stepwise model building was performed to find independent predictors of PPCs. RESULTS: Out of the 77 recruited patients, 67 were included in the study. We evaluated 18 patients in the PPC+ and 49 in the PPC- group. Mean ages were 68.4 ± 10.2 and 66.4 ± 9.6 years, respectively (p = 0.4829). Patients conforming to ASA 3 class were significantly more represented in the PPC+ group (66.7 and 26.5%; p = 0.0026). LUS at baseline and in the postoperative hour were similar in both populations. The median LUS at 0 h was 1.5 (IQR 1-2) and 1 (IQR 0-2; p = 0.4625) in the PPC+ and PPC- groups, respectively. In the first postoperative hour, both groups had a marked increase, resulting in scores of 6.5 (IQR 3-9) and 5 (IQR 3-7; p = 0.1925). However, in the 24th hour, median LUS were significantly higher in the PPC+ group (6; IQR 6-10 vs 3; IQR 2-4; p < 0.0001) and it was an independent risk factor (OR = 2.6448 CI95% 1.5555-4.4971; p = 0.0003). ROC analysis identified the optimal cut-off at 5 points with high sensitivity (0.9444) and good specificity (0.7755). CONCLUSION: Postoperative LUS at 24 h can identify patients at risk of or in an early phase of PPCs.

Role of inferior vena cava collapsibility index in the prediction of hypotension associated with general anesthesia: an observational study.

BACKGROUND: Intraoperative hypotension increases 30-day mortality and the risks of myocardial injury and acute renal failure. Patients with inadequate volume reserve before the induction of anesthesia are highly exposed. The identification of latent hypovolemia is therefore crucial. Ultrasonographic measurement of the inferior vena cava collapsibility index (IVCCI) is able to detect volume responsiveness in circulatory shock. No current evidence is available regarding whether preoperative measurement of the IVCCI could identify patients at high risk for hypotension associated with general anesthesia. METHODS: A total of 102 patients undergoing elective general surgery under general anesthesia with standardized propofol induction were recruited for this prospective observational study. The IVCCI was measured under spontaneous breathing. A collapsing (IVCCI≧50%) (CI+) and a noncollapsing (CI-) group were formed. Immediate postinduction changes in systolic and mean blood pressure were compared. The performance of the IVCCI as a diagnostic tool for predicting hypotension (systolic pressure < 90 mmHg or a ≥ 30% drop from the baseline) was evaluated by ROC curve analysis. RESULTS: A total of 83 patients were available for analysis, with 20 in the CI+ and 63 in the CI- group, we excluded 19 previously eligible patients due to inadequate visualization of the IVC (7 cases), lack of adherence to the protocol (8 cases), missing data (2 cases) or change in anesthesiologic management (2 cases). The mean decrease in systolic pressure in the CI+ group was 53.8 ± 15.3 compared to 35.8 ± 18.1 mmHg in CI- patients (P = 0.0001). The relative mean arterial pressure change medians were 34.1% (IQR 23.2-43.0%) and 24.2% (IQR 17.2-30.2%), respectively (P = 0.0029). The ROC curve analysis for IVCCI showed an AUC of 64.8% (95% CI 52.1-77.5%). The selected 50% level of the IVCCI had a sensitivity of only 45.5% (95% CI 28.1-63.7%), but the specificity was high at 90.0% (78.2-96.7%). The positive predictive value was 75.0% (95% CI 50.9-91.3%), and the negative predictive value was 71.4% (95% CI 58.7-82.1%). CONCLUSION: In spontaneously breathing preoperative noncardiac surgical patients, preoperatively detected IVCCI≧50% can predict postinduction hypotension with high specificity but low sensitivity. Despite moderate performance, IVCCI is an easy, noninvasive and attractive option to identify patients at risk and should be explored further.

[Outbreak of vancomycin-resistant enterococci in a surgical intensive care unit]. / Vancomycinrezisztens Enterococcusok megjelenése sebészeti intenzív osztályon.

INTRODUCTION: Enterococci have increasing importance in intensive care units, and vancomycin-resistant strains express a new challenge. AIM: The aim of the authors was to present their findings obtained from the first vancomycin-resistant enterococci outbreak occurred in 2013 at the Intensive Care Unit of the 1st Department of Surgery, Semmelweis University. METHOD: This was a case-control study of patients who had Enterococci species isolated from their microbiological samples between January 1 and June 30, 2013. Changes of Enterococcal incidence and consequences of vancomycin-resistance in patient outcome were analyzed. Demographic data, hospital length of stay and mortality data were also collected. RESULTS: Enterococci were isolated from 114 patients and 14 of them had vancomycin-resistant strains. The incidence of Enterococcal strains was not different in the periods before and after the outbreak of the first vancomycin-resistant Enterococci. Patients with vancomycin-resistant Enterococci had significantly higher mortality rate than those with vancomycin-sensitive Enterococcus (42.9% vs 30.0%, p = 0.005); however, length of stay was not significantly different. Co-morbidities and emergency surgery were significantly higher in patients who had vancomycin-resistant Enterococci. CONCLUSIONS: The higher mortality observed in patients with vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus infections highlights the importance of prevention and appropriate infection control, however, the direct relationship of vancomycin-resistance and increased mortality is questionable.