How Have Nutrition Practices in the ICU Changed in the Last Decade (2011-2020): A Scoping Review.

Malnutrition is more prevalent in the critically ill than ambulatory patients due to a variety of factors. Strategies employed in the optimization of nutrition practices rely largely on the review of published literature and guidelines. While the last decade was marked by some landmark large randomized controlled trials taking place and some high-quality systematic reviews, it still has left us with many unanswered questions. The evidence generated by these trials can, to a good extent, extrapolate to the developed countries. However, its implementation in developing and third-world countries needs further elaboration and logistical considerations. With this scoping review, we attempt to provide insights into the landmark developments in the decade 2011-2020. Solutions to employ and implement the results of these developments and ways for their corroboration into a larger population are also discussed.

Increasing the Safety of Percutaneous Dilatational Tracheostomy in COVID-19 Patients.

How to cite this article: Bhosale SJ, Khatib KI. Increasing the Safety of Percutaneous Dilatational Tracheostomy in COVID-19 Patients. Indian J Crit Care Med 2021;25(6):610-612.

Itolizumab Treatment for Cytokine Release Syndrome in Moderate to Severe Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome Due to COVID-19: Clinical Outcomes, A Retrospective Study.

BACKGROUND: Hyperinflammation, hypercoagulation and multi-organ dysfunction are life-threatening complications needing immediate attention in moderate-tosevere COVID-19 patients. We present our real world experience with Itolizumab, a repurposed immunomodulatory monoclonal antibody, administered in COVID-19 patients. METHODOLOGY: Data from 25 confirmed moderate-to-severe COVID-19 patients, with high levels of pro-inflammatory markers and pulmonary function worsening on best supportive care and Itolizumab were included in this analysis. Patients requiring invasive mechanical ventilation were excluded. Clinical parameters (oxygen requirement) and laboratory parameters (ferritin, interleukin [IL]-6, C-reactive protein [CRP] and absolute lymphocyte count [ALC]) were studied preand post-treatment. Average total length of stay in hospital and ICU, percentage of patients requiring ICU admission and average time taken for weaning off oxygen for all patients were also reported. RESULTS: All Patients were in the range of 30-78 years of age, with majority being male (76%). Most prevalent comorbid conditions were diabetes (64%) and hypertension (28%). Median IL-6 value showed a decline by 85.4%. Significant reduction in median CRP (86.96%) and Ferritin (55.61%) was observed post- Itolizumab compared to pre-dose values. Median ALC improved from 1605 cells/ mm3 (pre-dose) to 2462.5 cells/mm3 (post-dose). Average recovery time, defined as time from Itolizumab infusion to discharge was 9.28 ± 4.04 days. Average duration of hospitalization and ICU admission was 14.24 ± 4.15 and 8.27 ± 4.47 days, respectively, with 76% patients recovered and discharged. Median oxygen saturation improved from 88 % (pre-dose) to 96 % (post-dose). All patients were weaned off oxygen within Avg + SD : 6.53 ± 2.09 days post-Itolizumab treatment. One and two point reduction in ordinal scale was observed in 88% and 76% patients, respectively. Three patients (12%) did not show improvement in ordinal sore of which two patients died because of complications due to pre-existing comorbidities. The all-cause mortality of 8%; was considered not related to Itolizumab. One infusion related event reported abated with infusion period extension. INTERPRETATION AND CONCLUSION: A single dose of Itolizumab accelerated recovery in adult patients with COVID-19 by controlling immune hyperactivation. The clinical improvement was demonstrated by reduction in inflammatory markers, weaning off oxygen, reduced length of hospital stay and improvement of ordinal score. Itolizumab was well tolerated and when administered in the early phase of the inflammatory cascade is an efficient therapeutic option for treatment of cytokine release syndrome in moderate to severe COVID-19 patients.

Anticoagulation in COVID - 19: An Update.

The novel coronavirus disease, 2019 (COVID - 19) evolved as an unprecedented pandemic. The severe acute respiratory syndrome-corona virus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection has been associated with significantly deranged coagulation parameters and increased incidence of thrombotic events. Deranged coagulation parameters, such as D-dimers and fibrin degradation products, can indicate a poor prognosis, and their measurement will help stratify the patients according to the disease severity, need of intensive care unit admission, and prediction of the clinical course. Gaps in understanding the natural history of the disease cause difficulties in tailoring therapies and optimizing the management of patients. Lack of specific treatment further complicates this situation. While thrombotic events can cause significant morbidity and mortality in patients, a focused approach to the prevention and treatment of venous thromboembolism (VTE) can, to a great extent, decrease the disease burden caused by thrombotic diseases. Pharmacological prophylactic anticoagulants and mechanical therapies such as pneumatic compression devices can help prevent venous thromboembolism and other thrombotic events. Thrombotic events due to COVID-19, their prevention and management, are the focus of this paper, with the prospect of providing insights into this relatively unexplored area.

Current Approaches to COVID-19: Therapy and Prevention.

The coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has affected millions of people worldwide. As our understanding of the disease is evolving, our approach to the patient management is also changing swiftly. Available new evidence is helping us take radical decisions in COVID-19 management. We searched for inclusion of the published literature on treatment of COVID-19 from around the globe. All relevant evidences available till the time of submission of this article were briefly discussed. Once advised as blanket therapy for all patients, recent reports of hydroxychloroquine with or without azithromycin indicated no potential benefit and use of such combination may increase the risk of arrhythmias. Clinical evidence with newer antivirals such as remdesivir and favipiravir is promising that can hasten the patient recovery and reduce the mortality. With steroids, evidence is much clear in that it should be used in low dose and for short period not extending beyond 7 days in moderate to severe hospitalized patients. Low-molecular-weight heparin should be initiated in all hospitalized COVID-19 patients and dose should be based on the coagulation profile and risk of thromboembolism. Immunomodulatory drugs such tocilizumab may be considered for severe and critically ill patients to improve the outcomes. Though ulinastatin can be a potential alternative immunomodulator, there is lack of clinical evidence on its usage in COVID-19. Convalescent plasma therapy can be potentially lifesaving in critically ill patients. However, there is need to generate further evidence with various such therapies. Though availability of a potent vaccine is awaited, current treatment of COVID-19 is based on available therapies, which is guided by the evidence. In this review, we discuss the potential treatments available around the globe with current evidence on each of such treatments. How to cite this article: Dixit SB, Zirpe KG, Kulkarni AP, Chaudhry D, Govil D, Mehta Y, et al. Current Approaches to COVID-19: Therapy and Prevention. Indian J Crit Care Med 2020;24(9):838-846.

Percutaneous Tracheostomy in Patients at High Risk of Bleeding Complications: A Retrospective Single-center Experience.

AIMS: To study the bleeding complications in patients undergoing percutaneous tracheostomy and who are at high risk of these complications (due to thrombocytopenia, use of anticoagulant or antiplatelet agents, and difficult anatomy). MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective study was undertaken, which included all patients undergoing percutaneous tracheostomy in the medical intensive care unit (MICU) of Rashid Hospital, Dubai, over a period of 15 months. Percutaneous tracheostomy was performed by senior medical intensivists using the single-tapered dilator technique under fiber optic bronchoscopic guidance. All patients underwent ultrasonographic evaluation of the neck to look for difficult anatomy and to determine the size of tracheostomy tube, etc. Patients were divided into two groups, those who were deemed to be at high risk of bleeding complications were compared with patients without any risk factors for bleeding complications. Other complications such as pneumothorax and tracheal leak were also looked for and were documented, if present. The data were summarized using descriptive statistics and the Fischer's exact test of significance was used for frequency distribution cross tables, at 5% level of significance (p value cutoff <0.05). RESULTS: One hundred and fifty-nine patients underwent percutaneous tracheostomy during the period of study. The age-group of patients ranged from 21 years to 104 years and males were predominant (65.41%). Of the 87 (54.71%) patients with one or more risk factors for bleeding, 53 (60.92%) patients had at least one risk factor for bleeding complications, while 34 (39.08%) had more than one risk factors. Bleeding was seen in total of two patients out of which one patient was in the group at risk of bleeding complications. CONCLUSION: Percutaneous tracheostomy is a relatively safe procedure with very low rate of complications when performed with due precautions. Even in patients deemed to be at high risk of complications, the rate of complications is very low. HOW TO CITE THIS ARTICLE: Sasane SP, Telang MM, Alrais ZF, Alrahma AHNS, Khatib KI. Percutaneous Tracheostomy in Patients at High Risk of Bleeding Complications: A Retrospective Single-center Experience. Indian J Crit Care Med 2020;24(2):90-94.

Confirmation of endovenous placement of central catheter using the ultrasonographic "bubble test".

Insertion of central venous catheter (CVC) is the most common procedure to be performed in Intensive Care Units. Addition of ultrasonographic guidance to this procedure, which was initially performed blindly, has improved safety of this procedure. Confirmation of endovenous placement of CVC though, is tricky, as methods for confirmation are either operator dependent, time-consuming or not available at bedside. Prospective observational study was carried out to study feasibility of use of sonobubble test to confirm the presence of CVC within central vein. After insertion of CVC in the internal jugular, subclavian or axillary vein, a 10 ml bolus of shaken saline microbubble is injected through port of CVC, and opacification of right atrium is observed in xiphoid view on ultrasonography. The Sonobubble test was helpful for dynamic confirmation of endovenous placement of CVC and prevented complications such as arterial puncture and cannulation. We recommend its use following CVC insertion.