Convalescent Plasma Efficacy in Life-Threatening COVID-19 Patients Admitted to the ICU: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

(1) Background: There are limited data regarding the efficacy of convalescent plasma (CP) in critically ill patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) due to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). We aimed to determine whether CP is associated with better clinical outcome among these patients. (2) Methods: A retrospective single-center study including adult patients with laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection admitted to the ICU for acute respiratory failure. The primary outcome was time to clinical improvement, within 28 days, defined as patient discharged alive or reduction of 2 points on a 6-point disease severity scale. (3) Results: Overall, 110 COVID-19 patients were admitted. Thirty-two patients (29%) received CP; among them, 62.5% received at least one CP with high neutralizing antibody titers (≥1:160). Clinical improvement occurred within 28 days in 14 patients (43.7%) of the CP group vs. 48 patients (61.5%) in the non-CP group (hazard ratio (HR): 0.75 (95% CI: 0.41-1.37), p = 0.35). After adjusting for potential confounding factors, CP was not independently associated with time to clinical improvement (HR: 0.53 (95% CI: 0.23-1.22), p = 0.14). Additionally, the average treatment effects of CP, calculated using the inverse probability weights (IPW), was not associated with the primary outcome (-0.14 days (95% CI: -3.19-2.91 days), p = 0.93). Hospital mortality did not differ between CP and non-CP groups (31.2% vs. 19.2%, p = 0.17, respectively). Comparing CP with high neutralizing antibody titers to the other group yielded the same findings. (4) Conclusions: In this study of life-threatening COVID-19 patients, CP was not associated with time to clinical improvement within 28 days, or hospital mortality.

Massive metoprolol overdose requiring ECMO: brief review of the evidence behind recommended treatments.

A man in his late 60s developed shock after ingesting 7500 mg of metoprolol tartrate that was refractory to all medical treatment including hyperinsulinaemic euglycaemia, intravenous lipid emulsion and dialysis, eventually needing rescue extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. A brief review of the recommended treatments in beta-blocker overdose is therefore warranted.

Severe Acute Kidney Injury in Critically Ill Patients with COVID-19 Admitted to ICU: Incidence, Risk Factors, and Outcomes.

BACKGROUND: Critically ill patients with COVID-19 are prone to develop severe acute kidney injury (AKI), defined as KDIGO (Kidney Disease Improving Global Outcomes) stages 2 or 3. However, data are limited in these patients. We aimed to report the incidence, risk factors, and prognostic impact of severe AKI in critically ill patients with COVID-19 admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) for acute respiratory failure. METHODS: A retrospective monocenter study including adult patients with laboratory-confirmed severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection admitted to the ICU for acute respiratory failure. The primary outcome was to identify the incidence and risk factors associated with severe AKI (KDIGO stages 2 or 3). RESULTS: Overall, 110 COVID-19 patients were admitted. Among them, 77 (70%) required invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV), 66 (60%) received vasopressor support, and 9 (8.2%) needed extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). Severe AKI occurred in 50 patients (45.4%). In multivariable logistic regression analysis, severe AKI was independently associated with age (odds ratio (OR) = 1.08 (95% CI (confidence interval): 1.03-1.14), p = 0.003), IMV (OR = 33.44 (95% CI: 2.20-507.77), p = 0.011), creatinine level on admission (OR = 1.04 (95% CI: 1.008-1.065), p = 0.012), and ECMO (OR = 11.42 (95% CI: 1.95-66.70), p = 0.007). Inflammatory (interleukin-6, C-reactive protein, and ferritin) or thrombotic (D-dimer and fibrinogen) markers were not associated with severe AKI after adjustment for potential confounders. Severe AKI was independently associated with hospital mortality (OR = 29.73 (95% CI: 4.10-215.77), p = 0.001) and longer hospital length of stay (subhazard ratio = 0.26 (95% CI: 0.14-0.51), p < 0.001). At the time of hospital discharge, 74.1% of patients with severe AKI who were discharged alive from the hospital recovered normal or baseline renal function. CONCLUSION: Severe AKI was common in critically ill patients with COVID-19 and was not associated with inflammatory or thrombotic markers. Severe AKI was an independent risk factor of hospital mortality and hospital length of stay, and it should be rapidly recognized during SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Effects of Methylprednisolone on Ventilator-Free Days in Mechanically Ventilated Patients with Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome and COVID-19: A Retrospective Study.

Objectives: There are limited data regarding the efficacy of methylprednisolone in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) due to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) requiring invasive mechanical ventilation. We aimed to determine whether methylprednisolone is associated with increases in the number of ventilator-free days (VFDs) among these patients. Design: Retrospective single-center study. Setting: Intensive care unit. Patients: All patients with ARDS due to confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection and requiring invasive mechanical ventilation between 1 March and 29 May 2020 were included. Interventions: None. Measurements and Main Results: The primary outcome was ventilator-free days (VFDs) for the first 28 days. Defined as being alive and free from mechanical ventilation. The primary outcome was analyzed with competing-risks regression based on Fine and Gray's proportional sub hazards model. Death before day 28 was considered to be the competing event. A total of 77 patients met the inclusion criteria. Thirty-two patients (41.6%) received methylprednisolone. The median dose was 1 mg·kg-1 (IQR: 1-1.3 mg·kg-1) and median duration for 5 days (IQR: 5-7 days). Patients who received methylprednisolone had a mean 18.8 VFDs (95% CI, 16.6-20.9) during the first 28 days vs. 14.2 VFDs (95% CI, 12.6-16.7) in patients who did not receive methylprednisolone (difference, 4.61, 95% CI, 1.10-8.12, p = 0.001). In the multivariable competing-risks regression analysis and after adjusting for potential confounders (ventilator settings, prone position, organ failure support, severity of the disease, tocilizumab, and inflammatory markers), methylprednisolone was independently associated with a higher number of VFDs (subhazards ratio: 0.10, 95% CI: 0.02-0.45, p = 0.003). Hospital mortality did not differ between the two groups (31.2% vs. 28.9%, p = 0.82). Hospital length of stay was significantly shorter in the methylprednisolone group (24 days [IQR: 15-41 days] vs. 37 days [IQR: 23-52 days], p = 0.046). The incidence of positive blood cultures was higher in patients who received methylprednisolone (37.5% vs. 17.8%, p = 0.052). However, 81% of patients who received methylprednisolone also received tocilizumab. The number of days with hyperglycemia was similar in the two groups. Conclusions: Methylprednisolone was independently associated with increased VFDs and shortened hospital length of stay. The combination of methylprednisolone and tocilizumab was associated with a higher rate of positive blood cultures. Further trials are needed to evaluate the benefits and safety of methylprednisolone in moderate or severe COVID-19 ARDS.

Acute high-risk pulmonary embolism requiring thrombolytic therapy in a COVID-19 pneumonia patient despite intermediate dosing deep vein thromboprophylaxis.

Cytokine storm induced by the coronavirus 19 (COVID-19) profoundly activates the coagulation cascade causing venous thromboembolism (VTE). Initial studies from Wuhan, China showed increased incidence of VTE in patients with no standard deep vein thrombosis (DVT) prophylaxis in COVID-19 pneumonia patients. Few have argued for high intensity or intermediate DVT prophylaxis in COVID-19 patients with the incidence of VTE ranging from 16 to 27% despite standard DVT prophylaxis. However, no guideline recommendations presently exist to prescribe augmented DVT prophylaxis in these patients due to lack of evidence although the risk of VTE was clearly demonstrated. While there are ongoing trials to demonstrate the efficacy of intermediate dosing against standard DVT prophylaxis in the prevention of VTE, we present a 36-year-old male admitted with COVID-19 pneumonia who developed acute high-risk pulmonary embolism (PE) requiring emergent thrombolytic therapy despite intermediate dosing DVT prophylaxis.

Sampling Utility of the Convex Probe Endobronchial Ultrasound Visible Intrapulmonary Lesion.

BACKGROUND: The value of endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA) in the mediastinal staging of lung cancer has been well established. However, data regarding its utility in the diagnosis of intrapulmonary lesions has been sparse. This study assesses the sampling utility of convex probe EBUS-visible intrapulmonary lesions not visualized by the white-light bronchoscopy. METHODS: A retrospective analysis of EBUS-TBNA of EBUS-visible intrapulmonary lesions was performed between January 2010 and March 2015. Patients with visible endobronchial lesions by white-light bronchoscopy were excluded from analysis. RESULTS: Among 108 procedures, the diagnostic yield of EBUS-TBNA for EBUS-visible intrapulmonary lesions was 87%. Following diagnoses were established: lung cancer (73/67.6%), lung metastases (10/9.2%), infection (5/4.6%), lymphoma (1/<1%), sarcoma/spindle cell sarcoma or neoplasm (3/2.8%), unspecified malignancy (1<1%), and hamartoma (1/<1%). EBUS-TBNA was nondiagnostic in 14 (13%); among these, 9 turned out to have benign disease based on additional bronchoscopy samples or other testing and/or follow-up imaging. Five were ultimately diagnosed with a malignant condition: lymphoma (1), epithelioid hemangioendothelioma (1), and non-small cell lung cancer (3). The sensitivity and the negative predicted value of EBUS-TBNA for differentiating malignancy from benign disease was 94.7% and 75%, respectively, while the accuracy for diagnosing the neoplastic disease was 95.3%. There was one major bleeding requiring bronchial artery embolization and 1 pneumothorax requiring chest tube drainage. CONCLUSION: EBUS-TBNA is safe and effective in the diagnosis of EBUS-visible intrapulmonary lesions. It should be considered as the diagnostic test of choice in patients with these lesions undergoing EBUS-TBNA for the staging of suspected lung cancer.

Lung Transplantation After 125 Days on ECMO for Severe Refractory Hypoxemia With No Prior Lung Disease.

Venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) has become a viable and increasingly utilized option for the treatment of refractory hypoxemia in severe acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). However, options are limited for ARDS patients who fail to wean from ECMO. The high rates of infection, presence of extrapulmonary end organ damage, intensive care unit-acquired weakness, and high short-term mortality associated with ARDS are all significant hurdles that make lung transplantation a difficult prospect to consider. However, ECMO support has been used as a bridge to transplant in patients with other underlying chronic lung diseases. Our case illustrates the successful use of lung transplantation for a patient with no previous lung disease who developed refractory ARDS requiring protracted ECMO support. The use of ambulatory ECMO with early institution of physical therapy is an essential component in preparing such patients for successful transplantation.