The incidence of gram-negative multidrug-resistant(MDR) bacterial pathogens is increasing in hospitals and particularly in the intensive care unit(ICU) setting. The clinical consequences of infections caused by MDR pa...The incidence of gram-negative multidrug-resistant(MDR) bacterial pathogens is increasing in hospitals and particularly in the intensive care unit(ICU) setting. The clinical consequences of infections caused by MDR pathogens remain controversial. The purpose of this review is to summarize the available data concerning the impact of these infections on mortality in ICU patients. Twenty-four studies, conducted exclusively in ICU patients, were identified through Pub Med search over the years 2000-2015. Bloodstream infection was the only infection examined in eight studies, respiratory infections in four and variable infections in others. Comparative data on the appropriateness of empirical antibiotic treatment were provided by only seven studies. In ten studies the presence of antimicrobial resistance was not associated with increased mortality; on the contrary, in other studies a significant impact of antibiotic resistance on mortality was found, though, sometimes, mediated by inappropriate antimicrobial treatment. Therefore, a direct association between infections due to gram-negative MDR bacteria and mortality in ICU patients cannot be confirmed. Sample size, presence of multiple confounders and other methodological issues may influence the results. These data support the need for further studies to elucidate the real impact of infections caused by resistant bacteria in ICU patients.展开更多
BACKGROUND In the context of the Coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19)pandemic,it has been reported that elderly patients are particularly at risk of developing severe illness and exhibiting increased mortality.While man...BACKGROUND In the context of the Coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19)pandemic,it has been reported that elderly patients are particularly at risk of developing severe illness and exhibiting increased mortality.While many studies on hospitalized elderly patients with COVID-19 have been published,limited information is available on the characteristics and clinical outcomes of those elderly patients admitted to intensive care unit(ICU).AIM To review the available evidence of the clinical data of elderly patients admitted to the ICU due to COVID-19.METHODS We searched for published articles available in English literature to identify those studies conducted in critically ill patients admitted to the ICU due to COVID-19,either exclusively designed for the elderly or for the whole ICU population with COVID-19,provided that analyses according to the patients’age had been conducted.RESULTS Only one study exclusively focusing on critically ill elderly patients admitted to the ICU due to COVID-19 was found.Eighteen additional studies involving 17011 ICU patients and providing information for elderly patients as a subset of the whole study population have also been included in the present review article.Among the whole patient population,included in these studies,8310 patients were older than 65 years of age and 2630 patients were older than 70 years.Clinical manifestations were similar for all patients;however,compared to younger ones,they suffered from more comorbidities and showed a varied,albeit high mortality.CONCLUSION In summary,at present,although elderly patients constitute a considerable proportion of critically ill patients admitted to the ICU due to severe COVID-19,studies providing specific information are limited.The evidence so far suggests that advanced age and comorbidities are associated with worse clinical outcome.Future studies exclusively designed for this vulnerable group are needed.展开更多
Background: Cerebral vein thrombosis, is an emergent condition presenting with a variety of symptoms ranging from isolated headache to profound coma. Case Presentation: We present the case of a previously healthy youn...Background: Cerebral vein thrombosis, is an emergent condition presenting with a variety of symptoms ranging from isolated headache to profound coma. Case Presentation: We present the case of a previously healthy young woman on the 18th postpartum day admitted into our hospital with a persistent headache for three days followed by seizures and coma. Magnetic Resonance Angiography revealed superior sagittal sinus and right transverse sinus thrombosis. Despite supportive measures and anticoagulation, the patient died because of uncontrolled increase in intracranial pressure. Conclusion: The possibility of cerebral vein thrombosis should be considered in all women with brain dysfunction during the puerperium.展开更多
Background Compared to conventional oxygen devices,high-flow oxygen treatment(HFOT)through the nasal cannulae has demonstrated clinical benefits.Limited data exist on whether such effects are also present in HFOT thro...Background Compared to conventional oxygen devices,high-flow oxygen treatment(HFOT)through the nasal cannulae has demonstrated clinical benefits.Limited data exist on whether such effects are also present in HFOT through tracheostomy.Hence,we aimed to examine the short-term effects of HFOT through tracheostomy on diaphragmatic function and respiratory parameters in tracheostomized patients on prolonged mechanical ventilation.Methods A randomized,crossover,physiological study was conducted in our ICU between December 2020 and April 2021,in patients with tracheostomy and prolonged mechanical ventilation.The patients underwent a 30-min spontaneous breathing trial(SBT)and received oxygen either via T-piece or by HFOT through tracheostomy,followed by a washout period of 15-min breathing through the T-piece and receipt of 30-min oxygen with the other modality in a randomized crossover manner.At the start and end of each session,blood gasses,breathing frequency(f),and tidal volume(VT)via a Wright's spirometer were measured,along with diaphragm ultrasonography including diaphragm excursion and diaphragmatic thickening fraction,which expressed the inspiratory muscle effort.Results Eleven patients were enrolled in whom 19 sessions were uneventfully completed;eight patients were studied twice on two different days with alternate sessions;and three patients were studied once.Patients were randomly assigned to start the SBT with a T-piece(n=10 sessions)or with HFOT(n=9 sessions).With HFOT,VT and minute ventilation(VE)significantly increased during SBT(from[465±119]mL to[549±134]mL,P<0.001 and from[12.4±4.3]L/min to[13.1±4.2]L/min,P<0.05,respectively),but they did not change significantly during SBT with T-piece(from[495±132]mL to[461±123]mL and from[12.8±4.4]mL to[12.0±4.4]mL,respectively);f/VT decreased during HFOT(from[64±31]breaths/(min∙L)to[49±24]breaths/(min∙L),P<0.001),but it did not change significantly during SBT with T-piece(from[59±28]breaths/(min∙L)to[64±33]breaths/(min∙L));partial pressure of arterial oxygen increased during HFOT(from[99±39]mmHg to[132±48]mmHg,P<0.001),but it decreased during SBT with T-piece(from[124±50]mmHg to[83±22]mmHg,P<0.01).In addition,with HFOT,diaphragmatic excursion increased(from[12.9±3.3]mm to[15.7±4.4]mm,P<0.001),but it did not change significantly during SBT with T-piece(from[13.4±3.3]mm to[13.6±3.3]mm).The diaphragmatic thickening fraction did not change during SBT either with T-piece or with HFOT.Conclusion In patients with prolonged mechanical ventilation,HFOT through tracheostomy compared with T-piece improves ventilation,pattern of breathing,and oxygenation without increasing the inspiratory muscle effort.Trial Registration Clinicaltrials.gov ldentifer:NCT04758910.展开更多
文摘The incidence of gram-negative multidrug-resistant(MDR) bacterial pathogens is increasing in hospitals and particularly in the intensive care unit(ICU) setting. The clinical consequences of infections caused by MDR pathogens remain controversial. The purpose of this review is to summarize the available data concerning the impact of these infections on mortality in ICU patients. Twenty-four studies, conducted exclusively in ICU patients, were identified through Pub Med search over the years 2000-2015. Bloodstream infection was the only infection examined in eight studies, respiratory infections in four and variable infections in others. Comparative data on the appropriateness of empirical antibiotic treatment were provided by only seven studies. In ten studies the presence of antimicrobial resistance was not associated with increased mortality; on the contrary, in other studies a significant impact of antibiotic resistance on mortality was found, though, sometimes, mediated by inappropriate antimicrobial treatment. Therefore, a direct association between infections due to gram-negative MDR bacteria and mortality in ICU patients cannot be confirmed. Sample size, presence of multiple confounders and other methodological issues may influence the results. These data support the need for further studies to elucidate the real impact of infections caused by resistant bacteria in ICU patients.
文摘BACKGROUND In the context of the Coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19)pandemic,it has been reported that elderly patients are particularly at risk of developing severe illness and exhibiting increased mortality.While many studies on hospitalized elderly patients with COVID-19 have been published,limited information is available on the characteristics and clinical outcomes of those elderly patients admitted to intensive care unit(ICU).AIM To review the available evidence of the clinical data of elderly patients admitted to the ICU due to COVID-19.METHODS We searched for published articles available in English literature to identify those studies conducted in critically ill patients admitted to the ICU due to COVID-19,either exclusively designed for the elderly or for the whole ICU population with COVID-19,provided that analyses according to the patients’age had been conducted.RESULTS Only one study exclusively focusing on critically ill elderly patients admitted to the ICU due to COVID-19 was found.Eighteen additional studies involving 17011 ICU patients and providing information for elderly patients as a subset of the whole study population have also been included in the present review article.Among the whole patient population,included in these studies,8310 patients were older than 65 years of age and 2630 patients were older than 70 years.Clinical manifestations were similar for all patients;however,compared to younger ones,they suffered from more comorbidities and showed a varied,albeit high mortality.CONCLUSION In summary,at present,although elderly patients constitute a considerable proportion of critically ill patients admitted to the ICU due to severe COVID-19,studies providing specific information are limited.The evidence so far suggests that advanced age and comorbidities are associated with worse clinical outcome.Future studies exclusively designed for this vulnerable group are needed.
文摘Background: Cerebral vein thrombosis, is an emergent condition presenting with a variety of symptoms ranging from isolated headache to profound coma. Case Presentation: We present the case of a previously healthy young woman on the 18th postpartum day admitted into our hospital with a persistent headache for three days followed by seizures and coma. Magnetic Resonance Angiography revealed superior sagittal sinus and right transverse sinus thrombosis. Despite supportive measures and anticoagulation, the patient died because of uncontrolled increase in intracranial pressure. Conclusion: The possibility of cerebral vein thrombosis should be considered in all women with brain dysfunction during the puerperium.
基金The study protocol was approved by the Evangelismos Hospital Ethics Committee(reference number:771/2019)This study was registered in ClinicalTrials.gov(NCT04758910).
文摘Background Compared to conventional oxygen devices,high-flow oxygen treatment(HFOT)through the nasal cannulae has demonstrated clinical benefits.Limited data exist on whether such effects are also present in HFOT through tracheostomy.Hence,we aimed to examine the short-term effects of HFOT through tracheostomy on diaphragmatic function and respiratory parameters in tracheostomized patients on prolonged mechanical ventilation.Methods A randomized,crossover,physiological study was conducted in our ICU between December 2020 and April 2021,in patients with tracheostomy and prolonged mechanical ventilation.The patients underwent a 30-min spontaneous breathing trial(SBT)and received oxygen either via T-piece or by HFOT through tracheostomy,followed by a washout period of 15-min breathing through the T-piece and receipt of 30-min oxygen with the other modality in a randomized crossover manner.At the start and end of each session,blood gasses,breathing frequency(f),and tidal volume(VT)via a Wright's spirometer were measured,along with diaphragm ultrasonography including diaphragm excursion and diaphragmatic thickening fraction,which expressed the inspiratory muscle effort.Results Eleven patients were enrolled in whom 19 sessions were uneventfully completed;eight patients were studied twice on two different days with alternate sessions;and three patients were studied once.Patients were randomly assigned to start the SBT with a T-piece(n=10 sessions)or with HFOT(n=9 sessions).With HFOT,VT and minute ventilation(VE)significantly increased during SBT(from[465±119]mL to[549±134]mL,P<0.001 and from[12.4±4.3]L/min to[13.1±4.2]L/min,P<0.05,respectively),but they did not change significantly during SBT with T-piece(from[495±132]mL to[461±123]mL and from[12.8±4.4]mL to[12.0±4.4]mL,respectively);f/VT decreased during HFOT(from[64±31]breaths/(min∙L)to[49±24]breaths/(min∙L),P<0.001),but it did not change significantly during SBT with T-piece(from[59±28]breaths/(min∙L)to[64±33]breaths/(min∙L));partial pressure of arterial oxygen increased during HFOT(from[99±39]mmHg to[132±48]mmHg,P<0.001),but it decreased during SBT with T-piece(from[124±50]mmHg to[83±22]mmHg,P<0.01).In addition,with HFOT,diaphragmatic excursion increased(from[12.9±3.3]mm to[15.7±4.4]mm,P<0.001),but it did not change significantly during SBT with T-piece(from[13.4±3.3]mm to[13.6±3.3]mm).The diaphragmatic thickening fraction did not change during SBT either with T-piece or with HFOT.Conclusion In patients with prolonged mechanical ventilation,HFOT through tracheostomy compared with T-piece improves ventilation,pattern of breathing,and oxygenation without increasing the inspiratory muscle effort.Trial Registration Clinicaltrials.gov ldentifer:NCT04758910.
