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BACKGROUND: More than 50% of intensive care unit (ICU) survivors suffer from long-lasting physical, psychosocial, and cognitive health impairments, also called "post-intensive care syndrome" (PICS). Intensive care admission during the COVID-19 pandemic was especially uncertain and stressful, both for patients and for their family. An additional risk of developing symptoms of PICS was feared in the absence of structural aftercare for the patient and family shortly after discharge from the hospital. The purpose of this quality improvement study was to identify PICS symptoms and to support post-intensive care patients and families in the transition from the hospital to the home. Therefore, we offered post-ICU patients and families structured telephone support (STS). METHODS: This was a quality improvement study during the 2019 COVID-19 pandemic. A project team developed and implemented a tool to structure telephone calls to identify and order symptoms according to the PICS framework and to give individual support based on this information. We supported post-ICU patients diagnosed with COVID-19 pneumonia and their family caregivers within four weeks after hospital discharge. The reported findings were both quantitative and qualitative. RESULTS: Forty-six post-ICU patients received structured telephone support and reported symptoms in at least one of the three domains of the PICS framework. More than half of the patients experienced a loss of strength or condition and fatigue. Cognitive and psychological impairments were reported less frequently. Family caregivers reported fewer impairments concerning fatigue and sleeping problems and expressed a need for a continuity of care. Based on the obtained information, the ICU nurse practitioners were able to check if individual care plans were optimal and clear and, if indicated, initiated disciplines to optimize further follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: The implementation of the STS tool gave insight in the impairments of post-ICU patients. Surprisingly, family caregivers expressed fewer impairments. Giving support early after hospital discharge in a structured way may contribute to providing guidance in the individual care plans and treatment of the early symptoms of PICS (-F).

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BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Patients affected by obesity and Coronavirus disease 2019, the disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), appear to have a higher risk for intensive care (ICU) admission. A state of low-grade chronic inflammation in obesity has been suggested as one of the underlying mechanisms. We investigated whether obesity is associated with differences in new inflammatory biomarkers mid-regional proadrenomedullin (MR-proADM), C-terminal proendothelin-1 (CT-proET-1), and clinical outcomes in critically ill patients with SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia. SUBJECTS/METHODS: A total of 105 critically ill patients with SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia were divided in patients with obesity (body mass index (BMI) ≥ 30 kg/m2, n = 42) and patients without obesity (BMI < 30 kg/m2, n = 63) and studied in a retrospective observational cohort study. MR-proADM, CT-proET-1 concentrations, and conventional markers of white blood count (WBC), C-reactive protein (CRP), and procalcitonin (PCT) were collected during the first 7 days. RESULTS: BMI was 33.5 (32-36.1) and 26.2 (24.7-27.8) kg/m2 in the group with and without obesity. There were no significant differences in concentrations MR-proADM, CT-proET-1, WBC, CRP, and PCT at baseline and the next 6 days between patients with and without obesity. Only MR-proADM changed significantly over time (p = 0.039). Also, BMI did not correlate with inflammatory biomarkers (MR-proADM rho = 0.150, p = 0.125, CT-proET-1 rho = 0.179, p = 0.067, WBC rho = -0.044, p = 0.654, CRP rho = 0.057, p = 0.564, PCT rho = 0.022, p = 0.842). Finally, no significant differences in time on a ventilator, ICU length of stay, and 28-day mortality between patients with or without obesity were observed. CONCLUSIONS: In critically ill patients with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia, obesity was not associated with differences in MR-proADM, and CT-proET-1, or impaired outcome. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Netherlands Trial Register, NL8460.

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BACKGROUND: Aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH) is an important indication for intensive care unit admission and may lead to significant morbidity and mortality. We assessed the ability of C-terminal proarginine vasopressin (CT-proAVP) to predict disease outcome, mortality, and delayed cerebral ischemia (DCI) in critically ill patients with aSAH compared with the World Federation of Neurological Surgeons (WFNS) score and Acute Physiological and Chronic Health Evaluation IV (APACHE IV) model. METHODS: C-terminal proarginine vasopressin was collected on admission in this single-center, prospective, observational cohort study. The primary aim was to investigate the relationship between CT-proAVP and poor functional outcome at 1 year (Glasgow Outcome Scale score 1-3) in a multivariable logistic regression model adjusted for WFNS and APACHE IV scores. Secondary aims were mortality and DCI. The multivariable logistic regression model for DCI was also adjusted for the modified Fisher scale. RESULTS: In 100 patients, the median CT-proAVP level was 24.9 pmol/L (interquartile range 11.5-53.8); 45 patients had a poor 1-year functional outcome, 19 patients died within 30 days, 25 patients died within 1 year, and DCI occurred in 28 patients. Receiver operating characteristics curves revealed high accuracy for CT-proAVP to identify patients with poor 1-year functional outcome (area under the curve [AUC] 0.84, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.77-0.92, p < 0.001), 30-day mortality (AUC 0.84, 95% CI 0.76-0.93, p < 0.001), and 1-year mortality (AUC 0.79, 95% CI 0.69-0.89, p < 0.001). CT-proAVP had a low AUC for identifying patients with DCI (AUC 0.67, 95% CI 0.55-0.79, p 0.008). CT-proAVP ≥ 24.9 pmo/L proved to be a significant predictor for poor 1-year functional outcome (odds ratio [OR] 8.04, 95% CI 2.97-21.75, p < 0.001), and CT-proAVP ≥ 29.1 pmol/L and ≥ 27.7 pmol/L were significant predictors for 30-day and 1-year mortality (OR 9.31, 95% CI 1.55-56.07, p 0.015 and OR 5.15, 95% CI 1.48-17.93, p 0.010) in multivariable models with WFNS and APACHE IV scores. CT-proAVP ≥ 29.5 pmol/L was not a significant predictor for DCI in a multivariable model adjusted for the modified Fisher scale (p = 0.061). CONCLUSIONS: C-terminal proarginine vasopressin was able to predict poor functional outcome and mortality in critically ill patients with aSAH. Its prognostic ability to predict DCI was low. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Nederlands Trial Register: NTR4118.

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Vaccine-induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia (VITT) is a prothrombotic disorder, which has been described as a rare adverse effect of the adenoviral-vectored coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines. The diagnosis is confirmed by the detection of anti-platelet factor 4 (PF4) antibodies by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) or functional assay in individuals with the appropriate clinical history. Here, we report a case of a patient who presented with a severe intracerebral hemorrhage and thrombocytopenia 14 days after receiving the first dose of the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, with negative PF4/heparin antibodies tested with ELISA, but positive heparin-induced platelet activation assay (HIPAA).

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PURPOSE: We assessed the ability of mid-regional proadrenomedullin (MR-proADM) and C-terminal proendothelin-1 (CT-proET-1) to predict 28-day mortality in critically ill patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pneumonia. METHODS: Biomarkers were collected during the first seven days in this prospective observational cohort study. We investigated the relationship between biomarkers and mortality in a multivariable Cox regression model adjusted for age and SOFA score. RESULTS: In 105 critically ill patients with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia 28-day mortality was 28.6%. MR-proADM and CT-proET-1 were significantly higher in 28-day non-survivors at baseline and over time. ROC curves revealed high accuracy to identify non-survivors for baseline MR-proADM and CT-proET-1, AUC 0.84, (95% CI 0.76-0.92), p < 0.001 and 0.79, (95% CI 0.69-0.89), p < 0.001, respectively. The AUC for prediction of 28-day mortality for MR-proADM and CT-proET-1 remained high over time. MR-proADM ≥1.57 nmol/L and CT-proET-1 ≥ 111 pmol/L at baseline were significant predictors for 28-day mortality (HR 6.80, 95% CI 3.12-14.84, p < 0.001 and HR 3.72, 95% CI 1.71-8.08, p 0.01). CONCLUSION: Baseline and serial MR-proADM and CT-proET-1 had good ability to predict 28-day mortality in critically ill patients with SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia. TRIAL REGISTRATION: NEDERLANDS TRIAL REGISTER, NL8460.

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BACKGROUND: Older patients have a less pronounced immune response to infection, which may also influence infection biomarkers. There is currently insufficient data regarding clinical effects of procalcitonin (PCT) to guide antibiotic treatment in older patients. OBJECTIVE AND DESIGN: We performed an individual patient data meta-analysis to investigate the association of age on effects of PCT-guided antibiotic stewardship regarding antibiotic use and outcome. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: We had access to 9,421 individual infection patients from 28 randomized controlled trials comparing PCT-guided antibiotic therapy (intervention group) or standard care. We stratified patients according to age in four groups (<75 years [n = 7,079], 75-80 years [n = 1,034], 81-85 years [n = 803] and >85 years [n = 505]). The primary endpoint was the duration of antibiotic treatment and the secondary endpoints were 30-day mortality and length of stay. RESULTS: Compared to control patients, mean duration of antibiotic therapy in PCT-guided patients was significantly reduced by 24, 22, 26 and 24% in the four age groups corresponding to adjusted differences in antibiotic days of -1.99 (95% confidence interval [CI] -2.36 to -1.62), -1.98 (95% CI -2.94 to -1.02), -2.20 (95% CI -3.15 to -1.25) and - 2.10 (95% CI -3.29 to -0.91) with no differences among age groups. There was no increase in the risk for mortality in any of the age groups. Effects were similar in subgroups by infection type, blood culture result and clinical setting (P interaction >0.05). CONCLUSIONS: This large individual patient data meta-analysis confirms that, similar to younger patients, PCT-guided antibiotic treatment in older patients is associated with significantly reduced antibiotic exposures and no increase in mortality.

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PURPOSE: Influenza-associated pulmonary aspergillosis (IAPA) is a frequent complication in critically ill influenza patients, associated with significant mortality. We investigated whether antifungal prophylaxis reduces the incidence of IAPA. METHODS: We compared 7 days of intravenous posaconazole (POS) prophylaxis with no prophylaxis (standard-of-care only, SOC) in a randomised, open-label, proof-of-concept trial in patients admitted to an intensive care unit (ICU) with respiratory failure due to influenza (ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03378479). Adult patients with PCR-confirmed influenza were block randomised (1:1) within 10 days of symptoms onset and 48 h of ICU admission. The primary endpoint was the incidence of IAPA during ICU stay in patients who did not have IAPA within 48 h of ICU admission (modified intention-to-treat (MITT) population). RESULTS: Eighty-eight critically ill influenza patients were randomly allocated to POS or SOC. IAPA occurred in 21 cases (24%), the majority of which (71%, 15/21) were diagnosed within 48 h of ICU admission, excluding them from the MITT population. The incidence of IAPA was not significantly reduced in the POS arm (5.4%, 2/37) compared with SOC (11.1%, 4/36; between-group difference 5.7%; 95% CI - 10.8 to 21.7; p = 0.32). ICU mortality of early IAPA was high (53%), despite rapid antifungal treatment. CONCLUSION: The higher than expected incidence of early IAPA precludes any definite conclusion on POS prophylaxis. High mortality of early IAPA, despite timely antifungal therapy, indicates that alternative management strategies are required. After 48 h, still 11% of patients developed IAPA. As these could benefit from prophylaxis, differentiated strategies are likely needed to manage IAPA in the ICU.

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Objectives: Patients with impaired kidney function have a significantly slower decrease of procalcitonin (PCT) levels during infection. Our aim was to study PCT-guided antibiotic stewardship and clinical outcomes in patients with impairments of kidney function as assessed by creatinine levels measured upon hospital admission. Methods: We pooled and analyzed individual data from 15 randomized controlled trials who were randomly assigned to receive antibiotic therapy based on a PCT-algorithms or based on standard of care. We stratified patients on the initial glomerular filtration rate (GFR, ml/min/1.73 m2) in three groups (GFR >90 [chronic kidney disease; CKD 1], GFR 15-89 [CKD 2-4] and GFR<15 [CKD 5]). The main efficacy and safety endpoints were duration of antibiotic treatment and 30-day mortality. Results: Mean duration of antibiotic treatment was significantly shorter in PCT-guided (n=2,492) compared to control patients (n=2,510) (9.5-7.6 days; adjusted difference in days -2.01 [95% CI, -2.45 to -1.58]). CKD 5 patients had overall longer treatment durations, but a 2.5-day reduction in treatment duration was still found in patients receiving in PCT-guided care (11.3 vs. 8.6 days [95% CI -3.59 to -1.40]). There were 397 deaths in 2,492 PCT-group patients (15.9%) compared to 460 deaths in 2,510 control patients (18.3%) (adjusted odds ratio, 0.88 [95% CI 0.78 to 0.98)]. Effects of PCT-guidance on antibiotic treatment duration and mortality were similar in subgroups stratified by infection type and clinical setting (p interaction >0.05). Conclusions: This individual patient data meta-analysis confirms that the use of PCT in patients with impaired kidney function, as assessed by admission creatinine levels, is associated with shorter antibiotic courses and lower mortality rates.

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BACKGROUND: New Sepsis-3 definitions facilitate early recognition of patients with sepsis. In this study we investigated whether a single initial determination of procalcitonin (PCT) or C-reactive protein (CRP) in plasma can predict proven sepsis in Sepsis-3 criteria-positive critically ill patients. We also investigated whether a decline in serial PCT or CRP can predict outcome in 28-day mortality. METHODS: Patients, ≥18 years of age, at the intensive care unit with a suspected infection, a Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score of ≥2 points, and an index test PCT and CRP at admission were selected from a prospectively collected cohort. PCT and CRP were studied retrospectively with the Mann-Whitney U-test and ROC analysis. RESULTS: In total, 157 patients were selected; 63 of the 157 had proven sepsis, and sepsis could not be detected in 94 of the 157. Neither a single PCT nor CRP at admission was able to discriminate proven sepsis from nonproven sepsis (PCT, 1.8 µg/L and 1.5 µg/L, respectively, P = 0.25; CRP, 198 mg/L and 186 mg/L, respectively, P = 0.53). Area under the curve for both PCT and CRP for detecting proven sepsis was low (0.55 and 0.53). Furthermore, neither a decline from baseline to day 5 PCT nor CRP could predict 28-day mortality (PCT, 50% vs 46%, P = 0.83; CRP, 30% vs 40%, P = 0.51). CONCLUSION: PCT and CRP at admission were not able to discern patients with proven sepsis in Sepsis-3 criteria-positive critically ill patients. A decline of PCT and CRP in 5 days was not able to predict 28-day mortality.

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After insertion of a nasal oxygen catheter, a 65-year-old man developed severe subcutaneous emphysema of the face and neck. The catheter damaged the mucosa of the left inferior nasal concha. Oxygen was blown into the subcutis. Emergency intubation was needed to secure the airway. The patient recovered within 24 hours.

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BACKGROUND: The clinical utility of serum procalcitonin levels in guiding antibiotic treatment decisions in patients with sepsis remains unclear. This patient-level meta-analysis based on 11 randomized trials investigates the impact of procalcitonin-guided antibiotic therapy on mortality in intensive care unit (ICU) patients with infection, both overall and stratified according to sepsis definition, severity, and type of infection. METHODS: For this meta-analysis focusing on procalcitonin-guided antibiotic management in critically ill patients with sepsis of any type, in February 2018 we updated the database of a previous individual patient data meta-analysis which was limited to patients with respiratory infections only. We used individual patient data from 11 trials that randomly assigned patients to receive antibiotics based on procalcitonin levels (the "procalcitonin-guided" group) or the current standard of care (the "controls"). The primary endpoint was mortality within 30 days. Secondary endpoints were duration of antibiotic treatment and length of stay. RESULTS: Mortality in the 2252 procalcitonin-guided patients was significantly lower compared with the 2230 control group patients (21.1% vs 23.7%; adjusted odds ratio 0.89, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.8 to 0.99; p = 0.03). These effects on mortality persisted in a subgroup of patients meeting the sepsis 3 definition and based on the severity of sepsis (assessed on the basis of the Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score, occurrence of septic shock or renal failure, and need for vasopressor or ventilatory support) and on the type of infection (respiratory, urinary tract, abdominal, skin, or central nervous system), with interaction for each analysis being > 0.05. Procalcitonin guidance also facilitated earlier discontinuation of antibiotics, with a reduction in treatment duration (9.3 vs 10.4 days; adjusted coefficient -1.19 days, 95% CI -1.73 to -0.66; p <  0.001). CONCLUSION: Procalcitonin-guided antibiotic treatment in ICU patients with infection and sepsis patients results in improved survival and lower antibiotic treatment duration.

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RATIONALE, AIMS, AND OBJECTIVES: Since adequate staffing in intensive care units (ICUs) is an increasing problem worldwide, we investigated whether physician assistants (PAs) are able to substitute medical residents (MR) in ICUs with at least the same quality of clinical skills. In this study, we analysed the level of clinical skills of PAs in direct comparison with those who traditionally performed these tasks, ie, MR with 6 to 24 months of work experience in the ICU. METHOD: Physician assistants and MRs in the ICUs were observed on their clinical skills by means of a simulated ICU comprising 2 scenarios on a human patient simulator with typical ICU cases. The level of clinical skills of PAs and MRs was videotaped and scored with predefined checklists by 2 independent intensivists per scenario. Percentage of the total score was calculated, and means were compared by Student t test. RESULTS: A total of 11 PAs and 10 MRs participated in the study. Physician assistants and MRs scored equal (PA 66% ± 13% vs MR 68% ± 9%, P = .86) on their clinical performance in the simulated ICU setting. CONCLUSION: This study showed equal performance of PAs and MRs on clinical skills in the simulated ICU setting.

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BACKGROUND: In February, 2017, the US Food and Drug Administration approved the blood infection marker procalcitonin for guiding antibiotic therapy in patients with acute respiratory infections. This meta-analysis of patient data from 26 randomised controlled trials was designed to assess safety of procalcitonin-guided treatment in patients with acute respiratory infections from different clinical settings. METHODS: Based on a prespecified Cochrane protocol, we did a systematic literature search on the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, MEDLINE, and Embase, and pooled individual patient data from trials in which patients with respiratory infections were randomly assigned to receive antibiotics based on procalcitonin concentrations (procalcitonin-guided group) or control. The coprimary endpoints were 30-day mortality and setting-specific treatment failure. Secondary endpoints were antibiotic use, length of stay, and antibiotic side-effects. FINDINGS: We identified 990 records from the literature search, of which 71 articles were assessed for eligibility after exclusion of 919 records. We collected data on 6708 patients from 26 eligible trials in 12 countries. Mortality at 30 days was significantly lower in procalcitonin-guided patients than in control patients (286 [9%] deaths in 3336 procalcitonin-guided patients vs 336 [10%] in 3372 controls; adjusted odds ratio [OR] 0·83 [95% CI 0·70 to 0·99], p=0·037). This mortality benefit was similar across subgroups by setting and type of infection (pinteractions>0·05), although mortality was very low in primary care and in patients with acute bronchitis. Procalcitonin guidance was also associated with a 2·4-day reduction in antibiotic exposure (5·7 vs 8·1 days [95% CI -2·71 to -2·15], p<0·0001) and a reduction in antibiotic-related side-effects (16% vs 22%, adjusted OR 0·68 [95% CI 0·57 to 0·82], p<0·0001). INTERPRETATION: Use of procalcitonin to guide antibiotic treatment in patients with acute respiratory infections reduces antibiotic exposure and side-effects, and improves survival. Widespread implementation of procalcitonin protocols in patients with acute respiratory infections thus has the potential to improve antibiotic management with positive effects on clinical outcomes and on the current threat of increasing antibiotic multiresistance. FUNDING: National Institute for Health Research.

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