0000000000303980
AUTHOR
Auguste Dargent
Corporeal Compression at the Onset of Septic shock (COCOONs): a compression method to reduce fluid balance of septic shock patients
AbstractFluid overload in septic intensive care unit (ICU) patients is common and strongly associated with poor outcome. There is currently no treatment for capillary leak, which is mainly responsible for high positive fluid balance (FB) in sepsis. We hypothesized that increasing interstitial pressure with extensive corporeal compression would reduce FB. The objective of this study was to evaluate the feasibility, efficacy, and safety of a compression treatment during sepsis. This pilot, two-center, single-arm trial enrolled critically ill, non-surgical, septic patients receiving mechanical ventilation. The therapeutic intervention was the early application of compression bandages on more t…
Family perceptions of clinical research and the informed consent process in the ICU
Abstract Purpose We investigated experiences of families who provide consent for research on behalf of a loved-one hospitalized in intensive care (ICU). Methods Multicentre, qualitative, descriptive study using semi-directive interviews in 3 ICUs. Eligible relatives were aged >18 years, and had provided informed consent for a clinical trial on behalf of a patient hospitalized in ICU. Interviews were conducted from 06/2018 to 06/2019 by a qualified sociologist, recorded and transcribed. Results Fifteen relatives were interviewed; average age 50.3 ± 15 years. All emphasized their interest in clinical research, seeing it as a duty. Involving their loved-one in research allowed them to find mea…
What are the ethical issues in relation to the role of the family in intensive care?
International audience; A large proportion of patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) are unable to express themselves, often due to acute illness, shock or trauma, and this precludes any communication and/or consent for care that might reflect their wishes and opinions. In such cases, the only solution for the ICU physician is to include the patient's family in the healthcare decisions. This can represent a significant burden on the family, on top of the psychological distress of the ICU environment and hospitalisation of their relatives, and many family members may suffer from anxiety, depression or symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) during or after the hospitali…
How can we best organise communication with patients’ families?
IF 1.542 (2016); International audience
Plasma Renin Concentration is Associated With Hemodynamic Deficiency and Adverse Renal Outcome in Septic Shock.
International audience; Background: In septic shock, both systemic vasodilatation and glomerular arteriole dilatation are responsible for the drop in glomerular filtration observed in early acute kidney injury. Angiotensin II has been showed to act on both mechanisms. Our objective was to evaluate the impact of renin angiotensin system activation, on hemodynamic deficiency and renal outcome in patient with septic shock and to assess whether urinary sodium could be a reliable test for high plasma renin concentration screening.Methods: This was a prospective and observational study. Inclusion criteria were 1) early septic shock (first episode) 2) dose of norepinephrine ≥ 0.25 μg/kg/min 3) bef…
MOESM1 of Nephrotoxic drug burden among 1001 critically ill patients: impact on acute kidney injury
Additional file 1: Figure S1. Acute kidney injury (AKI) worsening cases and control matching. Table S1. Main characteristics of matched and unmatched patients. Table S2. Relative contribution individual drugs to the difference in nephrotoxic burden experienced by cases and controls.
Non-readmission decisions in the intensive care unit: A qualitative study of physicians' experience in a multicentre French study.
Purpose Deciding not to re-admit a patient to the intensive care unit (ICU) poses an ethical dilemma for ICU physicians. We aimed to describe and understand the attitudes and perceptions of ICU physicians regarding non-readmission of patients to the ICU. Materials and methods Multicenter, qualitative study using semi-directed interviews between January and May 2019. All medical staff working full-time in the ICU of five participating centres (two academic and three general, non-academic hospitals) were invited to participate. Participants were asked to describe how they experienced non-readmission decisions in the ICU, and to expand on the manner in which the decision was made, but also on…
What are the ethical dimensions in the profession of intensive care specialist?
International audience; Two essential components of the profession of a medical doctor are the constant review of the patient's therapeutic project, and collaboration between healthcare professionals. The profession of intensive care unit (ICU) physician goes further in terms of responsibility, vis-à-vis the intensive treatments dispensed to the patients, and the physician's responsibilities towards the patient's family and the caregiving team, also bearing in mind that ICU care is costly in terms of human and financial resources. In this review, we address the profession of ICU physician from the perspective of the ethical questions that arise constantly, focusing on the timeframe of the r…
Correction to: The dysregulated innate immune response in severe COVID-19 pneumonia that could drive poorer outcome
Although immune modulation is a promising therapeutic avenue in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), the most relevant targets remain to be found. COVID-19 has peculiar characteristics and outcomes, suggesting a unique immunopathogenesis.Thirty-six immunocompetent non-COVID-19 and 27 COVID-19 patients with severe pneumonia were prospectively enrolled in a single center, most requiring intensive care. Clinical and biological characteristics (including T cell phenotype and function and plasma concentrations of 30 cytokines) and outcomes were compared.At similar baseline respiratory severity, COVID-19 patients required mechanical ventilation for significantly longer than non-COVID-19 patients …
Enteral versus parenteral early nutrition in ventilated adults with shock: a randomised, controlled, multicentre, open-label, parallel-group study (NUTRIREA-2)
International audience; BackgroundWhether the route of early feeding affects outcomes of patients with severe critical illnesses is controversial. We hypothesised that outcomes were better with early first-line enteral nutrition than with early first-line parenteral nutrition.MethodsIn this randomised, controlled, multicentre, open-label, parallel-group study (NUTRIREA-2 trial) done at 44 French intensive-care units (ICUs), adults (18 years or older) receiving invasive mechanical ventilation and vasopressor support for shock were randomly assigned (1:1) to either parenteral nutrition or enteral nutrition, both targeting normocaloric goals (20–25 kcal/kg per day), within 24 h after intubatio…
Non-readmission decisions in the intensive care unit under French rules: A nationwide survey of practices.
International audience; Purpose: We investigated, using a multicentre survey of practices in France, the practices of ICU physicians concerning the decision not to readmit to the ICU, in light of current legislation.Materials and methods: Multicentre survey of practices among French ICU physicians via electronic questionnaire in January 2016. Questions related to respondents’ practices regarding re-admission of patients to the ICU and how these decisions were made. Criteria were evaluated by the health care professionals as regards importance for non-readmission.Results: In total, 167 physicians agreed to participate, of whom 165 (99%) actually returned a completed questionnaire from 58 ICU…
Nephrotoxic drug burden among 1001 critically ill patients: impact on acute kidney injury.
Abstract Background Nephrotoxic drug prescription may contribute to acute kidney injury (AKI) occurrence and worsening among critically ill patients and thus to associated morbidity and mortality. The objectives of this study were to describe nephrotoxic drug prescription in a large intensive-care unit cohort and, through a case–control study nested in the prospective cohort, to evaluate the link of nephrotoxic prescription burden with AKI. Results Six hundred and seventeen patients (62%) received at least one nephrotoxic drug, among which 303 (30%) received two or more. AKI was observed in 609 patients (61%). A total of 351 patients were considered as cases developing or worsening AKI a gi…
Intersecting vulnerabilities in professionals and patients in intensive care.
International audience; In the context of healthcare delivery, the vulnerabilities of patients in the intensive care unit (ICU) are intricately linked with those experienced on a daily basis by caregivers in the ICU in a symbiotic relation, whereby patients who are suffering can in turn engender suffering in the caregivers. In the same way, caregivers who are suffering themselves may be a source of suffering for their patients. The vulnerabilities of both patients and caregivers in the ICU are simultaneously constituted through a process that is influenced on the one hand by the healthcare objectives of the ICU, and on the other hand, by the conformity of the patients who are managed in tha…
Mr-Proadm Elevation Upon Icu Admission Predicts the Outcome of Septic Patients and is Correlated with Upcoming Fluid Overload.
IF 3.113; International audience; Background: Among septic patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU), early recognition of those with the highest risk of death is of paramount importance. We evaluated the prognostic value of Procalcitonin (PCT), mid regional-proadrenomedullin (MR-proADM), copeptine and CT-proendothelin 1 (CT-ProET 1) concentrations. Methods: This was a prospective cohort study, which included 173 septic patient admitted to one ICU. Blood samples for biomarker measure-ments were obtained upon admission and on day 5. The predictive value of each biomarker regarding the risk of death at day 28 was assessed. The fluid balance was evaluated from admission to day 5. Resu…
What are the characteristics that lead physicians to perceive an ICU stay as non-beneficial for the patient?
Purpose We sought to describe the characteristics that lead physicians to perceive a stay in the intensive care unit (ICU) as being non-beneficial for the patient. Materials and methods In the first step, we used a multidisciplinary focus group to define the characteristics that lead physicians to consider a stay in the ICU as non-beneficial for the patient. In the second step, we assessed the proportion of admissions that would be perceived by the ICU physicians as non-beneficial for the patient according to our focus group’s definition, in a large population of ICU admissions in 4 French ICUs over a period of 4 months. Results Among 1075 patients admitted to participating ICUs during the …
Intensive care unit strain should not rush physicians into making inappropriate decisions, but merely reduce the time to the right decisions being made
The effect of capacity strain in an ICU on the timing of end-of-life decision-making is unknown. We sought to determine how changes in strain impact timing of new do-not-resuscitate (DNR) orders and of death.Retrospective cohort study of 9891 patients dying in the hospital following an ICU stay ≥72 h in Project IMPACT, 2001-2008. We examined the effect of ICU capacity strain (measured by standardized census, proportion of new admissions, and average patient acuity) on time to initiation of DNR orders and time to death for all ICU decedents using fixed-effects linear regression.Increases in strain were associated with shorter time to DNR for patients with limitations in therapy (predicted ti…
What are the ethical aspects surrounding the collegial decisional process in limiting and withdrawing treatment in intensive care?
International audience; The decision to limit or withdraw life-support treatment is an integral part of the job of a physician working in the intensive care unit, and of the approach to care. However, this decision is influenced by a number of factors. It is widely accepted that a medical decision that will ultimate lead to end-of-life in the intensive care unit (ICU) must be shared between all those involved in the care process, and should give precedence to the patient's wishes (either directly expressed by the patient or in written form, such as advance directives), and taking into account the opinion of the patient's family, including the surrogate if the patient is no longer capable of…
Criteria deemed important by the relatives for designating a reference person for patients hospitalized in ICU
Abstract Purpose We investigated the criteria that patients' relatives deem important for choosing, among themselves, the person best qualified to interact with the caregiving staff. Methods Exploratory, observational, prospective, multicentre study between 1st March and 31st October 2018 in 2 intensive care units (ICUs). A 12-item questionnaire was completed anonymously by family members of patients hospitalized in the ICU 3 and 5 days after the patient's admission. Relatives were eligible if they understood French and if no surrogate had been appointed by the patient prior to ICU admission. More than one relative per patient could participate. Results In total, 87 relatives of 73 patients…
Impact of a stay in the intensive care unit on the preparation of Advance Directives: Descriptive, exploratory, qualitative study.
Abstract Background Our objective was to assess, through a qualitative, exploratory study, the thought processes of patients regarding the formulation of advance directives (AD) after a stay in the ICU. Methods The study was conducted from May to July 2016 using telephone interviews performed by four senior ICU physicians. Inclusion criteria were: patients discharged from ICU to home > 3 months earlier. Semi-directive interviews with patients focused on 5 main points surrounding AD. Results In total, among 159 eligible patients, data from 94 (59%) were available for analysis. Among all those interviewed, 83.5% had never heard of “advance directives”. Only 2% had executed AD before ICU admis…
LPS role during sepsis : description of circulating LPS levels using mass spectrometry in a cohort of critically ill patients, and investigation of LDL apheresis as an alternative for extracorporeal removal .
Lipopolysaccharide’s (LPS) metabolism is complex, and it is still not used as a consistent biomarker or therapeutic target during sepsis. We used a novel LPS quantification method, able to detect lipoprotein-associated LPS in plasma, using 3-hydroxy myristate (3HM), a specific compound. We measured the 3HM levels in a cohort of patients admitted to intensive care and healthy volunteers. Septic patients had higher levels of 3HM, as did non-survivors of sepsis. Substantial levels of 3HM were also found in healthy subjects, suggesting that LPS is tightly integrated with human metabolism. Then, we demonstrated that the adsorption of LDL (low density lipoproteins) lipoproteins by LDL apheresis r…
Vasopressor Cumulative Dose Requirement and Risk of Early Death During Septic Shock: An Analysis From The EPISS Cohort
Septic shock is the primary cause of death in intensive care units, with about 20% of patients dying in the first 3 days. To design future trials focused on early mortality, we require knowledge of early indicators that can detect patients at high risk of early death from refractory septic shock.The aim of this study was to assess whether the cumulative dose of vasopressors (CDV), calculated as the cumulative dose of epinephrine + norepinephrine, is a predictor of early death (within 72 hours) attributable to refractory septic shock (EDASS). This substudy of the EPISS trial was based on 370 patients admitted to a French ICU for septic shock between 2009 and 2011. The area under the receivin…
Epinephrine Versus Norepinephrine for Cardiogenic Shock After Acute Myocardial Infarction
IF 16.834 (2017); International audience; BACKGROUND Vasopressor agents could have certain specific effects in patients with cardiogenic shock (CS) after myocardial infarction, which may influence outcome. Although norepinephrine and epinephrine are currently the most commonly used agents, no randomized trial has compared their effects, and intervention data are lacking. OBJECTIVES The goal of this paper was to compare in a prospective, double-blind, multicenter, randomized study, the efficacy and safety of epinephrine and norepinephrine in patients with CS after acute myocardial infarction. METHODS The primary efficacy outcome was cardiac index evolution, and the primary safety outcome was…