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Background: Lombardy was the epicenter in Italy of the first wave of COVID-19 pandemic. To face the contagion growth, from March 8 to May 8, 2020, a regional law redesigned the hub-and-spoke system for time-dependent diseases to better allocate resources for COVID-19 patients., Methods: We report the reorganization of the major hospital in Lombardy during COVID-19 pandemic, including the rearrangement of its ICU beds to face COVID-19 pandemic and fulfill its role as extended hub for time-dependent diseases while preserving transplant activity. To highlight the impact of the emergently planned hub-and-spoke system, all patients admitted to a COVID-19-free ICU hub for trauma, neurosurgical emergencies and stroke during the two-month period were retrospectively collected and compared to 2019 cohort. Regional data on organ procurement was retrieved. Observed-to-expected (OE) in-ICU mortality ratios were computed to test the impact of the pandemic on patients affected by time-dependent diseases., Results: Dynamic changes in ICU resource allocation occurred according to local COVID-19 epidemiology/trends of patients referred for time-dependent diseases. The absolute increase of admissions for trauma, neurosurgical emergencies and stroke was roughly two-fold. Patients referred to the hub were older and characterized by more severe conditions. An increase in crude mortality was observed, though OE ratios for in-ICU mortality were not statistically different when comparing 2020 vs. 2019. An increase in local organ procurement was observed, limiting the debacle of regional transplant activity., Conclusions: We described the effects of a regional emergently planned hub-and-spoke system for time-dependent diseases settled in the epicenter of COVID-19 pandemic in Italy.

Background: The aim was to describe the incidence and risk factors of barotrauma in patients with the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on invasive mechanical ventilation, during the outbreak in our region (Lombardy, Italy)., Methods: The study was an electronic survey open from March 27 th to May 2 nd , 2020. Patients with COVID-19 who developed barotrauma while on invasive mechanical ventilation from 61 hospitals of the COVID-19 Lombardy Intensive Care Unit network were involved., Results: The response rate was 38/61 (62%). The incidence of barotrauma was 145/2041 (7.1%; 95%-CI: 6.1-8.3%). Only a few cases occurred with ventilatory settings that may be considered non-protective such as a plateau airway pressure >35 cmH2O (2/113 [2%]), a driving airway pressure >15 cmH2O (30/113 [27%]), or a tidal volume >8 mL/kg of ideal body weight and a plateau airway pressure >30 cmH2O (12/134 [9%])., Conclusions: Within the limits of a survey, patients with COVID-19 might be at high risk for barotrauma during invasive (and allegedly lung-protective) mechanical ventilation.

With 63,098 confirmed cases on 17 April 2020 and 11,384 deaths, Lombardy has been the most affected region in Italy by coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). To cope with this emergency, the COVID-19 Lombardy intensive care units (ICU) network was created. The network identified the need of defining a list of clinical recommendations to standardize treatment of patients with COVID-19 admitted to Intensive Care Unit (ICU). Three core topics were identified: 1) rational use of intensive care resources; 2) ventilation strategies; 3) non-ventilatory interventions. Identification of patients who may benefit from ICU treatment is challenging. Clinicians should consider baseline performance and frailty status and they should adopt disease-specific staging tools. Continuous positive airway pressure, mainly delivered through a helmet as elective method, should be considered as initial treatment for all patients with respiratory failure associated with COVID-19. In case of persisting dyspnea and/or desaturation despite 4-6 hours of noninvasive ventilation, endotracheal intubation and invasive mechanical ventilation should be considered. In the early phase, muscle relaxant use and volume-controlled ventilation is recommended. Prone position should be performed in patients with PaO2/FiO2≤100 mmHg. For patients admitted to ICU with COVID-19 interstitial pneumonia, we do not recommend empiric antibiotic therapy for community-acquired pneumonia. Consultation of an infectious disease specialist is suggested before start of any antiviral therapy. In conclusion, the COVID-19 Lombardy ICU Network identified a list of best practice statements supported by the available evidence and clinical experience or identified as panel members expert opinions for the management of critically ill patients with COVID-19.

Perioperative hemodynamic management, through monitoring and intervention on physiological parameters to improve cardiac output and oxygen delivery (goal-directed therapy, GDT), may improve outcome. However, an Italian survey has revealed that hemodynamic protocols are applied by only 29.1% of anesthesiologists. Aim of this paper is to provide clinical guidelines for a rationale use of perioperative hemodynamic management in non cardiac surgical adult patients, oriented for Italy and updated with most recent studies. Guidelines were elaborated according to NICE (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence) and GRADE system (Grading of Recommendations of Assessment Development and Evaluations). Key questions were formulated according to PICO system (Population, Intervention, Comparators, Outcome). Guidelines and systematic reviews were identified on main research databases and strategy was updated to June 2018. There is not enough good quality evidence to support the adoption of a GDT protocol in order to reduce mortality, although it may be useful in high risk patients. Perioperative GDT protocol to guide fluid therapy is recommended to reduce morbidity. Continuous monitoring of arterial pressure may help to identify short periods of hemodynamic instability and hypotension. Fluid strategy should aim to a near zero balance in normovolemic patients at the beginning of surgery, and a slight positive fluid balance may be allowed to protect renal function. Drugs such as inotropes, vasocostrictors, and vasodilatator should be used only when fluids alone are not sufficient to optimize hemodynamics. Perioperative GDT protocols are associated with a reduction in costs, although no economic study has been performed in Italy.

Background: Vital signs are late indicators of blood loss in trauma patients. Indexed Heart to Arm Time (iHAT) is a non-invasive index based on a modified pulse transit time (mPTT) indexed to the time between R waves on the electrocardiogram (RR interval). We aimed to investigate how early iHAT is able to detect central hypovolemia during the progression from mild to severe simulated hemorrhage induced by applying lower body negative pressure (LBNP)., Methods: Thirty healthy volunteers were enrolled. Central hypovolemia was induced by application of increasing LBNP from 0 to -80 mmHg. At every step, non-invasive blood pressure, heart rate, cardiac echo Doppler measurements and iHAT were recorded., Results: Aortic flow Velocity Time Integral (VTI) reduction from 21.8±3.7 (baseline) to 11.2±3 cm (-70 mmHg) (P<0.001) was progressive with LBNP increase and represented a significant change in stroke volume and preload and induced an increase in heart rate from 69±2 to 107±4 bpm. iHAT increased from 34.2±4.65% (baseline) to 53.9±14.34% (-80 mmHg), P<0.001. The increase in iHAT became significant after -30 mmHg level was reached, corresponding to 500-1000 mL blood loss., Conclusions: iHAT measures both the reduction in preload and the parabolic heart rate increase due to the linear decrease in stroke volume. iHAT was able to detect a progressive central volume loss in a model of hemorrhage in healthy volunteers undergoing LBNP. A rising trend in iHAT can be a useful marker for progressive volume loss during moderate to severe bleeding.

Background: Refractory septic shock (RSS) requiring major vasopressor support is associated with high mortality, especially in Gram-negative infections. The study aim was to describe hemodynamics, organ failure, and clinical outcomes in high-dose vasopressor therapy (HDVT) RSS patients treated with Polymyxin B hemoperfusion (PMX-HP) as rescue therapy., Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 52 patients, unresponsive to conventional therapy, treated with two sessions of PMX-HP requiring HDVT (norepinephrine and/or epinephrine requirement (NEP+EP) ≥ 0.5 µg/kg/min), ≥ 2 organ failures, and suspected/confirmed Gram-negative infection from any source., Results: At baseline, mean arterial pressure (MAP) was 80 ± 13 mmHg and NEP + EP requirement was 1.11 ± 0.56 µg/kg/min. After two PMX-HP sessions, at 72 h, MAP significantly increased and NEP + EP requirement decreased respectively by 12% and 76%. Pulmonary and renal function also improved significantly. Thirty patients (58%) showed a ≥ 50% reduction in NEP + EP dose within only 24 h after the first PMX-HP session (early responders), and 22 did not or died from irreversible shock in the same time frame (early non-responders). The 30-day hospital mortality was 29%; it was 16% in early responders and 45% in early non-responders. On multivariate analysis, SAPS II score, vasopressin, and central venous pressure significantly affected 30-day hospital mortality., Conclusion: This is the first study describing the use of PMX-HP as a rescue therapy in RSS patients with HDVT and MOF. Our results suggest a possible role for PMX-HP in improving hemodynamics, organ function, and mortality in RSS, with a 30-day survival of up to 70%.

Background: Children undergoing major surgery can develop lung de-recruitment and gas exchange impairment in the postoperative period. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of periodic sigh breaths (Sighs) during pressure support ventilation (PSV) on gas exchange and respiratory pattern in children after major surgery., Methods: Twenty children were enrolled and received PSV alone and with Sighs in a randomized order. Sighs were administered once per minute by adding to baseline pressure support a pressure controlled breath set at 30 cm H2O of peak airway pressure. At the end of each study period air flow, pressure traces, and compliance of respiratory system, together with hemodynamic parameters and venous and arterial blood gas tensions, were recorded., Results: PaO2/FiO2 improved from baseline to Sigh group (312.6 ± 137.4 vs. 394.2 ± 127.0; P<0.01) and PaCO2 decreased from baseline to Sigh group (39.3 ± 3.3 vs. 34.3 ± 4.6 mmHg; P<0.001), without any change in minute expiratory volume. Indexed to body weight compliance of respiratory system improved from baseline to Sigh group (0.85 ± 0.35 vs. 1.01 ± 0.30 mL/kg/cm H2O; P<0.01). There were no significant differences between the two groups for the hemodynamic parameters., Conclusion: The addition of one Sigh per minute during PSV in the post-operative period of children that underwent major surgery improved gas exchange and decreased respiratory drive without producing major short-term complications. Further long-term studies are necessary to evaluate the efficacy and safety of Sigh in pediatric patients.

Background: The novel influenza A (H1N1) pandemic was associated with an epidemic of critical illness., Methods: We describe the clinical profiles of critically ill patients with severe complications due to microbiologically confirmed pandemic influenza A (H1N1) infection admitted to a medical ICU in Monza, Italy, over a 6-month period., Results: From August 2009 to January 2010, 19 patients (13 adults and 6 children) required ICU admission. Nine subjects were referred to our hospital from other ICUs. In all patients, with the exception of a case of severe septic shock, the cause of ICU admission was acute respiratory failure. Other nonpulmonary organ failures were common. A trial of non-invasive ventilation was attempted in 13 cases and was successful in four of them. The majority of the patients required invasive mechanical ventilation. In the 7 most severely hypoxemic patients, we applied veno-venous ECLS, with a very high rate of success. The median ICU stay was 9 days (range 1-78 days). Sixteen out of 19 (84%) patients survived., Conclusion: In the majority of our patients, critical illness caused by pandemic influenza A (H1N1) was associated with severe hypoxemia, multiple organ failure, requirement for mechanical ventilation and frequent use of rescue therapies and ECLS support.

Aim: The outcomes of patients affected by hematologic malignancies (HM) admitted to Intensive Care Units (ICUs) because of life-threatening complications are still considered to be poor. The aim of this study was to assess the incidence and impact of cardiac dysfunction on the outcome of these patients., Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the records of the 48 patients (both adult and pediatric) with HM admitted in our ICU over the last four years, collecting data on admission diagnosis, type of HM, laboratory values and organ failure., Results: All patients were admitted with respiratory failure. The overall mortality rate was 50% and the mortality rates were similar among patients with different types of HM. Septic shock and multiple organ failure were the leading causes of death. The overall incidence of cardiac dysfunction was high (31%). Interestingly, the ICU mortality of this subgroup was 27%, while the mortality of the rest of the population was 61% (p<0.05)., Conclusions: ICU patients with HM have high mortality. Respiratory failure caused by cardiac dysfunction seems to be associated with a lower risk of death.

Aim: The aim of this study was to investigate the hypothesis that periodical sampling of the tracheo-bronchial tree in the absence of clinical suspicion of pneumonia is useful to identify bacteria responsible for subsequent late ventilator associated pneumonia (VAP). This was a retrospective observational human study carried out in two medical-surgical intensive care units of two different hospitals. From January 1999 to December 2000, 559 patients, who received invasive respiratory support for more than 48 hours, were screened., Methods: Tracheal aspiration (TA) was performed once or twice weekly in all mechanically ventilated patients. The microbiological findings from TA surveillance cultures done in the eight days before suspicion of VAP were compared to those isolated from the positive diagnostic samples done for late onset VAP (after more than four days of mechanical ventilation). The sensitivity, specificity, and positive/negative predictive values of the ability of the surveillance sample to anticipate the VAP pathogen were calculated., Results: Among the microorganisms isolated from TA, 68% were retrieved from diagnostic samples. All VAP pathogens previously isolated were from 43% of the TA samples. If TA was collected 2-4 days before the clinical diagnosis of VAP, pathogens were detected in 58% of samples. In contrast, only 27% were collected more than four days earlier (P<0.05). The positive predictive values for Pseudomonas aeruginosa and methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus from routine TA samples were 92% and 90%, respectively. The negative predictive values for Pseudomonas aeruginosa and methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus from routine TA samples were 75% and 89%, respectively., Conclusions: TA cultures in ventilated patients may help to predict pathogens. Early detection may lead to earlier treatment in long term ventilated patients when VAP is suspected.

Background: The goal of the present work is to describe the development and results of the pediatric epidural analgesia program at the ''Hospital Nacional de Pediatria Prof. Dr. J. P. Garrahan'' in Argentina., Methods: Patients with thoracotomy, abdominal surgery, osteotomy, amputations or severe trauma were included in the program. The program provided training to the entire staff, control and record of pain treatment and its consequences, 24 h a day availability of anesthesia staff and standard polices and procedures., Results: One hundred fifty children under 16 years of age (median age 11 years, median weight 35 kg) were included in the program during the first 18 months. The median of maximum pain reported during activity was 1 (interquartile range 1 to 4 points) using the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) or Objective Pain Scale (OPS). Eighty seven children (CI 95% 50% to 67%) presented with postoperative nausea and vomiting, urinary retention, itching, motor blockade or sedation. No patient presented with respiratory depression, hypotension, local anaesthetic toxicity, epidural catheter related infection or death during the program evaluation. The postoperative care program enabled a 98-day reduction in treatment in the intensive care unit., Conclusion: The safe use of pediatric epidural analgesia in general wards may require the careful selection of patients, systematic assessment by trained personnel, training of medical and nursing personnel, clear distribution of responsibilities, use of printed indications, systematic record of pain, sedation and complications, information and education of patients and parents, supply of systems for airway resuscitation and management and continuous quality control and revision of the methods.

Oxygen supply to all tissues is possible only in a condition of adequate blood circulation. Oxygen demand is the driving force that is responsive of hemodynamic adjustment. The human body acts on four modulators (intravascular volume, inotropy, vasoactivity, chrono-tropy) in order to adjust the hemodynamic state. Hemodynamic monitoring consists of techniques able to assess the hemodynamic status and to understand the mechanism of patient decompensation; its goal is to maintain adequate tissue perfusion through appropriate therapeutic interventions. An early diagnosis of hemodynamic alteration is crucial for an early treatment; several reports have explored the effectiveness of hemodynamic manipulations and results are conflicting: too many variables can, in fact, modify the results: timing and lenght of the treatment, drugs used, etc. However, at least, in some specific settings, as sepsis, early intervention has a positive impact on mortality. In this presentation it will be briefly analyzed the most common parameters used in the ICU. Arterial pressure, central venous pressure, pulmonary artery catheter derived parameters, SvO2 and their relation with organ perfusion are considered and positive and negative aspects of this type of monitoring is reviewed. Starting from these considerations we would like to underline the importance of understanding the physiological basis of monitoring and the correct interpretation of data in order to have improvement on patient outcome.

Neuraxial blockade is commonly used to abolish sensations elicited by noxious stimuli during surgical procedures. Proven advantages of combined anesthesia include early recovery from general anesthesia and postoperative analgesia, together with likely decreases in blood loss, cardiac dysrhythmias, or ischemic events and postoperative deep vein thrombosis. The side effects of the technique are related to the dose or site of local anesthetic administration and to light general anesthesia, which can result in awareness during surgery. Varying degrees of synergistic interactions have been reported among the drugs used to achieve the anesthetic state. Spinal anaesthesia appears to have sedative effects, and local anesthetics used for neuraxial blockade have been found to reduce the induction and maintenance dosage of midazolam, thiopental, propofol and inhaled anesthetics. The growing interest in combining local and general anesthesia has led to studies investigating possible interactions between general anesthesia and local anesthetics administered via spinal or epidural routes. Neuraxial blockade reduces sedative and anesthetic requirements by decreasing ascending sensory input into the brain. This has important clinical implications, as anesthetists should expect to reduce anesthetic and sedative drug doses during neuraxial blockade, unless the blockade involves lower dermatomes alone. Clinical practice of anesthesia is a polypharmacy, wherein the anesthetic state is the net result of the action of different drugs and their interaction in the presence of a surgical stimulus.

Regional anesthesia has become a routine practice in paediatric anesthesia and local anaesthetics are now widely used in infants and children. Although local anaesthetics are generally quite safe and effective, they may produce systemic toxic reactions affecting the heart and brain. Because postoperative analgesia is often the primary justification for regional anesthesia in infants and children, bupivacaine, a long-acting local anaesthetic, is the most commonly used local anaesthetic for paediatric regional anesthesia. Levobupiva-caine has been used in children by caudal injection, by lumbar epidural route for anesthesia during operation, by continuous epidural infusion for pain control after operation and for spinal anesthesia. Levobupivacaine had shown comparable clinical profiles to that of bupivacaine but produced lower incidence of residual motor blockade. Efforts to minimize the risk of complications during caudal anesthesia must be directed towards measures that reduce accidental intravenous and intraosseous injections, reduce the total amount of local anaesthetic used and use drugs with lower toxic potential. In patients under general anesthesia, when using a large amount of local anaesthetic, in case of accidental intravenous infusion, patients receiving levobupivacaine may tolerate larger doses before manifestation of toxicity compared with those receiving bupivacaine. There are clinical situations including prolonged local anaesthetic infusions, use in neonates or small babies, and caudal block, where replacement of bupivacaine with levobupivacaine appears to be safer.

The International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP) defines neuropathic pain as being caused by a lesion or dysfunction of the nervous system. Characteristics that would define neuropathic pain and differentiate it from other types of pain include: pain and sensory symptoms that persist beyond the healing period; presence, in variable degree, of neurological sensory signs manifesting as negative and positive sensory phenomena; presence, in variable degree, of other neurological signs, including motor, manifesting as negative and positive motor phenomena or autonomic signs. Many of the conditions causing neuropathic pain in adults are rare in children, but some forms of neuropathic pain do affect children and adolescents as complex regional pain syndrome or phantom limb pain. Treatment strategies that have demonstrated to be efficacious in adults have been extrapolated to be used in children, including medications, nerve blocks, physical therapy, and behavioral medicine. A multidisciplinary program that combines all of these approaches provides the best chance of relief.

Sepsis may be defined as a clinical syndrome caused by an organism's response to infection. The complex alterations triggered by the infection include inflammation and systemic coagulopathy in the absence of effective fibrinolysis. Possible manifestations vary in entity and severity, ranging from systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) to septic shock and multiorgan dysfunction syndrome (MODS). The nurse can play a fundamental role in the timely recognition of SIRS and in the early identification of the onset of signs of organ damage. In this way, an additional aid to establishing diagnosis can be provided and targeted treatment instituted. Following a brief presentation of the pathophysiology and epidemiology of sepsis, the manifestations and attendant risks are described, the most appropriate monitoring methods and the main nursing tasks in treating sepsis are discussed. We present the results of our experience in identifying patients with sepsis through the application of selection criteria adopted from clinical studies on the use of activated protein C.

Fever is one of the most aspecific marker of disease, it is considered a protective host defense response and it is the result of a reset of the hypothalamic thermostat. Fever is a common problem in ICU patients and it is associated with infective and non infective causes. Fever presenting in ICU should always be a source of concern and the first and immediate priority is to determine its clinical significance.

ICU nurses hold an important role in the management of septic patients underlining with their ability to recognize SIRS that is the first step in the proinflammatory and procoagulant cascade following an infection. Early and timely approach to organ dysfunction can indeed modify the damages due to hypoperfusion. The ability to recognize organ dysfunction using different monitoring devices available should be part of the nursing attitudes.

Increased metabolic requirements by surgical trauma is responsible of the changes in cardiac index and oxygen delivery (DO2), represent compensatory adaptation in circulatory functions stimulated by increased metabolic needs. The amount of this compensation varies with age, gender, severity of illness, operation type, associated medical conditions, shock duration, complications, organ failure, and outcome. Hypotension, low cardiac index, arterial hemoglobin desaturation, low oxygen delivery, and low oxygen consumption served and sometimes are persistent over time; these abnormalities were more notorious in the nonsurvivors than in the survivors. Lethal circulatory dysfunctions may begin during the intraoperative period but become more apparent before and are responsible of organ failure during postoperative stages. An approach that measures adequacy of tissue perfusion is a fundamental objective in anesthesia and critical care medicine. Traditional measures of tissue perfusion have included arterial pressure monitoring, urine output, arterial pH and blood lactate. These measures have major limitations, and changes in these measures may significantly lag behind clinical interventions. After trauma and major surgery despite normalization of these variables, global tissue hypoxia may still persist. Unrecognized or untreated conditions may lead to organ failure and death. In critical or high risk patients, early invasive monitoring is necessary to precisely define the adequacy of the cardiac response and to individually tailor therapy. The care provided in the first hours significantly impacts the progression of organ failure and mortality. Although this period is brief compared with the total length of hospitalization, physiological determinants of outcome may be established before ICU admission. Early postoperative monitoring revealed differences in survivor and nonsurvivor patterns and provided goals for improving outcome.