Search

Background: In response to questions regarding the appropriate intensity of care for some patients, "a decision support aid regarding the intensity of care in case of worsening condition of a patient with a chronic disease" has been established at the Grenoble university hospital. According to patient's wishes and the experience of the medical and paramedical team who are responsible for him, a level of intensity of care will be suggested., Methods: We propose a prospective and multicenter study conducted in the Rhône-Alpes-Auvergne area. All lung cancer patients admitted to a pulmonology unit in 2014 would be included. This document would be used if a decision to withhold life-sustaining treatment exists. We would assess the relationship between the planned intensity of care and those established when the patient develops organ failure. Patient characteristics and factors associated with proposed levels and types of care would be analyzed. Patient and family opinions will be obtained at 3 months. The number of subjects to be included is 468., Expected Results: Therefore, we hope to be able to define the wishes of patients' and to propose an appropriate and adapted aid for decisions if they develop organ failure., (Copyright © 2014 SPLF. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)

Background: Mucormycosis is a rare fungal infection occurring most frequently in immunocompromised patients. The pathogens are filamentous fungi, order of Mucorales. Disseminated mucormycosis is a severe, life treating disease. Early diagnosis is a major determinant for prognosis, however, it remains difficult. The management consists in an early antifungal therapy using lipid formulation of amphotericin B associated with an extensive surgical debridement. Despite this therapeutic of choice, the mortality of disseminated mucormycosis remains high., Observation: We report the case of disseminated mucormycosis in a 25 years old woman 9 months after a pulmonary transplantation. The clinical presentation included pulmonary and thyroid localization and the pathogen was Absidia corymbifera. The patient survived thanks to a large surgical debridement, and an early antifungal bitherapy by lipid formulation of amphotericin B and posaconazole., Conclusion: The re-emergence and the high mortality of mucormycosis in solid organ transplant receiver show the necessity to find new therapeutic approaches. Posaconazole associated with liposomal amphotericin B could be an interesting option to treat disseminated mucormycosis and improve their outcome.

Introduction: Lung cancer is a disease with a poor prognosis. Therapeutic innovations in oncology and the optimisation of intensive care patient management have improved the prognosis of lung cancer presenting with acute life-threatening respiratory or cardiac emergencies., Observation: We reported on the case of a patient with lung cancer presenting with mildly abundant haemoptysis, who was hospitalised in intensive care. After multidisciplinary discussion, the patient was intubated following recurrent haemorrhage that resulted in respiratory failure. The outcome was favourable. Four months later, this patient was still alive and autonomous., Discussion: After years of pessimism, the medical literature has revealed an improvement in lung cancer patients' survival. Respiratory failure and shock are the main reasons for admission to the intensive care unit. The mortality risk factors depend more on acute conditions than on the underlying lung cancer. The patient's admission must be made before multiorgan failure occurs, along with the implementation of non invasive therapies. The use of intensive care as a bridge to overcome an acute event is a possible means of caring for the patient., Conclusion: Consideration of the acute event is important when deciding whether to hospitalise a patient with lung cancer in intensive care. An early admission, if indicated, is desirable. The course in the first 72hours provides a good estimation of the patient's prognosis and helps to achieve better treatment.

Current Situation: Early detection of the relapse in case of tumor located in the upper aerodigestive tract (UADT) is an important point for improving prognosis. Clinical control has not been efficient and, until today, no biological biomarker has been validated for surveillance of patients. In a preliminary study, we have shown the benefit of the methylation status of six tumor suppressor genes (TSG): TIMP3, ECAD, p16, MGMT, DAPK, and RASSF1A in saliva for early diagnosis of tumor relapse. The main objective of this second study is to confirm the initial results., Material and Methods: This is a bicenter, prospective, diagnostic, single-blind study. The study started in December 2007, running for one year. The main inclusion criterion is a patient with squamous-cell carcinoma of the oral cavity or the oropharynx, stages I to II, without previous treatment for this location. Eighty patients will be included. The data analysis will use a multivariate Cox model., Expected Results: If our preliminary results are confirmed, identification of methylations in saliva would be able to constitute the first usable biomarker, for the follow-up of patients with UADT cancer.

Objective: Few studies have shown that aged packed red blood cells (RBC) transfusion negatively influenced the outcome of ICU patients, probably related to storage lesions which could be decreased by leukodepletion of RBC. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of aged leukodepleted-RBC pack, on the outcome of ICU patients., Design: Retrospective, observational, cohort study in a Medical Intensive Care Unit., Patients: Consecutive patients admitted during the years 2005 and 2006, and requiring a transfusion. We recorded patient's demographic data, number of RBC unit and age of each RBC, length of ICU, mortality during ICU stay., Results: Five hundred and thirty-four patients were included with global mortality was 26.6%, length of stay in ICU six days (3-14) and SAPS II 48 (35-62). RBC equaling to 5.9 were transfused per patients (22.7%<14 days and 57.3%<21 days). The number of RBC was significantly higher in the dead patients group, but the rate of RBC stored less than 21 days was not different (54% versus 60%; p=0.21). In a multivariate logistic model, independent predictors of ICU death were SAPS II (OR=1.02 per point, p<0.001), number of RBC (OR=1.08 per RBC, p<0.001), length of stay in ICU (p<0.001). Similar results were obtained while introducing the age of RBC as time dependent covariates in a multivariate Cox's model., Conclusions: RBC transfused in our ICU are old. The ICU outcome is independently associated with the number of leucodepleted RBC transfused, but not with their age.

Background: As chemotherapy gains wider acceptance for the treatment of earlier stages of NSCLC, particularly in the adjuvant and neoadjuvant setting, physicians face a growing population of high performance status patients who have relapsed after their first-line chemotherapy. The type of second-line chemotherapy after initial adjuvant or neoadjuvant treatment with a platinum-based regimen remains largely undefined. The current study has been designed to compare the classical mono chemotherapy docetaxel with a docetaxel cisplatin doublet., Methods: Patients will be randomized in 2 arms. Arm: docetaxel cisplatin (cycles repeated every 21 days), 4 cycles followed by 2 cycles of docetaxel alone in case of objective response or stabilisation. Arm B: docetaxel alone (cycles repeated every 21 days), 4 cycles followed by 2 cycles of docetaxel alone in case of objective response or stabilisation., Expected Results: 300 patients will be randomized with a statistical hypothesis of a progression free survival of 3 months in the control arm and of 4.5 months in the experimental arm.

Objective: Central venous catheter (CVC) insertion is routinely performed in critically ill patients but causes mechanical, thrombotic, or infectious adverse events in 15% of cases. It should be possible to improve the benefit/risk ratio of central venous catheterization in intensive care unit., Data Source: We searched Pubmed using the terms: "catheterization, central venous, peripheral, adverse effects"; then "thrombosis, phlebitis, thrombophlebitis, jugular vein, femoral vein, subclavian vein, pneumothorax, haemothorax, extravasation of diagnostic and therapeutic materials". We then discuss this with a panel of intensivists in a workshop., Data Synthesis: Few data are available on the risk/benefit ratio of central vs. peripheral venous catheterization. In some cases (cardiac arrest, rapid fluid loading, parenteral nutrition) the choice is based on clear recommendations. In others (irritating drugs, pressure monitoring, peripheral access failure), the choice depends on medical and nurses daily evaluation. When CVC insertion is mandatory, it is important to implement the recommendations of the consensus conferences to prevent infectious and thrombotic complications. Mechanical complications should be improved by selecting the most appropriate insertion site, and, if unsuccessful, switching to another operator before the complications occurs. Doppler-ultrasound guidance is recommended, but is limited by the cost and training of the technique., Conclusion: Studies evaluating the risk/benefit ratio of CVCs versus peripheral catheters are needed to develop a venous-access strategy for ICU patients. When a CVC is mandatory, recent data are available to improve the risk/benefit ratio and can be used to build a decision algorithm.

Unlabelled: Management of in-hospital cardiac arrest is now considered as a hospital quality indicator. Such management actually requires training health care workers (HCWs) for basic life support (BLS)., Objective: To assess the usefulness and efficacy of a short mandatory BLS training course amongst general ward HCWs in a 1,200 bed teaching hospital., Study Design: The in-hospital medical emergency team (MET) established a 45-min BLS training course comprising 10 goals for basic CPR and preparing for the arrival of the MET. Assessment was based on satisfaction questionnaires, cross-sectional evaluation of knowledge and skills of HCWs before and 1 year after the start of the training course. Efficacy of BLS performed on ward was assessed by the MET on scene., Results: One year after, 68 training sessions had been fulfilled and 522 HCWs had been trained (46.27% of total HCWs). HCWs were satisfied with the teaching course. Instant retention of objectives was over 90%. Cross-sectional surveys showed an improvement of BLS knowledge and skills. The knowledge of initial clinical assessment remained low. Knowledge and skills were significantly higher amongst HCWs who had been trained than amongst those who had not. Unfortunately, general ward BLS performance showed no improvement., Conclusion: Short mandatory training courses are stimulating and well appreciated amongst HCWs. Although basic knowledge and skills improve dramatically, no improvement of on-scene BLS performance occurs.

Concerning catheter-related infections, many studies have been conducted until the last consensus conference of the Sociétéde réanimation de langue française (SRLF) in 1994. This text is the synthesis of the considerable amount of work performed by the experts of the society to review recent studies. The experts' texts as well as extensive bibliography are available at http://www.srlf.org.

Coagulase negative staphylococci, Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas sp. are the most frequent microorganisms responsible for catheter-related infections. A relative frequency of microorganisms varies according to the countries, microenvironment and outbreaks of multiresistant bacterias. Infections due to fungi, S. aureus and Pseudomonas sp. are associated with the more severe complications. Recent data suggest that chlorhexidine, either used for cutaneous antisepsis or for catheter impregnation decreases infections due to gram positive cocci. Ecological data should be taken into account when deciding a probabilistic treatment in case of suspicion of catheter-related infection.

Objective: The isolation of Candida sp in nosocomial infections is on the increase and over the past 10 years many guidelines for "good" practices and recommendations have been published on the modalities for the management of systemic candidiasis. The aim of this paper was to assess the habits in the intensive care units in this domain in France., Method: A transversal survey on the habits was conducted from March to May 2001, using a questionnaire mailed to 200 intensive care units., Results: One hundred eighty questionnaires (surgical reanimation: 12%, medical: 18%, medico-surgical: 70%) out of 200 (92.5%) were returned. The indirect diagnostic examinations: serology, search for antigenemia and PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) were never used in 21, 35 and 65% of cases. The systematic search for colonisation (a mean of 4 areas sampled) was conducted in all the patients by 19% of the investigators, in some patients by 53%, and never by 28%. An antifungal treatment was prescribed: in the presence of a positive haemoculture alone, once out of twice if the sample had been taken from a central catheter and in 2 cases out of 3 when the sample was peripheral. It was prescribed 6 times out of 10 after isolation of Candida sp following surgery or on needle aspiration of an intra-abdominal abscess, varyingly in the case of cadiduria, isolation of a Candida sp in a broncho-pulmonary sample or in abdominal draining and positive culture of a catheter, depending on the intensity of the colonisation, the severity of the clinical picture and the presence of factors of risk for Candida infection. It is still prescribed empirically depending on the same elements and the absence of explanation for worsening. When faced with candidemia in a non-neutropenic patient, a central catheter is not changed in 18% of cases. Depending on the microbiology, fluconazole is prescribed in: the identification of yeast without further precision (78% of cases), Candida sp without further precision (86% of cases), Candida non albicans without further precision (57% of cases), C. albicans (93% of cases), Candida non albicans other than C. krusei and C. glabrata (62% of cases), C. glabrata (36% of cases) with an increase in dose in 1 out of 2 cases. In the presence of C. glabrata or C. krusei, amphotericin B is the choice in respectively 51 and 75% of cases. To adapt the treatment.

In intensive care patients, pneumonia acquired under ventilatory assistance is the second most frequent nosocomial infection after urinary tract infection. Duration of ventilatory assistance and stay in the intensive care unit are both increased in this leading cause of death due to nosocomial infection. A large number of studies and national and international consensus conferences have been devoted to determining precise criteria leading to clinical suspicion of pneumonia acquired under ventilatory assistance and the appropriate elements for bacteriological diagnosis. The criteria retained in these different studies are neither precise nor reproductable. Based on data in the literature and our their clinical experience the members of the Outcomerea association constituted working groups to elaborate a set of guidelines that could be applied in routine clinic in response to three questions: 1) what criteria are suggestive of pneumonia acquired under ventilatory assistance, 2) what bacteriological tools are needed to confirm diagnosis, 3) how and why should cure be defined. We present a review of the literature and the conclusions of the working groups.

The authors report two cases of pulmonary valve endocarditis which required emergency surgical treatment. A 74 year old patient with trivalvular endocarditis (pulmonary, aortic, mitral), due to Sptreptococcus D bovis, developed cardiogenic shock with acute pulmonary oedema and underwent double aortic and pulmonary valve replacement with Carpentier-Edwards prostheses and simple resection of a mitral valve vegetation. Another 36 year old drug addict developed isolated pulmonary valve endocarditis due to Staphylococcus aureus infection complicated by pulmonary regurgitation with right ventricular failure and by septic pulmonary embolism with persistent sepsis: he underwent pulmonary valve replacement with a Bravo 300 bioprosthesis. The postoperative course was uncomplicated in both cases, with interruption of the infection and normalisation of the haemodynamic status. The insidious and severe nature of pulmonary valve endocarditis is demonstrated by these two cases, confirming previous reports which have underlined the poor prognosis of this condition. Surgery has been shown to be effective and well tolerated and should be integrated early in the therapeutic strategy, the results being all the better when an aggressive attitude is taken.